Business Deals: Harmony Air China Flights -&- Indian Affairs Oil & Gas Branch

This would have come into force even if Paul Martin had lost the Ebay sale and vote auction in the House of Commons last night. It appears to have been a busy day yesterday . . . before the PM's almost-death experience in the House of Commons.

Harmony to have China flights Financial Post, May 19, 05

Harmony Airways, the tiny, Vancouver-based airline [owned by TK Ho ], has been given permission to begin operating flights to China this year. One month after Ottawa and China signed a new bilateral air services agreement, Harmony has been granted designation by Transport Canada to begin offering flights on a code-share basis to Chinese cities this fall. Code-sharing arrangements allow one airline to sell seats in its name on another airline. [. . . . ] Meanwhile, Air Canada, the only Canadian air carrier that now flies to China, was also given permission to add five more flights a week between Toronto and Beijing. [. . . . ]

Remember Dyane Adam, Minister of the Promotion of French, and her world tour to Canadian embassies? She travelled to China last year. Now, do you suppose we know the reason? Bilingual in Canada will soon be French / Mandarin. . . . . language courses offered at language schools in Quebec?

Related: China, Canada, Networks & Connections, Harmony Airways, Donations to PM, Awards Received & More




Gas firms will spend $58M to tap North Jon Harding, Financial Post, May 20, 05

Yesterday, the northern oil and gas branch of Indian and Northern Affairs awarded six exploration licences for parcels of land in the Central Mackenzie Valley of the Northwest Territories, a region with untapped resource potential but no outside link.

[. . . . ] Apache Canada Ltd., a unit of Houston-based Apache Corp., and partner Paramount Resources Ltd., together secured rights to a pair of parcels and roughly 130,000 hectares worth of land yesterday. The partnership, already active in the region, committed to spending more than $6.7-million.