Volume 2, No. 1 September 2011 FREE
Your business:
Making a difference with charitable giving Your health:
Giving children a good start in life Tracy Grant Chair of the Thames Valley District School Board Cover story: page 3
Your home:
Showing off the details
Incorporating St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce
Get a Great Deal and a Great Deal More! • NO COMMISSIONED SALESPEOPLE = NO PRESSURE Wish Upon a Song A fundraising event for a local family affected by cancer. Join us for a Charity Carwash on Saturday, September 10th. We can’t do it without you.
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Reservation Hours: Mon - Fri 8 am - 6 pm, Sat 8 am - Noon 175 South Edgeware Road, St. Thomas (at New2You Auto, next to Tim Hortons)
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Put the NEW back into your vehicle!
175 South Edgeware Rd., St. Thomas 519-631-6420
www.discountcar.com 2
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September, 2011
PUBLISHER’S LETTER Fear and greed dominate the headlines by Terry Carroll ..............................page 4
BUSINESS/COMMUNITY Agriculture
Cover Story
HOMESTYLE Decorating Showing off the details by Renée Carpenter ......................page 22
That’s Life
Weathering the weather by Janine Lunn ................................page 5
The value of a minute by Elizabeth VanHooren ................page 23
Economics
DINING & ENTERTAINMENT Savour Elgin
The mayor as head cheerleader in economic development by Serge Lavoie ................................page 6
Financial Management Make a difference with charitable giving by Ellen Luft ....................................page 7
Pottery, fresh food and memorable music by Kate Burns ................................page 24
Wine & Food Defining local by Jamie Quai ........page 25
Be a leader, not a doer by Bryan Vine ..................................page 8
The Play’s The Thing
Asking for help is a strength by Sharon Lechner ........................page 17
Technology Hardwired for innovation by Peter Atkinson ..........................page 19
BUSINESS BEAT Front Page
‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘The Admirable Crichton’ by Ric Wellwood ............................page 26
HEALTHY LIVING Personal Health Giving children a good start in life by Jennifer Wyscaver ......................page 27
Everyday Health
SCRC – A new chapter in co-operation ........................................................page 9
Member News Nine & Dine ..................................page 10
Chamber News New Community & Social Services Directory released ..........................page 11
TVDSB chair Tracy Grant loves the interaction with children by Dorothy Gebert
Leadership Self Development
Elgin County school days
What is arthritis? Part 2 - Rheumatoid arthritis by Dr. Greg Johnston ....................page 28
LIFESTYLES Interesting People A weird sense of humour by Dorothy Gebert ........................page 29
Positive Exposure
Time On My Hands
Don’t touch those buttons! by Allan Weatherall ........................page 12
On the rocks at 60 by Duncan Watterworth ................page 30
Legal Business The proposed Ontario Family Caregiver Leave by Monty Fordham ..............page 13
Viewpoint St. Thomas fan mail! ......................page 14
Pro Text Insurance and urban myths by Dan Reith ................................page 15
New Members Welcome New Members ................page 16
Like many kids growing up, Tracy Grant had a passionate teacher who inspired her and encouraged her to do well in school. “I really liked academics,” Tracy remembers. These early learning experiences shaped her view of what education could be, and as the current chair of the Thames Valley District School Board, Tracy is now able to shape the educational experiences of future children. “I just want to make things better for kids,” she says. “Education can open up so many possibilities.” Tracy herself attended Lord Dorchester Secondary School in London and graduated from King’s College at the University of Western Ontario. She worked for Bell Canada as a trainer before getting married and raising four children. She said she always volunteered for school events and committees, but it was when she was school council chair at West Elgin Secondary School and became a representative on the Accommodation Review Committee that she began to look at the bigger picture of education in Elgin County. Tracy’s friends encouraged her to run for board trustee and she was elected to represent Elgin County on the Thames Valley District School Board in 2006. In 2010 she was elected chair. “I am always looking to make things better,” she says. The way the Board helps her do that is through committee work. She sits on several Board committees including the Special Education Advisory Committee, the Audit Committee, the Budget Advisory Committee, the Capital Planning Advisory Committee and the Mental Health and Wellness Committee. But for Tracy it’s all about the children. “Education helps nurture kids and teach them what they are. If we can understand how students learn, we can enable them.” Cover photo by Philip Bell, Shutter Studios
Carroll Publishing President Terry Carroll Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Kelly Carroll
Elgin This Month Publisher Terry Carroll Editor Dorothy Gebert Section Editor Business Beat – Bob Hammersley
Graphic Design / Production Jim McHarg Sales Representative Greg Minnema Office Manager Laura Bart
Published monthly by Carroll Publishing, 15 St. Catharine Street, St. Thomas, ON N5P 2V7 www.theweeklynews.ca/etm September, 2011
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519-633-1640
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Publisher’s Letter
Fear and greed dominate the headlines But what should the ordinary person expect? On Friday August 5, I came downstairs for breakfast and saw the National Post headline in all-caps: PANIC AS MARKETS PLUNGE. It struck me, and not for the first time, that headline writers go home fully satisfied any time they can finish a shift that pairs words like PANIC and MARKETS together. PLUNGE is also good. The only thing that could possibly be better would be the twinning of the words ECONOMIC and DEPRESSION in the same headline. It’s been almost a century since that could be used in North America, and some inkstained wretches grow weary and old, their fingers itching to be able to type those words before they die. The Globe and Mail’s front page was more restrained and employed upper and lower case. “Worst one-day fall in global equities in two years as economic fears grow.” It’s a mouthful, compared with the Post, but fortunately the headline writers were able
to tag two doom-and-gloom words near the end – “economic” and “fears.” If it bleeds, it leads, and it will be a frosty Friday in August before that changes. Inside the Post, the financial section led, again in all-caps, with WORLD MARKETS BLEED. To illustrate this hemorrhaging, the Post’s graphics department used 12 flags across the page, with a stripe of red below each flag. Italy, where markets were reported to have dropped 5.16 percent, had a seven-inch stripe of bloodcoloured ink. Canada’s markets, with a drop of 3.4 percent, earned a mere five inches of red. One-day drops of this magnitude do affect a lot of people, because so many are invested in the markets. From the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund with its billions to the recently retired janitor with thousands in a self-directed RRSP, institutions and ordinary people had less money (on paper) by Friday August 5, 2011
ANNOUNCEMENT Douglas G. Gunn, Q.C., Lisa N. Gunn, Amy C. Dale & Dana I. Haklander are pleased to announce that
THE HONOURABLE B. THOMAS GRANGER, Q.C. a retired Judge of the Superior Court of Justice and a former Civil Trial Lawyer has joined Gunn & Associates as Counsel at their office at 108 Centre Street, St. Thomas, Ontario. In addition to being Counsel at Gunn & Associates B. T. Granger, Q.C. will continue his work at Granger Legal in London, Ontario.
GUNN & ASSOCIATES Barristers and Solicitors
108 Centre Street, St. Thomas, ON N5R 2Z7 519-631-0700 – Telephone 519-631-1468 – Facsimile lawyers@gunn.on.ca
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by Terry Carroll
If it bleeds, it leads
than they had on Wednesday August 3. Whether there was panic, or should have been, is another matter. If markets were to rise 10 percent (perhaps another Frosty Friday occasion), copyeditors would not write headlines like PANIC AS MARKETS RISE, although you can bet they would pull out the i-word and start talking about the risk of inflation. Fear and its partner greed have been the paramount emotions driving the financial markets and influencing political decisions since there have been financial markets and politics. On the greed side, it is tempting, particularly in times of low interest rates, to gaze fondly at the charts that show the ups and downs of the financial markets over the past 100 years or so and what appears to be an inexorable rise to greater and greater wealth with a few slips along the way. If the ordinary person but invests in broadly based mutual funds, regularly over time in what is called “dollar cost averaging,” he or she can retire wealthy too, or at least beat those miserly returns offered by bonds or interest bearing instruments. And on the fear side, if he or she isn’t “in the market,” he or she may be eating cat food by the age of
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87. Most of us will end up somewhere between steak and cat food, but from my experience over many years, here’s what investing in the markets looks like to people who do not have the money, time or expertise to buy individual stocks. There will be ups and downs, but you can expect something like an 8 percent return over time on a broadly based mutual fund portfolio. In Canada, your fees are going to run you about 2.0-2.5 percent, so you can expect to average about 5.5-6.0 percent as a net return on your investment. Yes, you will dip on days like Friday August 5. You will dip for even longer periods, during certain months or over certain years. But overall, you should expect returns in that neighbourhood. Not enough to make most RRSP accounts grow astronomically, but no reason to PANIC when there’s a dip. And one other very important thing to remember. Reading the headlines can lead to the impression that the stock market is the entire economy. It is not. The vast majority of new businesses in Elgin County that are employing people are not and never will be listed on a stock exchange. One less reason to FEAR when markets take a tumble.
Terry Carroll is the publisher of the St. Thomas /Elgin Weekly News and Elgin This Month.
September, 2011
BUSINESS / COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE
Thoughts on what Mother Nature is throwing at farmers this year by Janine Lunn
As the harvest draws near, we look back on the growing season with its unique mix of weather challenges. Farmers are tightly bound to the weather anytime of year, with an interest that can become all-consuming. There are inevitably comparisons between various seasons past – I’m always amazed at the people who can recall specific years by rainfall, dry spells and snow records. Farmers have many sayings they use to measure the crops, such as hoping the weather cooperates to provide corn that’s “knee-high by the first of July.” When a person makes a living from the land, each year’s weather bears its unique mark. This spring, farmers waited eagerly for the ideal day to cultivate, fresh with memories of the early spring of 2010. Elgin farmers were not planting by the end of April as they’d hoped, rather, they were waiting... and waiting ... and waiting for the rain to end. Those who were lucky to sneak in a few acres of crop between rains were left biting their nails, waiting to see if the rain would drown out the seeds before they could even germinate. And then it was gone! After a mad scramble to make up for lost time, the crops were in and the rains disappeared for what seemed like eternity. When the weather doesn’t cooperate, all thoughts turn to the forecast, the Weather Network and neighbourhood predictions. Every meet-
ing of farmers begins with an intense comparison of who got how much rain, and when the next rainfall will be. We’ve been lucky enough to see a few rains since the early, dry weeks
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Weathering the weather
of the summer, but every time a turn in the weather sets us off course, it makes me wonder – is this the new normal? I’m no meteorologist, but hearing the experts predict new, wild swings in weather patterns as part of global warming trends, it gets me thinking. Here in Elgin County we have an incredible range of soils and conditions that allow us to grow nearly every crop, fruit and vegetable that can be grown in Ontario. Could extreme weather conditions alter our climate enough to change all that? If it does happen, we’re told it won’t happen right away, but over time climates that are accustomed to some
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this year’s crops have shown amazing resilience
summer heat might have to adjust to more heat. But yet we might also have more dramatic winters, adding more storms and snow to the mix. Will we be able to grow more southern crops and conversely will we see new insects and crop diseases? A change in our local climate could have a lot of ramifications, affecting what we plant, how we manage the soil, how we house and raise our animals and the feasibility of agritourism activities and other seasonal traditions. Will we have a longer growing season, long enough to harvest two crops? Or will extreme heat rainfall or drought change our plans so that we will have to start planting entirely new crops traditionally suited for other countries? Despite the extreme rain, and dry spell we’ve already seen, this year’s crops have shown amazing resilience. Corn and soybeans are mostly back on schedule, hay has been cut between the rains, and the wheat harvest has been completed, against the odds. It seems crops can be as optimistic as their farmers. We won’t know the final effect of this year’s round of weather until the harvest is complete, but one thing is for sure: farmers will be ready to try their luck again next year, whether it be working with or against the weather. As much as each farmer can spend hours planning and managing, Mother Nature still has the final say.
