Bluedrop Performance Learning Awaits its First Day of Trading on the TSX Venture Exchange

St. John's, NL - Bluedrop Performance Learning will start a new era of business when the TSX Venture Exchange opens on Friday. A recently completed business transaction with Serebra Learning Corporation will see Bluedrop, long recognized as a pioneer and thought leader in eLearning, become Canada's largest full service eLearning company. It becomes one of the few technology companies from Atlantic Canada to cross over the Public trading threshold. 

Emad Rizkalla, President and CEO, said the timing for the business was just right. "Bluedrop and Serebra shared a similar vision. We were both interested in changing the world and determined to make a positive impact by combining innovation with a passion for accessible learning that helps individuals and companies suceed."

Bluedrop now has over 100 employees in five (5) different offices throughout Canada. This number is expected to increase dramatically over the next 18 months as new products are kicked off and opportunities are realized. 

"The combonation of technology, people, and experience that we now have around the table means great things for Bluedrop. We will reduce our product roadmap for CoursePark® by one year and gain immediate access to markets in South America," said Rizkalla. 

The company will keep the name Bluedrop Performance Learning and trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol TSX-V: BPL.

OTTAWA - The Honourable  Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced the award of a $7 million contract to Raytheon Canada. These funds will be used to build and install a next-generation High Frequency Surface Wave Radar (HFSWR) system and to assess the performance of this technology in an operational environment.

"Our Government is committed to protecting Canadian sovereignty," said  Minister MacKay. "Undertaking research into surveillance technologies is vital to supporting the military's effort to monitor maritime approaches."

Traditional radars detect targets that are within the line of sight and cannot detect those which are over the horizon. Consequently, long-range detection of surface vessels currently requires patrols by aircraft, which are costly and do not always provide persistent coverage. Ground-based HFSWR has the potential to address this shortcoming by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves that travel along the curved ocean surface, allowing over-the horizon detection of vessels. Because Canadian industry has been involved in the development of HFSWR from the beginning, it is in a good position to capitalize on the technology and develop commercial products.

This contract is part of the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) project entitled Persistent Active Surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone (PASE). PASE was initiated in 2007 and supports the surveillance by the Canadian Forces (CF) of Canada's maritime approaches by exploring the performance of commercially available and developmental sensor systems.

This final step of the project involves in-depth trials carried out jointly by DRDC and Raytheon Canada at Hartlen Point in Nova Scotia. Project results are anticipated to be presented to the CF early in 2014.

"This technology demonstration project is an excellent example of industry and government working together to meet military requirements by advancing science and technology and engaging the Canadian innovation system," said Dr. Marc Fortin, CEO DRDC. "In this dynamic technological climate, DRDC's programs ensure that the CF have the scientifically-based information needed to consider the technological options that will best serve their needs."

DRDC is Canada's leader in defence and security science and technology in an ever-evolving defence and security environment. An agency of the Canadian Department of National Defence, DRDC provides DND and the Government of Canada the knowledge and technologies needed for national defence and security.

-30-

Notes to editor / news director:

For more information about DRDC, please go to: http://www.drdc-rddc.gc.ca

Media contact:

Marie-Helene Brisson

Defence Research and Development Canada, Public Affairs Officer

Tel: 613-992-2295

E-mail: Marie-Helene.Brisson@drdc-rddc.gc.ca

Kevin Fleming, President
Plato Consulting Inc.
66 Kenmount Road
St. John's, NL
Canada, A1B 3V7
709.576.6770 | 1-877-557-5286

December 8, 2011

(St. John's, NL) - Plato Consulting Inc. (Plato), an industry leader in IT professional services, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded the Silver Competency for Content Management under the Microsoft Partner Network.  This highly esteemed status has been attained through a combination of premier technical and business certifications of its staff and through the repeated delivery of successful services engagements for its clients using a number of Microsoft technologies, including SharePoint.  With its newly awarded Silver Competency from Microsoft, Plato is able to provide even more leading edge, innovative solutions to increase the productivity of its clients, ensuring that it maintains its status as a proven leader in the implementation and integration of Microsoft-based technologies.

