The Citizen, 1993-03-03, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1993.
Futures groups study Huron's economic future
By Bonnie Gropp
Business in Huron can not go on
as usual. According to representa-
tives from the Futures Committee,
who spoke at a meeting in Brussels,
on Wednesday, Feb. 24, the future
of Huron's economy depends on the
ability to make changes, adapt and
strengthen what exists.
Thirty people were present at the
public meeting to share their ideas
and opinions on how to address the
economic drought facing our area.
Paul Nichol of the Planning
Department said the restructuring
of agriculture, the globalization of
manufacturing, the growth of the
service sector, escalation of educa-
tion and skill requirements, expan-
sion of employment needs and the
changing role of government have
all affected our economy.
The Futures program, he said, is
a job creation proposal designed by
Employment and Immigration
Canada, which is targeted to small-
er rural communities. There is
funding for assistance up to an
amount of $100,000 for up to six
years, Mr. Nichol said.
The idea of the meeting, which
was the first in a series to take
place in the county, is to "hear food
for thought, outline a plan and see
where the Community Futures
might fit into Huron," said Mr.
Nichol.
The changing trends will have
many implications on the county's
future, Mr. Nichol said. ''More jobs
will be needed in the years to come
because most families will have
two bread winners, there will be
more women in the work force and
unfortunately fewer jobs are being
created."
Businesspeople must diversify,
he said. While the agricultural
industry in Huron is a source of
pride, Mr. Nichol said, there has
also been an over-reliance on it.
"We can no longer count on agri-
culture to sustain our economy.
Doing so places us in a vulnerable
situation."
Other sources of employment
opportunity will have to be devel-
oped for farm based incomes,
including diversification and value-
added processing.
Manufacturing industries are
under pressure as they must com-
pete on a global scale. Small busi-
ness should be encouraged as this is
likely where the future jobs will be
coming from, said Mr. Nichol.
However, small businesses require
encouragement to overcome the
"red tape" and financial barriers
they encounter.
"Prosperity," said Mr. Nichol,
"hinges on education and training
skills. We need transferrable skills.
Industry must keep up with
changes in technology and produc-
tion methods."
"We will survive by organizing
ourselves, seizing the initiative and
taking action," he said.
To achieve success there are sev-
eral goals the people of the county
must strive towards. These include
a diversified local economy,
increased job prospects, better
opportunities for youth to develop
careers here, promote more busi-
ness, maintain our agricultural
base, encourage entrepreneurs and
co-operate and support each other.
Mr. Nichol noted six key areas
which the Futures Committee
believes will encourage economic
development. "Support existing
business, largely because that's
where jobs are coming from," said
Mr. Nichol.
Also, he said, the strategy is to
build upon agriculture, by estab-
lishing locally-based, value-adding
agricultural processing facilities,
encouraging opportunities for
enhanced farm incomes via direct
marketing and diversification ven-
tures or raise local awareness of the
importance of farming in Huron.
Another key point is to ensure a
skilled workforce. Mr. Nichol said,
"I believe many people find the
training system complex. They are
never really sure what the needs
are." Efforts should be made to
encourage the co-ordination of
training and education delivery in
Huron. Research and input on
labour market trends to education
agencies for on-going strategic
planning and the sponsoring of
courses and programs are some
ideas to address the objective.
The tourism in Huron County is
presently, "a sleeper," said Mr.
Nichol. "It's fine for us to know
about our beaches and tourist
attraction, but others need to know
as well" he said. To get the word
out there could be a county wide
tourism association and further
development of our exisiting sites.
To encourage local entre-
preneurs, investment capital and
management advice through a
Business Development Centre was
discussed.
Finally, the committee stimulated
ideas for attracting economic activ-
ity.
These issues were then opened
for discussion. Brian Treble of
Planning and Development facili-
tated this portion.
The idea of the meetings, is to
come up with several small solu-
tions as opposed to a 100 percent
solution. The ideas formulated
from the public meetings will be
gathered into a report to be present-
ed to the federal government. In the
report the number of jobs which
will hopefully be created in Huron
will be targeted, Mr. Nichol said.
COMING SOON
'BMG Community Dining' for seniors and
physically challenged adults
VOLUNTEER INFORMATION MEETING
Thurs. March 11 at 10:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Call Joan at
Town & Country Homemakers
for information 357-3222
ANNOUNCING
JOE ZEHR
Man places 2nd
at auction contest
Joe Zehr of RR3, Brussels won
first runner-up at the eighth annual
Auctioneer Association of Ontario
competition in Markham on Satur-
day, Feb. 27.
An employee of Brussels Live-
stock, Mr. Zehr, who has been an
auctioneer for 20 years, competed
against 16 others. This is the fourth
year he has competed. The trophy
he received was donated by The
Ontario Farmer.
The winner of this year's contest
was Scott Reinhart of Brampton,
while Len Metcalfe of Mildmay
was second runner-up. Contestants,
who came from as far away as
Manitoulin Island, were judged on
stage presentation, chant and effec-
tive selling.
The Auctioneer Association of
Ontario was formed nine years ago
and to date it has 205 members.
The competitions are open to the
public and held at different loca-
tions throughout the province.
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