Building Prosperity in your Workplace - in your Community:
Investing in children and youth
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Charlie Coffey
Executive Vice President
Government & Community Affairs
RBC Financial Group
Guelph Chamber of Commerce
Victoria Park Golf Club West
Guelph, Ontario
Thursday, October 3, 2002
Don, thank you for the introduction…
There's something very special about Guelph
that keeps drawing me back. I've been invited to speak in
the Guelph/Wellington region four times over the past year
- I'm starting to think of "The Royal City"
as my second home and not because of the name association
with RBC Royal Bank. Right at the top, I want to thank the
Guelph Chamber of Commerce for orchestrating this breakfast
and Barbara McKee of the Wellington Early Learning Centres
for helping to make it happen. I'm delighted to be here
and to share some thoughts about Building Prosperity
in your Workplace and in your Community: Investing in Children
and Youth.
This morning marks my first speaking engagement
since the federal government's Speech from the Throne on
Monday. While watching from the entrance to the Senate,
I can't tell you how gratifying it was to hear Governor-General
Adrienne Clarkson read the following:
"Five years ago, Canada's governments
launched the National Children's Agenda, engaging Canadians
in every part of the country on how to ensure that all Canadian
children have a good start in life; that families with children
have the tools they need to provide care and nurturing.
No investments have greater payoff. No investments do more
to break the cycle of poverty and dependency, and to maximize
the potential of every Canadian. The government will put
in place a long-term investment plan to allow poor families
to break out of the welfare trap so that children born into
poverty do not carry the consequences of that poverty throughout
their lives. It will again significantly increase the National
Child Benefit for poor families, and will work with its
partners to increase access to early learning opportunities
and to quality child care, particularly for poor and lone-parent
families."
Madame Clarkson went on to say: "The
government will take additional measures to address the
gap in life chances between aboriginal and non-aboriginal
children. It will put in place early childhood development
programs for First Nations, expanding Aboriginal Head Start,
improving parental supports and providing aboriginal communities
with the tools to address fetal alcohol syndrome and its
effects." I'm sure Chris Margetson and the FASAT team
here in Guelph took note of these words.
Organizations like The Canadian Child
Care Federation (CCCF) were also thrilled to hear "quality
child care" in the Speech from the Throne and applauded
the government for recognizing "child care's critical
role in providing care, skills and learning to children
and in offering many economic and social benefits to our
nation." And the YWCA of Canada shared similar sentiments…"For
the first time in a decade the Government of Canada has
acknowledged the needs of poor and single mothers for housing,
economic assistance, child care and support in caring for
disabled children."
Given this positive impetus, how do we become more engaged
with building prosperity in our workplaces and in our communities
- with investing in children and youth? What's the strategic
and competitive advantage for business to invest in children
and youth? How can all three levels of government, as well
as the private and voluntary sectors work together more
effectively?
Let me start by telling you about my personal
involvement in supporting early years development. A few
years ago, I served on the Ontario Government's Early Years
Study. We looked at ways to prepare children for scholastic,
career and social success - from all socio-economic groups,
not just at-risk youth or those with special needs. The
study co-chairs were the Honourable Margaret McCain and
Dr. Fraser Mustard.
After the Study, Fraser Mustard, Margaret
McCain and I assembled a group to look at how the private
sector could become more involved in the early years challenge
- a group that included individuals from the Canadian Federation
of Independent Business, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
and the Canadian Auto Workers etc. People willingly volunteered
to look at tough issues: the possible need for tax reform;
incentives to build child care facilities; the need to develop
broader-based community networks; and how the provincial
government's Early Years Challenge Fund could be structured
to encourage matching non-government support. It was an
incredible consciousness-raising session!
As a banker and parent, I'm involved in
supporting early years development, children and youth because
it's an economic investment that requires more federal,
provincial and municipal government action. I'm also involved
because it's an economic investment that requires more corporate/business
action. And I'm involved because it's an economic investment
that requires more community action - kids are everybody's
business. There's the cost of doing nothing…and there's
the cost of not doing enough. The only way to make a difference
is to get involved and get others involved!
