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ParcelPal – Innovative Delivery Solution for Local Businesses

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6 minute read

It is difficult to ignore the continuing trend of faster delivery options from retail giants like Amazon and Walmart. You could continue to contribute a portion of your income to these large organizations, but when you consider the importance of community, and how we can actively support that ideology – shopping from local merchants that support local communities is the key to progress. 

– What happened to all of the mom and pop shops?  –

A statement that has been an ongoing issue in our communities. The missing piece of the puzzle is the availability of a faster delivery option for local businesses. So that they can compete with the rising expectations of consumers and give businesses an intuitive platform to thrive. A US study conducted in 2019, The Onfleet 2019 Consumer Survey, reported that 3 out of 4 consumers would order from local merchants if they could offer same-day delivery

Source: The Onfleet 2019 Consumer Survey

One company that found that missing piece is ParcelPal, a tech company based out of Vancouver that is avidly disrupting the delivery market. At the helm is Rich Wheeless, CEO of ParcelPal. Scaling and selling multiple private and public companies throughout his career globally; his expertise and industry acumen is invaluable to the company as they continue to grow and expand worldwide.  

What Is ParcelPal?

ParcelPal is a technology-driven platform that connects consumers to local merchants to cater to the rising expectations of faster delivery. With the aid of a proprietary platform, their team of local delivery specialists can ensure safe and reliable delivery from local merchants in your community. Active in Calgary, Burnaby, Vancouver and Toronto, they continue to grow and connect people to the brands they love. Their focus is small to medium size enterprises that could benefit from having a ‘last mile’ delivery service as an additional offer for their customers. 

“These days you can watch numerous episodes of your favourite series in an afternoon if you want, this generation wants everything fast. So having the ability to give people what they need quickly and safely is a huge plus for local businesses and our goal is to bridge that gap for both.”  – Rich Wheeless, CEO

For Customers

Let’s say you want to order a product online that only offers multiple-day shipping or unfortunately has no eCommerce option on their website. ParcelPal gives you the power to get what you need in a few easy steps – create your order, set your pick up and drop off location, and the time you want to receive your package. Your request is sent to their dispatch team, which is then directed to one of their professional drivers, who will then pick up and deliver your item.

For Merchants  

You may still be availing the services offered by the traditional delivery options. Partnering with ParcelPal gives you the boost to grow and offer fast and secure delivery option to your customers. With ParcelPal, your business can expand and reach more customers, maximizing profits and meeting the ever-growing needs of the consumer. 

If you are a business owner who is considering offering eCommerce in the future, ParcelPal offers you the opportunity to integrate your online store with its logistics services. Their platform also allows the merchant to be featured on their digital marketplace, where you could have your product listings available for purchase.

“It allows for everyday merchants to reach the end customer, say for example you are great at baking cookies, have an active customer base in your local community and want to start shipping cookies within your city, now you can do that and expand your business. It allows for the logistics side to be handled by our team.” – Rich Wheeless, CEO

Supporting Job Growth

I could offer some additional statistics on the unemployment rate in Canada, rather than focusing on the past, but to keep pushing for a better future. The same can be said for ParcelPal and the great work being done by their team. They have multiple positions open and are actively recruiting across all departments. If you are looking for an employment opportunity, or advance your career path  and are seeking to join a talented team, check out the Careers page on their website.

“My recommendation is to simply reach out, I have had multiple people connect with me in creative ways. Take the initiative and tell us what you can do, pick up the phone and speak with one of our team members. We are always happy to help.” – Rich Wheeless, CEO

If you would like to learn more about ParcelPal or to jump right into their delivery services, download their app for free on Google Play and App Store now. Visit their website if you would like to dive deeper into how they are proactively supporting local merchants and communities. Give them a follow on social via the links below for future news and updates.

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For more stories, visit Todayville Calgary

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WEF panelist suggests COVID response accustomed people to the idea of CBDCs

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Central Bank of Bahrain governor Khalid Humaidan

From LifeSiteNews

By Tim Hinchliffe

When asked how he would convince people that CBDCs would be a trusted medium of exchange, Bahrain’s central bank governor said that COVID made the digital transformation ‘something of a requirement’ that had ‘very little resistance.’

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will hopefully replace physical cash and become fully digital, a central banker tells the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Speaking at the WEF Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy Development on Sunday, Central Bank of Bahrain governor Khalid Humaidan told the panel “Open Forum: The Digital Currencies’ Opportunity in the Middle East” that one of the goals of CBDC was to replace cash, at least in Bahrain, and to go “one hundred percent digital.”

Humaidan likened physical cash to being an antiquated “analogue” technology and that CBDC was the digital solution that would hopefully replace cash:

“I thank this panel and this opportunity. It forced me to refine my thoughts and opinions where I’m at a place comfortably now that I’m ready to verbalize what I think about CBDC,” said Humaidan.

