Lisa Williams

Canadian students living in remote or rural areas will soon get a boost in their education as a result of a partnership on behalf of Xerox Canada and Athabasca University in Alberta, which is aiming to develop a research program focused on advancing e-learning and mobile learning for students.

A new research project in London, Ont. funded by the Ontario government is aiming to improve detection of neurological diseases such as brain cancer, stroke and Alzheimer's disease, according to Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson.

Post-secondary education students are set to benefit from $7.9 million in funding from the Alberta government's Innovation Fund. The funding will go towards 15 projects that aim to promote innovation, collaboration and participation in post-secondary education.

Governments have been taking tentative steps towards establishing a presence in the virtual world. And while the business case may yet to be proven, there is potential for the public sector to utilize virtual applications such as Second Life, says analyst Alison Brooks.

Known for its lighthouses, iconic Blue Nose ship, scrumptious seafood and lively Celtic music, Nova Scotia may not be the first province that pops into your head when you think of technology leaders in Canada. But that may soon change.

As we welcome the New Year, it's also a time to reflect and look back on the news that resonated with our readers in 2007. The most-read stories run the gamut of topics, from free WiFi scams and hot public sector IT trends to the realities of Facebook for the government. Read on for the top 10 stories of 2007.

The City of Brockville in Ontario has become the latest municipality to offer Industry Canada's online service tool BizPaL. "Whenever we can simplify the paperwork and bureaucracy and get to the business quickly, we not only should do so, but must do so," said Brockville Mayor Dave Henderson.

Interoperability is the number one issue facing Canadian first responders with respect to improving their ability to enhance public safety. This was one of the key findings of a survey, Keeping Canadians Safe, released yesterday by the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATA) which polled 144 chiefs of fire, police, paramedic and emergency response organizations.