THE NEXT PANDEMIC

We need to stop the panic-neglect cycle and invest in prevention

CARLO DADE

Amidst talk at the political level of “building back better” there has been a consistent drum beat in the business press and even the U.S. Senate on the need to build now for next pandemic. Preparing for the next pandemic is distinct from the current, very good work being done by the Future Borders Coalition and others on recovering from the present pandemic.

The fundamental changes that occurred with the September 11 attacks can provide a useful framework for business. As with the trajectory between SARS and COVID, it was only the second time that the World Trade Center was bombed that the full implications of a real and present threat – one which had existed but had not been appreciated – suddenly came into focus. In the hindsight of the current COVID pandemic, the appearance of SARS in 2003, H1N1 in 2009, Ebola in 2014 and in MERS 2018 take on new significance. Any one of these could have manifested differently and become the pandemic we now face. With September 11, once the latent, ever-present threat of terrorism became clear, public policy in the West, and certainly in Canada and the U.S., was enacted to impose new rules, new norms and even new physical structures that governed how business, and trade in goods and services, was conducted. It was more than just restoring operations interrupted by September 11; it was retooling for a new reality. This is analogous to what we can expect going forward.

There is much room for input in the areas where new policy intersects trade, or where the private sector will play a predominate role in thinking about a new normal that incorporates pandemic preparedness.

So, what would an agenda for business involvement look like, especially in Western Canada?

First, it would recognize that there are regional responsibilities, needs, variations, successful and not so successful initiatives. In other words, this is not an issue that lies solely in the hands of Ottawa and Washington D.C. There is room for state or provincial and even municipal initiatives. Responsibility for the border lies with the national governments, but beyond the border, responsibility shifts. Cities that are intimately connected, like Detroit-Windsor and Seattle-Vancouver, can simply sit down together to take stock of what did and did not work and what can be done to make things work better next time.

The best-known example of this sub-national cooperation may be the vaccination agreements between the governments of North Dakota-Manitoba and Alberta-Montana for vaccinating Canadian truckers, and the Blackfoot Confederacy in Montana vaccinating Albertans on the other side of the medicine line or border.

Cooperation can include shared standards for testing and monitoring, to lobbying for special consideration for ‘bubble corridors.’ Local business communities in smaller, isolated border communities need to lobby provincial governments to ensure that in the breathing space that we now have, special measures are put in place to allow for cross-border travel in future global health emergencies.

As both Canada and the U.S. look at ramping up infrastructure investments and “building back better together,” now is the time to think about using this momentum and money to build infrastructure that we now realize is needed to facilitate trade and commerce out West, and daily life in smaller isolated rural border communities.

It is also a good time to think about post-9-11-type pandemic infrastructure in airports and other facilities lest we wait for a third bombing of the Twin Towers to make the case for these investments.

Second, domestically, we saw the impact of the collapse of global supply and production chains for critical products needed to survive and then fight the pandemic. The previous U.S. administration’s attempts to prevent the shipment of N95 masks to Canada from the 3M next to the border in Minnesota got our attention. But less noticed was that over 68 other governments, including normally reliable trade partners like Germany and the U.K., also imposed some form of export restriction on materials related to fighting COVID-19.

In response, the federal government moved belatedly to try and facilitate production of needed supplies in Canada by getting firms that could tweak production of existing goods. Rather than scrambling at the last minute to put something like this in place, we must reflect on what worked with this program and what needed to be improved, and institutionalize those changes into a platform that can be kept updated and ready for the next pandemic.

One critical update to Canada’s Plan to Mobilize Industry to fight COVID-19 is creating an online “marketplace” portal to match buyers and suppliers of critical equipment. This is particularly needed for those firms retooling to make products they do not normally produce. A platform that could be quickly turned on for emergency situations at local, provincial and national levels, and coordinate demand from health authorities and other essential services, would allow the country to better respond to disruptions in foreign supply and production chains, and encourage more Canadian firms to take the risk in retooling.

These are but two of many items that need be addressed now while the memories of what was needed but not available, what worked and what needed to be done differently are still fresh.

In the rush to put the current pandemic behind it, business risks setting itself up for a repeat instead of an avoidance of the pain experienced over the past year and a half. Part of what is needed is individual stock taking, adjustment and investment by firms. Equally important is helping to ensure that the public policy processes to “build back better” account for our new reality, which is preparing for the next pandemic, and ensuring that pandemic response measures that were politically expedient but harmful to the public good do not get repeated. Above all, it means not repeating the failure to learn, take seriously and institutionalize the lessons from SARS, what former World Bank president Jim Kim noted “happens every time in the face of pandemics… a cycle of panic, neglect, panic, neglect.” Carlo Dade is the director of the Canada West Foundation’s Trade & Investment Centre.

What many people don’t know—and what is at the heart of everything we do is our people, and we are one of Canada’s largest employers. Our teams across this country are our greatest asset. We’ve opened our Customer Solution Centre in Kelowna, and we’re on track to have more than 2,000 employees here in BC by the end of 2021.

While we are creating jobs, it’s also in our DNA to contribute, to give back to the communities we serve. That means making sure our communities in BC are connected. We recently announced our work with the Provincial government to connect the 250km stretch along Highway 16 – known as the Highway of Tears. This route has a deeply profound and tragic history that impacts British Columbians, particularly Indigenous peoples and women, so we are truly humbled to do our part in making it safer.

Once the merger is approved, Rogers and Shaw combined will work to close the digital divide in western Canada by creating a new $1 billion Rogers Rural and Indigenous Connectivity Fund to connect communities across Western Canada.

Our 5G network is now in nearly 70 cities and towns in the province, which covers 86% of the population, offering 10 times more coverage than any other wireless provider. For our customers, 5G provides faster speeds—at full capacity it will deliver up to 100 times faster download speeds than LTE. Arguably the biggest impact however will be for businesses and communities. 5G will massively extend the potential for the Internet of Things, where everything can be connected. This will completely transform business operations, from supply chain management, to the retail experience, to creating more efficient and safer communities.

Our partnership with UBC is so exciting. It’s important to not only work in the province, but across the country. UBC was one of the first partnerships we signed in BC about three years ago as part of a multi million-dollar investment in Canada’s leading academic institutions. Our goal is to bring together the smartest minds to build innovation applications - all leveraging our 5G network. This research is really what will fuel the future of 5G technology and shape how it impacts businesses and communities.

We’re also connecting research with businesses to trial real-world use cases. One great example is InDro Robotics. With our 5G network covering the Point Grey campus, we successfully completed Canada’s first 5G drone flight—a big accomplishment that showcases how we can make more possible.

British Columbia has such a thriving small business community, not just in major cities but everywhere in the province, and these companies make up the vast majority of our economy. The entrepreneurial spirit here is so strong and inspiring. British Columbia has also become a dynamic hub for innovation, especially in technology. Yes, Rogers can support these businesses with our wide range of products and solutions, far beyond wireless. We also want to tap into this innovation and talent to build partnerships and foster the next generation of business leaders. That’s what really excites us.

We’re also focused on our community engagement, with a particular focus on diversity and inclusion. Rogers is an active sponsor and participant in Pride Month. We are also actively supporting vulnerable communities across the province including Women’s Shelters Canada to provide free devices to the most vulnerable in BC. It’s the right thing to do, and we’re just getting started.

We’re partnering and connecting with BC community leaders to truly understand their challenges and find creative, innovative ways to bring connectivity and investment to their communities. At the end of the day, bringing meaningful change for BC residents is what matters most and we are fully committed to delivering on that vision.