Lisa Raitt is taking an unpaid leave from her job as president and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority to run in the federal election. Raitt has served the Toronto Port Authority since 1999, taking on the roles of president and CEO in 2002. Alan Paul, VP and CFO of the Authority, has been appointed acting president and CEO. The port authority board is developing a succession plan for the CEO role pending the election outcome.

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North American Palladium Ltd. (TSX:PDL, Amex:PAL) has named William Biggar president and CEO. Biggar is a chartered accountant and brings expertise in the mining sector. James Excell, who has served as president and CEO since January 2006, will become an adviser. PDL has two advanced exploration projects. Its head office is in Toronto.

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BDO Dunwoody LLP has named Keith Farlinger as its new CEO. He was previously managing partner for the Toronto region. BDO Dunwoody LLP provides accounting and advisory services. It is a member firm of BDO International, which is a global network of 95 accounting firms in 107 countries.

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John Wallace has been named CEO of The Caldwell Partners International Inc. (TSX:CWL.A), succeeding the company's founder, Douglas Caldwell. Caldwell will continue as chairman. Wallace joined the company this year as president and COO. The Caldwell Partners, founded in 1970, is an executive search firm with offices across Canada.

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Venture Steel Inc., a division of Royal Laser Corp. (TSX:RLC), has hired Rob DeBoer as director of sales. DeBoer was most recently sales director for carbon flat-rolled products for North America at Novamerican Steel Inc. Venture is a custom flat-rolled steel processor in Toronto. Royal Laser manufactures custom wood and metal products. Its head office is in Toronto.

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Lake Shore Gold Corp. (TSX:LSG) has appointed Eric Kallio to the position of VP of exploration. Kallio is a geologist who most recently provided geological consulting services to various companies. Lake Shore is a mineral development and exploration company active in Northern Ontario and Quebec. Its head office is in Toronto.

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Wireless broadband service provider TeraGo Inc. (TSX:TGO) has promoted Jim Nikopoulos to VP of corporate development and general counsel. Nikopoulos joined TeraGo as general counsel last year. TeraGo's head office is in Thornhill.

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Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. (TSX:KGI) has named Mark Tessier as VP of operations for its mining operations in Kirkland Lake. He brings more than 25 years' experience in underground mining. KGI is an operating and exploration gold-mining company with its head office in Kirkland Lake.

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FNX Mining Co. Inc. of Toronto has appointed William Shaver as president of DMC Mining Services, a division of FNX. Shaver was most recently executive VP of mine development and Canadian operations at Denison Mines. DMC is a mining contractor that operates throughout Canada and the United States.

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Dean Peterson is joining Duluth Metals Ltd. (TSX:DM) as senior VP of exploration, bringing more than 20 years' experience in mineral exploration and geological consulting.

Duluth Metals' principal property is the Nokomis Deposit in the Duluth Complex mining camp in northeastern Minnesota. Its head office is in Toronto.

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Photovoltaic solar power systems company SonnenEnergy Corp. (TSXV:PWR) has hired John Gamble as executive VP of strategic operations. Gamble is the president of York Simcoe Investments Inc. SonnenEnergy designs, sells and maintains grid-connected solar power systems. Its corporate office is in Toronto and its European operations are based in Polling, Germany.

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Odyssey Resources Ltd. (TSXV:ODX) has named James Crombie as president and CEO. Crombie is CEO of Queensland Minerals Ltd., and president and CEO of Reunion Gold Corp. Murray John, the interim president and CEO, has resigned. Odyssey is a Toronto-based junior exploration company whose main focus has been in Morocco.

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Chemaphor Inc. (TSXV:CFR) has named Paul Dick as CEO. Dick previously held positions for nearly 20 years with two multinational pharmaceutical companies. He replaces Graham Burton, who continues as president. Chemaphor is a biotech research and development company focused on products for the animal health, skin care, pharmaceutical and specialty chemical markets. Its head office is in Ottawa.

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Groupworks Financial Corp. (TSXV:GWC) has named John Gallivan as CEO. Gallivan has 25 years of insurance brokerage experience, having built two brokerage firms in his career. Groupworks is a consolidator of independent benefits and pension operations. Its head office is in Markham.

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Axmin Inc. (TSXV:AXM) has named Alex Dann as VP of finance and CFO. Dann is a CA with more than 15 years of experience working for multinational companies, primarily in the mining sector. Axmin is an exploration and development company with a focus on central and west Africa. Its registered office is in Toronto.

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Atikwa Minerals Corp. (TSXV:ATK) has named Sean Kehoe as president and CEO, succeeding Vance White, who remains a director. Atikwa is a junior natural resource company with its head office in Toronto.

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WSR Gold Inc. (TSXV:WSR) has appointed Mike Kilbourne, P.Geo., as VP of exploration. Kilbourne was the project manager for Billiken Management involved with Noront Resources on the "Ring of Fire" discoveries in the James Bay Lowlands during the past year. WSR is a mineral exploration company with its head office in Toronto.

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Privately held specialty pharmaceutical company Cytochroma has appointed Steven Engel as VP of regulatory affairs and quality assurance. He will work from Cytochroma's Illinois office. Prior to joining Cytochroma, Engel was VP of regulatory affairs and clinical quality compliance at Par Pharmaceutical Inc. Cytochroma's head office is in Markham.

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Augen Gold Corp. (TSXV:AUJ) has appointed Manish Kshatriya as CFO.

Kshatriya joined Augen in 2006 and has been interim CFO since April.

He is a CA and a CPA. Augen is a gold exploration company with head office in Toronto.

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Morrison Hershfield Ltd. has made several appointments in support of its newly amalgamated infrastructure and transportation division. Anthony Karakatsanis, P.Eng., has been appointed to senior VP of infrastructure and transportation. He was previously senior VP of the industrial division. Robert Selby, P.Eng., is appointed as VP of the industrial division. He has served the division in several roles, most recently as director of business development. Morrison Hershfield is an employee-owned engineering and management company with 13 offices across North America, including Burlington, Ottawa and Toronto.

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Xtierra Inc. (TSXV:XAG) has named engineer Gerald Gauthier as COO.

Gauthier brings more than 37 years' international experience in the mining industry. Xtierra is an exploration and development company with head office in Toronto.

(E-mail notices and photos at least two weeks before publication date to murdoch@businessedge.ca)