This page features Ontario-based events, conferences and training courses of relevance to the medical technology industry.

Individuals, organizations and companies are urged to submit bulletins and notices of events that they are sponsoring, coordinating or hosting.

A perfect setting Ontario is ready to accept its place as a leader in life sciences.

By Chris Rogers

I was set to met with John Milloy, Ontario’s Minister of Research and Innovation. We were to meet at the offices of OICR (Ontario Institute for Cancer Research). As he arrived, the Minister was immediately just as interested in the happenings around the labs as we were. We made our way from the labs to a board room overlooking MaRS and U of T, a perfect setting considering the tone of the conversation.

Holding concurrent positions as Minister for MRI and TCU (the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities), has given Milloy a firm understanding of Ontario’s major research areas and strengths.
 
“We have an outstanding healthcare system here,” said Milloy. “We have one of the most diverse populations on earth which every researcher I meet tells me is amazing.”



“We have incredible strengths in many of the issues related to aging and neuroscience is our theme at BIO this year. There is important work going on in colleges in terms of healthcare delivery related to aging. We have the strength here in Ontario – just look at U of T, the University of Western Ontario, and Baycrest – we have this wonderful healthcare platform,” Milloy boasts.

“These are incredible strengths that we can use to not only solve our problems here at home but also to deal with efficiencies in the healthcare system and issues around patient care. Why can’t we export our technologies and products around the world? I think Ontario is poised to be a global leader.” 



It’s a fair assessment of Ontario’s strengths, but this industry has been rocked by a lack of investment in recent years and MRI had just announced it was no longer accepting applications for one of its more lucrative, albeit contentious programs, the Biopharmaceutical Investment Program (BIP). Criticisms levied against the program included being narrow in scope with funds that were almost impossible to access.

“BIP was a successful program and although we’re not accepting new applications we’re still in the process of evaluating some applications that are still outstanding,” Milloy explains. “It provided much needed support and led to the creation of 1,400 jobs.”



That’s acceptable, but in a gesture that really shows they’re listening to the concerns of the industry, MRI is rolling out a new program which will broaden the scope of the initiative. Hopefully allowing many more start-up companies access to the funding they desperately need.



“Even though [BIP] was important and it had a very positive impact on the sector, we want to roll out something that’s a bit broader in terms of life sciences. We have indicated to the sector that we will be coming out with a life sciences commercialization strategy in the near future,” he says.



“The new strategy will build on Ontario’s strengths in terms of life sciences. We obviously want to look at marketing and how we can pull in new investments. We want to build our academic excellence because we have some outstanding researchers here in Ontario. How can we attract more researchers, how can we nurture those researchers, how can we work with the industry and the academic community and bring them together? Those are the pillars of our strategy.”



Given our physical setting, in a place where academia and industry are driving remarkable breakthroughs, it’s hard to disagree. But I was curious what it meant for fledgling biotech companies struggling with finances. 



“Start ups in the biotech field have a different challenge,” Milloy says. “Quite frankly, they’re on a different trajectory than start ups in a lot of other industries. They have different challenges and different time frames. In bringing forward this strategy we’re trying to answer the question – how can we make our programs a little more friendly to the biotech world? There are issues around clinical trials and having a more appropriate or enhanced infrastructure for clinical trials. We’re also going to be paying special attention to medical devices. That’s another piece of the puzzle in the life sciences field. Finally we will look at genomics and commercialization opportunities.”



With the promise of a new program to help start ups in the industry, the focus of the conversation shifts to commercialization. Without the proper commercialization strategy, Ontario could not expect to complete at the towering levels it strives for. Yet, the province already has a firm foundation in this area which is being fleshed out by the new Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE).



Already, Ontario has a number of regional innovation centres which attempt to foster innovative new products by guiding them down the commercialization path. While they do an exceptional job, the new ONE network holds the promise of a new era of commercialization strategies for Ontario start ups. The biggest push for the new program is the focus on making geographic challenges a thing of the past. 



“Whether you’re in the farthest reaches of Northern Ontario or downtown Toronto, you’re going to be able to access the full range of services from the local organization in the network,” he says. “We want to look at various technologies to link people together and we want to create a true network because there has been a certain unevenness up until now.”



It’s the recognition that perhaps services like commercialization assistance aren’t as easy to access for some that adds a tone of optimism to the rest of the conversation because at the same time, the ministry wants to make sure that its services are available to a much broader spectrum of innovators. 



“There’s a lot to celebrate in Ontario in terms of the supports that exist,” Milloy says. “If you look at the continuum in both directions – for researchers that are looking at commercialization opportunities [and] at the same time, for industry that’s looking to get a hold of the best research to deal with some of their problems and challenges…there is good infrastructure, but it’s not as connected as it should be. There are, quite frankly, some geographic challenges. I think a researcher in one part of the province might have better access to programming than a researcher in another part of the province. We have a number of outstanding regional innovation organizations, the question is: how can we link them together? How can we link them to anchors like MaRS and OCE and create a network which covers every inch of the province?”



