Thunder Bay Business December 2019

The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) Board of Directors Welcomes Eric Zakrewski as CEO Lakehead University encouraging community members, friends to support the Wolf Den athletics facility

MP-Elect Marcus Powlowski is Sworn-In During Ceremony in Parliament

PARO Celebrates 25 years

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) Board of Directors Welcomes Eric Zakrewski as CEO gration into the department.

The Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Eric Zakrewski as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CEDC, effective November 18, 2019. Mr. Murray will stay on to assist Eric in a successful inte-

"I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Board of Directors and staff to welcome Eric, and look forward to working together for the benefit of Thunder Bay's economic development," said Craig Urquhart, Chair of the CEDC

Board of Directors. "Eric's project management skills will be an asset to the CEDC. We are very fortunate to have him join our team."

fundraising campaign to bring cardiovascular surgical services to northwestern Ontario.

Mr. Zakrewski is a well-respected business leader with over 25 years of business and project management experience for a wide array of sectors in Thunder Bay and across

About CEDC: The CEDC is responsible for business development, retention and expansion, entrepreneurial support, opportunity pro-

northwestern Ontario.

motion, and the collection and assessment of key business data. The CEDC receives formal proposals for projects that will contribute to economic development. It responds quickly to new opportunities and initiatives to attract direct financial involvement from government and private sectors.

Most recently he was responsible for the incorporation of True Grit Engineering, a Thunder Bay based firm that he led the growth of to over 50 employees providing engineering and project management services to all levels of government, Indigenous Communities, industry, institutions and private sector clients.

He has proven track record in corporate and large institutional board governance, operations, finance, risk management, legal, human resources and indigenous, public and government relations. Mr. Zakrewski currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre’s “Our Hearts at Home”

Located within CEDC's administrative office, the Thunder Bay & District Entrepreneur Centre provides seminars, workshops and free, confidential business counselling services to new and existing small businesses.

For more information, visit www.ThunderBayCEDC.ca

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

Publisher’s Note Scott Sumner

by Scott A. Sumner It seems just like yesterday that I was a young person just out of university with a career ahead of me. The question I had then was what would I like to do next?

That seems to be something you hear quite often from young people, even today. In my case I had just completed the MBA program at York University in Toronto- the Schulich school as it is now known. The temptation was to get a job at a large financial institution in Toronto. That was

35 Years Is A Long Time: Thunder Bay Business December 1984 to December 2019 1984 that a new publication was launched Thunder Bay Business, my second after the still publishing Thunder Bay Real Estate News in September 1983. This started many different speciality publication ideas over the years from travel to community in the Manitouwadge area to lifestyle to car & truck to snowmobiling and golf.

These were areas of interest to me and fun in which to be involved. The longest running publication that our company has owned is the Thunder Bay Business, now 35 years old! Time has flown by as it really does seem not far long ago that our first

in a dramatic way over the years. I can remember when we had dark rooms, large image setters that outputted film and paste up areas where you worked with exacto knives and created large layouts that you would bring to the web printing company.

Now you work on a small Apple computer and do electronic layouts that are made into PDF files and emailed to the printer.

You can also take your information and upload it to your website in a matter of seconds for the whole world to see. It really is quite amazing and the power of information lives in all forms of the media industry.

The best part of the job for me has always been meeting so many interesting people who are proud of what they do and interested in serving a grouping of customers.

My goal has been to describe them to our readers and in essence get their personalities across. Our world is all about people right? Over the years it has been my good fortune to have some great people working with me. It seems there was always someone great in the marketing and design areas which are so important. Today we have Sylvia in marketing, Miranda in

what many of my class mates were doing.

In my case I felt the call to return to NW Ontario where I had grown up in small mining communities, Atikokan and Manitouwadge. The beauty and lifestyle of the area just seemed to appeal to me the most. So off I went almost knowing in my mind that I would probably have to create my own career path. In fact after 1 year I was on my own and have been an entrepreneur ever since! It was in December

PRESIDENT Scott A. Sumner MARKETING MANAGER Sylvia Gomez FEATURE WRITER Sherry Hanes AD DESIGNER Miranda van den Berg AD SALES Elizabeth Youmans

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issue was off the press.

Since then there has been 420 issues of Thunder Bay Business and they all have been fun for me to work on. The publishing business has been a good one for me as I think it fits my personality. I was always a very inquisitive person and in media you certainly get to meet many people and learn so much. It is a very creative dynamic career and one I still enjoy after all this time. Publishing has changed technically

graphic design and Sherry A helping in editorial. The companies Web Press have been great in printing, Thunder Bay Lettershop in distribution, Sencia in electronic media. It has been a great team.

My biggest supporters have been my parents, Alan and Barbara Sumner. While they are both in Heaven now I remember their help and know they would be proud of the 35th Anniversary of Thunder Bay Business!

People often ask me if I am going to retire and I always say quickly in maybe sometime but it is not really something I think about often! The job I created here in the north is one I still enjoy. Times are a little different than at the beginning but my schedule and publications allow me to travel the world which is also very interesting. You have probably read about some of these adventures. The web is very exciting as well and the rapid change in this area is a good challenge.

Finally special thanks to our team members, readers and advertisers over the years. Without you it would never be possible!

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

St. Joseph’s Foundation Launches 5th Annual “‘Be Their Secret Santa” Campaign St. Joseph’s Foundation will be making Christmas brighter for adults, seniors, and clients of St. Joseph’s Care Group. The launch of the 5th Annual Be Their Secret Santa program kicked off today with a Pancake Breakfast with Santa to help reach this year’s fundraising goal of $20,000.

For the past 4 years, St. Joseph’s Foundation has provided gifts at Christmas time to clients through the Be Their Secret Santa program. On Christmas morning, volunteer “Elves” deliver gifts and spend time with those who would otherwise be

alone. The visit on Christmas morning brightens their day and means so much.

Last year, this program brought joy to over 285 clients of St. Joseph’s Care Group throughout the district of Thunder Bay.

or a blanket, a pair of socks or mitts and a special Christmas treat.”

