Articles By Russ Francis

B.C. plans province-wide electronic medical record system

British Columbia plans to be Canada’s leader in eHealth, once an electronic medical records system is up and running within about four years, according to the B.C. Medical Association official who co-chairs the

Published on: February 26th, 2007 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Telus brings high-speed service to remote B.C. community

Thanks to new technology that solves the problems of reliable radio transmission over large stretches of water, high-speed Internet access will be available later this year to about 5,000 residents of one of

Published on: September 27th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

B.C. loses track of computer tapes with citizens’ data

The B.C. government and Telus have tightened the way electronic records are handled at a Victoria data centre after computer tapes containing personal information on hundreds of thousands of B.C. residents were discovered

Published on: September 14th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Local grain co. offers high-speed Internet to Saskatchewan

Commonly known for its expertise in handling and marketing grain, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Inc. is getting into the high-speed Internet business and is planning to offer fast wireless access to thousands of rural

Published on: September 12th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Former Apple star finds meaning in online charitable project

Tom Williams, now 27, recalls clearly what motivated him to set up his online charitable organization GiveMeaning.com nearly two years ago. “The particular story that really riled me was a story of child

Published on: August 9th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Victoria set to roll out free Wi-Fi

A Victoria company will soon launch a free Wi-Fi service in British Columbia capital’s downtown area.Signals from MCK Advance Technologies Ltd.’s several dozen antennas will also cover parts of Victoria suburbs, including Metchosin, Colwood

Published on: August 2nd, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

B.C. government shuts down Leading Edge BC

The B.C. government has quietly shut down Leading Edge BC, absorbing its role of marketing technology around the world within the Ministry of Economic Development. The government made no public announcement about the

Published on: July 24th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Encyclopedia Britannica tests CDs with Vancouver firm

Cultural differences, clashing time zones and language difficulties can counteract the obvious cost savings when outsourcing IT contracts.But Encyclopedia Britannica believes it has solved the problems of using offshore support—while still saving money--through

Published on: May 4th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

HTG PEER GROUP HELPS CANADIAN SMALL BUSINESS WITH BIG IT NEEDS

It's not quite a case of the big guys against the little guys, but groups of smaller ISPs in two provinces have combined to form a national alliance that will concentrate on issues

Published on: April 17th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

B.C. CIO speaks out following government auction of citizen data

British Columbians can be thankful that only the provincial government acted wrongly in the treatment of 41 sensitive computer tapes, according to the executive director of the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy

Published on: March 30th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

B.C. tax cuts help ease high-tech recruitment, experts say

Tax cuts for high-income earners have made it much easier for British Columbia's high-tech industries to attract qualified staff, according to George Hunter, the president of Leading Edge BC, a non-profit marketing and

Published on: March 27th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

B.C. maps out opportunities for digital cartography service

Marijuana growers beware: The RCMP now has access to digital maps, aerial photographs and other data that can be downloaded at any time of the day or night.Amin Kassam, the director of the

Published on: March 13th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Canadian armed forces use 3D for training under fire

Suppose you're a Canadian soldier deployed in Afghanistan and the light armoured vehicle you're riding in breaks down, in dangerous territory. Facing the threat of hostile fire at any second, the last thing

Published on: March 8th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

B.C. high-speed investment aimed at ‘lifestyle immigrants’

Rural B.C. will become more attractive to “lifestyle immigrants,” now that more residents of small communities will soon have access to high-speed Internet, according to local officials. “Lifestyle immigrants” are professionals moving from

Published on: March 6th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca

Vancouver Film School puts the spotlight on software skills

When a skyscraper-sized flood crashes through Manhattan in The Day After Tomorrow, the realistic visual effects were created with the help of Houdini software, from a Toronto-based company, Side Effects Software. “A lot

Published on: February 16th, 2006 Russ Francis @itbusinessca