Distinguished Speaker - Vancouver Board of Trade

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chairman’s message publisher The Vancouver Board of Trade editor-in-chief Darcy Rezac, 604-641-1255 contactus@boardoftrade.com managing editor Terry Hadley, 604-641-1271 thadley@boardoftrade.com editor Daniel Pi, 604-640-5450 dpi@boardoftrade.com contributor Tashon Ziara tziara@shaw.ca design & layout Jennifer Silver, 604-640-5465 jsilver@boardoftrade.com advertising representatives Deborah & Gary Fach, 604-876-2513 gfach@telus.net Want more information about joining The Vancouver Board of Trade? Call 604-641-1260 or e-mail info@boardoftrade.com. The Sounding Board is the official publication of The Vancouver Board of Trade and is the major communication vehicle with members. The publication is sent automatically to all 5,800 Board members. Additional copies are sent to downtown Vancouver. ISSN: 0381-5471. The views expressed by contributing writers are their own and do not necessarily reflect the policies or positions of The Vancouver Board of Trade. The Vancouver Board of Trade reserves the right to edit all submissions for content, length, style, format and legality. The Vancouver Board of Trade is Vancouver’s chamber of commerce. Since 1887, The Board has been an active proponent of business in Vancouver. The World Trade Centre Vancouver is the international division of The Vancouver Board of Trade and is affiliated with more than 300 WTCs worldwide. our mission statement The Vancouver Board of Trade works in the enlightened interest of its members to promote, enhance and facilitate the development of the region as a Pacific centre for trade, commerce and travel. our basic principles The Board believes that the market system is the only system that works effectively in the allocation of scarce economic resources for efficient and stable economic growth and job creation. The Board recognizes the imperfections of the market system and supports the need for publicly provided services such as social services, health services and public education. The Board supports the philosophy of less government involvement in the business sector and believes that governments should not do what can be done in whole or in part by the private sector. Publications Mail AGREEMENT No. 40011551 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO the VANCOUVER board of trade/world trade centre VANCOUVER Suite 400, 999 Canada Place VANCOUVER BC V6C 3E1 e-mail: contactus@boardoftrade.com chairman & chief elected officer Executive committee Jason McLean, President & Chief Operating Officer The McLean Group Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia President, Century Plaza Hotel & Absolute Spa Group vice-chair Elio Luongo, Managing Director KPMG LLP vice-chair Ken Martin, President & CEO Pacific Blue Cross Jack McGee, CD, President The Justice Institute of BC Darcy Rezac, CD, The Vancouver Board of Trade senior vice-chair secretary-treasurer managing director board of directors janet austin YWCA Vancouver kevin bent Pacific Newspaper Group peter brown,obc, lld Canaccord Capital Inc. george cadman, qc Boughton Law Corporation dave cunningham TELUS yvonne devalone Downtown U-Lok Storage Ltd. joe grech Canucks Sports & Entertainment calvin helin RCI Capital Group Inc. david helliwell Pulse Energy craig hemer Odgers Berndtson terence hui Concord Pacific Groups Inc. chris kelly Vancouver School Board (ret.) v. paul lee Vanedge Capital tim manning RBC Royal Bank derral g. moriyama BMO Bank of Montreal evi mustel Mustel Group Ltd. john w. nightingale Vancouver Aquarium tina osen Hub International david m. poole Scotiabank tracy redies Coast Capital Savings dr. mark schonfeld BC Medical Association jon schubert ICBC lorne segal Kingswood Properties Ltd. dennis skulsky BC Lions Football Club Inc. ron w. thiessen Hunter Dickinson Inc. anibal valente PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc. STANDing committee chairs communications Brett Manlove, Global BC community affairs Barbara R. Hislop, Variety Club of British Columbia membership marketing Mary Anne Davidson, Acciona Infrastructures small business council Victor C. Wong, Make It Business Jason McLean, Chairman The Vancouver Board of Trade There is a well-marked trail between challenge and change in British Columbia and it is a trail The Vancouver Board of Trade has walked many times. Historically innovative since its oft-mentioned fiery inception in 1887 when The Board was formed to rebuild the city after the catastrophic fire, our organization has never shied away from a challenge. However, the challenges facing the business community today are not driven by a single event. They are driven by a complex, global grid of interconnected economic and social realities. In addressing those realities, innovation is critical and it is here that The Board’s indomitable network of resources and membership services provides unparalleled support and inspiration for its members. From our recent policy work on headline issues like HST, to Laurie Rix Macrae, Chair, Rix Family Foundation; Honorary Fellow, The Rix Center for Corporate Citizenship & Engaged Leadership Many companies today are engaged in formal initiatives to contribute to the well-being of their community and society at large, but the ability to effectively integrate social responsibility into the heart and soul of their organization still eludes many corporate leaders. Part of the reason is that implementing responsible practices while also managing the demands of the financial, social and environmental bottom lines can present an overwhelming challenge. As a successful businessman and devoted philanthropist who believed that companies big and small have a great deal to offer beyond the goods and services they provide, my late father, Dr. Donald Rix, CM, OBC, felt it was Photo by D. Roels The challenge of change the success of The Board’s recent 2010 Pacific Gateway Forum, to