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Each week, Report on Business editors choose five stories that shouldn't be missed. Here are the 'must reads' for the week of Dec. 21, 2009 .
A stand in support of stimulus
Canada's corporate executives stand firmly behind Ottawa's decision to pump billions of stimulus dollars into the economy, and they aren't seriously worried about the huge budget deficits that are piling up. Senior executives who responded to the latest C-Suite survey say the stimulus spending was the right move at the right time to get the economy moving again, despite the creation of a federal deficit of more than $55-billion this year - with more shortfalls to come.
NBA's Nash lends name to fitness chain
In a deal announced Monday, a company backed by Steve Nash acquired British Columbia's largest fitness company, Fitness World. The new chain will be Steve Nash Fitness World. Mr. Nash already has two Vancouver-area fitness clubs, with a third to open in White Rock, B.C., under the Steve Nash Sports Club banner.
From India to PEI, with laptop in hand
A year ago, a huge accounting fraud shook the foundations of Indian computer services giant Satyam, setting off an exodus of global clients and layoffs of thousands of workers. The ripples carried Shiva Kumar Vishwanathan all the way to Prince Edward Island. Since April, he and 39 other former U.S. employees of Satyam, all Indian nationals, have called PEI home. They now work for CGI Group Inc., a Canadian computer services company, in a jarring relocation that has meant a new company, a new country and a new culture of small-city life.
Greeting cards get licked by clicks
Didn't mail out any Christmas cards this year? You're not alone. People are finding other ways to send holiday greetings, and card sellers are feeling the pinch. Growth has been flat for the last four to five years, said Clancy Delbarre, executive director of the Gift Packaging & Greeting Card Association of Canada. Before, the industry was accustomed to growth of 4 to 5 per cent a year.
Pursuing a passion after corporate lift
Many in the corporate trenches fantasize about dropping a career to pursue a dream. Brian Levy made it reality. Now a medical student, he looks back at his rise to the top of the Source by Circuit City and his decision to move on.