This year, the organization has set a goal to deliver even more gifts to those who find the season to be a difficult time. Gail Brescia, Executive Director for St. Joseph’s Foundation says; “We know the need is greater this year, and with the community’s support we hope to deliver gifts to over 325 deserving clients. Each gift will include a brand new pair of pajamas

Be Their Secret Santa relies on volunteers and generous item and cash donations to be able to purchase and deliver the gifts to clients in need. Items on this year’s Wish List include: Adult Pant & Shirt Pajama Sets, Long Nightgowns, Hat & Mitt Sets, Blankets, and Puzzle Books.

All donations must be received by December 7th, 2019.

For more information on Be Their Secret Santa, volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation, please visit www.sjftb.net/santa or call 807-768-4404.

Resilience, What Is It Going to Take to Change Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. In terms of physical resilience, we think of flexibility, plasticity, elasticity, durability, adaptability and buoyancy. Similarly, if a person is psychologically resilient they have the ability to cope with mental or emotional crisis or return to precrisis status quickly. This allows them to move on from a traumatic incident without long-term negative effects.

In a research summary article written by Bari Walsh titled The Science of Resilience, Why some children can thrive despite adversity he writes “… the developing brain relies upon the consistent serve and return interactions that happen between a young child and a primary caregiver... When these interactions occur regularly, they provide the scaffolding that helps build ‘key capacities’ such as the ability to plan, monitor and regulate behaviour and adapt to changing circum-

stances that enable children to respond to adversity and to thrive…The developing brain is buffered by this feedback loop between biology and environment. But in the absence of these responsive relationships, the brains’ architecture doesn’t develop optimally. The body perceives the absence as a threat and activates a stress response that, when prolonged, leads to physiological changes that affect the brain and overall systems of physical and mental health. The stress becomes toxic, making it more diffi-

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cult for children to adapt or rebound.”

According to a Harvard report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, the latest science of resilience take-away states: • Resilience is born from the interplay between internal disposition and external experience.

• There is a common set of characteristics that predispose children to positive outcomes in the face of adversity which include: the availability of at least one stable, caring and supportive relationship between a child and an adult caregiver. A sense of control of life circumstances, a strong availability to self-regulate, and having strong positive faith or cultural traditions.

• Positive and negative experiences over time continue to influence a child’s mental and physical development.

Resilience can be built; it is not an innate trait or a resource that can be used up.

In his new book Change Your World,

Dalhousie professor and Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience explains how individual motivation and positive thinking strategies which dominate the self-help book shelves these days is the wrong approach. His focus is on the old adage that it really takes a village.

Ungar argues that although it takes a bit of personal motivation to initiate change, nurture trumps nature every time and the real road to recovery lies in resource-rich supportive social environments. Our environment and all its ‘noise’ is simply far more influential on our ability to change positively or negatively than is our self-ability to grit through it with positive thinking and mindfulness. In an interview with Maclean’s magazine he says “…I realized there was a lot of kids in my practice who were actually coping remarkably well despite incredible hardships. Grappling with this and all the factors involved, I learned that the kids I was looking at globally often made a genuine contribution the welfare of themselves or their families or their communities. Back in Canada, I would notice that we actually don’t give our children genuine opportunities to make contributions, which makes them more vulnerable. Around the world kids, who were thriving often explained it by the fact they were needed and made contributions for the benefit of others rather than for themselves. This was something that is largely absent in how we parent in Canada. His main argument is to change your environment before you try to change yourself rather than the other way around. Ungar’s point is worth reflection.

Although Ungar goes much deeper into various points on how to create and improve resilience, the basic message reflects similar recent research by others; namely that health of the individual is best achieved when they are part of a broader community with strong social ties, engagement in faith-based or cultural organizations and institutions and a strong network of positive relationships.

James DiGiuseppe is a local chiropractor with a busy family and wellness practice. For more health information or to contact Dr. DiGiuseppe visit www.portarthurchiropractic.com

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

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MP-Elect Marcus Powlowski is Sworn-In During Ceremony in Parliament Promises to Put the People of Thunder Bay-Rainy River First in His Parliamentary Duties Monday, November 25th, 2019 Ottawa Dr. Marcus Powlowski was officially sworn-in during a ceremony in West Block today as the Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Rainy River in the 43rd Parliament of Canada. Joined by his family and members of his community, MP Powlowski had the following to say after the ceremony: “Today I have been presented with one of the greatest honours of my life – the opportunity to represent our community in our nation’s House of Commons. This is not a role I take lightly. Many generations of Canadians have given their lives to preserve our democracy.

Every decision I make in Ottawa will put the people of Thunder Bay-Rainy River first. Despite the different interests in our communities, I believe we can all agree that we want our neighbourhoods to be safe, our hard work to matter when we are

saving for our children's education, and our politicians to not just say they are listening to us, but to actually listen. That is why I plan to represent everyone – urban and rural, Indigenous and non-Indigenous,

natural born and immigrant – in a fair way that respects our region’s history, values and obligations to future generations.

the House of Commons’ administration to hire staff and prepare my Constituency Offices in Thunder Bay and Fort Frances to open in the coming weeks.”

On this note, I am currently working with

Lakehead University encouraging community members, friends to support the Wolf Den athletics facility as well.

Lakehead University is embarking on a $1.8 million campaign to support the construction of the dynamic new Wolf Den athletics facility, a project that students overwhelmingly supported in a referendum in 2018.

Set to open in 2020, the new 30,000 square-foot Wolf Den will be connected and built adjacent to the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse. Students are contributing $11 million of the $12.8 million construction cost.

August Ricketts, a former varsity basketball player and current fitness enthusiast, is excited to experience the Wolf Den.

“There will be more available time for students and community members to utilize the courts for recreational activities as well as give them increased access to more cardio and weight equipment. The addition will also give students another space to study comfortably and de-stress from school,” she added.

The expansion will allow Lakehead to double the space dedicated to weight lifting, cardio and gym areas that the current space provides, for both students and community use.

The Wolf Den will include a multi-purpose

very proud to be part of,” said Farhan Yousaf, LUSU’s Vice-President, Finance and Operations. “It will be a new facility for students, where they can study, relax and work out in one building.”

