Month: December 2022

Every night in Canada, 35,000 people experience homelessness. These are our neighbours, family members and friends, and the scale of the problem is increasingly hard to ignore. Recent data from Discover, Navigator’s research offering, shows that eight in ten Canadians believe homelessness has reached a crisis point. 

Gas prices are excessive, groceries seem to be getting more expensive and $5 no longer goes as far as it used to at Tim Hortons. But the issue of affordability runs deeper and connects to housing in a meaningful way. Stories of young couples not being able to afford their first home and students moving back in with their parents are commonplace. The demand for change is so strong that in the general election last year, a national non-partisan campaign called ‘Vote Housing’ was launched to mobilize Canadians and rally public support to address critical housing needs. Much like climate change, there is widespread concern for the issue, but little consensus on what to do. It is far too easy to slip into a mentality that homelessness and housing insecurity will always be with us. It doesn’t have to be this way. 

There is a growing chorus of voices shouting from rooftops that housing is a basic human right and to their credit, governments at all levels and politicians of all stripes are listening and acting. In fact, the current Liberal government has an aggressive national housing strategy, with a stated goal in the next 10 years of cutting chronic homelessness by 50 per cent and removing over 500,000 families from housing need. 

The private sector has an opportunity and a need to follow suit. Canadians increasingly expect their business leaders to contribute to the communities they operate in – helping employees and customers build meaningful attachments and identify common values rooted in shared commitments to safer, stronger cities. 

A recent survey released by the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, a Navigator initiative that equips businesses to make broader contributions to society, polled 500 senior executives across the country on corporate purpose. Of those surveyed, 63 per cent agreed that “The purpose of a corporation should be to benefit all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, suppliers, the communities where it operates, and the environment.” While there are many deserving initiatives and outstanding national organizations with which to partner, nothing is more rooted in the health and security of the community – where your employees live, work and play – than homelessness intervention.  

Partnering with a homeless shelter also has the added benefit of alignment with government policy and direction in a way that can prove to be mutually beneficial. We should not be embarrassed by the fact that businesses can invest in ending homelessness. It is the morally right thing to do and it can help strengthen a business’ bottom line and reputation in the community. In fact, Discover research found that over half of Canadians agree that businesses should contribute to help combat the housing crisis. 

In addition to the immediate supports, such as food and bedding, there is also a growing trend among shelters to search for solutions to systematically end homelessness. This means more than investing in a safe place to sleep and eat. Increasingly agencies and shelters are focusing on skills and training, education and especially strategies to move people into housing, rather than providing stopgap, nightly solutions to homelessness. There is no need for a company to position themselves as the expert on ‘fixing’ the systemic problem. Rather, the shelters will work with experts and politicians towards this goal.  

Ending homelessness is an aspirational goal that might be solvable if we all work together. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, but having corporate Canada partner with government, along with the generosity of Canadian donors and well-intentioned agencies and shelters, provides a collective response to an issue that affects us all.  

*Matt serves as Board Chair for the Ottawa Mission, a charity dedicated to providing all the tools people need to rebuild their lives 

80% of Canadians believe our country has a crisis in homelessness. 

53% agree that businesses should contribute funding to help combat the housing crisis. 

After years of public health restrictions, uncertainty and fear, Canadians are enthusiastically flooding back to concert halls, venues and auditoriums. Enduring symbols of our country’s love for the arts, historic venues have undertaken extensive restorations to showcase their past and to meet the changing needs of the modern concertgoer. Here are three historic theatre revitalization projects that stand out. 

Toronto’s revered Royal Conservatory of Music has fostered young Canadian musical talent for more than a century. The Conservatory was founded in 1886 and in 1963 relocated to its current home on Bloor Street West. Its distinctive, Victorian red-brick hall was originally built in the 1880s and served as the original location of McMaster University until it moved to Hamilton in 1930.    

In the early 2000s, the Conservatory undertook an extensive restoration and construction project of its iconic building, led by KPMB architects, with the goals of strengthening its academic offerings and cementing its role as one of Toronto’s major cultural institutions.   

