Don’t expect a pandemic to slow down the NFL

The league has a new deal with players, free-agency frenzy begins this week and big-time bargaining for TV rights is on the horizon

Don’t expect a pandemic to slow down the NFLThe National Football League has always thought it doesn’t play by the same rules as everyone else, so it shouldn’t be a total shock that – in the midst of a global pandemic – the league announced its new collective bargaining agreement with players that will take it through 2030. It also announced that it…

The don’ts and dos on coronavirus

The current president of the U.S. Doctors for Disaster Preparedness offers her advice on dealing with the coronavirus pandemic

The don’ts and dos on coronavirusSome of the views expressed here are controversial. So, do ask your doctor. Don’t panic. That is always good advice. If you, like the world’s economy, operate on just-in-time inventories, and did not take advice to stock up three weeks ago, do not join a mob at a big-box store. Somebody there is no doubt…

What leaders really need is a healthy dose of decency

We need leaders who are smart, recognize people’s needs and do something positive to meet them

What leaders really need is a healthy dose of decencyNews about the COVID-19 virus has gone viral. Media coverage, ever-changing and often contradictory, screams at us from all directions. It inundates us as we work from home, self-isolate or have isolation thrust upon us. At times like this, we would do well to remember that life continues beyond the pandemic, even if the current…

We can’t afford to be casual about COVID-19

The coronavirus won’t be here forever but we need to take preventive measures now to minimize it’s impact in Canada

We can’t afford to be casual about COVID-19It seems like only yesterday we were discussing the Wet’suwet’en solidarity blockades, Teck Resources’ withdrawal from a $20-billion oil sands project and the Ontario teachers’ strike. These issues (and others) have mostly been placed on the back burner due to the coronavirus, or COVID-19. This global pandemic started back in late December 2019. Chinese health…

How to keep it together when everything is falling apart

In the face of the coronavirus, keep perspective. Focus on what matters and what you can control. Strive for a sense of well-being. And stay busy

How to keep it together when everything is falling apartI remember writing about personal and leadership resilience during the financial crisis. I guess the good news is, until now, we haven’t had an event so universally significant and impactful to test us. But here we are again. Unlike the financial crisis, where it was (just) about money, this time it will be – at…

Will a pandemic and an oil price war bring cheaper food?

The global economy is being hammered. The good news is consumers may see cheaper food prices but there’s a big, dark cloud on the horizon

Will a pandemic and an oil price war bring cheaper food?Most analysts agree that the oil price war is only beginning. Abundant cheap oil will impact the entire agri-food market, from farm gate to plate. And the coronavirus pandemic is compounding what’s already a fragile global economy. The pandemic and the oil price war caused a massive sell-off in equity and crude oil markets this…

Recession-proof businesses that survive and thrive

Cuts in staff are often followed by a reduction in service, followed by a loss of more customers. It's a losing cycle

Recession-proof businesses that survive and thriveIn 1988, I approached successful land developer Louis Matte to see if he would be interested in investing in a medical supply business. He told me he wanted to start a religious book store, but we could combine them and he would invest if there was an opportunity to add a business that was recession…

Blowing coronavirus all out of proportion

Politicians and sports officials, wary of a negative media broadside, are taking no chances about infection. If they have to hobble the economy, then so be it

Blowing coronavirus all out of proportionLike dominoes, high-profile sports and cultural events are falling to the spectre of the coronavirus threat. The 2020 World Women’s Championship of hockey in Halifax was cancelled last weekend. This week’s Indian Wells ATP/WTA tennis tournament has been cancelled over the perceived coronavirus threat. The LPGA cancelled an entire three-event swing through Asia. Chicago State…

We must attack the coronavirus at its root

Though any deaths from a fast-spreading new disease can be frightening, panic isn’t justified. Most cases are mild and of short duration

We must attack the coronavirus at its rootI led a trade delegation in Guangdong, China, in December 2002. Business and life carried on as usual even though a new disease, SARS, had begun infecting and killing people in the province a month earlier. As visiting Canadians, we weren’t worried at all because we knew absolutely nothing about the epidemic and had never…