Feature: Switzerland in Figures. Reportage: La Suisse en chiffres

Transcription

1 Publication of the Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce Toronto and Montreal Publication de la Chambre de Commerce Suisse-Canadienne de Toronto et Montréal April/May Avril/Mai 2011 Feature: Switzerland in Figures Reportage: La Suisse en chiffres

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3 Publication of the Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce Toronto and Montreal Publication de la Chambre de Commerce Suisse-Canadienne de Toronto et Montréal FEATURE / REPORTAGE Switzerland in Figures / La Suisse en chiffres 4 Switzerland in Figures 6 Taxes Finance Economy of Switzerland BUSINESS AND OTHER NEWS NOUVELLES ECONOMIQUES ET INFORMATION 7 Military Service in Canada and in Switzerland 9 STERCI Opens Toronto Office 12 Inflation Rate in Canada 15 Business News 17 Bruno s Tip Is It Really That Important? 18 Karin s Performance Solutions Is There a Better Way? 22 Travel News 28 Trade Fairs CONTENTS / INDICE CHAMBER NEWS NOUVELLES DE LA CHAMBRE 2 President s Message SCCC/Upcoming Events 3 Message du Président CCCS / Evénéments 5 Scholarship Fund 10 Member Profile / Profil d un membre 13 New Members SCCC 19 & 20 Nouveaux Membres CCCS 25 Quote of the Month 25 Swiss Night at Marché 27 CCCS La soirée de la Raclette, un franc succès 27 SCCC Group Health Plan

4 Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) Inc. 756 Royal York Road Toronto, Ontario M8Y 2T6 Tel: (416) Fax: (416) BOARD OF DIRECTORS President / Director: Hans Munger Auto Motion Shade Inc. 400 Bentley Street; Unit 7-11; Markham ON L3R 8H6 Tel: x 33 hansm@automotionshade.com Website: Vice-President / Director: Phillip Gysling Mesh Innovations Inc. 174 Hallam Street, Toronto ON M6H 1X5 Tel: philipp.gysling@meshinnovations.com Website: Second Vice-President / Treasurer/ Director: Urs Villiger RE/MAX WEST REALTY INC Bloor Street West, Toronto ON M6P 1A9 Tel: villiger@rogers.com Website: Secretary & Legal Counsel: Bernard Lette Lette Whittaker LLP 20 Queen Street West, #3300, P.O. Box 33, Toronto ON M5H 3R3 Tel: blette@lette.ca Website: Past President / Director: Ernst Notz Nacora 2 Hunter Avenue, Toronto ON M6E 2C8 Tel: ernst.notz@rogers.com Website: Directors: Rudi Blatter Lindt & Spruengli (Canada) Inc. 181 University Avenue, Suite 900, Toronto ON M5H 3M7 Tel: (416) rblatter@lindt.com Website: Julien Favre UBS 154 University Avenue, Toronto ON M5H 3Z4 Tel: (416) julien.favre@ubs.com Website: Roger Hunziker The Bata Shoe Museum 327 Bloor Street West, Toronto ON M5S 1W7 Tel: x roger.hunziker@batashoemuseum.ca Website: Sandra Leuba (leave of absence) 136 Curzon Street, Toronto ON M4M 3B5 Tel: leubasandra@yahoo.ca Ronnie Miller Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd Meadowpine Boulevard, Mississauga ON L5N 6L7 Tel: ronnie.miller@roche.com Website: Daniel Oehy Swissmar 35 East Beaver Creek Rd, Unit 6, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1B3 Tel: danielo@swissmar.com Website: Fabian Richenberger Lombard Canada 105 Adelaide Street West; Toronto ON M5H 1P9 Tel: (416) fabian.richenberger@lombard.ca Website: Urs Uhlmann Zurich 400 University Avenue, 25th Floor, Toronto ON M5G 1S7 Tel: (416) urs.uhlmann@zurich.com Website: Andrea Von Moeller B2-125 The Queensway; Toronto ON M8Y 1H3 Tel: (416) andrea@2marketinternational.com Website: Honorary Director: Bernadette Hunkeler Consulate General of Switzerland 154 University Avenue, Suite 601, Toronto ON M5H 3Y9 Tel: Website: Liaison Officer Consulate General of Switzerland: Emil Wyss Consulate General of Switzerland 154 University Avenue, Suite 601, Toronto ON M5H 3Y9 Tel: Emil.Wyss@tor.rep.admin.ch Website: Executive Assistant: Patricia Keller Schläpfer SCCC 756 Royal York Road, Toronto ON M8Y 2T6 Tel: (416) Fax: (416) sccc@swissbiz.ca Website: Electronic Typesetting and Assembly: Nancy corptype Printed by: J. B. Deschamps Dear Members, We slowly seem to leave winter behind us and we all get the feeling that spring must be just around the corner. Frequent newsletters from golf courses definitely are on the rise and seem to confirm this. Your SCCC board and its various committees have already been busy planning a new season of events and activities for our Chamber and our new informal Swiss Night networking event at the Marche Restaurant has been a welcome addition and so far a huge success. One of our key targets for 2011 is to offer our all members more frequent opportunities to make new business contact and to create a larger forum for the exchange of views on various business topics. Informal get-togethers in a relaxed atmosphere are often better able to do that than at more formal sit-down events although we will of course not totally abandon those either. In order to attract top notch speakers, it will be necessary, as done in the past, to organize such events in cooperation with other associations and/or chambers. At this time, I would like to thank the many members who took the time to fill out our internet survey about their preferences for our info suisse publication. Your feedback is vital to us and can help us bring about changes if such are desired by you. We do not work in a vacuum and the more feedback we get, the better we can serve you. We were quite surprised to see that a vast majority of members still prefer a hard copy of info suisse over a digital version. As a result we will definitely go slowly with any move to the cyber world with our publication, although this may still be something to be considered sometime in the future. Meanwhile, you will see an announcement arriving in your inbox whenever a new magazine is being mailed out, with a clickable, direct link to info suisse on our website, where you can either read or easily download the latest version; with notebook computers, ipads and Smart Phones info suisse can become an interesting travel companion for you. This will be my last message to you as President of the SCCC; my term will be up at the forthcoming AGM in April this year. It has been a great pleasure and privilege to serve at the helm of your Chamber and I wish all of you, as well as my yet to be elected successor, the very best in all your business activities as well as in your personal lives. Until next time, Hans Munger, President April 12: May 3: June 8: August 16: September 12: October 18: November 19: 2011 COMING EVENTS Le Meridien King Edward Swiss the Marchè Partner Royal Canadian Yacht Club Pub Night with the British Chamber Golf Meadowbrook Fall Event Dinner Le Meridien King Edward Further Information can be found on or (416) Dates above are subject to change 2 I NFO SUISSE