Janine Lunn hosts the Belmont Corn Maze, and lives on a sheep farm with her family.
Help Prolong the Life of your Car, SUV or Truck Now Doing Rapid Oil Changes Includes 16 point inspection and complete fluid check by professional mechanics. No Appointment Necessary
Elgin Tire and Auto Center Ltd. 572 Talbot St. E, Aylmer 773-3141 September, 2011
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10 Sparling Road, St Thomas 637-2382 5
BUSINESS / COMMUNITY ECONOMICS
The mayor as head cheerleader in economic development Tough times are forcing municipal leaders to drum up business for their communities What do Windsor mayor Eddie Francis, Chatham-Kent mayor Randy Hope, London mayor Joe Fontana and Stratford mayor Dan Mathieson have in common? They are all mayors who take an active, central and high profile role in the economic development efforts of their respective cities. And, while all of these cities have traditional economic development agencies or departments, these mayors are instrumental in supplying the vision, direction and profile for their community’s future. They knock on doors, convene meetings, network extensively, some even travel internationally, all with the intent of creating buzz and closing the deal. It helps that these gentlemen, with the exception of Stratford’s Mathieson, are full-time mayors with the ability to devote themselves to the cause. We’ve been accustomed to seeing this type of activity at the provincial level: think of former New Brunswick
premier Frank McKenna, former Newfoundland premier Danny Williams or even former Prime Minister Jean Chretien when he headed up the ubiquitous Trade Team Canada missions. Mayors have generally been far less engaged in economic development.
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a one-man cheering section
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by Serge Lavoie
That is, they tended to be far less engaged in normal times. These are far from normal times in Southwestern Ontario. With the traditional manufacturing economy in decline and elements of a new economy trying to take root, this period of intense economic transformation has encouraged many municipal leaders to step up to the plate and become just that – leaders. Some promote a specific vision. In Chatham-Kent, mayor Hope puts forward a new regional economy based on energy: natural gas, ethanol,
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wind, solar and the infrastructure to distribute it. In Stratford, the Mathieson vision for the city of 30,000 is the digital economy. A new University of Waterloo campus and RBC data centre attest to the value of that vision. For Windsor and London, the vision is renewed growth in a highly diversified economy. That means more than automotive manufacturing in Windsor, and the vision of London as a regional hub for agriculture, food production, health care, advanced research, etc. At the same time, both mayors are paying special attention to rebuilding civic pride by promoting renewal of crumbling city cores into vibrant people places where residents want to live, work and play. Municipal leadership comes in all shapes and sizes. A few columns back I made mention of Meaford mayor
Francis Richardson. His form of leadership is to act as a one-man cheering section. His city business card, in the shape of an apple (Meaford dubs itself the other big apple as a nod to its surrounding orchards) lists the town’s web site, Facebook page, YouTube channel and Twitter address, all of that in addition to his email address, office phone, cell phone and residence phone. This is clearly a mayor who is doing everything he can to lead community spirit and communicate the fact that Meaford is a fun place to live. He has me convinced. Notwithstanding the obvious benefits of this style of leadership, there is a downside. Being this visible makes a mayor a very big target, especially when change doesn’t happen fast enough or proves controversial with the ratepayers (usually those who didn’t vote for you). Not everyone appreciates strong leadership at the municipal level; it may be misconstrued as a lack of willingness to be a team player. An exceptional mayor, however, can show strong leadership while building consensus. When those conditions exist, I would argue that a community may accomplish more, and do it faster. During times of massive change and challenge, we need more of that in Southwestern Ontario. Serge Lavoie is president of the Southwest Economic Alliance. The views expressed are his own.
Congratulations to Elgin This Month on your 1st Anniversary
JOE PRESTON, M.P.
ELGIN-MIDDLESEX-LONDON • Passports • Revenue Canada • Seniors’ Issues • • Citizenship & Immigration • • Employment Insurance • 24 First Ave., Unit 2, St. Thomas, ON N5R 4M5
519-637-2255 • 1-866-404-0406 www.joeprestonmp.ca
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September, 2011
BUSINESS / COMMUNITY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
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remember a charity through the payment of a cash legacy
Consider the tax implications of your donation activities by Ellen Luft
For many, charitable giving is a way to share some of the wealth accumulated over time or through sound investment planning. And while there is no wrong way to give to charity, there are several ways to make your financial support more effective. Using the charitable tax credit If you make an eligible donation of cash, goods, land or listed securities to a registered charity or other qualified gift recipient, you will receive a charitable tax receipt that can be put towards the charitable tax credit. The charitable tax credit is a nonrefundable tax credit that can be used to reduce the amount of tax you owe; these tax credits, however, cannot be greater than the amount of tax that you owe for the year. In most cases, the total of your claimed charitable
donations cannot be more that 75 percent of your net income in any one year. Making a charitable donation There are several ways to make charitable donations that incur different tax or financial implications. Eligible donations of property may include cash, life insurance and securities, cottages, land, buildings and equipment used in a business or rental operation; ecologically sensitive land; and/or personal use property (prints, drawings, paintings, jewellery, rare manuscripts, rare books, stamps and coins). Property can also include gifts of eligible securities. If you donate securities (such as stocks or bonds), you will receive a tax credit for the fair market value of the donation. You do not have to pay capital gains tax on any increase in value from when you
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Make a difference with charitable giving
bought the security to when you donate it. This is clearly preferable to selling the security and donating the cash since capital gains taxes would have to be paid. Funding a charitable bequest You may wish to remember a charity through the payment of a cash legacy at the time of your death. Rather than leaving the burden of paying that legacy with your estate, it is possible to fund the gift in advance through the purchase of a life insurance policy. Funding a charitable bequest with a life insurance pol-
icy can be structured so that you receive a current charitable tax credit or a charitable tax credit on death. Speak to your advisor today about these and other tax saving ideas. Ellen Luft is an investment advisor with Dundee Securities Corporation in St. Thomas.
Ferguson DiMeo Lawyers New law firm in heritage CASO Station
Two experienced lawyers – Donald M. Ferguson and Sandra DiMeo – have formed a new firm and are practising as Ferguson DiMeo Lawyers in Suite 211 of the beautifully renovated CASO Station in downtown St. Thomas. They love the heritage building and the opportunity to contribute to a community project like the station.
Donald, or Don as he is usually called, has an Honours Commerce Degree from McMaster University and a Law Degree from the University of Windsor. He has practised law in this area for over 18 years and focuses on real estate, corporate law, estates and wills. He and his wife Maureen have three kids, Don Ferguson all involved in sports, but Don also finds time to volunteer. Currently a trustee with Kettle Creek Conservation Trust and the chair of the St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre Foundation, he also served three terms on the Board of Knox Presbyterian Church. Sandra (Monger) DiMeo has an honours B.A. in Economics and a Law Degree, both from the University of Western Ontario. She has been practising law for ten years, focusing on general litigation with an emphasis on personal injury and motor vehicle accident law. Sandra (Monger) DiMeo She and her husband Gene live in Port Stanley. She’s involved with Big Brothers / Big Sisters, including a role as past president and has just been elected to the Board of Family & Children’s Services.
The Ferguson DiMeo Team Front row: Sandra DiMeo, Don Ferguson. Back row: Dianne Spinney, Holly Clarke, Trisha Haines.
FERGUSON DIMEO LAWYERS Practising in association Donald M. Ferguson Professional Corporation Sandra L. DiMeo Professional Corporation
Don and Sandra are excited about their new firm in a great location. They can be reached at 519-633-8838, or visit them on-line at www.fergusondimeolaw.com September, 2011
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Canada Southern Railway Station 750 Talbot Street, Suite 211 St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 1E2 t 519-633-8838 • f 519-633-9361 7
BUSINESS / COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
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Don’t be a super-worker, be a supervisor
Delegate day-to-day tasks so you can work on running the business by Bryan Vine
Real leadership is rare; micro-management is all too common. Business owners, stop trying to play every darn instrument yourself and start conducting the orchestra. If you don’t conduct your team, who will? As a strategic business owner, your primary aim should be to develop a self-managing and systems-oriented business that still runs consistently, predictably, smoothly and profitably while you are not there. You should shape and own the business system and employ competent and caring employees to operate the system. You should document the work of your business so that you can effectively train others to execute the work. You must make yourself replaceable in the technical trenches of your business. To repeat, define and document
the specific work to be done and then train and delegate. Don’t suffocate the talents and growth of your employees. Don’t be a super-worker, be a supervisor! Stop the “I’ll do it myself ” and “No one does it as well as I do” attitudes. Learn to delegate. If someone else can do something 80-90 percent as well as you, give it up! Do not spend a dollar’s worth of time on a dime task. Know your areas of brilliance and delegate most everything else. Do those things that only you can do as the owner and delegate the rest. You need to free up time to do leadership activities that make the business vision a reality. However, be sure to delegate, not abdicate or dump. Stay in touch with the person and their progress. To help with delegation, you must have the work to be done well de-
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fined. You cannot delegate nonspecifics. Next, you must adopt the attitude that your time is valuable and learn to discriminate between various activities. Before doing a task, ask, “Does this task lead directly to increased profits, significantly reduced costs, improved customer satisfaction, or to me building a better business”? If it doesn’t, dismiss the task or delegate it. Or ask, “Is this task worth $100-$200 per hour?” If not, find someone else internally or externally to do this task at a cheaper rate. You must realize that your leadership thoughts and actions (building systems, leading, planning, holding people accountable, coaching other leaders, etc.) are worth at least $200 per hour. If not, you will never learn to be effective at delegation. By all means, get out of the way of your managers and workers. Don’t meddle. Instead of doing their jobs, help them to clarify their roles, responsibilities, goals and tasks and then simply hold them accountable for getting things done. Be sure to monitor your employees’ performance; don’t try to control them. Coach more and play less in the actual game. Once they demonstrate compe-
tency and character, give your employees the authority to make things happen. Let them do their jobs. Let them tackle stuff on their own and come to you only when they need further guidance. Instead of micromanaging the process, manage by results. If you set up your systems correctly and train properly, you will be able to manage by numbers and on an exception-only basis. I imagine and hope that you are paying your employees and managers good money to do their jobs. If so, get out of their way and let them perform. If you aren’t paying adequate wages, beware! If you pay peanuts, then expect to attract monkeys. Leadership is less about doing, more about thinking, planning and overseeing what others do. You are there to create jobs, not work a job.
