We are all asking for a vaccine as a stocking stuffer, but that isn't likely so we will need to continue to be diligent and safe for this holiday season. The silver lining of this pandemic is the...
Unmasking the Opposition to Masks
If it’s not obvious by the title, I take issue with those opposed to wearing masks in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The anti-maskers make four basic arguments that may sound reasonable at...
A New Homestead Act
The New Homestead Act To help rural communities prosper in the 21st Century, we can perhaps find inspiration from the 19th Century. More than 150 years ago, both the United States and Canada...
The Value of Video Games
I have teenage boys who love playing video games on their PlayStation. To be honest, I like playing on occasion, too. It’s an outlet for stress, frustration, and creativity when I can’t walk, or...
Looking To The Stars For Better Rural Internet
13 Ways has recently discovered that we have something in common with - none other than - Elon Musk. No, we didn’t send a Tesla roadster into space blaring David Bowies “Space Oddity”, and we...
Building Community Success
We should have known 2020 was going to be a bad year from the get-go. In the first week of January, residents of Hinton, Edson and Lacombe learned their local newspapers were closing. The Hinton...
Grants and Subsides available for Communities in Canada
There are many grants and subsidies that are available for businesses, not for profits and government entities. And they are a bit complex. We've taken the liberty of doing some of the...
No Simple and Easy Prescription for Community Success
Burlington, Vermont, USA at Church Street Marketplace. When the Covid crisis is over, somebody should write a book and perhaps entitle it, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in the Pandemic.” Top...
The Retail Recalibration
At least once a week, my three-year-old asks me if the “bad germs” have gone away. “Bad germs” is the term we use to explain COVID-19. His little world has been turned upside down. He wants to see...
The Future is Coming… Now
To thrive, not merely survive, during the pandemic takes more than hand washing and physical distancing. It requires bandwidth. Not all of us who are fortunate enough to have a job and the skills...