Three questions to Alan

Before we dive in Alan, tell us a little bit about yourself!

Who am I is indeed a good question. I’m human (as opposed to the endless categorizations that exist, LGBTQ+, white or black, professional or labourer, etc.) who for much of my paid working life  split time between globally scaled businesses, and local British Columbian ones. Most of my working life was focused on people.  I continue to be fascinated by people and our wonderful strengths and frustratingly human weaknesses. 

Everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. One strength for me is that I’m proud of the family that I love and those who love me. One of my weaknesses emerged this past weekend when we tried to construct three large Ikea cabinets.

My trivial Ikea disappointment was nothing compared to the heart-breaking loss of my first wife who died of cancer years ago. I have the good fortune to have connected with another brilliant woman. Having two sons and one recent grand child, for now round out who am I. I am all these experiences, plus a shake of the genetic dice.   

What’s something you’ve changed your mind about recently?

One of the things I’ve recently changed my mind about is democracy. I used to believe that democracy was a worthy idea. Sadly, I have come to believe that democracy as we have known it for the last 150 odd years is dead. Why is it dead?  Let’s go way back for a wee moment.

People like to associate democracy beginnings with Greece. The country did have a voting system, if you were male, white and generally not from anywhere else. Quite some time later the French Revolution against the then reigning monarchy heralded another democratic iteration. The common person could vote, if you were a landowner.

The most recent iterations of democracy became contorted after the US Supreme Court in 2010 deemed that their First Amendment prohibits restricting independent expenditures by Corporations and Unions. The implication of that decision emerged after lower courts allowed unlimited contributions to independent expenditure committees during elections. This led to Super Pac’s where unfettered amounts of money could be used to influence elections. The rest of the democratic world did not necessarily follow suit. It was clear though that money was a new interloper. Add bots, targeted manipulations, fake news, foreign interference, powerful media control and the next wild card AI. I’m not counting Mad King Trump, though perhaps I should. Add all of this up and I now have changed my mind and judge democracy as we have known it to be dead.

Who is someone you admire, and why?

There is hope. Mark Carney the current Prime Minister of Canada is trying to chart a new course for most of the middle powers of the world. His January 20, 2026, speech in Davos this week is a brilliant example of a respected person telling the truth about the current state of the world and the possibilities for the future. I encourage everyone to listen to it. I rarely admire public figures, but I do admire Mark Carney.

If you could change one policy or norm in society, what would it be and why?

If I could change a policy or norm, other than the needed relook at democracy it would be try to speculate on why people do not want to have alone time. Is it insidious technology, overwhelming availability of information, a constant state of anxiety, the societal ethos of one must be doing. Is the fear of being alone akin to the dreaded loneliness? It would be a good topic.