Minding Our Business - December 08

MINDING OUR

BUSINESS CENTRE WELLINGTON

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 12

‘Tis the Season December 2008 PUBLISHED IN COOPERATION WITH THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER

MILE STONES Anniversary Left to right: Eunice Emke, Groves Breast Screening Program; Sharon O’Sullivan, Curves and Genevieve Oliver owner of Curves.

Curves, 105 Queen St W Fergus, as part of it’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign and to celebrate it’s 8th anniversary held a “Girls Night In” featuring games, prizes, information tables, refreshments and award presentations to members. During the month of October Curves raised funds for the mammography program at Groves Hospital. The total raised was $875. Thank you to all who participated.

New Location (Left) Impact Physiotherapy Performance’s ribbon cutting was held November 26th at 855 St David Street North, Unit 4, Fergus. Congratulations Ronda Schnurr- Smith on your beautiful new location.

New Business Frank Savoie (formerly from Fergus Computer) has opened his new business “Computer Doc” specializing in ‘at your home service’. Frank may be reached at 519.803.0354.

Bronze Winner of the OGTA Market Expansion Award Celebrating 20 Years!

Gatten Chiropractic Healthcare held an Open House celebrating 20 years in Fergus.

Congratulations.

The office is located at 181 St Andrew St, Upper Level, Fergus .

New Management (left and right ) Belwood Pines Family Restaurant 519-787-6651 is under the new management of Maria, Chris, Paul and Selio Azeredo from Maria’s Family Restaurant in Georgetown. Welcome to the community!

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(above) JAY•LOR manufactures and exports vertical mixers for beef and dairy operations throughout the world.“Everyone at JAY•LOR® is extremely pleased to be the recipient of this Ontario Chamber of Commerce award for Market Expansion,” says President Jake Tamminga, (left) receiving the award with Marty Philippi, International Sales Manager.

about

THIS ISSUE

MINDING OUR

BUSINESS

Minding Our Business is a business magazine focusing on items of interest to commercial, retail, industrial and service businesses in Centre Wellington.

COVER ‘Tis the season for Peace, Goodwill and Plenty of Stress.

David Meyer interviews Trieneke Niemeyer, a Mental Health Coordinator for the Upper Grand Family Health team

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MILESTONES Openings | Awards | Moves

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FERGUS BIA Why Think Local First?

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ELORA BIA The Spirit of the Season

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BDC Money Can’t Buy You Happiness

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‘Tis the Season ...

David Meyer

THE CHAMBER PAGES

general policy Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for the signatures, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisements will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. Persons wishing information regarding circulation, rates and additional service are invited to contact our office for further details. The publisher accepts responsibility for claims and honors agreements made by himself or by regular staff on his behalf.

No responsibility is accepted for actions by person(s) not in the employ of the paper, or otherwise over whom the Publisher has no control. All Advertising accepted is done so in good faith. The Publisher maintains the right to approve or reject advertising and articles submitted for publication.

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CFIB Business Travel

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EDC Eloras New Development and Redevelopment Underway

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CONTACT LISTING BUSINESS DIRECTORY

contact

Box 252, Fergus, Ontario N1M 2W8 519-843-5410 telephone 519-843-7607 facsimile

TRACY GROUP BENEFITS Continuing Income in the Event of Disability

MINDING OUR

BUSINESS

On the Web Chamber Calendar Meet the Members

December 08 | PAGE 3

Fergus BIA

WHY THINK LOCAL FIRST? community groups • Local Businesses pay taxes to your community and therefore enrich and improve it • Helps support local events such as the Santa Claus Parade.

The Wellington-Waterloo CFDC is a non-profit, community based corporation funded by the Federal Government through the Community Futures Program.

Our goals are: • to help small businesses in the Wellington-Waterloo Regions be successful thereby creating jobs • to assist in the planning and implementation of initiatives that will improve the economy of the Wellington-Waterloo Regions Our doors are always open and we are delighted to provide the following services for entrepreneurs: • Business advice, consulting, information and referrals • Help with business plans • Entrepreneurial training • Information on relevant federal and provincial programs and services If you or someone you know is looking for a little guidance, support or just a second opinion give us a call or drop in to visit.

519-846-9839 www.wwcfdc.com

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Julia Tyndale-Biscoe LET’S FACE IT – MOST OF US ARE CAREFUL HOW WE SPEND OUR DOLLARS. With Christmas fast approaching we think about spending money on dining with loved ones and friends, gifts, entertainment and more. We can choose to shop locally and support our own community or enrich someone else’.

