Priority will be getting a 'better handle' on crime, Rix says
"If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. But if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else."
Bruce Constantineau
Vancouver Sun
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Vancouver Board of Trade's new chairman says Vancouver businesses have to become more philanthropic and he'll push that concept aggressively over the next year.
"You can count on that," Donald Rix, 77, said in an interview Thursday after he became board chairman at the organization's 121st annual meeting.
The chairman of LifeLabs Diagnostics Inc. and Cantest Ltd., who's also a well-known philanthropist, told the meeting a recent U.S. survey found just 39 per cent of business leaders believe corporate citizenship is part of their business planning.
"To be successful over the long term, companies have to be involved and invested in their community," Rix told the meeting at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. "Not just chequebook involvement, but personal involvement.
"If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. But if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else."
"If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. But if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else."
Bruce Constantineau
Vancouver Sun
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Vancouver Board of Trade's new chairman says Vancouver businesses have to become more philanthropic and he'll push that concept aggressively over the next year.
"You can count on that," Donald Rix, 77, said in an interview Thursday after he became board chairman at the organization's 121st annual meeting.
The chairman of LifeLabs Diagnostics Inc. and Cantest Ltd., who's also a well-known philanthropist, told the meeting a recent U.S. survey found just 39 per cent of business leaders believe corporate citizenship is part of their business planning.
"To be successful over the long term, companies have to be involved and invested in their community," Rix told the meeting at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. "Not just chequebook involvement, but personal involvement.
"If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. But if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody else."
He said a major priority as new board chair will be to help the
community get a "better handle" on crime, including improving
conditions in the Downtown Eastside. Rix said he will set up a meeting
soon with various organizations involved in area.
"We want to see if we can plan together to do something collectively, so we're not falling over each other," he said.
Rix also said the board will encourage governments to do what they can in battling crime -- including hiring more police and encouraging courts to hand out longer sentences to habitual criminals.
He said technology has been a lifelong passion and he believes the B.C. technology sector has come a long way in helping other industries become more productive.
"Some people say technology will save the forest industry in this province and I think there's some merit to that," Rix said. "I'm not an expert, but I've seen some of the results of technology."
He said the B.C. high-tech sector has established several significant clusters with the potential to drive future economic growth -- including biotechnology, fuel cells, information and communication technology, new media and wireless.
But Rix noted those promising sectors also face challenges that threaten many B.C. businesses -- including attracting skilled workers, providing affordable housing, building efficient transportation systems and making communities safe.
bconstantineau@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
"We want to see if we can plan together to do something collectively, so we're not falling over each other," he said.
Rix also said the board will encourage governments to do what they can in battling crime -- including hiring more police and encouraging courts to hand out longer sentences to habitual criminals.
He said technology has been a lifelong passion and he believes the B.C. technology sector has come a long way in helping other industries become more productive.
"Some people say technology will save the forest industry in this province and I think there's some merit to that," Rix said. "I'm not an expert, but I've seen some of the results of technology."
He said the B.C. high-tech sector has established several significant clusters with the potential to drive future economic growth -- including biotechnology, fuel cells, information and communication technology, new media and wireless.
But Rix noted those promising sectors also face challenges that threaten many B.C. businesses -- including attracting skilled workers, providing affordable housing, building efficient transportation systems and making communities safe.
bconstantineau@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2008
Copyright © 2008 CanWest Interactive, a division of CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Inc.. All rights reserved.
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