One of Canada's largest pension funds, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS), has hired veteran Bay Street lawyer Jacques Demers to head a new unit that will invest in companies developing such assets as real estate, energy and airport projects. The move is part of an ongoing OMERS plan to diversify its investments away from the volatile stock market. Demers is a senior partner with Ogilvy Renault LLP in Toronto and will become president and CEO of OMERS Strategic Investments effective Jan. 1. OMERS Strategic Investments will operate through offices in Toronto, London and Calgary. The OMERS pension fund provides retirement benefits to 300,000 municipal government workers in Ontario.

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RBC Wealth Management has named Brenda Vince as head of wealth management strategy effective Feb. 1. Doug Coulter, president and CEO of RBC Direct Investing, will be appointed president of RBC Asset Management, Vince's current job. Also on Feb. 1, Damon Williams will be appointed president of Phillips Hager & North (PH&N), in addition to an expansion of his role as head of institutional management for PH&N to include RBC Asset Management.

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Neil Petroff is to succeed Robert Bertram as executive VP of investments and chief investment officer of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Teachers') when the latter retires at the turn of the year. Petroff is group senior VP of investments. He joined Toronto-based Teachers' in 1993. It is the largest single-profession pension plan in Canada.

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Paul Godfrey, a former politician and newspaper publisher who headed the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team for eight years, will become president and CEO of the National Post next month. Canwest Global Communications (TSX:CGS) says Godfrey, 69, will officially join the National Post on Jan. 1. Godfrey's resignation from the Jays was announced in September and becomes effective Dec. 31. Publisher Gordon Fisher will continue to focus on the daily operations of the National Post and Financial Post brands while Godfrey will oversee business development. Godfrey is a former senior executive with Quebecor's Sun Media newspaper group.

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John Cruickshank, a veteran media industry executive and most recently chief of CBC News, has been appointed publisher of the Toronto Star (TSX:TS.B), Canada's largest-circulation daily newspaper. Cruickshank will replace Jagoda Pike, the first female publisher of the Star, who left the paper in September to help lead Ontario's bid for the 2015 Pan-American Games. Cruickshank has been chief of CBC News for only 14 months and will join the Star on Jan. 1.

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Resolve Business Outsourcing Income Fund (TSX:RBO.UN), which recently suspended distributions to unitholders, has a new CEO, Clublink founder Bruce Simmonds, who is also a former CEO of call-centre operator Minacs Worldwide.

Simmonds takes over the CEO's job from Lawrence Zimmering while Gerry McDonald, a former CFO for Minacs, becomes interim CFO, replacing James Hyde. The Toronto-based fund was established to invest in CSRS Holdings Ltd. and Resolve Corp., which provides business process outsourcing services. The corporation also manages a portfolio of student and consumer loans for Canadian banks and provincial and federal governments.

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ARISE Technologies Corp. (TSX: APV) says that Ian MacLellan has been appointed president of its PV systems division, giving up his position as chief technology officer but remaining vice-chairman and a director. ARISE, headquartered in Waterloo, is focused on solar technology.

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Fletcher Nickel Inc. (TSX:FL) has appointed Stephen Dunn as a vice-president. Fletcher is a mining exploration and development company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of nickel projects. Its head office is in Toronto.

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HydraLogic Systems Inc. (TSXV:HLS) says that Bob Brown, CA, CMA, is replacing John Hamilton as CFO, while Anne Newbury, CGA, has been appointed controller. The company said Hamilton has left to pursue other opportunities. Brown brings more than 30 years of experience with manufacturers in the automotive parts, and food and beverage industries. Newbury brings experience with small and medium-size manufacturing companies. HydraLogic serves the mosquito and odour-control sectors in the U.S., Canada and 12 other countries. It has offices in Toronto, Houston and Fort Lauderdale.

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Iberian Minerals Corp. (TSXV:IZN) says that David Poynton has joined Iberian as senior VP, general counsel and corporate secretary. Poynton has more than 20 years of legal experience in private practice, primarily focusing on the mining industry.