Tom Warden, Lakehead’s Director, Athletics, said the space would meet the needs of Lakehead’s students – and students played a role in every aspect of its creation.

“Lakehead students have driven this new facility,” he said. “They’ve been the ones who have championed it, financed the majority of it, designed it, and developed it.

“As a Lakehead University student and former varsity athlete, I have spent quite a bit of time in our current athletics facility over the years,” Ricketts said.

“I have come to understand and recognize the importance of supporting the Wolf Den and how beneficial it will be. The new addition will provide a modern and bright space, to not only Lakehead students but to members of the Thunder Bay community

gymnasium, modern weightlifting area, new aerobics studio, expanded club team storage and offices, new space for recreational programming, multi-use boardroom, student study areas, a lounge and meditation centre, and a wellness clinic.

The new facility will also provide accessibility enhancements for users who have disabilities.

“This is an exciting project that we are

“Together with the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse and the Hangar, the Wolf Den will ensure that Lakehead University Athletics continues to provide dedicated space and programming to meet the health, wellness and recreation needs of our students and the wider community,” Warden said, adding that he hopes the public will contribute whatever they can to help make this facility a reality.

“Students are the primary funders. As we move forward with this campaign, we hope our community members, corporate com-

munity, and friends of the university will see the value of this facility for the region and the city, and help make this project happen,” he added.

For information about how you can donate to the Wolf Den, visit lakeheadu.ca/wolfden or contact Kathryn Davidson at (807) 343-8476 or kathryn.davidson@lakeheadu.ca.

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

The Press and The Print

By Sherry Hanes December 2019 You know in the world of news and accessing it, times have really changed.

At one time, radio, television and the daily newspaper were the primary sources to learn about what was going on in the world, the region and your local community.

Advertising supported the platform for the availability of the information but having said all that, not much has changed as far as small business and corporations advertising on these media platforms, all trying to capture your interest, which ultimately helps them to stay in business.

But what good is advertising if one does not have a platform to present it on? As far as the news worthy interests go, it is great to learn about them but, without advertising, news would not be available so readily. In other words, one cannot survive without the other, at least not for the long haul.

For 35 years now, Scott Sumner, Publisher of North Superior Publishing Inc. has been promoting and advocating, through his press/print platform, Thunder Bay Business, all about our economic, industrial, entrepreneurial, and vast scenic region of our city, Thunder Bay, Ontario.

With each issue printed for the last 35 years, promotion of dynamic people that live and build businesses here can be read about. The publications are sent out monthly, throughout the entire

region. I have seen it myself, travelling to different cities on aircraft for example, and I reach over to grab a magazine in the map pouch in from of me and it is one of our own, Thunder Bay Business publication, confirming that people STILL enjoy to read print, informing themselves about you and all kinds of interesting things, that are otherwise lost in the billions of pieces of information on the internet highway! The Internet is a wonderfully useful tool but in order for people to see an advertisement or an article, say…about you…. they reader would have to be specifically looking for your business or business name. Print still has the upper gauge on that presentation.

In an interview with Scott Sumner, I learned a few things that I, and maybe others, did not know about Mr. Sumner or how he started the business of press/print magazine.

Scott was always interested in business.

Sherry: “What prompted you to start a business publication about Thunder Bay?” I asked.

Scott: “Well, my early background was going to business schools, a commerce program and a MBA program and I always had an interest in entrepreneurs. I took Entrepreneurial Studies when I was at a university, at York in Toronto and just liked seeing people go out and make their own way, create their own product, their own ideas, their own service.”

Sherry: “What can you say about your passion Scott, to promote business, especially Thunder Bay?”

Scott: “Let me say that, I grew up in small mining towns, in Northwestern Ontario because my father was a mining engineer. I was born in Atikokan and raised in Manitouwadge. When you go to business school at York in Toronto, you would normally stay in that city, and build a corporate career.

But I always just really liked the North. I felt best at home in the North so, I wanted to come home. I just think this area is a beautiful area. The business community is so important especiallybeing so isolated here. I thought, ‘how can we accentuate it?’ once I got into to the publishing business. I felt the business vehicle would be great for the city and it would present some idea of what’s been happening every month, especially positive things.

Continued

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

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The Press and The Print Continued Most local businesses receive the Thunder Bay Business publication every month.”

Sherry: “What year did you start North Superior Publishing Inc?” Scott: “I started in September 1983, with the publication of the Real Estate News and then one year later we created the Thunder Bay Business publication. Since the beginning we have done ten different titles.”

Sherry: “What were/are the ten different titles?”

Scott: “Well. Real Estate News, then the Thunder Bay Business. Next we did one

called Thunder Bay Car/Truck News, then Thunder Bay Destinations, which was a travel publication. And we also did a community newspaper in Manitouwadge. And the we expanded that and called it Hemlo News, to cover Marathon, White River and Manitouwadge. We created Thunder Bay Families, Thunder Bay Life and one called Thunder Bay Extra, for example.

In 1995 we started Snowmobile News, then Golf News and now Great Outdoors.

And as of today, we are still publishing the Thunder Bay Business and the Great Outdoors Magazines, which includes Snowmobile News and Golfing News.”

Sherry: “When you first started with acquiring ad sales and article content, were you working alone or did you have

staff?”

Scott: “Almost immediately, we had a staff. So, first of all, I had a production person, and then we got a sales person, and went from there and at one time we had twelve full time employees. We created our own 3000 square foot office building in 1987 on Barton Street and at that time, we had five people working in production alone because it was very mechanical. You had to shoot pictures in a ‘dark room’ and it was a ‘cut and paste’ process, instead of electronic, which it’s all electronic now. So that took quite a bid of work every week.

Sherry: “And some of the people that once worked with you, I understand are out in the world of public entertainment now?

Scott: “Yes. We had Daylin James (stage name) was working for us. He was my Marketing Manager back then, Eric Gustafson.”

Sherry: “Despite the technological changes for publication, you have managed to stay in the game.”

Scott: “People still enjoy picking up a printed publication. There are still many people that like a print publication but it is definitely changing and I think the younger generation today, are less and less prone to want to read a print publication.