Bryan Vine is co-owner of The Growth Coach in St. Thomas.
Jeff Yurek Authorized for CFO for Elgin Middlesex London Riding Association 8
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September, 2011
• KEY CONTROL SYSTEMS • SAFES • ACCESS CONTROL • LOCK HARDWARE Prompt, Professional, Mobile & Instore Service • Residential • Commercial • Industrial
Rob Burns - Owner
ELGIN MALL
• SEPTEMBER 2011
The new Community & Social Services Directory is now available. See page 11.
Business Beat Table of Contents Nine & Dine ................................page 10 New Community & Social Services Directory released ....page 11 Don’t touch those buttons! .. ................................page 12 The proposed Ontario Family Caregiver Leave ......page 13 St. Thomas fan mail! ............ ................................page 14 Insurance and urban myths .. ................................page 15 Welcome new members ................................page 16
Business After 5 Wednesday September 14, 2011 Grand Opening CASO Railway Station 750 Talbot Street St. Thomas Sponsored by: North America Railway Hall of Fame and RBC Royal Bank Doors open at 5pm. Sponsor remarks and prize draws start at 6:15pm. Free admission for anyone from a business organization that is a Member of the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce.
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519-631-4110
SCRC – A new chapter in co-operation The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is connecting to a new regional team geared to add value for our Members and service to our community. On August 29, Board of Directors Chair Linda Sawyer and President/CEO Bob Hammersley attended the inaugural meeting in London of a new caucus group we have named SCRC – the Southern Corridors Regional Chambers. What exactly is an SCRC you ask? Good question and one that deserves a good answer. SCRC is a forum to connect the Chambers of Commerce in regional communities. At this time, St. Thomas, London, Sarnia, Strathroy, Chatham, Windsor, Ingersoll and Woodstock are included. It is intended to meet special needs that are beyond the function of our two existing network affiliates - the Ontario Chamber and the Canadian Chamber. As all of you will know, our area along the corridors bound by highways 401 and 402 has been the hardest hit by the economic downturn of 2008-2010. And, although the official termination date of the so-called recession was pegged at the end of 2010, we all know that our region continues to suffer from above average unemployment rates, continuing losses to our manufacturing sector and an alarming decline in everything from consumer spending to exports from tourist traffic to the quality of life of our citizens. It’s not over yet and we also know that while many great agencies and organizations in
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SCRC is a forum to connect the Chambers of Commerce in regional communities.
our region continue to work hard at finding solutions to these challenges, they struggle to find ways to offset these losses. Our collective view is that by continuing to work in partnership with these agencies and organizations we can eventually find our way back. But, time’s running short and we can and should do more to ensure a full recovery if we take a leadership role of our own. In other words a business solution to these critical business challenges. Chamber Board Chair Linda Sawyer explains, “As founding partners in SCRC we believe that we have a strong brand that we have not fully capitalized on. The Chamber brand is viewed around the world as a trusted and competent partner and it’s that global attitude about the Chamber brand that we want to more fully exploit.” St. Thomas & District Chamber CEO Bob Hammersley reports, “Our Members have told us of needs and expectations, and concerns for the future. We are connecting to SCRC to
assume a more dynamic leadership role in helping our area to recover.” We have all heard the old expression, “If the Chamber Can’t Do It – Who Can?” Frankly, we can’t think of a better time to test the theory. On another note, we can neither afford to have our bones picked clean by competing organizations or jurisdictions that have a greater will to take on these challenges. Our inaugural meeting focused on these issues: 1. Unemployment rates in the region and what to do about it 2. The Chamber’s brand here and abroad and the traction that it can afford us 3. “Fair share” funding from Fed/Dev and other agencies, government programs, etc. 4. Economic opportunities that bind us, i.e. health/life sciences, transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, border crossings, innovation, etc. For those concerned about any perceived conflict with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and any of a number of existing structures created by governments, the new SCRC group pledges that we are not planning on replacing them, leaving them or duplicating their efforts. In fact, we are simply attending to issues that are relevant to our particular area’s needs and we are working to use the global credibility of the Chamber network to our advantage. Any successes in our work will be transferable to the broader provincial and/or national chambers and to any of our existing community and government partners.
October Edition Advertising Deadline is September 12 Have Fun! Win Cash! Play our Who’s Who in Business feature on page 18 Greg Minnema, Advertising Sales
To take advantage of excellent advertising opportunities like this, give me a call at 519-633-1640 (ext. 22)
or email me at gregthismonth@theweeklynews.ca
Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and your favourite beverages. September, 2011
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9
BUSINESS BEAT
MEMBER NEWS Events and News of Interest to our Members
Nine & Dine
The Chamber’s Member Services Committee is launching a new contact opportunity for Members that involves golf, a meal and meeting new business contacts. This fall, Tuesday September 20 and Thursday October 6, we are organizing “9 & Dine” events at two area golf courses. Members can register for one or both events. Already proven as popular mixers at other area Chambers, 9 & Dine events start with a mid-afternoon round of 9 holes on the course, followed by a light dinner and chances to mix and mingle. Unlike other golf events where businesses are asked to register foursomes, Chamber staff assign the groups. Members can enter as many people as they wish but they won’t play together. A maximum of 36 players can be registered for each event – one foursome starting on each of the 9 holes. Tuesday September 20 we will play The Bluffs Golf Club at Port Stanley. Shotgun start at 2pm. October 6, we’re at Pleasant Valley Golf & Country Club with a 2pm tee-off. Registration is $50 per person per event or, if your firm signs on for
both events at the same time, the price is $95 for the pair. It’s an allinclusive price with golf, cart and food built-in. Refreshments are not included. Please note that The Bluffs has carts for only 24 players so the option of walking the round is yours. Member Services and Events representative Mike Vecchio is handling all arrangements for this new activity, with assistance from our Member Services Committee volunteers. Contact Mike directly to register at 519-631-1981, ext. 23 or email: mike@stthomaschamber.on.ca
Building Permits valued at $2 million as modifications are made to the two properties acquired by Hydro One at 320 and 425 South Edgeware Road. Hydro One has told the Chamber that total planned expenditures to begin operations here are set at $3.6 million; $2.4 million at the 425 South Edgeware property
Hydro One update Following the August 16 announcement that Hydro One will be relocating significant operations to St. Thomas, the Chamber has obtained additional information that many Members may wish to take advantage of knowing. Construction, furnishings, fixtures, business/office equipment and employment prospects will be needs Hydro One has to address. Notifications of tender and bid opportunities will be available over the next couple of weeks on their web site: www.HydroOne.com The City of St. Thomas will issue
MyFM’s sponsorship of the Chamber’s August 17 Business After 5 event proved popular, drawing a large crowd of over 350 Members. Dan Williams of St. Thomas Canvas & Awning claimed the main door prize, a 55” Toshiba TV from Century Sound. Dan’s prize, which includes custom installation, is valued at close to $2,000.
...book now! October and National Small Business Week may seem distant, but now is the time to act if your business or organization wants display space in our annual expo, The Business Sample Show. Up to 70 exhibitors can be accepted and spaces are filling fast. 10’ by 10’ display space on the main floor
1.59% 6.9¢ 1.64%
Published by Carroll Publishing Inc. and delivered to businesses in St. Thomas and Elgin County For complete information on the St.Thomas and District Chamber of Commerce, reach us at: 555 Talbot Street, St.Thomas, ON N5P 1C5 Telephone: 519-631-1981 Fax: 519-631-0466 E-Mail: mail@stthomaschamber.on.ca Website: www.stthomaschamber.on.ca
President & CEO
Bob Hammersley
Member Services Coordinator
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and the remaining $1.2 million at 320 South Edgeware. The original announcement posted by the St. Thomas EDC on Hydro One’s decision to invest and relocate here can be viewed on the Chamber of Commerce web site at www.stthomaschamber.on.ca
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Mike Vecchio
Accounting Coordinator
Susan Munday
Project Marketing
Sue McKittrick
Member Services
Wes Bailey
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area is $175; space on the side areas is $150. The 2011 event will take place Wednesday October 19 at St. Anne’s Centre, and be open to the public from 4pm to 7pm. As the name of our event implies, we focus this event on samples or anything from food to products and services. Exhibitors are asked to include take-away items in the displays or, for those that can’t provide hundreds of free samples, we ask a contribution to our door prizes. For details, contact Mike Vecchio or Wes Bailey at the Chamber office at 519-631-1981 or email events@stthomaschamber.on.ca
Acting Chair: Linda Sawyer Vice-Chair: Jason White Treasurer: Paul Smith Director: Pete Charlton Director: Monty Fordham Director: Frances Kennedy Director: Jeff Kohler Director: Mark Lassam
BMO Bank of Montreal Steelway Building Systems P.J. Smith & Associates Charlton’s Quality Meats Monty Fordham Law Office P3 Strategies Presstran Industries Kee, Perry & Lassam Chartered Accountants Director: Debra Mountenay Workforce Planning & Development Board Director: John Regan Elgin Business Resource Centre Director: Darren Reith Reith and Associates Insurance & Financial Director: Allan Weatherall St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation Director: Laura Woermke St. Thomas Elgin Public Art Centre
September, 2011
BUSINESS BEAT
CHAMBER NEWS Events and News of Interest to our Members
New Community & Social Services Directory released
The organizations listed in our Community & Social Services Directory come in all shapes and sizes, and a high percentage can be seen as consumers requiring products and services just as commercial enterprises do. The Chamber urges all Members to consider a review of our data and to make use of it regularly in marketing, sales and communications as well as a source of community and project contacts.
The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce production of the new 2011-2012 Community & Social Services Directory. Our latest product is a companion to our business directory released in June and lists 541 non-commercial agencies and organizations serving St. Thomas & Elgin County. Government offices, sports and recreation, service clubs, not-for-profits, charities and more are included. The directory provides contact information (name, key personnel, mail, phone, email, etc.) plus a detailed description of programs and services offered. There are two versions of the product. The full directory is 185 pages and provides descriptive details on programs, products or services offered by each listed organization, in addition to contact info. Modest fees are charged to offset production costs. The Chamber Member price is $40; others pay $55. Payment may be made by VISA, MasterCard or American Express, or debit card at the office. To order, contact Member Services Representative Wes Bailey at the Chamber, 555 Talbot Street, next to City Hall. Phone him at 519-631-1981, ext. 26 or email wes@stthomaschamber.on.ca A smaller, condensed version of the directory is also available. It lists only contact information. Members can access this product in one of two ways. The data appears in the back of the new Business Directory & Buyer’s Guide we released last month. It can also be obtained from the Chamber as a separate stand-alone booklet. The Member price for this version is $10. Nonmembers price is $15.