the game-changing results of our economist emeritus Dave Park’s Kids ‘N Crime 2 Economic Report, we continue to be effective and innovative participants in the dialogue of change. The diversity of these ventures reflects The Board’s strength not only in impacting policy but in generating it. A year ago at this time, we looked forward to an event that would bring many of us together – certainly for a few heart-stopping moments in overtime hockey. Today, we look ahead to the ongoing task of steadying our economy through a concerted business effort to reclaim and distribute the positive message of HST. We look ahead to achieving our goal of securing more investment, in early childhood development and continuing to address the links between early childhood indicators and criminality. We look ahead to the release of The Board’s three-year Strategic Plan. We look ahead to a lineup of tremendously accomplished guest speakers who will address the challenges of change in the technology and automotive sectors, in transportation, in delivering sustainable growth and in developing new guest column trade partnerships in non-traditional markets. As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded that our ubiquitous catch-phrase, … connecting for good, is both our greatest strength and our greatest challenge. More than a slogan or trademark, it is the cornerstone of an ethical platform that challenges each one of us to address change with purpose, innovation and integrity. For inspiration on how to translate these values into corporate action, we need look no further than the selection criteria governing the nomination process for the 2011 Rix Centre Award for Corporate Citizenship: “Demonstration of remarkable acts of corporate citizenship will be welcomed,” writes the Rix Center’s Selection Committee – and it is hard to set the bar much higher than that. In closing, and on behalf of The Vancouver Board of Trade and its board of directors, I’d like to thank each one of you for connecting for good. I wish you a prosperous and healthy close to 2010, an abundance of opportunity to demonstrate “remarkable acts” of corporate citizenship, and an innovative reboot in 2011. Rix Center welcomes nominations for engaged corporate citizenship award important to promote and facilitate the engagement of businesses and individuals in activities that add value to the broader community, as well as business. That is why he was so excited to work with The Vancouver Board of Trade in founding The Rix Center for Corporate Citizenship & Engaged Leadership during his term as chairman (2008-09). Opening the Rix Center was an important milestone for my father, who was thrilled to be the first medical doctor to be invited to chair The Board of Trade. He took great personal satisfaction in knowing that his passion for corporate engagement would live on to educate and inspire others. In addition to supporting events that foster engagement and community involvement, and providing a hub for the latest research on corporate citizenship and engaged leadership practices, the Rix Center acknowledges outstanding corporate members that are engaged leaders in the community through its annual Engaged Corporate Citizenship Award. Nominations, overseen by the dean of the Sauder School of Business, are currently being sought for the 2011 award which will be presented at The Board’s 2011 Governors’ Banquet. Previously, the Engaged Corporate Citizenship Award has been won by the Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR) in 2009, and RBC Royal Bank in 2010. I know my father would be proud the Rix Center continues to recognize engaged corporate citizens in an enterprise “which demonstrates in policy and practice the highest standards of stewardship towards the longterm well-being of customers, employees, owners, business partners, the environment and the broader community,” and we look forward to congratulating next year’s deserving recipient. See the nomination process and selection criteria at www.therixcenter.com. Nominations should be submitted by January 14, 2011. 6 Sounding Board/November-December 2010 The Vancouver Board of Trade/Spirit of Enterprise ®
The Downtown Eastside: vibrant, misunderstood key issues By Judy McGuire misleading as they portray only the more and the southern limit is Terminal Avenue. lurid aspects of a very vibrant, although The community includes Chinatown and much misunderstood, community. the Strathcona neighbourhoods. First, some facts. According to the city, the area is home to There is no general agreement on the approximately 16,590 individuals. While a boundaries of the area referred to as the number of these individuals are the visible Downtown Eastside. The City of Vancouver street-involved population, a surprising includes Gastown and Victory Square in their 22 per cent of residents are seniors (65+) – area map. Others draw the western boundary substantially higher than the city average of at Cambie Street. 13 per cent. All agree that the eastern boundary is More than 50 per cent of residents live Clark Drive, the northern edge is the water alone, however more than 60 per cent of those in Strathcona live in families. Strathcona and Chinatown house a high immigrant population while the rest of the area has primarily non-immigrants. Approximately 10 per cent of the city’s policy. Research has provided evidence that aboriginal population lives in the area and investment in children’s early development many more visit the area on a regular basis. before they go to school can prevent many In 2001, approximately 10 per cent of social problems and that the economic housing in the area was owner occupied. payback is spectacular. Remedying these While the majority of housing remains rental problems among school-aged children has stock (much of it SROs and social housing), similar benefits. the increase in condo building over the past Most efforts to deal with these factors seven years