As Dr. Mustard says, if you want an idea
of what your economy will look like in say 15 or 20 years…if
you want an economy that's vibrant, citizens who are productive
and a workplace that's innovative - think about the investment
you're making in very young people today.
As some of you may be aware, The Honourable
Margaret McCain and I were appointed co-chairs of the Early
Learning and Child Care Commission for the City of Toronto
last year. We released our Final Report on May 13th. I want
to spend a few moments on the Report because there's an
important link between building prosperity in workplaces/communities
and investing in children/youth.
As a basic premise, we know that the state of our cities
determines Canada's social and economic health - our country's
prosperity. Successful cities are those with a skilled,
innovative workforce - workplaces investing in human capital
and skill development. We also know early learning and child
care supports innovation, as it improves school performance,
reduces social assistance costs, expands economic activity,
supports diversity and improves family/work life. And we
know that a young child's development cannot take place
without nurturing and care - that it's counterproductive
to separate the needs of children from their parents.
Here's a sampling of the Commission's
recommendations (by the way…if anyone is interested,
a copy of the Report can be found on the web site, www.torontochildren.com):
- The federal government must lead the
way by creating child care partnerships with the provinces
and municipalities and by committing to a renewed Early
Childhood Development Initiative structured to produce
measurable outcomes. The Speech from the Throne addressed
both issues.
- The provincial government should establish
a legislative and funding framework to implement the main
recommendations of the Early Years Study and provide municipalities/school
boards with authority to integrate existing early years
services into a comprehensive system.
- The City of Toronto should make a commitment
to expand coalitions with the district school board and
community partners, as well as work more closely with
First Nations to access federal funding for programs like
Aboriginal Head Start (another Speech from the Throne
commitment).
- The private sector needs to recognize
that early years development is a business issue (where
the stakes are high) and a topic for the boardroom. Business
can also use its clout to encourage/support government
action. And the community at large must continue its role
of advocacy - keeping in mind that increased funding is
directly connected to program quality and reorganization.
The important link for the Guelph Chamber
of Commerce and all Chambers is one of community advocacy
- the important link for members is workplace action. The
Toronto Commission Report is one document for one city,
however what are the implications for Guelph and cities
across the country? We need to mobilize the collective voices,
energy and skills in this room and many more - it's our
call to action.
Research from the Child Care Education
Foundation, says that today, it costs Canada $2.5 billion
every year for remedial education because of delayed interventions
or negative early experiences. Work-family conflicts cost
businesses another $4.7 billion a year. It says that we
all bear a burden for failing to provide the "right
start" to our children. Quite frankly, I don't hear
enough of my corporate colleagues talking about their support
of early childhood development, children and youth.
At RBC Financial Group, the underlying
goal of our corporate citizenship programs is prosperity
for Canada/Canadians. To achieve this, we must support education
and learning - we must support young people - our future,
as prosperity in the workplace and in the community depends
on well-developed minds - intelligence, imagination, ingenuity
and innovation. We must also support and find partnerships
that work towards these ends. I can't say enough about the
value of partnerships and relationships among business,
government and communities. There's much to learn…
For instance, last night I hosted a RBC
dinner for kids.now (kids interested in developing successfully…now)
at the Royal Bank Plaza. This Toronto-based group offers
a 12-week after-school leadership program for kids in Grade
7 & 8 (regardless of economic background, race, religion,
or family status). kids.now supports the transition into
high school and provides youth with tools for lifetime success
- "helps kids everywhere be the best they can be."
The kids.now team, led by executive director, Janet King
Kidd, works with various schools and coaches, using course
material that's been extensively researched - material that
revolves around "enhancing self-esteem, setting smarter
goals, improving communication skills, learning positive
conflict resolution and using stress management tools."
It was a great treat to meet people associated with this
group and to push the envelop on investing in children and
youth. Perhaps kids.now tapped the interest of prospective
private sector sponsors or made an indelible impression
on the minds of workplace executives. In many ways, this
event was another call to action.
