These were some of the most innovative social initiatives over the past year. The common thread? They were all spearheaded by unpaid volunteers. And business and innovation experts say their involvement speaks volumes about how poorly businesses and governments have handled those problems during the pandemic.
“The social innovation sector has been doing that kind of thing for a long time. But the pandemic has given it a sense of urgency,” said Coates, the Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation at the school’s Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. “What it really gives is an indication to the power of community,” Hogarth, an associate professor in the University of Waterloo’s School of Social Work, told CTVNews.ca.
On the part of elected officials, he told CTVNews.ca over the phone that there was “unfortunately a lot more talk than action.”
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