(Business Edge columnist Gyle Konotopetz regularly profiles the top three stock picks of some of Canada's most accomplished investment pros.)

FEATURED PRO: Ross Healy is a 39-year veteran of the investment industry and has been CEO of Toronto-based Strategic Analysis Corp. (www.strategicanalysis.ca) since 1989. He manages the Accumulus Talisman Fund, which was launched last February.

Fund Form: The Accumulus Talisman Fund was down 4.6 per cent in the 11 months since its inception (through Jan. 7).

Management Expense Ratio: 1.95 per cent (plus 20 per cent of the amount it outperforms the S&P/TSX 60 Index).

Healy's Perspective: "We're probably going to see a top in the market in the early part of the year and then eventually work our way into a bear market, which would reach its culmination in 2006. I think this will be a tough trading year, but I expect it to get worse next year.

"I believe U.S. consumers are running out of gas and we're already seeing numbers to indicate that. Auto purchase intentions are plummeting and new housing inventory is as high as its been in several years. That indicates that they're making the homes, but not selling them.

"We're taking a very defensive approach in this market. We have about 35 per cent cash in the fund and we will be determining when to put on market put protection to hedge on the downside with the stocks we do hold at present."

First Star

* Canadian Tire (TSX:CTR)

* Recent Price: $68.75.

* 52-Week Range: $43.75-$75.50.

* Snapshot: Canadian Tire is Canada's largest retailer of hard goods, featuring 430 Canadian Tire stores as well as Canadian Tire Gas Bars, PartSource stores and Mark's Work Wearhouse.

* CEO: Wayne Sales.

* Head Office: Toronto.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 19.0; Revenue (last 12 mos), $6.96 billion; Earnings (last 12 mos), $281 million; Market Cap, $235.86 million; Shares Outstanding, 3.43 million; Dividend Yield, 0.69 per cent.

* Healy's View: "In the old days, when I was a puppy portfolio manager, we would always buy Canadian Tire for the end of the cycle of new car buying when people start to repair what they had. We believe that people are going to start spending more money on repairing their cars and Canadian Tire stands to benefit from that (with its auto parts and service department).

"Although the stock quietly went up a long way last year, I think it can go up another 20 to 25 per cent this year, quietly without fanfare. This is a good, solid defensive play. I have a one-year target in the $70 range."

* Web Watch: www.canadiantire.ca

Second Star

* EnCana Corp.

(TSX:ECA)

* Recent Price: $65.70.

* 52-Week Range: $51.29-$70.02.

* Snapshot: EnCana is a senior oil and gas company with a vast array of exploration and production projects, focused mainly in North America. The company also operates natural gas storage facilities and natural gas liquids processing facilities.

* CEO: Gwyn Morgan.

* Head Office: Calgary.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 17.0; Revenue (last 12 mos), $13.7 billion; Earnings (last 12 mos), $1.7 billion; Market Cap, $30.35 billion; Shares Outstanding, 462.0 million; Dividend Yield, 0.73 per cent. 

* Healy's View: "Broadly speaking, I still see a lot of value in the oil stocks. EnCana is one of the cheapest stocks in the sector. I like the fact that it has a heavy exposure to natural gas and the stock has held up very, very well in this oil price correction.

"I also like the way they've been restructuring the company out of foreign exposure and heavily into North America. They've purchased additional reserves and that's a positive. Investors like to know that a company has lots of reserves in the bank for expansion."

* Web Watch: www.encana.com

Third Star

* Teck Cominco (TSX:TEK.SV.B)

* Recent Price: $32.75.

* 52-Week Range: $19.20-$38.25.

* Snapshot: Teck is a diversified mining and refining company involved in production of metallurgical coal and zinc and a major producer of copper and gold. The company was formed in 1906 through the amalgamation of several units controlled by the CPR.

* CEO: David Thompson.

* Head Office: Vancouver.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 19.0; Revenue (last 12 mos), $3.3 billion; Earnings (last 12 mos), 439 million; Market Cap, $6.32 billion; Shares Outstanding, 193.05 million; Dividend Yield, 1.08 per cent.

* Healy's View: "At its current price with the stock having moved so much, the stock is getting a little bit more on the aggressive side, but fair market value is up over $100 based on current metal prices. This company has a beautiful spread of metals, having coal, zinc, copper and gold. As long as the U.S. continues to run a good healthy trade deficit and China and India, the emerging industrial powers, continue to run a good healthy trade surplus, we're going to have strength in the commodities."

* Web Watch: www.teck.com Healy's EDGE Record (past 12 mos): +19.2 per cent. Best Pick: Teck Cominco (TSX:TEK.SV.B) +61.1 per cent. Worst Pick: EnCana (TSX:ECA) -1.6%.

Disclosure: Healy owns shares in the Accumulus Talisman Fund in which the featured stocks are held.