Business
Business Spotlight – JB Music Therapy, Music To Our Ears

Not all of us are musicians, or will ever be, but we all have some deep-rooted love for music. The preferences we choose throughout our life tend to stay with us, and in turn, make us unique. The same way your choice of clothing is your own unique form of self-expression, our music preferences play a significant role in how we view ourselves. With that being said, have you ever considered how music makes you feel, or what role it can play for your mental well being? Listen to the beautiful “Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22, B. 52: II.” composed by Antonín Dvořák and tell me you feel nothing.

Jennifer Buchanan
Jennifer Buchanan, a bright light in the ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurs in Alberta, served her first client in September of 1991.
Her business, JB Music Therapy, 29 years in business, continues to connect music therapists to all walks of life, their youngest client being 2 months old to their oldest of 106 years of age.
Their core value is built on the foundation of connection, whether that be connecting to music, families or simply peer to peer. Over the years, Jennifer has built a team of educated professionals in the field of psychology, mental health and music therapy, to which are all members of the Canadian Association of Music Therapists. Jennifer speaks on moving to Alberta:
“Alberta seemed ready for something different to reach the needs of the people, with some luck on my side because music therapy was new, it really started taking off…I quickly transitioned from a private practice, to somebody that wanted to create more jobs for other music therapists. Today we are a team of 23”
JB Music Therapy offers a wide array of services. Jennifer and her team have strived to offer multiple group programs for all walks of life, to name a few, those with disabilities, care homes, children with learning difficulties and corporate wellness in the workplace. Prior to COVID-19, they were actively visiting over 170 locations a week for in person group and individual sessions. Of course with the cancellation of every group event across the country, Jennifer and her team wanted to ensure they could still offer music therapy to those who could benefit, establishing online resources that can be utilized from home. Jennifer speaks on how pivoting during a pandemic has helped her discover a new avenue to offer support:
“We will now forever offer virtual music therapy so we can continue to reach those most vulnerable, so people can get the support they need… we are running national groups now, we have connected with national organisations to offer our programs online, that is something we are very excited about and never considered outside of a conference or seminar setting”
Award Winning
Jennifer has played a considerable role for music therapy in Canada, serving as president of the Canadian Association of Music Therapy for 5 years, a professional public speaker, multiple nominations by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce for her work in the community and an author of two award winning books, “Wellness Incorporated” and “Tune In”. For new entrepreneurs looking to start a business the right way, or those hoping to attain a higher understanding of music therapy, these books are worth checking out.
The Norma Sharpe Award is the most prestigious award in music therapy in Canada. It is awarded to those who have made historical and outstanding contributions to the field of music therapy. Jennifer is one of the few people in Canada to ever receive this award.
“I hope I have been able to raise the profile of music therapy in some way over my lifetime, and to help create jobs in this field…frankly it was a real honor to receive this award. Norma Sharpe being the founder of music therapy in Canada, I never considered that I would receive this lifetime achievement”
If you would like to learn more about the tremendous work being done by the team at JB Music Therapy, and the programs they currently have available, visit their website here, or social media links below.
For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary
Agriculture
Canada’s supply management system is failing consumers

This article supplied by Troy Media.
The supply management system is cracking. With imports climbing, strict quotas in place and Bill C202 on the table, we’re struggling to feed ourselves
Canada’s supply management system, once seen as a pillar of food security and agricultural self-sufficiency, is failing at its most basic function:
ensuring a reliable domestic supply.
According to the Canadian Association of Regulated Importers, Canada imported more than 66.9 million kilograms of chicken as of June 14, a 54.6 per cent increase from the same period last year. That’s enough to feed 3.4 million Canadians for a full year based on average poultry consumption—roughly 446 million meals. Under a tightly managed quota system, those meals were supposed to be produced domestically. Instead imports now account for more than 12 per cent of this year’s domestic chicken production, revealing a growing dependence on foreign supply.
Supply management is Canada’s system for regulating dairy, poultry and egg production. It uses quotas and fixed prices to match domestic supply with demand while limiting imports, intended to protect farmers from global price swings and ensure stable supply.
To be fair, the avian influenza outbreak has disrupted poultry production and partially explains the shortfall. But even with that disruption, the numbers are staggering. Imports under trade quotas set by the World Trade Organization, the Canada-United States Mexico Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership are running at or near their allowable monthly share—known as pro-rata
levels—signalling not just opportunity, but urgency. Supplementary import permits, meant to be used only in emergencies, have already surpassed 48 million kilograms, exceeding total annual import volumes in some previous years. This isn’t a seasonal hiccup. It’s a systemic failure.
The system, designed to buffer domestic markets from global volatility, is cracking under internal strain. When emergency imports become routine, we have to ask: what exactly is being managed?
Canada’s most recent regulated chicken production cycle, which ended May 31, saw one of the worst shortfalls in over 50 years. Strict quota limits stopped farmers from producing more to meet demand, leaving consumers with higher grocery bills and more imported food, shaking public confidence in the system.
Some defenders insist this is an isolated event. It’s not. For the second straight week, Canada has hit pro-rata import levels across all chicken categories. Bone-in and processed poultry, once minor players in emergency import programs, are now essential just to keep shelves stocked.
And the dysfunction doesn’t stop at chicken. Egg imports under the shortage allocation program have already topped 14 million dozen, a 104 per cent jump from last year. Not long ago, Canadians were mocking high U.S. egg prices. Now theirs have fallen. Ours haven’t.
All this in a country with $30 billion in quota value, supposedly designed to protect domestic production and reduce reliance on imports. Instead, we’re importing more and paying more.
Rather than addressing these failures, Ottawa is looking to entrench them. Bill C202, now before the Senate, seeks to shield supply management from future trade talks, making reform even harder. So we must ask: is this really what we’re protecting?
Meanwhile, our trading partners are taking full advantage. Chile, for instance, has increased chicken exports to Canada by more than 63 per cent, now accounting for nearly 96 per cent of CPTPP-origin imports. While Canada doubles down on protectionism, others are gaining long-term footholds in our market.
It’s time to face the facts. Supply management no longer guarantees supply. When a system meant to ensure resilience becomes a source of fragility, it’s no longer an asset—it’s an economic liability.
Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher in food distribution and policy. He is senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast. He is frequently cited in the media for his insights on food prices, agricultural trends, and the global food supply chain.
Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country.
Business
Prairie provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador see largest increases in size of government

