The Tallinn experiment: what happens when a city makes public transport free?
Since Estonia’s capital started providing free public transport for residents in 2013, it claims to have turned a €20m a year profit each year. But has the scheme achieved its ambitions of reducing traffic and saving people money?
In London a monthly travel card for the whole city costs almost £200. In Copenhagen, a city a fraction of the size, you’ll pay £160. So when you ask the residents of Tallinn about the benefits of free travel across the city, it’s a surprise to be met with a roll of the eyes or a sarcastic smile.
Read moreCalgary breaks ground on CNG bus facility
The City of Calgary today celebrated a groundbreaking event for the Stoney Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Bus Storage and Transit Facility.
The new 44,300 square metre facility will provide storage and maintenance space for Calgary Transit’s new fleet of CNG buses, as well as diesel buses that are currently stored outside the City’s other bus garages. The complex will be capable of housing a minimum of 424 buses, 36 maintenance bays, two steam cleaning bays, on-site compressed natural gas fuelling infrastructure, and associated staff facilities.
Read moreJoint funding to connect immigrant entrepreneurs with business opportunities
The federal, provincial and municipal governments have combined to support a pilot program that will help match immigrant entrepreneurs in New Brunswick with business owners looking to sell.
“Succession Connect” is expected to address two high priority issues: an aging workforce looking to retire, and the need to attract immigrants to the province.
Read moreCOSME encourages entrepreneurship in OCTs
A European Union (EU) funded programme organised a study visit to Eindhoven, Netherlands, for programme participants to learn about its strategy in creating high tech incubators.
The sponsoring programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) (COSME) is a 54 month programme with the responsibility to allocate 15M Euros to projects benefiting participating Caribbean Territories. The funds were made available by the EU. The programme’s overall objective is to contribute to the sustainable and climate-resilient economic diversification and prosperity of Overseas Caribbean Territories (OCTs) by improving the competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the participating territories.
Read morePepper robots start work in Taipei insurance office
A shiny new cohort yesterday joined the workforce in Taiwan — a troop of mini robots all going by the name “Pepper,” enlisted to entertain customers and give them the hard sell.
Mandarin-speaking Peppers were introduced into two banks and an insurance company in Taipei, dancing to music, playing with children in lobbies and leading staff aerobics sessions.
Read moreMetro Mayors Alliance commits to work as one Edmonton Metro Region, including the city of Edmonton and Parkland County, among others
The Metro Mayors Alliance signed a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a commitment to plan, decide, and act as one Edmonton Metro Region on regionally significant issues Monday morning. The Alliance say the MOU is “the first step in a process recommended by the Advisory Panel on Metro Edmonton’s Future.”
Nine regional mayors – whose communities represent 95 per cent of the region’s population and 96 per cent of its assessment base appointed the Advisory Panel, charging them with providing advice on how to optimize the region in the coming decades.
Read more'Empowering the Teacher of Tomorrow' at Tallinn Conference
The Learning Teacher Network held a successful International Conference titled 'Empowering the Teacher of Tomorrow' in Tallinn, Estonia on 22-24 September. More than 140 participants from 23 countries and all levels of education attended to network, share knowledge and experience, and learn more about Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and the Global Action Programme (GAP).
The Network is a key partner to UNESCO for the implementation and scaling-up of the GAP. The international conference was organized to inspire and boost capacity of educators and provide new knowledge to put into action in their own educational institutions.
Read moreHuawei expands operations in Europe
Heavyweight Chinese inverter manufacturer Huawei Solar announced an expansion of its European Supply Center, with a new inverter production facility in Eindhoven, Netherlands, which the company hopes will help it service its European customers with better efficiency and flexibility.
As Chinese PV companies continue to consolidate their position as the global force in solar manufacturing, one of the country’s leading string inverter manufacturers has announced an expansion of its European production facility. Huawei uses its European Supply Center in Eindhoven, Netherlands, to service forty countries in the European, Central Asian and Russian market, and believes this expansion will be able to add further value to its business in those regions.
Read moreMoncton lands new rail car manufacturing plant
News of a major influx of jobs for Moncton spilled out not from a government announcement but an exclusive report by Radio-Canada on Thursday, with an American-based company saying it will begin producing rail cars at the city's Hump Yard.
Radio-Canada reports Miami-based ARS Canada Rolling Stock plans to start production of grain hoppers, box cars and TC-117 rail cars in Moncton, saying it will create 200 jobs in the first phase of production.
Read moreShanghai stop for Eindhoven electric motorbike team
A group of Dutch students have arrived in Shanghai on a world tour within 80 days aiming to demonstrate what electric motorbikes are capable of achieving.
Their vehicles are claimed to be the world’s first electric touring motorbikes, developed by the STORM Eindhoven team comprising 24 students from Eindhoven University of Technology, with an average age of 22 years.
Read more