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                                                                   EXHIBIT 10.44

[SMARTSOURCES.COM{TM} LOGO]


                              EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT


July 21, 2000

Aurora Davidson
303-12368 Melville St.
Vancouver, BC


"PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL"


Dear Aurora:

This letter will confirm your terms of employment with SmartSources.com
Technologies Inc. ("SmartSources.com"). Please note that the functions listed
below are not all inclusive and may at the sole discretion of SmartSources.com
be changed to fit the business needs of SmartSources.com. At present, the
details are as follows:

POSITION

Your position with SmartSources.com will be that of CONTROLLER, SECRETARY AND
TREASURER. You will report to Nathan Nifco, Chairman, President and CEO.

INTRODUCTORY PERIOD

This contract acknowledges that your employment with SmartSources.com started on
January 5, 1998, and that upon successful completion of a performance evaluation
period you were granted a permanent employment contract on April 5, 1998.

WAGES OR SALARY

Your salary will be $7,500 per month to be paid in semi-monthly installments
(the "Base Salary").

EXPENSES

In accordance with policies formulated by SmartSources.com from time to time,
you will be reimbursed for all reasonable traveling and other business expenses
actually and properly incurred by you in connection with the performance of your
duties and functions. For all such expenses, you will be required to keep proper
accounts and to furnish statements and receipts to SmartSources.com within 30
days after the date the expenses are incurred.


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BENEFITS

Benefits are currently provided through The Great-West Life Assurance Company.
The type of benefits provided to you, or the carrier providing those benefits,
may change from time to time depending on the terms negotiated by
SMARTSOURCES.COM with its benefits carrier. The following list of benefits are
currently available:

         X        Extended medical plan.
         X        Dental plan.
         X        Long-term disability insurance
         X        Life insurance

Please complete the enclosed applications for benefits. You are responsible for
your own Provincial Medical Plan premiums.

VACATION

You are entitled to 3 weeks of annual vacation per year of employment with
SMARTSOURCES.COM to be taken at such time may be arranged with your immediate
supervisor. SMARTSOURCES.COM'S policy is to have all employees take their
vacation time in the year earned.

CONFIDENTIALITY & ASSIGNMENT OF INVENTIONS

The terms of the Employee Confidentiality & Assignment of Inventions Agreement
(attached hereto) shall form part of this Employment Agreement, and any breach
of the Employee Confidentiality & Assignment of Inventions Agreement shall be
deemed a breach of this Agreement.

TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

It is agreed that any termination of your employment shall occur on the
following basis:

         $        without notice by SMARTSOURCES.COM if just cause for
                  termination exists, or

         $        you may resign on giving SMARTSOURCES.COM 1 month written
                  notice of the effective date of your resignation. On receipt
                  of your notice of resignation, SMARTSOURCES.COM may elect to
                  pay you 1 month Base Salary in lieu of notice, in which case
                  your employment will terminate immediately upon receipt of
                  such payment;

         $        at any time by either party, if there is a material breach
                  of the terms of this agreement, or

         $        by SMARTSOURCES.COM at any time, for any reason whatsoever, on
                  payment to you of compensation for length of service in
                  accordance with the requirements of the British Columbia
                  Employment Standards Act in force at the time of your
                  termination. For greater certainty SMARTSOURCES.COM'S maximum
                  liability to you for wrongful dismissal, severance pay, or
                  payment in lieu of notice shall be limited to payment of the
                  amount as specified in the British Columbia Employment
                  Standard Act.

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     $    you acknowledge and agree that in the event of termination of your
          employment, you will not be entitled to any claim against
          SmartSources.com for loss, damages or any other remedy with respect
          to the loss of any right to exercise stock options which would have
          vested and become exercisable at any time after your last day of work
          for SmartSources.com. your right to exercise any stock options vested
          as of your last day of work for SmartSources.com shall be strictly
          limited by the terms set out in the stock option plan or agreement. In
          consideration of these limited rights you hereby expressly release
          SmartSources.com from all claims, demands, damages, actions or causes
          of action of any sort which you may have with respect to the loss of
          any right to exercise your stock options (or any part thereof) which
          would or might have vested or become exercisable at any time after
          your last day of work for SmartSources.com including without
          limitation the whole or any part of any stock options which would or
          might have become vested or exercisable during any period of
          reasonable notice deemed due to you on termination of your employment.

RULES & EMPLOYMENT POLICIES

You agree to be bound by SmartSources.com's rules and employment policies as
per the Employee Manual. Any failure to follow these rules or policies may lead
to discipline or dismissal for cause. It is further understood that
SmartSources.com may change such rules or policies from time to time by posting
such changes and providing you with a copy of any such new rules or policies.

GENERAL

Should your position, compensation or benefits change over time, it is agreed
that this Agreement shall be deemed to have been amended to incorporate such
changes. For greater certainty it is however confirmed that any changes to
your position, salary or benefits during your employment with SmartSources.com
shall not affect in any way the continued validity of the Confidentiality and
Termination provisions of this Agreement.

Please indicated your agreement with the terms and conditions of your
employment with SmartSources.com as outlined in this Agreement by signing and
returning a copy of this Agreement.

We hope you find that the above Agreement is to your satisfaction and we look
forward to your contribution to our team.

Yours truly,

SmartSources.com TECHNOLOGIES INC.


/s/ [ILLEGIBLE]
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ACCEPTED AND AGREED TO THIS 21 DAY OF JULY, 2000. I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT SET OUT IN THIS LETTER AGREEMENT.



/s/ [ILLEGIBLE]
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Signature of Employee