5 La Chambre de commerce canado-suisse (Québec) Inc. Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Quebec) Inc Avenue Docteur Penfield, Montréal, Qué. H3G 1C4 Tél: (514) Fax: (514) Web site: CONSEIL D ADMINISTRATION / BOARD OF DIRECTORS Présidente / President Me Monica Schirdewahn Avocate / Lawyer Lette & Associés Tel: (514) , # 213 Fax: (514) mschirdewahn@lette.ca Secrétaire / Secretary Mr. Raphaël Delacombaz Director UBS Bank (Canada) Tel: (514) Fax: (514) raphael.delacombaz@ubs.com Vice-présidents / Vice-Presidents Mr. Jean Serge Grisé Conseiller en affaires publiques Tel.: (450) jsgrise@hotmail.com Mr. Olivier Schlegel General Manager for Canada Swiss International Air Lines Tel: (514) , # 6610 Fax: (514) olivier.schlegel@swiss.com Trésorier / Treasurer Mr. Othmar Widmer Consultation Widmer Tel.:(514) widmer.aviation@gmail.com Directeurs / Directors Mr. Jacques Demont Managing Director Nespresso Tel. : (514) jacques.demont@nespresso.com Mr. Ch. Dubois Conseiller de la Ville Ville de Montréal (Arrondissement Pierrefonds-Roxboro) Tel. : (514) Fax : (514) christiangdubois@ville-montreal.qc.ca Me Jean-Marc Ferland Avocat Ferland, Marois, Lanctot Tel.: (514) Fax: (514) ferland@fml.ca Mr. Moritz Gruber Président System Huntingdon Inc. Tel.: (450) Fax: (450) mgruber@systemeinc.com Mr. Olivier Rodriguez Gestionnaire de Portefeuille Mirabaud Canada Inc. Tel.: (514) Fax: (514) orodriguez@mirabaud.ca Mr. Bruno Setz Consultant Tel.: (514) brunosetz@videotron.ca Mr. Paul Wieser PDG pour le Canada Busch Vacuum Technics Inc. Tel: (450) Fax: (450) pamawi@busch.ca Directeur honoraire / Honorary Director Mr. Claude Duvoisin Consul général Tel: (514) Fax: (514) claude.duvoisin@eda.admin.ch Liaison au Consulat général de Suisse Mr. Markus Osterburg Consul Tel: (514) Fax: (514) markus.osterburg@eda,admin.ch Conseiller juridique / Legal Counsel Lette & Associés Tel: (514) , # 213 Fax: (514) mschirdewahn@lette.ca Responsable de l administration / Administration Officer Mr. Andreas Kräuchi Tel: (514) Fax: (514) info@cccsmtl.com Chers Membres, Je vous remercie de vous être joints en si grand nombre à la soirée raclette, qui fut une fois de plus un succès grâce à notre merveilleuse équipe organisatrice et de bénévoles infatigables: Olivier Schlegel, Raphael Delacombaz, Marc Bolay, Alex Volery et Richard Dill. Je tiens à exprimer mes sincères remerciements à nos nombreux commanditaires et un merci particulier à Denis Alber de nous avoir très agréablement divertis avec sa contribution musicale! Vous pourrez en savoir plus sur la soirée dans cette édition de l Info Suisse. Nous sommes également particulièrement heureux d avoir commencé (ou de relancer) les petits déjeuners causerie. Le premier portant sur le thème très populaire de la convention fiscale entre le Canada et la Suisse. Ainsi, c est dans le cadre merveilleux du Café Ferreira, qui nous a accueilli avec un savoureux petit-déjeuner, que Me Marie Dumas a donné un aperçu clair et utile sur les changements qui deviendrons effectifs prochainement.. Après le succès de cet événement, le Conseil a poursuivi sur sa lancée en organisant un deuxième petit déjeuner, dont les échos seront publiés dans la prochaine édition où nous sommes impatients d entendre M. Werner Baumann, ambassadeur de Suisse au Canada sur sa revue de ses années passées au Canada. Nous sommes heureux d avoir un groupe dynamique autant au sein du Conseil d administration qu auprès des membres, et nous resterons à l écoute de vos commentaires, demandes et suggestions tout en augmentant le nombre de nos événements. J ai hâte de vous voir et d avoir bientôt de vos nouvelles. Bien à vous. Dear Members, Thank you for joining us in such great numbers at the Raclette, which was once again a wonderful success thanks to our organizing team and tireless volunteers: Olivier Schlegel, Raphael Delacombaz, Marc Bolay, Alex Volery and Richard Dill. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our numerous sponsors and a particular thanks to Denis Alber for providing a great surprise with his musical contribution! You can read more about the evening in this edition of the Info Suisse. We are also particularly excited to have started (or revived) Breakfast Seminars, with our first being on the widely popular topic regarding the tax treaty between Canada and Switzerland. Me Marie Dumas provided a clear and helpful insight on the changes that will be implemented, and Café Ferreira hosted us in their wonderful location with a tasty breakfast. Following the success of the event, the Board was inspired to follow up with a second Breakfast Seminar, and as this edition is going to print, we are looking forward to hearing from Mr. Werner Baumann, Ambassador of Switzerland to Canada on his review of his years spent in Canada. We are happy to have a dynamic group on the Board and as Members, and while continuing to listen to your feedback, requests and input, we are pleased to see growing the number of our events. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon. Best regards, Monica Schirdewahn EVÉNÉMENTS / UPCOMING EVENTS Mai 2011 / Assemblée Annuelle / Annual General Meeting May 12th Juin 2011 / Tournoi de Golf Mémorial Jacques Thevenoz / June 6th 2011 Annual Golf Tournament Jacques Thevenoz Memorial Dates sujet à changements / Dates subject to change INFORMATION et détails/and details : ou/or (514) A PRIL/MAY 3