What happens to the dollars we spend at some box stores in other communities?

Naturally, they are delighted to relieve you of your hard earned dollars and in return, some have all that money whisked out of the country within 24 hours.

And what happens to your money when you choose to think local first? Well, a number of things which all help to stimulate local economy: • Creating and maintaining local jobs for local people • Invest in community improvement/development • Helping provide a community focal point for social & community activities • Helping to fund town services and

An excellent way of thinking local first and supporting your own community is through BIA dollars. They can be used as cash at any of our downtown businesses.

They are available for sale at The BIA office located at 160 Provost Lane.

Please call for more info on 519 7871384 or visit www.fergusbia.ca for details.

On behalf of the Merchants of Downtown Fergus, please accept our best wishes for a Happy Christmas and New Year. Santa Claus looks forward to seeing you downtown during the parade on Saturday December 6th at 1:30 PM. Ho! Ho! Ho!

THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON In mid-November we asked our members to tell us how they were planning to make the holiday season special in Elora this year.

With four inches of snow on the ground and the temperature dipping to -10°C each evening, business owners didn’t have to work too hard to get into the spirit of the season! With no shortage of replies or enthusiasm, here’s what some of them had to say.

Jodi Pallagi at A Weed Bit Natural (136 Metcalfe Street) is featuring hemp products, organic clothing and other great green gifts this December. Weed Bit invites you to enjoy a hemp coffee while you shop, and is pleased to announce that all of the proceeds from its gift wrapping service will be donated to the David Suzuki Foundation’s “Save the Bears” program. December Hours: 11 AM - 6 PM, Sunday to Wednesday; and 11 AM - 8 PM Thursday to Saturday.

Kate Kurck has come up with some great ideas for Christmas at Whyms & Wyshes (on the Boardwalk behind Mill St. W). Look for the fair-trade pottery, gourd Christmas ornaments, and onyx and marble items. Kate is also pleased to introduce an exclusive line of adaptive casual clothing created by Katey Kapes.

There will be in-store specials featured each week, and a Boxing Day sale on December 27th. December Hours: 11 AM – 5 PM, Sunday to Thursday; and 11 AM - 6 PM, on Fridays and Saturdays.

You don’t have to makeup a reason to visit Rakesh Esthetics (71 Metcalfe Street) this month, now that they’re offering 20% off their Trilogy Natural Skincare line. Rakesh is taking appointments for pre-holiday party cosmetic applications, and gift certificates are always available for purchase. December Hours: 10 AM - 5 PM, Tuesday to Thursday; 10 AM - 6 PM, Fridays and Saturdays; and “by special appointment” on Sundays.

Elora BIA

Estate of Mind (36 Mill St. W) is filled to the brim with holiday gifts! Featured items include hand-signed copies of Anita Stewart’s award-winning cookbook "Anita Stewart's Canada", as well as a huge selection of jewellery, handbags, organic cotton nighties, and cozy Italian throws that will be sure to warm up you and your loved ones on the cold nights ahead!

Jammed Lovely (58 Mill St.W) continues to live up to its name this December, with a Christmas window display fit for the Bay and a plan to become your onestop-stocking-stuffer-store!

Laura receives new gift items daily, but keeps the shelves well-stocked with a few of your favourite things from the summer and fall. Make sure to get your loyalty card stamped the next time you visit, and don’t hesitate to ask about their complimentary gift wrapping service.

Come in from the cold and enjoy some complimentary apple cider! December Hours: 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday to Wednesday; and 10 AM - 8 PM,Thursday to Saturday.

The Toy Shoppe of Nature's Fire (40 Mill St. W) is wishing everyone a green Christmas as they introduce two ecofriendly lines. A wonderful tea set or dining set made entirely from recycled plastic milk bottles are both great gift ideas from Green Toys, and the Sprig Eco-Adventure series offers a number of “kid-powered” vehicles that are made in Canada from 100% recycled plastic and reclaimed wood.

Tim Horton

Elora resident Tim Horton has opened a new business “Write to the point” specializing in written material, proof reading, presentation, etc.