As the interview winds down, it’s reassuring to hear that Milloy and his team are not naive to the challenges they face; this is a fiercely competitive field but they believe now is the time to act.

“We’re not the only place thinking this way, but we’ve got some real strengths and we have to take action right now. That’s why our [focus is on] life sciences and commercialization,” he says. “A real focus on commercializing this research in the life science industry is going to be very important for us, but we know there is a lot of competition out there.”



Leaving MaRS, I couldn’t help but feel Ontario has big expectations and goals for the life sciences industry. But this is a sector that’s been clamouring at the door, crying for the opportunity to prove themselves and Ontario’s new initiatives, are going to give them a chance to succeed. Coupled with some changes to federal tax reporting laws (the infamous Section 116), removing what most in the industry and venture capital saw as impediments to Canadian companies getting proper international funding, Ontario may have the answers many in this industry are looking for.

This article was edited from the May 2010 issue of BioTechnology Focus Magazine. To read the complete interview, go to www.bioscienceworld.ca

June 2, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Bending the Cost Curve of the Health Care System Conference: From Ideas to Action

June 4, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Baycrest presents the Annual Clinical and Ethical Issues in Geriatric and Long-Term Care

June 13 - 15, 2010: Toronto, ON.
OACCAC Knowledge and Inspiration 2010 Conference


June 15, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Healthy Work Environments: Improving the Quality of Work-Life.  Hear from Healthy Workplace gurus Dr Linda Duxbury and Dr Graham Lowe

June 16, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Enterprise Risk Management: A “How-To” for Health Care Organizations Learn the effective tools and techniques for ERM

June 16, 2010:  Ottawa, ON.
OCRI - I.T. in Healthcare - The Champlain Electronic Health (eHealth) Strategic Plan

June 17, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Osgoode's 4th Annual Legal Risk Management for Nurses


June 17, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Redefining Patient Centred Care: What Does It Really Mean? Do you have it in your organization?

June 18, 2010: Toronto, ON.
Capital Planning: Optimizing Your Facility Performance

June 27 - June 29, 2010: Waterloo, ON.
Applied Health Informatics Bootcamp

September 20 - 21, 2010:
Ottawa, ON. Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) and Statistics Canada for the Data Users Conference 2010: Understanding Health Outcomes
 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION SKILLS – Dealing with Difficult People http://www.achievecentre.com/winterspring10/ontario.html
Toronto - June 9

Sometimes stress, personality differences or other precipitating factors can lead to conflict between individuals or within an entire group. Many conflicts would not spiral out of control if people used conflict resolution techniques that are easy to learn and utilize. This workshop will teach participants to understand the dynamics of conflict and be able to respond confidently when faced with difficult situations.

ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION http://www.achievecentre.com/winterspring10/ontario.html
Toronto - June 10

Understanding our communication style and how we interact with others is essential to positive and productive relations. Effective communication requires us not only to be aware of ourselves, but also to be responsive and aware of others. Being assertive in communication is the ability to express positive and negative ideas and feelings in a transparent, welcoming and direct way – to state clearly and without defensiveness what one needs. Participants of this workshop will build an awareness of their communication patterns and learn to deal confidently with people around them. This workshop is fun, practical and highly effective at improving communication awareness and skills.

FEES
Early Rate: $145.00
Regular Rate: $175.00

REGISTER
Web: www.achievecentre.com
Email: info@achievecentre.com
Phone: 204.452.0180
 

Intellectual Property: What’s in it for you?
CIPO/ Government Programs Seminar
April 22, 2010   1380 Rodick Road, Markham, On

On April 22, 2010, Industry Canada, in partnership with the Innovation Synergy Centre in Markham invites you to attend a forum on Intellectual property.

This seminar is ideally suited for individuals and/or organizations involved in technology transfer and commercialization. It can also be useful to anyone who needs or provides advice or professional development to Canadian innovators in a wide range of fields. This is an excellent networking opportunity for SME organizations.

The seminar will cover the following five main IP rights:
-          Patents
-          Copyrights
-          Trademarks
-          Industrial designs
-          Integrated circuit topographies

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is responsible for the administration of the intellectual property system in Canada. CIPO’s online databases, guides and publications will help identify your IP assets.

8:00 AM           Registration and networking breakfast
8:30 AM           Seminar begins
11:30AM          Informal networking

To register, contact Innovation Synergy Centre.  

Violence Threat Assessment - Planning and Response  http://www.ctrinstitute.com/winterspring10/ontario.html

A registration form to attend this workshop is attached to this email.  You may also download a form from our website at www.ctrinstitute.com.