is likely shifting the percentage have been piecemeal. What is required is to more towards owner occupied. view them as a whole, to see how they shape As of 2005, the area contained 12 community centres and meeting places. The Ray-Cam our children and youth and take a broad approach to ensuring a collaborative approach Centre, which caters to families, youth and to making a difference. This entails working seniors, had more than 500,000 user visits and with several government ministries whose 5,500 to 6,000 members in 2009. responsibilities cut across many of the issues The area houses nine childcare centres raised in the report. They, along with the business community, service providers, non-profit and two elementary schools. There are also By David Park a number of business, trade and language organizations and the general public, all need to work together in dealing with the issues. The Board and the Justice Institute are working to spread the information about this problem and how it can be dealt with. The recent report is being publicized and is being presented at a variety of conferences and meetings in the province. Government MAPPING SALARIES has been alerted to the situation and is being encouraged to take action in concert with the private sector, not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions. & TOTAL REWARDS Diverting children and youth from a life of crime achieves outstanding positive results www.wcbc.ca/surveys in terms of both social and economic dimensions, for families, governments and society as a whole. Access to current, accurate, The current Kids ‘N Crime report may be accessed at www.boardoftrade.com and at market data is the only way to www.jibc.ca/appliedResearch/AppliedResearchProjects.htm. know if your salaries & total David Park is the author of the Kids ‘N rewards are competitive. Crime Report, research associate at the Justice Institute of B.C. and economist emeritus at The QUESTIONS? Our 10 compensation surveys provideoverall Vancouver Board of Trade. data, along with data specific to the Metro Nancy MacLeod Vancouver: 604-683-9155 Dial-A-Law 1-800-781-2411 Clerical/Administrative Support wcbc@wcbc.ca Middle Management & Professional Do you need general legal information? Information Technology Access a variety of legal topics by phone or visit www.dialalaw.org. Marketing & Sales Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Engineering & Technical Lower Mainland 604.687.4680 / Toll Free in BC 1.800.565.5297 Production & Distribution Executive Compensation Lawyer Referral Service Members of the Board of Directors Vancouver Board Do you need help finding the right lawyer? Total Rewards Practices of Trade receive & Employee Benefits Receive up to a 30 minute consultation with a lawyer for $25 +tax. an additional 15% Salary Increases & Compensation Policy Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm discount. Lower Mainland 604.687.3221 / Toll Free in BC 1.800.663.1919 STOP Guessing • START Knowing • ORDER Today For several years now, a Vancouver Board of Trade Community Affairs Committee sub group has been examining the Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). They’re finding more to the DTES than what is portrayed in the media. This is the first of an on-going series about the area, its history and future. Media images of the DTES are pervasive – street chaos, homelessness, rampant addiction and drug dealing. They are also Kids ‘N Crime revisited In September, The Vancouver Board of Trade and the Justice Institute of B.C. released a report on the economic aspects of the development and prevention of criminality among children and youth. This builds on the 2006 Kids ‘N Crime report that was based on the idea that factors impacting children from before birth to adulthood can have serious psychological effects leading to criminal behaviour in later life. The more recent report focuses on 12 factors that can contribute to children and youth growing into a life of crime. The research identified information on the negative costs of criminal activity related to these factors and the costs of corresponding efforts to prevent or correct that activity. The general conclusion is that the humanitarian and economic consequences of these problems are very large and that the actions to prevent them or provide remedies can have even larger benefits for individuals, families, government and society as a whole. Investing in these actions is good public Funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia. Public services of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. schools in the area. The area contains a vibrant business community, which tends to go unnoticed. In 2004 the area contained 2,300 establishments employing more than 20,000 people, representing widely diversified economic sectors. This number has likely not changed substantially. However the opening of the Woodward’s complex in particular seems to be inspiring new business investment and economic activity in the area. Economic activity is supported and promoted by active business improvement associations in Strathcona, Chinatown and Gastown, as well as initiatives such as Building Opportunities with Business and a growing number of social enterprises. Even given all the challenges faced by this area – challenges which by their visibility define what most people believe to be the entire DTES – the community remains vibrant, complex and highly functional in many ways. There is much community capacity to build on. In the next issue of Sounding Board, I will highlight some of the creative strategies which are expanding on the community’s existing strengths. Judy McGuire is a long-time member of The Board of Trade and a member of its Community Affairs Committee and the Downtown Eastside Roundtable.
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Distinguished Speaker - Vancouver Board of Trade

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