The addition of Koerner Hall, the renovation’s showcase auditorium, was of particular interest to performers and audiences alike. Opened to the public in 2009, Koerner Hall is a world-class venue offering concertgoers an intimate yet acoustically bold experience. Since its inauguration, Koerner Hall has welcomed artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Frederica von Stade and Midori.  

 The hall’s most notable feature is an undulating oak “veil” that cascades behind the stage, defining the Conservatory’s iconic image. Gently curving oak balconies hover over the audience, offering two tiers of uninterrupted sightlines. The curvature of the balconies contributes to the hall’s embracing acoustics. Koerner Hall’s modern exterior is in juxtaposition to the Conservatory’s original Victorian structure and allows visitors an expansive view of the nearby ROM Crystal and the University of Toronto’s scenic Philosopher’s Walk. 

Montréal’s historic Théâtre St-Denis was inaugurated in the heart of the city’s Latin Quarter in 1916. Originally designed for use as a French-language cinema, it eventually welcomed major international and Canadian acts, from opera singer Maurice Chevalier to the Orchestra of Milan under the direction of Arturo Toscanini.   

At its inauguration, the Théâtre St-Denis was the largest in Canada, accommodating more than 3,000 patrons. Throughout its history, the venue has undergone various crises of identity, most notably a permanent change in vocation from film to the musical arts in the 1980s.  

The current revitalization project, financed by owner Compagnie France Film and led by architecture firm FABG, will integrate the original theatre with Espace St-Denis, a burgeoning cultural and gastronomic hub home to a restaurant, piano bar and a multi-purpose performance space. The revitalization of Théâtre St-Denis’ main hall will commence in 2023. Its historic limestone façade, which was partially concealed by an earlier renovation, will be visible once again after the demolition of pre-existing structures.  

The new glazed foyer will reveal the theatre’s classic architecture at street level and promote inclusion and transparency in Montréal’s lively arts and cultural scene. The project is one of many recent investments in the cultural capital of Montréal’s Latin Quarter.  

The Vancouver Orpheum Theatre’s eclectic architecture is representative of the exotic phase of 1920s cinema in which it was born. Moorish, Spanish Renaissance and Baroque influences fuse to create an opulent setting for a variety of musical acts.  

Built in 1927, the Orpheum now serves as the permanent home of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and frequently welcomes other classical and contemporary performers. In the 1940s, the installation of the Orpheum’s now iconic neon sign cemented the historic landmark’s location in the 800-block of Granville Street. 

In response to the significant economic downturn faced by Granville Street’s entertainment sector during the pandemic, architecture firm Perkins and Will, alongside developer partners, have filed a rezoning application for an ambitious redevelopment of the 800-block of Granville Street.  

The proposal is highly contentious amongst Vancouverites; some people are concerned about its proportion of modern elements. The architects envision a juxtaposition between old and new, celebrating the Orpheum’s history through the preservation of original façades and the addition of amenities to support the theatre’s viability.   

 The addition of flexible office and hotel space is intended to boost economic prospects for the struggling entertainment area. Public hearings on the proposal will be held over the next year. 

What does the art we create tell us about ourselves?  

At the centre of every piece of science fiction lies the painting of a possible future. More often than we realize that future comes to life, fundamentally changing how we communicate, work and live. The mobile phone first appeared on Star Trek and in Dick Tracy comic strips. Voice interaction technologies like Alexa and Siri arrived directly after the film Her in 2013. Evidently, science fiction is able to forge a revolutionary vision for researchers, designers and technologists to fulfil. While probing the connection between science fiction and reality may seem like an academic indulgence or nerdy diversion, for industry leaders, entrepreneurs and investors the importance of this relationship should be noted.   

Investing capital, pivoting a product line or starting a business all show applied futurism in practice. All involve making an educated guess about near- and long-term outlooks and arranging one’s pieces to meet a new reality. But predictions routinely fall short. Our vision of the future cannot foresee or guard itself against the law of randomness: the truth is the future world will be as vast and complex as the one we occupy today. So don’t see this as a call to exchange your HBR subscription for Nebula. Reading contemporary science fiction can only tell you about the world of tomorrow as much as yesterday’s world accurately predicted today. See this, instead, as the examination of a medium — science fiction — that can bring to life stories of instructive contingency, revealing the shine of bold new ideals and the reality of their probable collapse.    