What’s your election issue or concern?
Here’s how you can help your Chamber bring your concerns to the local Elgin-Middlesex-London candidates before the October 6 Ontario election. Taxes, government spending, education, health care, energy and more are up for discussion. In fact, anything that relates to the Ontario government is on the table. Tell us your election priorities by going to the Chamber’s website at www.stthomaschamber.on.ca. Click on the link on our main page, then tell us what’s on your mind. Survey results are anonymous and participants will not be identified. Information collected will be used by the Chamber’s Public Sector Liaison Committee in preparation for our Elgin-Middlesex-London “All Candidates” TV & Radio show Tuesday September 27. At that date, 7-9pm, the Chamber will produce a program to be aired live and simultaneously by Rogers TV St. Thomas, and myFM 94.1 radio. Rogers TV will also rebroadcast the show in various time slots after the original live airing. At press deadline time for this issue, five candidates were known to be seeking election and all have confirmed they will participate. In addition to questions generated from our web posting, representatives of seven media outlets in the Chamber’s service area had been invited to attend and sit on a panel that will pose questions. Further details on the program will appear weekly in upcoming issues of the Chamber’s Green Mail newsletter.
It’s not what you earn... It’s what you keep.
Mallory Pearce, the Chamber’s student employee this summer, is shown assembling copies of our newest community information product, the Community & Social Services Directory. Copies are on sale now at the Chamber office.
...Priority One for Our Residents! Book a Personal Tour and we’ll treat you to lunch!
Kee, Perry & Lassam offers a full range of public accounting services. Our chartered accountants and staff have the experience, training and skills to deal with your business needs.
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45 Metcalfe Metcal calfe Street,, St. Thom Thomas homass 5519.631.93933 Fax: x: 519.631.2563 5 www.diversicare.ca September, 2011
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BUSINESS BEAT
POSITIVE EXPOSURE Doing Public Relations Right
Don’t touch those buttons! azines and newspapers. How will this impact our lives? Not sure, but they will certainly allow quick and easy access to websites. In an earlier part of my working life – before fundraising – I worked in television production in Ottawa. I fondly remember the days in the early 1980s carrying bulky and very weighty camera equipment, a heavy, separate 3/4” VCR, multiple lights, many cables and so forth, all to get
“
“Will the fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe become reality?”
OK, I’m ‘fessing up. I use numerous electronic devices every day but do I really know how they work to any large degree? No! And I have also realized that I really don’t need to know. All that matters is that I understand how they will help me. Case in point. Here at the STEGH Foundation we have just adopted a QR Bar Code reader. Those with the right technical wizardry will know what it is and that they are able to go right to a website where they can make a gift to their hospital. Like me, you’ve also likely noticed these codes appearing in ads in many mag-
what would be now considered just an OK picture. Jump ahead to 2011. Any of us can use a small, hand-held device to take High Definition video that we can edit on a laptop and upload to YouTube in seconds. Where will be going next? It might be scary! In your home PC, in the not too distant future, you may have eightcore processors, huge hard drives, the prospect of external graphics cards, and bigger and more affordable displays. They all appear on the technical horizon. While some of the most tantalizing elements, like 20-terabyte drives or flexible full-colour displays, are still possibly many years away, some of the must-have technology you've had your eye on may be closer
“
by Allan Weatherall
than you first thought. Next-generation notebooks with detachable mini displays, for instance, may be on a store shelf close to home sooner than you think. Even with today’s mobile phones you can easily send email, browse the Web and keep in touch with friends and colleagues via voice or text message around the world. Tomorrow's handsets will add even more to the fantastic menu, morphing into always-connected portable game consoles, full-featured TVs, and credit cards. I did some basic research via the Internet (of course) and quickly found some things that could be coming next.
In the next few years, cell phone networks will move data at several megabits per second, and will coexist with WiMax, Wi-Fi, and for TV, DVB-H or MediaFLO. With cell phones look for sleek handset designs, better battery life, e-payment support, and graphics muscle for true TV and console-style video gaming. In your hand-held cameras expect not just high resolutions (8 megapixels and beyond), but also the same image-processing capabilities found in current digital still and video cameras. Scary stuff in some ways. PC World Magazine states, “The potential of the web is even more dramatic. The future of online will be fast, two-way communication, the roots of which are beginning to take hold. New technologies will soon give us speedy, uninterrupted access to the Web wherever we wander. We'll see innovative Web applications that allow us to access information anywhere and work seamlessly with colleagues around the globe. People will gain more power online. Rather than simply reading the news, they'll be able to go out and uncover some stories of their own. And new sites and services will offer information targeted precisely to your needs, rendering one-size-fits-all sites obsolete.” What will the people in 2050 think when they look back at the antique ways of communications we used in 2011? Will the fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe become reality? Only time will tell. I still fondly remember the days of carrying all that TV production equipment to produce a program, along with one, perhaps the only, thing that hasn’t changed – the need for imagination and creativity. In closing, a future view. I love this one by Warren G. Bennis: “The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.” This article has been prepared for the Chamber and our Members by Allan Weatherall, B.A., CFRE, APR Director of Development at the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Foundation. He received accreditation (APR) from the Canadian Public Relations Society in 1993 and a CFRE (certified fundraising executive) in 2000. He welcomes your comments via email to: aweather@stegh.on.ca or telephone 519-631-2030 extension 2247
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September, 2011
LEGAL BUSINESS Legal News and Issues for Business
BUSINESS BEAT
The proposed Ontario Family Caregiver Leave by Monty Fordham
When the Ontario legislature reconvenes in the fall, a Bill will be introduced which will expand the protected leave of employees from work which is now provided for under the Family Medical Leave provisions of the Employment Standards Act 2000. This new leave of absence, the Family Caregiver Leave, significantly extends the present leave of absence provisions. Under the present legislation, an employee may take Family Medical leave for up to eight weeks in order to provide care or support to family members and certain other persons who would otherwise be considered family members. This form of leave from employment requires a doctor’s certificate, which indicates that the family member suffers from a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within a period of 26 weeks. One of the sore points for employers in the present legislation is the definition of “family member.” The definition includes siblings, step-siblings,
siblings-in-law, step siblings-in-law, uncles, aunts, nieces or their spouses. The net is cast much wider still in the case of non-family members who are persons who consider the employee to be like a family member. Insofar as the employer is concerned, Family Medical Leave is an unpaid leave of absence. However, Employment Insurance benefits, as compassionate care benefits, are available to the employee, if applied for. The doctor’s certificate is provided to the federal Human Resources and Skills Development Ministry for this purpose. In Ontario, at present, any employee, whether full-time or parttime, permanent or contract, and covered under the Employment Standards Act 2000, is entitled to Family Medical Leave, and the eight weeks need not be taken all at once. The leave must, however, be taken in full week increments and within a specified 26 week period. Under the proposed legislation, a family caregiver would be entitled to eight weeks of unpaid leave in order that they may spend more time with
family members who cannot care for themselves because of serious injury or illness including cancer or stroke. As part of the proposal by the Ontario government, the federal government would be called upon to extend Employment Insurance benefits to employees in these circumstances. The new leave of absence provisions would be separate and apart from the existing leave provisions, and, in the case of a family member’s condition becoming terminal while the employee is on Family Caregiver Leave, an additional eight weeks would be extended to the employee under the present Family Medical Leave provisions. The new legislation would presumably be limited to those persons who
actually provide the services of a caregiver, and therefore would be much more limited in scope than the existing leave provisions. One hopes the definition of caregiver is given careful scrutiny by the drafters of the Bill. All this compassionate legislation sounds good doesn’t it? After all, isn’t Ontario supposed to be the fuzzy bear of Canada? However, given the present economic climate in Ontario, and, in particular, Southwestern Ontario, it is not surprising the proposed law is evoking considerable controversy among employers and labour groups. Given the timing of the bill just ahead of a provincial election, get ready for some vigorous debate in the Ontario legislature this fall. I think it’s gonna get nasty. Lawyer Monty Fordham prepares this monthly column for the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce and our Members. Monty is also a volunteer serving on the Chamber’s Board of Directors. Questions, comments and suggestions for future columns are welcomed by Monty at his Law Office, 4 Elgin Street, St. Thomas. Telephone 519-633-4000, FAX 519-633-1371 or e-mail: montyfordham@4elgin.ca
Gosh Mr. Smit it says here thath, using a job develope Employment Servic r at es will help us find Elgin right staff and the it’s absolutely FREE! Why didn’t I think of that?
Contact Us Today Employment Services Elgin 400 Talbot St., St. Thomas P: 519.631.5470 Mon-Thurs 8:30am-6pm • Fri 8:30am-4pm
Aylmer Community Services West Elgin Support Services 25 Centre Street, Aylmer P: 519.765.2082 Mon-Fri 9am-4:30pm Tues 9am-6pm
160 Main Street W., West Lorne P: 519.768.0020 Mon-Fri 9am-5 pm
www.jobselgin.ca
This Employment Ontario program is funded by the Ontario Government
September, 2011
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BUSINESS BEAT
VIEWPOINT Events and News of Interest to our Members
St. Thomas fan mail! The St. Thomas & District Chamber is enthused to share a letter received at City Hall, sent by a family from Burlington after their first visit here. On July 23, Cindy Woodworth of Burlington wrote: “I cannot recall ever feeling compelled to contact a CITY before to express my feelings and gratitude after a first visit. I’ve done a lot of travelling throughout my lifetime but never have I left a city feeling so warm and fuzzy as I did yesterday. My mom, my 3-year-old daughter and I visited St. Thomas for our very first time to enjoy ‘A Day Out With Thomas.’ WOW is just about the only way to describe our experience! The venue was impeccably organized, they thought of everything from shade-stations to wonderful things to do & see. The train ride on Thomas was so much more than we expected. It was fun & silly and, again, organized so beautifully. The Knights of Columbus volunteers throughout the venue should be commended for their patience, their smiles & their hard work on a blistering hot day full of toddlers and excited chil-
dren. While riding Thomas through town, we hit about 3 of 4 road crossings at least twice where all the residents in their cars and even pedestrians waved and smiled at us, making the ride that much more special. You have to imagine that they wait for Thomas dozens & dozens of times to come through these crossings over the course of 10 days. We passed apartment buildings where people stood out on their balconies to wave at us. How many times a day did they endure the blowing of Thomas’ horn and still, they smile and wave? I can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed our Day Out With Thomas & the city contributed to our enjoyment 100%. After our day spent there, we went to Boston Pizza for lunch and, again, we were treated like guests of honour to St. Thomas when we arrived. The “daily special” chalkboard outside proudly read “Welcome Thomas,” all 4 televisions in the dining room were switched on to the Disney Junior Channel in anticipation of the numerous families that would be dining there. Our server Jenni was wonderful. The food was great. Yummy, wonderful and perfect! Driving through St. Thomas, we just
Thomas the Tank Engine leaves the station behind Memorial Arena during the ‘Day Out With Thomas’ event this summer.
smiled. The city itself was just warm & welcoming, neatly manicured and full of interesting history. (We learned a lot about railroads, of course!) I just want to thank everyone in the City of St. Thomas for making our first visit there a very memorable one. The people of St. Thomas should be proud of themselves; they took friendly to a whole new level. We look forward to visiting again, not just to see Thomas The Train but to visit and shop and enjoy the city and everything it has to offer. Have a wonderful day everyone & thank-you again. (Signed) Cindy Woodworth The Chamber is very pleased and proud to acknowledge the activities
of our Members noted in Ms. Woodworth’s letter. Boston Pizza, the Knights of Columbus and the Elgin County Railway Museum’s “Thomas Team” are assets to be celebrated, as is their attitude that demonstrates the values and rewards of participation and service. And if you were one of the folks who honked, waved or smiled at the kids and families onboard, take a bow! You made their day. Over the six-day schedule for Thomas’ 2011 appearances in St. Thomas, attendance was stronger than ever. The first two days, July 15 and 16, recorded capacity attendance of 4,500 passengers each day and the Elgin County Railway Musuem reported total attendance at over 18,500 people.
