Summit To Provide On-ramp to Information Highway

"Canada is a world leader in knowledge-based industries, and the Summit is an ideal opportunity for showcasing our technological leadership," explained Bill van Staalduinen, Director General (planning) of HSO. "We are incorporating the latest in technology into the operations of the Summit, but the SuperNova exhibit will be the focal point. Large and small companies will be displaying their products and services, and the MT&T sponsored 'Canada's Information Highway' will be the anchor exhibit. In addition, MT&T plans to display two innovative new products; the Vista 350 screen-based telephone and TeleVillage, Canada's most comprehensive Interactive Television system."

"Visitors to "Canada's Information Highway" will be guided through 18 lifestyle and working environments. They will be shown advanced telecommunications that are available today and be given a glimpse of what applications the near future holds. Featured applications will include distance education, telemedicine, mobile communications, satellite services, the Internet, telework, call centres and video conferencing," says Howard McNutt, Marketing Manager, MT&T. "SuperNova is a showcase for Nova Scotia -- demonstrating the power of our technology infrastructure, of our people, and of our economic environment."

Similarly, Royal Bank will demonstrate how technology is enabling banks to better serve their customers. Royal Bank will be showcasing the "Mondex system", one of the most significant advances in money exchange since the inception of coins and bank notes. The heart of the system is a micro-computer chip imbedded in a plastic card which stores the equivalent value of cash money. The customer then carries this chip around as if it was cash.

"Halifax has a unique opportunity to display this country's leading information technology during the Summit," explains Clay Coveyduck, Senior VP and General Manager, Royal Bank . "In the last decade, information technology has changed the way our bank does business. This exhibit is the first step in showing how the technology we use to do our daily business can make every day life easier."

SuperNova will be the home of a host of other exhibits including a Virtual Chess Exhibition Tournament involving participants located in eight different countries; Windhorse Productions` multimedia video game known as Eco Island; and a Mission Control System Order Desk developed by Spar Aerospace on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency. Also on display will be a multi-media encyclopedia on Fortress Louisbourg, a surgical training program developed for Dalhousie University and a desk-top video conferencing system created by the Atlantic Canada Organization for Research Networking. In all there will be 99 exhibits.

"SuperNova is one more reason for local residents to be planning to come downtown during the Summit," adds Mr.van Staalduinen. "It is a unique opportunity to see the latest in Canadian information technology and gain a better understanding of its potential impact on our lives at home and at work. For the participating companies it is a chance for international exposure and access to new markets."

The SuperNova exhibit opens at 1595 Barrington Street on Wednesday, June 14 and will run until Sunday, June 18. The public is encouraged to visit this innovative exhibit.

The Summit is a gathering of leaders from the seven largest industrialised nations as well as representatives of the European Union and the Russian Federation. The event will take place in Halifax from June 15-17, 1995.

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Malcolm McKechnie
HSO Media Spokesperson
(902) 473-7117