Trust requires consistency and transparency. It must be understandable. And we need regulations that protect the public
The big success stories of our time have scaled at exponential rates – Facebook, Amazon, Apple and the other ‘super bigs’ relentlessly enlarge themselves. When something scales, however, the mix of characteristics, benefits, and costs of a business or organization may scale with it. In contemporary life, the tools that business, research and social interaction…
To make shopping local the norm, we need to think less about transaction efficiency and more about enjoyment
Chances are you’ve seen or heard some sort of promotion about the value of shopping local – especially with so many of us in gift-buying mode now. Business improvement areas, chambers of commerce and other organizations tell us when we buy from shops near home, we’re voting for our community. The logic is generally sound…
But it’s far more likely that the institutions at neighbourhood levels are better positioned to address key aspects of loneliness
Since her January appointment as the United Kingdom’s minister of loneliness, Tracey Crouch has started work on a multimillion-dollar fund of anti-loneliness programs. That’s spurred debate about whether Canada and other countries should follow suit. While social isolation deserves our attention, a new federal minister may not be the answer. A growing body of research…
If we’re not careful, we may recognize too late how critical they are in dealing with the ever-shifting social stresses of modern life
If any one religious congregation disappeared from your city, would your community and city be better or worse off? There are Canadians who think it would be better if they did disappear, like old relics that have become burdensome, even embarrassing. The think-tank Cardus published the results of research that examined the question through The…
Many forms of caring and cultural enrichment need lots of dedicated people to be fully realized and charities multiply the common good
Imagine you're the crew of a ship sailing from Italy to Canada. You arrive in Hamilton, Ont., only to discover that complications related to the sale of your vessel means it's in limbo in the harbour, you with it. Who will look after you? This happened to the crew of the 9,000-ton Italian freighter Ardita in April.…
Human connections play a profound role in solving our most pressing problems
A complex, invisible but powerful web of relations profoundly shape us from individual to city levels. But how do we foster these relations? Organizations like the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are helping to answer the question, to the betterment of us all. My exposure to the FCM began in 2001 as a newly elected…
Religious settings are very important for charitable giving and generate a huge amount of significant community outreach
Statistics Canada's Charitable Giving by Individuals report is an important look at charitable acts in this nation. The notion of charity has long been associated with sacrificing oneself for the sake of others. It is an antidote to selfish absorption, careless distraction and mindless accumulation. It is a response of gratitude; reflecting that however little we have, it can actually grow when shared…
The complex networks of relationships that make up the deep operating system of our common lives is being taken for granted
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities will no doubt attract significant media interest at its upcoming annual conference with calls for great physical infrastructure spending. Indeed, even before it kicks off its gathering in Edmonton from June 5 to 8, the FCM has already won well-deserved attention for a report showing Canada is $123 billion behind…
The big success stories of our time have scaled at exponential rates – Facebook, Amazon, Apple and the other ‘super bigs’ relentlessly enlarge themselves. When something scales, however, the mix of characteristics, benefits, and costs of a business or organization may scale with it. In contemporary life, the tools that business, research and social interaction…
