Canada’s universal healthcare system is a source of pride—but it’s breaking under the weight of rising demand, longer wait times, and shrinking access to services. In this episode, I ask a tough but necessary question: could introducing a paid tier actually save our healthcare system?

We explore:

• Why the current public model isn’t sustainable
• The myth of the “two-tier” system—and the four real quadrants that exist today
• How private options can actually reduce pressure on the public system
• Data-backed examples of care that improved when delisted (chiropractic, physio, eye care)
• How this model could encourage more doctors to enter the field, especially in family practice
• How it could attract foreign-trained physicians
• Why Canadians are already paying for care elsewhere—and why that’s a problem

Finally, I leave you with three questions to challenge your perspective:

1. What if a family wanted to pay for their loved one’s private addiction treatment?
2. What if private care required public service from doctors?
3. What if we could double our number of physicians in 10 years?

This isn’t about abandoning universal healthcare—it’s about saving it.

The Information Age brought prosperity, access, and knowledge to billions. But that era is ending. In this episode, I argue that the Information Age has already given way to a new era: The Augmentation Age.

We no longer need to know everything—AI tools and digital memory hold that for us. Knowledge workers are being replaced. Google doesn’t send us to information; it delivers the answer. Designers, coders, lawyers, and writers are being augmented—or automated.

So what’s next? We explore the new economy of augmented labor—where hands-on skills matter again, trades thrive, and entrepreneurs are free to build leaner, faster businesses with AI as their co-pilot. I share how we’re already augmenting our bodies and minds—digitally, chemically, and mechanically—and what this means for the future of work, leadership, and strategy.

Whether you're a business owner, coach, or creative, this episode will help you understand what's ending—and what to do next.

🔧 Topics covered:

• Why the knowledge economy is fading
• How AI is replacing—but also empowering—creators
• Why labor and trades will thrive
• What entrepreneurs should automate first
• The power of early adoption in the Augmentation Age

📌 Takeaway:

You don’t need to fear AI—you need to build with it. Systemize, automate, and get ahead of the curve.

Sault Ste. Marie is at a tipping point.

In this long-form episode, I explore the six critical challenges our city is facing—and how we can turn the tide. From economic fragility to the drug crisis, from government reliance to leadership voids, I offer bold but achievable ideas to help the Sault thrive again.

This isn’t political. It’s personal. And it starts with honesty, unity, and hope.

Why our population, wages, and workforce are in decline

What’s actually working to reduce drug use (hint: we can borrow from Vancouver and Portugal)

Why government grants and consultants won’t save us

What comparing Sault, ON and Sault, MI reveals about entrepreneurship

Why hope is the greatest growth strategy of all

How leadership (using the CALM model) can unite us around a real plan

📚 Sources (select highlights; full links in show notes):

Opioid death rates – Ontario

Portugal’s Drug Policy Model – Drug Policy Alliance

[Insite Vancouver – CMAJ & The Lancet](https://www.cmaj.ca, https://www.thelancet.com)

Sault College & Algoma U international student stats – SooToday

Building permit values – City of Sault Ste. Marie

Employment data – Statistics Canada

Let’s save the Sault—together.

🔗 businessisgood.com

Connect with Chris Cooper:

Website - https://businessisgood.com/