Profitably Sustainable – By Michael

Profitably Sustainable – By Michael
Post Date June 28, 2013
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Category Economy, Environment

Sustainability or going green is economically beneficial.  It is not just about saving whales and polar bears. There exists huge business opportunities.  Jim Harris, former leader of the federal Green party, thinks going green can be economically beneficial.  For him it’s not just about saving the planet it can save businesses.  Energy efficiency creates many times more jobs than the existing ways of doing business.  Typically, those companies that realize and implement sustainability programs first are those that survive and thrive.  When the price of …

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Doing nothing to the Gardiner is too costly – By Fred

Doing nothing to the Gardiner is too costly – By Fred
Post Date April 17, 2013
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Category Cities, Municipalities

On April 15, Calvin Brook, an urban designer and planner with Brook McIlroy and Dr Eric Miller, a civil engineering professor at the University of Toronto, led our discussion on the state and future of the Gardiner Expressway. The issues at stake are transportation and urban design.
We started with a litany of facts: at peak times a lane on the Gardiner carries 2000 cars per hour, with 1.2 people per car, and three lanes in each direction. So we get to about 7200 people per …

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Pros and Cons of a Casino in Toronto

Pros and Cons of a Casino in Toronto
Post Date March 28, 2013
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Category Uncategorized

There was a large and lively crowd on Monday to hear a strong discussion about the Toronto Casino proposal.

Rosario Marchese, MPP of Trinity-Spadina (a downtown riding often proposed as a location for the casino), started the evening off with some arguments against a putting a casino so close to residential neighbourhoods.  Residents of Liberty Village are worried that a casino at the Ex would “suck the life out” of the area.  While Casinos themselves are often vibrant, businesses around them do not remain so.  Over …

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Pension Discussion Summary

Pension Discussion Summary
Post Date December 04, 2012
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Category Economy, Financial, Uncategorized

Money. We love it. We hate it. We need it. Planning on growing old? You’re definitely going to need it. How much? Some say about $2 million.

No matter what your take on the issue, our governments are trying to encourage us to save on our own for retirement rather than expecting our employer, or future governments to pick up the tab. The federal government has been floating the idea of Pooled Registered Pension Plans (PRPPs).

At WSIC’s November 19th meeting at the Duke of York, pension …

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Pensions: What’s left for the youth?

Pensions: What’s left for the youth?
Post Date October 29, 2012
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Category Uncategorized

Pension coverage is shrinking. It’s an open secret that today’s young people are looking at retirements less prosperous than their parents enjoyed. The have and have-nots of tomorrow will be defined by who does and doesn’t have a pension.

The federal government has proposed a new pension scheme: pooled registered pension plans (PRPPs). In a paper published by the C.D. Howe Institute, in August, James Pierlot explained why this scheme will do little for the middle class and in fact could put many Canadians in a worse financial position.

With …

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Food Labelling – Summary by Chris E

Post Date October 22, 2012
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Category Economy, Environment, Food, Uncategorized

Last Monday’s WSIC meeting focused on something near and dear to all our hearts—and even nearer to our stomachs:

Food.

What’s really in the food we eat? And why do Canadians, living in one of the most well regulated countries in the world, still feel the need to ask this? WSIC’s guest speaker, Ken Whitehurst, executive director of the Consumer Council of Canada, had some opinions about that, and so did our audience.

“Do you see any positive movement toward better labeling of genetically modified foods?” asked one …

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Food Labelling – Do we know enough?

Post Date September 24, 2012
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Many processed foods contain ingredients certain people can’t eat. But those ingredients must be listed right on the package. Does that mean we have the knowledge we need to protect ourselves?

If you’ve got food-specific allergies or dietary restrictions, you probably know the answer. Too often, vague label descriptors like “natural flavour” disguise ingredients we try to avoid. Unfamiliar words like “casein” replace commonplace ones like “milk.” Making an informed decision about what we eat is harder than it needs to be.

On the evening of Monday, …

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