Harmac

[Rickj]

The problem with NAFTA is that the US is the bully here....they'll go to great lengths to proctect their own industries, but expect the rest of us (Canada, Mexico) to be bound by the agreement.....such is your fate when you deal with a bully!

That happens in all levels of politics... organizations with power or size abuse it.....

US over Canada
Quebec/Ontario over rest of Canadian provinces
Nanaimo over other areas...

[albertabluesky]

Nanaimo over other areas...

I never pictured Nanaimo as a bully...however, I've never seen a city on a restricted land diet either, they have a tendency to spread....

[All Ages Music Concerts]

No matter what business goes down,,, someone is affected by it. Life goes on and these type of situations will happen over and over again. It is not the end of the world. People who are affected by the changes need to adjust to it and move on. There are many opportunities in the community and when the crunch hits you,,, you need to use your innovation and go for it. This is what life is all about. Changes ,,, go with the flow , get out the inititative and you will survive. Life is forever changing and those that think they will sit on the top of the hill forever need to adjust there thinking. It does not always happen to be that way throughout your life time. Somethings we cannot change the things that happen in our lives but we can change the way we think.

[albertabluesky]

You're right Ages, but I doubt the Harmac employees were sitting on the top of the hill...
Since there is such a shortage of skilled trades, perhaps the gov't could help the former employees with retraining...and since most were probably the main breadwinner in the household, some funding for housing & food as well when they're in school...IMO that's a GOOD use of our tax dollars!

[Trailblazer]

You're right Ages, but I doubt the Harmac employees were sitting on the top of the hill...
Since there is such a shortage of skilled trades, perhaps the gov't could help the former employees with retraining...and since most were probably the main breadwinner in the household, some funding for housing & food as well when they're in school...IMO that's a GOOD use of our tax dollars!

The acceptance of change ;for changes sake is just what has put Canada in the position it is in!
This is why the Chinese economy moves forward whilst ours withers.
Nothing is inevitable. If we want good jobs,prospects & opportunity then we have to fight for it.
Canada has much to offer & is competitive especially if you take out the cheap labour of Asia & the attempts to import it to Canada. If we aim for the bottom we will all arrive there much the worse off.

[RyanCoffey]

You think our economy is doing poorly? Uh... have you not noticed the worker shortage? Everywhere you go, there are more jobs than employees...

Change for the sake of change is almost, but not quite as foolish as digging your heels in and not changing with the world around you. Changing to adapt to the world around you is the most fundamental law of survival, because like it or not change is the only thing you can count on in the world. If you can't change to fit the world you're in, you wither and eventually go extinct, so to speak. This is true no matter what you do in life and no matter what your aspirations are.

I was brought up on logging dollars as I grew up in Port Alberni. I have to say that if you're working in the forestry industry thinking that your job is always going to be there and have no backup plan, you haven't been paying attention these last 25 years and you're setting yourself up for disaster. I've seen soooooooo many layoffs over the years (my father included) and every time it's the same story, people just weren't prepared for the change. Whining about it doesn't make it better, changing your plan of attack to suit the world you're in is the only way. If you didn't plan earlier, that's too bad, better get on it now.

Sometimes life deals some pretty harsh blows... how you deal with them is up to you, but you have to deal with them.

[dilligaf]

I got out of the forest industry (working) in the mid 80s for exactly those reasons. I have dealt with the industry since, selling to them, but I would never put all my eggs into that basket again.

[albertabluesky]

If we want good jobs,prospects & opportunity then we have to fight for it.

I agree, but how we fight is by refusing to purchase products from countries that are taking the industry from us...however, with Wally World Economics running rampant, people want to pay the least they can for everything, and this is what's driven many industries overseas..a living wage in a remote villiage in China is probably less than .5% of what it is in Canada...plus they literally have MILLIONS of people who will work for 25 cents per day or something ridiculous...

[All Ages Music Concerts]

Well said Ryan and Dillaf. We all know from life experience NO ONE looks after you the way you do.

[dilligaf]

I agree, but how we fight is by refusing to purchase products from countries that are taking the industry from us...however, with Wally World Economics running rampant, people want to pay the least they can for everything, and this is what's driven many industries overseas..a living wage in a remote villiage in China is probably less than .5% of what it is in Canada...plus they literally have MILLIONS of people who will work for 25 cents per day or something ridiculous...

Keep the prices for essentials high (food, fuel), keep consumer prices low (walmart, costco) and advertise like crazy.

hmmmmm......