Monthly Archives: October 2014

The First Nations tribe the Tsilhqot’in are fighting to preserve a very important piece of land that is being challenged by Taseko Mines Ltd. The Tsilhqot’in are planning on opening Dasiqox Tribal Park in the exact location where the $1.1-billion New Prosperity copper-gold project is supposed to take place. As legal battles and disagreements arise, it is difficult to settle on what side of the fence to be on. To begin, the First Nations have been living on this land for hundreds of years. The interference with the tribe, the land and the environment that this mine would cause far exceeds what would be considered an ethical business plan. As the article states, this piece of land is home to “more than 10,000 hectares of threatened white bark pine forest, the last viable refuge for the dryland grizzly bear, [and an] important spawning habitat for chinook, sockeye, and coho salmon” (Pynn). However, it is also important to look at the situation from Taseko’s point of view. This piece of land was not originally declared as part of the Tsilhqot’in’s title, therefore it is understandable why Taseko is frustrated with this sudden halt to the construction of the mine. The validity of this new tribal park declaration seems questionable, so it is fair to say that both parties have legitimate reasons for their position on the disagreement. This new mine was set to be a large source of income for Taseko, therefore the Tsilhqot’in’s actions have a large impact on the success of the company. 

Keurig, the popular coffee-maker, is being sued by fellow Canadian coffee company Club Coffee for creating a coffee maker that only works with Keurig-brand coffee cups. The new model is an attempt by the company to prevent the use of coffee cups from different brands and to force consumers to buy K-cups instead. However, this business plan backfired immensely and resulted in Club Coffee identifying the differentiation in the new Keurig model before it was even out on shelves. The company is being sued for “anti-competitive behaviour, claiming it is keeping the price of single-serve coffee pods artificially high for consumers” (CBC). Club Coffee has announced the differentiation and has warned other coffee companies of this new development so that they are able to create Keurig-compatible cups as well. I believe that Keurig’s strategy was an unfair attempt to exploit their customers and diminish their competitors. Keurig has already raised the price of their K-cups by 9%, and consumers of the new model would be forced to buy these cups. Additionally, the model development that prevents other cups from being used is a minimal alteration in the machine that is easily correctable for producers of other coffee cups. I believe making the new model compatible exclusively with overpriced K-cups would drive consumers away, resulting in the company taking a retrostep rather than moving forward and expanding their business. 

Many Canadian citizens hold part-time jobs by choice as a way to earn extra money or save for their futures. However, many other citizens do not hold these part-time jobs by choice. According to this article in the Globe and Mail, many Canadians have been demoted from their full-time jobs to part-time jobs due to employers’ desires to “keep a lid on labour costs, improv[e] their margins at a time of heightened competition and changing business models” (Grant). As demand for employers’ products rise and fall, employees suffer from hour cuts, resulting in a lower income. This decrease in income has made it difficult for citizens who need a full-time job to support themselves, pay their bills and save for retirement. In my opinion, this issue is an extremely detrimental problem facing Canada’s workforce. Since “the greatest portion of involuntary part-timers are those between the ages of 25 and 54” (Grant), they are unable to support themselves during the portion of their lives that they need to most. The uncertainty that comes with no guaranteed minimum work hours causes the middle-aged workforce to refrain from purchasing as many goods and services, which creates a lack of flow in the economy. Overall, I believe it is extremely important for the government to intervene as this issue could potentially have a snowball effect on the Canadian economy as a whole.