I wrote the past two columns on international franchise expansion from cafés in Istanbul and Cairo. What better places to consider the worldwide expansion, through franchising and licensing, of well-known brands? The two cities are so unlike their counterparts in North America, you gain a new perspective on international business. Now that I’ve returned to Canada, I want to talk about a country that’s the envy of the business world. It’s where you’re going to increasingly see expansion by U.S. and European brands, whether through franchising or by direct expansion.

OTTAWA — Canadians made 2.7 million overnight trips for pleasure to the U.S. between January and March, and spent $2.9 billion during their visits, according to data released Thursday by Statistics Canada. Comparatively, American residents took 673,000 overnight pleasure trips to Canada and only spent $366 million during their visits in the year's first quarter. Most American visitors to Canada came from New York state, Washington state and Michigan. Read more

TORONTO - Canadians have good news and bad news on the job front this Labour Day. The good news is that more people are employed now compared to Labour Day last year. The bad news is that it's not a lot more. The most recent statistics from July show that 1.47 million Canadians are looking for work. Statistics Canada says that's about 84,000 fewer people than in July 2009. Read more