Scott Gilmore

This is the first in our relaunched series of podcasts from This Magazine. Over the next few months (we’ll go at least to the beginning of summer and then likely take a break) we hope to introduce you to some of Canada’s most interesting thinkers, talkers, and doers in politics, art, and activism. I’ll be splitting the podcasting duties with Nick Taylor-Vaisey, an Ottawa-based journalist and frequent contributor to the magazine. We’ll also hear from other contributors as we go along.

Today, Nick brings us the first entry in this new series, a conversation with Scott Gilmore of Peace Dividend Trust, a development NGO based in Ottawa and New York, with projects currently underway in Afghanistan, East Timor, and Haiti. PDT essentially promotes a buy-local strategy for international development, helping connect international aid agencies with local suppliers in the countries they work in. By directing funds to local businesses, PDT believes they see faster, more stable economic recovery in post-conflict zones, with lower overhead costs for funders and higher incomes for local businesspeople.

We’ll put up the transcript of this interview on the blog at This.org shortly, as we hope to do with all of these podcasts.

Please note that Listen to This isn’t yet available in the iTunes podcast directory; we expect it will be soon.

Update, 15:42 — So, uh, in a textbook rookie mistake I posted the podcast without actually attaching the MP3. It’s fixed now. Sorry!