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September, 2011
BUSINESS BEAT
PRO TEXT Business Management News & Issues
Insurance and urban myths by Dan Reith
It really is tragic. A recent industry survey released by Environics finds many Canadians are putting themselves, their families and their assets at risk by making misinformed decisions about their insurance based on hearsay and insurance urban legends. When it comes to making significant decisions regarding insurance products and services, 63 percent of Canadians do not ask their insurance provider for advice but instead ask their friends, family or colleagues for advice; 25 percent rely on searching the Internet and 4 percent simply go with their gut. If people rely solely on these sources they will encounter problems and a lack of coverage. A licensed insurance provider is best able to clarify mistruths and ensure you understand your coverage to avoid costly headaches in the event that something unexpected does happen. After all, that is what insurance is for: protecting you from the unexpected. Here are samples of the insurance and urban myths exposed: Myth: Red cars are more expensive to insure. Many Canadians think auto insurance premiums are more expensive for red (29 percent) and two-door (54 percent) cars. And almost half (48 percent) think that if you’re in an auto accident your insurance rates won’t go up if you don’t file a claim. None of these statements are true. Most people may not know it, but the insurance industry is colourblind. It doesn’t matter if your car is blue, red, striped or checkered, your insurance rate for the make, model and age of the vehicle will be the same. There are so many factors that make up the formula for auto insur-
ance premiums. For example, a mom who lives in the city centre and drives to work each day may actually be more expensive to insure than a 28-year-old man who lives in a suburb and catches the bus to work. Myth: If you file a claim through home insurance for stolen or damaged items due to fire or water damage, you will be reimbursed for replacing the items in your home at today’s prices. A standard home policy only covers you for the value of your contents, less depreciation. For example, if you purchased a television five years ago for $500, you might only get $100 for it if it were destroyed in a fire even if it costs $600 to replace that same TV today. If you want a higher form of protection you need to purchase replacement cost coverage for your contents. This will ensure the contents of your home are insured for the amount it costs to replace them today. Myth: You only need travel insurance if you’re vacationing outside Canada. Getting sick or injured while on vacation isn’t only bad timing, it’s very expensive. Provincial medical coverage won’t provide comprehensive coverage if you’re outside of your home province, so it’s important you ensure you are covered even when travelling domestically. With international travel, many Canadians don’t realize that the average out-of-country in-hospital bill can cost up to $10,000 per day and the average emergency room visit is $1,000. Top features in travel insurance policies include 24/7 assistance, more than $1 million of emergency medical coverage and expense coverage if you need to be flown home for medical care.
The Environics report also poses true or false questions such as: Getting a parking ticket means your insurance rates will go up. False: Parking tickets do not count against your driving record or your insurance. Installing a home security system can reduce your home insurance premiums. True: Believe it or not some upgrades to your home, like taking extra security measures, can actually decrease your premiums. If you’re in a car accident but don’t file a claim, your insurance premiums won’t go up. False: If your insurance company finds out you were in an accident,
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This column appears regularly in Business Beat and has been submitted by Dan Reith, BA(Hons) CAIB, Principal Broker, Reith & Associates Insurance and Financial Services Limited. Questions and comments on this column are welcomed by the writer at 519-631-3862 or via email: info@reithandassociates.com
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they can raise your rates whether you made a claim or not. You may not have told your insurance provider about the accident, but the other person in the collision may be filing a claim and their insurer will report to yours. You may be liable if a contractor is injured while working on your property. True: It is your responsibility to ensure that workers on your property are covered. If they aren’t, you may be held liable and have to deal with a very costly settlement. The report is based on an Environics Research Group custom online survey of 1,000 Canadian adults. Results were collected earlier this year, from March 5-13, 2011. The moral of this story, stop listening to untrained friends or family and seek the advice of an insurance professional.
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116 Edward Edward St. St. St. St. Thomas Thomas www.disbrowe.com www.disbrowe.com 519-631-7960 519-631-7960 116
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BUSINESS BEAT
NEW MEMBERS Welcome To The Chamber Network
The St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome the following businesses and individuals as our newest Members. The staff and management of the organizations shown below were accepted as registered Members to August 15, 2011. Banman Renovations 35 Erie Street St. Thomas, ON N5R 2M6 Phone: 519-636-7571 Email: abanman@rogers.com Website: www.banmanrenovations.com Contact: Mr. Alex Banman, Owner Buyer’s Guide Categories: Renovations; Window & Doors Products & Services: Banman Renovations offers a wide variety of services, including: high quality window installation, front entry doors, patio doors, terrace doors, soffit, fascia and eavestroughs. Iristel Inc. 675 Cochrane Drive East Tower, 6th Floor Markham, ON L3R 0B8 Phone: 416-800-4747 Fax: 416-848-7921 Email: customercare@iristel.ca Website: www.iristel.ca Contacts: Mr. Samer Bishay, CEO; Ms. Sherry Armanious, Project Manager Buyer’s Guide Categories: Information Technology Services; Internet Services; Telecommunication Equipment; Telecommunication Services Products & Services: Iristel offers hosted IP PBX, virtual faxing, virtual roaming and global IP trunking products and services through its three corporate divisions: Wholesale Carrier; Retail Services; and Enterprise Solutions. Its customers include, but are not limited to, residential and commercial customers and ILECs (Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier) and CLECs with Canadian local access requirements. Jay Okkerse Contracting Ltd. 41 Hagerman Crescent St. Thomas, ON N5R 6K2 Phone: 519-637-1536 Fax: 519-637-3627 Email: jayokkerse@bellnet.ca Contacts: Mr. Jay Okkerse, President; Ms. MaryLynn Okkerse, Administrator; Mr. Brad Grzegorczyk, Estimator/Restorator Buyer’s Guide Categories: Basement Repairs; Building Contractors; Fire/Flood Restoration; Flooring; General Contractors; Renovations/Additions; Restorations; Roofing Contractors; Window & Doors Products & Services: Jay Okkerse Contracting specializes in renovations, new construction & property restoration, mould & water remediation and restoration for homes, offices and industry. They provide a 24 hour emergency service to anyone in London, St. Thomas, Aylmer or the surrounding area, and will work with you and your insurance provider to dry and restore your home and damaged contents.
Kathy’s Catering & Bakery 3 – 24 First Avenue St. Thomas, ON N5R 4M5 Phone: 519-633-0040 Email: kathyscatering@sympatico.ca Contact: Ms. Kathy Noble, Owner Buyer’s Guide Categories: Bakers; Catering Products & Services: Kathy’s second location expands her business to add their own bakery plus a new retail outlet featuring traditional and specialty breads, prepared sandwiches and food items from their catering operation, and an impressive selection of tasty sauces, pastas and kitchen items for the home chef. Open daily, Monday to Saturday. Locke Insurance Brokers 496 Talbot Street St. Thomas, ON N5P 1C2 Phone: 519-631-2782 Fax: 519-631-8664 Email: info@lockeinsurancebrokers.ca Website: www.lockeinsurancebrokers.ca Contacts: Mr. David J. Locke, Owner; Mr. Tom Hughes, General Manager Buyer’s Guide Category: Insurance Services Products & Services: Serving the Community for 80 years, Locke Insurance Brokers have provided reliable Home, Auto and Business Insurance since 1929. They pride themselves on providing secure and quality insurance to our clients with a hands-on approach. Coverage they offer includes: Not-for-profit/Church, Farm, Home, Auto, Municipal, and Boat/Recreation.
deck/porch building and repair, siding, and fencing. Call Paul for a free in-home consultation. Appointment times available evenings and Saturdays. St. Thomas Minor Hockey P. O. Box 22065 Elmwood Square St. Thomas, ON N5R 6A1 Phone: 519-631-3607 Fax: 519-631-8646 Email: stthomasminorhockey@bellnet.ca Website: www.stmha.net Contacts: Ms. Lisa Smith, Administrator; Mr. Troy Carlson, Director of Development; Mr. Chris Smith, President Buyer’s Guide Category: Agencies & Associations; Sports, Recreation & Fitness Products & Services: St. Thomas Minor Hockey organizes minor hockey games, leagues and activities in the city. This not-for-profit community organization serves approximately 700 youth from October through March and operates at the St. Thomas Timken Community Centre and Memorial Arena.
Lyreco 7303 Warden Avenue Markham, ON L3R 5Y6 Phone: 519-495-1487 Email: sarah.hunniford@lyreco.com Website: www.lyreco.ca Contact: Ms. Sarah Hunniford, Account Representative Buyer’s Guide Category: Office Furnishings & Supplies Products & Services: Lyreco is the partner you can trust. They offer more than 5,000 products and 570 new products. Their exclusive range of their own label products is extensive, and the company offers next day delivery. Lyreco prides itself on their environmentally friendly products as well, offering over 1,000 green products to help preserve the environment. Lyreco is certified ISO 9001 and ISO 4001.
