#infosuisse aug sept 13 - chambre de commerce … · publication des chambres de commerce...

Publication of the Swiss Canadian Chambers of Commerce Ontario and QuebecPublication des Chambres de Commerce Canado-Suisse de l’Ontario et du Québec

August/September août/septembre 2013

FFeature/Reportageeature/Reportage::Swiss Consulate – New Organization

Consulats suisses – Nouvelle organisation

www.swissbiz.ca www.cccsqc.cawww.swissbiz.ca www.cccsqc.ca

Créez votre café préféré avec www.nespresso.com/whatelse

CON

TEN

TS /

IND

ICE

FEATURE / REPORTAGE

Swiss Consulate – New Organization / Consulats suisses – Nouvelle organisation

4 Réaménagement des consulats suisses 8 Realignment of the Swiss Consulates

BUSINESS AND OTHER NEWSACTUALITÉS ÉCONOMIQUES ET D’AFFAIRES

14 How Long Do I Have To Keep My Income Tax Records? 14 Short Service Employees May Not Truly Be “Probationary” 15 Business News 17 Canada’s International Merchandise Trade, May 2013 Statistics 19 Karin’s Performance Solutions: Manufacturing Excellence – Inspire, Lead and Succeed with INNOVATION! 20 Tribeca Insights: Do As We Say… 23 Travel News 28 Trade Fairs

CHAMBER NEWSINFORMATIONS DE VOTRE CHAMBRE

2 President’s Message SCCC/Upcoming Events 3 Message du Président CCCS / Evénéments 9,13,14, 17 & 25 Nouveaux Membres – CCCS 12 Member Profi le / Portrait d’un Membre 16 Scholarship Fund 21 Quote of the Month 21 SCCC New Members 22 Canadian German Swiss Golf Tournament 24 Une journée inoubliable de golf au Whitlock 28 SCCC Group Health Plan

Publication of the Swiss Canadian Chambers of Commerce Ontario and QuebecPublication des Chambres de Commerce Canado-Suisse de l’Ontario et du Québec

Bundeshaus in Bern

Federal Palace in Bern

IN FO SU I SS E2

BOARD OF DIRECTORS • 2013 – 2014

President / Director:

Ernst NotzNacora2 Hunter Avenue, Toronto ON M6E 2C8Tel: (416) 784-2872Email: [email protected]

1st Vice-President/Director:Julien FavreUBS154 University Avenue, Toronto ON M5H 3Z4Tel: (416) 345-7033Email: [email protected] Website: www.ubs.com/1/e/canada

2nd Vice-President/Director:Mirko CapodannoSwitzerland Tourism480 University Avenue, Suite 1500Toronto, ON M5G 1V2Tel: 416-695-3375 Cell: 416-841-6644Email: [email protected] Website: www.MySwitzerland.com

Treasurer/ Director:Monica Stevens-WyssTrowbridge Professional Corporation25 Adelaide St. E.; Suite 1400; Toronto, ON M5C 3A1Phone: (416) 214-7833 ext.104Email: [email protected] Website: www.trowbridge.ca

Secretary & Legal Counsel:

Bernard LetteLette LLP20 Queen Street West, #3300, P.O. Box 33, Toronto ON M5H 3R3Tel: 416-971-4898Email: [email protected] Website: www.lette.ca

Past President / Director:

Philipp GyslingMesh Innovations Inc.174 Hallam Street, Toronto ON M6H 1X5Tel: 416-871-8159Email: [email protected]: www.meshinnovations.com

Directors:

Babette BaarsMarché Restaurants Canada Ltd.8 King Street East, Suite 838, Toronto, ON M5C 1B5Tel: 647-341-1444 Cell: 647-969-1445Email: [email protected] Website: www.marche-int.com

Rudi BlatterLindt & Spruengli (Canada) Inc.181 University Avenue, Suite 900, Toronto ON M5H 3M7Tel: (416) 351-8566Email: [email protected] Website: www.lindt.com

Heidy LawranceWeMakeBooks.ca238 Willowdale Ave., North York ON M2N 4Z5Tel: 416-733-1827Email: [email protected]: WeMakeBooks.ca

Sandra LeubaRBC Wealth ManagementCINEBOXX Film & Television Inc.136 Curzon Street, Toronto ON M4M 3B5Tel: 416-616-4251Email: [email protected]

Ronnie MillerHoffmann-La Roche Ltd2455 Meadowpine Boulevard, Mississauga ON L5N 6L7Tel: 905-542-5522Email: [email protected] Website: www.rochecanada.com

Christoph OehySwiss Reinsurance Company150 King Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 1J9Tel: 647-775-2443Email: [email protected]: www.swissre.com

Daniel OehySwissmar35 East Beaver Creek Rd, Unit 6, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1B3Tel: 905-764-1121Email: [email protected] Website: www.swissmar.com

Urs UhlmannZurich400 University Avenue, 25th Floor, Toronto ON M5G 1S7Tel: (416) 586-2959Email: [email protected] Website: www.zurich.ca

Andrea von MoellerB2-125 The Queensway; Toronto ON M8Y 1H3Tel: (416) 907-8012Email: [email protected]: www.2marketinternational.com

Honorary Director:

Bernadette HunkelerConsulate General of Switzerland154 University Avenue, Suite 601, Toronto ON M5H 3Y9Tel: 416-593-5371Website: www.eda.admin.ch

Executive Assistant:

Patricia Keller Schläpfer – SCCC756 Royal York Road, Toronto ON M8Y 2T6Tel: (416) 236-0039 Fax: (416) 551-1011E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.swissbiz.ca

Typesetting and Assembly: Nancy Raitt @ corptype

Printed by: J. B. Deschamps

Dear Members,

It is always nice to spend part of the hot summer in the Swiss mountains, and that is where I am writing this message.

Even over here, you read about the thunderstorms and fl oods in Toronto, the stories of the mayor of Toronto, the importance of the Toronto Stock Exchange and its clients in the fi eld of mining and natural resources, the sad closing of the Consulate General in Toronto, etc.

But what preoccupies the people in Switzerland? The issues are manifold, and our home country seems to be in the spotlight on various levels. The Swiss federal Parliament is really being put on the spot, and, for the most part, the Swiss international business community feels that many of the issues are a big challenge and often over their heads. Most of the discussions are focused on the way the American authorities are treating them. However, the Swiss government has stood fi rm in the defence of Swiss sovereignty when business owners became a target, seen as an extension of the American justice system (Lex USA). It is expected that the uncertainty will continue. The Swiss banks, especially, will have to co-operate and are afraid of upcoming pressure, mostly on cross-border private banking, affecting questions of double taxation and automatic data exchange. The newspapers are full of stories about whistle-blowers.

The Swiss fi nancial marketplace is under tremendous pressure, and it remains to be seen how this will affect the Canadian community. Also, Switzerland’s diffi cult relationship with the European Union, with which we have to renegotiate many treaties, makes everyday headlines over here.

In the fi eld of sports, SCCC had a great combined golf tournament (see separate article). The Swiss were very proud to become the Vice-World Champion in hockey, and their win was celebrated in Switzerland despite the ongoing Stanley Cup games. In our next issues, we will report on Swiss nationals who have become our small heroes in North America.

In August, I will attend the Conference of the Swiss Living Abroad in Davos, where some of the interesting topics will be the globalization of the institution, the economy and its migration. I will report to you on its conclusions.

This current InfoSuisse issue focuses heavily on the closure of the Swiss Consulate in Toronto, the business capital of Canada. As the Swiss Consulate in Toronto provided important support to the many Swiss enterprises or companies with business ties to Switzerland as well as families living in Ontario, we asked the Ambassador Ulrich Lehner to provide interesting information to our readership about the changes. We thank the Ambassador Ulrich Lehner, the Consul General Beat Kaser as well as their teams for the detailed information.

During these summer months, a working group of the SCCC is determining how we can fi ll the gaps left by the closing of the Consulate General in Toronto, such as how to deal and co-operate with the Swiss Business Hub in order to continue commerce and trade relations between Canada’s most important province and Switzerland.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our next events!

Most sincerely,

Ernst Notz, President

Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) Inc.756 Royal York Road • Toronto, Ontario M8Y 2T6Tel: (416) 236-0039 • Fax: (416) 236-3634 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.swissbiz.ca

2013 COMING EVENTS

August 20 Pub Night with the British Chamber

September 4 Spousal Event at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club

October 8 Swiss Night

November 16 Gala Dinner Dance at the King Edward Hotel

December 10 Fondue Night

Further Information can be found on www.swissbiz.ca/upcoming_events

Dates above are subject to change

AU G U ST/SE P T E M B E R 2013 3

La Chambre de commerce canado-suisse (Québec) Inc.Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Quebec) Inc.

1572 Avenue Docteur Penfi eld, Montréal, Qué. H3G 1C4 • Tél: (514) 937-5822 • Fax: (514) 954-5619 • E-mail: [email protected] • Web site: www.cccsqc.ca

CONSEIL D’ADMINISTRATION / BOARD OF DIRECTORS2013 – 2014

Président / President

Mr. Jean Serge GriséDirecteur, Communications et Affaires publiquesFondation Lucie et André ChagnonTel: 514.380.2001, # 1058E-mail: [email protected]

Secrétaire / Secretary

Me Monica SchirdewahnAvocate / Lawyer Lette & AssociésTel: 514.871.3838, # 213 E-mail: [email protected]

Vice-présidents / Vice-Presidents

Mr. Bruno SetzConsultantTel: 514.767.5123E-mail : [email protected]

Mr. Olivier RodriguezGestionnaire de portefeuilleMirabaud Canada Inc.Tel: 514.393.1690E-mail : [email protected]

Trésorier / Treasurer

Mr. Othmar WidmerConsultation WidmerTel: 450.973.2864E-mail: [email protected]

Directeurs / Directors

M. Christian G. Dubois Conseiller de la Ville, Membre du Comité exécutif Tel: [email protected]

Me Jean-Marc FerlandAvocatFerland, Marois, Lanctot Tel: 514.861.1110E-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Moritz GruberConsultantTel: 450.264.6278 E-mail: [email protected]

Mme Marie-Josée Loiselle Présidente Nuno ID Tel: [email protected]

M. Jean-Aymeri de Magistris Directeur Ventes et Marketing Stambac InternationalTel : 514.564 6798E-mail: [email protected]

M. Alex VoleryRegional Service Manager Bobst North America Inc.Tel: 514.531 9946E-mail: [email protected]

Mr. Paul WieserPDG pour le CanadaBusch Vacuum Technics Inc.Tel: 450.435.6899E-mail: [email protected]

Directeur honoraire / Honorary Director

Mr. Beat Kaser Consul général de SuisseTel: 514.932.7181 E-mail: [email protected]

Liaison au Consulat général de Suisse

Mr. Paolo Bezzola Consul Tel: 514.932.7181E-mail: [email protected]

Conseiller juridique / Legal Counsel

Lette & AssociésTel: 514.871.3838, # 213 E-mail: [email protected]

Responsable de l’administration / Administration Offi cer

Mr. Andreas Kräuchi Tel: 514.937.5822 E-mail: [email protected]

Chères et chers membres,

C’est avec plaisir que je vous retrouve pour partager ce numéro un peu spécial d’Info-Suisse. En plus de contenir – comme d’habitude – des sujets originaux, l’équipe de rédaction a préparé un reportage sur la réorganisation des représentations suisses au Canada. J’en profi te ici pour remercier l’Ambassadeur Ulrich Lehner, le Consul général Beat Kaser, ainsi que leurs équipes, de leur contribution importante à cet article qui intéressera tous les membres.

