Comments for The Calgary Chamber of Commerce

Comment on Global Employment Trends Meets Talent Crunch by Doug Wagner

Doug Wagner — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:04:48 +0000

Outsourcing is happening all the time. Sometimes it means offshore and sometimes it means locally.

Obviously the occupations that are protected by strong professional organizations or unions will remain in demand as will those that require you to be on location.

What should mom and dad be saying. You can be anything you want, not just what is in shortage right now. Just be really good at what you do, train yourself to learn and upgrade your skills all the time and be willing change direction many times in your life.

To compete globally we need excellent software developers and information technology practitioners… mediocre is no longer acceptable, even for offshore. There is always work for the best.

Comment on World feels heat in Copenhagen by Lorne

Lorne — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 23:56:10 +0000

Heather – great story that makes a good point. Of course, I somewhat biased being of Danish descent.

Comment on Pandemic Planning Toolkit for Business by Trent Johnsen

Trent Johnsen — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:24:38 +0000

Having GlaxoSmithKline provide funding for an influenza response strategy is like asking Dairy Queen for your weight loss management program. It’s been reassuring to see that 58% of Albertans are choosing not to receive the flu vaccine despite the media, government and in this case the Chamber’s endorsement of the pharmaceutical industry’s marketing (propaganda) campaigns. Check out: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/13/Dr-Oz-Helps-Shill-the-Flu-Vaccine.aspx
for an informed alternative approach to dealing with influenza.

Comment on Playing chicken with royalties by Trent Johnsen

Trent Johnsen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:14:41 +0000

More chickens will indeed come home to roost and we’ll recognize that our collective “vision” did not extend much past our nose. In spite of some inspired leadership on the part of the Honourable Peter Loughheed many years ago with the founding of the Heritage Trust Fund, Alberta, unlike Norway and even that bastion of free market capitalism to the north, Alaska, has completely squandered the opportunity for all Alberta citizens to enjoy long term benefits from our non-renewable resources. We’ve chosen instead to let the wealth flow to an elite minority of energy company shareholders and foreign owners while Alberta workers and dry-cleaners continue to toil away at real income levels that haven’t risen since the early 1980’s. According to U.S. Govt. Accountability Office data, Albertans receive among the lowest royalties in the world at 39%, well behind not only Norway at 76%, but many US states at 53 to 57%, and the UK at 52%. Not only do we as Alberta citizens receive among the lowest royalty rates in the world, we then give the politicians (provincial & federal) of the day free unfettered access to the tax and royalty revenues which they promptly spend to try and keep the citizens happy and stay in power. The net result is a provincial economy completely dependent on a short term windfall from non-renewable resources.
The effects of all the wonderful growth and wealth creation the Chamber seems so supportive of has been growth of traffic congestion, taxes, health care wait times, urban sprawl, prices, divorce and illness.
Real community leadership understands the difference between standard of living and quality of life.

Comment on Playing chicken with royalties by Bob McInnis

Bob McInnis — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:38:36 +0000

Unfortunately, the fable doesn’t hold true to the current situation. Chickens have a way of reproducing themselves and therefore is a renewable resource. Our oil and gas resource is limited (regardless of whether you believe peak oil extremists or energy enthusiasts) and requires that we consider how we can leverage the resource revenue into mthe future. I support “getting our fair share” for my 10 grandchildren and their as yet unborn children. I support not squandering our asset to build a bigger, more expensive mansion today. I don’t know what fair share might look like but I am thankful that we have tested the market before the plug was pulled and everything was drained at bargain basement prices. Despite the disaster rhetoric of many, our economy will recover, investment will return, and I hope invetsors and that citizens will work out what a fair share truly represents.

Having taken the current stance, I urge the government not to panic and sell the farm – chicken coop and all.

Comment on Riding the rails means parking the cars by sandrar

sandrar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:05:34 +0000

Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. Cheers! Sandra. R.

Comment on EI Equality Needed by Bob McInnis

Bob McInnis — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:30:51 +0000

Heather,

I agree that the EI system is misnamed and seriously flawed. Any short term program that proposes to allow participants to collect for almost a full year is unsustainable (including maternity benefits). Extended unemployment situations should not be supported by employee/employer contributions but through designated social supports. EI should not be an incentive to idleness and therefore I agree that wait times, and payouts should remain the same.
Support fellow citizens in a time of need is something that I do every day but we cannot rob resources from EI to cover the costs. We need to make governments transparent and accountable in how they use all the ‘taxes’ we provide them.

Comment on Poverty cycle must be broken by Bob McInnis

Bob McInnis — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:27:18 +0000

For many Aboriginal students the playing feild isn’t level. Poor nutrition leads to reduced attention, uneven attendance, poor health and lower academic performance. There are 27,000 kids in Calgary who are never sure where their next meal is coming from and children from urban Aboriginal families are disproportionatly represented.
Ensuring that a completely nutritious meal is part of their day will go a long way to breaking the cycle.

Comment on The public purse isn’t bottomless by Bob McInnis

Bob McInnis — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:06:35 +0000

Having just returned from the UK this week after a month of visiting Scotland and England, I need to say that British politicians need to relearn those lessons. The House of Lords expense scandal aside, I saw a country in complete disarray. Young people living in free council housing receiving benefit from government with no sense of hope. The recent Eurpean Union elections saw protectionists and racists elected. Mom and Pop’s and large corporations are closing or ‘making redundant’ 1000’s of people. A PM who is weeker than a lame duck and no viable opposition is leading by spending.
People are suffering under real and imagined burdens and the economy has gone stagnant because the nanny state has eroded community, prosperity, and initiative.
While I certainly didn’t agree with all of Maggie’s tactics, I surely agree with the quote ““Government officials sometimes believe they have recourse to a bottomless public purse.”

Comment on We’re on right Plan It by Louis Poirier

Louis Poirier — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:57:29 +0000

I’m glad to see the business community is backing a long term vision. That they realize how urban sprawl is unsustainable and will end up costing tax payers more in the end.