Continued

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

The Press and The Print Continued I think they are more focused on their Smart Phones, their tablets. So, what we’ve done is five different websites and we have our print publications online as well as PDF’s. We have articles published on the websites and other areas covered too. And in that area, we use Sencia Canada. They have been very helpful and we started dealing with Sencia in 2003.”

Continued

Sherry: “And what does Sencia do for your publication? How do they help you to produce?”

Scott: “So Sencia has a staff of over twenty employees here in Thunder Bay and they have a system they created called SIMS. It’s a content management system where they have the programming set up and as a company ourselves, we can make changes to the site, any time we want to add new content, add pictures or even videos. So, we can have something up on the web within a minute. It’s amazing the covThe Team: Sherry Hanes, Scott Sumner, Sylvia Gomez and Miranda van den Berg

erage you can get. I know that a lot of our sites are getting some 50,000 unique computer viewers per month.

So, there’s a lot of coverage and you can see where the coverage is coming from all over different parts of the world. And you can tell which articles

are being read. So, it’s a very indepth program that they have created and this is only one of their services, as they do a lot of other things too.”

Continued

Congratulations to Scott & the Thunder Bay Business Team on 35 years of promoting what’s best in the Northwest!

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

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The Press and The Print Continued Sherry: “You mentioned websites that

To access the print publication on the Internet, the publication is on ISSUU, which you will be directed to, after

In the old days you had employees that came into the office and put in their eight hours. Now everyone that helps us is an independent contractor. So, they work out of their own homes and they do specific things for us and are paid on specifically what they do.

We have someone who helps us in graphic design ad layouts, a marketing person and then we have a person that writes for us…LOL! What I’ve always wanted to do with Thunder Bay Business is accentuate the positives that are happening in the community. For example, the new Salvation Army Project on

people can access the magazines on, what would they be?”

Scott: We have www.thunderbaybusiness.ca where you can get the business paper. The Great Outdoors is at www.slednews.com and www.golfingnews.ca We also use social media to promote events we partcipate in and so on. I like Twitter and Instagram allows you easily to put up more pictures and videos combined in a post. Then you have Face Book and your YouTube channels, where you do your videos and there’s LinkedIn, which is a real connection of businesses. Social media is a huge factor in the world today.”

calling up the thunderbaybusiness.ca. in your search bar. ISSUU is a major electronic publishing platform, founded in 2006.

Sherry: “Speaking with you a while back, of team effort, and you being the publisher Scott, it seems that pretty much allow people to be creative on their own, developing their own clientele?”

Scott: “So, the way it works today, it’s much different than in the old days.

Cumberland Street, we did a feature story on it talking about it going up.

And we also like to point out companies celebrating their anniversaries. We enjoy helping them celebrate their success in business. We also present stories on new projects for the governments. There are also have some good writers each month who talk about areas of interest, like health or finances and business. So, it’s an informational tool for people and it allows people to find out more about what happening in the community…positive influence, not negative things, positive things.”

Continued

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

The Press and The Print Continued

Sherry: “How do you see the future of print Scott?”

Scott: “As time goes on, things will become more electronic and quicker.

Quicker access to information. When you do print, it takes longer to get print in to the readers hands. The beauty about the web is that you can add more

sights and sounds.”

Sherry: “Do you see print always being around?”

Scott: “I do, and for many, many years to come, but it is hard to say 35 years from now because you have to consider the environment. We don’t really know what the world will look like 35

years from now. Will we stop cutting down trees making newsprint and putting out publications- it may be less likely, just from an environmental aspect. I think it is similar to the sense of what will cars look like 35 years from now, they may be all electric. There is tons of potential. Right now, there about 7.5 billion people in the world and I don’t think we really

know what it will be 35 years from now.”

Sherry: “I think the world is really different now from the time that you and I grew up.”

Continued

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

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The Press and The Print Continued

with independent creativity and at the same time, direction to succeed.

Scott: “Yes, because just thinking about when I started this type of work, the computer that we used to produce the publication, just to do the layout, was like a 4 x 8 piece of plywood size…the printer and now you can do it on an iPad. It was very tedious and

We, along with all those who admirably appreciate Scott Sumner, for creating and sustaining his publication, through good times and bad, in the interest of promoting Thunder Bay and the businesses that sustain us as a city

time consuming work back then.”

Scott has a deep respect for entrepreneurs and business owners who have the responsibility of watching how every dollar is spent, in order to survive, especially in today’s very competitive market, which includes advertising.

and a region, we CONGRATULATE you Mr. Scott Sumner and we thank you for being the voice of positive influence for business and mankind.

THE PRESS AND THE PRINT STILL GOING STRONG!

Happy 35th Anniversary!

The current team of North Superior Publishing Inc. consists of, Scott Sumner – Publisher, Sylvia Gomez – Marketing Manager, Sherry Hanes – Feature Writer and Ad Sales, Miranda Vandenberg – Graphics Specialist.

Comments for congratulations to Scott Sumner are expressed sincerely by Sylvia Gomez, who has worked for North Superior Publishing Inc. for 14 years now and Sherry (Aalto) Hanes, who has been writing feature articles and ad content for the publication for the last 13 years. And also, Miranda Van den Berg, who has been the graphic artist specialist, making all ads look professional, for over the last 5 years.

It has and continues to be, a great experience working for and with Scott Sumner, who gives the freedom to fly

As a feature writer for Scott Sumner, North Superior Publishing Inc., for the past 13 years, it has been and continues to be my personal pleasure for expressing passion through the presentation of news worthy articles of Thunder Bay and our Northern Region.

Having the opportunity for meeting people from all over the world and being able to write about them in the Thunder Bay Business publication, leaves me with deep respect and gratitude for my publisher. I congratulate Scott on his 35 years of successful print publication and

even though he insists, 'It is a team effort'...it all had to start somewhere! Congratulation Scott!

Sherry Hanes

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THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

A Christmas Charity Story Story by: Sherry Hanes It was a cold December night, the 20th to be exact, a few days just before Christmas. It was around 3:00 A.M. The alarms at the local car dealership had just been set off. Three police cars responded to the call only moments after the piercing shrill of the alarms resounded throughout the streets of the little town. Police rushed the front doors of the showroom, as they had already been smashed in by the perpetrator to gain entry. Inside, they could see a dark figure scrambling frantically towards the back exit. You could hear the heavy breathing of the young soul as he was trying to make his now failed escape. The police called out loudly to the man.