Microsoft has always been committed to its partners, investing more than US$4 billion per year to support partner sales - more than any other technology company. The Microsoft Partner Network provides invested and committed partners such as Plato with access to a range of benefits and resources.

About Plato Consulting
Headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Plato has been providing specialized IT services and solutions in many jurisdictions throughout North America since 1997. As a proven industry leader with a solid reputation and a well recognized client list, Plato provides consulting expertise to governments and large private sector organizations, healthcare organizations, public agencies and Crown corporations. For more information, visit www.platoconsulting.com.

END

Media Inquiries

Allan Kirkpatrick
Marketing Specialist
t. 709.579.6770 x. 272
akirkpatrick@platoconsulting.com

ClearRisk received this honour just one month after being named HubSpot Inbound Marketing Success Story of the Year at the 2011 HubSpot User Group Summit (HUGS). ClearRisk CEO, Craig Rowe, and VP of Marketing, Chris Gardner, accepted the award which highlights marketing success stories achieved through the use of inbound marketing techniques.

Congratulations ClearRisk! For more information on either of these accomplishments visit the News section of ClearRisk's webpage.

Twenty-nine companies have graduated from the Genesis Centre. In total, they have raised $18.7 million in private equity, 65 per cent of which has come from outside Newfoundland and Labrador. The Centre's clients and graduates employ almost 400 people.

Click here for the News Release with more detail on the award and the Genesis Centre.

Byron was a pioneer in the Ocean Technology Sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, and was a valued member of NATI and Oceansadvance.

Byron passed away after a battle with cancer; he passed quietly with strength and peace as he was surrounded by his wife of 36 years, Margaret (Moriarty) and his beloved daughter, Maggie.

A memorial service was held at the Carnell Memorial Chapel on Monday, November 21^st with interment to take place on Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Harbour Grace

In lieu of flowers, donations in Byron's memory may be made to the IEEE Scholarship Fund c/o Memorial University of Newfoundland.

He will be sadly missed by all.

Ron Taylor, NATI CEO

As we collectively mourn the loss of a true technology innovator, Steve Jobs, I humbly point your attention to the September 16 letter NATI submitted to the three political leaders regarding our province's policy position statements regarding areas of interest that affect the advanced technology sector of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The questions asked were as follows:

1. What is your political party's position on the use of non-renewable resource benefits to help develop longer term socio-economic sustainability through the knowledge based economy?
2. What is your political party's position on addressing the need for a cohesive government strategy that addresses an improvement to broadband accessibility throughout the province with a minimum acceptable bandwidth speed?
3. What is your political party's strategy to ensure ICT services, where appropriate, are leveraged to the benefit of its stakeholders and in what other areas will technology play a role in effective government?

We thank all three political parties' for participating and have included each of their responses in this letter.

Unfortunately, the Board is disappointed that in the responses our concerns seem to have been associated back to a long list of past accomplishments or exhibited a lack of understanding of the sector as a whole. It was our hope that our policy position statements would encourage forward thinking that would be accompanied by tangible action items, timeframes to execute and measurable outcomes. This is not the case. It is our opinion that the party's responses demonstrate a fundamental lack of understanding of the issues presented. Our offer to meet with each party prior to responding to our letter was declined by all three. We have some work cut out for us, no doubt.

NATI is committed to fostering stronger relationships with elected officials, providing direction and education on the role that technology products, infrastructure, and services play in shaping Newfoundland and Labrador as a player in a global knowledge based economy. Thought leadership in investing in technology before our nonrenewable oil reserves are depleted is required today. A clear and well defined strategy on our provincial broadband infrastructure is required today. A genuine interest in collaborating and partnering with local technology companies, that goes beyond networking, to deliver more e-government services is required today.

Our next step will be to request a meeting with the newly elected Premier within five business days of the election to formally present our vision and ask for support in building solutions that make sense to you and your organizations. Feedback can be sent to nati.chair@gmail.com.

Yours in technology,

Paul Dubé
Chair, NATI

Attachments
Letter from Liberal Party  [PDF]
Letter from New Democratic Party [PDF]
Letter from Progressive Conservative Party [PDF]