Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1994-01-19, Page 3Business Beat Futures provides skills, training In the second of a three-part /series on the new Huron Business Centre in Seaforth we look at the Huron Community Futures Corpor- ation and its functions. BY DAVID SCOTT Expositor Staff The purpose of the Huron Com- munity Futures isn't to build new roads to give everybody a job - Jean Chrdtien might, but not Futures, said Paul Nichol, Coordinator of the Huron Commun- ity Futures Corporation. What Futures does is develop the community economy by providing training, skills and funding. "The government doesn't make jobs, businesses make jobs," said Nichol. He says Futures is very interested in long-term strategic development. What business oppor- tunities does Huron County have? And why aren't things happening? What weaknesses are there to over- come?" Entrepreneurial spirit - you have to have that," said Nichol. The Corporation In Huron County, the program is overseen by the Huron Community Futures Corporation, a volunteer board representing the diverse com- munities of interest throughout the area. Members have been selected from all regions of the county and from all economic sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, tourism and small business. The members of the Huron Community Futures Corporation are: Don Pullen (Chair), Bill Duckworth (Vice Chair), Alison Lobb (Secretary), Mary Turford (Treasurer), Gary Davidson, Cathy Garrick, Rhea Hamilton Seeger, Klaas Jorritsma, Luanne Phair, Joe Rider, Bryan Vincent and Don Watson. During the Community Futures start-up phase, a series of public meetings was organized to obtain input on local economic needs and priorities. The result of those meet- ings is_„ a six -point, community- based strategy for economic revital- ization. This five-year strategy includes initiatives to support exist- ing business; build upon agriculture; ensure a skilled workforce; promote tourism; encourage local entrepre- 3ueurs and attract new economic �4tivity. People face a number of barriers when they go into business: avail- able money, skills to operate in business. "If people have the incentive and commitment to put in a plan and they need a partner,..wc'Il be their partner," said Nichol. For example, a group of cottage industry artisans from Huron County got together as a group and wanted to market their work in an efficient way. Community Futures helped them put together a Christ- mas Catalogue that offered their unique artwork for purchase through mail order. The total cost of the project was $12,000 dollars to publish the catalogue and distrib- ute to over 20,000 Ontario house- holds (Blyth Festival cooperated with the group and gave them per- mission to use their mailing list). The artisans raised half of the money and Futures covered the remainder with a $6,000 grant. The group plans to open a storefront operation in the future to showcase their goods and offer them for sale to the public. Members of the Huron Commun- ity Futures Corporation then jet together as a group to decide for any proposed project, "Is it going to make the economy better in Huron County?" said the Huron Futures Coordinator. While the Business Development Corporation in the Huron Business centre deals with individual busi- ness, Futures deals with groups of businesses, for example tourist organizations. The philosophy of having local people from all regions Ind econ- omic sectors of the county as mem- bers of the Futures Corporation is that "only people in the community know what will work," said Nichol. Training The training Futures offers can be a wide range_ of_Ihings including skills upgrading for the employed or unemployed and training methods for the entrepreneur. What is the definition of Community Futures? • Community Futures is a Federal job creation program developed by Employment and Immigration Canada. • targeted to smaller, rural com- munities experiencing problems of severe and chronic unemploy- ment. • provides financial support to local economic development efforts for up to five years. • programs designed and imple- mented by a local volunteer Board of Directors called the Community Futures Committee. • offers a range of options to assist the community in revitaliz- ing the local economy: - loans and management consult- ing to assist businesses during start-up and expansion. - training programs to develop a skilled and competitive workforce. - financial contributions to pri- vate and public sector develop- ment projects with significant job creation potential. • Since 1986, over 200 areas throughout Canada have been designated under the Community Futures program. • Huron County received official Community Futures designation in August 1993. THE HURON