The bottom line is that when it comes
to making a difference for children and youth, we all have
a shared responsibility. Partnerships encourage business
to be catalysts for change - to show their heart. What a
great way to build a civic/civil society and promote social/economic
development. This Chamber knows what I mean as you've been
successful in developing partnerships with the City, University
of Guelph, boards of education, hospitals, service clubs
and community organizations, not to mention the Ontario
and Canadian Chambers of Commerce, plus other local Chambers.
Guelph has a community-focused reputation
with leaders who understand what the needs of children are
and who are equally committed to finding ways to meet these
needs. Growing Great Kids, a committee prompted by
the Children's Services Council, is a great example of leadership
at work. An Early Years Challenge Fund project, Growing
Great Kids shows what a collaboration of over 20 organizations
and businesses, as well as parents/caregivers and children,
can do when it comes to investing in Guelph's kids.
Some of the committee members have joined us today: Konnie
Peet (Guelph Community Health Centre), Barb McKee (Wellington
Early Learning Centres) and Moe Brubacher (Family &
Children's Services).
There's always a place for business in
community initiatives - there's always an opportunity for
business to invest in children, youth and families. Corporations
are part of the community. And the best solutions are community-based.
When it comes to children/youth, there are unlimited possibilities
and strategies - let's take a look at some:
- Has your workplace considered the creation
of early child development/parenting centres for employees
(and perhaps receiving a tax credit for opening them up
to the community)? If you're a small/medium-sized business,
have you considered in-house/external support mechanisms?
- Has your workplace broadened its scope
re job sharing, flex hours, and paid leave for family
responsibilities? These are elements of a sound business
strategy, a healthier workplace and a competitive advantage.
- Has your workplace considered the creation
of an information resource base re questions/concerns
about family issues, i.e., child development, parenting
skills, child care arrangements, school selection and
special services for children?
- Has your workplace considered financing,
investing in or sponsoring targeted children's and youth
initiatives? Does your workplace make the link between
its financial well-being - its shareholder/stakeholder
value - and the need to invest in the early years, in
children and in youth? What about encouraging more corporate
representation/support on children's advocacy boards?
Wellington Early Learning Centres Inc.
is "dedicated to the preservation and development of
quality child care centres" and is currently developing
a workplace child care proposal. Talk about another possibility
for a business investment connection! I'd be surprised and
disappointed if Barb McKee wasn't working the room this
morning. There are several more leadership examples among
us today.
Speaking of leadership, I'm especially
pleased to see Donna Lero and Linda Hawkins from the Centre
for Families, Work and Well-Being at the University of Guelph.
RBC Financial Group will be hosting another one of their
courses - The Strategic Management of Work/Life -
on October 30th in Toronto. We definitely see
our involvement as an investment in employees, families
and communities.
In closing, special thanks to Wendy Brousseau
and Jane Wielhorski for organizing this breakfast. It's
clear the Guelph Chamber of Commerce understands that investing
in children and youth is very much a strategic initiative
in the workplace and in the community. RBC Financial Group
will continue to make children and youth one of our priorities
and give greater focus to the early years…RBC has a
marvelous local team in Guelph to help us do just that -
people like Litsa Charbonneau, Kevin Gardiner, Denise Hopf,
Georgina Kostal, Clare MacKew, David Parsons, Diane Pigozzo,
Kate Quarrie, Dwayne Murray, Rick Tessaro and Randy Tredenick,
who are here this morning.
I'll also continue to urge my colleagues
in business to find investing in children and youth
partners. I urge all of you to remind business associates,
including those connected with the Guelph Business Enterprise
Centre, about the strategic value of this investment - not
once, but over and over again. The time is now to get more
business representation at events such as this one.
And let's remember…in the wake of
an uncertain environment that continues to preoccupy the
world, it's doubly important that we all champion children/youth
and place building prosperity in the workplace and in
the community on the top of our agendas. Thank
you.
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