Comment 20583

By beancounter (registered) | Posted March 31, 2008 at 19:52:51

A great article, Ryan, passionate and well-argued.

It's hard to disagree with most of your premises and conclusions.

I do have one niggling concern, however.

Certainly, it is important for us to ask what kind of city we want. We need to step back and take a bird's eye view of the city as a whole and not just look at our own particular needs and desires. And yes, that does mean attracting creative professionals for high-skilled, high-value jobs in research, innovation, information technology and sustainable development.

There are people in our city, however, who have a good work ethic, want to make a valuable contribution to our community and provide for their families, who are unlikely to become part of the group of "very bright" individuals who are driving economic and cultural changes.

They are the people who made this city what it is and have contributed to its past growth and prosperity. They are also the people who are losing their jobs because of the decline in manufacturing and the transition to a knowledge economy.

This group of valuable citizens may not be able to upgrade their education to become part of the movers and shakers of the new economy.

While we are shaping our city into one that is more vibrant, livable and attractive to the highly-skilled professionals, we must not overlook the need for balance and for making sure that everyone benefits from our new and more desirable direction. Will we make provision for them to find meaningul and sustainable employment?

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