6 Switzerland in Figures La Suisse en chiffres SWITZERLAND IN FIGURES Exerp from the 2010 report published by UBS AG GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION Switzerland is situated between the 45th and the 48th degrees of latitude and the 5th and 11th meridians of longitude. Switzerland borders on the following countries: Germany 346 km, France 572 km, Italy 734 km, Austria 165 km and Liechtenstein 41 km. Of the total surface area of 41,285 km 2, 74.5% are productive (30.8% forests, 36.9% arable land and 6.8% residential areas) and 25.5% are covered by water, unproductive land or bear no vegetation 1. The largest agglomerations are: 2 Zurich 1,154,539, Geneva 513,188, Basel 494,299, Bern 348,739, Lausanne 324,387, Lucerne 205,424, Saint Gall 148,532, Winterthur 135,019 and Lugano 133,368. ENERGY AND WASTE Energy sources include oil (45.4%), nuclear fuel (24.2%), water (11.5%), gas (10.0%) and other (9.1%). Per capita costs for energy are CHF 4,233, or 6.0% of GDP per capita (1990: 5.5%). Foreign dependence is 79.7%. The main energy consumers are transportation (34.5%), households (28.2%), industry (19.9%) and services (15.9%). Per capita waste: 2,069 kg, of which 367 kg per person are recycled. POLITICS Form of government: The Swiss Confederation (founded in 1291) has been a Federal Republic since 1848 and is composed of 26 cantons. The government, or Federal Council, is a collegial board consisting of seven members. Parliament consists of two chambers with equal rights: The Undeclared Funds Offshore? Put your affairs in order Avoid penalties and prosecution We can assist you in negotiating a settlement under the voluntary disclosure policies of the federal and provincial tax authorities Your communications with us are protected by solicitor-client privilege (professional secrecy) Council of States (cantonal representation) with 46 members and the National Council (representation body of the people) with 200 members. Political groups: The 200 seats of the National Council (representative body of the people) and the 46 seats of the Council of States (cantonal representation) are distributed among the following political groups (as at 31 December 2009): Swiss People s Party 60 (National Council) / 6 (Council of States) Social Democrats 43 / 9 Christian Democrats/EPP/glp fraction 36 / 16 Parliamentary Group FDP-The Liberals 35 / 12 Green Party 22 / 2 BDP fraction 4 /1 Vous Détenez des fonds non déclarés à l impôt? Régularisez votre situation Évitez pénalités et poursuites du fisc Nous sommes à même de négocier en votre nom un règlement en vertu des politiques de divulgation volontaire des autorités fiscales fédérales et provinciales Communiquez avec nous sous le sceau du secret professionnel POPULATION Resident population: 7,798,670, including 22.4% foreigners. Permanent residents: change : +6.4%, change : +14.7%. Age groups: 0 to 19 years 21.0%, 20 to 64 years 62.4%, 65 years and over 16.6%. Religions:3 Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Moslems 4.3%, other 3.2%, none 11.1%, not reported 4.3%. Employment: number of people in workforce: 4,528,953 or 58.1% of resident population. Breakdown: 3.7% in forestry and agriculture, 22.9% in industry, crafts and con struction, 73.4% in services sector. No. of non-swiss in labour force: 1,242,184 or 27.4% of the active population. Lette Whittaker LLP 20 Queen St. W.,Suite 3300 Box 33, Toronto ON M5H 3R3 Tel: Fax: toronto@lette.ca BERNARD LETTE BARRISTER & SOLICITOR ADMITTED IN ONTARIO, QUEBEC AND FRANCE AVOCAT AUX BARREAUX DE PARIS, MONTRÉAL ET TORONTO BLETTE@LETTE.CA Lette & Associés s.e.n.c.r.l. 630, Bd. René-lévesque Ouest #2800, Montréal QC H3B 1S6 Tel: Fax: montreal@lette.ca Lette Alérion 137, rue de l université Paris Tel: +33 (1) Fax: +33 (1) paris@alerionavocats.com Lette & Knorr Tal 12 D München Tel: +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) munich@lette.ca 4 I NFO SUISSE

7 MAIN SOURCES Federal Office for Statistics, Swiss National Bank, Federal Finance Administration, Federal Tax Administration, Federal Customs Administration, OECD, IMF, Eurostat, GEOSTAT, Gault Millau Switzerland 2010, Swiss hiking trails (Schweizer Wander wege), UNESCO, UBS estimates and calculations. Languages in % of population 3 Geneva Bern Basel Cantons: Switzerland is formed by 26 cantons (states): ZH = Zurich, BE = Bern, LU = Lucerne, UR = Uri, SZ = Schwyz, OW = Obwalden, NW = Nidwalden, GL = Glarus, ZG = Zug, FR = Fribourg, SO = Solothurn, BS = Basel- Town, BL = Basel-Country, SH = Schaffhausen, AR = Appenzell Outer Rhodes, AI = Appenzell Inner Rhodes, SG = Saint Gall, GR = Grisons, AG = Argovia, TG = Thurgovia, TI = Ticino, VD = Vaud, VS = Valais, NE = Neuchâtel, GE = Geneva, JU = Jura. Value Added Private consumption Public-sector consumption Construction expenditure Plant and equipment expenditure Inventory changes Exports of goods Exports of services less imports of goods less imports of services Gross Domestic Product Agriculture Manufacturing Construction Trade and hospitality industry Financial services industry Public administration and social services Gross National Income Income from abroad less income transfers abroad Zurich Industrial Production Overall industrial production 4 Food, beverages, tobacco Textiles and apparel Chemicals Machine and equipment construction Machinery and electronics (incl. watchmaking) Lugano German (63.7%) Italian (6.5%) French (20.4%) Romansh (0.5%) Other (9.0%), cannot be allocated regionally In billions of Swiss francs Index changes in % Banks and Security Market Swiss National Bank 19 Monetary reserves Gold holdings Currency holdings Bank notes in circulation M2 money supply, change in % 8 Central bank money supply, s.a., change in % Security markets and investment trusts Swiss share index (SPI, 1987 = 1,000) 19 Swiss SE equity turnover SE capitalisation (SPI) 19 Comb. investment trust assets net 19 International Investment Position 2009 (in billion Swiss francs) 34 Swiss assets Direct investments Portfolio investments 1,065.5 Other assets 35 1,054.6 Monetary reserves Total 3,089.1 Swiss direct investments abroad (in % 2008) 46.3 Imports and Exports Breakdown by Country 2009 Imports 31 from Japan 1.7% USA 5.1% China 3.2% Other EU (27) 22.5% Other countries 9.7% UK 3.5% EU (27) 80.3% Italy 11.1% Value of imported goods: CHF 160,123 million Foreign direct investments in Switzerland (in % 2008) Europe 71.2 USA and Canada 18.9 Central and South Am. 9.1 Asia, Africa 0.8 and Oceania Germany 33.6% France 9.6% Swiss liabilities Direct investments Portfolio investments Other liabilities 1,198.8 Total 2,382.6 Net assets Exports 31 to USA 9.8% Other countries 23.0% Japan 3.8% In billions of Swiss francs , , , , , , China 3.0% EU (27) 60.4% Other EU (27) 19.2% Value of exported goods: CHF 180,287 million Germany 19.5% France 8.4% Italy 8.6% UK 4.7% The full report is available for download on our website at 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 find out more about the availability and eligibility criteria, please visit the Ontario Chamber s website at: Banking Statistics 20 Cantonal banks Big banks Regional and savings banks Raiffeisen banks Other Swiss banks Foreign-controlled banks Branches of foreign banks Private banks Total Total assets billion CHF Number of employees Foreign portion in % of balance sheets Assets Liabilities , , , , , , , , , , , A PRIL/MAY 5