T-Zone St. Thomas 753 Talbot Street St. Thomas, ON N5P 1E3 Phone: 519-637-2111 Email: vibration@TZoneStThomas.com Website: www.TZoneStThomas.com Contact: Ms. Wendy Harris-White, Co-Owner Buyer’s Guide Category: Fitness Centres Products & Services: Vibrate your way to good health with T-Zone’s Whole Body Vibration Technology. The whole body vibrating machine is a platform you stand on. There are 70 different levels of vibration, and your muscles work against the movement, giving you the benefits of exercise without the actual strain and sweat of going to the gym. The newest innovation in health and fitness has shown to increase muscle strength, tone and firm muscles, build bone mass density, improves flexibility, circulation, increase metabolism, massage muscles, decrease cellulite, stimulate the lymphatic system and helps conditions such as back pain, osteoporosis and fibromyalgia. T-Zone vibration machines have a class 2 medical device license from Health Canada. Come visit them for a free 10 minute demonstration. T-Zone studio offers monthly membership or you can purchase your machine for at home use.
Room for Improvement 130 Centennial Avenue St. Thomas, ON N5R 5B2 Phone: 519-637-4504 Email: roomforimprove@gmail.com Contact: Mr. Paul Pay, Owner Buyer’s Guide Categories: Drywall Services; Flooring; Painting/Decorating Contractors; Renovations/Additions Products & Services: Room for Improvement is an excellent source for all your home improvement and renovation projects. They offer a wide variety of services including painting, bathroom and kitchen improvements, doors and windows, basement finishing, drywall, light repairs, baseboards and casing, floors,
Young Drivers of Canada 205 Oxford Street East London, ON N6A 4C6 Phone: 519-434-2181 Fax: 519-936-8586 Email: london@yd.com Website: www.yd.com Contact: Mr. Steve Clark, Owner Buyer’s Guide Category: Driver Training Products & Services: For more than 40 years, Young Drivers of Canada has been teaching Canadians how to drive and survive. Young Drivers offer the most comprehensive driver training courses in the country, including exclusive YD-branded in-car emergency manoeuvres training.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DIRECTORY
H HIRA LTD.
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CONTRACTORS
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J. Stuart Harper P.Eng. President 63 Gaylord Road, St.Thomas P.O. Box 511, St. Thomas, Ontario N5P 3R9 Ontario519-633-2670 N5P 3V6 Phone: Phone: 519-633-2670 Fax: 519-631-9154
Fax: 519-631-9154
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Save 3.5¢/litre Chamber members qualify for Esso’s Direct Billing Program; you pay 3.5¢ off the posted retail pump price whenever you fuel up. You may also get a convenient, detailed monthly invoice and also qualify for Speedpass®. For an application, contact:
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Wellington Road at St. George St. 519-633-0002
September, 2011
Business / Community SELF DEVELOPMENT
Asking for help is a strength
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How a life coach can help you optimize your career happiness by Sharon Lechner
Over the years, one of the things I have been able to attribute to my progression up the management ladder is my ability to ask questions. It’s funny that while in school, I thought it was an asset to answer questions posed by teachers, but as an adult I have found it equally, if not more important, to be able to ask questions, especially the right questions. At some point, we all need help. As a Certified Life Coach, I see coaching as an investment. It was during a session with my own life coach that I made the decision to become a life coach and subsequently a Master Life Coach. Many coaches have coaches themselves. I know of one popular life coach who has three coaches, including a speech coach, since being a great coach requires that you have skills in coaching, speaking and writing. While there are many different types of coaches, all coaches work with their clients to help them identify their strengths, figure out what is holding them back and come up with action plans to help them achieve their most pressing goals. It
is really about self-empowerment. As a Career Transition Life Coach, I help people to move in or out of a career or to optimize their career happiness and success in their current career. Many people are very happy in their current career but I can provide workshops on stress management, work/life balance and provide solutions on how to make the workplace more enjoyable. If you hire a coach to provide training on these topics, you are sure to increase employee morale and, subsequently, productivity. For many years, people have equated work with suffering. If you come home exhausted at the end of a long, hard day, you have put in a good day’s work. People are now rethinking how they define career happiness and success. If you want to find your perfect career today, you should ask yourself these three questions: 1. What am I passionate about? 2. Is this what I truly want or is it something I am doing to please someone else? 3. Will this career be of service to others? Money is a career goal for most
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hire a life coach to help you get unstuck
people, but remember the old saying: “Do what you love and the money will follow.” If you are having trouble deciding what your real passion is, now is the perfect time to hire a life coach to help you get unstuck. It is important to find a coach that you trust and feel comfortable with. Most coaches offer flexible coaching options such as face-to-face, telephone, email and even SKYPE. I continue to have my own coach and definitely feel it is a great investment. If your own happiness and success isn’t a worthwhile investment, what is? At some point you will benefit from asking for help. Do your homework and find the right coach for
you. Once you have someone you think would be a good fit, check out their website and be sure to read their testimonials. Many coaches offer a half hour free session. This is a great way to determine if you and the coach are the right fit. If you aren’t, the coach you contacted should be able to recommend someone who is better suited to meeting your needs.
Sharon Lechner is a certified life coach and owner of Reach for the Stars Empowerment in St. Thomas.
Lori Baldwin-Sands Leadershi Le eaead ade dererrshiip aanand nd exeexperience xxppe pereririeienennce ffoforo El Elg ginin-M Elgin-Middlesex-London M iiddddllesexx-Loondon
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Who’s Who in Business
WIN CASH! $300 FIRST PRIZE! $200 SECOND PRIZE! $100 THIRD PRIZE! Cut out the pictures on this page and attached them to the appropriate advertisements on this page and pages 20 + 21 Submit entries to Carroll Publishing Inc., 15 St Catharine St., St Thomas, ON, N5P 2V7 by 4:30pm September 15, 2011. Winners will be drawn from the most correct entries received. Winners and solutions will be announced in the October issue of Elgin This Month. No purchase necessary.
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Graphic Designer 519t207-2556 www.WeAreYourType.com bgrebow@WeAreYourType.com More than two decades experience September, 2011
Business / Community TECHNOLOGY
Hardwired for innovation A look at some of the technology that is turning science fiction into reality by Peter Atkinson
Every year, a small college in Wisconsin releases what is probably the most entertaining way to show the pace of progress. The Beloit College Mindset List looks at cultural references for students entering college. The list traces changes in politics, the arts and technology by comparing the birth year of the enrolling class with the dates of events and changes. With apologies if you’re of that age, the most recent results included: • Clint Eastwood is better known as a sensitive director than as Dirty Harry. • DNA fingerprinting and maps of the human genome have always existed. • The U.S., Canada and Mexico have always agreed to trade freely. • Having hundreds of cable channels but nothing to watch has always been routine. • Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail. And I think the most poignant one: • They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists while chatting on the phone. It’s a good reminder of how things continuously evolve. We’ve already looked at e-book readers and 3-D printing in this column and I thought it would be worth taking a quick look at some other technolo-
September, 2011
gies that might one day become so engrained in our daily lives that they make that list. 10 years away Quantum computing: Computers currently operate at the speed of electricity. Quantum computers will operate at the speed of light. They’ll use the principles of quantum physics to power tiny computers that can hold enormous amounts of information but still operate faster than anything we have today. Lockheed Martin has purchased a quantum-based system from B.C.’s D-Wave and, with IBM calling it “one of our most significant fundamental research projects,” it’s just a matter of time before the ubiquitous computing of science fiction becomes reality. 1 to 2 years away Near field communication (NFC): Though commonplace in Asia, for some reason we can’t yet buy a soft drink with our phones. NFC is what will turn our cell phones into a wallet, paying for goods and services just by holding our devices close to a receiver. Scare-mongering aside, the technology and security work, and the credit card companies like the idea of making it even easier to pay for something. This one’s coming soon. Here today Quick response codes: Think of them as bar codes on steroids. Using free software on your cell phone, you take a photo of the QR Code and
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voila! A web page opens or you receive an email with additional information or a discount coupon. You may already have seen these white squares with odd black designs in them in magazine ads but because they can be attached to everything from tools to historic buildings to launch training videos or a slideshow of how the building looked 50 years ago, QR Codes are expected to become a lot more visible. I could go on and on. Creative thinking, combined with the occasional lucky accident, has brought us everything from rubber to satellites. I certainly never would have thought of using lasers to shoot down malaria carrying mosquitos but someone did. Somewhere in a university or research lab or even a basement worktop somewhere, people are working
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on these ideas and many, many more. Some will be see the light of day, others won’t. Some will be useful, others won’t. But ideas will keep coming. We’re hardwired for innovation – it’s why we’re not living in caves or driving buggies anymore – and it’s always interesting to see something that was once new or odd or untrusted become so familiar that it makes it onto the Beloit College Mindset List.
Peter Atkinson is E-Services Consultant at the St. Thomas Public Library.
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With over 10 years of banking experience and a local resident, Brian understands the pressures of owning and operating a business or farm in St. Thomas and is committed to helping you by providing services, products and advice tailored specifically to your needs. Drop by the branch to talk to your Small Business Advisor and discover how we can make your business banking easier. We look forward to seeing you soon. 20
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September, 2011
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Homestyle DECORATING
Use height and scale to guide the eye
Showing off the details
Accessorizing a room with your collectibles can make a major impact by Renée Carpenter
Most designers will admit that the most difficult part of pulling a room together is often the accessorizing. There are so many options, and all are so personal. Accessorizing is where the details of your personality come to life. But, there are designer techniques for arranging and displaying collectibles and accessories that can be of help. Coffee tables offer lots of space for books, flowers and decorative pieces. To keep objects orderly and pleasing to the eye, use trays to group similar items. Cluster candles of different sizes and colours in one tray and bowls or vases in another. Jazz up a stack of books by topping it with a vessel filled with found objects. A hodgepodge of scattered col-
lectibles doesn’t let the eye focus and enjoy any one item. Simplify what you collect. Stick with items that are a similar size or hue and gather them in one spot for major impact without the clutter. Use books as graphic, colourful pedestals to give framed photos and other treasured objects a lift. Alternating horizontal and vertical stacks of books adds interest to a mantel, shelf or down the center of a table. Objects grouped in odd numbers are more appealing to the eye than even-number groupings. Make a shelf display feel more like art than storage by staggering heights and shapes and putting a little breathing room between objects. Use height and scale to guide the eye. A particular foyer I designed had
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a mirror fashioned from a schoolhouse window to add vertical interest to a collection of treasures spread out on a French farm table. The eye travelled naturally from the mirror to a stone-base lamp, then stepped down to brown-and-white transferware contained in a tray before looking up again to take in a group of pillar candles. Fill a relatively small space on a side table in the living room with a few well-chosen pieces. Vary their size and shape for visual interest. A unique and colourful lamp can be a sculptural focal point next to round paperweights, a rectangular box and a glass pitcher of flowers. Make an impact with multiples of a single item. For instance, a series of similar maps framed in white becomes a focal point on a mantel. Sprinkle a handful of smaller objects in the foreground for added interest without overpowering the primary room display. Display collections against a contrasting background to make them really stand out. A dining room displaying creamware and statuary against a black armoire looks radiant.
