What Peterborough Needs To Do To Solve The Productivity Puzzle
Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 7:15AM 
With Canada suffering less than most industrial nations from the global economic malaise, we tend to think that we are ahead in the economic "game". In fact, for more than a decade we have lagged behind in productivity—e.g. production of goods and services per worker—than most industrial nations.
Each year, the gap between us and other more productive nations gets bigger. We talk—more like whisper—about this, but we rarely do anything concrete about it. We wait for something to happen that will turn us around. Maybe a decade of waiting is long enough. It is time to act.
In 2012, let's stop waiting for big government, bigger corporations, the rest of the world, or the "universe" to do it for us and do what it takes, right here in Peterborough, to become more productive.
Think of it this way. We, in Peterborough, have received a Christmas present—a new jigsaw puzzle. In its sturdy box, the puzzle contains all the pieces we need to solve the productivity puzzle. We've unwrapped the puzzle, looked at the picture on the front of the box, but we have not yet opened the box. Between Christmas and New Years, we've talked to family and friends about the picture on the box (no one seems to know exactly what it is—kind of abstract, it seems), so we still haven’t opened it.
According to the instructions, there are pieces that represent aspects of the work being done at Fleming College, Trent University, PRHC, OMNR, GE, Siemens, SGS Lakefield Research, Rolls Royce, QTG Pepsico-Frito Lay, Operitel, McColl Turner, LLF, Merit Precision, Steel Works, Page Design, the City and County of Peterborough, a vibrant and creative downtown, talented and ambitious people, and enough technology to sustain much larger communities than Peterborough.
Still, we’re talking more about putting the pieces together than actually trying to do it. We are not alone in this. Many communities are in the same situation. The competitive reality is that the community that puts the puzzle together first will reap the greatest economic benefit.
When we finally open the box and spread the pieces on the table, there is one thing we can be sure of: The puzzle will not be put together by the invisible hand of the market. It will only come together from our will to act, and the action itself.
We, in Peterborough, have all the pieces—resources—we need but we need to complete it, but we need a new way to put this difficult puzzle together. Old ways of putting puzzles together simply will not work. We need to creatively and collectively find new ways to solve the puzzle; news ways to benefit from the resources available for us to use.
And we need to do it right here in Peterborough.
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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Tom Phillips Ph. D. Phillips is Economist & Sustainability Director - Greater Ptbo Innovation Cluster.]
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Reader Comments (9)
I like puzzles. How can I help?
Michael, we can build a better city. We have the power. We are doing the right things, we need more people to thinkptbo.
The jist is right, this isn't going to magically happen for us, but we need to take that to heart on a macro level, too. We do have great pieces to work with, but we can't collectively wait for one of them to step up and take the lead. Jigsaw puzzles are not linear – interested parties, or 'pieces, will have to jump in together and start seeing where they fit against each other. To accomplish that, we have to do more than #thinkPtbo (though it's provided fantastic inertia), it's time we also start to #talkPtbo and start putting this together.
While I'm sure that's a very nice metaphor, what exactly does that mean? I get that the puzzle pieces are resources but this is not a real concrete suggestion for a solution to the puzzle. What does it mean in terms of real actions to "open the box and spread the pieces on the floor"? Basically your solution is "let's get creative". Well, duh! But where does that suggestion get us? From what I can tell you took us on a nice little metaphorical train ride that just dropped us off at the station at which we started. In no sense does this article illustrate what Peterborough actually needs to do.
Those who accept the idea but contribute nothing to the discussion must be comfortable with the status quo. I'd like to think that understanding the issue and discussing it leads to better solutions than acting and then trying to figure out why. Unfortunatly, most people don't like new idea or discussing change. It's time that those who want to move forward got on with it.
Yes, this entire article doesn't offer any solutions? OK so you compare the problem to a puzzle? Big deal. We can come up with metaphors all day but where are the answers?
After being raised, attending school, getting married, and having a family here - I decided to leave to go to Toronto. I didn't want to - I had to. Peterborough simply had nothing to offer me or my family financially. I worked for years in dead end job, making barely over minimum wage with two university degrees under my belt. I imagine hundreds of young people and families made the same decision I made last year to leave a city that simply is slowly dying a more painful death than Windsor, Oshawa, or Hamilton. After a stint of unemployment, I had to leave - otherwise I might end up stealing copper to feed my young son.
The Peterborough region has been in a state of decline for over 30 years, with the highest unemployment in any Ontario city, lowest wages, and high rent and housing costs, who in their right mind would stay here? In 10 years, Peterborough will have transformed to a community of minimum wage retail shops, call centers, retirement living complexes, and cottages.
Am I bitter? Yes. I had to sell my home and move away from my family because no one in this town cares about the economic growth of the area. Lots of my friends from School that were also from the area, have either moved to Toronto, Ottawa, or Waterloo. Very few people stayed. These were mostly college/university educated career minded people. They now have cars, mortgages, and are pumping money into other communities instead of Peterborough.
When you talk about the loss of PCVS, you are all to blame, you allowed the younger generation to leave, allowing the school board to close the school citing declining demographics.
I see only one solution, turn Peterborough into a commuter town like Pickering or Ajax. Get the Go train/VIA and allow people to earn larger salaries in the GTA and bring their paychecks back to PTBO.
I love Peterborough, the downtown, nature, the people and the community. But I refuse to live on the cusp of poverty - so I left.
This is merely codd swaddle. I don't even know where to begin. I don't think I've ever read a published piece of work that was so vague and offered no real insight into a subject. Peterborough is a struggling city,.. thats rather evident. But writing an article about how this year we should change that, doesn't mean anything. You can't just say.. ok team... lets revolutionize Peterborough this year. Unfortuantely there is a little more at play than just saying lets turn Peterborough into a well oiled working machine. I can't elaborate on this anymore, it's hurting my brain.
A good analogy Tom. I believe we're actually further along than is being portrayed. There are people who have the lid off the puzzle box and are working on the edges! For example, as you know, the Innovation Cluster has attracted world class people and facilities and will no doubt be a key piece of the puzzle. The GPAEDC is concentrating on key opportunities, bringing together stakeholders and experts on both water and nuclear in order to kick start some specific activity. For example GE Canada has world class Nuclear expertise. Darlington will be refurbished over the next 10 years, and. Then Darlington 2 will be built. This is a huge opportunity and there are many pieces of this puzzle already connected.
I know there are communities who have established a clearer "Vision" than we have, the Technology Triangle..., but I feel that at least we have opportunities that we are now focused on, such as the airport, the cluster, tourism and agriculture.
The Prosperity Round Table initiative, led by the GPAEDC, Community Futures, and the Chamber of Commerce, did some good work in bringing people together over the last five years. It will be reconstituted this year into four breakfast facilitated discussions, and yes the tables will be round, in order to continue to put the puzzle pieces together. We are open to suggestions for topics, the first two will likely be on the Planning Process, and the the potential for an Eastern Ontario Growth Plan.
Just talk? I don't think so. My heart goes out to "M.F.", who like many others had to pack up and leave. Growth in this area is going to come from our existing opportunities - focus and coordination by the people and the companies who can make the connections and add another piece to the puzzle.