8 Switzerland in Figures La Suisse en chiffres TAXES FINANCE ECONOMY OF SWITZERLAND Data normally refer to the year 2009 Capital Berne Number of communities 2,596 Deputies in National Council 200 Area in km 2 41,285 Agricultural prod. land as share in the total prod. are in % 49.0 Population Residents in 1,000 7,798.7 Change in % 14.7 Foreigners in 1,000 1,746.6 Share of foreigners in % 22.4 Density of population: residents per km Total fertility rate 1.48 Old-age ratio 27.1 Public Finance and Taxes Cantonal revenues, in CHF millions 77,398 Cantonal expenditure, in CHF millions 77,359 Balance revenues/expenditure, in CHF millions 39 Cantonal debt, in CHF millions 55,685 Per capita, in CHF 7,222 Tax income CHF 50,000, in % 4.60 burden income CHF 100,000, in % income CHF 200,000, in % wealth CHF 200,000, in % 1.63 wealth CHF 1,000,000, in % 4.27 Car ownership tax (2.0 l or 1,641 kg), in CHF 404 New sys. of bal. out fiscal income: Resource index Total net payments in CHF millions 2,901 Economy and Living Standard Employed in 1,000 4,193.0 Foreign labour force in 1,000 1,047.4 Unemployment rate in % 3.7 Companies: Number of stock corporations 186,986 Number of sole proprietor companies 155,567 Banks: Residents per bank subsidiary 2,985 Savings deposits, CHF per inhabitant 42,881 Mortgages, CHF per inhabitant 88,225 Construction: Newly built housing units 44,191 Housing units approved for construction 35,538 Housing vacancy rate in % 0.90 Traffic: Automobiles per 1,000 inhabitants 514 New car registrations per 1,000 inhabitants 46.7 Health: Inhabitants per physician 517 Inhabitants per dentist 1,956 Premium of basic health-care insurance in CHF 351 Foreign trade in CHF millions: Exports 179,536 Imports 163,814 Cantonal trade balance 15,722 Tourism Hotel rooms per km 2 cantonal surface 41 Hotel overnights in 1,000 35,588.9 Share of Swiss/European hotel guests in % 43 / 42 Share of summer overnights in Swiss hotels in % 55.5 Kilometres of hiking trails 63,424 Cantonal surface in km 2 per Gault Millau point 3.7 TANT D HORIZONS À EXPLOR R MIRABAUD ÉLARGIT SON HORIZON, AUTANT POUR LA GESTION PRIVÉE QUE L ASSET MANAGEMENT ET L INTERMÉDIATION. S ENGAGER AUTREMENT POUR ALLER PLUS LOIN. MIRABAUD Canada Inc. - Olivier Rodriguez / MIRABAUD Gestion Inc. - Yves Erard 1501, avenue McGill College - Bureau Montréal (Québec) H3A 3M8 - T F MIRABAUD Canada Inc. est membre de l Organisme canadien de réglementation du commerce des valeurs mobilières inc. et du Fonds canadien de protection des épargnants. 6 I NFO SUISSE