Par ailleurs, la Chambre de Commerce canado-suisse du Québec a tenu, il y a quelques jours, son assemblée générale annuelle; je suis très touché de la confi ance que me font nos membres en me confi rmant dans mon mandat pour une autre année. Je félicite les nouveaux membres qui se joignent à notre Conseil et je remercie ceux qui nous quittent après de nombreuses années de services auprès de notre organisation.

L’AGA nous a également permis de présenter les grandes lignes de notre plan pour l’avenir. Ensemble, nous avons convenu de procéder à un « Virage Affaires » qui nous permettra de nous orienter de plus en plus vers la présentation d’activités économiques à nos membres, sans oublier nos activités traditionnelles qui sont des succès assurés.

We will make efforts to improve our relations with our members in the coming year. We want to have more activities to improve the opportunity for our members to know each other better and do business together.

Our other priority will be to improve greatly our WEB site. Il est important qu’une organisation comme la nôtre ait un site web effi cace qui fournisse une information précise et intéressante à ses membres.

J’aurai l’occasion de vous faire parvenir prochainement un document qui vous expliquera ce que votre CA prépare. Nous y travaillerons durant l’été afi n de vous communiquer le tout à la rentrée.

En terminant, je tiens à souligner particulièrement l’excellente collaboration du Consul général, Beat Kaser qui a bien compris que ce que nous entreprenons dans notre Chambre contribuera à améliorer les échanges commerciaux entre la Suisse, le Canada et le Québec.

Ce numéro vous parviendra dans le courant du mois d’août. D’ici là, j’espère que vous aurez bien célébré le 1er août la fête nationale suisse. Plusieurs d’entre vous aurez certainement participé à ce grand rassemblement annuel à Sutton qui réunit des Suisses du Canada, des États-Unis et d’ailleurs, ainsi que d’autres amis de la Suisse. Avec un peu de retard, je souhaite BONNE FÊTE à tous nos amis suisses!

Jean Serge GriséPrésident du conseil d’administration de la Chambre de commerce canado-suisse du Québec.

ÉVÉNEMENTS / UPCOMING EVENTS 2013 / 2014

19 Septembre 2013 / September 19th 2013 Cocktail d’ouverture de la saison Season opening cocktail

21 Novembre 2013 / November 21st 2013 Soirée Fondue / Fondue evening

19 Février 2014 / February 19th 2014 Soirée Raclette / Raclette Evening

2 Juin 2014 / June 2nd 2014 Tournoi de Golf / Golf Tournament

Des événements supplémentaires seront ajoutés au fur et à mesure

Additional events will be added as soon as the dates will be known

Dates sujet à changement / Dates are subject to change

INFORMATION et détails/and details : www.cccsqc.ca ou/or (514) 937-5822

IN FO SU I SS E4

Swiss Consulate – New Organizat ion

Consulats suisses – Nouvel le organisat ion

RÉAMÉNAGEMENT DES CONSULATS SUISSESArticle rédigé par le Consulat général de Suisse

à Montréal

Le Canada et la Suisse ont établi des rela-

tions diplomatiques en 1945 et l’Ambassade

de Suisse à Ottawa a été inaugurée en 1957

mais c’est en 1875 déjà que fut inauguré

le premier Consulat de Suisse au Canada, à

Montréal. Il deviendra Consulat général en

1912. Ceux de Toronto et de Vancouver ont

respectivement été ouverts en 1906 et en

1913. Un vaste programme de célébrations

a d’ailleurs lieu cette année à Vancouver

pour marquer le centenaire de la présence

suisse sur la côte Ouest du Canada.

Dans sa démarche d’optimisation con-

stante du réseau extérieur suisse, le DFAE se

conforme aux directives de la Stratégie de

politique étrangère du Conseil fédéral. L’un

des fondements de la politique étrangère

de la Suisse est le principe d’universalité.

Celui-ci est d’une part un gage de fl exibilité

et de proximité avec les acteurs à l’étranger

et, d’autre part, un élément majeur d’une

politique étrangère indépendante. Aussi le

DFAE cherche-t-il dans ses réfl exions à main-

tenir un réseau extérieur fort et universel.

Le réseau extérieur est plus que l’image

de la Suisse à l’étranger, il est la Suisse à

l’étranger. Les représentations permettent

d’établir des contacts, de défendre nos

intérêts, de promouvoir notre image, de

favoriser les investissements et les échanges

culturels, politiques, économiques ou encore

scientifi ques. Elles assurent aussi le déploie-

ment de la politique extérieure de notre

pays et l’exercice de sa souveraineté dans

un monde en mouvement.

Ces dernières années, la rigueur budgé-

taire et l’apparition de nouvelles missions se

sont traduites par une multiplication indis-

pensable des mesures de synergie au sein

du réseau extérieur et par un recentrage

appuyé sur les tâches-clés des représenta-

tions à l’étranger.

Dans le cadre du programme de con-

solidation et de réexamen des tâches

2014 (CRT 2014), le Conseil fédéral a ainsi

chargé le DFAE, en partenariat avec d’autres

départements, d’identifi er dans l’ensemble

du réseau extérieur suisse des mesures

de synergie permettant une économie de

30 millions de francs à compter de 2014.

Dans ce contexte – et après mûre réfl exion

– le Conseil fédéral a décidé de fermer le

Consulat général de Suisse à Toronto. Cette

Beaupré Michaud et Associés, Architectes


fermeture sera effective au printemps 2014

mais le traitement des questions consulaires

a déjà été repris par le Consulat général de

Montréal en juillet 2013. Avec l’Ambassade

de Suisse à Ottawa et le Consulat général de

Vancouver, le Consulat général à Montréal

constitue donc le nouveau réseau des

représentations suisses au Canada. Celles-ci

sont assistées par des consulats honoraires

à Québec, Halifax, Winnipeg (en ce moment

vacant) et Calgary. Un Consul honoraire est

en cours de recrutement à Toronto. Le Swiss

Business Hub étendra sa présence à Montréal

en janvier 2014. Il aura pour mission de pro-

mouvoir les échanges commerciaux entre le

Canada et la Suisse.

La juridiction du Consulat général de

Montréal s’étend désormais des Provinces

maritimes jusqu’à et y compris celle du

Manitoba et le Territoire du Nunavut, en

passant par le Québec et l’Ontario. Le

Consulat général de Vancouver est quant à

lui responsable pour l’Ouest du Canada.

Un Consulat général est un organe central

de liaison entre les Suisses de l’étranger et

les autorités en Suisse pour de nombreuses

questions consulaires et administratives

mais il protège également leurs droits, par

exemple en cas d’accident ou d’arrestation.

En coopération étroite avec l’Ambassade, il

a aussi pour vocation de promouvoir et sau-

vegarder un large éventail d’intérêts suisses,

par exemple économiques, commerciaux,

culturels, académiques et scientifi ques dans

sa juridiction. Il soigne les relations avec les

autorités politiques locales et régionales.

L’organigramme de la représentation à

Montréal repose dorénavant sur trois piliers

dont la direction et la responsabilité incomb-

ent au Consul général. La section « intérêts

suisses » suit les questions de politique

régionale, promeut les échanges culturels,

académiques et scientifi ques entre la Suisse

et l’Est du Canada et fait rapport sur les

développements économiques importants

dans son territoire. La section est dirigée par

M. Paolo Bezzola, Consul.

Le « Swiss Business Hub Canada », ou

« Centre d’affaires suisse pour le Canada »,

sera opérationnel à Montréal dès janvier

2014. Il sera dirigé par un diplomate qui

est en cours de recrutement. Le Hub offre

ses services aux entreprises suisses inté-

ressées à faire des affaires au Canada. Il

est également à disposition d’entreprises

canadiennes cherchant à établir une tête de

pont en Suisse, le but étant de dynamiser

les échanges économiques et commerciaux

entre nos deux pays.

La section consulaire et administra-

tive offre quant à elle une vaste palette

de services consulaires aux ressortissants

suisses résidant dans l’Est du Canada et à

ceux de passage. Elle traite notamment les

demandes de documents d’identité et les

questions d’état civil et de naturalisation

pour quelque 25’500 compatriotes enreg-

istrés. Elle établit également les visas pour

certains résidants étrangers au Canada qui en

ont encore besoin. Finalement, elle gère les

ressources, fi nancières, humaines ou immo-

bilières du Consulat général. Mme Marinella

Menghetti Coutinho, Consule, dirige cette

section depuis quelques semaines.

QUELLE A ÉTÉ LA MOTIVATION DE CE RÉAMÉNAGEMENT MAJEUR ?Le réseau extérieur du DFAE doit s’adapter en

permanence aux priorités et aux besoins de

la politique étrangère suisse. Respectant le

principe d’universalité tout en devant faire

face à des besoins en constante évolution

avec des res¬sources stables, c’est en recher-

chant des gains d’effi cacité et des synergies

que notre pays peut libérer des moyens

pour répondre aux besoins nouveaux. Le

regroupement et la rationalisation de cer-

taines prestations consulaires sont rendues

possibles par les moyens technologiques

modernes. Ces moyens permettent la mise

en place de mesures d’accompagnement

ayant pour objectif de garantir en tout

temps des presta¬tions de qualité, là où

certaines nou¬veautés peuvent parfois

être ressenties comme contraignantes (par

exemple concernant la saisie de données

biomé¬triques).

L’aspect de l’optimisation du réseau

Suisse a donc constitué l’élément majeur de

la décision de fermeture de Toronto par le

DFAE à Berne.

