About a year and a half ago I blogged that the Government of Canada had posted on Merx a draft standing offer for communications services for industry to provide feedback on.

• We ranked 3^rd out of the 8 bidders that qualified

Public Relations Services (EN578-060191/026/CW)

• We ranked 2^nd out of the 3 bidders that qualified

• We ranked 3^rd out of the 10 bidders that qualified

Blogs, links, jumps, sidebars, comments and emails. Spend enough time on the Internet and you will come across hundreds of thousands of each one.

This one lead me to this.

Then I saw this and I encourage you to read it. It is important, it is Canadian, and it is good. I am even going to encourage you to forward the link to people you know.

Then I read this.

No matter what happens over the next few weeks the spirit of these discussions will not go away. Even the requirement that foreign journalists will need to apply for access to Tiananmen Square 24 hours in advance if they want to interview, broadcast or film in the plaza won’t turn this story off. (Intrepid journalists will, I believe, find people to interview, film, record and photograph at other venues. I’ve visited Tiananmen Square and it isn’t the only venue in Beijing where one can reasonably expect to find citizens milling about. It is, after all, a big city.)

It is just not possible, you see, to shut the Internet down. Nor can true public conversation be silenced. Shouts might become whispers but never silence.

I have been labouring under the misconception that people (youthful ones, usually) were “running the Internet” but it appears now that I have been wrong. All this time the ‘net has been under the control of the Chinese government.

If you don’t believe me click here.

Promising journalists one thing and then delivering another is never a wise move.

Quoted:

HE SAID:
Jacques Rogge, IOC President

“I’m not going to make an apology for something that the IOC is not responsible for,” Rogge said. “We are not running the internet in China. The Chinese authorities are running the internet.”

SHE SAID:
Giselle Davies, IOC Spokeswoman

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies blamed Rogge’s use of the words “no censorship” on the fact that English is not the Belgian’s first language.

“There’s been no change in the IOC’s position,” she said. “Again, I think we are trying to hang on every single word often spoken by people whose mother tongue isn’t English. Let me be clear again: The IOC would like to see open access for the media to be able to do their job.”

HE CLARIFIED:
Kevan Gosper, IOC Press Commission

IOC press commission head Kevan Gosper has said that open reporting may not be possible with the Olympics in a “communist society.”

“I guess there will be some debate as we move toward the games if there are sites that may or may not be open,” Gosper said.

“And the line between what could be considered as a national-interest issue might be a bit blurred. But we’ll work on it and we will deal with any potential grievances.”

I recently came across the Government of Canada’s Professional Services Online (PS Online), an electronic procurement tool, administered by Public Works and Government Services Canada, that assists federal departments in the procurement of professional services.

I came across it when reviewing PWGSC’s Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME) website.  The objective of the OSME is to support SMEs by working to reduce barriers and by simplifying requirements for SMEs that want to do business with the Government of Canada.

The Government of Canada, over the years, has had numerous, similar tools (which we have registered for) aimed at simplifying the purchasing process for buyers and suppliers. After reading about PS Online, and before registering Thornley Fallis and 76design on it, I wanted to make sure one of our previous registrations (e.g Contracts Canada) hadn’t already been rolled into it, in which case I’d be duplicating our entries.

The website didn’t really tell me if or how I could check this, so I called as I felt it would be easier to discuss this with someone directly rather than go back and forth on email. I was greeted by a voice message telling me they weren’t accepting phone calls about PS Online due to high volumes and I should submit my question via email or fax. So I sent an email within a few minutes of placing my call.

As an organization that regularly works with the federal government – where we have a bunch of great clients and frequently get the opportunity to work on some great projects – I’m optimistic that this new system, PS Online, will assist both buyers and suppliers of professional services through the sometimes difficult and expensive (for both parties) procurement process.

I will let you know once I receive a response to my email, either register as a supplier or update our listing, and hopefully have a client use the system to contract for our services.