9 Business and Other News Nouvelles economiques et information MILITARY SERVICE IN CANADA AND IN SWITZERLAND By Kurt Schläpfer, Switzerland When a group of Swiss men gets together, it happens quite often that they share experiences from the Swiss army. This is due to the fact that every ablebodied Swiss man has to serve in the Swiss army. As the military service in Switzerland is performed part-time, the Swiss army is embedded in the economy and society of the country. Diametrically opposed to the Swiss citizen army, the Canadian military force is a standing army consisting of fulltime soldiers. For Swiss residents in Canada it might be of interest to compare the two completely different military cultures. THE CANADIAN FORCES The Canadian Forces as they are known today exist since 1968 when the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force were amalgamated. They are divided into the Regular Force and the Reserve Force. The Regular Force is the part of the Canadian Forces that serves full-time, while the role of the Reserve Force is to support the Regular Force. Canada has no conscription, i.e. no obligation to perform military service. All members of the Canadian Forces are volunteers. With 67,700 troops the Regular Force appears small compared with other countries such as the United Kingdom that has a standing army of 176,000, admittedly with a higher population but with a much smaller area. An indicator to compare countries with a standing army is the number of troops being active on duty per 1000 capita. Canada ranks with a figure of 2.0 clearly behind the United Kingdom (2.8), Germany (3.1) and the United States (5.1). Regardless of its size, a standing army is often a state within the state, which is also true for the Canadian Forces. The troops live in their own communities, having special facilities such as schools, retail stores (CANEX stores), medical services, club activities etc. The payment is comparable or even better than in many civil jobs. The monthly salary of a sergeant in his third year can go up to $ 6,270 and a colonel can earn $ 11,950. Members of the Reserve Force are paid in daily rates that can amount to $ 334 for a colonel in his third year. The mission of the Canadian Forces is to protect Canada, to defend North America in cooperation with the U.S. and to contribute to international peace and security. Currently, in a major peace-keeping mission 2830 troops are deployed in Afghanistan. THE SWISS ARMED FORCES The Swiss Federal Constitution has a clause saying Every Swiss man is required to do military service. In 1990 the Swiss army had 781,500 troops or 116 per 1000 capita. After three reorganizations the current number of troops is 194,000. Strictly speaking, no military members are permanently on active duty. However, per annum 20,000 recruits perform the basic training of 18 to 21 weeks and another 5000 members of the army make promotion services of variable length. Moreover, some 100,000 perform so-called refresher courses (abbreviated in Swiss German: WK) lasting up to 19 days per year. A limited number of soldiers (around 3000) make their service in one single period (in Switzerland called Durchdiener). And some 280 members of the army are engaged full-time in peace support operations. In the largest current mission 220 people are deployed in Kosovo. Those having fulfilled their mandatory service remain reservists for no longer than 8 years. A special characteristic of the Swiss militia army system is that every soldier has his personal weapon including ammunition Seit über 20 Jahren in Ontario zugelassener, deutschsprechender Anwalt und Notar bietet Ihnen persönliche Betreuung und fachliche Kompetenz. ALEXANDER SENNECKE BALDWIN ANKA SENNECKE HALMAN LLP BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS Helping you make the Right Moves Victoria Tower 25 Adelaide Street East Suite 900 Toronto, Ontario M5C 3A1 Für weitere Fragen stehe ich gerne zur Verfügung. Direct: Facsimile: Cell: Handy: asennecke@sennecke.com A PRIL/MAY 7

10 Business and Other News Nouvelles economiques et information at home. The reason is that the army can be mobilized at a moment s notice. In view of the increasing number of incidents involving army guns combined with the fact that many weapons are kept in unsecured closets, the Swiss Parliament decided in 2007 to place a ban on keeping ammunition at home. The boxes of bullets already being in possession of the soldiers have to be returned. Every country with a mandatory military service is faced with the problem of conscientious objectors. Until 1996 the only alternative to military service was to be sentenced to imprisonment. In 1996 a civilian service was introduced, which lasts 50% longer than the military service. Despite the extra time they have to serve, the number of men choosing the civilian service increased to nearly 9,000 per year. These figures, however, do not diminish the operational readiness of the Swiss army. In view of the growing budget constraints there is an ongoing discussion whether or not the number of troops should be reduced. Some people even opt for the abolition of the mandatory military service. But this would require a change in the Swiss Federal Constitution. Since a military threat appears unlikely within the foreseeable future, the Defence Minister himself proposes in a report to the Swiss Parliament to reduce the army to a target value of 80,000 troops, assuming that the current budget is not further reduced. TWO DIFFERENT ARMIES WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS Both the Canadian and the Swiss Armed Forces list among their major tasks the support of civil affairs and peace-keeping operations abroad. Civil affairs support is criticized in both countries because of the large number of involved troops and the fact that such missions have nothing to do with defence. The 2008 European Football Championships held in Switzerland (and Austria) were supported by 15,000 Swiss military persons. Furthermore, the Swiss army is engaged in protecting foreign embassies and providing support to Ski World Cup Races. A Swiss press review comments on this: We don t need an army for foreign missions and to prepare ski slopes, but just exclusively for defence. The 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver were supported by 16,000 police and military personnel. The Toronto Star titled Olympics push army to edge. An equally big operation for the Canadian army was the G8 summit in Huntsville, Ontario. Military operations abroad are also a contentious issue in both countries. Although the Kosovo mission of the Swiss army runs as peace-keeping operation, some people in Switzerland fear that such missions become peace-enforcing or even an act of war. This is what happened to Canadian Forces in Afghanistan. A public that has long seen its military as innocently patrolling the peace has had trouble adjusting to its forces engaging in a full-fledged unconventional war. The main issue affecting the Canadian public opinion is the fact that this war has claimed the lives of 155 Canadian soldiers (as of March 2011). The parliamentary budget forecasts that the total cost of Canada s involvement in Afghanistan will be 14 to 18 billion dollars by By May 2010, Canada s Afghanistan mission surpassed even the length of official U.S. participation in the Vietnam War. A comment that reflects the opinion of many Canadians: Once the Canadian Forces are out of Afghanistan, we need not fight another war simply to employ the army, any more than we must take on a peacekeeping mission. Continued on page 21 The Time Magazine 8 I NFO SUISSE

11 Business and Other News Nouvelles economiques et information STERCI OPENS TORONTO OFFICE Geneva Sterci, an international leader in the development of SOA solutions for STP, today announced the opening of Sterci Canada Inc. based in Toronto. The opening of this new subsidiary underlines Sterci s strategy to become a global player for the financial community following the launch of the Singapore Office in 2010 and the acquisition of the majority stake of Simplex Consulting in the UK in With the launch of a north American based office, Sterci now operates on four continents. Strengthened by a global presence, Sterci is now in a position to sell, implement, operate and support its suite of market leading solutions worldwide. Sterci s Global Transaction Platform brings competitive advantage with the provision of innovative and reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) solutions in the areas of SWIFT connectivity & multi-networks messaging, financial EAI, data management and enterprise wide reconciliation. These solutions apply to Banks, Financial Institutions, Corporations and the Securities Industry. Based upon 25 years experience in the messaging environment, the Sterci offer has a proven track record as market leader in the replacement of legacy financial messaging systems comprising both end of support systems and mainframe based SWIFT interfaces. The advanced products and solutions provided by Sterci combined with a dedicated substitution methodology and a pool of experts has allowed Sterci to replace approximately 25 legacy systems in the past 5 years. Sterci solutions have driven down TCO while providing flexibility for new XML or file based solutions for our customers. Sterci Chief Executive Simon Kalfon states, the settlement of Sterci in Toronto is key in the Sterci international strategy. This will help us to better serve our North American customers and provide 24 hours service desk support to European customers. Gestion privée Gérants indépendants Family Office Global Custody Gestion institutionnelle Fonds de placement Genève Lausanne Zurich Bâle Londres Luxembourg Francfort Paris Madrid Barcelone Turin Milan Rome Florence Dubai Singapour Hong Kong Tokyo Montréal Nassau ABOUT STERCI Sterci is an international leader in service oriented solutions for STP. Software author and service operator, Sterci delivers innovative solutions for banks, FIs & corporations in the STP and operational risk management areas. The Sterci offer provides a competitive advantage by addressing challenging issues such as SEPA, SWIFTNet 7, MT-MX, increased regulation and cost of ownership. The Sterci Global Transactions Platform provides financial messaging, generic reconciliation, data management, and financial EAI. Headquartered in Switzerland, Sterci services 250 clients in 20 countries with subsidiaries in North America, UK, Europe, Middle-East, and Asia. Nous avons un centre d excellence, établi dans 20 places financières. Esprit d'indépendance A PRIL/MAY 9

