Business
WATCH: DataCan Services wins Business of the Year in the “+21 Employee” category

As a proud platinum sponsor of the 2019 Business of the Year Awards, we hope you enjoy these videos, produced by Todayville in association with Are You Social.
Our first story is about Datacan Services, winner of the Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award in the “+21 Employee” Category. Please watch their video below and learn more about this great local organization!
“…DataCan is a design, engineering and manufacturing team that specializes in creating products for down-hole tool data collection solutions.
In 2006, DataCan was founded. DataCan first designed and produced quartz and piezo resistive memory pressure gauges. DataCan quickly became known as a worldwide supplier of innovative, high-performance, pressure and temperature recording devices and systems. In 2014, DataCan purchased the electronics divisions of Quinn’s Energy Services, formerly known as Lee Specialties. We now manufacture and support the Lee Specialties line of Production Logging Tools, Data Acquisition Systems, and Software.
There were 2 other finalists in this category. Click on the links and watch these short videos to learn more about these amazing local businesses!…”
Budal Group
“…Budal Construction was founded in 1979 by father and son, Bud and Dallas McPeek. They joined both their names and their commitment to workmanship together and created the solid foundation for our company.
With over 25 years history of successful projects and growing respect in the community, Budal’s leadership is now in the hands of the third generation. Todd McPeek our current general manager literally grew up building with his father and grandfather and now charts the course for the future of the company…”
Famosa Cosmopolitan Pizza
“…A PIZZERIA WITH PERSONALITY! We love to be the neighbourhood pizzeria that everyone comes to. At Famoso, we want to create a fun and lively atmosphere for you to relax with your friends and family any day of the week. There are plenty of choices in our menu – from Neapolitan to New World pizzas, to artisan pastas & delicious beverages to friendly and energetic staff, we hope to make each visit a memorable one. See you soon!…”
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About the Chamber: The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce is the largest and most influential business association in Central Alberta. We are committed to promoting business growth and prosperity in the region by providing networking opportunities, educational and relevant speakers, benefit programs like group insurance and discounted merchant card rates to save you money, and being your advocate on issues that matter. Chamber membership is the most effective way to raise your business profile and capitalize on business development opportunities.
All companies, Chamber members and non-members, are eligible for nomination for an award in their respective category.
Todayville is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the 2019 Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Awards.
Alberta
Smith says despite difficulty with Ottawa, Alberta has allies in Trudeau cabinet

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks to business leaders at the Global Business Forum in Banff, Alta., Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Smith told the conference that despite her concerns with the federal Liberal government there was some cabinet ministers she can work with. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
By Bill Graveland in Banff
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told a business conference on Friday that despite her concerns with the federal Liberal government, there are some cabinet ministers she can work with.
Smith has been at odds with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson amid concerns over Ottawa’s climate-change policies and transition plan for a net-zero emissions economy.
Guilbeault intends to publish draft regulations this fall to cap emissions from oil and gas, then force them downward overtime. Ottawa has also set a target to have the electricity grid be net-zero by 2035, but Alberta says it’s unrealistic.
Smith says Alberta won’t implement the emissions cap, nor will it follow the 2035 target.
The premier told delegates at the Global Business Forum in Banff, Alta., that Wilkinson needs to answer for comments he made earlier this week at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary.
Wilkinson’s call for the industry to work aggressively to get to net-zero was basically telling them to “pack it up, because the oil and gas industry is winding down,” said Smith.
“You could just feel the energy leave the room and you could just feel the investment dollars leave the room.”
Smith said energy producing provinces such as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, can’t trust the Trudeau government to look out for their interests at international conferences.
“After hearing how the natural resources minister talks about our industry, after hearing how the federal environment minister talks about our industry, we can’t afford to let them carry our message,” Smith said.
“We can’t afford not to be there.”
Smith said she has been in discussions with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and intends to talk to Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey about joint presentations at conferences in the future.
Despite her disappointment with Wilkinson and Guilbeault, Smith said it’s not all bad.
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland among the top allies, she said.
“Let’s give her credit for shepherding through all of the constant need to give more debt financing to Trans Mountain pipeline to get that to the finish line. That has not been easy,” Smith said.
She also praised Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault.
“I would say it’s not uniformly negative in the Liberal caucus. But for some reason they’re allowing Stephen Guilbeault to be a maverick and a renegade and quite offensive to those of who are trying to be reasonable and adult about this,” Smith said.
Smith said it’s time for the federal government to back away from setting “aggressive targets” in dealing with the provinces.
“Aggressive targets are not helpful. They’re not helpful to us. They’re not helpful to investors.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2023.
Business
Amazon Prime Video will soon come with ads, or a $2.99 monthly charge to dodge them

Amazon’s Prime Video streaming app on an iPad is seen in Baltimore on March 19, 2018. Amazon says that it will now start charging $2.99 per month in order for users in the U.S. to watch Prime Video ad free. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
By Michelle Chapman in Seattle
Amazon Prime Video will include advertising during shows and movies starting early next year, joining other streaming services that have added different tiers of subscriptions.
Members of Amazon Prime can pay $2.99 per month in the U.S. to keep their service ad-free, the company said Friday.
Streaming services are in a heated tug-of-war over viewers and users are growing more adept at jumping in and out of those services, often depending on price. The platforms risk losing customers with price hikes, but they could lose them if they don’t generate new content that wins over users.
Disney will begin charging $13.99 a month in the U.S. for ad-free Disney+ in mid-October, 75% more than the ad-supported service. Netflix already charges $15.49 per month for its ad-free plan, more than twice the monthly subscription for Netflix with ads.
Amazon said limited advertisements will be aired during shows and movies starting early next year so that it can “continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time.”
Live events on Amazon Prime, like sports, already include advertising.
Ads in Prime Video content will start in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada in early 2024, followed by France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, and Australia later in the year.
Amazon said that it’s not making changes to the price of Prime membership next year. It plans to announce pricing for ad-free programming for countries other than the U.S. at a later time.
For U.S. users, Amazon said it will send out an email to Prime members several weeks before ads are introduced into its programs with information on how to sign up for the ad-free option if they choose to do so.
Amazon’s Prime Video is part of a much bigger slate of perks that come with Amazon Prime membership. Members also get free shipping for goods bought on Amazon.com, groceries, online music and more.
In June Amazon was accused by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. An Amazon spokesperson said at the time that the FTC’s claims were false.
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