Small touches of green – a fern in a lattice-wave planter and pears in a footed compote – warm the grouping with colour and life. Use a long shelf to line up a collection of like items. On a cottage porch, vintage watering cans might feel right at home. Use a similar ledge in a breakfast room to display plates, or in a child’s room to keep figurines or stuffed animals out in the open yet out of the way. Cookie-cutter rules simply do not exist. Give yourself time to play when arranging accessories to give it your signature. In the end, these small details are what actually make your house a home!
Renée Carpenter is the owner of Jennings Furniture and Design in St. Thomas.
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September, 2011
Homestyle THAT’S LIFE
The value of a minute
Time is a shifting concept when you have two pre-schoolers at home by Elizabeth VanHooren
“Just a minute” is a phrase I use to associate with the snooze button on my alarm clock. A minute is how long it took one of my sisters to put
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a glass of wine in my hands after a long week at work. Just a minute was a luxury I didn’t know I had, or perhaps didn’t fully appreciate, until two red-headed boys came into my life. Now a minute is the time it takes
a minute was a luxury I didn’t know I had
for my one-year-old to find my mascara, figure out how to unscrew the lid and smear it on his face and the floor. A second is how long it takes him to unravel a full roll of toilet paper. I have just a minute before he flushes most of the roll down the toilet. Bathrooms are magnets for kids and lost minutes. When he was one and half years old, my eldest son locked himself in the bathroom. I had my back turned just for a minute and he shut the bathroom door and then pulled out the vanity drawer preventing the bathroom door from being re-opened. Five minutes later, I pushed the door in. That night my husband needed a minute when I showed him the busted vanity drawer and the dented bathroom door. “Just a minute” is my response to my eldest son who says, “I want a drink,” as I rush to stop a pot of pasta from boiling over on the stove. I know I must repeat the phrase often because he uses it when I interrupt his play for naptime. “Just a minute Mom… I’m finishing building a tower.” “Just a few minutes, I’m looking for something” was his reply when I asked why he wasn’t dressed and ready to go outside. I found him with
one boot on and one boot off in a pile of hats, mitts and scarves. “I’m looking for my sandals.” His reply would have been sensible had it not been the dead of winter with a foot of snow on the ground. In our house, in a minute, two brothers can start fighting over one particular red block despite the fact that there are ten others exactly like it. And it is not impossible for two glasses of milk to be spilled and a full bowl of spaghetti to land on the floor just one minute into supper. Yes, gone are the days when I can take another minute and finish reading a news article about the latest happenings at City Hall. Even if I allow myself to pause and listen to the Final Jeopardy question, I have to have one eye on the TV and one eye on my boys, because these days even half a minute can be too long.
Elizabeth VanHooren is general manager of the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority.
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Dining & Entertainment SAVOUR ELGIN by Kate Burns
Having just celebrated its 63rd anniversary in August, Pinecroft has much to boast about. From its unique pottery to toe-tappin’ music, a bed and breakfast to sensational food, there is something for everyone at the 54-acre pine forest retreat southwest of Aylmer. Arthur Caverly had a vision in the 1920s to plant 85,000 pine seedlings and dredge a 2-1/2 acre lake with a team of horses. This early conservation effort has grown into the beautiful tranquility of the Pinecroft grounds. Pinecroft Pottery was opened by Arthur Caverly’s daughter in 1948, beginning as a small studio from which pottery was sold wholesale to nearly 200 gift shops across Canada. Brenda Smith, the present day owner and Arthur Caverly’s granddaughter, came to Pinecroft in 1972 to carry on the family tradition and has successfully transformed Pinecroft into a tourist destination. Brenda, her husband Paul and children Chad and Sara prepare delicious home-cooked country meals to fill up any belly at the Green Frog Tea Room. The Tea Room began in 1978 as a celebration of 30 years in business for Pinecroft, serving tea, muffins and homemade bread. Today, fresh baked bread and rolls, soups, salads, sandwiches and luncheon features along with croissants, crepes and patty shells complete the menu. Chad sources all of the Tea Room’s food locally, from neighbouring farms, markets and butchers. When in need of a new recipe, the Smiths turn to neighbours, friends and Canadian Living Magazine. The Wilson family provided the most popular seasonal special to date with their Summer Season Fresh Asparagus Pie. The Green Frog prides itself on its food being fresh and bountiful. After lunch, take a stroll through Pinecroft’s Gallery and Gift Shop featuring Brenda’s handmade earthenware and stoneware pottery, as well as limited edition prints, framed and unframed, and note cards by well known local Canadian artist Mary Rose Sanderson. A wide variety of souvenirs allows visitors to take home their own piece of Elgin County. If you arrive on a Saturday or Sunday, do not miss a visit to the Jammin’ Cabin where you will find Paul making memorable music, usually of the bluegrass, folk or country genre. 24
Pottery, fresh food and memorable music Pinecroft offers a little Muskoka serenity near Aylmer
[left] Sara, Paul, Brenda and Chad Smith welcome you to Pinecroft. (Photo courtesy of Elgin County Economic Development)
[above] Enjoy a home-cooked country meal at the Green Frog Tea Room
You never know who might show up at the Cabin. Valdy has jammed here as has Terry Sumsion. Returning to Pinecroft Pottery this year is Tony Clennell. Tony had his first introduction to the wheel at Pinecroft from his aunt and uncle, but went on to further his ceramic education over the last 33 years and is currently an adjunct Professor of Ceramics at Sheridan College and the Ontario College of Art. Tony was named a member of the Royal Academy of Arts for his contribution to Ceramics in Canada. He is a sought after lecturer and travels worldwide giving seminars on woodfiring, throwing and has several how-to videos to his credit. Tony will be spending several days a month at Pinecroft helping to fill the gift shop with a wide selection of pottery. Visit Pinecroft and experience “a little Muskoka serenity” right in our own backyard. E L G I N
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Pinecroft is a member of Savour Elgin. Savour Elgin is a program with a goal to promote and enhance culinary tourism in Elgin County and St. Thomas. The Savour Elgin trail is a route through Elgin County that visits some of the best restaurants, farms, wineries, and other culinary attractions that focus on food and drink that’s local and unique to Elgin County and St. Thomas. For full trail information visit www.savourelgin.ca.
Kate Burns is the business development coordinator at the County of Elgin.
M O N T H
September, 2011
Dining & Entertainment WINE & FOOD
Five rules to enjoy the authentic local experience when you’re abroad
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Defining local
huge struggles with the politically correct mindset that I need to make a wine for everyone or risk offending them. A local restaurant or winery that tries to be all-pleasing specializes in nothing. Great local producers are proud of their work! Our rules are by no means exhaustive, and for many locavores these rules are merely a refresher. I was reminded on my honeymoon that a truly local experience means paying just a little more attention to the amazing world around us. Enjoy the last wisps of summer and the local experience wherever you are!
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local tastes comes through in the care and quality of craftsmanship
by Jamie Quai
My wife and I recently returned from our honeymoon in Greece. Both being lovers of all things local, the chance to experience another country’s regionally distinct food and wine was too tempting to resist. By the midpoint of the trip, we had learned to tell the difference between quality local wine producers and restaurants even before we entered their establishments. We came up with five ‘rules’ that anyone wanting to enjoy a local experience needs to understand and follow. The first rule – the value in local tastes comes through in the care and quality of craftsmanship, not usually in the final check. The cheapest bills are almost always the simplest fare. The second rule has everything to do with location. A lot of accommodations we stayed at were near main attractions but not right in the epicentre of activity. We would walk from our place to a main square and
see dozens of restaurants all competing to get us into their seats. But a Greek restaurant near the Acropolis doesn’t necessarily specialize in Greek food; they specialize in Greek-style food for tourists. For an authentically local experience you have to search a little harder. The third rule is to do a little research. Before landing on the rocky shores of Santorini, we had learned that the island was home to an indigenous cherry tomato, pistachio trees, a fava bean delicacy and twenty three distinct wine grape species. You better believe that over the time we spent on the island we covered the gamut. The fourth rule is that size doesn’t matter. A great local experience doesn’t necessarily mean that the winery only makes a thousand cases or the restaurant can only seat fifty people. The final rule in order to truly experience local tastes is to find wine and food producers with a clear vision; then trust and accept them.
Jamie Quai is head winemaker at Quai du Vin Estate Winery in Elgin County.
While wine touring on Santorini, every one of our winery hosts and guides had the same message – we do incredible whites but can’t do reds consistently. They don’t have the climate for them. It was so refreshing to hear that! As a winemaker, I have
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Dining & Entertainment THE PLAY’S THE THING
“If music be the food What would you do if you were stranded on of love, play on” a desert isle?
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‘Twelfth Night’ at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
‘The Admirable Crichton’ at the Shaw Festival
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the proper social order gets turned onto its ear
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blurred identities and comic confusion
Brian Dennehy as Sir Toby Belch in ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. (Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann)
by Ric Wellwood
Shakespeare’s comedy, ‘Twelfth Night,’ received a rousing response from the opening night audience at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The standing ovation followed nearly three hours of fun and music that was joyful and packed with energy. The story of a young woman who disguises herself as a man and woos a countess is typical Shakespeare when it comes to blurred identities and moments of comic confusion. The production had a faint echo of ‘A Star is Born,’ because the talented Andrea Runge could not take the role of Viola due to illness. Instead, the understudy, Suzy Jane Hunt, stepped into the role and gave a sparkling performance. The woman Viola courts is cast in the mold of the late Vivien Leigh and comes easily to Sara Topham whose elegance convinces all that she is a countess. Beyond the central 26
story is the usual crop of the Bard’s clowns, led by Brian Dennehy as Sir Toby Belch and Cara Ricketts as Mariah, whose command of Shakespeare’s language is effortlessly perfect. Tom Rooney creates Malvolio as truly “sick of self-love,” and the trials he endures are indeed dark humour. The redoubtable Stephen Ouimette lives up to his name of Aguecheek when he shows a cheek or two below the waist. As a bonus we get Fabian, as done by Juan Chioran in a curious resemblance to Festival founder Tom Patterson. The host of musical numbers, written and arranged by Director Des McAnuff and composer Michael Roth, are rich and beautiful. If they ever turn out a CD of the show’s score, I’ll be first in line to buy it. I think it will be a very hard ticket to get this summer but keep trying. It’s an evening of fun you won’t soon forget. E L G I N
by Ric Wellwood
J.M. Barrie is best known for writing ‘Peter Pan,’ but ‘The Admirable Crichton’ is a lesser-known work that proves highly entertaining at the Shaw Festival Theatre this season. Directed by Morris Panych, the play follows the fortunes of a butler named Crichton, who coddles a spoiled upper class family when in England, but becomes the head honcho once they are all stranded on a desert island somewhere in the Indian Ocean. As the Admirable Crichton, Steven Sutcliffe creates a subtle servant, completely aware of the pecking order in polite society, including the pecking order among the servants. How the proper social order gets turned onto its ear is the meat of the play, although the changing relationships among the people who once knew what they stood for are fascinating. Nicole Underhay in a welcome return to the Festival, plays the spoiled eldest daughter and the chemistry between she and Crichton could ignite a bonfire or two. David Schurmann is the head of the family who finds a degree of liberation when the situa-
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Moya O’Connell, Kyle Blair and Cherissa Richards in ‘The Admirable Crichton’ at the Shaw Festival. (Photo by David Cooper)
tion inverts, while Moya O’Connell and Cherissa Richards do a fine turn as the two younger sisters. When the play debuted in 1902, it was pretty controversial, mainly because British society was very much like what was happening on stage. Things have changed since then and the impact of Barrie’s observations has lessened, but they remain fascinating to North Americans who don’t happen to have butlers and maids. This production has great sets and costumes and makes use of the entire Festival Stage, something that doesn’t happen that often. It’s a good play to see.