12 Member Profile Profil d un membre Ouvrez la porte du Nouveau Monde! POURQUOI CANADA SUISSE? Par Olivier Jayet Ouvrez la porte du nouveau monde! Notre ambition est de faire découvrir le Canada dans tous ses états d âme, ses beautés naturelles à couper le souffle, ses grands espaces à perte de vue, son extraordinaire faune sauvage, son histoire riche à souhait, ses nations autochtones, ses nombreuses provinces d Est ou Ouest, son art de vivre, sa gastronomie et bien d autres facettes de ce pays merveilleux, séduisant et chaleureux. Mais également d offrir une adéquation et une réciprocité à l égard de la Suisse, splendide écrin d esthétisme au milieu de cette Europe en pleine mutation et partenaire incontournable du Canada, tant sur le plan économique que culturel. est le support de notre communication. Un choix minutieux de référencements de sites nos pépites- visent à faire connaître l immense diversité de ce continent extraordinaire, à susciter l envie d y voyager, d y séjourner, d y travailler et peut-être un jour, d y immigrer. Des rubriques qui se veulent ludiques, claires et photogéniques sont à la disposition de tout internaute, partenaire ou ami du Canada et de la Suisse. Des témoignages de personnalités du monde politique, sportif, gastronomique et culturel, un dessinateur de presse, des vidéos, une boutique en ligne, des voyages à la carte, un coup de cœur littéraire chaque mois, une lettre d information mensuelle et bien d autres activités. En un peu plus de 3 ans, nous pouvons parler d une belle santé! Nos galeries photos. Sans cesse renouvelées, elles vous apporteront les confirmations ostensibles de la beauté et de la magie de contrées merveilleuses de l ensemble du territoire canadien. Notre organisation s est professionnalisée en cette année Elle est destinée à créer des ponts entre nos deux pays. Nous avons le souhait de devenir à terme une organisation incontournable en la matière. Nous sommes intimement convaincus du bien-fondé de notre démarche, mais nous avançons «Step by Step», car nous privilégions la qualité de notre information à la quantité parfois négligeable d informations. Notre devise! «En des moments cruciaux où notre civilisation se trouve en pleine mutation, n est-il pas indispensable de rêver, mais surtout de réaliser ses rêves, fussent-ils les plus fous». Notre philosophie. Elle ne date pas d aujourd hui. Elle est à l origine de notre concept totalement novateur qui date de juin En ces temps plutôt inquiétants pour notre planète, elle prend ici toute sa substance! Le Canada et sa nature sauvage 10 I NFO SUISSE

13 représentent une source d inspiration perpétuelle. Notre éthique consiste à apporter sans cesse les nouveautés nécessaires à la vitalité et la dynamique créatrice de notre concept. Notre Club Les Amis du Canada. Créé en juin 2010, il est l antichambre de Canada Suisse. Il est réservé à toutes celles et ceux qui, à travers leurs passions pour le Canada, désirent participer à nos nombreuses activités et événements. Chaque membre est parfaitement concerné par son appartenance à cette association. Ainsi, sont organisés, dégustations de produits canado-suisse, conférences à thèmes, visites diverses, participation au Tournoi de Golf «Coupe Canada», présence sur les Marchés locaux et régionaux, «Stamm» mensuel, sorties diverses et créations de voyages, dont bientôt celui de l Eté indien au Québec. Un vif succès et un réel engouement pour le Canada. Bienvenue dans un autre monde, mais tellement proche de nous. FINECAST Nos partenaires. Sans eux, nous n existerions tout simplement pas. Nous avons besoin d eux. Nous leur devons respect et allégeance. En Suisse comme au Canada, ils sont nombreux à nous avoir fait confiance. Mais, il ne nous échappe pas que pour maintenir celle-ci, nous devons sans cesse nous remettre en question. Nous sommes à la recherche de nouveaux partenaires pour évoluer dans le bon sens et ainsi, consolider des objectifs réalistes et concrets. High Precision Machining / Machinage de Haute Précision Our consultative approach, our complete solution-based machining service, and our innovative abilities in technological multi-sector industries continue to expand our horizons. Notre approche consultative, notre service d usinage à base d une solution complète et nos capacités novatrices dans les industries multi-sectorielles continuent à développer nos horizons. 208 Migneron Tel : Saint-Laurent, QC Fax : H4T 1Y7 info@finecast.ca A PRIL/MAY 11

