Note 8 - Common shares:	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2011
Treasury Stock [Text Block]	8. Common shares: The Company’s authorized common share capital is 250 million common shares without nominal or par value. On December 31, 2011, there were 53,497,584 common shares outstanding. Repurchase of common shares: (a) Modified Dutch Tender Offers: On January 13, 2010, the Company announced that it successfully concluded a modified “Dutch auction tender offer” that was previously announced on December 14, 2009. Under the terms of the offer, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 6,341,470 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $0.70 per share, for a total of $4,439,029, excluding transaction costs of $51,957. The purchase price was funded from available cash. Of the 6,341,470 shares purchased, 5,000,000 were shares the Company offered to purchase in the offer and 1,341,470 where shares purchased pursuant to the Company’s right to purchase up to an additional 2% of the shares outstanding immediately prior to the commencement of the tender offer. Due to over-subscription, the final proration factor for shares tendered at or below $0.70 per share was approximately 99.9%. For this purpose, shares tendered at $0.70 per share included shares tendered by those persons who indicated, in their letter of transmittal, that they were willing to accept the price determined in the offer. All shares purchased in the tender offer received the same price and all shares repurchased were immediately retired. On October 13, 2010, the Company announced that it successfully concluded a modified Dutch auction tender offer that was previously announced September 17, 2010. Under the terms of the offer, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 3,913,570 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $0.70 per share, for a total of $2,739,499, excluding transaction costs of $52,802. The purchase price was funded from available cash. Of the 3,913,570 shares purchased, 2,900,000 were shares the Company offered to purchase in the offer and 1,013,570 where shares purchased pursuant to the Company’s right to purchase up to an additional 2% of the shares outstanding immediately prior to the commencement of the tender offer. All shares purchased in the tender offer received the same price and all shares repurchased were immediately retired. (b) Normal Course Issuer Bids: On February 16, 2010, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10 million of the Company’s common stock at the Company’s discretion under a normal course issuer bid (“NCIB”). The common shares purchased under this program were cancelled. The Company has repurchased 3,409,300 shares under this repurchase program during the year ended December 31, 2010. A charge of $1,741,947 was recorded in additional paid in capital for the excess of the purchase price over the carrying value of the common shares. The NCIB terminated upon the commencement of the modified Dutch Tender Offer that was announced on September 17, 2010 as described in the paragraph above. On November 11, 2011 we commenced an NCIB which authorized the repurchase up to 3,840,000 shares of our common stock. During Fiscal 2011 we repurchased 23,765 of our common shares under the NCIB at an average purchase price of $0.78 per share, for a total of $18,442. The purchase price and all transaction costs were funded from available cash. All shares repurchased under the NCIB were immediately retired. This NCIB was suspended upon the commencement of the modified Dutch auction tender offer on December 15, 2011.

Note 8 - Common shares:

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2011

8. Common shares:

The Company’s authorized common share capital is 250 million common shares without nominal or par value. On December 31, 2011, there were 53,497,584 common shares outstanding.

Repurchase of common shares:

(a) Modified Dutch Tender Offers:

On January 13, 2010, the Company announced that it successfully concluded a modified “Dutch auction tender offer” that was previously announced on December 14, 2009. Under the terms of the offer, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 6,341,470 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $0.70 per share, for a total of $4,439,029, excluding transaction costs of $51,957. The purchase price was funded from available cash. Of the 6,341,470 shares purchased, 5,000,000 were shares the Company offered to purchase in the offer and 1,341,470 where shares purchased pursuant to the Company’s right to purchase up to an additional 2% of the shares outstanding immediately prior to the commencement of the tender offer. Due to over-subscription, the final proration factor for shares tendered at or below $0.70 per share was approximately 99.9%. For this purpose, shares tendered at $0.70 per share included shares tendered by those persons who indicated, in their letter of transmittal, that they were willing to accept the price determined in the offer. All shares purchased in the tender offer received the same price and all shares repurchased were immediately retired.

On October 13, 2010, the Company announced that it successfully concluded a modified Dutch auction tender offer that was previously announced September 17, 2010. Under the terms of the offer, the Company repurchased an aggregate of 3,913,570 shares of its common stock at a purchase price of $0.70 per share, for a total of $2,739,499, excluding transaction costs of $52,802. The purchase price was funded from available cash. Of the 3,913,570 shares purchased, 2,900,000 were shares the Company offered to purchase in the offer and 1,013,570 where shares purchased pursuant to the Company’s right to purchase up to an additional 2% of the shares outstanding immediately prior to the commencement of the tender offer. All shares purchased in the tender offer received the same price and all shares repurchased were immediately retired.

(b) Normal Course Issuer Bids:

On February 16, 2010, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $10 million of the Company’s common stock at the Company’s discretion under a normal course issuer bid (“NCIB”). The common shares purchased under this program were cancelled. The Company has repurchased 3,409,300 shares under this repurchase program during the year ended December 31, 2010. A charge of $1,741,947 was recorded in additional paid in capital for the excess of the purchase price over the carrying value of the common shares. The NCIB terminated upon the commencement of the modified Dutch Tender Offer that was announced on September 17, 2010 as described in the paragraph above.

On November 11, 2011 we commenced an NCIB which authorized the repurchase up to 3,840,000 shares of our common stock. During Fiscal 2011 we repurchased 23,765 of our common shares under the NCIB at an average purchase price of $0.78 per share, for a total of $18,442. The purchase price and all transaction costs were funded from available cash. All shares repurchased under the NCIB were immediately retired. This NCIB was suspended upon the commencement of the modified Dutch auction tender offer on December 15, 2011.