Social and regular media likes simple labels. They like black and white. To reduce things to the simplest common denominator. Look at what is trending, there are few complex issues; in a world of 10 second sound bites, we have an illusion that we know what is right and wrong, what is happening. It is my personal opinion that despite all of the access to an incredible array of data, collectively we have never been less informed than we are right now.
Consider some of these recent things in the news …
Food waste in Canada is staggering, 58% of all of the food grown in Canada is wasted. The combined world-wide food waste if measured in terms of green house gas emissions would be the third largest emitter in the world. This at a time when vast numbers of people do not have enough to eat. Food insecurity exists in Canada, one in 7 Canadians do not have enough to eat.
Living wage, by definition a living wage is the amount of income in a particular region that a person requires to meet their basic needs. The amount varies from region to region because obviously it costs more to live in Vancouver than it does in Ferndale, Ontario. However, as a society we seem stuck on the concept that raising wages to that level will hurt the very people it is intended to help. The spin and propaganda on the subject is plentiful and contradictory. Many naysayers apply basic economic theory of supply and demand to justify their stance, when the issue is far more complicated than a simply x and y graph. I am a businessperson, a trained economist, but I realize that some things transcend profit and loss; and earning a living wage should be a right not a luxury in a country as wealthy as ours.
Safe and affordable housing, relying on private enterprise and the market to provide this kind of housing is doomed to failure; there is no incentive for them. Like a living wage, affordable housing has a different value in each region. Many of the low-income housing options across the country should be an embarrassment to each one of us. Issues with mold, substandard wiring and construction, fear of eviction; are commonplace. The current cost of housing is fueling food insecurity across the country, as people have to decide on whether to eat or pay the rent, which in many cases takes far more than the 30/40% recommended by government. In some cases, it is actually 80-100% of people’s available income.
Guaranteed personal income, the amount of money provided by our social assistance programs is not enough. On paper, it looks like an enormous figure, however at the street level or personal level it is is woefully inadequate. The “means” testing that is in place to ensure that “nobody takes advantage of the system” actually builds barriers to keep people trapped in poverty and must change. We are experiencing levels of multi-generational poverty in this country. A guaranteed personal income would give people a chance to break the cycle of poverty, give them the dignity to make choices, and contribute to society.
Supervised injection sites, my opinions on this topic have changed dramatically as I have learned more about this issue. Allowing people afflicted to have a safe supply and a safe place to inject would move this from the dark shadows and allow people to get the addiction help they need. This simple step would dramatically reduce the problems caused by reusing needles as well as allowing for the safe disposal of needles instead of having them left in public spaces. Ironically, having a supervised supply would reduce the influence and power of drug dealers who prey on these people.
Executive Compensation, whether private sector or public sector these salaries and benefits need to be capped at a certain multiplier of the average wage of their associates. People who make the case the high salaries are necessary to attract top talent are usually the same people who earn those wages and they are completely out of step with the reality that most people live in.
Human Trafficking, that it exists at all in 2021 is a crime and it should be called for what it really is … SLAVERY. It exists in every country and in every society.
The environment, as a society we continue to allow raw sewage to be drained into our lakes and rivers. Much of what we try to recycle still ends up in the landfills. We add to the economic cost of our waste by transporting our waste from one community to another. Perhaps an opportunity exists to outlaw landfills and legislate that as a society we recycle 100% of our waste. To become world leaders in recycling technology, instead of hiding the problem, we need embrace the problem and find ways to overcome the issue. There are many countries in the world that are doing just that.
Migrant workers, does anyone question the underlying issue of us as a society importing people from third world countries to harvest our fruit and vegetables because our producers cannot pay people here a living wage because we would not pay the extra expense for our groceries? Even for those producers who pay and treat their workers well, the entire premise should make people stop and think that there is something seriously wrong with this concept.
Lack of political cooperation and division hinders our democracy and our ability to overcome issues. The blame games and desire to ridicule obscures the purpose of building bipartisan support. Our political leaders have good ideas and they have bad ideas, but in an effort to score points or to “play to a certain base” we have somehow lost sight of the goal to build a better society.
Our lives and our society are too complicated for black and white solutions and one size does not fit all. The danger of making our issues simplistic allows rhetoric and slogans to blind ourselves to the fact that life is full of complexity and nuance.
As a business person, constructively debating, collaborating and dealing with each and everyone of these points would strengthen our society and would provide economic opportunities for growth of businesses. These are just a sampling of the social issues that we should be discussing as part of our economic plans. Social responsibility really is not mutually exclusive from economic growth.