Ric Wellwood is communications advisor for the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority.
September, 2011
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H E A LT H Y L I V I N G PERSONAL HEALTH
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Giving children a good start in life
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends feeding a baby only breastmilk for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health.
Breastfeeding Community Coalition supports families by Jennifer Wyscaver
Health experts agree that when it comes to feeding a baby, breast is best because of the countless number of long-lasting benefits for both the mother and baby. Some advantages of breastfeeding include: • Enhanced bonding relationship for the mother and baby • Reduced risk of disease and some childhood cancers for the baby • Reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer for the mother • Cost savings for the family • Cost savings for the healthcare system (fewer hospital visits for infants) • Better for the environment (less waste) The vast majority of women in Elgin County initiate breastfeeding for their infants, and for most fami-
lies the experience goes well. When women have difficulty with breastfeeding, it is important they get the help that they need as soon as possible. The St. Thomas Elgin Breastfeeding Coalition was formed in 2010 with the goal of providing the best support possible with infant feeding. The Breastfeeding Coalition meets several times a year to network and share resources that will help families who are learning to breastfeed or who might be having challenges. One goal is for every parent to receive consistent information no matter where they go to get breastfeeding support. It is important for families to realize that there is help out there, whether it’s through their healthcare provider, at the hospital or in the community. The Breastfeeding Coalition is also
RESOURCES
dedicated to creating public awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, as well as the available community For more information about breastsupports. It is open to any member feeding supports in St. Thomas and Elgin County, or if you are of the public who has an interest in supporting breastfeeding families. interested in becoming a member of the community breastfeeding Currently, members of the Coalition include staff from the hospital, health coalition, contact Elgin St. Thomas Public Health at: unit, local midwives, Vesta Parenting, as well as a doula and La Leche breastfeeding@elginhealth.on.ca or call 519-631-9900. League Leader. Each member or organization involved with the Breastfeeding Coalition genuinely wants to help families to have a positive Jennifer Wyscaver is a Public Health breastfeeding experience and has a Nurse and Lactation Consultant at vested interest in helping children get Elgin St. Thomas Public Health. the best start in life.
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H E A LT H Y L I V I N G EVERYDAY HEALTH
What is arthritis?
by Dr. Greg Johnston, B.H.K., B.Ed., D.C.
Part 2 - Rheumatoid arthritis
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Last month I gave you an introduction to arthritis and specifically discussed osteoarthritis. You may recall that osteoarthritis is the ‘wear and tear’ type of arthritis that results from increased or abnormal forces being placed on the joint. This month we will be discussing rheumatoid arthritis, which is very different from osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis has different forms that can affect various ages, including children, as well as adults and the elderly. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Typically people suffering from this condition experience symmetrical onset (meaning both sides of the body are affected) of joint tenderness and swelling, with morning stiffness that usually lasts more than an hour after rising. Patients may also experience more systemic types of symptoms such as fever, fatigue and diffuse non-specific musculoskeletal pain. Usually the first joints to be affected are the joints of the wrists and hands, especially the metacarpophalangeal joint, which is the joint found where the finger meets the hand. Rheumatoid arthritis also commonly begins in the knee joint. An important difference between rheumatoid and osteoarthritis is that rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic disease, meaning that if you have it in one joint it is possible that other joints may also be affected. Although its course is variable, it may progress to affect many or all joints of the body or it may only affect specific joints. As mentioned earlier, rheumatoid arthritis is considered a systemic disease. It is part of a family of diseases called rheumatic diseases. Other dis-
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first joints to be affected are the joints of the wrists and hands
eases in this family include Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus), Sjogren’s Syndrome, Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), to name a few. Rheumatoid arthritis is a serious condition and early detection is crucial to minimize potential serious joint destruction. Potential outcomes include virtually complete joint destruction leading to serious disability and deformity. One of the more important methods of properly diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis is with a blood test for rheumatoid factors. This is something that a
medical doctor would order. In my practice, if I have a patient with a suspicious set of symptoms, I will commonly refer them back to their medical doctor for assessment including blood work to test for rheumatoid factors. Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis The treatment for a disease such as rheumatoid arthritis can be very complicated because the course of the disease can be so variable, and the potential for serious complications can be very great. Proper assessment by a qualified health care practitioner is required, usually with
a referral to a rheumatologist. Various medications are prescribed but as of yet there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis. However, various treatment modalities are available and it is important to seek out a practitioner, such as a chiropractor, who can ensure that the patient is as comfortable as possible, and that various physical treatments can be employed to diminish potential structural damage. Nutritional counseling can prove very valuable and again it is recommended that you find a qualified practitioner with a thorough knowledge of diet and alternative therapies to develop a plan. This is a condition that typically will require co-management by a team of practitioners including a general practitioner and a rheumatologist, as well as a chiropractor, physiotherapist and massage therapist. Conclusion Arthritis is a complicated disease since a wide variety of conditions fall under this umbrella. It is important to remember that most of these diseases cause damage in a slow and insidious manner; therefore, early diagnosis is vital to the long-term prognosis of the condition. Your local doctor of chiropractic is a musculoskeletal expert and arthritis is a musculoskeletal condition. A visit to your local chiropractor can be an excellent place to look for help.
Dr. Greg Johnston is a chiropractor and partner in Family Health Options Treatment and Resources Centre in St. Thomas.
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September, 2011
LIFESTYLES INTERESTING PEOPLE
A weird sense of humour
Ron Bellamy of St. Thomas with issues of CSA News in which his cartoons are being published.
Artist Ron Bellamy’s cartoons are published in national magazine
Ron Bellamy is proof that it’s never too late to achieve fame. At 79, he has just become a published cartoonist. “I have an active mind,” he says. “And some people say I have a weird sense of humour.” With that combination he has produced hundreds of cartoons that express his unique (and sometimes offbeat) view of life. Ron has been drawing ever since he was young, attending Portsmouth Art College in his native England. Even when he emigrated to Canada in 1956 and took up a career in real estate in St. Thomas, he continued painting in oils and watercolours. Thirty years ago, he began doodling with cartoons, expressing his view of the funny side of life. He developed a series of note cards with various themes, including a group on snowbirds (Canadians who travel south during the winter) and retailed them at various local outlets. “About three months ago, I received a telephone call from the vice president of the news magazine of the Canadian Snowbird Association, Chris Bradbury,” says Ron. “He had received one of my snowbird cartoons and liked it enough to ask if he could publish some of them in his magazine.” CSA News, the magazine of the Canadian Snowbird Association, has already published two of his cartoons in its Spring and Summer issues, giving half a page to each in colour. The magazine plans to publish more in upcoming editions. Even though he doesn’t travel
much, Ron gets a lot of ideas from his friends who do. “I hear all the stories,” he says and incorporates some of the funnier moments into his cartoons. “I do it as an outlet,” Ron says of his drawing. “It keeps my brain active and creative.” He told a friend that since he’s been published in the CSA News, which is sent to association members across Canada, he is now a national cartoonist. She replied that the snowbirds also get the magazine in Florida in the winter months. “So now I’m an international cartoonist!” Ron says.
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by Dorothy Gebert
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It keeps my brain active and creative.
Dorothy Gebert is editor of the St. Thomas/Elgin Weekly News and Elgin This Month.
Ron Bellamy
IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME
• OBEY FLASHING SCHOOL
BUS SIGNALS • OBSERVE SCHOOL ZONE SPEEDS • WATCH FOR CHILDREN
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September, 2011
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LIFESTYLES TIME ON MY HANDS
A milestone birthday prompts introspective thoughts while kayaking in Georgian Bay ‘60 – This is getting WAY too serious!’ I saw that on a t-shirt a couple of years ago and laughed. Seemed like a good idea not to take a birthday too seriously. Since many of my peers were approaching 60, I had Van Pelts make me a bunch of buttons. As their big day approached, I handed out the buttons, but no one seemed to think they were that funny. Now my personal odometer has just rolled 60. I always knew I would reach that age, just not so soon. I didn’t wear the stupid button either. It’s not that funny. The approach of this milestone is bound to trigger some introspection, and by lucky timing I spent the last days of my 59th year kayaking in northern Georgian Bay and camping on the glacier-sculpted granite islands. If you have to be introspective, find an area of great natural beauty. And where I was, the ancient Precambrian rocks themselves prompted introspection. Rocks can teach you a lot. For many years, a group of four friends has done a kayak trip every summer. But some things have changed. For one thing, this year it was just Jim from Port Elgin and me. In the last couple years, the annual trip has seemed a little less mandatory for the gang (although all four are scheduled for a canoe trip
by Duncan Watterworth
in the fall). We have adopted a more relaxed pace for our paddling, sometimes staying a second night at the same campsite, taking more time to pick the blueberries. Jim and I notice stiffer joints in the mornings, after sleeping on thin mattresses on bare rock. The morning squats are getting harder on the knees. We laugh about how old our gear is getting – cantankerous stoves, my beat-up kayak and paddle. New gear for new paddlers, old gear for old. We calculate whether our stuff will see us through. I can no longer toss my kayak on top of my van by myself. As my wife kindly points out, it is the tallest ve-
hicle I have ever driven. Still, I feel like a weenie using a stepping stool. It’s a man thing. So Jim and I help each other lift and carry our kayaks. I think we are even starting to treat each other with old guy kindness, rather than young guy ribbing and kidding. I ponder these concessions to aging, but on a Georgian Bay kayaking trip the big lessons come from the landscape. Each island, each rock, is a snapshot in time, a moment in the great and eternal geological processes – mountains rising up, eroding away and being replaced with others. Rocks are not a symbol of permanence, but of transience. They remind us that, on the earth’s
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time scale, civilizations, religions, our species, and even mountains and my birthday, are as fleeting as clouds. From that perspective, much is awesome, but not much seems serious. So I shall continue to enjoy the rocks and water, and the camaraderie of paddling buddies, and I will pass lightly in my beat-up old kayak.
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On the rocks at 60
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www.southporthomeopathy.ca September, 2011
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September, 2011
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September, 2011