Core Principles for Systemically Important Payments Systems and Their Application in Canada

Systemically important payments systems are systems that, because of the size or the nature of the payments they process, could trigger or transmit serious shocks across domestic or international financial systems if they were insufficiently protected against risk. This article describes the overall framework of core principles developed for the design, operation, and oversight of such payments systems. The article reviews the role of the task force established to develop the core principles and examines the core principles themselves. It also examines the role of central banks in overseeing major payments systems and in applying the core principles to them. The focus is on the Bank of Canada's oversight responsibilities under the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act and on Canada's systemically important payments system—the LVTS.

A dyrosaurid crocodile (Crocodylia: Mesocuchia) from the Paleocene of Pakistan

A nearly complete vertebral column and portions of an associated pelvis and hind limb from Sind Province, southern Pakistan, are described and identified as those of a marine crocodile belonging to the poorly known family, Dyrosauridae. The fossil is the most complete of its kind yet known from Asia and adds to our knowledge of the postcranial anatomy of the dyrosaurs. Its occurrence in the late Paleocene (Thanetian) Lakhra Formation places it among the earliest of Asian dyrosaurid crocodiles and strengthens the view that the Dyrosauridae spread from Africa to Asia along the shores of Tethys. The source rocks are of marine origin. Remains of dyrosaurid crocodiles are generally restricted to marine sediments of Africa, North America, and South America but have been only rarely found in marine rocks of Asia

Українська діаспора як чинник підтримки України США і Канадою в умовах російської агресії у 2014 р.

Аналізується діяльність української діаспори США та Канади на підтримку України як історичної батьківщини в контексті російської агресії 2014 р. Основну увагу приділено розгляду форм та методів політичного тиску провідних організацій етнічних українців у Сполучених Штатах і Канаді на уряди країн проживання для надання Україні політичної, військової, фінансової та гуманітарної допомоги. Аналізується ефективність впливу північноамериканської української діаспори як українського лобі, суб’єкта суспільно-політичного життя США та Канади.Political activity of Ukrainian Diaspora in the United States of America and Canada, oriented at supporting Ukraine as their historical homeland during the initial periods of aggression of Russian Federation against Ukraine in 2014, is analyzed. North American Diaspora has always been the most active and effective part of the foreign Ukrainians, which had always supported Ukraine during the difficult periods of its history. Democratic mechaisms of pressure of Ukrainian Diaspora upon American and Canadian higher authorities with aim to form public opinion as well as to influence foreign policy of the USA and Canada govrnmental bodies are discussed. The main attention is paid to analysis of the forms and mehods of political pressure of leading ethnic Ukrainian organizations in the USA and Canada on their governments to provide Ukraine by political, diplomatic, military, financial and huanitarian assistance. The effectiveness of the impact of the North American Ukrainian Diaspora as Ukrainian lobby,which is known to be an influential subject of social and political life in the US and Canada, is also under discussion.Анализируется деятельность украинской диаспоры США и Канады на поддержку Украины как исторической родины в контексте российской агрессии 2014 г. Внимание акцентируется на формах и методах политического давления ведущих организаций этнических украинцев в Соединенных Штатах и Канаде на правительства стран проживания для предоставления Украине политической, военной, финансовой и гуманитарной помощи. Анализируется эффективность воздействия североамериканской украинской диаспоры как украинского лобби, субъекта общественно-политической жизни США и Канады

Back-Testing a Multi-Layer Investment Philosophy

This project will back-test an investment model with real-world retrospective data.In the process, the assumptions made for the model will be evaluated

The dynamics of exchange traded funds : a geometrical and topological approach

Using a metric related to the returns correlation, a method is applied to the reconstruction of an economic space from Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) data. In the past, the same method was used in a geometrical analysis of times series of stock returns implying that the most of the systematic information of that market is contained in a space of small dimension. Here we have worked with ten years of daily returns of 85 ETF securities and the same dimensional reduction was obtained. Having a metric defined in the space of ETF securities, a topological approach is used to define a complete network of ETFs and its corresponding Minimum Spanning Tree (MST). An outstanding separation of the two main classes of securities over the MST is uncovered. The dimensional reduction as well as the uncovered pattern in the topological structure, they both emerge from the data itself rather than from any modelling resolution.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Re Nova Scotia (Civil Service Commission) and Nova Scotia Government Employees Association

Employee grievance under the collective agreement between the parties for the Professional and Administrative Classification and Pay Plan Group, which expired April 21, 1979, seeking a dec­laration that there is no indebtedness on the part of the grievor to the employer for educational leave assistance and a direction that the employer pay to the grievor all money in her superannuation account

Development of the MESH modelling system for hydrological ensemble forecasting of the Laurentian Great Lakes at the regional scale

International audienceEnvironment Canada has been developing a community environmental modelling system (Modélisation Environmentale Communautaire ? MEC), which is designed to facilitate coupling between models focusing on different components of the earth system. The ultimate objective of MEC is to use the coupled models to produce operational forecasts. MESH (MEC ? Surface and Hydrology), a configuration of MEC currently under development, is specialized for coupled land-surface and hydrological models. To determine the specific requirements for MESH, its different components were implemented on the Laurentian Great Lakes watershed, situated on the Canada-US border. This experiment showed that MESH can help us better understand the behaviour of different land-surface models, test different schemes for producing ensemble streamflow forecasts, and provide a means of sharing the data, the models and the results with collaborators and end-users. This modelling framework is at the heart of a testbed proposal for the Hydrologic Ensemble Prediction Experiment (HEPEX) which should allow us to make use of the North American Ensemble Forecasting System (NAEFS) to improve streamflow forecasts of the Great Lakes tributaries, and demonstrate how MESH can contribute to a Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS)