“Hey! You there! Stop and give yourself up!

Don’t try to run for it or we will have to use force!”

Still trying to run like a scared rabbit, the meek, darkened figure realized his attempts to try to resist would only bring the next level of force that would only mean a greater conviction for him. He immediately stopped and threw up his hands. Exhaling with the sound of defeat, a soft and shattered voice replied from behind the cash counter.

“O.k.! O.k.! I surrender!” as he fell to his knees, begging the police to go easy on him.

Quickly two police officers detained the accused, rose him to his feet and cuffed him.

They read him his rights, escorted him outside and placed him in the back seat of the cruiser.

They drove him to the police station for processing as he trembled and sobbed at his now, virtuous demise.

At the station, one of the officers contacted the owner of the dealership, informing him of the break-in.

“We’re sorry to call you so late Mr. Rollinson but, your place of business was broken into just about 30 minutes ago and we have a suspect in custody. He is headed for the station right now, where he will be held in lock-up until his hearing in the morning.”

“Oh my God! Do you know who did this?”

“We don’t know who he is yet, but we will keep you informed.” Replied the officer.”

The officer continued, “If you could go to the showroom and meet with the investigating officers, they would appreciate you verifying some information for the incident report, that would be a big help right now.”

The owner, we will call, Bud, went down to the dealership promptly and then after verifying security information and providing a statement, he headed off to the police station.

Bud was upset, but he was also curious as to what would make someone think there was any cash in the showroom, or even the building for that matter?

Upon his arrival at the police station, Bud anxiously approached one of the attending officers.

“Officer? Officer? I was wondering, is there any possibility for me to see who the accused is or can I get to talk to him? I just want to ask him something?”

“Well, Mr. Rollinson, we don’t usually allow the victim to speak with the accused. I would have to check it with the Captain.”

Bud thought for a few seconds and then asked the officer to proceed with his request.

One hour later, as the accused was huddled up and vibrating from his ordeal in his holding cell. Mr. Rollinson was pacing the hall, waiting to see if his request to take audience with the young man would be granted. The Captain finally arrived and stood before Bud, Mr. Rollinson.

“I understand that you wish to speak to the accused, Mr. Rollinson?”

“That’s right Captain. Just for a few minutes.”

He replied.

“Can you tell me Mr. Rollinson what would be your intention to speak with this young man?”

“Well. You see Sir, I just find it really strange that someone would want to break into my business…and for what? I don’t hold any cash in the building and other than that…I only have inventory. I am just really, really curious and I have to ask the young man myself.”

The Captain hesitated for a brief moment, looking Mr. Rollinson up and down, and then he replied.

“I’ll give you five minutes and five minutes only. We have never done this before ever but, then again, no one has ever asked so, keep it civil and I will allow it. Should you disregard my instruction, or agitate or aggravate the prisoner, the visit will cease immediately. Are we clear on that?”

“Oh. Yes Sir! Absolutely clear! Thank you!

Thank you so much!”

Bud was then lead down the corridor and through the security doors, accompanied by two officers. He was frisked and lead to the prisoner’s cell.

As they approached the jail cell, the one officer called out to the young man, “Hey. Wake up.

You have a visitor.”

The young man begrudgingly sat up at looked at the stranger that stood before him. Bud was an older man, around 60 years of age. The greying hair around the edges of his face and his lines of character around his eyes and mouth, portrayed him as a man who saw the better part of his youth. Wearing a brown, double breasted suit of heavy winter material, covered by a full length woolen black dress coat and a Fedora tipped off to one side, Mr. Rollinson exuded exacting confidence in his presentation of himself. No ego. No ‘better than you’ attitude. Just an ordinary, hardworking businessman that made his way through life and all its ups and downs.

The young prisoner had an attitude of anger and distain. The officer advised the young man to have a change of expression because Mr. Rollinson came in good faith and is not here to challenge him nor to ridicule him, nor judge him. He continued to inform the young man to oblige the curtesy to Mr. Rollinson, of answering a few questions for him. He also announced to the young man that the man that stood before him was the owner of the dealership that he had just broken into and that he should at least allow him as much as a five, minute conversation.

The young man stared into the eyes of Mr. Rollinson and saw for himself that, Bud was not someone that looked to have any ill intentions towards him so, he arose from his bed and walked slowly over to the edge of the cell, but he still chose to show some resistance to the request. With a confrontational attitude, the young man began to speak.

“Yeah? What is it I can do for you?”

“On the contrary, my friend…what can I do for you?”

The young man stood to attention… confused and bewildered by the response from this older, but yet seemingly wiser, gentleman.

“What do you mean? What can you do for me? I just got through breaking into your precious little business and you’re asking, what can YOU do for me???”

Bud was a bit annoyed at the response by the accused. Making it out to be like HE was the victim in all this.

“Without a doubt my friend, I am aware that you broke into my ‘precious’ little place of business, as you call it…what I really want to know is just one thing.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that old man?” the young man retorted.

Holding his demeanour at ‘cool’, Bud took a step closer to the boy and looking him straight in the eye, whispered these words, “Tell me honestly son…Why? Just why did you choose my place? What could possibly be there for you to steal?”

The young man stepped back away from Bud and immediately felt the pangs of all of his past coming to get him. He weakened in his stance and fell slowly against the cell wall. He had not expected that question. He was expecting something like ‘What the hell is wrong with you? What’s wrong with you anyway? Do you know how much this mess is going to cost me?’ The young man fumbled and stuttered with his words for a moment, clearing his throat and then he replied.

“Look old man…I didn’t really want to do this…I was only going to take one of your buggies and get a good dollar for it so I could get enough food to last the month and maybe a room somewhere, where it’s warm and has a bed in it!”

Bud took a good look at the young man and he could see that his clothes were torn, moldy and disheveled. His finger nails were all broken

and chiseled and his hair was ragged and he smelled of someone who had not bathed for months. His skin was of leather and his teeth were rotting. But his eye? His eyes revealed he had remorse and if there was remorse…there was, somewhere deep down inside, a soul crying out!

