Leading off.

Our editorial policy at Saskatchewan Business Magazine is such that we strive to stress the positives in our provincial business community. And thankfully, there are many opportunities to do just that on a regular basis.

The downside of such a policy is that one can arguably state that, from a journalistic point of view, we are turning a blind eye to reality. The saying 'there are two sides to every story' comes to mind. Indeed for every successful businessperson there's a long list of competitors who would gladly do everything in their power, short of slander, back-stab or steal to achieve that same success at their competitor's expense. And that statement, I'm sure, gives some of our less desirable citizens the benefit of the doubt.

Indeed, business is tough, and oftentimes ends up in failure, or for some, a best-case scenario of accruing losses which can take years to overcome. Anyone denying these facts is either naive, stupid, or a combination of both.

Therefore, when we undertook our redesign and new format of our publication some two years ago, which included a Letters to the Editor section, our policy of strictly promoting the positives in the business community became precarious. Either we could continue to turn a blind eye to the negativity and controversy that exists in business, or we could uphold our democratic right, and journalistic duty, to provide a sounding board for those with thoughts which contradicted our mandate and policy.

This particular issue's Letters to the Editor section serves as a case in point where we are not turning a blind eye to negative feedback. Although the letter in question appears to have a politically charged agenda, there are some valid points that the writer emphasizes. For example, we too believe that private capital needs to be the driving force behind our economy.

But governments, regardless of their political stripe, have a fine line they need to walk in order to generate economic growth and yet keep fiscal stability. Crown corporations serve this purpose well and these Crowns are certainly not restricted to socialist regimes. All one needs to do is look at the federal level. Federal Crowns exist in multitude, collectively accounting for multi-billion-dollar budgets. This, despite the federal New Democrats ever having been as close to forming government as was Columbus to the Orient when he landed at the Caribbean.

But I digress. My point is, we at Saskatchewan Business Magazine saw such merit and credibility in the concept behind the recently held Investment Future Forum that we not only were present and reporting upon it, but we participated as a presenting sponsor of the event itself.

Yes, Saskatchewan needs investment and Saskatchewan companies can benefit from capital infusion -- which in turn helps the economy, which in turn benefits government coffers, which in turn benefits social spending. And on goes the cycle. Getting companies to the point of success is what we care about and what we want to report -- regardless of where that investment comes from; public or private sector.