CUI Event: Getting Older, Getting Wiser – Building Communities for an Aging Population
The Canadian Urban Institute, in collaboration with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, BILD and the Ontario Seniors Secretariat present an Urban Leadership Session:
Getting Older, Getting Wiser –
Building Communities for an Aging Population
Friday, April 13, 2012
7:30- 11:30 a.m.
Ted Rogers School of Management
55 Dundas Street West
When the World Health Organization’s Age Friendly Communities (AFC) concept was introduced in Canada some five years ago, one of the first municipalities to acknowledge the need as well as the opportunity was the City of Mississauga. Their award-winning Older Adults Strategy was the result of inter-departmental cooperation and unprecedented collaboration with the seniors community. Determining a city’s role is not straightforward, and the City of Toronto is currently developing its own responses to the impact of rapidly changing demographics. With Baby Boomers turning 65, the design of housing that works for all ages, and retrofitting suburbs built when mobility was defined by the car, are issues now actively being addressed by developers, their consultants and industry associations such as BILD and Canadian Home Builders Association. These important issues are also top of mind for provincial and federal government departments. The Ontario Seniors Secretariat is coordinating the AFC file on behalf of the government of Ontario, while the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is working with public health agencies and seniors secretariats across the country to promote implementation of AFC. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) also recognizes the profound impact our aging population will bring. As such CMHC is engaged in aging issues at all scales from barrier-free design to providing research on the Impacts of the Canadian Population on Housing and Communities. The World Health Organization has declared that the focus of World Health Day in 2012 is the aging of the world’s population: join us for a timely, highly practical assessment of the challenges, barriers and opportunities linked to the development of age-friendly communities.
Keynote speaker: Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga
Session chair: Juanita Dobson, Assistant Deputy Minister – Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat
With commentary from an expert panel, including:
- Victor Fiume, Fiume Custom Homes (and past president of CHBA and OHBA)
- Dena Warman, MCIP, RPP, Policy Development Officer with the Social Development, Finance & Administration Division, City of Toronto
- Dave McLean, President, GTA Homebuilding, Mattamy Homes
- Representative, CMHC
Event Fee: Member – .00; Non-Member – 0.00
Martin Prosperity Institute Blog
Call for Nominations: Canadian Urban Institute’s Urban Leadership Awards
The March 2nd nomination deadline for the Canadian Urban Institute‘s ninth annual Urban Leadership Awards is fast approaching! If you know an individual or organization who is improving the quality of life in your city, recognize them with a nomination today! The award ceremony will be held on June 8th, 2012 at the Toronto Board of Trade.
Winners will be profiled in specially commissioned videos, which will reflect the achievements and impacts of each winning individual or group. Watch the videos of the 2011 winners on the CanurbOrg Youtube channel, or click on the photos below to see two of the winners from 2011.
The Urban Leadership Awards (ULA) Program is an annual initiative designed to recognize those who have made significant contributions to improving the quality of life in Canada’s cities and urban regions. ULA recipients define the very nature of “leadership” and can be organizations, groups or individuals who demonstrate a calling and a vision, tenacity, creativity, energy and drive. These characteristics combined with the ability to engage others, are what distinguish ULA recipients from the mainstream.
The nomination deadline is Friday, March 2nd, 2012. Recognize an individual, group or organization that has made an outstanding contribution by submitting a nomination under one of the following award categories: City Soul, Local Hero, Global City, Innovation, Prosperity, Renewal, Safety/Resilience, and Youth.
How to Nominate:
Download the Nomination Form from our website
Return completed nomination form and supplementary material to urbanleadershipawards@canurb.org
For information about the 2011 award recipients, you can download the press release, or watch our videos, which were specially commissioned to reflect the achievements and impacts of each winning individual or group.
Martin Prosperity Institute Blog
MaRS Launches Startup City Infographic
Check out this cool map created by our friends at MaRS – a mashup of data from MaRS Advisory Services and StartupNorth’s Index to map the concentration of startups located across Toronto.
Martin Prosperity Institute Blog
Anthony Hatch Covers Day Two at Logistics 2012
The second day is as busy as the first, starting with a concise and impassioned speech calling for a national freight policy – a return to the eras of the “Big Build-Outs” – from BNSF Chairman Matt Rose. With the vast majority in the great hall still suffering PTSD after the Great Recession, a call for long term investment fell on, if not deaf, then less than fully enthusiastic ears. More’s the pity – an infrastructure crisis is closer than it may now appear in the rear view mirror. Also heard and discussed today:
- Further endorsement of the “slow – but steady – economic growth” thesis, from among others, the audience at the Auburn Retail Logistics presentation – 70%+ thought that 2012 sales would be “modestly better” than 2011
- Near Sourcing roundtables reiterate one of the underlying themes in global logistics – it’s complicated – but clearly there is something happening here, beyond naïve political sound-bites. Mexico is a clear and obvious winner, even if the great strides in rail there seem to have gone unnoticed by this (retail) segment.
- Some here think that 2015 might be the inflection point between rising Chinese costs (mostly labor but also FX and transport) will surpass the US cost for manufacturing; that seems aggressive.
- On the other hand, China isn’t going anywhere. It has built up skill sets (including management that lets it near source itself, into Viet Nam and Cambodia, etc – and into the Chinese interior, where wages become once again very, very conmpetitive) and logistical infrastructure that are unsurpassed (compared to, say, Haiti); in addition no one wants to abandon the China (and nearby) market itself.