Attempting to conjure a future universe requires great imagination; it requires one to see things not as they are but as they might be, an essential ingredient for innovation. More importantly, successful narratives resonate with a receptive audience; that resonance can reveal the anxieties and aspirations prevailing in a particular time. Today and for the past two centuries, science fiction has been a bellwether for our hopes, dreams and fears. So, what do contemporary works in this genre tell us about ourselves in this moment, about our own anxieties and aspirations? What do these works tell us about our evolving relationship with technology?  

It’s difficult to know today what will stand the test of time, but a careful observer of science fiction can identify patterns that reflect the zeitgeist. From Star Trek to Westworld to Dune, the reboot generation displays a collective desire for the familiar in times of rapid instability. Franchises like The Expanse and The Hunger Games show the misalignment between fantastic technological advances and startling geopolitical inequality.   

Several years removed from the prevailing big-tech optimism that accompanied Web 2.0, these franchises point to a jarring future of civilizations built on the exploitation of entire populations. The appeal of these works could indicate that audiences appreciate scientific progress but are dubious of its ability to change standards of living.  

Recent novels like The Space Between Worlds and The Midnight Library, and films like Everything Everywhere All at Once, not to mention a litany of recent Marvel movies, have introduced hundreds of millions of people to the concept of the multiverse, in which there are an infinite number of quantum worlds where differences range from the subtle to the extreme. In our climate of cascading events, the prominence of the multiverse is no surprise. Moreover, at a time when nearly 3 billion people willingly engage with Facebook alone, the use of surveillance as a plot device is expanding. Numerous episodes of Black Mirror, as well as novels like The Circle, focus on governments and businesses inspecting our every move. These works speak to people who feel violated, who feel their world is being twisted and shaped by algorithms and the nefarious corporations or governments employing them.  

Like all literature and popular entertainment, science fiction elicits a diversity of responses that are challenging to neatly categorize. However, it would be a mistake to ignore the overwhelming signs that today’s readers are consumed by questions of surveillance and exploitation that accompany contemporary technology. The common and alarming threads of instability, uncertainty and paranoia in futuristic civilizations lay bare a trust gap that private and civic leaders must close in this increasingly digital era.  

We can’t predict the future, but today’s screenwriters, poets and novelists, writers who dare to envision it, hardly inspire confidence. Their lack of optimism signals a trajectory, begs urgent questions and articulates a dire warning. While charting our path forward, we would be wise to heed that warning.

Early 19th century 
Trends: Advances in technology and medicine 
Notable Works: Shelley’s Frankenstein, Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

 

Late 19th century and early 20th century 
Trends: Imperial Wars, Fin de siècle  
Notable Works: Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, Flash Gordon serials 

1940s and 1950s
Trends: Anti-truth absurdities of the U.S.S.R., propaganda, atomic warfare 
Notable Works: Orwell’s 1984, The Day the Earth Stood Still 

1960s
Trends: New age philosophies, space travel   
Notable Works: Stranger in a Strange Land, 
Cat’s Cradle, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek 

1970s 
Trends: Watergate, escalation of the Vietnam War
Notable Works: Logan’s Run, Soylent Green  

1980s
Trends: Digital computing, fear of nuclear war 
Notable Works: Neuromancer, The Day After  

1990s 
Trends: Collapse of communism, American hegemony 
Notable Works: The Fifth Element, Independence Day  

2000s
Trends: Surveillance, precarity  
Notable Works: Minority Report, Children of Men, V for Vendetta 

2010s 
Trends: Rising inequality, climate anxiety  
Notable Works: The Hunger Games,  The Expanse, The Walking Dead 

5% of Canadians have a high level of trust in Big Tech companies to protect their data.
75% are uncomfortable with these companies tracking their data.