From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
A recent study found that Canada has experienced one of the largest increases in the size of government of any advanced country over the last decade. But within Canada, which provinces have led the way?
The size of government refers to the extent to which resources within the economy are controlled and directed by the government, and has important implications for economic growth, living standards, and economic freedom—the degree to which people are allowed to make their own economic choices.
Too much of anything can be harmful, and this is certainly true regarding the size of government. When government grows too large it begins to take on roles and resources that are better left to the private sector. For example, rather than focusing on core functions like maintaining the rule of law or national defence, a government that has grown too large might begin subsidizing certain businesses and industries over others (i.e. corporate welfare) in order to pick winners and losers in the market. As a result, economic growth slows and living standards are lower than they otherwise would be.
One way to measure the size of government is by calculating total general government spending as a share of the economy (GDP). General government spending refers to spending by governments at all levels (federal, provincial, and municipal), and by measuring this as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) we can compare across jurisdictions of different sizes.
A recent study compared the size of government in Canada as a whole with that of 39 other advanced economies worldwide, and found that Canada experienced the second-largest increase in the size of government (as a share of the economy) from 2014 to 2024. In other words, since 2014, governments in Canada have expanded their role within the economy faster than governments in virtually every other advanced country worldwide—including all other countries within the Group of Seven (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Moreover, the study showed that Canada as a whole has exceeded the optimal size of government (estimated to fall between 24 and 32 per cent of GDP) at which a country can maximize their economic growth. Beyond that point, growth slows and is lower than it otherwise would be.
However, Canada is a decentralized country and provinces vary as to the extent to which governments direct overall economic activity. Using data from Statistics Canada, the following charts illustrate which provinces in Canada have the largest size of government and which have seen the largest increases since 2014.
The chart above shows total general government spending as a share of GDP for all ten provinces in 2023 (the latest year of available provincial data). The size of government in the provinces varies considerably, ranging from a high of 61.4 per cent in Nova Scotia to a low of 30.0 per cent in Alberta. There are geographical differences, as three Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick) have the largest governments while the three western-most provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia) have the smallest governments. However, as of 2023, all provinces except Alberta exceeded the optimal size of government—which again, is between 24 and 32 per cent of the economy.

To show which provinces have experienced the greatest increase in the size of government in recent years, the second chart shows the percentage point increase in total general government spending as a share of GDP from 2014 to 2023. It should be noted that this is measuring the expansion of the federal government’s role in the economy—which has been substantial nationwide—as well as growth in the respective provincial and municipal governments.
The increases in the size of government since 2014 are largest in four provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador (10.82 percentage points), Alberta (7.94 percentage points), Saskatchewan (7.31 percentage points), and Manitoba (7.17 percentage points). These are all dramatic increases—for perspective, in the study referenced above, Estonia’s 6.66 percentage point increase in its size of government was the largest out of 40 advanced countries.
The remaining six provinces experienced far lower increases in the size of government, ranging from a 2.74 percentage point increase in B.C. to a 0.44 percentage point increase in Quebec. However, since 2014, every province in Canada has seen government expand its role within the economy.
Over the last decade, Canada has experienced a substantial increase in the size of total government. Within the country, Newfoundland and Labrador and the three Prairie provinces have led the way in growing their respective governments.
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