Iberian is a copper and zinc company with interests in Spain and Peru.

Its head office is in Toronto.

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Amazon Mining Holding PLC (TSXV:AMZ) says it has changed its corporate structure to increase entrepreneurial capacity and cut costs in light of current market conditions. Full-time staffing has been reduced to six from 38. CFO Manoel Cerqueira has been replaced by Tim Slater on an interim basis and Oscar Yokoi, the VP of exploration, has been replaced with a technical advisory committee. Slater has been involved in the preparation of all AMZ's financial statements and audit materials since 2007. Amazon has elected to outsource future geological works. It has offices in Toronto, the U.K. and Brazil.

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Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has named Christian Velmer as president and managing director of Wyeth Canada, replacing Arnout Ploos Van Amstel, who becomes senior VP and general manager of Wyeth's institutional business unit. Velmer was most recently senior VP for Western Europe for Merck Serono in Frankfurt. Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and health-care products companies. Its head office is in Madison, N.J. Wyeth Canada is an affiliate, with divisions based in Markham, Mississauga, Guelph, Montreal and Brandon, Man.

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The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has appointed Julie Gelfand as VP for sustainable development. Gelfand has been the president of Nature Canada since November 1992. MAC is a national organization whose members are companies engaged in mineral exploration, mining, smelting, refining and semi-fabrication. Its office is in Ottawa.

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Cadillac Ventures Inc. (CNQ:CDC) has hired David Poynton as senior VP and general counsel. Poynton brings legal expertise in excess of 20 years, focused on the mining business and financing transactions. Cadillac is an exploration company with two Canadian projects. Its head office is in Toronto.

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DMTI Spatial has appointed Chris Thomas as VP and general manager of enterprise solutions. Thomas joined DMTI Spatial more than 10 years ago and has held progressively more senior positions. The privately held company has been providing location intelligence solutions for more than a decade. Its head office is in Markham.

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Jim Houston has been named president of private investment counselling firm Davis-Rea Ltd.

Houston joined Davis-Rea Ltd. in September 2006. The firm specializes in the management of segregated accounts for high net-worth families and individuals, private corporations, charities and foundations. Its office is in Toronto.

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Adcentricity Inc. has named Graeme Spicer as VP of retail and media partnerships. Spicer was most recently director of retail strategy at DW+Partners. Adcentricity is a digital out-of-home media planning and buying service. It has offices in Toronto and New York.

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Data warehousing company Infobright has appointed Roger Cummings as VP of worldwide sales operations. He will be based in Chicago. Prior to joining Infobright, Cummings served as VP of worldwide sales operations at Archivas. Infobright is an open source data warehousing company. Its head office is in Toronto.

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Specialty finance firm MMV Financial Inc. has hired April Young as senior VP and managing director, working from Reston, Va. Young spent the last 10 years as senior VP and managing director for the mid-Atlantic region in the technology and life-sciences division of Comerica Bank. MMV is a Toronto-based specialty finance company providing debt solutions directly to technology and life-sciences companies across North America.

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Data & Audio Visual Enterprises Wireless Inc. has engaged David Dobbin as its president. Prior to joining DAVE, Dobbin was president of Toronto Hydro Telecom Inc. In other company hirings, Stewart Lyons becomes executive VP. He previously was executive VP of XM Satellite Radio. Sharyn Gravelle becomes VP of network operations. She most recently managed the construction services division at Radian Communication Services (Canada) Ltd. Ryan Lausman becomes VP of systems operations. He was most recently the head of IT for XM Satellite Radio Canada. Brandon Alexandroff becomes VP of finance. He previously held positions in strategy and business planning at AIM Trimark Investments. DAVE Wireless is a new entity led by chairman John Bitove and Quadrangle Capital Partners. Following the Canadian wireless spectrum auction, DAVE now holds 10 licences and will pursue a wireless strategy targeting more than half of Canada's population in 10 of the 13 largest markets.

- with files from The Canadian Press.

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