D É M É N A G E M E N T S I N T E R N A T I O N A U X

1 800 874-1071514 631-6565www.amjmontreal.com

IN FO SU I SS E6

POURQUOI AVOIR CHOISI MONTRÉAL ET FERMÉ TORONTO ?La Suisse est un pays en partie francophone

et un membre actif de l’Organisation

internationale de la Francophonie depuis

1996. Elle participe aux travaux de cette

organisation, principalement dans le cadre

de la promotion de la langue française et de

la diversité linguistique et culturelle. De sur-

croît, les relations culturelles étroites entre le

Québec et les cantons de la Suisse romande

imposaient le maintien du Consulat général

à Montréal. Ces deux éléments ont donc

constitué des éléments majeurs dans le

choix, diffi cile, auquel le DFAE a dû procéder

; et ce d’autant plus que les communautés

suisses de l’Ontario et du Québec sont de

taille sensiblement égale.

QUEL SERA L’IMPACT ÉCONOMIQUE POUR LES ENTREPRISES SUISSES ÉTABLIES EN ONTARIO ET PLUS SPÉCIFIQUEMENT À TORONTO ?Un grand nombre d’entreprises suisses

opèrent déjà avec succès en Ontario. Sur le

plan économique, l’impact devrait donc être

limité. En revanche, les relations privilégiées

et le lien de proximité avec ces entreprises

ne pourront être maintenus au même

niveau. Rappelons néanmoins qu’un Consul

honoraire sera nommé à Toronto et, avec son

concours et celui du Centre d’affaires suisses,

l’Ambassade de Suisse et le Consulat général

à Montréal s’appliqueront à maintenir des

relations les plus étroites possibles avec les

entreprises suisses en Ontario et plus spéci-

fi quement dans la Région du Grand Toronto.

Par ailleurs, le Consulat général soutiendra

activement les activités de la Chambre de

commerce canado-suisse de l’Ontario, qui

entend d’ailleurs saisir cette opportunité

pour se réorganiser et offrir plus de services

à ses membres.

ET POUR LE QUÉBEC ET MONTRÉAL ?Pour le Québec en général et Montréal en

particulier, nous nous réjouissons et souten-

ons pleinement l’orientation « affaires »

dans laquelle s’engage la Chambre de com-

merce canado-suisse sous la direction de son

président Jean Serge Grisé. Comme pour les

entreprises suisses déjà établies en Ontario,

l’impact économique ne sera pas important

pour celles déjà établies au Québec. De

plus, la présence du Centre d’affaires suisse

à Montréal créera certainement des syner-

gies entre les deux Chambres de commerce

suisses au Québec et en Ontario et devrait

donner une nouvelle impulsion au dével-

oppement des relations économiques et

commerciales entre le Québec et la Suisse.

QUEL SERA L’IMPACT SUR LES RESSORTISSANTS SUISSES ? EST-CE QUE DEUX CONSULATS GÉNÉRAUX SONT SUFFISANTS POUR COUVRIR UN TERRITOIRE AUSSI GRAND QUE LE CANADA ?Les ressortissants suisses continueront à

bénéfi cier des mêmes services grâce à un

personnel qualifi é et motivé ainsi qu’aux

possibilités offertes par les nouvelles tech-

nologies de la communication.

Pour un certain nombre de ressortissants

suisses – en particulier ceux qui résident

en dehors des grandes villes de Montréal,

Toronto et Vancouver – ce réaménagement

n’aura pas de répercussions importantes, car

ils sont déjà habitués à régler leurs affaires

consulaires et administratives « à distance »

par les moyens de communication électron-

ique ou par la poste. Par contre, la possibilité

de pouvoir se rendre dans les bureaux du

Consulat général à Toronto n’existera plus.

Les compatriotes de l’Ontario et du Manitoba

devront dorénavant contacter le Consulat

général de Montréal pour leurs démarches.

Si pour la grande majorité des affaires con-

sulaires et administratives la présence phy-

sique n’est pas nécessaire, il n’en va pas de

même pour l’établissement du passeport ou

d’une carte d’identité. Pour l’établissement

d’un tel document, en principe tous les 10

ans, il sera en principe nécessaire de se

rendre personnellement auprès de l’une de

nos représentations consulaires à Vancouver

ou à Montréal. Mais, comme le DFAE est con-

scient des diffi cultés pour nos concitoyens

vivant dans un pays vaste comme le Canada,

il a développé des solutions alternatives pour

la collecte des données biométriques. Une

possibilité, que nous envisageons de mettre

en œuvre également au Canada – est celle

de l’utilisation de la biométrie mobile. Des

employés du Consulat général de Montréal

pourraient se déplacer périodiquement à

Toronto pour des « journées consulaires ».

Un autre exemple sont les accords avec les

bureaux cantonaux des passeports en Suisse

: Sous certaines conditions, les données bio-

métriques peuvent être saisies auprès d’un

bureau cantonal des passeports lors d’un

voyage en Suisse.

Dans un même esprit de soutien et de

services à nos concitoyens en voyage (et

vous savez que les Suisses voyagent beau-

coup !), le DFAE a mis en place début 2011

la Helpline du DFAE qui est au service des

Suisses de l’étranger pour répondre 24h

sur 24 à toutes les questions concernant les

affaires consulaires. Il a en outre développé

un programme d’enregistrement de données

nommé Itineris (www.eda.admin.ch/itin-

eris). Une application Iphone / Android peut

d’ailleurs être téléchargée. Ce programme

aide non seulement les concitoyens lors de

la préparation de leur voyage mais assistera

également les représentations à l’étranger

en cas de crise majeure (ex. catastrophe

naturelle, crise politique, accident). Le DFAE

et les représentations disposeront d’une

information immédiate sur les Suisses de

passage qui pourraient être concernés par

un tel incident.

Grâce à ces diverses possibilités, et même

avec une communauté suisse très nom-



Consulat général de Suisse, Montréal


breuse répartie sur un territoire extrême-

ment vaste, nos deux Consulats généraux

seront en mesure de faire face à ce défi et

continueront à garantir un excellent service

au public.

QUEL SERA LE RÔLE DES CONSULATS HONORAIRES ?Les Consuls honoraires représentent les

intérêts suisses au niveau local. Leur fonc-

tion principale est de maintenir le contact

avec les autorités et avec les institutions

économiques, culturelles, politiques,

académiques et scientifi ques sur place.

Souvent établis dans leur région depuis de

nombreuses années, les Consuls honoraires

disposent d’un réseau de contact important

sur lequel l’Ambassade et les Consulats

généraux peuvent s’appuyer en tout temps.

Ils travaillent également à maintenir des

liens avec la communauté suisse sur place.

QUELS SONT LES SECTEURS DE L’ÉCONOMIE DU CANADA, DE L’ONTARIO ET DU QUÉBEC PRIORITAIRES POUR LE CONSULAT ?Le Canada et ses provinces sont des parte-

naires économiques intéressants pour nos

entreprises. Notre pays est d’ailleurs le 5ème

investisseur étranger au Canada et ses entre-

prises ont créé plus de 55’000 emplois dans

de nombreux secteurs tels que l’industrie

pharmaceutique, les produits alimentaires,

les machines, l’industrie extractive mais

aussi dans les domaines des assurances et

des banques. Les échanges commerciaux

bénéfi cient de l’accord de libre échange

que le Canada a signé en 2009 avec les

pays de l’Association européenne de libre

échange (AELE), dont la Suisse fait partie.

De nombreuses possibilités d’intensifi er

encore ces échanges existent, notamment

dans les domaines des technologies propres

(cleantech) et des énergies renouvelables.

Le renouvellement des infrastructures

publiques et le développement des res-

sources naturelles dans le Nord canadien

devraient également offrir des possibilités

à certaines entreprises suisses. Au Québec,

l’électrifi cation des transports publics

voulue par le Gouvernement, devrait attirer

l’attention de nos entreprises de même que

la grappe aérospatiale de Montréal.

QUELS SONT LES OPPORTUNITÉS ET LES DÉFIS DU CONSULAT ?Depuis le 15 juillet 2013, le Consulat général

de Montréal a repris la gestion des affaires

consulaires et administratives d’environ

25’500 citoyennes et citoyens suisses, ce qui

fait de cette représentation non seulement

le « Contrôle des habitants » d’une petite

ville en Suisse mais également l’une des plus

grandes représentations consulaires suisses

d’outremer. Le défi est de pouvoir offrir un

service rapide et de qualité à nos concitoy-

ens qui vivent sur un territoire très étendu.

A moyen terme, il faudra également assurer

la défense des intérêts suisses dans ce vaste

territoire. Bien entendu, cela ne saura se faire

sans le soutien de l’Ambassade à Ottawa et

de nos Consuls honoraires. Par ailleurs, le

Consulat général accompagnera étroitement

l’installation du Swiss Business Hub dans

ses nouveaux locaux à Montréal et mettra

à disposition tous les outils nécessaires afi n

de développer davantage une présence de

la Suisse forte dans l’Est du Canada.

QUELLES SONT LES ATTENTES DES CHAMBRES DE COMMERCE CANADO-SUISSE ?Il faut poser la question directement aux

Chambres de commerce. Néanmoins,

l’Ambassade et les Consulat généraux de

Suisse se réjouissent de la forte volonté

affi chée par les Chambres de développer

IN FO SU I SS E8



des services et de consolider l’excellente

coopération et les synergies qui existent

déjà entre nous. ■

REALIGNMENT OF THE SWISS CONSULATESArticle written by the Consulate General of

Switzerland in Montreal

Canada and Switzerland established dip-

lomatic relations in 1945. The Embassy of

Switzerland in Ottawa was inaugurated in

1957, but Canada’s fi rst Swiss Consulate had

opened much earlier, in 1875, in Montreal.

It would become a Consulate General in

1912. The Toronto and Vancouver Consulates

opened in 1906 and 1913, respectively and,

in fact, vast celebrations are programmed

this year in Vancouver to mark the centen-

nial anniversary of offi cial relations between

Switzerland and Western Canada.

As it works to constantly optimize the

Swiss network of representations abroad,

the FDFA complies with the guidelines of

the foreign policy strategy set forth by

the Federal Council. Swiss foreign policy

is based, in great part, on the principle of

universality. On the one hand, this principle

guarantees fl exibility and proximity to the

diverse stakeholders abroad and, on the

other hand, it is a major component of an

independent foreign policy. As it considers

its various options, the FDFA wishes to main-

tain a strong, universal network of represen-

tations abroad. This network is much more

than just an image of Switzerland abroad,

it is Switzerland abroad. Our representations

allow us to establish contact, protect our

interests, promote our image and encourage

investments as well as cultural, political,

economic or scientifi c exchanges. They also

facilitate the deployment of our country’s

foreign policy and support the assertion of

Switzerland’s national sovereignty in a world

in constant fl ux.