14 Business and Other News Nouvelles economiques et information INFLATION RATE IN CANADA By Bernd Henseler and Albrecht Weller of Schwaben Capital Over the past several years I have often wondered what the true inflation rate is in Canada and the US. The US has had some significant compression in hard assets due to the compression of housing prices over the last number of years however Canada has had no or very little decline in housing prices except in Alberta. Many raw material prices however have increased very drastically starting with oil from $10 to $12 per barrel 10 or 12 years ago to food agricultural commodities, services, real estate and the list continues. An increase in inflation results in higher bond yields and could have an impact on your bond portfolio or your preferred shares. A recent article on Marketwatch TM has confirmed my suspicion even in the US. Please read it on Marketwatch TM directly at story/why-you-cant-trust-the-inflationnumbers Several economists have increased their long-term bond yield forecasts today, which is an indication that others also expect that higher inflation is on the horizon. My partner, Bernd Henseler, has done a more extensive review of this phenomenon and has come up with the following preliminary conclusion: INFLATION: DO YOU LIVE IN AN AVERAGE CANADIAN HOUSEHOLD? If yes, then the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data might be relevant to you. If not, you might feel that the latest annual increase in the CPI of 2.4% is does not reflect your cost of goods and will likely indicate a lower increase than what you may be experiencing. Firstly, what is the CPI? The CPI measures the price development of a representative shopping basket of 600 goods and services that the average household consumes. The basket is adjusted throughout time to reflect changing consumer behaviour. But secondly, what is an average Canadian household? The average household has a total annual income of around $71,277 and after taxes and pension savings it has expenditures of $50,734. Expenditures are spent on: Visit a Lindt Outlet Boutique and discover a wide selection of irresistible Lindt Chocolates and gifts at delectable deals. Mississauga Lindt Warehouse Outlet Boutique 7090 Kennedy Road Mississauga, Ontario Etobicoke Lindt Outlet Boutique The Queensway Commons 1557 The Queensway Etobicoke, Ontario Toronto Eaton Centre Lindt Boutique Sears - Sublevel Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario Scarborough Lindt Outlet Boutique 2250 Markham Road Scarborough, Ontario Kitchener Lindt Outlet Boutique Tulane Power Centre 4500 King Street East, Unit 4 Kitchener, Ontario Pointe-Claire Lindt Outlet Boutique Méga Centre des Sources 58, boul. Brunswick, unité B Pointe-Claire, Québec Ottawa Lindt Outlet Boutique 1763 St. Laurent Blvd. Ottawa, Ontario Brossard Boutique Outlet Lindt Quartier DIX boul. du Quartier, unité 45 Brossard, Québec I NFO SUISSE

15 Category Percentage Dollar Amount Food 14.3% $7,262 Shelter/Housing 27.8% $14,095 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS SCCC (ONTARIO) INC. New Personal Members Under 30: Household operation, furnishing and equipment 10.5% $5,324 David Pomart Clothing and footwear 5.6% $2,841 Sterci Canada Inc. 19.2% $9,753 2 Bloor Street West; Suite % $3,204 Toronto, ON M4W 3R1 12.8% $6, % $1,761 david.pomart@sterci.com Transportation Health and personal care Recreation, Education, Reading Tobacco, alcohol and games of chance Source: Statistics Canada 2009 Not surprisingly the CPI basket that is used has a similar breakdown and weighting. And, do you feel represented by this breakdown? Where are the soaring energy cost, what about the latest increases in tuitions, nobody noticed the rising food or commodity prices? HST? Maybe, the simple answer is you are not an average Canadian household, but you are an average household in Ontario. Households in Ontario earn more than the national average and have general higher costs for housing and transportation. The CPI figure for Ontario is 3.3% and therefore 37.5% higher than the Canadian CPI figure of 2.4% (see Table 2). If you are living in Ontario that lets you definitely feel a bit more pinched for your money. Rober Woodrich 1115 Outram Avenue LaSalle, ON N9J 3R9 woodricr@gmail.com How to become a member of the SCCC: Sign up online at or contact our office at sccc@swissbiz.ca or A P R I L /M AY 13

16 Business and Other News Nouvelles economiques et information Canada Ontario CPI from Dec 2009 CPI from Dec 2009 Category to Dec 2010 to Dec 2010 Food 1.7% 1.5% Shelter/Housing 2.7% 4.1% Household operation, furnishing and equipment 1.7% 2.2% Clothing and footwear -2.0% -0.9% Transportation 4.9% 6.2% Health and personal care 2.3% 4.1% Recreation, Education, Reading 1.1% 2.2% Tobacco and alcohol 2.6% 3.8% Overall CPI 2.4% 3.3% All items excluding food 2.6% 3.7% All items excluding energy 1.7% 2.3% Energy 10.5% 15.6% Table 2: Annual CPI for Canada and Ontario, Source: Statistics Canada Another reason might be that your shopping basket is not equivalent to the average Canadian and therefore you feel that prices have increased. For example your household owns two cars instead of one, then you will be more aware of changes in energy prices. In Canada energy prices increased by 10.5% and in Ontario by 15.6% over the past year. In Ontario, energy prices added a full percentage point to the CPI. Without increases in energy the CPI would have been only 2.3% instead of 3.3%. What about substitution of goods that you have purchased in the past, but now change to new more expensive items? For example, haven t we used in past simple cell phones just to call people. Now, we have the latest I Phone or smart phone including data plan and many other expensive add ones. What about the other big news items that food and commodity prices increased, Lorsque la qualité suisse prend son envol. Des normes de qualité plus élevées pour que votre vol soit une expérience mémorable. Les Suisses sont connus pour leurs standards de qualité élevés et leur précision. À bord, grâce à ces caractéristiques tout helvétiques alliées à notre amabilité naturelle et à notre discrétion, vous pro tez pleinement de vos heures de vol. SWISS Business comporte désormais des lits qui s abaissent à l horizontale et des coussins pneumatiques réglables qui vous permettent d opter ainsi pour la forme de confort qui vous convient le mieux. Notre nouvel avion A assure un vol quotidien entre Montréal et Zurich. Pour informations et réservations appelez le FLY SWISS, contactez votre agence de voyages ou visitez le swiss.com SWISS BUSINESS AVEC LITS S ABAISSANT À L HORIZONTALE VOTRE VOL, SWISS MADE. SWISS.COM _300_QualityYUL_184x127_f_infosuisse :25 I NFO SUISSE

