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

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

Fund Form: The Sprott Opportunities Hedge Fund has a one-year return of 70 per cent compared to the group average of 15.3 per cent.

Management Expense Ratio: Two per cent.

Tardif's Perspective: "We remain extremely bullish on the energy sector and believe this is a multi-year story that could run five years or more. We expect there may be an energy crisis. One of the worst-case scenarios would see the price of energy continuing to go up until it creates a big recession in the U.S.

"There could even be stagflation eventually where the economy doesn't grow but inflation starts to make an impact because high energy prices affect the overall economy. Everything we do is related to energy. The food we eat is being transported with energy and the fertilizer we use to grow the food requires energy.

"People should keep in mind that most people in the U.S. live month by month and they don't have any savings or any extra money. And when this (rising energy cost) hits, obviously they've got to cut somewhere else, be it movies, restaurants, the movie theatres or whatever. So I believe the numbers this winter may show we're going into a recession in the U.S., which obviously would create uncertainty everywhere around the world."

First Star

* Arch Coal Inc.

(NYSE:ACI)

* Recent Price: $68.98 US.

* 52-Week Range: $31.86-$68.93.

* Snapshot: Arch is the second-largest coal miner in the U.S. and almost exclusively produces low-sulfur bituminous coal. The company sells its coal primarily to utilities and industrial companies that use it for electrical generation, but it also sells metallurgical coal in the U.S. and abroad.

* CEO: Steven Leer.

* Head Office: St. Louis.

* Vital Stats (U.S. dollars): Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 121.7; Revenue (last 12 mos), $2.3 billion; 5-Yr Revenue Growth, 7.2 per cent; Earnings (last 12 mos), $42.7 million; Market Cap, $4.4 billion; Shares Outstanding, 63.8 million; Dividend Yield, 0.5 per cent.

* Tardif's View: "Basically, they produce coal in the U.S. and, because of this energy shortage in the world and especially in the U.S., there is pressure on all types of energy, including coal. The type of coal they produce trades at about $10 to $12 (US) per tonne. We think that the price of Arch's coal will move to $20 (US) over the next two or three years, which would make this stock trade at low single-digit PE (price/earnings) multiples. If we're right, this stock has the potential to triple or quadruple over the next three years. We feel the downside is fairly limited."

* Tardif's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.archcoal.com

Second Star

* Total Energy Services Trust (TSX:TOT.UN)

* Recent Price: $13.83.

* 52-Week Range: $8.30-$14.50.

* Snapshot: Total Energy provides drilling and production services to the oilpatch.

* CEO: Daniel Halyk.

* Head Office: Calgary.

* Vital Stats: Current Price/Earnings Ratio, 20.45; Revenue (last 12 mos), $113.1 million; Earnings (last 12 mos), $18.08 million; Market Cap, $380.5 million; Shares Outstanding, 27.51 million; Monthly Distribution, eight cents per unit; Dividend Yield, 6.22 per cent.

* Tardif's View: "Even if the income trusts got cancelled (by the government, which is reviewing the sector), this company would still make north of $1 a share in earnings in '06. If the income trust structure remains as it is, then this company trades at about eight or nine times ('06) earnings. They have been growing at 30 per cent-plus per year for many years now and will likely continue to grow next year by 30 per cent. Basically, there's a lot of demand for their services. There's not enough rigs, there's not enough people, there's not enough equipment and there's not enough of anything to do what everybody wants to do, so this company will stay extremely busy. And when prices are strong, you can charge more and that's why earnings are rising."

* Tardif's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.totalenergy.ca

Third Star

* Altus Group Income Fund (AIF.UN)

* Recent Price: $11.65.

* 52-Week Range: $10.05-$13.25.

* Snapshot: Altus provides real estate and consulting services through a network of offices in 13 Canadian cities. It operates as Altus Helyar Research, Valuation and Advisory, Altus Helyar Cost Consulting and Altus Derbyshire Realty Tax.

* CEO: Gary Yeoman.

* Head Office: Newmarket, Ont.

* Vital Stats: Market Cap, $93.6 million; Shares Outstanding, 8.04 million; Monthly Distribution, .0985 cents per unit; Dividend Yield, 9.87 per cent (revenue and earnings numbers not applicable as income trust started trading in June).

* Tardif's View: "Even if they were a public company today and they were fully taxed (as opposed to an income trust), the stock would still be cheap today. This company probably trades at around eight times or less in '06 earnings. It's growing internally by about 10 per cent per year, but they're going to make acquisitions and I expect they'll grow by about 20 per cent-plus per year for at least two or three years. As long as the income trusts continue to exist as they are, I expect them to increase their distributions to unitholders and I expect the revenue to increase."

* Tardif's Risk Rating: Medium.

* Web Watch: www.altusgroupincomefund.com

Tardif's Edge Record (past 12 mos): +38.9 per cent. Best Pick: EnCana (TSX:ECA) +101.3 per cent. Worst Pick: Altus Group (TSX:AIF.UN) +0.6 per cent.

Disclosure: Tardif owns shares in the Sprott Opportunities 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.)