Jason M. Hanley :: Custom Software Developer

People love to talk.  It’s in our nature.  We’re social creatures.

At some point, however, if you want to get anything done, you have to stop talking and start doing.

There is a big conference in Stratford this week called “Canada 3.0.”  One of the major sponsors apparently has something to do with the recent government spend of $10 million plus to “stimulate” things through creation of some sort of “Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research (CECR).”

The stated purpose is to “create jobs, improve the quality of life of all Canadians and strengthen the economy for future generations.”

This is all fine and good.  Every project needs a high-level/brainstorming phase.  The problem is that there doesn’t seem to be many (any?) specific goals about how this is all going to work.

You see, there are some severe, systematic problems in Canada that tend to destroy innovation in the early stages.  Let’s have a look at some pretty graphs.

In 2000, Canada was leading the way with broadband penetration:

Can you spot the difference in the 2006 graph?

Similarly, back in 1995, Canada was among the leaders in mobile technology:

But by 2005, something had changed:

Canada is behind many nations that have small fractions of our GDP.  Keep in mind these are plotted logarithmically.  So, for instance, Israel’s mobile reach is more than double Canada’s rate.

If you think these charts are scary, head to www.gapminder.org and run the animations.  The most alarming thing is the speed at which we’ve been overtaken.  I’m sure the more recent data will look far bleaker.

And don’t give me the old “Canada is so big” argument.  Most Canadians live in large, densely populated cities, just like everywhere else in the world.  Plus, we used be to way ahead, despite our huge land area.  And Russia is just as big and vast as our country, yet they have nearly twice as many cell phones per person.

Why have we fallen behind?  Because the government has been asleep at the wheel, letting a few private corporations bleed everyone else dry charging premium rates for old, obsolete technology.

They have no incentive to invest in R&D, because there is no competition in the mobile phone or broadband internet categories.  Meanwhile, the government keeps passing laws and making rulings to help these companies expand and protect their monopolies, killing any incentive for new or even existing international companies to take them on.

This is really freaking basic economics, folks.  High-school economics.  Maybe first year college.

If we want to “create jobs, improve the quality of life of all Canadians and strengthen the economy for future generations” it’s going to take a hell of a lot more then some “center” with no clearly defined purpose.

Instead, let’s allocate a couple bucks towards enforcing the Canada Competition Act, which supposedly “contains both criminal and civil provisions aimed at preventing anti-competitive practices in the marketplace.”

Let’s bust up these old cartels that are cutting off the oxygen supply.

That’s the only way we’ll have even a small chance of keeping pace with the rest of the world.

So please - at some point in the near future, stop talking about “ways to innovate”, and start doing something to make it happen!

I’m tired of hearing Canadians complain about our healthcare system.  You know what?  We do have to wait longer for some types of treatment — but not usually anything life-threatening.  And you know what else?  That’s life.  Resources are expensive, limited, and in Canada, they’re allocated based on urgency of need.

I had to go to a clinic here in the States for a minor issue that I’ve visited several Canadian clinics for in the past.  The experience was nearly identical!  They had the same advice, and the same treatment.  The setup was similar.  I swear even the posters on the wall were the same.

However, there are a few major differences.  See if you can spot them.

The Canadian Experience:

1. Realize you have a problem
2. Go to walk-in clinic
3. Present your health card
4. Wait (1-2 hours)
5. Get treated
6. Go home

 The American Experience:

1. Realize you have a problem
2. Call insurance company
3. Explain problem
4. Get pre-approved and record claim number
5. Go to walk-in clinic
6. Attempt to have them bill the insurance company directly
7. Often have them refuse to bill insurance company directly
8. Wait (15-30 minutes)
9. Get treated
10. Go to cashier
11. Pay bill out of pocket (cash, visa, mastercard)
12. Get full detailed receipt for insurance
13. Go home
14. Fill out claim form
15. Fax or mail claim form and detailed receipt to insurance company
16. Wait for payment in the mail (1-4 weeks)
17. Optionally argue with insurance company about non-payment or co-pay amounts
18. Deposit reimbursment cheque (assuming they pay)

Can you see the difference?

