July 21, 2010

Last weekend, between the delicious Rib and Craft Beer Festival and the sensational UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival, I was able to stop into the Fair Trade Fair in the Waterloo Public Square. The event was organized by the University of Waterloo chapter of Engineers Without Borders and provided all who walked by with an opportunity to learn more about international trade supply chains and where to purchase fair trade goods in Waterloo.

Fair trade is about how goods came to our community and whether the original producer is able to earn a fair share of the final price. Long supply chains stretching back and forth across oceans mean many hands and, for too many people, it means hard work is not rewarded with enough income to support themselves and their families.

But it is also about the broader message of thinking globally and acting locally.

Our economic success in the City of Waterloo turns on the national and international reach of our businesses. In Waterloo, our goods and our services are in demand and entrepreneurs flock to this area because they know that here their ideas can grow to reach the world.

But each and every one of us in this great city also has a global impact. Today, everything from food and clothing to the latest electronic devices are supplied from all over the globe. What we choose to purchase and not purchase locally truly has a global impact and is a reflection of our values.

One of the most exciting aspects of local government is that it is about our everyday lives and our everyday lives are full of these choices. In a city that lives the barn raising spirit of supporting each other, we all have an opportunity to shape how our city reflects these values to the world.

University of Waterloo graduates George Roter and Parker Mitchell did this when they founded Engineers Without Borders ten years ago. We are grateful to those who organized the Fair this past Sunday for showing us some of the different choices available to us every day in Waterloo.