These tools are always a good idea, but where they seem to have fallen short in the past is on the communications/awareness raising of them.  That is, not enough resources are allocated to promote the availability, function and benefits of the tool to both buyers and suppliers.  For example, we are a regular supplier to the federal government and are based in Ottawa — I stumbled across PS Online basically by accident. 

Has anyone, as a supplier or buyer of PR, communications or creative services, had experience with PS Online that they’d like to share? And/or how did you learn of its existence? 

Prominent Canadian military and defence reporter, David Pugliese, who writes for the Ottawa Citizen, has his articles published in other CanWest Global newspapers and is also the Canadian correspondent for Defense News has started a blog called Defence Watch on Canada.com.

David’s first post was on December 10th and to date he’s posted 11 times, more than once a day. Given I have a few defence industry clients at Thornley Fallis, I’ve subscribed to and will be following David’s blog intently.

I’ve been meaning to post about this for a couple of weeks.  Jack Aubry beat me to it in today’s Ottawa Citizen.

I live at Somerset and Kent, one block West of the intersection of Bank and Somerset, and BTW pay the inflated municipal property taxes that come with a downtown home.  The now 60–day closure of Bank Street from Cooper to Maclaren, and Somerset Street from O’Connor to Kent has been a real pain in the ass for area residents who would normally drive through this intersection several times a day.  Not to mention the lost revenues for the businesses on those blocks, which Mr. Aubry discusses in his article.

The closure is made worse by two relatively new traffic installations on Cooper and Maclaren streets.  A no straight across O’Connor Street when travelling East on Cooper (an Eastbound one-way) and a no straight across O’Connor Street when travelling West on Maclaren (a Westbound one-way).  These two streets and no straights are indicated with red arrows and Xs on the map below.

Now someone almost died when the building that formerly housed the Duke of Somerset Pub, Lockmaster Tavern and Somerset Hotel partially collapsed during construction on October 19, 2007, so it was important for the City of Ottawa to secure the area and make sure there were no further life-threatening incidents.  But its now been two months and the streets remain closed. 

Also, they’ve had at least one police car and officer, sometimes more, stationed there 24–hours a day for this entire period.  How much is that costing?!?!  Maybe the pending property tax increase would be lower without this expense?

Finally, to the point of this post…

As someone that lives one block from the street closure, I’ve received absolutely no direct communication from the City of Ottawa letting me (and my Centretown neighbours) know what’s going on.  How difficult would have it have been for the City to mail-drop a letter or two to Centretown residents?  There’s also no information posted about it on the City’s website. When are organizations going to learn that simply keeping people informed goes a long way towards lowering frustration and dissatisfaction with service?  And it shows people that you are on top of the situation and care about the impact and people being affected.

I travel a bit, sometimes more for my volunteer activities than for my work (sorry, kids!)

A recent trip left me with a great impression of Detroit, and I never even left the airport.  Indeed, the last time I travelled to Detroit in 2003, I did not really think much of the airport, or of the city. 

This time, however, I was impressed with the quality of the airport facility itself and with some of the little touches they have that indicated to me that the airport authority is thinking about marketing the city frequently.

Airports are the welcome mat to your community, and that’s why they are such a key piece of infrastructure.  People who don’t travel often may not appreciate it, but airports have an impact on investment decisions, on future partnerships, and on a whole host of intangibles that you would not sense from looking solely at the airport — itself — as a business.

Detroit’s welcome mat is now very impressive — bright, airy, modern and spacious, with a look and feel of a city on the move.  Kudos to the designers, etc., although there’s probably been cost overruns, and other challenges, as there always are on these types of projects.

To be honest, however, the thing that stuck with me was the number of languages the airport used to broadcast the kinds of general announcements airports always announce — you know, the “the Detroit airport is pleased to offer a non-smoking environment” ones.  They announced these in six languages, and that told me Detroit thinks of itself as a city of the world.