EXPOSITOR, January 1E, 1994-3 What is the Aim of Futures? • diversifying the local economy • increasing job prospects for Huron County residents. • developing better dareer oppor- tunities for our youth: • stimulating more business and commerce in our communities. • maintaining our agricultural base. • ensuring the long-term competitiveness of our industries. • encouraging local entrepreneurs and new business ventures. • nurturing a spirit of cooper- ation and coordination for com- munity development. DAVID SCOTT' PHOTO THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS - Paul Nichol, Coordinator of Huron Community Futures, keeps a busy schedule meeting with public and private groups interested in colloborating on local business ventures. "The government toesn't make jobs, businesses make jobs..." -Paul Nichol, Coordinator ;of the Huron Community Futures Corporation. "There's a lot of training for unemployed individuals but not a lot for people in business," said Nichol. "It's just as important to give those people (in `ma and pa' businesses) the skills to stay in business." "We're very concerned about the loss of training facilities at Centralia College. We're looking into supplying training and working in conjunction with the Board of Education and the Ontario Develop- ment Corporation," said Nichol. Paul Nichol has a busy sclt'tdule of meetings with the Board of Edu- cation and Chambers of Commerce in Huron County municipalities. F.E. Madill High School in Wingham has a different kind of co-op program for its students which involves going into the workplace and setting up classes, he said. The co-op program is for students thinking of dropping out of school. They attend a class at work in the morning before their shift begins, then again in the afternoon when it ends. "It's a better alternative for stu- dents. It gives them a taste of the real world and doesn't cut them loose. It helps them so they don't end up on the welfare line," said Nichol. "Anything that helps a person get a job, create a job or maintain a job, we support." Huron Community Futures has two programs up and running. One is a training and counselling pro- gram for small and medium sized businesses in Huron County, and the other one is a farm business initiative for families who have skills and want to start a business in conjunction with the farm. For example a welding shop or farm vacations, to provide a secondary income. "It gives farmers opportun- ity to earn extra money plus raising the awareness of agriculture in the local economy," said Nichol. Futures also supports local leader- ship programs. "For an organization to work you have to have dedicated leaders to help. It's those people who have the ideas that make our program work." Futures provides financial support to both private and public sector projects. For a com- pany, for example, that had over 10 employees may require supplies or equipment. Futures would consider providing grant funding for these groups. But Futures can only rec- ommend a grant. Lloyd Axworthy, the Minister of Human Resource Development, has the final word. If the community has an idea for a public works project, Futures can also help out. Some communities use funding to upgrade waterfront facilities and draw more tourists. These projects create more jobs. "A lot have been in the tourism sec- tor," said Nichol. In Goderich, for example, there was a group of interested people vtho wanted to set up a tourist organization. They needed assist- ance and didn't have any funding from the municipality. "They started from scratch. They had to get registered as a `not-for-profit organization.' They needed legal advice and insurance. We helped them develop a plan of action and set up a board," said Nichol. Agriculture "We're leaders in agricultural production in Huron County. If we are such a leader why aren't we (for example) taking hogs and pro- cessing them into deli meats? Agricultural processing is some- thing that's missing from Huron County. In a brochure that was cooperatively researched by Huron Futures and published by the Huron County Planning and Development Department in the summer of 1993, many interesting facts are provided about agriculture in the county: In Ontario, Huron County has the highest number of farms, acres of farmland and gross farm receipts. Huron County also leads the prov- ince in numbers of laying hens and pullets and in crop production of winter wheat, white beans, barley and rutabagas. 