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The Huron Expositor • May 6, 2009
Speaker urges leap into
Susan �I��_�i__yrtrk_
With the crumbling of General
Motors and the industrial era, com-
munities need to look towards the
"creative economy" to bring jobs and
economic opportunity to the region,
Huron County businesses were told
at the 2009 Community Matters
Conference in .Seaforth last Tues-
day.
Dan Taylor, economic development
officer for Prince Edward County,
said that along with a new wine and
artisan cheese industry, his region's
ability to attract "creative" workers
has led to a booming local economy.
"Nobody was talking about Prince
Edward ,County 10 years ago but 'I
can't believe the investment com-
ing through our doors right now," he
said.
Taylor bald that while Prince Ed-
ward County has always had a rural,
agricultural economy, it was never
able to attract manufacturing and
industry.
But, its strengths of "quality of
place" .on the 401 corridor between
Ibronto and Montreal, along with its
News
creative economy' for rural areas
history, heritage and beautiful geog-
raphy along Lake Ontario ended up
attracting creative workers like en-
gineers, architects and web design-
ers.
"We have a good location in the
heart of a mega -region but we're
off the beaten path," he said, add-
ing that while Huron County is not
as well situated, it is fairly close to
the economic activity in Kitchener -
Waterloo and Toronto.
Taylor said that while the concept
of a "creative economy" is generally
thought of as an urban phenomenon,
it can work in rural areas as well.
"We need to look at where the fu-
ture lies and now places like Sea -
forth arid Huron County can fit into
the creative economy," he said, add-
ing that like Walter Gretzky told his
son Wayne, "You have to skate to
where the puck is."
Taylor said the past decade in
Prince Edward County has seen the
creation of a $50 million wine indus-
try with building permits up 300 per
cent, tourism spending up 400 per
cent and assessment up by $3 to $4
billion.
•
You are invited to attend these area churches
ST. THOMAS
ANGLICAN CHURCH
A Congregation of the Parish of The Holy Spirit
The Reverend Karina A. Farmer. •
Jarvis St. Seaforth 519-527-1522
Sunday May;o
Wordtip & Sunday School at 9:30am
., Everyone Wekome
ST. JAMES
ROMAN CATHOLIC
CHURCH
WELCOMES YOU
14 victoria Street, Seaforth
519-345-2972
Saturday Mass 5 p.m.
Sunday Mass 9 a.m.
ST. PATRICK'S, DUBLIN'
Sunday Mass 11 a.m.
FR. CHRIS GILLESPIE
BETHEL BIBLE
CHURCH
An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St. Seaforth
519-527-0982
Sunday School • Al Ages • 9:45am
Sunday Worship 11 am
Youth Group & B&G Club
Wednesday 7pm
Pastor Mark Kennedy
EVERYONE WELCOME
EGMONDVILLE
UNITED CHURCH
Pastor. Steve Hildebrand
Worship May 10 -11 AM
Mother's Day Service
Adult '& Youth
Sunday school at 10 AM
Elevator & Ear buds available
Please Come and Join Us
NORTHSIDE UNITED
Vl dcomesYou
Sunday 11:00 a.m.
Worship
Nursery & Sunday School
54 Goderich St. W., Seaforth
®519-527-2635
www.cavannorthsideunited.ca
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
59 Goderkh St. W Seaforth 519-527- 0170
Mary Jane Bisset
Organist Susanna Lyman
Sunday May 10 - 11:15am Service
-The Mother's Day Breakfast -
Tickets now alaiiabte
N
-"We have had
lots of really good
growth," he said.
"In the old
NON -DENOMINATIONAL
V111►1111►fitl
CHRISTENINGS
our Location or • urs
Rev. Chris Morgan
Pastor Paula Morgan
510-524-5724
CLICK COMPUTER
EV. CHRIS MORGAN
Dan Taylor
days, we all went after the auto
parts industry and there was a list
you could chase. Now, we're looking
for different workers to come to the
community. It's a hard thing for eco-
nomic developers to get their heads
around," he said.
Taylor said people in "creative"
jobs are usually university educated,
are "more brain than brawn," well
paid and have "recession -proof' jobs.
They are also "fairly mobile and re -
locatable," more than the bricks and
mortar of factories.
"Growing wealth is very much at-
tached to education and innovation.
What this is saying is that where
there are higher educated people,
feshU.
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"DIRECT TO YOU"
We.fuurr' ri a fnv gveaf casr4aL Ie. or:1t.9
• Outdoors • Surrroorns • Pools • Garden Areas
Guaidnteud post
PticHs nn•v,•.ir t
11 a 11 1,11
•
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GRAND BEND 238-2110
Hwy. 83 E. (2 miles from the water plant)
35.000 Sq. Ft. • 50 Sets on Display
www.gocasual.ca We also manufacture:
UMBRELLAS • CO\';J iS • REPLACEMENT C; JE HICNS
i
there's more wealth," he said.
Taylor said Prince Edward County
has been able co attract "creative
workers" who have created more jobs
in the region.
But, . he admitted that attracting
creative workers is "fraught with
challenges."
"You can't see or touch the creative
economy but while you may not fully
understand it, that doesn't mean it
isn't there," he said. "This is brand
new and we're not seeing a lot of
economic development folks grasp it
and .harness the power of it."
While introducing Dan Taylor as
the keynote speaker, Huron County
economic development officer Mike
Pullen announced that Huron Coun-
ty will be participating in a study
about the potential of the "creative
economy" in six Ontario communi-
ties including Chatham -Kent, Minto,
Centre Wellington, Elgin County and
Prince Edward County.
"We got wind of Prince Edward
County looking for partners five or
six months ago and we're one of the
municipalities that stepped up to the
plate," said Pullen after the meet-
ing.
Pullen said the study will allow
Huron County to gain a greater un-
derstanding of how its arts and cul-
ture can benefit the local economy .
and look at the creative workers that
already live in the region.
"We don't have a good understand-
ing of it and we need to have a bet-
ter sense of how to attract creative
workers here," he said, adding the
information gleaned over the next
two to three months will be added to
the county's economic strategy.
"We will have a report in a month
to demystify what the creative econ-
omy is all about so we can empower
ourselves and capitalize on the op-
portunites," added Taylor.
Pessimistic
musings of
a `trophy kid'
From Page 4
Microscopic nanofibers may, one day
help paralyzed people to walk by pre-
venting scar tissue and promoting
new cell growth.
There's a lot to look forward to, so I
should stop Generation Y ning about
being in my twenties. I'm usually not
such a pessimist. Maybe my expecta-
tions are too just high. I guess that's
what getting a trophy for coming in
-fast p+laee dos oto -a -person. , t'.
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