If we think cash is the analogue and digital currency is the form of digital – CBDC is the digital form of cash – today, clearly we’re in a hybrid situation; we’re using both.

We know in the past when it comes to cash, central bankers were very much in control with all aspects of cash, and now we’re comfortable to the point where the private sector plays a big role in the printing of the cash, in the distribution of the cash, and with the private sector we use interest rates to manage the supply of cash.

The same thing is likely to happen with CBDC. Yes, the central bank will have a role, but at some point in time – the same way we don’t call it ‘central bank cash’ – we’re probably going to stop calling it central bank digital currency.

“It’s going to be a digital form of the cash, and at some point in time hopefully we will be able to be one hundred percent digital,” he added.

When asked how he would convince people that CBDC would be a trusted medium of exchange, Bahrain’s central bank governor said that people were already used to it and that COVID made the digital transformation “necessary” and “something of a requirement” that had “very little resistance.”

“Right now, many of our payments are digital. The truth is, I said that we’re in a hybrid model; there’s less and less use of cash,” said Humaidan.

I think from predominantly digital with a little physical, I think the transition to fully digital is not going to be a stretch.

People are used to it, people have engaged in it and certain circumstances did help. Its adoption rates increased because of COVID.

“This is where contactless started to become something of a necessity, something of safety, something of a requirement, and because of that there is very little resistance; trust is already there,” he added.

Meanwhile, European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde has been going around the world telling people that the digital euro CBDC would not eliminate cash, and that cash would always be an option.

Speaking at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Summit in March 2023, Lagarde said that a digital currency will never be as anonymous as cash, and for that reason, cash will always be around.

“Is it [digital euro] going to be as private as cash? No,” she said.

A digital currency will never be as anonymous and as protecting of privacy in many respects as cash, which is why cash will always be around.

If people want to use cash in some countries or in some transactions, cash should be available.

“A digital currency is an alternative, is another means of payment and will not provide exactly the same level of privacy and anonymity as cash, but will be pretty close in terms of complete neutrality in relation to the data,” she added.

WEF Agenda blog post from September, 2017, lists the “gradual obsolescence of paper currency” as being “characteristic of a well-designed CBDC.”

Last year at the WEF’s 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, aka “Summer Davos,” in Tianjing, China, Cornell University professor Eswar Prasad said that “we are at the cusp of physical currency essentially disappearing,” and that programmable CBDCs could take us to either a better or much darker place.

“If you think about the benefits of digital money, there are huge potential gains,” said Prasad, adding, “It’s not just about digital forms of digital currency; you can have programmability – units of central bank currency with expiry dates.

You could have […] a potentially better – or some people might say a darker world – where the government decides that units of central bank money can be used to purchase some things, but not other things that it deems less desirable like say ammunition, or drugs, or pornography, or something of the sort, and that is very powerful in terms of the use of a CBDC, and I think also extremely dangerous to central banks.

The WEF’s Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy Development took place from April 27-29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“Saudi Arabia’s absolute monarchy restricts almost all political rights and civil liberties,” according to D.C.-based NGO Freedom House.

In the kingdom, “No officials at the national level are elected,” and “the regime relies on pervasive surveillance, the criminalization of dissent, appeals to sectarianism and ethnicity, and public spending supported by oil revenues to maintain power.”

Reprinted with permission from The Sociable.

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Parliamentary Budget Officer forecasts bigger deficits for years to come

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From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Author: Franco Terrazzano 

“Every penny collected from the GST will now go to cover interest charges on the Trudeau government’s credit card”

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the federal government to cut spending and balance the budget following today’s Parliamentary Budget Officer report forecasting higher deficits.

“Budget 2024 was bad, but the PBO report forecasts the Trudeau government will be running even bigger deficits,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “This PBO report should be a wake-up call for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: get a hold of your spending or interest charges will keep ballooning.”

The PBO projects a $46-billion deficit this year. Budget 2024 projected a $40-billion deficit.

“PBO’s projected budgetary deficits are $5.3 billion higher annually, on average, over 2023-24 to 2028-29,” according to the report.

In Budget 2023, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government would find “savings of $15.4 billion over the next five years.”

However, “in Budget 2024, the government announced $61.2 billion in new spending,” according to the PBO. “Since Budget 2021, the government has announced a total of $251.6 billion in new spending measures.”

Interest charges on the debt are expected to cost taxpayers $54 billion this year, according to Budget 2024.

“Every penny collected from the GST will now go to cover interest charges on the Trudeau government’s credit card,” Terrazzano said. “Trudeau must balance the budget, cut spending and stop wasting more than $1 billion every week on interest charges.”

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