The canadian Congress of Advertising wants to make the Guinness Book of World Records by creating a world record for most brand characters at one event.

The congress wants advertisers and agencies to have brand characters attend the Canadian Congress of Advertising ’93 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, from Jan. 13-15, 1993.

For more information, call Wendy Miles at the Television Bureau of Canada, (416) 923-8813.

– A new advertising agency recently opened its doors in Toronto. Pear Communications is located at 67 Mowat Ave., Suite 444, M6K 3E3. The phone number is (416) 533-5944, and fax (416) 537-4059.

The principals are Doug Shimizu, creative director, and Nagui Morcos, account director.

Shimizu has spent the last 10 years as an art director in the ad industry. Morcos brings his 13 years’ experience as a packaged foods marketer and five years as a specialty foods retailer to the new venture.

Senior copywriter Janet Crowley has been in the business for 12 years.

– Deblins, a Toronto-area chain of six bedding, bath and linen stores, has switched its advertising account to Andrew & Cook of Toronto.

The previous agency was Marin Advertising of Woodbridge, Ont.

Advertising will be primarily print, with another campaign planned to target new homebuyers.

– MDC Corporation has completed the acquisition of a 50% interest in Strategies International, a Toronto design and marketing firm.

mdc, through its nine operating subsidiaries, now reports billings that exceed $78 million and revenues in excess of $38 million.

mdc is a Toronto-based multi-disciplined communications organization that is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and The Electronic Bulletin Board in the u.s.

– Genienne’s Food For You has hired Toronto’s Straiton/Enge Advertising to handle its communications and marketing.

Genienne’s chose Straiton/Enge because of its experience in marketing to seniors, the primary target group for the new Toronto company.

Genienne’s is a phone-in supermarket that offers free delivery to seniors on orders of more than $40.

– Mackin Mailey Advertising has launched a multimedia campaign for its newest client, the Royal Centre Mall in downtown Vancouver, which is owned by Trizec Properties.

The Vancouver shop was awarded the new business in August after a review that also included VRH Communications and Direction Design.

Vancouver’s North Shore Credit Union is banking on Mackin Mailey for another successful campaign. The first project raised $27.5 million in deposits over a two-month period.

This month, a campaign to promote three-year term deposits gets under way using direct mail, transit and radio.

– Ernst & Young has hired Toronto-based public relations firm The Communications Group to promote its management consulting business.

Ernst & Young also provides audit and tax services, information technology consulting, actuarial consulting, corporate finance, insolvency and litigation services through its 35 offices across Canada.