Foreign Currency Translation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Foreign Currency Translation [Abstract]

Foreign Currency Translation

4. Foreign Currency Translation

A majority of the Company's shareholders, customers and industry analysts are located in the United States. Accordingly, the Company has adopted the United States dollar as its reporting currency.

The United States dollar is the functional currency of the Company's operations in the United States. The Canadian dollar is the functional currency of the Company's Canadian operations. Each operation translates foreign currency denominated transactions into its functional currency using the rate of exchange in effect at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency are translated into the functional currency of the operation using the period-end rate of exchange giving rise to a gain or loss that is recognized in income during the current period.

The revaluation of United States dollar denominated debt held by the parent entity with a Canadian functional currency, that hedges the net investment in the Company's United States dollar denominated self-sustaining subsidiaries, is recorded to other comprehensive income. In a hedge of a net investment in self-sustaining foreign subsidiaries, the portion of the gain or loss on the hedging item that is determined to be an effective hedge is recognized in other comprehensive income and the ineffective portion is recognized in earnings. For consolidation purposes, the United States operations are translated into Canadian dollars using the current period-end rate with the resulting translation adjustment recorded in other comprehensive income. For reporting purposes, the consolidated operations are translated into United States dollars using the current rate method. Under this method, all assets and liabilities are translated at the period-end rate of exchange and all revenue and expense items are translated at the average rate of exchange for the period. The resulting translation adjustment is recorded as a separate component of shareholders' equity.

In respect of other transactions denominated in currencies other than the Canadian dollar, the monetary assets and liabilities of the Company are translated at the period-end rates. Revenue and expenses are translated at rates of exchange prevailing on the transaction dates. All of the exchange gains or losses resulting from these other transactions are recognized in income.