Canadian NGOs are back!

Canadian NGOs are back!

WSIC teamed up with the Toronto Branch of the Canadian International Council for our February event on the State of International Development.  With a new government in Ottawa and a more NGO friendly climate, WSIC and CIC looked at what’s next for Canadian NGOs.

Luke Stocking, the Central Ontario Animator for Development and Peace, Melissa Matlow, Legislative and Public Affairs Manager at World Animal Protection, and Nikki Whaites, Deputy Director of International Programs for War Child Canada joined the panel.

Luke Stocking started the evening by highlighting …

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The Sharing Economy

The Sharing Economy

In November, Why Should I Care was happy to have a large panel to discuss the sharing economy, the role of government and what can be done for the future.

 

The varied panel included Noah Zon from the Mowat Centre, Liam McGuinty from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Ashley Csanady and Hamid Akbari, CEO of BlancRide.

 

Noah began the event by giving a general definition of sharing economy. The sharing economy can be either the sharing of assets for a short-term basis or the idea of …

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Ontario’s business of Booze

Ontario’s business of Booze

The Star’s Martin Regg Cohn joined us for a thought-provoking discussion politics of alcohol in Ontario back in May. Cohn noted that while most people are not interested in Ontario politics, they are interested in beer. However, Cohn situated the discussion as from a policy perspective.

This topic is always a hotly debated topic, as many Ontarians remain unaware that the Beer Store is controlled by multinationals that are largely based outside of Canada. A recent investigative piece by the Mr. Cohn in the Toronto Star …

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The Value of Public Broadcasting

The Value of Public Broadcasting

On September 21st, WSIC had Carmel Smyth, president of the Canadian Media Guild, and Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda speak about the role of public broadcasters in the age of the internet and social media.

CBC was created in 1932 by R. B. Bennett to keep American penetration to a minimum.  Almost all developed nations have a public broadcaster but Canada might be the only one to do it in English, French, plus 8 native languages.

While social media is great at spreading news quickly, …

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Time to move the childcare debate forward

Time to move the childcare debate forward

On Monday, July 20th, WSIC audience members met at our new venue The Madison to discuss the often contentious and very important topic of child care.  With Federal elections fast approaching, WSIC was fortunate to host and engage three experts in this field for an evening of productive dialogue: Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy and Government Relations Coordinator of Ontario Coalition for Better Child Carem Martha Friendly, Executive Director of the Childcare Resource and Research Unit, and Andrea Mrozek, Executive Director at the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada.

Andrea …

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The Energy From Waste debate needs to be had

The Energy From Waste debate needs to be had

As cities grow and demands on our time increase, invariably, we opt for convenience when available. This applies to waste and usually means an increase in single use disposable items such as prepared food containers, packaged chemical cleaning solutions and other such functional products. Most of our materials can’t be recycled and a great deal ends up in the great Pacific garbage patch as shipping containers fall off ships with our plastic “recycling” bound for China. Many countries in the world have already led the …

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The Complications of Basic Income

The Complications of Basic Income

WSIC participants turned up in force to the Wind-Up Bird on March 16th, keen to listen and participate on the powerful discussion of basic income rights in Canada.  Our expert panel consisted of Sheila Regehr, of Basic Income Canada, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring everyone has sufficient income to meet basic needs and live with dignity, and Jonathan Sas, Director of Research at the Broadbent Institute.

Sheila acknowledged that on one level, the concept of basic income is easy to grasp, and yet on another level …

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