The local shopping quandary

surprising that there is a culture of “looking down upon” those who choose to save money by travelling to Ottawa for shopping, or shopping online at retailers like Amazon. Failing to support local is often perceived as turning one’s back on the community. It is almost something that one must hide to avoid the ridicule.

by Brandon Mayer

Earlier this month, residents in Chesterville, east of North Grenville, engaged in a debate about something that tends to be very important in small towns – shopping local. The debate came after a new resident there asked his neighbours online whether anyone would be available to shuttle him to other towns, including Kemptville, for activities such as grocery shopping. Many simply offered to help drive the man, while others were quite upset that he wouldn’t shop at the local Chesterville grocery store, even though it’s more expensive.

The debate here seems clear, but for so many in small towns, it is not a debate at all. Failing to support local can be the lowest of the low in the eyes of one’s small town neighbours. In

North Grenville, the situation is different than it is in Chesterville, considering how fast the town of Kemptville is growing. Kemptville is filled with local businesses, but some are small and locally owned, and others are franchise locations of larger chains. Some locals, for example, may find it wrong to visit Tim Hortons in town instead of patronizing Brewed Awakenings. Others may find it appalling to go to Walmart for merchandise instead of finding the same item at a local shop. There is no doubt that at least some of this debate stems from money – smaller local shops are usually more expensive than larger chain stores and restaurants.

The quandary for locals therefore becomes a question of supporting local vs. saving money. In the tight knit North Grenville community that we have all come to know, it is not

Something to keep in mind is that for some North Grenville residents, shopping at local stores may not be a choice they get to make. A dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to, and anyone can struggle with having enough money to buy necessities, from a single person struggling to pay bills on their own, to a family with a bunch of kids to support. Failing to buy local is rarely a “statement” or an “argument” against supporting one’s own community. More often, it’s a simple decision required to be able to survive on a limited budget.

My rule of thumb is this: those who can afford to shop local should really consider it. You will support the employment of your own friends and neighbours, you will support the local economy and therefore ensure that local stores and services remain available when we need them, and you’ll even help the environment by travelling less. But just remember – we never really know a stranger’s living situation. Judge less, support more, and (when possible), shop local.

Celebrating Early Childhood Education

The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Children’s Services Department is partnering with Ontario’s 47 Early Years and Child Care Service System Managers to launch a provincewide marketing campaign to raise awareness.

The campaign is aimed at generating an increased understanding of, and support for, Ontario’s licensed child care and Early Years sector. The goal of the campaign is to increase public awareness and provide key facts to ensure that our community is able to maintain a stable early education system that is high quality, equitably available, accessible and affordable.

“The licensed child care and early years programs located across Leeds and Grenville are an important part of our community,” said Shannon Brown, Manager of Children’s Services, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

“If we are going to sustain these programs and work to increase the number of child care spaces available to families, we need to attract more qualified staff to work in these programs.

Early Childhood Education and the staff that work in licensed child care and early years programs, need to hold a greater value in our community,” Ms. Brown said.

Leeds and Grenville currently has 855 centre-based licensed child care infant, toddler and preschool spaces spread across the region, in- cluding locations in Kemptville, Johnstown, Maynard, Brockville, Elgin, Westport, Lansdown, and Gananoque.

Quality child care and early years services are important for a child’s development and future success, Ms. Brown said. High-quality licensed child care and early years programs provide Ontario’s children with safe, responsive, and caring interactions that help them develop vital skills and build a strong foundation for their continued development to grow into healthy and productive adults. Early Childhood Educators are essential for quality child care and early years programs. Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) are trained professionals with expertise in child development who are a key element of quality early learning. These professionals must be recognized, valued, and fairly compensated for the important role they play in the lives of children, families, and communities at large. All communities need qualified and engaged RECEs to perform and deliver child care’s evidence-based early learning and child care benefits. “This campaign will assist the public in learning more about the importance of high-quality licensed child care and early years programs in our community and acknowledge RECEs for the important work they do,” said Ms. Brown.

For more information on local programming and the province-wide campaign, contact: Shannon Brown, RECE Manager, Children’s Services United Counties of Leeds and Grenville shannon.brown@uclg.on.ca 613342-3840, extension 2461

100 Women Who Care North Grenville Q1 meeting

submitted by Cyndy Batchelor

At our last meeting in November, the 100 Women Who care raised money for the Salvation Army Kemptville. Due to the holiday season and our generous ladies, we decided to delay our cut-off date until the end of December, allowing us to collect additional funds. We raised a total of $4485 for the Salvation Army Kemptville which will go to helping our local families in need.

100 Women Who Care North Grenville is hosting its First quarterly meeting Thursday, February 23 at 6 pm at Catered Affairs on the Kemptville Campus, please go to the website www.100womenwhocareng. com to register for the meet- ing. There will be a meal (veg or meat Chilli) for under $20. Please pre-order & pay for dinner, via either Catered Affairs or 100 Women Who Care NG websites. The cash bar will be open as well.

Nominations for the first quarter charities will be accepted via our website link up until February 9. Three will be chosen at random to present at the February meeting.

To date the 100 Women Who Care North Grenville has raised more than $95,203 towards local charities. The 100 Women Who Care NG has partnered with the Ottawa Community Foundation to streamline their donation process. Members can log on to the Foundation’s central website and enter “100