In our electoral system we only get a chance once every few years to cast a ballot. But with every single purchase you are voting with your dollars for which businesses you want to support. So why not vote with your dollars to support our economy, our jobs, and our small businesses? For your New Year’s resolution, let’s make a conscious effort to support local Western Canadian businesses..Of course, there are many excellent big businesses based elsewhere that employ Western Canadians by the hundreds and this is not intended as a knock against them. But there are many small, locally-based businesses that are struggling right now much more than the big companies. Small companies in Calgary, for example, are facing tax hikes from the municipal government. They need our patronage more than ever..Supporting local businesses should be a voluntary, market-based decision, not imposed by government, but here are a few suggestions for how you can support Western Canada with your purchasing power in 2020..Reduce your online shopping.Next time you click on Amazon or another major online retailer, ask yourself who ultimately benefits from your purchase. Sure, you may save a couple of dollars when you shop online. But every other step of the process is probably benefiting someone else who might be actively working against you. The product itself is probably made in China (often with questionable working conditions for their employees) and the distributor is probably based in the Greater Toronto Area or one of the major U.S. cities..Instead, you could choose to support local jobs by shopping at a brick-and-mortar store in Western Canada. Of course, there are also plenty of businesses based here in the West that operate primarily online, and some may even use a big-name company like Amazon or eBay to get their product out to market. That’s fine too. Just do a bit of research first to make sure your dollars are going where you want them to go.. FORBES: Make buying Western your New Years resolutionA classic brick-and-mortar bookstore (Source: Martin Cathrae, WikiCommons) .Make shopping a fun outing again.Take your spouse and kids out for a Saturday afternoon to an indoor farmers’ market. If you live in or near a major centre like Calgary or Edmonton, there are so many options for indoor farmers’ markets. Despite the name, farmers’ markets are not just about agriculture. In addition to high quality Western produce, each market has a wide variety of small independent businesses ranging from hand-made crafts to used books and movies to toys and treats..Instead of just clicking a few buttons on your computer and having a parcel arrive at your door, why not go explore a new part of your town or city? Make it a family outing, let everyone pick a little treat to buy, and support a handful of small local businesses all in one convenient location.. FORBES: Make buying Western your New Years resolutionCalgary Farmers’ Market (Source: Mack Male, WikiCommons) .Try some new locally-made food.McDonald’s drive-thru again? That mall food court has all the same options you’ve had so many times before. We’ve all been in that funk of choosing the familiar option just because it is easy. But it really gets to be monotonous after a while. Checking out a small local restaurant that you have never tried before is a great way to bring some exciting change to your routine..One easy way to try new foods while supporting local small businesses is to go wherever food trucks gather in your city or town. For those living in larger centres, there are often apps or websites to help you find the right food truck for your tastes..Next time that friend comes to visit from out of town, you can take them to this cool local place you discovered rather than the same old stuff they can get literally anywhere else.. FORBES: Make buying Western your New Years resolutionA food truck in Alberta (Source: Kurt Bauschardt, WikiCommons) .Show some Western solidarity.Buying local is about more than dollars and cents. It is also about developing a community consciousness. Every time you open your wallet, I want you to think, “Is this good for Western Canada?” If it’s not – see if you can put your wallet away and save it for a better time. We in the West must develop that level of dedication to our own interests if we ever expect to stand up for ourselves in a world that seems to be actively working against our economic interests..Anyone who has seen those “I Heart Alberta Beef” bumper stickers can appreciate that it is not just about goods and services. It’s an act of Western solidarity. It’s a meaningful statement that transcends political boundaries. Whatever our politics, we all share the West as our home and we all want our local economies to thrive. In a previous article, I wrote about how Western Canadians have a long history of helping each other out when times get tough. Making more conscientious decisions with our purchasing power is just another small step in that direction.. Trudeau on WE scandal: Case closed .To support local Western Canadian businesses is a small decision that may not seem like much at first. But with time, every one of those small decisions will begin to add up and make a real difference for those small businesses that are struggling. This New Year, let’s resolve to support Western Canadian interests on a day-to-day basis in any way we can. Voting with your dollars is a great place to start.