Over the past few years, budgetary

constraints and the arrival of new missions

have resulted in the necessary application of

multiple synergy-creating measures within

the Swiss network abroad as well as in

the refocusing of key tasks handled by our

foreign representations.

As part of the 2014 Package of Measures

for Consolidation and Task Review (2014

CRT), the Federal Council has mandated

the FDFA, in partnership with other depart-

ments, to identify synergy-creation mea-

sures that would result in saving 30 million

francs within the entire network abroad,

starting in 2014. In this context, and after

careful consideration, the Federal Council

has decided to close the Consulate General

of Switzerland in Toronto. This closure will

be effective in Spring 2014 but, as of July

2013, the Consulate General in Montreal

has already taken over the processing

of consular affairs. With the Embassy of

Switzerland in Ottawa and the Consulate

General in Vancouver, the Consulate General

in Montreal now constitutes the new Swiss

network of representations in Canada. These

entities are assisted by Honorary Consulates

in Quebec City, Halifax, Winnipeg (unoccu-

pied at present) and Calgary. An Honorary

Consul is also currently being recruited in

Toronto. Additionally, the Swiss Business Hub

will expand to Montreal in January 2014. Its

mission will be to promote trade between

Canada and Switzerland.

The jurisdiction of the Consulate General

in Montreal now extends from the Maritimes

to Manitoba, including Quebec and Ontario

as well as Nunavut. The Consulate General

in Vancouver is responsible for Western

Canada.

A Consulate General is a central link

between Swiss citizens abroad and authori-

ties in Switzerland. It handles various con-

sular and administrative issues for Swiss

nationals, but also protects their rights in

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case, for example, of accidents or arrests.

Working in close cooperation with the

Embassy, it also promotes and safeguards a

wide array of Swiss interests within its juris-

diction, including economic, commercial,

cultural, academic and scientifi c interests.

It also polishes relations with local and

regional political authorities.

The organizational chart of the Montreal

representation is now based on three pillars,

or sections, placed under the direction and

responsibility of the Consul General. The

“Swiss Interests” section handles regional

political issues, promotes cultural, aca-

demic and scientifi c exchanges between

Switzerland and Eastern Canada, and reports

on important economic developments

within its territory. The director of this

section is Paolo Bezzola, Consul.

The “Swiss Business Hub Canada” section

will be operational in Montreal in January

2014. A diplomat is currently being recruited

for the position of director. The Hub will

offer its services to Swiss companies that are

interested in doing business with Canada.

It will also be at the disposal of Canadian

companies that are looking to establish a

link with Switzerland. The Hub’s objective

is to boost economic and commercial trade

between our two countries.

Lastly, the “Consular and Administrative”

section offers a wide array of consular

services to Swiss nationals living in Eastern

Canada or visiting the area. This section pro-

cesses requests for identity papers as well

as civil status and naturalization matters

for some 25,500 registered co-nationals. It

also issues visas for certain Canadian foreign

residents who still need them. Lastly, it

manages all of the Consulate General’s

resources – fi nancial, human and property.

Ms. Marinella Menghetti Coutinho, Consul,

was named director of this section a few

weeks ago.

WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS MAJOR REALIGNMENT?The FDFA’s network of representations

abroad has to adapt continuously to the

priorities and needs of Swiss foreign policy.

Respecting the principle of universality while

facing constantly fl uctuating needs through

stable resources, our country can make

additional means available to meet these

new needs by searching for effi ciencies and

synergies. Modern technologies now make

it possible to consolidate and rationalize

certain consular services. These technologies

allow for some follow-up measures to be

implemented, guaranteeing quality services

at all times in areas where new approaches

may sometimes be perceived as constrain-

ing (such as, for example, biometric data

collection).

The optimization of the Swiss network

was the main reason behind the FDFA’s deci-

sion, taken in Bern, to close the Consulate

in Toronto.

WHY CHOOSE TO KEEP MONTREAL OPEN AND CLOSE TORONTO?Partly francophone, Switzerland has been an

active member of the Organisation interna-

tionale de la Francophonie since 1996. As

such, Switzerland takes part in the work of

this organization, mainly to promote French

language as well as linguistic and cultural

diversity. Moreover, close cultural relations

between Quebec and the cantons of French

Switzerland (“la Suisse romande”) required

that the Consulate General in Montreal be

maintained. These two elements played a

major part in the diffi cult choice that the

FDFA needed to make, especially as the

Swiss communities in Ontario and Quebec

are relatively similar in size.

WHAT KIND OF ECONOMIC IMPACT AWAITS SWISS BUSINESSES ESTABLISHED IN ONTARIO AND, MORE SPECIFICALLY, TORONTO?Many Swiss businesses already operate very

successfully in Ontario. The economic impact

should therefore be limited, though it will

not be possible to retain the same level of

privileged relationships and proximity with

these companies. However, an Honorary

Consul will be appointed in Toronto and,

with his or her help and that of the Swiss

Business Hub, the Embassy of Switzerland

and the Consulate general in Montreal will

work to maintain close relationships with

Ontario-based Swiss businesses and, more

specifi cally, those in the Greater Toronto

area. Furthermore, the Consulate General

will actively support the activities of the

Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce

(Ontario), which intends to use this oppor-

tunity to restructure and offer more services

to its members.

WHAT ABOUT THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC AND MONTREAL?As for the province of Quebec in general and

Montreal more specifi cally, we are looking

forward to giving our full support to the “busi-

ness” orientation that the Swiss Canadian

Chamber of Commerce has adopted under

the guidance of its current President, Jean

Serge Grisé. Similarly to Swiss companies

that are already established in Ontario, the

economic impact should be minimal for

those already established in Quebec. In addi-

tion, the presence of the Swiss Business Hub

in Montreal will certainly foster synergies

between the two Chambers of Commerce in

Quebec and Ontario. This should give a new

impulse to the development of economic

and commercial relations between the prov-

ince of Quebec and Switzerland.

WHAT IS THE EXPECTED IMPACT ON SWISS NATIONALS? WILL TWO CONSULATES GENERAL BE SUFFICIENT TO COVER AS VAST A TERRITORY AS THAT OF CANADA?Swiss nationals will continue to benefi t

from the same services, thanks to qualifi ed

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IN FO SU I SS E10

and motivated staff as well as all the pos-

sibilities afforded by new communications

technologies.

For a certain number of Swiss nation-

als, especially those not living in Montreal,

Toronto or Vancouver, this realignment will

have no signifi cant repercussions as they are

already used to taking care of their consular

and administrative affairs “long distance”, so

to speak, through electronic means of com-

munication or by mail. However, the pos-

sibility to travel to the Consulate General in

Toronto will no longer be available to them.

Co nationals in Ontario and Manitoba will

now have to address their requests to the

Consulate General in Montreal. For a major-

ity of consular and administrative issues,

physical presence is not required – though

such is not the case if a passport or identity

card is needed. To issue such a document,

in theory every 10 years, it will remain

necessary to travel to one of our consular

representations in Vancouver or Montreal.

However, the FDFA is aware of the diffi cul-

ties posed to our fellow citizens who live in

a country as vast as Canada. So, the FDFA has

developed alternative solutions for biomet-

ric data collection. One of the possibilities

we are considering implementing in Canada

is the use of mobile biometrics, which would

allow employees of the Consulate General in

Montreal to travel periodically to Toronto to

hold “consular days.” Another example are

agreements with cantonal passport offi ces

in Switzerland: under certain conditions, bio-

metric data could be collected at a cantonal

passport offi ce during a trip to Switzerland.

In the same spirit of support and service

to our travelling fellow citizens – and you

know that the Swiss are great travellers!

– the FDFA set up the FDFA Helpline, in

early 2011, which is at the service of Swiss

citizens abroad. The service is available 24

hours/day and provides answers to all con-

sular matters. The FDFA has also developed

Itineris (www.eda.admin.ch/itineris), a data

logging program (an iPhone/Android appli-

cation can be downloaded). This program

not only helps our fellow citizens plan their

travels, but it can also provide emergency

assistance to our representations abroad in

case of major crises (for example, acts of

God, political upheavals, accidents). With

this program, the FDFA and the representa-

tions can obtain immediate information

about travelling Swiss citizens who may be

concerned with such incidents.

Through these various possibilities, our

two Consulates General will be able to meet

this challenge and continue to guarantee

stellar services to the public, even if the

Swiss community is wide and spread over a

very large territory.



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WHAT ROLE WILL THE HONORARY CONSULATES PLAY?The Honorary Consuls will represent Swiss

interests locally. Their main function will be

to maintain contact with local authorities

as well as economic, cultural, political, aca-

demic and scientifi c institutions. Honorary

Consuls have often been established in their

region for a number of years already. They

benefi t from an important network of con-

tacts, on which the Embassy and Consulates

General can rely on at all times. They also

work to maintain a link with the local Swiss

community.

WHICH CANADIAN, ONTARIO AND QUEBEC ECONOMIC SECTORS ARE PRIORITIES FOR THE CONSULATE?Canada and its provinces are interesting

economic partners for our businesses. In

fact, Switzerland is Canada’s 5th foreign

investor and our businesses have created

over 55,000 jobs in multiple sectors, such

as the pharmaceutical industry, the food

industry, machinery, mining, insurance

and banking. Commercial relationships

benefi t from the Free Trade Agreement that

Canada signed in 2009 with the European

Free Trade Association (EFTA), of which

Switzerland is a member. There are many

opportunities to increase these exchanges

even more, especially in the areas of clean

technologies (cleantech) and renewable

energy. The renewal of public infrastructures

and the development of natural resources

in Northern Canada could also open up new

possibilities for certain Swiss businesses. In

Quebec, the electrifi cation of public trans-

ports that the government is pushing for

should attract our companies as well as the

aerospace industry in Montreal.

WHAT ARE THE CONSULATE’S OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES?Since July 15, 2013, the Consulate General

in Montreal has taken over management

of consular and administrative affairs for

approximately 25,500 Swiss citizens. This

makes this representation not only the

equivalent of a “residents’ offi ce” for a

small Swiss town but also one of the largest

overseas Swiss consular representations.

