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
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BRADSHAWS
EVERYDAY BEAUTIFUL
129 ONTARIO STREET STRATFORD ® 619 2716283