Bud told the young man “That’s o.k. if you don’t want to say anymore. I just wanted to know why is all” and then Bud moved back away from the cell and told the officer that he was ready to leave now. The young man jolted himself forward, into the cell bars, reaching out for Mr. Rollinson.

“Hey mister? So, what is it that you were going to do for me? I mean…you mentioned it?”

Bud looked at the painfully broken person and said, “You’ll see in the morning. But in the meantime, I want you to think about what kind of person you want to become. I will be back in the morning and I will expect an answer from you.”

That was all Bud said and then he motioned to the officer to show him out.

The next morning came rather quickly and Bud came to the court house, as he said he would.

The case hearing came up for remand and as the judge, who had seen more years than Bud and the young accused combined, read the charge out to the accused who was standing before the court. Mr. Rollinson stepped forward from behind the public seating area, to the bench. He asked His Honour to indulge his request to be heard before sentencing of this young man. His Honour, knowing Bud personally, granted Bud permission to be heard, and asked him to keep it brief.

“Your Honour?” Bud started, clearing his throat.

“Your Honour? At the risk of appearing not to be of sound mind, I most earnestly request from his Honour that this young man be placed my care, under house arrest so that we may show kindness to this poor soul and practice Christmas charity by offering rehabilitation under the guidance and instruction as set out by His Honour, with the condition that, if the young man deviates, even slightly, from the prescribed conditions, sentencing shall be immediately enforced and he shall be incarcerated for twice the full term of his sentence in the provincial penitentiary?”

His Honour was shocked by Bud’s request but he fully understood the reasoning behind it.

You see, not too many years ago, Bud himself stood before this same judge, when the judge was a younger man, and Bud was just a young boy of twenty-two, pleading his own case.

Bud was a troubled young man who had taken that wrong turn down a long and lonely road.

A young boy, abandoned by family and society, Bud was left to fend for himself out on the streets. Fighting and stealing every day for life and limb, Bud too endured the hardships of a violent and emotionally tortuous life, until one day, he stood in this very court room, his doomed soul and life, soon to be cemented in incarceration, with no opportunity for redemption. And then, like a prayer whispered and answered on the breath of an angel, a man, much like Bud himself today, stepped forward and begged upon the mercy of the court to have the opportunity to offer redemption and rehabilitation for the young man, we now know as Bud. And now today, Bud, Mr. Rollinson, makes the same request to His Honour, with hopeful heart to pay forward the kindness that was afforded him, and changed his whole life.

His Honour, gazed upon Bud with a long, humbled stare and then slowly turned and proceeded to address the young man standing before him today.

“Young man.” Demanding the young man’s undivided attention.

“Young man? Do you have any idea what is happening here right now? This man. This

man that has worked so hard to turn his life around and who has without a doubt became one of the most respected citizens and businessman in our town, now offers you the gift of a freedom that you will never have the good fortune to receive again. This man is not only offering you the opportunity to have a safe and warm place to live for the next six months, but also the greatest opportunity you will ever be granted to change your life. A place to rehabilitate yourself, should you be so inclined to be honest with yourself and literally change your ways with the help of the courts, this man and his great family. Should you choose to be released to this man, under house arrest, for the next six months, you must follow every rule to the letter. Should you decide to not take this opportunity to make good of whatever is left of your sad life, you shall be imprisoned for the full duration of your sentence with no chance for reconsideration. What say you?”

The young man stood in disbelief, as no one has ever even offered so much as to lift a finger to help guide him or show him a better way to live. Orphaned and kicked around, the young man awoke to each day with the same feeling of despair and hopelessness. But today?

Today…All that can change. All he had to do was make a simple decision, and then he spoke.

“Your Honour.” He said, as he started to tear up, feeling his throat thickening from the deepening of his gratitude.

“It is my belief that I am being offered this reprieve in life, from a prayer I had long ago.

Even though I do not understand it, mine is not to question this gift and I gratefully accept the conditions of this man’s generous offer and that of the courts. I shall obey all rules and leave myself open to change, for I am not capable of thinking myself into good acting, therefore, with the help of His Honour, this court and this man, I must learn to act myself into good thinking, which should ultimately rehabilitate me, one day at a time.”

The young man was released into the care of Mr. Rollinson and he and Bud formulated a friendship that could only be perceived as a ‘father-son’ relationship. The young man worked alongside Bud for the duration of his sentence and then, for many years after that.

The guidance and support that Bud and his family bestowed upon this young, troubled soul, proved to be the missing piece that was so much needed in the early stages of his life.

The young man grew to be that older, humbled businessman and when Bud, Mr. Rollinson passed away fifteen years after he had taken the young man under his wing, he left a legacy and his business to Brandon Rollinson. That’s right. Bud adopted the young man as his own son and called the car dealership Rollinson and Rollinson. Brandon, the rehabilitated man he always wanted to be, promised his boss, his dad, that he would always pay it forward and show the spirit of charity, not only at Christmas, but, at any time of year.

Sixteen years later, one year after Bud had passed, … It was a cold December night, the 20th to be exact, a few days just before Christmas. It was around 3:00 A.M. The alarms at the local car dealership had just been set off.

Three police cars responded to the call only moments after the piercing shrill of the alarms resounded throughout the streets of the little town.

There is a reason for everything. Sometimes, events are arranged to test our souls. Some are arranged to have us ‘get the message’, while others are arranged for us to ‘be the message’.

When you think of charity, it is not always about money. Charity does not come from a bank account. It comes from your heart and if you see things through your heart, you will always get to see the results of what true charity can do.

The End. May you have a Charitable heart, now during this Holiday Season and throughout the entire year.

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

PAGE 13

Northern Mat & Bridge Announces Major Expansion Plans in Northern Ontario.

Alberta-based company is opening new facilities & services in Thunder Bay. Northern Mat & Bridge, Canada's leading provider of environmentally responsible access solutions, is announcing a series of expansion initiatives designed to provide the additional capacity required for its business growth in Northern Ontario.

