Shining a light

A new business is celebrating Island artisans this summer at Spinnakers’ Landing.

Current Collective, run by Jen Croken and Jane Gallant, is set to have about 90 per cent of inventory come from local artisans.

“We met through the Etsy markets and discussed maybe opening an independent shop. And then in the new year, we were like ‘OK we’re doing this,’” said Croken.

Etsy is an online platform where artisans and craftspeople can sell their good. The Island, which features multiple Etsy shops has in person markets a couple times a year.

Now the pair are gearing up to open shop in the lighthouse at the Landing.

“This spot has been vacant for a number of years so we’re really excited to bring some life into it. And it’s the first time in a while that people will actually be able to access the lighthouse and go to the top and see the view of Summerside.”

Many Atlantic Canadians say they would need to make a lot more money to live debt free, according to a new survey.

The survey conducted by Ipsos highlights just how debtreliant residents of P.E.I. and other parts of the region have become.

Six in 10 Atlantic Canadians with consumer debt believe they would need a significant increase in their household income in order to live debt free.

On average, they feel they would need the highest per cent increase in household income (40 per cent), compared to the other provinces.

“It used to be that people would save for big purchases and have some money tucked away for emergencies,’’ says Grant Bazian, president at MNP LTD, Canada’s largest insolvency practice.

“Now Canadians look straight The Current Collective features candles, woven baskets, paintings, cards, jewelry and more.

The lighthouse will be open during the hours Current Collective is open.

Croken is a sea glass artist, while Gallant is a weaver. For their day jobs, Gallant works as a teacher for the Public Schools Branch and Croken works as career practitioner.

“We’ve both said we always wanted to be shopkeepers,” Gallant said with a laugh.

“We’re also looking forward to just being here and meeting locals and tourists.”

Current Collective houses products from about 50 different artisans. to (home lines of credit) or credit cards or other forms of debt when it comes to paying for unexpected car repairs, home maintenance, and even basic household expenses.’’

Brazian says that the lack of personal savings and reliance on debt is a huge and growing problem among Atlantic Canadians.

The survey asked Atlantic Canadians who they blame for the amount of consumer (non-mortgage) debt that they currently have.

Nearly half (47 per cent) blame themselves.

However, two in 10 (22

“Three are so many great resources and producers from across the Island. But I think it’s also really illuminated the maker community on P.E.I.,” said Croken.

The pair have been working to get the space ready for the store’s June 2 opening.

“Jane is very much the creative space person in the partnership. She and her husband built the hanging shelves display and she’s really set this place up,” said Croken.

Gallant added, “And Jen’s really taken on the business side and running things behind the per cent) say others are to blame, pointing the finger at government taxation (13 per cent), their spouse (12 per cent) and the Bank of Canada interest rates (seven per cent), among others.

“People who blame themselves often feel like they have to deal with the debt alone,’’ says Brazian.

“The shame and guilt prevents them from taking action or asking for the help that they might desperately need. Confronting debt can be a depressing reality at first, but with the numerous options available to Canadians,

scene. We’ve really played to each other’s strengths.”

Once the summer season begins, they plan to have the Current Collective open seven days a week.

“We’re really excited to be here. I think there’s a real atmosphere among the vendors to bring Spinnakers’ back to the place it used to be,” Gallant said.

Croken chimed in, “I think we’ve been in need of a little bit of refresh. And it seems like it’s going to show locals and tourists what’s available on the Island.” debt relief is possible.’’

The survey results are particularly troublesome for Canadians already struggling financially. Across Canada, lower income households and those who are technically insolvent said they would need to make 49 per cent more income in order to live debt free.

“When debt becomes a financial survival tool it makes people particularly vulnerable to exploitative and high-cost lending. They have to spend more to service their debts — particularly as interest rates rise — so they have less money to make ends meet. And so begins the vicious cycle of debt,” says Bazian.

He points out that sometimes people mistakenly think that getting approved for a loan means that they are in good enough financial position to repay it.

A Deloitte survey in 2017 indicated 79 per cent of global executives rated agile performance management as an organizational priority. What does that mean for Island businesses and large organizations?

Let’s consider a definition of agile management? This concept evolved from software development as a term that describes a management process which involves a group of collaborators who adapt and adjust through a projects implementation.

There are many examples of industry innovations that remain impenetrably siloed in the sector from which they were conceived. The rate and pace of innovation in the IT industry continues to accelerate and yet the spread of disruptive impact to unrelated industries remains largely frozen. Information technology is one domain where innovation should be encouraged to more traditional sectors of our province.

BMO actually implemented an agile methodology in its organization. Crossing customer service teams with technology development has resulted in more responsive and client-centric solutions; very important as more organizations move to web and IT interactions.

What if we took a successful cross-sectoral concept, such as agility, and applied it to one of P.E.I.’s largest and most archaic industries? Would we realize improvement in efficiency, productivity or results?

How would we determine which sector should be the focus of this experiment? Our most dominant sectors are all “traditional industries.” Fishing, farming, tourism. These time-tested industries are adapting technology into their environments; either through progress or disruption. But there is one other sector that is slower to embrace change, arguably our largest sector by revenue and employment. Could this industry experiment with agile innovation?

Our provincial government is a web of bureaucracy. Ranging from dozens and dozens of Crown corporations to a static hierarchical of linear mobility. These structures have the peril of resisting external influence and mature only by nurturing perspective from within. Without external influence these organizations can lose perspective and create fiefdoms from archaic ideas spawned at water cooler meetings (Workforce and Advanced Learnings is a primary example of just such a rudimentary government structure can spiral to internal combustion; crystalized in their flawed Work P.E.I. concept).

Consider a progressive crown corporation, one with the aptitude to acknowledge there is dimension outside government. Examine a current issue (and there are many): health care delivery, educational outcomes, public sector customer service, PNP integration supports, or public accountability measures.

The creativity, experience and interest does reside within government and the broader community can be accessed to support complex issues. The leadership to establish agile cross-functional teams may be the obstacle.

Organizations that embrace rapid project evolution and adapt to change will flourish, those that cannot adapt will fail to thrive.