What can we rant about this week, dear diary?
After listing all the things last week that we haven't received and aren't going to receive from government, maybe we can look at some things we can do ourselves.
Should we begin by suggesting we can turn our pouts into production?
A few weeks ago, Steve McClellan, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, came to our city to talk to local chamber members and guests. He astutely warned us that we, and hopefully he meant the whole province, had to begin moving forward again without the expectation of having busloads of immigrants continually arriving on our doorsteps to fill in for us.
It just can't be done ... they can't fill all the gaps.
Those of us who have gotten soft thanks to this Saskatchewan Advantage will have to jump off our privileged perches and get down to doing a little dirty work again.
Sometimes a little grunt work brings results.
If you can't get, or can't afford, a new snowblower, I need not remind you that they're still selling snow shovels.
And to make a second point ... I don't want to overpay for either the snowblower or snow shovel. That's not in the spirit of the Saskatchewan Advantage.
If you are going to make me pay a premium price for that snowblower ... pay more than they do in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert or Wadena, then it better not just be the best snowblower on my block, it better be the best snowblower we've ever seen in this city!
If you pay top dollar, you need to expect top quality product and service.
So ask yourself that question before you swipe the credit card to pay for whatever it is you're buying, from brooms to condos.
If you're expected to pay the top price in Canada for a piece of property with high taxes ... what are you getting for it? Do you get the best in security ... the best water in the country, the best sidewalk and wide paved road and daily garbage pickup?
If you pay as much as they do in Toronto, it will come with the best finishing work, cabinets, floors and granite covers in the business. If the seller and service providers expect $36 to $42 per hour, that means you should expect the best in Canada from them in return.
That's how it's supposed to work. But we all know that doesn't always happen. But, as it was pointed out by McClellan, we have to try or else we'll fail.
So don't be shy to ask the questions. What are you getting for your top dollar? And if we are on the other end of the equation, maybe we need to ask ourselves ... what am I supplying to my customer if I'm asking top dollar for my goods or service?
If the answer isn't "the best," then we need to rethink our positions and maybe hit the reset button on our economy because something's out of whack.
And in case you're wondering, I don't own a snowblower, but I do have a locally purchased snow shovel that has served me well for over 12 years, and hasn't let me down, even this year. But we have a couple of guys in "the hood" who have been handy and more than helpful with their snowblowers ... removing the real big stuff when things got really tough. So let's cheer on the snowblower guys all around this city and I don't really care where their blown snow landed.
Let's celebrate that which we have and get down to work and produce something to justify this Saskatchewan Advantage.