The innovative Alberta-based company currently has seven coast to coast offices across Canada, and provides temporary and emergency access mat and bridge solutions to industries including Power Transmission & Distribution, Pipelines, Oil & Gas, Emergency Response, Renewable Energy, Forestry, Mining and General Construction.

Company executives are in Thunder Bay today for a special Northern Roll Out Celebration with community leaders from across the region. The announcements

include the opening of a new Northern Ontario regional office located in Fort William First Nation, and the appointment of Matt Dupuis, former Chief of Red Rock Indian Band, to the position of Business Development and Indigenous/Stakeholder Engagement.

Says Scott Henderson, President of Northern Mat & Bridge; "Our company has grown exponentially over the last two decades, from just a few employees in one province to hundreds of professionals across Canada. We view this expansion into Northern Ontario as the next logical stage of our growth strategy. Northern Mat & Bridge has provided products and services across the region for over five years but we decided it was the right time to invest more heavily with permanent operations and a stronger local team to better serve Northern Ontario customers."

Northern Mat & Bridge is also unveiling plans to open a new manufacturing

facility in the region today. Whilst it is too early to announce exactly where the new manufacturing facility will be located, Northern Mat & Bridge is committing the resources to access mats, crane and rig mats, and portable bridge manufacturing capabilities in Northern Ontario.

As part of their announcements, a new strategic partnership with Sudbury-based company, Lessard Welding, was also made official. Northern Mat & Bridge is now the official distributor of the company's access bridges to Eastern Canadian markets.

Says Steve Lessard, Project Manager, Lessard Welding; "We are very proud of this new strategic partnership with Northern Mat & Bridge. Through this business alliance, we now have even greater capacity to supply temporary access bridge solutions to industries across Eastern Canada."

Says Matt Dupuis, Director of Business Development and Indigenous/Stakeholder Engagement; "There is incredible growth potential for Northern Mat & Bridge in the north. These innovative products enable crews and heavy equipment to safely and reliably reach remote geographic areas for large scale construction and development projects. I am delighted to be joining this highly-qualified team to expand this business market but also looking forward to creating new economic development, employment and training opportunities for local people and communities."

The Thunder Bay office, located in Fort William First Nation, officially opened last week. Future details regarding the manufacturing facility will be released in the coming months. www.northernmat.ca

City Launches 50th Anniversary Plans for 2020 On January 1, 2020 Thunder Bay will celebrate 50 years since the amalgamation of the cities of Fort William, Port Arthur and towns of Neebing and McIntyre merging to create Thunder Bay.

“Celebrations will kick-off with an opening community celebration taking place on New Year’s Day, in partnership with HMC Griffith and Thunder Bay Garrison,” said Councillor Shelby Ch’ng, Chair of the 50th Anniversary Committee.

A collection of photos will also be available of memorable moments that define Thunder Bay. Photos will be posted to the website highlighting a moment from Thunder Bay’s history. Residents can share their memories by commenting and sub-

For more details and 50th Anniversary information, visit: www.thunderbay.ca/onecityfiftyyears

mitting their own memorable moments from the past 50 years.

Contact: Stacey Levanen, Supervisor – Corporate Communications, 625-3650

Mayor Bill Mauro, Councillor Shelby Ch’ng and members of the 50th Anniversary Committee announced recently the city’s plans for a year’s worth of activities and incentives to help celebrate the upcoming 50th Anniversary.

The 50th Anniversary Committee began as the official Civic Pride Task Force in 2016.

Recognizing the City was soon to turn 50, the committee revised its direction to encompass a focus on generating civic pride in time for Thunder Bay’s 50th, as well as instilling excitement for the future.

The committee includes representatives from Chamber of Commerce, Lakehead University, Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, Thunder Bay Historical Museum and Thunder Bay Public Library.

In addition, Committees of Council representatives from Clean, Green and Beautiful, Sister Cities, and Official Recognition join city officials to round out the 50th committee.

“The Corporation is hard at work on a years-worth of activities to celebrate the last 50 years of Thunder Bay’s people, success stories, history, culture, heritage and diversity,” said Mayor Bill Mauro.

“Tourism Thunder Bay will be promoting a campaign throughout the year to engage residents to be ambassadors for our community and invite their friends and family to plan a visit back to Thunder Bay in 2020.”

The 50th anniversary logo was inspired by the coming together of two cities, Port Arthur and Fort William, in amalgamation to form Thunder Bay. The "5" incorporates graphics that represent Port Arthur landmarks and the "0" incorporates Fort William landmarks, which come together to form Thunder Bay.

“We will be opening the time capsule from 25 years ago, holding a community pancake breakfast, and there will be free activities for the community in Waverly Park so mark your calendars!”

Residents and visitors can also expect to see an added 50th flair to all City annual events, including a special Homecoming event in August, and a culminating community event at the end of the year.

“We would also like to encourage local business and organizations to adopt this beautiful 50th Anniversary theme and logo for their events, and products,” added Ch’ng. “We are already moving forward with a few local businesses, and would love to see more adopt this new logo.”

Other projects and activities throughout the year include: · Website engagement opportunities · Special scrolls recognizing 50th Birthdays and Anniversaries in 2020 · One-time, short-term funding for special activities or events with 50th Anniversary theme · New time capsule created · Dedicated Art Transit bus · New Digital Walking tour app · City Hall and street light banners · Legacy projects · And much more!

The information contained in this email message may be privileged, confidential and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any review, dissemination, distribution or copying is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email message in error, please notify the sender by reply email and delete the message and any attachments.

PAGE 14

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

Playing Catch Up how: If you find yourself late to the retirement savings game don’t let your lack of savings get you down - it’s never too late to start!

By creating a plan, setting realistic financial goals, and understanding incomeincreasing strategies, you will be able to contribute to your retirement nest egg and boost your retirement income. It will take effort and strategizing, but it is possible.

It will be imperative to stay focused and stick with your plan because, as the old saying goes, “time is money.” The first thing that you will need to do is reset your money mindset: focus on the end result, regardless of financial distractions and tough times that may lie ahead. The best way to stay focused on your goal is to have a plan. A plan will keep you on track and will help you to attain – and maintain – your momentum going forward. Here’s

Start Today

Making the commitment to save, starting today, will provide you with a pretty decent nest egg. Let’s look at an example: You and your spouse, both age 50, are on a tight budget and you can each set aside only $10 per day in savings. You both plan to retire at age 70.

