Focusing on the practical versus the sexy

While our provincial and federal government intelligentsia continue to focus their legislative efforts on critically important activities (I say this purely in jest) such as new environmental regulation, carbon taxes and carbon levies in an attempt to reduce Canada’s current whopping 1.6% share of total global GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions Albertan’s and many Canadian’s for that matter in the real world continue to suffer.

MNP recently release their MNP Consumer Debt Sentiment Survey and the results from Main Street Canada appear to be a little less rosy than the sentiment espoused by the attendees in Brussels, Paris, Davos or wherever else the “governing elite” amass (on your dime) in order to receive self-congratulations and praise.

Some numbers from the current “Suffer-Meter”:

12,180: The number of Alberta insolvencies between July 2015 and July 2016, according to the latest statistics from the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada.

35.5%: Percentage jump compared to the same period one year earlier.

128,447: The number of Canadian insolvencies from July 2015 to July 2016.

3.1%: The percentage increase from the same period one year earlier.

27%: The percentage of Albertans who can’t pay their bills who say they’ve sought professional help for their debt situation, according to a recent Ipsos survey.

37%: The percentage of all Canadian respondents who say they’ve sought debt help.

46%: The percentage of Albertans who say they haven’t sought professional financial help because they can’t afford to pay someone for assistance.

25%: The percentage of all Canadians who give the same answer as above.

33% and 34%: The percentage of Albertans and all Canadians respectively who say they haven’t sought help because their situation isn’t bad enough yet.

Considering the above we suspect that as a collection agency operating in Edmonton, Calgary and the GTA we will continue to have our work cut out for us.

While focusing on the practical, most notably the domestic economy and those things that will support business, the economy, and trade in order to help get average Canadian’s back to work is far less sexy than gaining the applause and admiration of the UN Elite or landing oneself on the cover of Time Magazine it sure would have a much greater positive impact on the lives of everyday Canadian’s and Albertan’s wouldn’t it?