In our electoral system we only get a chance once every few years to cast a ballot. But with every single purchase you are voting with your dollars for which businesses you want to support. So why not vote with your dollars to support our economy, our jobs, and our small businesses? For your New Year’s resolution, let’s make a conscious effort to support local Western Canadian businesses..Of course, there are many excellent big businesses based elsewhere that employ Western Canadians by the hundreds and this is not intended as a knock against them. But there are many small, locally-based businesses that are struggling right now much more than the big companies. Small companies in Calgary, for example, are facing tax hikes from the municipal government. They need our patronage more than ever..Supporting local businesses should be a voluntary, market-based decision, not imposed by government, but here are a few suggestions for how you can support Western Canada with your purchasing power in 2020..Reduce your online shopping.Next time you click on Amazon or another major online retailer, ask yourself who ultimately benefits from your purchase. Sure, you may save a couple of dollars when you shop online. But every other step of the process is probably benefiting someone else who might be actively working against you. The product itself is probably made in China (often with questionable working conditions for their employees) and the distributor is probably based in the Greater Toronto Area or one of the major U.S. cities..Instead, you could choose to support local jobs by shopping at a brick-and-mortar store in Western Canada. Of course, there are also plenty of businesses based here in the West that operate primarily online, and some may even use a big-name company like Amazon or eBay to get their product out to market. That’s fine too. Just do a bit of research first to make sure your dollars are going where you want them to go.. FORBES: Make buying Western your New Years resolutionA classic brick-and-mortar bookstore (Source: Martin Cathrae, WikiCommons) .Make shopping a fun outing again.Take your spouse and kids out for a Saturday afternoon to an indoor farmers’ market. If you live in or near a major centre like Calgary or Edmonton, there are so many options for indoor farmers’ markets. Despite the name, farmers’ markets are not just about agriculture. In addition to high quality Western produce, each market has a wide variety of small independent businesses ranging from hand-made crafts to used books and movies to toys and treats..Instead of just clicking a few buttons on your computer and having a parcel arrive at your door, why not go explore a new part of your town or city? Make it a family outing, let everyone pick a little treat to buy, and support a handful of small local businesses all in one convenient location.. FORBES: Make buying Western your New Years resolutionCalgary Farmers’ Market (Source: Mack Male, WikiCommons) .Try some new locally-made food.McDonald’s drive-thru again? That mall food court has all the same options you’ve had so many times before. We’ve all been in that funk of choosing the familiar option just because it is easy. But it really gets to be monotonous after a while. Checking out a small local restaurant that you have never tried before is a great way to bring some exciting change to your routine..One easy way to try new foods while supporting local small businesses is to go wherever food trucks gather in your city or town. For those living in larger centres, there are often apps or websites to help you find the right food truck for your tastes..Next time that friend comes to visit from out of town, you can take them to this cool local place you discovered rather than the same old stuff they can get literally anywhere else.. FORBES: Make buying Western your New Years resolutionA food truck in Alberta (Source: Kurt Bauschardt, WikiCommons) .Show some Western solidarity.Buying local is about more than dollars and cents. It is also about developing a community consciousness. Every time you open your wallet, I want you to think, “Is this good for Western Canada?” If it’s not – see if you can put your wallet away and save it for a better time. We in the West must develop that level of dedication to our own interests if we ever expect to stand up for ourselves in a world that seems to be actively working against our economic interests..Anyone who has seen those “I Heart Alberta Beef” bumper stickers can appreciate that it is not just about goods and services. It’s an act of Western solidarity. It’s a meaningful statement that transcends political boundaries. Whatever our politics, we all share the West as our home and we all want our local economies to thrive. In a previous article, I wrote about how Western Canadians have a long history of helping each other out when times get tough. Making more conscientious decisions with our purchasing power is just another small step in that direction.. Trudeau on WE scandal: Case closed .To support local Western Canadian businesses is a small decision that may not seem like much at first. But with time, every one of those small decisions will begin to add up and make a real difference for those small businesses that are struggling. This New Year, let’s resolve to support Western Canadian interests on a day-to-day basis in any way we can. Voting with your dollars is a great place to start.