1-luron County is second in the province in steers, hogs, and silage corn. We're third in broiler hens and silage corn, and fourth in dairy cows, milk ship- ments and the production of green peas. Another statistic in the brochure, 1luron County - Ontario Agriculture at its best!, that illustrates Huron's leading position in agriculture in Ontario and the country, is that almost one fifth of the Huron County labour force is directly employed by agriculture, making it the most prominent Canadian agri- cultural region east -of Winnipeg. The brochure also lists some of the 60 -plus Huron County pro- ducers who sell farm fresh produce directly at the farm gate. Futures sees the opportunity for more direct marketing for specialty products in Huron, eg. fruits, vegetables, jams, etc. Huron Community Futures is also interested in establishing different types of co-ops for farmers. "We're working with Jersey (dairy) farmers interested in developing products based on Jersey milk. We're help- ing them do a market feasibility study." An incorrect date was printed in last week's paper for the snowdate of the Huron Business Centre's Official Grand Opening. The correct snowdate is Jan. 21. The Grand Opening will be held Jan. 20, weather permitting. Hospital offers stress management course Stress is a universal condition and is necessary for life. Often stress is helpful to us in situations as it mobilizes us in times of danger or motivates us to try new things or meet our goals. Too much stress, however, can be distressing and eventually disastrous. In our fast -paced, changing times, unemployment, economic uncer- tainty and constant bleak weather are just some of the factors which contribute to people's stress levels and their ability to cope. No one is immune to stress and it can affect anyone adversely. Many people experience symp- toms of stress overload which ham- per their daily lives. Recurrent illness, depression, worry, head- aches, high blood pressure, muscle tension, inability to concentrate, and irritability can all be signs that we may be under too much stress. Stress and its symptoms can be controlled, and we can all learn how. The Seaforth Community Psychiatric Services will be holding a free stress management course on Wednesday afternoons throughout Jan. and Feb. Topics will include information on stress, assessing your stress level, and learning various positive coping strategies to bring stress under control and make it work for you. If you are interested in learning more about stress or are interested in the course, please call 527-2711 and take a positive step toward healthy living. The program starts January 19, 1994. HEALTH ON THE HILL A Review of activities at SEAFORTH COMMUNITY HOSPITAL Upcoming Programs: Expectant parents are invited to attend - Expectant Parent Education Classes to be held the third Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in Conference Room 2. Session 1: Pain Management T.E.N.S. Physio Analgesia Dr. H. Percival Dates: January 19, May 18, September 21, 1994 Session 2: Tour of OB Dr. Mark Woldnik K. Mailloux, R.N. Dates: February 16, June 15, October 19, 1994 Session 3: Breastfeeding Dr. C. Shepherd Cathy -Ryan, Public Health Nurse Dates: March 16, July 20, November 16, 1994 Session 4: Parent Support Group Dr. C. Shepherd Marguerite Falconer, Huron County Health Unit Dates: April 20, August 17, December 21, 1994 Free Admission. For further information call 527-1650 or 527-1770. Congratulations: Jack Bedard and Linda Bailey have recently received special training in Occupational Health and Safety, by completing the Core Certification Training Course in Listowel. Recent changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Bill 208) has established mandatory requirements that every workplace with more than 20 employees must have a minimum of two certified members. This is the first step toward certification, to be followed by a hospital specific training course later this year. Both Jack and Linda are long-standing members of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee at the Hospital. HAEFLING & CO. Chartered Accountants 11 Victoria St., Mitchell ...providing a full range of accounting. computer. Tax and Financial consulting services to meet the needs of Business and Farmers. Telephone (519) 348-8412 Resident C.A. Associate Bas Haefting, C.A. Barry Boyd Fax (519) 348-4300 �l\ •,moi \ `i\/%!it�1\.�''�I\//�:1{i �I;\ //\S.II/ �l,\��I1 ';'%1 40! 1 .. el ... % ...1 v�,t .\i,• .„., ., ,,,,, .\,,,, �/t t0 r!�., �;td % .,,, ,‘,. :\i� . \i/1 ;:i% t� s:Ali ,�.�/i; /„ii‘i,`,1 V,, J �/ rOFF 1' 4 ENTIRE STOCK P1/1:‘'l (Cash or Cheque Please),,, ...,, I •\' / ITS ALWAYS FUN AT... . I• it' • -t / %; 4(Loie ....•‘ :%1 !\:: �,, / 1,� /` .ei%'' Main St. ic,Seaforth 527-2320 %%/'% r\'t\ I;�r�-/rte t_ +%;..tet\7 t \%molt\ tom_\/���t\%lami \/;�`'`/ 4:/:�: �%l\��1 1L�,:t\�/_i�i,�li�f��f►,I:) 11\n1 )\,:�/ lid<</. The Last Two Days We've re -grouped and re -priced much of our stock It's all over Saturday r BRADSHAWS EVERYDAY BEAUTIFUL 129 ONTARIO STREET STRATFORD ® 619 2716283