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The FuEL Awards “celebrate the successes of young Canadian entrepreneurs, identify role models for progressive business management and inspire youth to make entrepreneurship their No. 1 career choice”.

Applicants need to be under 30 and be the owner and chief executive (or the equivalent) of a Canadian small business. You can apply yourself or nominate someone.

Public voting will play a part in choosing the winners but they will mainly be selected by a panel of judges.

Twenty applicants will be deemed Canada’s Future Entrepreneurial Leaders and receive:

Founded by Profit Magazine and Impact Entrepreneurship Group, sponsors for the FuEL Awards include Rogers, TD and KMPG.

Awards Timeline

Apply for or nominate someone for the FuEL Awards

Passengers move quickly past an American Airlines ticket counter at O’Hare International Airport, in Chicago. AP Photo

NEW YORK — It’s the ultimate travel bait and switch.

You book a ticket on a non-stop flight but the airline cancels it a few weeks later, leaving a computer to automatically rebook you. Your new itinerary includes a layover, turning a five-hour trip into an eight-hour journey.

“You are at the mercy of the airline,” says Anna Stinson, 40, of Minneapolis

In May, Stinson bought tickets for a trip to North Carolina in the middle of August. She is traveling with her four-year-old son and picked Delta because it offered a nonstop flight.

Then as part of system-wide cuts, the flight was eliminated. She was rebooked with a connection in Atlanta.

“I’m frustrated,” Stinson says. “I don’t have the product that I gave them my money for.”

With airlines cutting schedules due to high fuel costs, travelers who booked flights in advance now might find their plans upended. A

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Sell, sell, sell: everything must go in great fire sale
Europe’s most indebted countries — and Britain — have put prized assets up for grabs to bolster their creditworthiness. So what exactly is on offer?

Greece
Europe’s most ambitious sell-off is taking place in its most indebted nation: Athens plans to sell €50bn of state assets by 2015.

Looking at the sales list, it seems that very little has been left off the table. The government’s stakes in the ports of Piraeus and Thessaloniki, 39 airports, a state lottery, a horse-racing concession, a casino, a national post office, two water companies, a nickel miner and smelter, hundreds of kilometres of roads, a telecoms operator, shares in two banks, electricity and gas monopolies and thousands of hectares of land, including coastal stretches, are among the host of assets on offer.

While a 50% stake in Athens international airport is probably the best-known asset on the block, when it comes to sheer beauty the Anavyssos saltworks could prove difficult to beat. T Read more…

The South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (Saccawu) has filed an appeal against the Competition Tribunal’s decision to allow Walmart to acquire a controlling stake in Massmart.

“This is not an unexpected development and the companies remain firm in their belief that the transaction rests on solid legal ground,” Massmart and Walmart said in a joint statement on Wednesday.

The union filed the appeal with the Competition Appeals Court on Monday.

Saccawu spokesperson Mike Abrahams was not immediately available to comment.

The Competition Tribunal was due to give reasons on Wednesday for its decision to allow US giant retailer Walmart to acquire 51% of local retailer Massmart in a R16.5-billion deal.

Massmart and Walmart said the notice of appeal would have no impact on the implementation of the transaction.

“Having finalised the transaction on June 20 2011, Massmart and Walmart will continue to focus on serving customers and communities, working closely with local suppliers, and creating jobs in South Africa,” they said.

In May, the Competition Tribunal approved, with conditions, the deal. Read more…

Indianapolis

Several new websites are offering people the opportunity to save money without having to spend it first.

Ever have trouble with a roommate who forgets how to split the bills? If so, use paydivvy to “divvy up” group expenses. Those expanses can include rent, trip costs or just paying bills. The site names everybody’s share, sends reminders, processes payments and lets you know when everybody pays up.

To get a jump start on saving, how about MoneyIsland for kids? It’s a free online video game site designed to teach children money basics like spending, saving and wants versus needs.  It even introduces children to taxes, interest and credit.

Going to a credit counselor when you’re in debt can help, but some would prefer not to share their financial trouble with others. Bills.com  allows you tell the Debt Coach how much you earn, and how much you owe and your priorities in paying off the debt.  The CEO of the company said it does the math for you and recommends a repayment strategy.

If you have a gift card you may not use, PlasticJungle could be for you. Other

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WASHINGTON — During my online discussions, questions about the best way to handle credit card debt and the repercussions from it still dominate. Here is the advice I gave some readers still digging their way out of debt.

Q: “I hate debt, but I’ve found myself with $10,000 on a credit card due to some unexpected expenses, child care, etc.,” one reader wrote. “We make good salaries and our child care expenses will be going down soon, but our expenses are still high, leaving us with $500 per month to put toward the credit cards. I don’t want to take two years to pay them off. I want the debt gone now! I know about the 10 percent penalty for early withdrawal on 401s, but I want a fresh start financially. We have about $80,000 in several different 401s, plus we each have a pension and will have a fairly decent inheritance by the time we retire. All of that makes me think that since we’re in our mid-30s, we’re in decent shape for retirement and it might actually be OK to take out the money to pay off our debt now. What do you think?”

A: I think you should leave that retirement money alone. H

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