The challenge is to offer fast, quality service

to our fellow citizens spread out across a

very large territory. In the medium term,

it will also have to protect Swiss interests

over this vast territory. Of course, this will

only be made possible with the support of

the Embassy in Ottawa and our Honorary

Consuls. Furthermore, the Consulate General

will closely follow the installation of the

Swiss Business Hub in its new offi ces in

Montreal and it will put all the necessary

tools at the Hub’s disposal to develop a

stronger Swiss presence in Eastern Canada.

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE SWISS CANADIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE?This question should be asked directly to

the Chambers of Commerce. However, the

Embassy and the Consulates General of

Switzerland are pleased with the Chambers’

strong desire to develop services and

consolidate the excellent cooperation and

synergies that already exist between us. ■

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IN FO SU I SS E12

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IN FO SU I SS E14

HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO KEEP MY INCOME TAX RECORDS?By Cunningham LLP

As a general rule, you must keep all of the

records and supporting documents that are

required to determine your tax obligations

and entitlements for a period of six years

from the end of the last tax year to which

they relate. Thus, in many cases you are

actually keeping your records almost seven

years.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

states that electronic records may be stored

on a comput¬er, network, CD, DVD, tape

or cartridge. Notwithstanding the format

of the records, support¬ing documents are

required and can be kept in any of the above

formats. These include sales invoices, pur-

chase receipts, contracts, bank deposit slips,

cancelled cheques, cash register receipts,

credit card receipts and purchase orders to

name a few. A word of caution, ensure you

keep your source documents. They are key

to satisfying many an auditor.

Keeping your records for six years does

not mean you will be audited for six years at

a time. Typically you are barred from being

reassessed by CRA three years from the

mailing date of your Notice of Assessment,

assuming loss years are not still open and

there is no tax evasion.

For corporations and individuals who

carry a business, the CRA created guide

RC4409, “Keeping Records”, to answer this

exact question. It details everything you’d

want to know about record keeping and

more.

Speaking of keeping records, for the 2008

tax year, the CRA reviewed about 2.4 million

individual personal income tax returns.

Not all reviews are audits. Often the CRA

is just making an information request to

follow up on information in your tax return.

During this process, the CRA may contact

taxpayers to ask for more information on

income sources or depen¬dants, includ-

ing copies of receipts that support claims

related to:• medical expenses

• charitable donations

• child care expenses

• spousal or child support payments

• moving expenses

• home renovation tax credit

• RRSP contributions

For more tax and accounting information or if you have any questions, please follow Cunningham LLP on Twitter@CunninghamLLP or contact Paul Girolametto at [email protected], by telephone at 416-496-1051 x254or visit their websitewww.cunninghamca.com ■

SHORT SERVICE EMPLOYEES MAY NOT TRULY BE “PROBATIONARY”By Susan Crawford of

Crawford Chondon &

Partners LLP

We often hear

clients talk about

their “probationary

employees”. More

times than not, however, we have to deliver

the bad news that the employer did not

create an enforceable probation period as

a term of employment when they hired

the employee. Unlike the unionized world

where collective agreements almost always

contain probationary language, non- union

employees are not subject to an automatic

probation period. Absent an express term

in an employment agreement or a well

communicated workplace policy, non-union

employees with less than three months’

service are entitled to common law notice

of dismissal even where provincial employ-

ment standards statutes may not require the

employer to pay statutory termination pay.

Business and Other News

Actual i tés économiques et d’affa i res


CCCS (QUÉBEC) INC.Junior / Senior

NAI Commercial M. François Paquin, Président615 boul. René-Lévesque ouest, bureau 200Montréal, QC, H3B 1P5 Tél. : 514.866.3333e-mail : [email protected] www.naicommercial.ca


We have blogged previously about

the value of employment agreements for

non-union employees. One of the benefi ts

of a written contract or a hiring letter is

that the employer can include specifi c

language about the probationary status of

the employee that includes the length of

the probation period, the right to extend

the probationary period if the employer

needs more time to assess the employee’s

suitability and the employer’s notice obliga-

tions if the employee is dismissed during the

probation period.

While the CCP team always recommends

written employment agreements or hiring

letters as a “best practice”, a workplace

policy confi rming a probation period can

also be relied on to demonstrate that the

employee is, in fact, on probation during the

fi rst 3 or 6 months of their employment. It

is important to ensure that the employee

reads and acknowledges the policy before

they start working. While many employers

have probation policies, these are often

not presented or communicated to the

employee until after they start working. This

can be problematic from an enforceability

standpoint so if an employer wants to rely

on a policy it is critical that the policy be

provided to the employee before they start

so the employee is aware of the probation

status and can’t later say that it wasn’t

part of the “bargain” they agreed to when

becoming an employee.

The potential liability for not having

a probation clause in an employment

agreement or policy can be substantial.

Depending on the employee’s position and

whether the employee was hired away from

secure employment, dismissing in the fi rst

three months can often cost an employer

more than a dismissal after a year or two

from a common law perspective.

For more information on above or other topics visit their website at www.ccpartners.ca or contact David Chondon by e-mail at

[email protected]. ■

OTHER BUSINESS NEWS

ONCOETHIX CLOSES SERIES B FINANCING WORTH ~$19 MILLIONOncoEthix, the Swiss-based specialist in

oncology drug development, announces

that it has closed a Series B fi nancing raising

CHF18m (~US$19m). SV Life Sciences (SVLS)

led the fi nancing, joined by new investor

Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners.

Existing investors including Index Ventures

and Endeavour Vision also participated in

the round.

The proceeds will be used to progress

OncoEthix’ novel BET bromodomain inhibi-

tor, OTX015, into Phase II proof of concept

studies.

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS, SWITZERLAND EXPANDS IN WESTERN SWITZERLANDIn May 2013 Samsung opened its second

Swiss location in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The new location at the World Trade Center

creates jobs, meeting rooms, and a show-

room. The expansion is a result of the con-

tinued growth of Samsung Switzerland and

strengthens the company’s proximity to the

Western Swiss market.

Samsung Switzerland began its history in

June 2006 with just 12 employees. Now 7

years later and with about 140 employees

– and rising – the company has opened its

doors in a new second location in Lausanne.

Samsung Switzerland can look back on

successful years in which sales volumes

rose by over 400% and achieved leading

market positions in many sectors such as TV,

monitors, large format displays and mobile

phones.

The offi ce in western Switzerland will

provide comfortable offi ces and large

meeting areas for Samsung’s western

Switzerland sales managers. In addition, a

showroom will be used for presenting the

latest products and innovations for clients

and the media, as well as for training

purposes.

Seit über 20 Jahren in Ontario zugelassener, deutschsprechender Anwaltund Notar bietet Ihnen persönliche Betreuung und fachliche Kompetenz.

BALDWIN ANKA SENNECKE HALMAN LLPBARRISTERS & SOLICITORS

Victoria Tower25 Adelaide Street EastSuite 900Toronto, Ontario M5C 3A1www.bashllp.com

Direct: 416.410.2113Facsimile: 416.410.9423Cell: 416.816.2113Handy: [email protected]

ALEXANDER SENNECKE

Für weitere Fragen stehe ich gerne zur Verfügung.

Helping youmake the Right

Moves

IN FO SU I SS E16



PRO EXPANDS INTO CONTINENTAL EUROPE WITH NEW ZURICH OFFICEPro Insurance Solutions (Pro), the leading

insurance specialist consultancy with

over twenty years of industry experience,

announces its fi rst continental Europe offi ce.

The new Zurich offi ce reinforces Pro’s contin-

ued ambition to expand its global consul-

tancy service offering. Richard Lawson, CEO

of Pro commented, “I’m very excited about

our new Zurich offi ce.

This move is part of a strategic develop-

ment plan to further improve the scope

and quality of our services to our rapidly

growing network in Switzerland. Our Zurich

offi ce provides us with a solid platform to

service business locally and plays a key role

in our expansion plans, strengthening our

presence here and increasing our market

share in the region. We have had tremen-

dous success over the last 20 years and we

continue to see potential for more growth in

Switzerland.”

SWISS TO SPEED UP PALAIS DES NATIONS REPAIRSThe cabinet has agreed to pay for a sizeable

chunk of urgently needed repairs to Geneva’s

crumbling Palais des Nations, the European

headquarters of the United Nations. This is

part of a new strategy to boost International

Geneva’s attractiveness.

The government has decided that it is

time to “step on the accelerator” to facilitate

the renovation of buildings used by interna-

tional organisations based in Switzerland,

Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter told

reporters on Thursday.

In the case of the sprawling Palais build-

ing, which is in urgent need of a major face-

lift and repairs, Switzerland will meet 50 per

cent of the costs. “This will most probably

be around CHF300 million ($318 million),

which will be covered by a 30-year loan

at an interest rate below the market rate,”

Burkhalter said.

The grandiose exterior of the 80-year-old

building – originally constructed to house

the League of Nations – hides miles of

leaky and rusted pipes, outdated wiring and

draughty windows. The historical complex,

which attracts some 100,000 tourists and

hosts thousands of meetings a year, also

reportedly suffers from frequent internal

fl ooding. ■

MIRABAUD Canada Inc. - Olivier Rodriguez / MIRABAUD Gestion Inc. - Yves Erard1501, avenue McGill College - Bureau 2220 - Montréal (Québec) H3A 3M8 - T +1 514 393-1690 - F +1 514 875-8942MIRABAUD Canada Inc. est membre de l’Organisme canadien de réglementation du commerce des valeurs mobilières inc. et du Fonds canadien de protection des épargnants.

MIRABAUD ÉLARGIT SON HORIZON, AUTANT POUR LA GESTION PRIVÉE QUE L’ASSET MANAGEMENT ET L’INTERMÉDIATION.S’ENGAGER AUTREMENT POUR ALLER PLUS LOIN.

www.mirabaud.com

TANT D’HORIZONS À EXPLOR R

SCHOLARSHIP FUND

OF ONTARIO

The Swiss Canadian Scholarship

Fund of Ontario is pleased to offer

yearly scholarships. It is open to

members of the SCCC and the

Swiss Community in Ontario.

To fi nd out more about the

availability and eligibility criteria,

please visit the Ontario Chamber’s

website at:

www.swissbiz.ca/scholarship


CANADA’S INTERNATIONAL MERCHANDISE TRADE, MAY 2013 STATISTICSOur merchandise imports fell 3.2% and

our exports declined 1.6% in May. As a

result, Canada’s trade defi cit with the world

decreased from $951 million in April to $303

million in May.