If you and your spouse were able to save $7,300 per year for 20 years, it could have a great impact on your future. At a 10% compounded rate, it would approach $500,000. Even at a 5% compounded rate, it would be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cut Your Spending

For most people, it’s the latter. I have seen people who never made over $30,000/year retire comfortably, while couples who made hundreds of thousands of dollars approach retirement almost penniless. Too many new cars, boats, jet skis, fancy vacations, etc. If this sounds familiar, it is time to become more frugal. Being frugal doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun. It simply means staying at the Comfort Inn instead of the Ritz Carlton and buying a used car, not the brand new one.

Work a Little Longer

Here’s what it would look like: YOU: $10 PER DAY X 365 DAYS = $3,650 PER YEAR YOUR SPOUSE: $10 PER DAY X 365 DAYS = $3,650 PER YEAR TOTAL: $7,300 PER YEAR

Generally, there are two reasons for not saving: you haven’t earned enough relative to your expenses or your spending habits are more than they should be.

Working a few more years than planned, will significantly impact your retirement income. You would be able to continue contributing to your savings and each dollar that you earn while working is a dollar that doesn’t need to be taken out of your retirement savings. This reduces the number of years that your savings will need to generate income for you. You could also stay on your group health insurance coverage, which can be a real plus, especially if you aren’t yet age 65 and have no postretirement health benefits. Additionally, waiting to take your OAS and CPP retirement benefits, will increase your retirement income.

Side Hustle

Consider getting part-time work and potentially save 100 percent of the part-time job’s wages. Today, there are many opportunities available for part-time work with flexible hours.

Downsizing

Downsizing to a smaller or less costly living arrangement may be an option to consider. If your kids have left the nest and you’re paying to heat and cool areas of your home that are no longer being used, what you can save in utilities, mortgage, and property tax payments from downsizing can be shifted over and added to your retirement savings.

Get Started Now!

The best financial advice in the world can’t help the person who doesn’t get started.

The strategies we’ve discussed here can make all the difference and help you to secure your retirement.

It is always best to discuss with your financial planner. Call us today to get a clear picture of your financial future.

Michael Morrow is a Certified Financial Planner and Life Insurance Advisor at Morrow Financial Incorporated. He has authored 4 books for financial advisors and their clients. He can be reached at 807 684 1805, mike@morrowfinancial.ca Don’t Worry Retire Happy is available at Chapters.

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

PAGE 15

Thunder Bay Business Community Confident About Economy Thunder Bay Ventures announced the results of their 2nd Thunder Bay and Area Business Confidence Index produced by

Lakehead University recently.

“It is very nice to see the business index is

quite stable, meaning people are quite confident about the economy. People are asking for more collaborative efforts working together with governments to increase the economy and attractiveness of Thunder Bay,”said Claudio Pousa, Professor of Business and Marketing Research, Lakehead University.

“The business confidence index is very similar as the one completed by us two years ago. It is a thermometer of the people of Thunder Bay.” There were 184 people responded to the survey. The response rate was 5% but is a significant sample.

Above: Martin Wyant, Executive Director,Thunder Bay Ventures

There was a lot of concern from business-

es around crime and panhandling.

“Overall the results of the survey are very positive. 92% of the businesses felt their revenues will remain stable or increase in the future. Overall the confidence remains good,” said Camillo Lento, Associate Professor of Accounting, Lakehead University. “ Every community has its issues but there is a lot of good news not reported. The escalating costs of doing business was an issue mentioned as well.”

You can see the full survey results at www.thunderbayventures.com

PAGE 16

THUNDER BAY BUSINESS DECEMBER 2019

PARO Announces Northern Ontario’s Business Women of 2019 and Celebrates 25 years PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise (PARO) celebrated business women across the North and its 25th anniversary. The 2019 PAROBiz25th Event and Awards Gala recognized the achievements of 8 women who have turned their entrepreneurial ideas into successful businesses.

Rising Star Ann Marie Colanego Prime Gelato Changemaker Entrepreneur of the Year

PARO CEO & Founder, Rosalind Lockyer says; “There are hundreds of PARO women achieving their business dream in their communities and moving the region forward as changemakers. This year’s winners are role models who represent diverse ages, cultures and sectors. PARO is thrilled to celebrate 25 years and the value and potential of women in business.”

Lori Paras The Hub Bazaar

The PAROBiz Annual Event and Awards Gala is designed to celebrate women entrepreneurs and changemakers, to encourage both investment in women-owned startups and expansion, and to encourage people to shop in women-owned businesses. This year’s event, featured a Pop-Up Market with local products and items, and several workshops from local businesses discussing strategies and success stories including Craft Revival and Wake the Giant. The fullday event wrapped up with an Awards Dinner and Gala.

In- Development

The 2019 PAROBiz event kicked off in the

morning with an inspiring address from keynote speaker critically acclaimed Academy Award winner, Cree singer-songwriter, Buffy Sainte-Marie. Known for being a disruptor of the status quo, SainteMarie is a pioneer and tireless advocate. In 1969, she made one of the world’s first electronic vocal albums, in 1982 became the only Indigenous person to win an Oscar, and spent five years on Sesame Street where she became the first woman to breastfeed on national television. PARO surprised Sainte-Marie, presenting her with a special PARO Inaugural Women Voice Award.

The PAROBiz Annual Event and Awards Gala offers a community of support and brings together likeminded individuals who want to make a positive impact for women in business. Since 1995, PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise has helped thousands of women across Northern Ontario to PAROBiz25th Awards Winners New Business of the Year Louise Mckissick Maamawi Counselling Centre Established Business of the Year Erin May The Body Mind Centre

PARO Building Bridges of the Year Tanja Ruth Shadows Caring Hands PARO Circle of the Year

PARO Partner of the Year City of Thunder Bay Manager, Supply Management, Dan Munshaw

PARO Alumni of the Year

Suzan Cooper Rochon The Perfect Fit