Year in review 2014: Biggest business wins

10. BlackBerry rebounds

New CEO John Chen kicked off 2014 by meeting personally with all of BlackBerry’s biggest enterprise companies and convincing them the company was on upswing. While focusing on in-house innovations, BlackBerry also looked externally forming partnerships with Amazon’s app store and inking a deal for Foxconn to manufacture the lower end handhelds. In November, the company’s shares rose six per cent after Chen met with the heads of Xiaomi Corp. and Lenovo Group Ltd. in China, fuelling rumours the company has more partnerships in the works. Instead, the company announced a partnership with Samsung that will see the KNOX security solution brought to Galaxy smartphones and tablets. With the BlackBerry Classic hitting stores on Dec.,17, next year will be an interesting one for the brand. (REUTERS/Aaron Harris)

7. Canada's rebounding economy

The healthy dose of oil price drama in Q4 didn’t deter Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz from declaring that “Canada’s economy is showing signs of a broadening recovery” in a statement released the first week of December. While the first quarter saw a slow start with Canada’s real GDP growing 1 per cent at an annualized pace, Q2 and Q3 saw increases on the back of higher household spending and rebounds in the exports sector – specifically the auto industry – with the real GDP growing 3.6 per cent and 2.8 per cent respectively. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch)

5. Lululemon regains balance

Although you’d be hard-pressed to find anything for a dollar at Lululemon, the Vancouver-based yoga wear chain echoed Dollarama’s third quarter success by posting its own better-than-expected profits. Led by a boost in online sales, the brand’s revenue grew by 10 per cent in Q3 to US$419.4 million compared to US$379.9 million in Q3 2013. It’s only been a year since founder Chip Wilson stepped down following a series of PR nightmares – including rebuking criticism about the brand’s signature black yoga pants being see-through by blaming it on the body types of some customers. Things seem to be looking up for Lululemon. (REUTERS/Ben Nelms)

4. National securities regulator gains steam

After years of false starts and the death of a major proponent – former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty – the creation of a national securities regulator looks to be gaining steam. In October, P.E.I. became the fifth province to sign on for the creation of a co-operative capital markets regulatory system. The province joins the federal government and provincial governments of Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Canada is the only G20 country without a national securities regulator, which participant provinces hope will strengthen cooperation across markets and better protect investors.

(REUTERS/Chris Wattie)

3. Canadian science takes on Ebola

Since it began last December, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has dominated headlines with cases spreading to North America and throughout Europe. Several Canadian companies have contributed significant tools to the battle against the disease, including Vancouver-based Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, which saw its stock sky rocket more than 84 per cent this year. At the end of October, an experimental vaccine designed by scientists at Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg entered trials and Toronto-based Flo Corporation began adapting its devices to handle Ebola tests in a matter of minutes. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/Files)

2. Canada's fiscal health

Though it is technically next year’s news, the Conservative-led government announced in mid-November it was predicting a surplus for 2015-2016 after seven years of deficits. While the economic report projected a $1.9 billion surplus, that was downgraded to $1.6 billion in light of tanking oil prices. Although the surplus is only a quarter of the $6.4 billion out-of-the-red prediction announced last spring, it is a welcomed reprieve. Finance Minister Joe Oliver also pointed to the fed's $3 billion rainy day fund that could be put towards any unexpected debt. (REUTERS/Mark Blinch)

1. Burger King and Tim Hortons deal

Speaking of savings, Burger King is looking to save a whopping (sorry, we couldn’t resist) $1.2 billion in U.S. taxes over the next three years by merging with Tim Hortons and headquartering the new fast food conglomerate – Restaurant Brands International – in Canada. While the deal was announced in the summer, it needed approval from a few regulatory bodies, including the federal government, before it could be inked. Ottawa gave the go ahead to the upwards of $12 billion deal, provided the new entity continue Tim’s charity work, operate the Canadian icon as a separate brand and pledge not to cut any jobs at existing Canadian franchises, among other asks. (Photo courtesy of the CBC).