Some thoughts on A Chamber of Technology for Alberta? - Please pass along

I thought I might put some of my thoughts and ideas to paper, or the Ethernet in this case.

We can all agree the road to creating a Chamber of Technology for Alberta, will be long and uphill both ways.

Yes, there is strong agreement that Alberta needs a vibrant science and technology sector. The issues that the sector or sectors have been compartmentalized by getting dribs and drabs of funds from the various levels of government funding programs to special Industry Sector Groups, with no real measurement of successes, no measurement of income and benefits actually realized to the province, and no real synergy in the industry so that it might combine certain sectors with others to benefit from new synergies.

The fact that the various industry sector groups are receiving funds from the Provincial and Federal governments means they may also be reluctant to step outside of them and embark on a new and action oriented group like the Chamber of Technology for Alberta.

As well with that funding and the strings attached, many of the Industry Sector Groups are reluctant to speak out, or actually shake the tree for real substantive changes to the way the Industry Sector Groups receive money, and market themselves. It might mean a real or unrealistic paranoia of losing ones own sphere of influence.

The two large Chamber of Commerce's in Calgary and Edmonton just don't get it, when it comes to the technology industry, as most of their membership comes from the traditional established industries and businesses and not the small types of businesses that are traditionally the engines in the Technology industries in Alberta.

Or they consider technological innovation to be a new way of pumping oil out of the ground, faster and cheaper.

I have yet to meet anyone on the two chambers' board of directors that actually are responsible to signing the pay checks and making sure there is money in the bank to cover the checks and pay the withholding taxes each month. Most of them are in large companies and are far removed from the day to day issues of running a small operation.

It would be my proposal to go counter to this thinking, ' If the major task is to influence government, then a Chamber would make little difference – Government has made its choices and is quietly executing them. Technology, other than in relation to energy (AERI and their six programs) or health, is sidelined.'

I can see the Technology Chamber being an advocate for change, changes that are substantive and make sense to those guys who are responsible to signing the pay checks and making sure there is money in the bank to cover the checks and pay the withholding taxes each month.

The Chamber of Technology for Alberta could work to provide its members with services such as group insurance, virtual training, virtual networking, and advocacy at the government level to buy local first.

The Chamber of Technology for Alberta could be the organization to be asking the hard questions of the governments before, during and after the implementation of funding programs for technology to make sure they are structured in such a way as to benefit the small operation.

Many of the programs require a business person to focus too much of their scarce resources on the red tape, for little in the way of real substantive financial help.

The Chamber of Technology for Alberta can make sure each and every government person involved in any way, with the technology industry what we actually have to offer, and make sure they are selling Alberta Technology and understand that Technology in Alberta is more than a better way to move oil from one place to another.

The Chamber of Technology for Alberta could be a group that is run virtual, with pods of real people to host and run local events. The key will be to be able to invite as many people to the events through some sort of virtual method as possible, so the many in the province can find out what the few of us are actually doing in technology in the province.

The Chamber of Technology for Alberta should advocate for the location and direction of funding and programs or projects involved in the high technology sector to the areas outside of the two big cities, to help keep the kids in the smaller centres after they have graduated from places like GPCC, U of L, AU, or Medicine Hat Community College, or such.

The Chamber of Technology for Alberta should not be reliant on government funding or populating for membership or funding. As soon as a group has been lured to the government teat, they are then at the whim of the government and must not deviate from the song sheet.

I can see a three to four year time frame to get the Chamber of Technology for Alberta up and running with a proper structure for management and growth, and finding its feet.