Latest Policy Bytes

August 4, 2020 - Since February, the COVID-19 pandemic has undone many social fabrics holding communities together. The ability to physically visit friends and family members, as well as go out to different restaurants and businesses, has been severely limited. Our ability to travel locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally is even more restricted. With the implementation of physical distancing guidelines and travel restrictions, inevitably came a decrease in ridership among all transportation modes.

July 30, 2020 - When talking about protecting vulnerable communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, groups often discussed include the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. One population often overlooked is Indigenous peoples in Canada, especially those living on reserves. Though navigating through unprecedented circumstances, the government must prioritize the health and safety of Indigenous communities and create collaborative policies specifically tailored to meet their unique needs and circumstances.

July 27, 2020 - Governments do not have an unlimited pile of cash. This point often gets missed in the public debate about what government should, or should not, do. Passionate advocates for projects will simply argue that their program is worth it, or that it only costs so many cents per taxpayer.

July 23, 2020 - This article was first published in Northern Ontario Business 

July 21, 2020 - In another post we looked at how we have been looking out for one another in Northern Ontario’s Big 5 (Timmins, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, North Bay) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we will explore the same topic but looking at experiences in smaller municipalities.  

July 21, 2020 - The past three months have been very different for many around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

July 7, 2020 - For many people, staying at home and practicing physical distancing has been a very difficult adjustment. Some people have used this time at home to take up a new hobby or to practice a new skill.

July 3, 2020 - Marketing a new product in the middle of a public health crisis is no easy task. Ionic Mechatronics, a company that specializes in the creation of high-quality equipment, took on this challenge to create a product that would help their clients stay in business.  They created Therm-Assure in partnership with Synaptic Technologies (Synaptic Technologies is a member of the Ionic Technology group).

April 7, 2020 - This blog first appeared in Northern Ontario Business. 

June 16, 2020 - Tourism is a very significant industry in Northern Ontario and the travel restrictions necessary to control the spread of Covid-19 are having real impacts on both tourism operators and the local businesses that rely on the people those operators attract. The tourism industry brings business to restaurants, hotels/motels, mom & pop shops, fishing/hunting lodges, museums, provincial/national parks and the list goes on. Without tourists, many of the businesses that rely on them will suffer a great deal during this pandemic. Many may not exist post-pandemic if measures aren’t taken to bridge the economic gap while we address the health crisis and the constraints it necessitates.