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For more information call toll free: 1-800-263-7965 (teletypewriter: 1-800-263-7776) The program described here is subject to the approval of the Ontario Legislature. PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1998. Rural economy faces fundamental change New rural economy reindustrializing By Janice Becker Citizen staff It was a packed house in Clinton last. Monday when two rural economy experts spoke on the challenges ahead. Held at the office of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and sponsored by'the Bruce Grey Huron Perth Georgian Triangle Training Board, the Huron Business Development Corporation and the Huron Training and Labour Coalition, the round-table discussions were preceded by two guest speakers. Tony Fuller, a professor at the University of Guelph, outlined the changes which have taken place in the rural setting over the last century. 19th century society The first phase 'of rural development was a short distance society, he said. When the country was laid out by surveyors, small communities were located 12-15 miles apart because that was the distance of one-day's horse travel. In the 19th century, society was agricultural with the exchange of labour and goods over very short distances. Settlers provided for their own needs or traded with close neighbours. In the industrial age, Fuller said, small home-businesses began to grow, supplying a larger area, thereby requiring a labour force beyond what the locals could provide. People began to commute to their jobs or move to the village where work could be found. They became wage labourers. People went to work instead of work coming to them. Manufacturing began to expand_ during this period as well, he said. The lives of settlers changed fundamentally as -they became employed.-They no longer provided all their own needs but contracted out to have work done, instead of seeking assistance from neighbours. Purchases were made to fill most requirements. .--With the increase in manufacturing came the need for skilled labour. Training school were built, workers became unionized and order prevailed. Workers became more mobile. Ending the century In the latter part of the 20th century, the economy has moved into an open society, said Fuller. There are fewer boundaries for employment, particularly for women. There is wider interaction, greater mobility, a decentralization of work and an increase in information-based employment. No longer arc people horn into local labour. their career as they had been in the Value-added specialties and past, said Fuller. If the father was a tourism are two areas of growth. farmer or coal mine worker, so were These changes have caused the sons. schools to concentrate on educating There is far greater, interaction the young to be generalists, to within society, he said as people acquire the needed flexibility in travel for work, education or what they do, he said. entertainment needs. Though society may be adapting Young people no longer have the to globalization, Fuller said it is still expectation of a life-long career in constrained by the limitations of the one field. Most will have three to landscape. four, he said. "If we were to design the country With the globalization of the now, there would be larger farms, economy, Fuller said it affects both fewer towns and a centralization of the old industry and the development of new. . In the old sector, he said there is a downsizing of industrialization with diversification and breaking of manufacturing divisions into more services. We must work within the efficient units. Those new smaller settlement patterns of the past." units are also producing more than There are also people unable to one product to remain competitive. get past the limitations of the past, This has resulted in a change in he said. the labour force with many working "People are marginalized because from contract rather than as full- they don't fit in. They have been de- time employees and commuting skilled." further to the job site. Those of older generations were People may also be holding down trained for skills which are no two or three part-time jobs each, longer in demand. The society has accounting for as-many as six to 10 to provide support for all people, jobs per household. said Fuller. "One training idea won't In the new rural economy, Fuller fit." said there has been a Statistics of change reindustrialization in small and To give those in attendance a medium-sized facilities. There are picture of what has happened with now many enterprises under 100 the Huron County economy in the employees and those under 10 are past few years, Paul Nichol of the good for rural areas. Huron Business Development He also notes a return to home- Corporation detailed several based businesses which rely on statistics for the region. In terms of population, the county is losing people between 25 and 54, but is seeing a steady increase of older residents and those under 14. The overall population is stagnant he said, with growth under two per cent. Business enterprise is largely in agricultural-related areas at 67 per cent. Huron County also had the highest percentage of its labour force, of any area east of Winnipeg, in the agricultural field at 18 per cent. However, the county is much lower than the average in the service sector. Farm gate receipts have risen to $520 million, more than any of the Atlantic provinces. One statistic which Nichol said he does not recall having occurred in the past is a higher value of manufacturing shipment over farm shipments at $560 million. The retail industry in Huron continues to be spotty, he said, with 1992 being very bad, a slight increase in receipts through 1994 and a drop in 1995. "Retailers are more dependent on the local economy. Other (businesses) can go beyond the borders," said Nichol. Entrepreneurial endeavors continue to climb, he said. Self-employment in Huron is much higher than the provincial average with one in four working for themselves. It sits at six per cent for the province. Other employment factors have also changed with jumps in those employed in retail, agriculture and manufacturing though there may actually be fewer employers. Nichol gave the example of big box stores which employ many on a part-time basis while there are fewer individual retailers. A quarter of all residents commute considerable_distances to their jobs, above the 18 per cent provincial average. Nichol said, from. 1991 to -1996, more people were employed in the fields of sales ' and service, agriculture, construction and trade and transport.-Fewer people worked in health, education and clerical. Though incomes in Huron County average $10,000 below the provincial level, he said overall increases are keeping pace and some of the difference is offset by the cosi of living. More dollars earned in the county also come from provincial sources such as pensions or social assistance with 17 cents of every dollar from the government. Nichol said much of this was due to the high senior population. In summarizing the numerous changes, Nichol said while economic activity is expanding, the job market is shrinking. There has been a change' in what is available. Though there are cost of_living advantages to being in Huron County, more people are finding it difficult to make a living here. This is encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit in the region, he said.