Raising the bar
A funny thing happened to me today when I walked into a health clinic. Ok, that’s not the start of a joke, but it’s a true story. I was suffering from inflammation in my elbow, and those around me know …
Category: Opinion
Anything is possible with Trump and NAFTA deal
Predictions are fraught with peril when it comes to new U.S. President With a new United States trade representative confirmed with a strong bipartisan majority in Washington, it is expected that a major renegotiation of the North American Free Trade …
Trading realities
There’s good reason to fear for NAFTA’s future, but better reason to let those fears go With a new United States trade representative confirmed through a strong bipartisan majority in Washington, it is expected that a major renegotiation of the …
Remembering a great man
I flew out to Victoria to visit Tom Harris, just two weeks before he died. I wanted to run some ideas by him. I wanted to pick his remarkable brain. And I was looking forward to the time together. Tom’s …
Next generation talent
When you’ve been in this chair for a few years, there’s an annual ebb and flow to the rhythm of the year. You can almost set your calendar by these annual events. The Montreal and Toronto auto shows launch early …
Looming concerns
Seen for centuries as the specter of joblessness, automation actually fills more gaps than it creates There has been much hand-wringing of late about the state of the labour market in today’s New Age of Automation. Robots, it is said, …
Dealer image overhaul
In a world that is increasingly politically correct — which in itself is a really good thing since the world has been incorrect for too long — it seems there’s still one person that can be unfairly targeted, maligned, bullied …
Mark your calendars
One of the real pleasures of my role in the industry is the opportunity to assist in the planning of a number of important industry events. Often, I get to participate directly as a conference speaker or panel moderator. I …
Putting the brakes on
It’s easy to get pretty excited about the future. Well, easy for me, at least. That’s because there’s a big part of me that’s never too interested in the status quo, and is much more curious about what the future …
Adventures in Halifax
The Canadian auto dealer team recently returned from a successful CADEX conference in Halifax. CADEX is the annual conference put on by the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association (NSADA) with the goal of bringing leading national figures to the Maritimes …
Let the good times roll
Can record sales continue? It’s tough to predict in these uncertain times. Coming off years of sales and revenue growth, and a fourth consecutive sales record for new cars (just under 1.95 million sold in 2016), it is tempting to …
The data dillemma
I spend a lot of time talking with companies that provide business software to dealers. It’s part of my job to try to figure out who is who at the zoo, what exactly it is that they do, and how …
