Agenda On The Road: Waterloo

In this space, you will be able to see the evolution of our Waterloo show (March 30). Right here you can watch and collaborate as I gather research and guests, and develop the focus of the episode and the questions Steve will put to our guests. You can even provide input on who those guests will be.

This page will change a lot between now and the day the show goes to air. Take part and help it come together.

Need more information? Read my blog post.

One more blog, before I leave for Waterloo!

The show page is now up!  

Focus: Examining the innovation economy in Ontario by focusing on Waterloo.

Chapters or Structure of the Show: 

1. The Waterloo Success Story: How Waterloo got to where it is today. Success beyond RIM. Other industries. Think-tanks and Research Instututes; Academia -- what makes for a successful Innovation Economy?

2. Exporting Waterloo: Can Waterloo's success be copied elsewhere in Ontario?

Guests:

Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research in Motion and founder and chair of the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

Richard Florida, Director of The Martin Prosperity Institute and author of various best-selling books including, Who's Your City?. Mr. Florida recently co-authored Ontario in the Creative Age, a report on behalf of the Government of Ontario.

The Honourable John Wilkinson, Ontario's Minister of Research and Innovation, and MPP for Perth-Wellington.

Sheila Block is Research Director of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL). She's an economist with expertise in labour markets, industrial policy, pensions and benefits, public finance, and the health sector. As the OFL's research director, she analyzes social, political, and economic trends.  Ms. Block is also a research associate for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Research: Here are some worthwhile reads to get you thinking about the innovation economy.

Start with the Florida-Martin report which was released last month.

Ontario in the Creative Age: A report summary and access to the full report.

http://martinprosperity.org/research-and-publications/publication/ontario-in-the-creative-age-project

JUST IN! Kevin Stolarick and his research team at the Martin Prostperity Institute have participated in every AgendaCamp and presented individualized reports on each region we have visited. Their Kitchener-Waterloo study, comparing the region to its peers is out now.

http://wiki.theagenda.tvo.org/Kingston/Martin_Prosperity_Institute

If you come to AgendaCamp, take a few minutes to drop by one of their many discussions!

A fantastic resource on the Waterloo Region at large is the new website by Canada's Technology Triangle. It does a great job of selling the region. You'll find all sorts of demographic and statistical information on area, as well as news pertaining to economic development there. Have a look!

Montreal Gazette, Thursday, October 16 2008. By David Crane.

http://www2.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=057f1369-b5f7-402c-805a-8062554eabc1

From Canadian Business magazine, September 29, 2008.

Kitchener-Waterloo: KW knows best

Southwestern Ontario's gem is weathering the manufacturing exodus. 

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/managing/strategy/article.jsp?content=20080929_198701_198701

From Canadian Business magazine, October 8, 2007.

Innovation station

Waterloo's deeply embedded culture of entrepreneurship could show the rest of Canada how it's done. 

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/article.jsp?content=20071001_198706_198706

Maclean's cover story on August 27, 2008. A series on how Canadian cities measured up.

http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080827_119793_119793&page=1 

Waterloo and The Perimeter Institute got special mention in this article:

Decoding the universe:  Waterloo is one smart city. The Perimeter is making it smarter.

http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20080827_42395_42395

An interesting Margaret Wente column in the Globe and Mail, June 7, 2008.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080607.wcowent07/BNStory/commentsalon/

Waterloo Region Record, January 24, 2009

How the BlackBerry changed Waterloo; 10 years of technology; The immense reach of the blackberry

The trim little gadget not only helped transform Waterloo into a booming technology centre but forever altered the way we work and the boundaries between life at the office and life at home;

http://news.therecord.com/article/476626

Questions/Ideas: What do you think we should cover?

• The Perimeter Institute. The Centre for International Governance. Both funded with the money Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie made from RIM. One is striving to be a world-renowned centre for Physics; the other, a think-tank for 21st century governance issues. Typical of many such institutions and universities funded by private wealth in the United States. Not typical in Canada. Why not?

• How did Waterloo become the high-tech hub that it is?

• Can universities afford to let professors own their own research?

• What attracts workers to relocate there? Is it simply a job, or is it more? 

• Are universities revising curricula to reflect the skills people need to succeed in the innovation economy? What are those skills? A general arts and science degree is what is considered to be a basic university education. Maybe educators should promote engineering degrees is a basic and necessary component of one's C.V. and then people ought to be encouraged to specialize from there? Any thoughts?

• How is the service industry faring in Waterloo?

• Are there adequate retraining opportunites for laid-off manufacturing employees?

•  Speed-bumps or the other side of success: Has this success created "haves" in the community and "have-nots." What is happening with manufacturing economy in Waterloo, or Kitchener, rather?
• What growth issues are facing the region - land, transit, infrastructure?
• What's next? How will Waterloo fare in this economic climate? How do you prepare the future work force which will feed the innovation economy?

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