November 7, 2018 - Calgary, Alberta

Date: November 7, 2018
Location: Calgary, Alberta

Q1) What does a stronger western Canadian economy look like 10 years from now?

Diversification:

• We need to follow through on talk about economic diversification. There are many opportunities in sectors that are not well known or are underutilized, such as defence and aerospace. There is lots of opportunity in the tech industry in general.
• We are traditionally a resource-based economy, but we need to be more diverse. There is lots of opportunity in the world of technology, such as cyber security and artificial intelligence.
• We have lots of resources in terms of people, but we need to figure out how to make these resources work rather than just talking about it.
• Many diverse industries can enhance each other – it is not an either/or situation.
• We should not abandon what is strong here (oil and gas), but we need to invest into new technologies and see where things go.
  • We cannot pick winners. Rather, we should invest in a bunch of different things and see where the spinoffs come from.
• We could see the development of an aviation cluster similar to that in Italy.
• We need to pick winners – we cannot be everything to everybody, or we will end up with many investments that do not go anywhere. Government should not be the one to pick.

Branding:

• We need to market ourselves better – we do not brag enough about our accomplishments to the outside world. We compete internally (eg. Edmonton and Calgary), but we are too large of a footprint and too small of a population to compete like this.
• We are not good at heralding our capabilities and excellence, but we need to be more vocal about our capabilities and showcase our excellence.

Collaboration:

• We need better collaboration between universities and industry.
• Universities are good at research, but need to figure out how to work with business.
• Collaboration will strengthen our companies.
• We need better integration between business and education, but also finance and entrepreneurial advisors.
• There are many well-intentioned groups and individuals who are not collaborating – we need to find a way to harness the power of their activities by breaking down barriers. We are too silo’d.

Support for Business:

• We need to increase the number of incubators and accelerators, and ensure that each knows what the other do and can refer people to get them to the right spot as quickly as possible.
• An Entrepreneur Bank, similar to the Infrastructure Bank, could help by providing something similar to a student loan or grant to handle early stage funding.
• We need to cross the chasm where companies get to be medium-sized and are bought by a US company.
• We need to match US incentives.
• We should take the positive aspects of the Alberta Investor Tax Credit and roll it out to all of the provinces at a federal level.
• Many government programs available for companies are targeted at the early stage, SMEs. We need to move that focus to larger companies and higher technology readiness levels. We are missing the post-commercialization phase.
• We need more funding to support marketing and business development, and market strategy.

Infrastructure:

• We need to develop Hyperloop connections between Edmonton and Calgary.
• Digital infrastructure needs to be better developed. Some communities do not have proper internet service.
• Basic infrastructure to prevent some communities needing boil water advisories.
• We need two fundamental infrastructures: transportation (especially for small communities) and digital.
  • Especially for Indigenous communities who are underserved by both transportation and digital infrastructure.
  • Transportation and digital connectivity is a significant barrier to growth in northern Alberta. Since a large part of western Canada is rural, those areas need to be able to retain and attract people not just to do things that are traditional, but to work in a digital economy.
• We need to provide good city planning, particularly around airports.
• Northern Canada especially lacks infrastructure.

Skills and Labour Market:

• There is a huge untapped labour market out there. We need more representation of women.
• We need to spend money to train people, and foster mentorship roles in the community and tech sector.
• We need to better utilize the incredible minds that we have in western Canada.

Q2) What are the best ways to spur new growth in western Canada

Funding Support:

• Federal funding programs put in place to support business fall short by way of application in western Canada. The percentage allocated to western Canada is low, and the quality of western Canadian submissions is poor. We need to bridge the gap to make these programs already in place successful in western Canada.
• There are many good programs that exist, but small companies do not have the time and resources to put into finding and applying for them. From a small business perspective, funding programs are too slow and too complicated. Programs are cost and time prohibitive.
  • Government assessment processes are much too slow. Part of the solution would be to contract industry to help in reviewing and assessing.
  • It is difficult for a company to figure out which program it might fit, given all the specific criteria and eligibility requirements.
  • Many entrepreneurs do not know where to look. There is a need for more help navigating government services.
  • We need a one-stop-shop or incubator that is integrated with government services, to help shepherd entrepreneurs through the process of setting up a business.
  • It is too expensive for companies to apply for funding.
  • We need to change how we evaluate programs. We are too risk averse, and need to focus instead from an innovation perspective, which would accept some losses.
  • A two-phase application is a good idea, as it allows companies to put in a brief synopsis of an idea to see if it fits.
• There is a need for a central source that lists all government programs.
• Support for IP protection is needed, as patents are an expensive up front cost that entrepreneurs face.
• Companies need to tap into the Trade Commissioner Service, which can help small businesses grow their technology and expertise by penetrating foreign markets.
• There is a need for more open-ended funding, with less specific requirements such as targeting certain technologies. This would be similar to the US Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program or the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
• We need to focus on things that are highly skilled, technology driven to spur new growth.
• We need to do a better job supporting and promoting growth companies.

Training and Skills Gaps:

• There is a need for better training of staff – the future economy will require the retraining of workers constantly.
• Post-secondary institutions need to talk to business about what training is needed. There needs to be some strategic partnering to get people retrained.
• Access to skilled workers is a challenge. Innovative companies here are having to look internationally for talent.
• We need to do a better job transferring individuals and their skills from the military into the civilian world so that industry can understand.