So why does that matter?  It matters because that’s where the world is going — major urban centres that will thrive are the ones that can welcome diverse cultures and welcome the business they bring.  Airports are hubs of economic and social activity, and they must demonstrate a recognition of their role as a network hub for a world in motion.

In short, I think Detroit gets it, and for all of the city’s challenges in recent times, the airport – at least — told me the city was headed in the right direction.  Indeed, it made me want to come back and visit, and when was the last time you said that about an airport?

… as much as it worries other experts whose opinions I care about.

I had a good chat with the new national editor of Maclean’s about this issue when I was at an event in Toronto to celebrate new linkages between TO and Atlantic Canada last week (might have been two weeks ago — October and November have been flying by!)  I suggested to him, in essence, that I think the notion of people saying they are disengaging from citizenship, i.e. abandoning the political process because “it’s not for them,” is OK with me as long as I know that I, and most of the people I know on a daily basis, still participate.

Citizenship is active, and requires work.  It also, however, gives you a chance to voice your concerns about the approximately 1/3 of your salary that levels of government take off your weekly earnings, and if that doesn’t motivate someone to participate, then unfortunately I don’t think anything will.

I teach part-time at a local community college, and the problem isn’t young people.  It’s that people have decided it’s too hard, it’s too removed from their daily lives, and that it doesn’t matter.  Asking people to care about things they don’t care about is an uphill battle, and I — for one – am skeptical that it’s as important to change their behaviour as people say.

That’s why I like people who have engaged in a partisan way, no matter what their affiliation — I respect that they care, and I respect that their commitment has led them to public service in that way.

Not caring, to my mind, is the easy way, so instead of proportional representation, or some other solution, let me propose this concept: we should offer voters a tax credit for voting, a receipt for a $100 tax credit for the next year’s income tax.  We could promote similar initiatves at the provincial and municipal level.  That way, there’s a further financial incentive to get people out to the polls when they get the chance.

Some don’t need the incentive, of course, because they think the opportunity to cast a ballot is simply too valuable to pass up.  But if we don’t go this route, all the tallking about reengaging people will not lead to increases in voter turnout on election day.

My two cents (or 2.1 cents US) …

At least that was my immediate impression when I received this mailer (cover below) with information on the upcoming provincial election and referendum from Elections Ontario last week, but maybe that’s just me.

I was struck recently by the lack of coverage given the 2006 census when it was released July 17th.  What struck me, in particular, was the fact that:

1. During the slowest news period of the year, the story about the aging of Canada’s population (across the board) received one day of coverage, with very little follow-on coverage anywhere, and
2. There was little national discussion about the various regional stories associated with the census and the ongoing impact that will have from coast to coast to coast in this country.

I confess, I’m a bit of a demographic buff — have been since I helped out a bit on New Brunswick at the Dawn of a New Century in 1996 and read Boom, Bust and Echo by David Foot the same year.

So, while I’ve been waiting, let’s reflect on some of the larger things the census tells us:

1. Newfoundland may shrink its way into have-province status, as young people are an ever-rarer sight in that province;
2. All of Atlantic Canada faces significant population challenges, as does Saskatchewan and Quebec outside of Montreal;
3. Alberta, BC and Ontario remain the bright lights, demographically, meaning their economies will continue to shine as well.

My fear is that the census, and indeed demographics, is becoming a story that is too big to cover, much like the challenges we face from an energy perspective or the challenges faced in reforming and reshaping government operations.

But much as the lack of coverage makes me a little crazy, what really irks me is the challenge I have talking with people who refuse to consider the impacts demographics will have on them personally. 

For example, where are pension funds investing their money, and what impact is the flight of head offices from Canada going to have on their investments?

There are literally thousands of questions that could be asked of government, of citizens, and of the corporate sector out of the census.  I guess that means I better go back to the source document itself and get reading — waiting for a national discussion on it seems like it might be too much to ask.