Following four consecutive monthly

increases, imports fell to $39.6 billion, the

decline being largely attributed to lower

imports of energy products, metal ores and

non-metallic minerals. Also contributing

to the decrease were motor vehicles and

parts, and metal and non-metallic mineral

products.

Exports declined to $39.3 billion, this

overall decline being led by metal and non-

metallic mineral products, as well as motor

vehicles and parts.

Imports from the United States declined

2% to $25.7 billion, the fi rst decrease in fi ve

months, lower imports of precious metals

ores and concentrates, precious metal bullion

as well as passenger cars contributing the

most to the decline. Exports to the United

States decreased 1.6% to $29.2 billion.

Our trade surplus with the United States

went from $3.4 billion in April to $3.5 billion

in May.

Canada’s Exports and Imports


CCCS (QUÉBEC) INC.

Junior / Senior

Royal LePage Dynastie

M. Jean-Marcel de Magistris

1185 avenue Bernard Ouest

Outremont, QC, H2V 1P5

Tél. : 514.271.4820


http://www-d.royallepage.ca/fr-ca/quebec/

montreal-outremont/agent/25128/jean-

marcel-de-magistris

DC² Création

M. Rémi Daviet

5201 Avenue Walkley, # 16

Montréal, QC, H4V 2M4

Tél.: 514.569.5973


www.dc2-creation.com

Bringing high-quality products to the world. It’s a Swiss tradition.There’s comfort in high-quality products. We should know. We export them. As the airline of Switzerland, we translate high quality into comfort on every ight by o ering service and hospitality you can count on. For daily ights from Montreal to Zurich, with connections to over 70 worldwide destinations, contact your travel agent or visit us on swiss.com

IN FO SU I SS E18

Imports from countries other than the

United States fell 5.3% to $13.9 billion,

mainly due to lower imports of crude oil and

crude bitumen. Exports to countries other

than the United States declined 1.6% to

$10.1 billion. As a result, our trade defi cit

with countries other than the United States

decreased from $4.4 billion in April to $3.8

billion in May.

LOWER VOLUMES OF ENERGY PRODUCTS LEAD THE DECLINE IN IMPORTSImports of energy products declined 18.4%

to $3.2 billion. Imports of crude oil and crude

bitumen fell 34.1%, their sixth consecutive

monthly decrease and their lowest level

since March 2009.

Imports of metal ores and non-metallic

minerals fell 38.8% to $777 million, with

widespread decreases throughout the

section, led by other metal ores and concen-

trates, mainly precious metal and bullion.

Imports of motor vehicles and parts declined

4.7% to $6.9 billion, following three con-

secutive monthly increases. Passenger cars

and light trucks was the main contributor,

falling 8.9%.

Imports of metal and non-metallic

mineral products decreased 8.5% to

$3.3 billion, with unwrought precious metals

and precious metal alloys declining 34%.

EXPORTS OF UNWROUGHT PRECIOUS METALS AND PRECIOUS METAL ALLOYS FELL IN MAYExports of metal and non-metallic mineral

products declined 15% to $4.2 billion, the

main contributor to the section’s decrease

being unwrought precious metals and pre-

cious metal alloys (-34.9%).

Exports of motor vehicles and parts

declined 3.8% to $5.4 billion, with passen-

ger cars and light trucks leading the overall

decline, down 4.3%.

Exports of energy products increased

1.2% to $9.2 billion, a 3% gain in exports of

crude oil and bitumen being partially offset

by decreases in refi ned petroleum energy

products (-7%) and natural gas (-6.2%).

HOW ABOUT OUR MAIN TRADING PARTNER, THE UNITED STATES?Meantime, the U.S. international trade

defi cit in goods and services increased from

$40.1 billion in April to $45 billion in May, as

exports decreased while imports increased.

The decrease in exports of goods

refl ected decreases in consumer goods

($1.2 billion), industrial supplies and mate-

rials ($0.9 billion) and foods, feeds, and

beverages ($0.1 billion). Increases occurred

in capital goods ($0.8 billion), automotive

vehicles, parts and engines ($0.3 billion).



Insurance is underwritten by insurance company subsidiaries within the Zurich Financial Services Group including, in Canada, Zurich Insurance Company Ltd. Insurance product obligations are the sole responsibility of each issuing insurance company. For example, only the assets of Zurich Canada (and no other assets of the Zurich Financial Services Group) are available to meet its obligations for the performance of its products. For more complete financial information, audited annual statements of the Group and information on the ratings of the underwriting

companies of Zurich in North America, access www.zurichcanada.com. Zurich® is a registered trademark of Zurich Insurance Company Ltd.

“ We make communication work seamlessly across six continents. Zurich does the same with our insurance.”

Polycom, a global leader in telepresence solutions, needed a financially strong

carrier that could make complex insurance coverage easier. Zurich provided

a custom solution that’s as simple as it is seamless, integrating property with

liability coverage all under one policy. It’s an example of how Zurich delivers the

help businesses need when it matters most. Watch the video to learn more.

www.zurichcanada.com/stories

A single property insurance solution designed to help reduce coverage gaps and overlaps.

Andrew M. Miller, President & CEOPolycom, Inc.

Continued on page 26


By: Karin Lindner

Karin can be reached at 1-647-401-5274 or by e-mail at [email protected]; you may also visit her website at www.karicosolutions.com

MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE – INSPIRE, LEAD AND SUCCEED WITH INNOVATION!“There’s a way to do it better—fi nd it.”

Thomas Edison

Yesterday I attended an event on innova-

tion at the SME (Society of Manufacturing

Engineers). It was very interesting to hear

all the different insights and perspectives

from people who work in the industry.

Innovation can happen on so many levels

and that’s the exciting part. The backbone

of our economy in the future will certainly

be innovative start-up companies with the

drive to change the world as we know it.

There were discussions around protecting

IP (intellectual property) but also about

the power of collaboration. Should we trust

others with a great idea? I would like to

think so but reality shows that many times

you can’t. There are simply too many people

who would do anything to make a profi t and

easily forget about values such as honesty,

integrity and ethics.

Can it be that we need a lesson or two on

character building and basic life skills?

From my perspective, I believe that

the most overlooked and least understood

concept of innovation lies within the devel-

opment of great ideas from the shop fl oor.

It’s the subtle discipline of making small and

effective changes on a continuous basis. At

the SME event yesterday it was suggested

that 90 % of businesses don’t understand

the stages from having an idea to the suc-

cessful implementation of this idea. Isn’t this

mind-boggling?

What would it be like if the corporate

culture would fully support employees to

constantly look for better ways of doing

things?

Where could we be if more people in

management would show a sincere interest

in engaging people’s hearts and minds?

What could be achieved if we looked at

every single idea with the full intention to

implement it or at least to make a partial

use of this idea?

What if we embraced ideas more readily?

What if we looked at ideas as a new pos-

sibility instead of an increase of unnecessary

workload?

What if we would delegate the responsi-

bility of making it happen to the people who

do the actual job?

Continuous improvement is a must if

we want to succeed in our endeavours to

compete in this global market. The only way

to separate ourselves from the competition

will be creativity and innovation and this

will require encouragement from the top.

Standardized processes can hold people

back from asking themselves if there is a

better way. While standards are important,

we shouldn’t forget that standards require

regular review and improvement.

The ability to preserve what worked well

in the past and move forward with success-

ful new developments will depend on how

well inter-generational groups can work

together. The key is the right combination of

an appreciation of wisdom and experience,

and the acknowledgment of fresh ideas and

vision for the future. Mutual respect and

open-mindedness at all levels of the organi-

zation will also be critical. As long we keep

this in mind we will be able to overcome

roadblocks more easily. ■

Kar in’s Performance Solut ionsManufactur ing Excel lence – Inspire, Lead and Succeed with INNOVATION!

R e stau ra nt, bar

et douces fo li e s

4 2 6 , RUE SA I NT - G A B R I E L

T 5 1 4 . 8 7 8 . 3 5 6 1M O N TRE A L Q C

A U B E RG E S A I N T- G ABR I E L . C O M

IN FO SU I SS E20

DO AS WE SAY…By: Beat J. Guldimann, LLD

Hypocrisy is best

demonstrated by those

whose actions fre-

quently are the opposite

of their rhetoric. “Do as I

say, not as I do” became

the catch phrase for situations where some-

body gets caught in actions contradicting

the beliefs they try to impose on others. The

guy preaching how bad smoking is for you

and then lights up on his next coffee break,

or the dog owner making snide comments

about someone else’s pooch getting food

from the table, only to do the same when

they are back at home. Examples for hypo-

critical behavior abound.

While these are all innocent examples of

human imperfection, the United States take

hypocrisy to a whole new level. There are a

number of examples by which to examine

just how deeply hypocrisy has penetrated

U.S. policy and politics.

Look at Bob Snowden, the junior analyst

come rogue traitor against all things America

who blew the whistle on excessive surveil-

lance and questionable covert activity by

U.S. government agencies across the globe.

Snowden was looking for a few moments

of fame as he stepped out of his miserable

cubicle and told secrets that for the most

part were already known around the world:

The NSA, CIA and FBI are spying on humans

everywhere. Hardly big news, but still a

security breach that the mighty U.S. could

not leave unanswered.

America loves whistleblowers, but only

as long their actions ultimately benefi t the

Land of the Free. The IRS turned Bradley

Birkenfeld, the famous UBS whistleblower

into an absurdly rich man when it paid him

$104 million as his share of recovered taxes.

Blowing the whistle on a Swiss bank paid off

for him, even if he had to spend some time

behind American bars before collecting.

Bob Snowden is not so lucky; his blowing

the whistle is considered an act of treason

and forces him to hide from his own govern-

ment in some holding facility in the Moscow

airport. He can’t go back home, a fact he

probably accepted when he decided to go

rogue. To avoid extradition to the U.S. for a

treason indictment, and possibly face the

death penalty, he needs to fi nd someone

that provides him a safe haven.

Russian President Putin, never shying

away from an opportunity to have fun with

Washington, has a fi eld day.

But as the U.S. displays indignation about

the prospects of Venezuela or Bolivia giving

a traitor safe haven, American politicians

have been quick to do the same for foreign-

ers they deem worthy of U.S. protection.