17 e.g. vegetable products increased by 21.9% and animal products increased by 5.1% in the last year. But the CPI for food increased only by 1.7%. It seems that producer have not yet fully passed down the higher cost for raw material to the consumer, because of a competitive environment. However, if the prices will stay high, producer will eventually pass these higher costs on to the consumer. Just recently, McDonalds announced that it considers increasing the prices of Big Macs because of higher food prices. The same will hold true over time for other commodity prices that producers will pass through to the consumer. The CPI reflects only past price changes. What are other items that could cause inflation to rise in the future? - Sustained higher commodity prices that will be passed on the consumer - After the recovery of the recession unions will ask for higher wages, thereby increasing production costs - Imported inflation. China as world manufacturer faces higher labour and raw material cost, that increase the cost of imported goods purchased in Canada. - Higher interest rates will lead to higher mortgage rates Going forward, the Canadian consumer will face several factors that could increase inflation over the next couple of years on an overall level. However, as we established, CPI data might not apply to your household, as you may not be an average Canadian household. Therefore your choices will affect your personal perceived inflation rate. Of course, you could create your own deflation, by only shopping at discount stores, selling your car, canned food instead of fresh food, using coupons and not buying the latest gadget. But is that fun? Look out for inflation, possibly more than most expect, and review your investment portfolio. Should you wish to discuss this further or would like to review your portfolio, you may contact Schwaben Capital at (416) or visit and bookmark their Blog at wordpress.com BUSINESS NEWS By Switzerland Trade and Investment Promotion Geneva will leave London behind and become the world s most important trading hub for physical energy commodities, including oil, as leading companies relocate dozens of traders to Switzerland, according to industry executives. The news was published in the November 22 and February 8 issues of Financial Times. The article noted that the transfers threaten the UK capital s leadership in physical crude and oil products, first established in the late 1980s, and come amid broader Continued on page 20 YOUR GLOBAL LOGISTICS NETWORK Kuehne + Nagel Ltd. info.toronto@kuehne nagel.com nagel.com A PRIL/MAY 15

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19 Bruno s Tip Is It Really That Important? IS IT REALLY THAT IMPORTANT? Someone has angered and upset you and now you are in a power struggle to win the point. The fight goes on and on and I can hear you saying: I won t allow this! and He can t do that to me and I ll get even with him! Stop right here and ask yourself some questions: Is this really worth fighting for? and Haven t I already invested too much time in this? and Is it really that important? Then ask yourself the most important question of all: Could it be that my ego is the real problem here, keeping this going well beyond its best before date? Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. Buddha When our ego gets involved, we sometimes stop seeing things clearly. We make mountains out of molehills and a melodrama of revenge plays out in our mind. The ego has an inborn tendency to grow at highspeed and if we don t watch it carefully, it will become inflated and eventually hurt us. Yes, many situations are unjust and the world should know we are not at fault. But since nobody really wins in the end anyway, how about taking a different path by simply walking away from the situation, waiting until the anger has calmed down and then try to learn from the incident? And there is something much more important. However heavy the situation is, we should never forget to think about these issues: doesn t the sun still come up every morning? Are the birds still singing and don t we have family and friends who love us. And shouldn t we enjoy those gifts, instead of living with poison? Thinking along these lines can be a liberating experience. Every week Bruno writes his One Minute , a short and inspirational newsletter that has become so popular that 23,000 people in 20 countries read it every week. We invite you to subscribe at It is free and you will be very welcome The forces of nature can strike at any time. Let s discuss how to plug our defenses. As the Earth s climate is changing, so are the frequency and intensity of floods and storms. What s the answer: retreat from the most hazardous locations? Protect vulnerable areas with sea walls, drainage systems and better building codes? Or take measures to transfer the financial risk and rebuild? All we know at Swiss Re is that, as our climate changes, we must adapt apace. Which is why we re helping countries and communities develop strategies to protect themselves against the forces of nature. Risk is the raw material we work with; what we create for our clients is opportunity. Plug into A PRIL/MAY 17

20 Karin s Performance Solutions Is There a Better Way? Karin Lindner IS THERE A BETTER WAY? By Heidi Garcia You ve probably heard the definition of insanity doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Many of us fall into the trap of daily routines never giving a second thought to what we do and why we do it. How often do we actually stop to reflect and ask ourselves: Is there a better way? How many times do we find ourselves saying: It s good enough? Good is the enemy of great. Good gets in the way of doing our best. Good holds us back from tapping into our true potential. Many people accept the status quo and misguidedly believe that thinking, creativity and innovation is someone else s job. Some people have literally turned off their curiosity. They have become apathetic, hopeless and indifferent. During a recent workshop, I asked the employees: How many of you are excited about coming to work everyday? Shockingly, no one raised their hand. For them, work is a means to an end. Work is just something they have to do to provide for their families, to pay the bills and to live a half decent life. Why do people settle for a half decent life? What would a full life look like? Is there a better way? It s been said that People are like sticks of dynamite. The power s on the inside but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit. I strongly believe that every single person has unique talents, skills, abilities, and experiences to share. It s the wise but sadly rare leader who understands and appreciates what his or her people have to offer and who allows and provides them with the right environment and opportunity to excel. Some employees have told me they have great ideas but no one asks so they don t bother to share. Others have been told that they re not getting paid to think and they should just focus on getting the product out the door or they ve been told We ve tried that and it won t work, or It s too expensive or That won t work. What an enormous missed opportunity. Just imagine the possibilities that are being untapped. How can you get great ideas? The answer: by generating a lot of ideas. How can leaders instil a culture of continuous improvement, of being curious, of asking questions, of coming up with new and better ways of doing things? How can employees feel responsible for catching mistakes and providing solutions to the challenges they face? Who better than the people doing the job day in and day out know best how to find a better way? How can leaders impress upon their employees that their opinions matter? 141 Adelaide Street West, Suite 203 Toronto, Ontario M5H 3L5 How can leaders light a fire in the hearts of their employees rather than under their rear ends? One way is by painting a vivid picture of what can be. Leaders need to encourage employees to discover the possibilities, to think about what can be, and invite them to be part of the solution. Visualize the results what does perfection look like? Instead of merely seeing what is look for what can be. Leaders need to continuously ask their employees: Is there a better way? Leaders should be pursuing the right questions rather than securing the right answers. Talk less, listen more. Make fewer statements, ask more questions. Ingenuity is all about asking the right questions. Always, always, always ask: Is there a better way? Here are some tips in your quest to find a better way: 1. Question everything and then do it again. 2. Start every conversation with a questio even if the conversation is with yourself. 3. Answer every question with a question. Telephone: Fax: For your investment needs please contact: Werner Joller President David Ratcliffe Managing Director 18 I NFO SUISSE