What’s New: In Brief (October 31, 2006)

Manulife Financial is partnering with Dalhousie Medical School to expand Dalhousie’s unique, award-winning health and science program, MegaSearch, to every Grade 5 classroom in Prince Edward Island.MegaSearch 2006-07, a curriculum supplement, highlights research in the areas of asthma, cancer, heart health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, and vaccines. All topics align with curriculum goals outlined by the Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island departments of education.The supplement uses a colorful comic book, numerous activities, and a Web site, www.medicine.dal.ca/megasearch, to draw youngsters into the health sciences and help them understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.”Manulife is pleased to provide funding to expand this successful health promotion program,” says Bruce Gordon, Manulife Financial’s senior executive vice president and general manager for Canada. “With MegaSearch, Dalhousie Medical School has developed an engaging and informative approach to health education, which we believe will benefit children now and in the future.”P.E.I. Education Minister Mildred Dover said schools are very pleased to make this innovative new learning tool available to island students. “The MegaSearch(TM) program comes highly recommended by teachers. We are pleased to partner with Dalhousie Medical School to introduce this new and fun way to pique student interest in the health sciences and to actively involve them in research,” she said.The P.E.I Department of Education is also providing support, distributing the curriculum supplement to the more than 2,000 students throughout the province.Available in both English and French, the program has already been delivered to about 70,000 Nova Scotia Grade 5 students as a curriculum supplement since 2000.

ADESA Inc., North America’s largest publicly traded provider of wholesale vehicle auctions and used vehicle dealer floor plan financing, has announced a 2006 Q3 profit of US $34.1 million up 8% from 2005 Q3 2005.Third quarter revenues in 2006 were a record US$272.9 million, up 13% from last year’s third quarter.”During the third quarter of 2006, ADESA grew its revenues and earnings, expanded its salvage footprint and continued to strengthen its customer offerings,” stated ADESA, Inc. chairman and CEO David Gartzke. “Financial performance from our dealer services group was especially strong in the quarter, as it continued to post double-digit top and bottom line growth.”Perhaps most importantly of all, we’re pleased to see the retail used vehicle market beginning to show signs of firming, which is a significant factor for increasing vehicles sold at auction.”