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PRESS
RELEASE
For immediate release
June 9, 2004
BELL CANADA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TO SPEAK ON NORTHERN COMMUNITIES IN THE INTERNET WORLD
Sudbury/Thunder Bay (June 9, 2004) - In an address to be delivered in Sudbury, Ontario, on June 10th, 2004, Mr. Michael Sabia, Chief Executive Officer of Bell Canada will highlight the opportunities that IP (Internet Protocol) can bring to Northern communities in the fields of economic development, education, and healthcare.
Delivering the 2004 Contact North/Contact Nord Technology Address entitled A Moment Of Opportunity: Delivering For Northern Communities In The Internet World to a sellout crowd of business, education, health care, government and community leaders in Sudbury, Mr. Sabia will share his vision of how Bell Canada can partner with government, local businesses and communities to support small, remote and Northern communities across Canada.
"Mr. Sabia's address is timely. His influential voice as Chief Executive Officer of Canada's largest communications company will help decision-makers, policy-makers, and the public at large focus even more on the challenges and opportunities for small, remote and northern communities in all provinces and territories." said Maxim Jean-Louis, President & Chief Executive Officer of Contact North/Contact Nord.
"In fact, Bell Canada is much more than Canada's leader in communications. From our vantage point as one of Bell Canada's strategic partners, and through our work in over 100 small and remote communities across Northern Ontario, Contact North/Contact Nord views Bell Canada first and foremost as an enthusiastic, innovative and committed partner that focuses on building the capacity of our communities" added Jean-Louis.
The 2004 Contact North/Contact Nord Technology Address, Mr. Sabia's first major address outside of a major metropolitan area in Canada, will be held on Thursday June 10th at the Ramada Inn, 85 St. Anne Road, Sudbury, ON, starting at 12:00 Noon.
Highlighting the importance of this Address, community leaders from across Northern Ontario will be joining Mr. Sabia in Sudbury including Mayor Dennis Brown, Township of Atikokan; Mayor David Courtemanche, City of Greater Sudbury; Mayor Victor Fedeli, City of North Bay; Mayor John Rowswell, City of Sault Ste. Marie; Mayor Lynn Peterson, City of Thunder Bay; and Mayor Victor Powers, City of Timmins.
A backgrounder and biography of Mr. Michael Sabia follow.
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Backgrounder and biography of Michael J. Sabia below.
Information:
Louise Gaudrault
Marketing Coordinator
Tel.: (705) 525-7261
Fax: (705) 560-5548
e-mail:
louise@mail.cnorth.edu.on.ca
About Contact North/Contact Nord
Contact North/Contact Nord, Northern Ontario's Distance Education & Training Network, facilitates access to the education and training opportunities offered by Northern Ontario's colleges, universities and school boards via audioconference, videoconference, audiographics and Internet technologies in more than 100 small and remote communities across Northern Ontario. For more information please visit www.cnorth.edu.on.ca. Bell Canada is one of Contact North/Contact Nord's strategic private sector partners.
MICHAEL J. SABIA
Michael J. Sabia is President and Chief Executive Officer as well as director of BCE Inc. He is also Chief Executive Officer of Bell Canada and Chairman of the Board of BCE Emergis and of Bell Globemedia.
In July of 2000, Mr. Sabia was named Executive Vice-President of BCE and Vice-Chairman, Corporate, Bell Canada. He was appointed President of BCE in December 2000, President and Chief Operating Officer of BCE and Chief Operating Officer of Bell Canada in March 2002, and then President and Chief Executive Officer of BCE in April 2002. He had joined the BCE group in October 1999 as Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bell Canada International.
Before joining BCE, Mr. Sabia was an executive of Canadian National Railway Company (CN). He joined CN as Vice-President, Corporate Development in 1993 and was appointed Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer in 1995.
Prior to joining CN, Mr. Sabia held a number of senior positions in the Canadian Federal Public Service, including Director-General of Tax Policy in the Department of Finance and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans) in the Privy Council Office.
Born in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1953, Mr. Sabia was educated in economics and politics at Trinity College, University of Toronto (B.A.) and at Yale University (M.A., M. Phil).
BACKGROUNDER
The 2004 Contact North/Contact Nord Technology Address is part of Contact North/Contact Nord's on-going Emerging Technologies Series.
Launched in the fall of 2000, the Emerging Technologies Series has featured a number of events including:
Executive Briefing on e-learning by Sir John Daniel, former Vice-Chancellor of the Open University (UK)
Emerging Technologies 2001: Northern Ontario's Broadband Wireless Conference (January 2001 in Sudbury and October 2001 in Thunder Bay)
2002 Technology Address with Mr. Ed Kilroy, President and CEO of IBM Canada Ltd.
Emerging Technologies 2003: The e-conference (Thunder Bay)
About Contact North/Contact Nord
Contact North/Contact Nord is Northern Ontario's Distance Education & Training Network. Headquartered in Sudbury and Thunder Bay, Contact North/Contact Nord facilitates access to the education and training opportunities offered by Northern Ontario's colleges, universities and school boards.
Founded in 1986, Contact North/Contact Nord has grown significantly to become Canada's largest distance education network. Spanning an area of some 880,000 square kilometres, the Contact North/Contact Nord Network promotes economic development in communities across Northern Ontario by providing access to programs and courses for learners in their home communities.
In 2003-2004, Contact North/Contact Nord:
Facilitated in excess of 14,000 course registrations annually
Continues to grow at double digit annual rates
Provides access to over 800 courses offered by Northern Ontario colleges, universities and school boards
Serves more than 100 small and remote communities across Northern Ontario
Contact North/Contact Nord and Bell Canada have been strategic private sector partners since 1997 and have worked together to enhance access to education and training opportunities for residents of Northern Ontario.