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Filed under Employment | Tags: 2012, Anthony, Covers, Hatch, Logistics | Comment (0)Casey Chroust on What’s Happening at Logistics 2012 [VIDEO]
RILA’s EVP of Retail Operations, Casey Chroust, gives an overview of the must-attend sessions and events happening at Logistics 2012.
If you haven’t registered, the RILA Logistics Conference is retail’s annual supply chain conference and is happening Feb 19-22 in Dallas, Texas this year. To learn more visit rila.org/Logistics.
We look forward to seeing you in Dallas!
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Filed under Employment | Tags: 2012, Casey, Chroust, Happening, Logistics, Video, What’s | Comment (0)RILA’s Free Mobile App for LOGISTICS 2012
Visit the Logistics Conference on your smartphone!
Navigate retail’s supply chain conference, Logistics 2012 with your fingertips!
Insiders’ Guide: Hear from the Logistics 2012 blog team, comprised of supply chain’s leaders, who will be adding their video and written blog posts throughout the Conference.
Buzz Feed: Keep up & share your the latest Logistics 2012 news on Twitter via hashtag #RILAlogistics.
Calendar: Organize your day by adding a session from the Agenda to your Schedule. The “Going on Now” tab allows you to easily find out where the action is taking place.
Surveys & Polling: Help shape the Conference and future conferences by evaluating sessions and participating in live polling events.
Exhibitors, Sponsors, Speakers, & the Exhibit Hall: Save time by researching who’s at the Conference and where to find them all while on the go.
To download the app, scan the QR code below from your mobile device, or search “RILA Logistics” in the Android or Apple iTunes stores.
Can’t scan? Visit http://rila2012.quickmobile.mobi.
Also- download the RILA Logistics Spotify Playlist to hear some supply chain-themed travel tunes!
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Filed under Employment | Tags: 2012, Free, Logistics, mobile, RILA’s | Comment (0)Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity to Release Working Paper on Small Business, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
Join us as Roger Martin, Chairman of the Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity and Dean of the Joseph L. Rotman School of Management releases our working paper on small business, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
The event will be held on February 23, 8:00-10:30 am at The Royal Sutton Ballroom at The Sutton Place Hotel in Toronto.
Introducing Roger at the release will be Doug Brooks, CEO of CGA Ontario.
At the release will be a panel consisting of a leading researcher on entrepreneurship and two CEOs of successful, innovative firms:
- Ajay Agrawal, Professor of entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity at the Rotman School
- Bud Morris, President of Canada’s Best Store Fixtures – a Profit Hot 50 company
- Harry Zarek, President & CEO of Compugen – one of Canada’s largest privately-owned IT services providers and PC systems integrators
This working paper is made possible by funding support from the Certified General Accountants of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation.
To register for the event, click here. The event is free of charge, but spaces are limited.
Martin Prosperity Institute Blog
What Today’s Unemployment Report Means for Retail
By Brian Dodge, senior vice president, communications & state affairs at RILA
Today’s unemployment data is sure to be the top news story for the next 24 hours. I a little retail detail was in order as well as an explanation why RILA will continue to harp on the need for government to help, not hurt, businesses trying to create jobs.
The retail jobs numbers have been relatively positive over the past year. Last month, while job growth was uneven across the industry, the net gain was positive. While department stores and general merchandise stores added 19,400 and 15,000 jobs respectively, specialty clothing stores lost 13,600 jobs. In total, 10,500 new retail jobs were created last month. That’s good news and speaks to consumers spending and retailers investing again, but context is important.
The retail industry’s highest level of unemployment was in January of 2008 when the industry employed 15.6 million Americans. Retail employment bottomed out 24 months later in December 2009 at 14.4 million jobs, a net loss of 1.2 million retail jobs. Slow gains since then have resulted in the creation of roughly 380,000 jobs since December 2009, showing a total net loss from the 2008 high of about 830,000 retail jobs.
The chart below shows the trends over the past 4 years.
Bureau of Labor Statistics Data
One last point. Next week, RILA will announce its top legislative priorities for 2012. Closing the sales tax loophole that benefits non-store retailers, like Amazon.com, at the expense of brick and mortar retailers is number one. According to today’s data, of the 14.4 million U.S. workers employed in retail, 14 million of them work for stores with a physical presence.
That means the government sponsored loophole helps 2.7 percent of retail workers at the expense of 97.3 percent. Just sayin’… Time to close the loophole!
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Filed under Employment | Tags: Means, report, Retail, Today’s, Unemployment | Comment (0)A Look at Logistics 2012 with Lowe’s Mike Mabry [Video]
Mike Mabry, Executive Vice President of Logistics & Distribution for Lowe’s Companies, Inc. met with RILA earlier this year to discuss what’s in store for the Logistics 2012 Conference happening in Dallas, Texas on February 19-22.
There’s still time to register!
Join the conversation on Twitter at @RILAtweets or #RILAlogistics.
Retail Industry Leaders Association
Filed under Employment | Tags: 2012, Logistics, Look, Lowe’s, Mabry, Mike, Video | Comment (0)Call for Papers: Revisiting territoriality in the Experience Economy
CALL FOR PAPERS
Workshop title:
Revisiting territoriality in the Experience Economy: Territorial labour markets, networks, and institutional frameworks
Date: 13.-14. September 2012
Venue: Centre for Regional and Tourism Research, Bornholm, Denmark
Abstract submission deadline: June 15, 2012
Paper submission deadline: September 1, 2012
For further information:
kl@crt.dk or visit www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk or download the Call for Papers
Martin Prosperity Institute Blog