Other workshops coming up in your area:

De-escalating Potentially Violent Situations - Toronto, May 17-18;  Ottawa, May 19-20;  London, May 19-20;  Thunder Bay, May 27-28;  

Mental Illness Awareness and Support - Toronto, June 15

 WORKSHOP FEES

Dear TMTA members,

If your company manufactures products for sale to Ontario’s hospitals, you already know how challenging it is to get access to these hospitals’ purchasing departments.

For this same reason, you also appreciate the importance of keeping abreast of every change in the Ontario government’s purchasing rules, regulations and protocols. 

Both are good reasons for attending TMTA’s upcoming quarterly meeting. In addition to being the last quartely meeting of the year and giving you a chance to discuss the highs and lows of 2009 with your peers, this upcoming meeting will feature a special presentation from the Ontario ministry of finance’s supply chain department.

That presentation will focus on the government’s latest look at medical purchasing by Ontario’s hospitals. It will explain the Ministry’s reasoning for rationalizing purchases and announce the start of a formal consultative process by which the government will be seeking input from industry. 

TMTA has been invited to participate in this consultative process and we will be sending to delegates from the Association’s Market Access Committee. But this  upcoming meeting on December 7 will be your company’s opportunity to input directly into the process.

This is your chance to have your say. What do you like about Ontario’s purchasing policy? What do you dislike about it? More importantly: what would you change and how would you go about making those changes?

Join us on December 7 for this opportunity to be heard and join your voice to that of your industry peers.

Marcel Lafleur
Membership coordinator
TMTA

To attend this crucial meeting, simply fill out the attached registration form and email it to marcel@tmta.ca

Date:              October 23, 2009
Time:             Registration starts at 9:00 am, seminar starts at 9:30 and concluded by 11:00
Venue:          Auditorium, lower level
                       Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
                      10 Allstate Parkway
                      8 Seneca Way
                      Markham Ontario 

This event is presented by the Canada China Business Council and the Town of Markham Economic Development Department

The purpose of the visit by the Shenzhen Bureau of Trade & Industry is to meet with Canadian companies and seek co-operation opportunities with firms interested in doing business with China-- in particular, Shenzhen. Discussions will include both inbound and outbound investment and will be a platform for future co-operation.  

This seminar will appeal to companies engaged in IT, software development, telecom, advanced manufacturing and life sciences.

Program

Moderator, Tony Gostling, CCBC
0900 Registration
0930 Welcome remarks by Sarah Kutulakos, Executive Director and COO, CCBC
0935 Remarks by representative of Chinese Consulate in Toronto0
940 Remarks by representative of Markham  government
0945 Keynote Speech by Deputy Director LI Wang
1015 Presentation by a Canadian company , speaker TBA
1025 Q & A Session
1035 Networking
1100 Adjourned

Christina Kakaflikas, MAES
Manager, Special Projects
Economic Development, Town of Markham
101 Town Centre Blvd.,
Markham, ON, Canada L3R 9W3
tel. 905.477.7000 x 6590   fax: 905.475.4888
ckakaflikas@markham.ca

Visit our web site: http://business.markham.ca

Registration is free. Please register on line. For more information, please contact Becky Situ at 416 954 3800 ext.

License application training

Event Title: License application training
Event Date: September 10-11, 2009
Cost: A credit card is required to register.
Audience:  MEDEC members and non-members

 This special training seminar organized by MEDEC in co-operation with Health Canada addresses issues relating to the application quality and resulting delays in the licensing process.

A timely/fast and successful application process is the beginning of many product success stories in Canada and in any other jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the record presented to Industry by Health Canada tells a different story. Too many applications are of insufficient quality (New Applications Class II = 23%, Class III = 84%,

Class IV = 92%; Amendment Applications Class III = 68%, Class IV = 57%) require additional information asked for by Screening Deficiency Letters or Additional Information Requests.

These additional efforts do not only require capacity in the Industry but also at Health Canada and ultimately delay the entire regulatory process with the effect that applications with deficiencies take on average up to 100% longer than targeted and contribute to capacity shortage that even delays clean applications significantly.

 This program is designed to bring participants from Industry and their relevant counterparts at Health Canada together to address the requirements for a Canadian license and the most common deficiencies (Part I and II). It introduces in Part III participants to the requirements for the use of the STED document (a future format of preference at MDB), and informs in Part IV of the basics in Adverse Event Reporting under the Canadian Medical Devices Regulations.

All presenters are from Health Canada and talk about their daily experiences. 

This event is open for MEDEC members and non-members. The space is limited. Registrations is now open online at www.medec.org/events_and_programs. A credit card is required to register. Please note that your member do not qualify for member rate. 

 If you have any questions, contact Klaus Stitz, VP Regulatory Affairs

MEDEC - Canada's Medical Technology Companies
MEDEC - Les sociétés canadiennes des technologies médicales
405 The West Mall, Suite 900
Toronto, ON M9C 5J1
t. 416.620.1915 x 224
f. 416.620.1595

kstitz@medec.org
www.medec.org