Where’s the Money?

One cannot pick up any newspaper without seeing a reminder that advances in technology are rapidly changing the way people now live and work. Canadians are as active in developing new ideas as any national group but are not as good when it comes to reaping the benefits of their future commercial developments.

Whoever wins the current election might be well advised to make changing this a priority because it is from ideas that jobs in manufacturing, distribution, and sales spring. Furthermore, one idea often leads to another, and the economic development process starts anew.

For all the encouraging information coming out about ground-breaking new developments, there seems to be an equal amount emerging about technology that is on the verge of production being sold to a large, often offshore, industrial or investment concern. In too many cases it means that the technology itself is exported and the highly skilled manufacturing jobs it generates are developed for other people. In other cases, the income derived from it benefits the offshore buyer, and not Canada.

If this is a matter of real concern, Canada’s tax system could stand reforming to allow for large scale capital assembly so that money created from peoples’ good ideas stays in the country to be used for the development of new businesses.  If any of the local candidates could use some suggestions for where the money could be used, they might consider the opportunities available in the forest products sector and their potential for new materials used in the construction of new housing.