Using the MESH modelling system for hydrological ensemble forecasting of the Laurentian Great Lakes at the regional scale

International audienceEnvironment Canada has been developing a community environmental modelling system (Modélisation Environmentale Communautaire ? MEC), which is designed to facilitate coupling between models focusing on different components of the earth system. The ultimate objective of MEC is to use the coupled models to produce operational forecasts. MESH (MEC ? Surface and Hydrology), a configuration of MEC currently under development, is specialized for coupled land-surface and hydrological models. To determine the specific requirements for MESH, its different components were implemented on the Laurentian Great Lakes watershed, situated on the Canada?U.S. border. This experiment showed that MESH can help us better understand the behaviour of different land-surface models, test different schemes for producing ensemble streamflow forecasts, and provide a means of sharing the data, the models and the results with collaborators and end-users. This modelling framework is at the heart of a testbed proposal for the Hydrologic Ensemble Prediction Experiment (HEPEX) which should allow us to make use of the North American Ensemble Forecasting System (NAEFS) to improve streamflow forecasts of the Great Lakes tributaries, and demonstrate how MESH can contribute to a Community Hydrologic Prediction System (CHPS)

Cascadian cross border cooperation challenged: the case of the Shared Waters Alliance

The process of globalization is resulting in a proliferation of political, economic, ecological, and cultural ties that extend across the borders of nation-states. Compounded with the fact that central governments are less interested or capable of addressing every cross border issue, subnational actors are more likely to engage in cross border diplomacy. The border region within Cascadia, a region at the western edge of the US-Canadian border, is not unique in this respect and has been experiencing a rise in subnational cross border interactions. However, cross border actors Cascadia are not fully empowered to engage institutionally or formally. Obstacles such as differing government structures, Canadian sovereignty concerns, and a US emphasis on border security inhibit formalized engagement by local border actors. As a result, ad hoc, cooperative measures are one of a few viable options for cross border stakeholders concerned with a localized but transboundary environmental problem. Cooperation can be induced by strong social capital, that is the existence of social linkages, shared norms of behavior, shared expectations, and shared beliefs and understandings. The Shared Waters Alliance (SWA) is a transboundary working group in Cascadia. An informal and voluntary group, the SWA is limited in focus to environmental issues in the Boundary Bay Basin. Despite its informal nature the group has none-the-less operated continuously for over a decade. At a cursory glance, it would seem the SWA is a successful model of cooperative transboundary environmental governance within Cascadia. The work of this thesis seeks to establish if indeed the SWA longevity speaks to the construction of cross border social capital. In order to examine whether this is true, several separate lines of inquiry where pursued: how much social capital, along structural and cognitive dimensions has actually been established by the group, and what are the main challenges that exist or threaten to inhibit the group\u27s success? A third line of inquiry sought to determine tangible suggestions that could help the SWA rise above or mitigate some of the obstacles it faces. The SWA was not necessarily chosen because it was assumed to be a model of perfection. Rather given the group\u27s durability, it seems worthwhile to investigate it operates. While it may or may not be a model for other environmental managers to follow, determining the successes and failings of the SWA can still provide a road map for other transboundary efforts to follow, or avoid. Conducting a case study of this group was done by pairing two differing yet complementary methods. Inductive, qualitative interviews were conducted with a small handful of SWA participants. The goal of these interviews was to draw out major themes in regards to the social atmosphere within the group, the challenges that were perceived to exist, and what actions each individual interviewee would like to see the SWA undertake in the future. The themes teased out of interview analysis were then used to create a survey that was administered to the group as a whole. The combination of two differing research methods sought to not only allow for the results from the first method to inform development of the second, but to also combine the richness and depth of qualitative inquiry with the statistical generalizations from quantitative surveys. The findings revealed a complex social dynamic. The SWA has largely been successful at establishing and growing connections across the border and creating a friendly, trustworthy forum for communication and networking. However, it also appears that the SWA has not been able to expand beyond passive activities to make substantive efforts to improve environmental conditions, somewhat to the chagrin of stakeholders. While the SWA faces a plethora of challenges, it does not appear that effects stemming from border security practices are among them. Largely, the biggest issues for the group come from external forces they can\u27t easily change, such as lack of empowerment or lack of resources and funding. Largely, there are few instances of differing perceptions between sub-groups of stakeholders. In general Canadians have the same opinions as Americans, Government as non-government, and local government as regional/federal government. However, several critical differing perceptions exist between the opinions of those in government and non-government, and on occasion, between levels of government. As a whole, the SWA is valued by involved stakeholders, although there is a wide enthusiasm at the suggestion of making changes. While the suggestions given were quite general, it appears that most stakeholders hope the group could become more goal-oriented and more organized and systematic. What stakeholders do not seem interested in doing is burdening themselves with more volunteer activities