Labatt Breweries of Canada took Best of Show at the 9th annual Sponsorship Marketing Awards (SMAs), winning for a fan-based sponsorship program involving Budweiser and the Winnipeg Jets that exceeded business objectives. The SMAs, presented April 25th at the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s annual conference in Toronto, recognize companies that maximize their investments in sponsorship marketing by developing innovative strategies that drive results. Other big winners were BMO and Scotiabank, which each won two awards. Click here for the media release.

The Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s Board of Directors for 2010/2011 was confirmed at the group’s recent AGM in Toronto. Monique Giroux, Senior Director, National Sponsorships with CIBC, remains Chair for a second term. She heads a Board with 14 other Directors. Click here for the full list.

A call has gone out for entries to the 2011 edition of the Sponsorship Marketing Awards. New for this year – a special category to recognize sponsorship excellence at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games and Paralympic Winter Games.  The deadline for entries is Thursday, January 27 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Click here for details.

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq says new initiatives for research on physical activity and childhood obesity “will help more children become physically active and help us in our efforts to curb childhood obesity in Canada.” Click here for the media release.