I only had about 1/4 the wait time in the US clinic.  The visit (which only lasted about 15 minutes) cost about $100, which I put on my credit card.

Meanwhile, I had to spend at least the amount of time saved in the clinic fussing around with stupid insurance paperwork.

But here’s the big difference.  While I “jumped the queue” and enjoyed quick treatment for my minor, non-life-threatening problem, millions of middle-class Americans suffered through their illnesses, got sicker, and some of them probably even died.  Why?  Because they had little or no insurance and simply couldn’t afford it.

What are the facts?

Total health care spending per person / year:
USA: $6,717 USD (46% government = $3,089)
Canada: $3,678 USD (70% government = $2,574)

Fact: Americans pay almost twice as much per capita for health care even though 1/6 of their population lacks coverage.

Fact: The US government already subsidizes health care, and already spends more per person than Canada.

Fact: Of the 27 richest nations on the planet, the US is the only country without universal health coverage.

Fact: 16% of the US population (45 million people and growing) have no health insurance at all and are basically screwed if they incur a critical injury or sickness they can’t sue for.

What’s up for debate?

The overall quality of health care in the two countries has been widely debated, but the overall consensus — of all scientific studies based on measurable data and facts — is that the quality is roughly comparable.

I’ve written an article over at Google Knol exploring some of the debatable points.  Have a look at:
   http://knol.google.com/k/jason-hanley/healthcare-canada-vs-usa

I’ve recently been looking for an apartment to rent this summer, and have been amazed to find how useless the local newspapers have become!

In the days of old, classified ads were the only place you’d ever look if you were renting an apartment. This also used to be a major revenue source for papers.

I remember back when the Internet was all shiny and new. Smart people said that newspapers would either have to embrace it or be made obsolete.

Well, it took over a decade, but it looks like the matter has been decided.

Some papers have been able to transition to the online world, but a lot haven’t. Their classifieds business has been taken over by sites like Craigslist and Kijiji. There are probably blogs out there getting better advertising revenue than the average local newspaper. (I have no stats to back that up, but I’d still bet on it)

Newspapers will probably be around for as long as the Baby Boomers are, but I can’t see Gen-X and younger having much need for them.

This is only the first of the major media industries to be wiped out. Music and movie distribution companies know that they’re next. They’ve seen the writing on the wall for a long time, and have continued to refuse to change their business model.

Big media company execs are doing their best to use lobbying, law-making and litigation to squeeze out the last bit of money. That way they’ll be able to retire on big pensions and go play golf as their companies self-destruct.

Like the websites that have displaced local newspapers, smart competitors that know how to leverage technology will eventually prevail.

It just might take a while.

I’ve recently gone from a 5-year period without any cable television to a condo that has a tv in every room.

When I’m eating, I’ll often turn it on for a half hour or so, possibly getting sucked in for an hour show.  I usually watch TBS, Discovery, Comedy Central, or Sci-Fi.

I had forgotten what constant bombardment from commercials feels like.  The television is relentlessly telling me:

1. Eat more cheap, yummy fast food!  $1 for burgers! $2.99 for a full, greasy meal complete with a 1 gallon soda!
2. But you’re fat, so take diet pills, and join Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig to buy “magical” food that will effortlessly make you lose weight.
3. You have to buy an American car or truck to make jobs and support the economy!
4. 3 different companies have the absolute lowest car insurance rates.  And people saved an average of $400 by switching from any of them to another.
5. Did you not pay your taxes?  Were you deemed ineligible for government benefits?  That’s not your fault!  Sue them!
6. You need at least 5 different prescription drugs based on self diagnosis of vague symptoms.  Talk to your doctor today!

…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Even though on a conscious level I know all of these things are ridiculous, I can’t help but wonder what effect they’re having on my subconscious.

No wonder North America is such a mess.  Can anything be done to promote a more positive, proactive message?