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

FEATURED PRO: Jean-Francois Tardif is a portfolio manager with Sprott Asset Management (www.sprott.com) and lead manager of the Sprott Opportunities Hedge Fund.

Fund Form: The Sprott Opportunities Hedge Fund has a one-year return of 37.7 per cent compared to the group average of 12.2 per cent.

Management Expense Ratio: Two per cent plus performance fee.

Jean-Francois Tardif

Tardif's Perspective: "We remain very bullish mid-term and long-term on energy and commodities such as gold and overall very bearish on the economy, especially in the U.S. In the short term, considering how well commodity stocks have done, I'm a bit scared and worried. However, that doesn't change our longer-term view.

"There's a lot of speculation out there, so I'd tell investors to be very careful and make sure what they're buying is real and not just a story. There are a lot of stories out there. In fact, the most speculative stocks have gone up the most and the most established ones haven't gone up as much."

First Star

* Aastra Technologies (TSX:AAH)

* Recent Price: $35.92.

* 52-Week Range: $18.36-$39.75.

* Snapshot: Aastra develops and markets products and systems for accessing communications networks, serving both the business and residential markets.

* CEO: Co-CEOs Francis Shen and Anthony Shen.

* Head Office: Concord, Ont.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 23.3; Revenue (past 12 mos), $417.4 million; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 15 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $27.3 million; 5-Yr Earnings Growth, 3.6 per cent; Market Cap, $625.83 million; Shares Outstanding, 17.4 million.

* Tardif's View: "This stock has done nothing year to date, so I think it will do better for the rest of the year. I like the fact that they're in VoIP (voice-over-Internet protocol) and their (VoIP) business is mainly focused on businesses. This is a trend that is very young now, but businesses will be moving to VoIP to basically save on long-distance (telephone) costs. This company makes a lot of money, generates a lot of free cashflow, they have a great balance sheet and they have an amazing track record of making accretive acquisitions. I expect the earnings and free cashflow to continue to grow rapidly and I expect this stock to be around $70 within two years."

* Tardif's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.aastra.com

Second Star

* Transat (TSX:TRZ.B)

* Recent Price: $23.15.

* 52-Week Range: $15.90-$26.50.

* Snapshot: Transat is a travel service company with tour operations in North America and Europe. The company recently bolstered its Canadian travel agency business by acquiring Thomas Cook Travel.

* CEO: Jean-Marc Eustache.

* Head Office: Montreal.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 15.5; Revenue (last 12 mos), $2.4 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 2.6 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $62.4 million; Market Cap, $780.8 million; Shares Outstanding, 33.7 million.

* Tardif's View: "The bulk of their profit comes from selling all-inclusive packages to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Because Canada's economy is doing well, people have money and they can afford to take these trips every year. The strong Canadian dollar also helps this company because most of their costs are in U.S. dollars. The business is doing very well and the stock is very cheap right now. I think they're going to make $2 (per share) of earnings this year, they have a lot of cash on their balance sheet and they intend to grow their business. The company has said it's not going to convert into an income trust, but I think it would make sense as a trust. Many companies in the past have said 'no' and then changed their minds. Eventually, I think this company has a chance to become a trust and I think the stock would be as high as $40 early next year if they were a trust."

* Tardif's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.transat.com

Third Star

* Tournigan Gold (TSXV:TVC)

* Recent Price: $2.20.

* 52-Week Range: $0.19-$2.45.

* Snapshot: Tournigan is a mining exploration company that is focused on gold and uranium, with its major projects based in the Slovak Republic.

* CEO: James Walchuck.

* Head Office: Vancouver.

* Vital Stats: Revenue (last 12 mos), $0; Earnings/Loss (last 12 mos), $2.3 million Loss; Market Cap, $136.7 million; Shares Outstanding, 62.2 million.

* Tardif's View: "This company has two projects - a gold project and a uranium project. The gold project in Slovakia is in a fairly advanced stage and it looks like an economic project. I expect this company to split into two companies, one for their gold project and one for their uranium. Based on what this company is trading at now, the share price could be justified just on the gold project.

"Then, you virtually get the uranium for free.

Their uranium project is in Slovakia. They've started to drill to confirm historical data and so far it looks like it's even better than the historical data. Eventually, we think they're going to take the uranium project into production."

* Tardif's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.tournigan.com Tardif's Edge Record (past 12 mos): +48.3. Best Pick: Western Lakota Energy (TSX:WLE) +113.6 per cent. Worst Pick: Raven Energy (TSXV:RVL) +0.4 per cent.

Disclosure: Tardif owns shares in the Sprott Opportunities Hedge Fund in which the featured stocks are held.

(This feature is provided for information purposes. Investors are advised to do their own research or consult a qualified investment professional before making investment decisions.)