The Intersection of Projects & Philanthropy: A Community in Crisis

Following 20 years at a large Canadian telecommunications firm, Bruce established the project management consulting firm Solutions Management Inc (SMI). Since 1999, he has provided contract project/program management services, been a source for project management support personnel and created/delivered courses to over 7,000 participants in Canada, the United States and England.

  Leadership   Social Impact  

In my professional life, project sponsorship usually means oversight, governance, and clearing obstacles so teams can deliver. In my elected life, the role looks similar, although the stakes feel very different because the projects are community shaping and the stakeholders are my neighbors. It becomes a form of PM philanthropy where the discipline of project management is applied to improve social outcomes rather than corporate ones.

Late in 2024, I initiated a Social Services Survey in response to growing concerns from residents who felt increasingly vulnerable. When the results were compiled, one theme stood apart from all others: Food insecurity was rising in Uxbridge, and rising quickly.

Very recently, I prepared a report for council summarizing these findings and documenting what we were hearing from residents and service providers. That report became more than a status update. It became the starting point of an important community project.

Anyone who has worked in project management knows that documentation without action is only a record of what should have been done. From the moment I prepared the report, I treated the issue as an evolving initiative that needed structured attention. The survey pointed to gaps in service coordination and access, which led to meetings throughout 2025 with Loaves and Fishes, Feed the Need Durham, and the Nourish and Develop …

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