Remember the Swiss night guard who

saved critical documents from the UBS

shredders at the height of the U.S. Holocaust

inquiry? Christoph Meili broke Swiss laws by

handing the evidence over to an Israeli orga-

nization. He was facing criminal sanctions

that pale in comparison to what is in store

for Snowden. Yet, in 1997 the U.S. Senate

passed a special law that gave Meili and

his wife refugee status in the United States

and a Green Card. While the Swiss shook

their head at what had just happened, Meili

became an instant American hero, network

airtime and all, and a few years later was

even paid a quarter million dollars from the

Holocaust settlement. Ironically, the hero

returned to Switzerland in 2007, broke and

disillusioned, living on Swiss welfare.

America also has a history of forcing for-

eigners into accepting the reach of American

justice beyond all borders while ignoring

the rule of law of other nations as soon as it

becomes inconvenient. The tax debate with

Switzerland is a good example. Switzerland

has protocols under its tax treaties with a

whole host of countries, including the U.S.

for the exchange of tax information that

enables the prosecution of tax cases across

borders. This process can be tedious and is

generally seen as frustrating, but those are

the rules.

Alien process is not something American

authorities are good at. They much rather

put the screws on foreign governments

and corporations than letting international

cooperation of sovereign states play itself

out. We have seen this unfolding over

Tr ibeca Ins ightsDo As We Say. . .


past months and years as Swiss banks get

threatened in their existence and bankers

put on FBI fugitive lists, just to add a little

pressure. The IRS and DOJ want their pound

of fl esh from anybody that prevents them

from enforcing U.S. tax laws, wherever on

the planet they choose to do so and without

regard for international protocol.

All of this was more acceptable if, on the

fl ipside, the United States did not allow their

banking system to harbour all sorts of ques-

tionable money for clients from anywhere. A

classic case of doing exactly what they say is

unacceptable if others are doing it. Delaware

continues to operate as money-laundering

central where anybody can form a company

without any form of serious disclosure and

then use that company to open and operate

bank accounts with very little scrutiny.

U.S. authorities won’t be too tempted to

cooperate with foreign authorities seeking

information about their own taxpayers

hiding behind the Delaware veil. U.S. banks

typically have no clue whom the assets

belong to in the fi rst place and by extension,

neither do the authorities.

The ignorant state has nothing to share

with the world. But this is the same state

that harasses the world, most particularly

the Swiss, for full transparency of all fi nancial

transactions and changes the subject when

the topic of Delaware comes up. Hypocrisy

in high gear.

Americans seem to believe they have

the power to tell the world to do as they

say while they do what they do as they

please. This will likely remain the case for

some time, but eventually it will change

as American power fades in the shadow of

China’s rise. However, a little less hypocrisy

may help to smoothen the inevitable power

struggle between the Middle Kingdom and

the United States. As Jean Chretien put it

when addressing the U.S. congress some

time ago as Prime Minister of Canada: If you

have as much power as the U.S., it wouldn’t

hurt to be nice from time to time. So far, not

too many U.S. politicians and bureaucrats

seem to be listening.

Beat Guldimann, owner of Tribeca Consulting Group, holds a Doctorate in Law from the University of Basel; he was legal counsel at the former SBC (86-96), President and CEO of UBS Canada (97-01), Head of Global Private Banking at CIBC (01-04) and Vice-Chairman at Hampton Securities (05-07). ■

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

SCCC (ONTARIO) INC.New Personal Member:

Volkmar VoelzkeNew Pace Consulting Inc.350 – 1 First Canadian PlaceToronto, ON M5X 1C1Phone: 416-841-5632Email: [email protected]: www.newpaceconsulting.com

How to become a member of the SCCC:Sign up online at

www.swissbiz.ca/memberships

or contact our offi ce at [email protected] or 416-236-0039

Quote of the Month

To be successful, you have to have

your heart in your business, and your

business in your heart.

Sr. Thomas Watson

IN FO SU I SS E22

CANADIAN GERMAN SWISS GOLF TOURNAMENTThe weather was perfect on June 18th and

over 110 golfers made their way to Carrying

Place Golf and Country Club for the cham-

ber’s 2nd annual golf tournament. With only

a brief rain spell during the early morning

hours, golfers set off to play a round of

18-hole ‘best ball’ under the blue sky and

perfect temperature.

The day was not just about the golf! Some

of the special ‘extras’ of the day included

the Chalet Suisse station where players took

a break to enjoy Raclette cheese served with

Buenderfl eisch and delicious Swiss wine.

Accompanying this mouth-watering Swiss

delicacy were the traditional alphorn tunes.

Cocktail hour offered golfers the oppor-

tunity to mingle, as well as the chance to

bid on fabulous items at the silent auction

tables. Bernard Lette, Chairman of the event

and Master of Ceremonies, charmed the

crowd with his humour and presented the

winners with their trophies.Gerd Wengler,

Chairman of the Chamber, spoke about Hope

Air and how proceeds of this evening would

benefi t a lot of Canadians in need of medical

attention to receive free air transportation to

their appointments.

And of course there were our winners:

• Raffl e Winner (2 Westjet Tickets):

Jason Bernais

• Winning Team: George Barron,

Jeff Pocock and Michael Winniker

• Longest Drive Ladies: Alexandra Sariano

• Longest Drive Men: Marcus Arnold

• Closest to Pin: Jeff Pocock

• Closest to Line: Dave Hartley

• Putting Contest: Brad Beckett

And at the end of the day, every golfer

went home with a Lindt & Sprüngli gift cer-

tifi cate and truffl e golfballs, together with a

gift certifi cate to the golf club pro shop.

Our kind sponsors were very generous in

helping us celebrate the tournament’s 2nd

anniversary, without them this event would

not have been such a great success!

• Premium Showcase Sponsors:

Agility Logistics, BMW Group Canada,

Kuehne+Nagel Ltd., Lette LLP,

Mercedes-Benz Canada, and Warsteiner

International

• Dinner Sponsor: Zurich Insurance

• Reception Sponsor: Dale & Lessmann LLP

• Putting Contest Sponsor: Allianz Global

• Brunch Sponsors: Denninger’s Ltd. and

Marché Restaurants

• Raffl e Sponsors: Hope Air, Switzerland

Tourism

• Hole Sponsors: CG&B, Crawford,

Chondon & Partners LLP, Garfi nkle,

Biderman LLP, Grohe Canada Inc,

Lindt & Spruengli Canada, London

Economic Development Corporation,

Roche Ltd., Scotiabank Group, Sony

Canada, Stikeman Elliot LLP, Trowbridge

Professional Corporation, and UBS

Canada Inc.

• Chalet Suisse Sponsors: corptype,

H.U.H. Imports Inc., Northbridge

Insurance, and Groupe VGdR

• Registration Sponsor: Polten & Associates

• Signage Sponsor: Auto Motion Shade Inc.

• Gelato Station Sponsor: Gelato Fresco

• Water Sponsor: Naya Spring Waters

• Media Partner: Das Journal ■

Chamber News

Informations de votre Chambre


SWITZERLAND – THE WORLD’S MOST COMPETITIVE TRAVEL DESTINATIONIn the «Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013», published by the World Economic Forum, Switzerland again ranks fi rst, performing well on almost all aspects included in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI).

According to the TTCI, Switzerland’s infrastructure, especially ground transport (3rd after Hong Kong and Singapore), is among the best in the world. It also boasts top marks for its hotels and other tourism-specifi c facilities, with excellent staff thanks to the availability of qualifi ed labor to work in the industry (ranked 1st).

Switzerland also attracts tourists because of its rich and well-managed natural resources. A large percentage of Swiss land is protected, environmental regula-tion is among the most stringent, and the

Travel & Tourism industry is considered to be developed in a sustainable way. These good environmental conditions, combined with the high safety and security of the country (2nd after Finland), contribute to its solid T&T competitiveness.

SWISS ADDS SECOND FLIGHT FROM CHICAGO DURING THE SUMMER.This summer passengers traveling to Switzerland from the Chicago area are served even better.

SWISS provides non-stop service to Switzerland from 7 U.S. gateways includ-ing Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York’s JFK and San Francisco. Since the beginning of June through the end of October, SWISS will operate a second fl ight from Chicago to Zurich.

Frequencies on SWISS’ Chicago-Zurich service will increase from a daily service

to 11 fl ights a week starting 01 June. The additional fl ight will operate on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday by an Airbus 330-300 featuring SWISS’ new Business and First Class cabins with fully lie fl at beds.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IPAD APPSwitzerland is included in the “50 Greatest Places iPad App” by National Geographic, now available in the iTunes store. It is a multimedia version of the landmark print edition, which appeared in 1999 - long before 1000 Places to See Before You Die and The Bucket List. It refl ects the input of the National Geographic’s globe-trotting group of writers, photographers, explorers, and editors. With this application you can now more deeply explore Switzerland through rich photo galleries, 360-degree panoramas, videos, other interactive features, and short essays by world-renowned writers. ■

Travel News

Offrir au monde ce qu’il y a de mieux. Une tradition suisse. Les produits de haute qualité sont synonymes de confort. Nous sommes bien placés pour le savoir. Nous les exportons. En tant que transporteur aérien de la Suisse, nous traduisons la haute qualité en confort sur chaque vol, en vous o rant un service et une hospitalité jamais démentis. Pour les vols quotidiens de Montréal à Zurich, et des correspondances vers plus de 70 destinations à travers le monde, contactez votre agent de voyage ou visitez swiss.com

*

*Notre emblème est notre promesse.

IN FO SU I SS E24

UNE JOURNÉE INOUBLIABLE DE GOLF AU WHITLOCKPar Me Jean-Marc Ferland

Encore une fois cette année, cet événe-

ment s’est tenu dans des conditions météo

idéales, en dépit de prévisions maussades.

Un nombre record de joueurs (123) en

ont profi té, en arrivant à compter de 11

heures, d’abord pour faire quelques coups

de pratique, prendre un lunch en agré-

able compagnie, et faire le départ vers 13

heures. Il s’agit d’ailleurs là d’une occasion

sans pareil pour les néophytes de s’initier au

golf, puisque la formule « Végas » donne à

chacun l’occasion de « faire un bon coup »,

en ce que le quatuor joue la meilleure balle.

Un cocktail a suivi cette belle journée,

au cours duquel se sont joints plus d’une

vingtaine de convives supplémentaires.

C’est l’occasion idéale pour établir (ou

renouer) des relations commerciales, socia-

les et culturelles au sein de la communauté

canado-suisse. Encore cette année, l’équipe

du Whitlock a fait preuve d’un grand profes-

sionnalisme pendant toute la journée, et en

particulier avec le dîner qui a suivi et qui

était excellent.

