Healthcare Organizations Shine Among CIPA Winners

2007 Winners of National Competition Are Transforming Healthcare and Business

	For More Information: Contact: norm.kirkpatrick@cipa.com (905) 952 0778

TORONTO, November 14, 2007 - Winners of the 2007 competition of the Canadian Information Productivity Awards (CIPA) have shown how information technology is transforming Canada's economy - by advancing healthcare networks and changing how businesses are built for competitive advantage.

The 15th annual CIPA Gala Banquet marked the emergence into the Canadian mainstream of integrated healthcare systems made possible by information technology. A highlight was the awarding of the Diamond Award of Excellence in the not-for-profit sector to Cancer Care Ontario for its Wait Time Information System.

This system, developed on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, has made possible for the first time the efficient measurement and tracking of wait times for surgeries. Through the system's Web site, www.ontariowaittimes.com, physicians have access to information to improve their clinical practices and the public can see and assess improvements in the availability of surgeries.

Cancer Care Ontario was one of six healthcare institutions from coast to coast whose transformation earned them gold and silver Awards of Excellence. They accounted for one-quarter of the 24 awards presented, the first time that healthcare has been prominently represented in the multi-sector CIPA awards.

The 2007 award winners were drawn from record numbers of 90 finalists and 170 entries, and were presented before a black-tie audience of 800 executives at the Westin Harbour Castle Convention Centre.

CIPA also recognized the importance of the IT revolution in healthcare by inducting into its Hall of Fame the president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway, Richard Alvarez. He has been a champion of technology in healthcare for 20 years and now is directing the effort of the federally funded not-for-profit organization to develop an interoperable, pan-Canadian health record solution.

A second 2007 inductee, Ed Lawlor, founder and CEO of DeltaWare Systems Inc. of Charlottetown and a builder of multiple IT associations, has the distinction of being the first Regional Builder Inductee in the CIPA Hall of Fame.

"We had strong participation from all regions in this year's competition," said Norm Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of CIPA. "Every province was represented among the finalists. CIPA has become a regional as well as national showcase for innovation, and an important resource for knowledge transfer among senior executives in every part of Canada."

Three organizations in addition to Cancer Care Ontario received top awards:

• Toyota Canada Inc. won the Diamond Award in the for-profit category for its CustomerOne solution, which has created a new kind of retail company that is integrated by sharing knowledge of its customers' needs and experiences among all stakeholders, including every dealer in Canada.
• Flintbox, a Web portal and networking service owned by the University of British Columbia, received the Exceptional Innovation Award in the not-for-profit sector for its world-leading technology that helps researchers to find and work with companies that can turn their discoveries into products for commercial sale and public benefit.
• A British Columbia company, Origin Organic Farms Inc., won the Exceptional Innovation Award in the for-profit sector by applying analytical and process-control technologies to elevate the quality and efficiency of its production of organic vegetables, as no other farm has done.

"Tonight's finalists and winners demonstrate the remarkable advances being made to improve productivity," said Michael E. Roach, President and Chief Executive Officer of CGI, CIPA's Managing Sponsor.

"As Canada stands at the crossroads of continuing economic and social prosperity, the public and private sectors must continue to find new ways to improve productivity and competitiveness. The CIPA program will continue to recognize and celebrate the achievements of those organizations that are showing the way forward."

There were five entry categories in the 2007 competition: Efficiency and Operational Improvements, Customer Centricity, Collaboration, Organizational Transformation and Innovation. In each category, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations competed separately. Winners were selected by a National Judging Panel of senior IT, business and public-sector executives.

The CIPA Gala Banquet is the largest annual celebration of IT-based innovation in Canada. Winners and finalists celebrated at the Gala also receive extensive exposure through www.cipa.ca and other media. Benefits accrue not only to entrants, but also to technology vendors and suppliers of expertise that support their customers' winning projects.

View the list of the 24 award winners.

About the Canadian Information Productivity Awards

CIPA is Canada's oldest and largest awards program in the field of information technology and the premier showcase for Canadian IT and innovation. It is supported by Managing Sponsor CGI Group Inc. and Diamond Sponsors CA Canada and Hewlett-Packard (Canada) Co. National media partners include Canadian Business magazine, published by Rogers Communications Inc.; IT World Canada publications CIO Canada and CIO Government Review; regional publications BCBusiness and Atlantic Business and High Road Communications. Our research partner is IDC Canada and allied technology associations include CATA, CHITTA, CIPS, COACH, CME, FiQ, ITAC and others.

Regional support stems from federal and provincial governments, chambers of commerce, boards of trade, and province-based technology associations across the country.

The mission of CIPA is to promote enhanced innovation, productivity and competitiveness in Canada by celebrating visionary organizations that have implemented IT project solutions that address business challenges or maximize opportunities in an innovative way.

For further information, contact:
Norm Kirkpatrick
President & CEO,
Canadian Information Productivity Awards
905-695-6590,
norm.kirkpatrick@cipa.ca

Lawrence Moule
Director of Communications,
CIPA
416-458-4410,
lawrence.moule@cipa.ca