Other:

• We need to help keep people in smaller towns by connecting communities so that people can stay where they are and work. This takes digital and physical infrastructure.
• We need to focus on the new model of manufacturing. By making products that the rest of the world needs and wants, you are manufacturing and adding to GDP.
  • Complete communities would see the mixing of manufacturing with retail and residential spaces.

Q3) What will help the Indigenous economy continue to grow?

Communication:

• We need to communicate with Indigenous communities and spur growth in areas and ways that they value, for example, communicating through the arts, storytelling, etc.
• We need to give Indigenous peoples the opportunity to express themselves artistically.
• Understanding the culture of the community is important, which means that how and where we do business, how we build capacity and growth has to be understood and respected.
• We need to communicate things like government funding in the terms of Indigenous peoples and their own cultural way of accepting it.

Celebrate Success:

• We should promote and celebrate the successes for the benefit of young people.
• There are some very successful First Nations that we should celebrate. For example, a community in northern Yukon is world leading in terms of its renewable energy use in a remote community. The Tsuut'ina First Nation has a sizeable development plan that will positively affect the rest of Calgary – this should be supported and celebrated.
• Share Indigenous culture and celebrate it.

Business Support:

• We need to try to make risk more acceptable for Indigenous people starting a business.
• Create the entrepreneurial version of micro-credit to make funding available to people trying to start small businesses on reserve or in remote locations.

Integration:

• We should stop segregating Indigenous peoples, but rather integrate them into all discussions.
• There needs to be a balance of integration while still allowing Indigenous peoples to keep their own community and culture.
• Connectivity and integration goes both ways.

Other:

• Provide an incentive to bridge the gap, such as by rewarding joint ventures or other partnerships with Indigenous companies.
• Support Indigenous tourism experiences, which are an exportable good.
• Communities need to develop leadership from within.
• Some Indigenous communities have advocated abolishing the Indian Act.

Q4) How can we improve economic participation in the west of underrepresented groups, including women, youth, and new immigrants

Investment:

• We need to invest into women-owned companies at a much greater level, to address the challenges that women face in getting additional capital for growth and expansion.
• We need to change the way we lend, since women run businesses differently than men.
• Provide incentives for diversity, not punishments for underrepresentation.
• Support student competitions.

Culture:

• Finding women in the tech industry is difficult. Part of the problem is the way women represent themselves in applying for jobs – men might apply for a job even if they do not see a direct fit, whereas women are less likely to apply.
  • We need to pay attention to the language we use in job advertisements, as this may be unconsciously pushing women away from applying.
• Reduce barriers by better understanding the culture of different groups. Each one of those groups has a particular culture around it, which needs to be recognized and addressed.
• Government culture seems to attract more women – perhaps this is because government tends to be relatively gender blind, with advancement based on merit rather than other things.
• Women do not seem to be interested in certain career streams where they are underrepresented, such as the military. We need to examine where these biases are coming from.
• Diversity is sometimes not on people’s radars.
• Address barriers to entry by providing people with the right tools, but do not reduce merit requirements just to achieve quotas. This will create more barriers in terms of the perception that individuals have been hired because of a diversity requirement.

Mentorship and Education:

• Provide mentorship programs to help build confidence among underrepresented groups.
• Promote success stories.
  • Many female students at the Masters and PhD level are in high demand. Younger women need to see this kind of success.
• We need to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in elementary and junior high school to get children of both genders interested.
• Update the Junior Achievement Program.
• We need to find pockets of leadership within these communities and promote it.

Recognize Credentials:

• We need to be authentic when reaching out to foreign countries for their workers. Right now, we ask for highly qualified personnel from abroad but once they arrive, we often do not recognize their designations.
• Ensure that the people we do bring in are peaceful and collaborative.

Q5) How can governments, industry, and western Canadians work together to grow the regional economy?

Infrastructure:

• Build Hyperloop to connect our province and create prosperity.
• Infrastructure is a federal responsibility, and there is lots that needs maintenance. There are many opportunities to partner with colleges, etc., in terms of how we plan infrastructure.
• We need digital and physical connectivity in order to be successful.

Business Climate:

• Remove two regulations for every one that you add.
• Revamp the tax system. Simplify tax credits such as SR&ED.
• Focus on removing duplication in programs between federal and provincial levels of government.
• Reduce the gap between the speed of government and the speed of business.
  • Understand the pace of business and make government processes quick and efficient.
  • Remove bureaucracy in the application and management of programs.

Collaboration:

• Remove silos between government departments and ensure that different departments are talking to each other.
• Even within the same department, we need to ensure that officials are collaborating with each other to reduce the burdens on companies.
• When government changes or role changes occur, learn from the past to recognize what has already been achieved and avoid duplicating work.
• Governments need to work better during election cycles as business does not stop.
• Promote the integration of government, industry and academia, as well as greater understanding between these levels as to how they work.

Promote and Communicate:

• Promote regional growth in the aerospace and defence sector. This sector is largely unknown in Calgary unless you work in it.
• Support what we are doing locally in Canada, rather than bringing in technology from international companies. In particular, address military preference for non-Canadian goods and technology.