Votre chambre a eu l’honneur de remettre

à l’Institut neurologique de Montréal, un

chèque de 15 000$ via le fonds Jacques

Thévenoz, en mémoire de ce regretté

ancien président de la chambre. Ce don a

été rendu possible notamment grâce à la

généreuse contribution du Groupe Alfi d, via

son président M. Jean-Jacques Laurans, aussi

président d’honneur de notre tournoi. L’on

peut voir sur la photo ci-jointe, dans l’ordre

habituel, le président de la chambre M. Jean

Serge Grisé, le Dr Benoît Goulet, de l’Institut,

et Mme Madeleine Paquin, l’épouse de

M. Thévenoz.

La soirée a été agrémentée d’un

tirage effectué de façon ordonnée et très

diligente par M. Olivier Schlegel, un maître

de cérémonie hors pair. Ce dernier, avec

l’assistance de M. Andreas Kräuchi, de chez

Swiss International Air Lines, a eu le plaisir

de remettre au nom de la Chambre divers

trophées aux golfeurs émérites, ainsi que

des prix de présence, à la fois nombreux et

de très belle qualité.

Le trophée du Consul Général, visant le

meilleur pointage net, est allé à l’équipe gag-

nante, dirigée par M. Guy Diamond, accom-

pagné de Jacques Leblanc, Jean-Guy Bernard

et Mélanie Bellerive. Ce trophée a été remis

par M. Beat Kaser, Consul Général de Suisse,

que l’on reconnaît sur la photo ci-jointe, avec

M. Grisé, président de la Chambre. Il importe

ici de souligner la présence, encore cette

année, de l’importante délégation de cette

belle équipe de Protan Toitures, invitée

par son président, M. Diamond. Quant au

trophée Jacques Thévenoz (plus long coup

de départ), il a cette année été gagné par

M. Denis Paquin, que l’on reconnait sur la

photo en présence de Messieurs Schlegel et

Kräuchi. Quelques autres mérites ont aussi

été remis quant au golf et, parmi les prix

de présence, une soirée dans une loge du

centre Bell, offerte par le Groupe Alfi d, a

été gagné par M. Donald Caron. Quant au

grand prix, soit une paire de billet sur les

ailes de Swiss International Airlines, avec un

forfait ‘Moments Suisses’, offert par Tours

Chanteclerc, il a été gagné par Mme Janet

Lette, que l’on voit sur la photo avec Mme

Kim Brisebois et M. Kräuchi, tous les deux

de SWISS.

Joignez-vous à nous l’année prochaine,

puisque le golf avec votre chambre s’allie

parfaitement au maillage d’affaire et au

plaisir de se retrouver entre amis!

Chamber News

Informations de votre Chambre

www.swissmoments.com www.momentssuisses.com

Tours Chanteclerc, Switzerland Tourism and Swiss International Air Lines have become partners to propose “Swiss Moments”, offering new travel ideas. Each holiday package provides a pre- established itinerary, combining flights, hotels and trains. The Swiss Travel System transportation network is always on time! Therefore, anywhere in the country, you’ll find it easy to get from one city to another.

DISCOVER SWITZERLAND

Would you like to explore

Switzerland the relaxing

way ? Travelling by train,

boat or postalbus is an ideal

way to go from point to point

within Switzerland, without

any stress.

Worried about transfers ?

How will I get to the hotels ?

Are the proposed itineraries too short ?

Would you prefer a customized itinerary ?

Do you prefer to drive ?

SWISS MOMENTSwith

OUR PARTNERS

www.tourschanteclerc.com 1

www.momentssuisses.com

MOMENTS SUISSESwww mo t i

NOS PARTENAIRES :

MOMENTSSUISSES2013

CIRCUITS DE GROUPE VOYAGES INDIVIDUELS

Queb

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older


Nous tenons à remercier chaleureuse-

ment nos généreux commanditaires dont

vous trouverez la liste jointe à cet article. ■

YOUR GLOBAL LOGISTICS NETWORK

Kuehne + Nagel Ltd. info.toronto@kuehne–nagel.com www.kuehne–nagel.com

Commanditaires de trous / Hole Sponsors Cansica Services Services financiers Alta Services Gestavie Le Groupe Alfid Lette & Associés Logistec Marketing de Fromages de Suisse Mme Suzanne Brillant Redbounrne Saucisson Vaudois Voiturettes / Golf Carts Lecavalier Transport Photos / Pictures Protan Toitures Dégustation de café / Coffee tasting Nespresso Importations Giannini

Impression / Printing Pyromark Trading Moritz Gruber Cadeaux tombola Raffle prizes Auberge Saint-Gabriel Bistrot Le Cirque Bobst Group Busch Vacuum Café Ferreira Cansica Services Casa Vinicola Zonin Charton Hobbs Chocolats Suisses Clasquin Canada Consulat Général de Suisse Cycles Gervais Rioux Importations Giannini Jura Groupe Germain Hospitalité Le Groupe Alifd Lindt & Sprüngli Marketing de Fromages de Suisse

Nespresso René Gagnon Restaurant Européa Rodania SOS Fondue Swiss International Air Lines Swissmar Whitlock Golf & Country Club Plus près de la coupe / Closest to the pin MINI Mont Royal Guerlain Canada Battez le Pro / Beat the Pro Nespresso

Commanditaires majeurs Major Sponsors

Merci à nos commanditaires Thanks to our Sponsors

Tournoi de Golf 2013 2013 Golf Tournament


CCCS (QUÉBEC) INC.Junior / Senior

Importations JEA PolcaroM. Adriano Polcaro1470 rue Peel, Suite 120Montréal, QC, H3A 1T1 Tél. : 514.844.3014e-mail : [email protected] www.polcaro.ca

IN FO SU I SS E26

chartered accountants | tax advisors

We take the complication out of tax

• Corporate and Expatriate tax services• Full cycle accounting services• Business and corporate structure consulting services• Managed payroll services• Multilingual−English, German, French

trowbridge.ca

Monica Stevens-Wyss Manager, Accounting & Business [email protected] Adelaide St. E., Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M5C 3A1

77 Foster CrescentMississauga, Ontario L5R 0K1

[email protected]

The increase in imports of goods refl ected

increases in industrial supplies and materials

($1 billion), consumer goods ($1 billion),

automotive vehicles, parts and engines

($0.8 billion), foods, feeds and beverages

($0.4 billion) and capital goods ($0.3 billion).

HOW ABOUT CANADA’S TRADE WITH SWITZERLAND ?Regarding trade with Switzerland, Canadian

exports went from $279 million in March,

down to $91 million in April and back up

to $149 million in May. Canadian imports

from Switzerland, meanwhile, went from

$286 million in March, up to $359 million

in April then down slightly to $349 million

in May. Our bilateral trade remains stable

but with peaks and valleys and it will

be interesting to see its evolution in the

coming months.

Christian Sivière [email protected] Rights Reserved July 2013

Source : Statistics Canada, U.S. Census Bureau

Continued from page 18

Amoureux de la Suisse ? Mordu de la course à pied ? Amateur de défis ? Le programme Challenge SRCMC est ce qu’il vous faut ! Participez au Marathon de Lausanne - du 24 au 28 octobre 2013 - etsoutenez la recherche sur le cancer !

Pour plus d’information, consultez notre page Web : www.ChallengeLausanne.ca ou communiquez avec nous au : 1-866 343-2262, poste 228.

In love with Switzerland? Enjoy running? Fan of challenges? The CRS ChallengeTM program is just what you are looking for! Participate in the Lausanne Marathon -from October 24th to 28th 2013- and support cancer research!

For more information, visit our webpage: www.ChallengeLausanne.caor contact us: 1-888 766-2262 ext. 228.

MARATHON deLAUSANNEMARATHON

IN FO SU I SS E28

Si je savoure si souvent ces si purs suisses-ci de la Suisse, c’est parce que ces si purs suisses-ci de la Suisse sont si savoureux. Pourquoi ces si purs suisses-ci de la Suisse sont-ils si savoureux déjà? Ces si purs suisses-ci de la Suisse sont si savoureux parce qu’ils sont faits comme seule la Suisse sait les faire. Si vrai, si pur, si Suisse. Si, si.

Découvrez-les sur les authentiques-suisses.com

Just how pure is this Swiss? Well, it’s so pure and so savoury that every taste is 100% pure bliss. So when it comes to Swiss, there’s one thing that you should never miss.

Make sure to put authentic Swiss on your list. Because nothing else is this Swiss.

Get the real Swiss onswiss-authentics.com

Expat-Expo Zurich

01 – 01 September, 2013 | Zurich

Educational & Training Institutes: Expat-Expo

Zurich is an exceptional event facilitating for

the Anglophone communities in Switzerland

get acquainted to the various fi ner details of

life there along with businesses and services

in order to settle better in to the community.

BAUEN & MODERNISIEREN


Building & Construction: BAUEN &

MODERNISIEREN - 2013 Expo is for the

serious builders and renovators. It is

sponsored by the Master Builders Association

of Switzerland. The Building & Home

Improvement Expo will feature the latest

manufacturers and suppliers of building

products and services.

Home Ownership Fair Switzerland


Business Services: Home Fair Switzerland

in the Exhibition Center Zurich parallel to

BAUEN & SYSTEMS. The Home Fair Switzerland

presenting their services with a focus on

planning, fi nancing, housing, insurance and

administration.

SWITZERLAND CENTRE FOR TRADE FAIRS/ LA SUISSE –

PLACE DE FOIRES

Through your membership in the

SCCC, you can join a

group health insurance plan

The country’s leading benefi t program

for small business

• Covers businesses with up to 35 employees, including one person fi rms

• Is open to all industries• Pools claims for price stability• Never targets an individual fi rm for

a rate increase or cancellation• Offers a full range of benefi ts,

including coverage normally reserved for big businesses

Discover the wide range of benefi ts available to you, such as Health and Dental, Critical Illness coverage, Short & Long Term Disability income replacement and more!

For more information, contact Patricia Keller Schläpfer at the SCCC

or visit www.chambers.ca.

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SwissTravelSystem.comJust imagine. You can travel 26,000 kilometers by train, bus and boat with just one ticket. Switzerland is a country where

travel by public transport is as exciting as it is relaxing. Whether you are heading for the heights, traveling from city to

city or off the beaten tourist track – in Switzerland, trains, buses and boats are always ready and waiting to take you to

your dream destination. It’s not a transfer – it’s an experience. For more information go to SwissTravelSystem.com,

www.raileurope.ca, or call 1-800-361-RAIL (7245).

Imagine a country where public transport is always on time.

#infosuisse aug sept 13 - chambre de commerce … · publication des chambres de commerce...

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