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

FEATURED PRO: John Ing is president of Toronto investment firm Maison Placements, which specializes in resource stocks.

Ing’s Perspective: “The value over the next 12 months has got to be on the energy side. It’s pretty obvious that the geopolitical events together with increasing demand and uncertainty about supplies coming onstream make for tightness (in supplies) through the next year.

“The reality is that commodities are heading higher and I also continue to favour gold stocks. Inflation is becoming more and more relevant. When that (inflation) happens, gold is a classic inflation hedge. The ingredients that propelled gold in the early part of this year are still there. The Americans are still running huge twin deficits, the U.S. dollar is going down, and China, which I visited last month, is growing by leaps and bounds.”

First Star
* Canadian Superior Energy (SNG-TSX)
* Recent Price: $1.90.
* 52-Week Range:
$1.32-$4.88.
* Snapshot: Canadian Superior has a producing property at Drumheller, Alta., and also owns properties in the Ladyfern area of Alberta, offshore Nova Scotia and offshore Trinidad and Tobago.
* CEO: Greg Noval.
* Head Office: Calgary.
* Vital Stats: Revenue (last 12 mos), $53.2 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 88.1 per cent; Earnings/Loss (last 12 mos), $100,000 Loss; Market Cap, $204.96 million; Shares Outstanding, 107.87 million.
* Ing’s View: “Canadian Superior is a screaming buy. It’s discounted everything but the kitchen sink (in the stock price). They’ve got a lot going on. It’s likely they’re going to go back to the east coast before year end (off Nova Scotia), they’ll be drilling in (offshore) Trinidad in the first quarter of ’05 and, of course, in the fall they’ll be testing and we’ll have some information from their East Ladyfern project.”
* Ing’s Risk Rating: Low (relative to oil and gas stocks).
* Web Watch: www.cansup.com

Second Star
* Goldcorp (G-TSX)
* Recent Price: $15.30.
* 52-Week Range: $14.15-$24.
* Snapshot: Goldcorp is one of the world’s largest gold producers from its Red Lake Mine in Ontario, which is undergoing major expansion.
* CEO: Robert McEwen.
* Head Office: Toronto.
* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 21.2; Revenue (last 12 mos), $347.1 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 40.2 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $134.1 million; Market Cap, $2.9 billion; Shares Outstanding, 189.5 million; Dividend Yield, 1.5 per cent.
* Ing’s View: “This company has six million ounces in (gold) reserves, it’s a 600,000-ounce (approximate annual) producer with $365 million in working capital, no debt and pays a dividend. They’re deepening the Red Lake Mine and that will be expanded with completion expected in the second half of ’06. Most importantly, they’re producing gold at something like $72 an ounce.”
* Ing’s Risk Rating: Low (relative to gold stocks).
* Web Watch: www.goldcorp.com

Third Star
* True Energy (TUI-TSX)
* Recent Price: $1.73.
* 52-Week Range: $0.81-$2.
* Snapshot: True Energy is a junior oil and gas producer with operations in west-central Alberta and west-central Saskatchewan.
* CEO: Paul Baay.
* Head Office: Calgary.
* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 18.8; Revenue (last 12 mos), $41 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 108%; Earnings (last 12 mos), $3.7 million; Market Cap, $94.59 million; Shares Outstanding, 64.68 million.
* Ing’s View: “This company should exit this year at 5,600 boe (barrels of oil equivalent). They’re doing about 4,100 (boe) right now, so you’ve got a big increase throughout the year. They’re weighted about 40 per cent toward oil and they will be increasing their natural gas weighting. They should do about 54 cents cashflow (per share) this year and they have good, solid management.”
* Ing’s Risk Rating: Low (relative to oil and gas stocks).
* Web Watch: www.trueenergy.ab.ca

Ing’s Edge Record (last 12 mos): -8.2 per cent. Best Pick: Canadian Superior (SNG-TSX) +33.9 per cent. Worst Pick: Sino-Forest (TRE.A-TSX) -48.4 per cent.

Disclosure: Ing says he does not personally own the featured stocks.