Tim may be reached at 519.846.0931

Marlene Pascoe at the Yarn Bird (22 Mill St.W) wants you to consider Pillow Pets for your little ones this Christmas. Part of the proceeds from the sale of each travel pillow or stuffed animal will be used to fund the fight against breast cancer. Pop by 22 Mill St. West to see what all the fuss is about.

December 08 | PAGE 5

BDC

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT BANK OF CANADA

MONEY CAN’T BUY YOU HAPPINESS MONEY CAN’T BUY HAPPINESS PARTICULARLY WITH EMPLOYEES Think giving your employee a generous raise will keep her loyal, motivated and less likely to jump ship? Don’t count on it.

BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) 519.571.6680 Don Cubbidge don.cubbidge@bdc.ca

Join

“It’s rarely ever about the money,” says Andrée Mercier, a principal with global human resources company, Hewitt Associates. “No matter what the generation, babyboomer or Generation X or Y, it comes down to three motivators: stimulating work, supportive management and work-life balance.”

These factors will not only help retain employees, but also recruit high-quality new ones. Canada’s low unemployment rate, coupled with a large wave of retiring workers and a migration of skilled labour to western Canada, has made finding and keeping talented people a number one priority for many companies. This is even more important

the Food Bank in delivering our service. we require donations year round!

Visits to the Food Bank have increased Please donate food to help fill the needs within the Community.

Tax receipts will be provided for financial donations 170 St. Andrew St. E. Fergus | N1M 2W8 519-787-1401 email: cwfoodbank@wightman.ca

www.cwfoodbank.org

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for small businesses where high employee turnover can wreak havoc with productivity and bottom lines.

A Hewitt Associates’ Best Employers in Canada study shows the country’s top 50 organizations scoring top marks in dealing with HR challenges – they have lower turnover among both their fulltime (27% lower) and part-time (48% lower) employees, receive more applications for job openings and experience better business results.

How do they do it? “By focusing on engagement,” says Mary Karamanos, senior vice-president, human resources, with the Business Development Bank of Canada.

“Engaged employees are generally more motivated, more productive, give better service to clients and are generally happier”, she says. “A large part of engagement comes down to the way you manage and communicate with your employees. Be open and honest, share information, be inclusive and ask your employees for their input.”

Engagement begins before an employee has even been hired. How you word a recruitment ad influences the type of applicants who come forward.While you want to make the position and the company sound as enticing as possible, be careful what you promise.

Mercier says branding your company is a good idea and helps you to attract the right kind of people, but ensure the employee’s experience lives up to the hype: “Our surveys show there’s a big drop off in engagement after about 12 months, when the honeymoon is over.

So, if you’re branding yourself as a sexy place to work, be sure you can deliver on what you’re selling.”

THE CHALLENGES OF GENERATION Y Generation Y (ages 18-25) employees represent a potentially huge talent pool – more than 70 million in North America alone. And unlike many Gen Xers and babyboomers, these highly tech-savvy Gen Yers are adept multitaskers and extremely achievement- and goal-oriented. They are also likely to change jobs every couple of years.

For small companies, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. A company with only a dozen or so employees will have limited opportunities for promotions, but they are often more flexible in their ability to structure the job around a person’s skill sets.

For example, if you have a receptionist with a background in communications, get him or her involved in developing a communications strategy for the company, writing press releases or even a company newsletter.

PLAN AHEAD – BE PREEMPTIVE All companies, regardless of size, should have a performance management system as a key component of any human resources strategy. This can be developed with the help of a consultant, or at a minimum, pick up any of the many books available on the subject.

“This is fairly easy to put in place.What’s more difficult is having the discipline and the rigour to evaluate your employees’ performance at least once a year – to discuss how they are progressing, their areas for development and where they want to go longer term in their career,” says Karamanos.

A sound HR plan should be integrated in your business plan and strategy. It should also include some forward thinking on what type of talent your company is going to need two-to-three years from now. Consider where your company is going, such as expanding into different market segments, products or

services. Also consider your normal turnover and pending retirements. This will help you focus on what type of skills and capabilities your organization will have to develop and/or acquire to achieve its goals.

“This type of planning allows you to be very proactive in tapping into your internal workforce to develop the skills you will need, and more importantly, taking steps to hook up with your future workforce externally before you even need to hire them,” says Mercier.

AFFORDABLE TIPS FOR MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES 1. Make the job interesting: The more accurate and realistic you are about job specifications and requirements, the more likely your people will feel motivated to do a good job.

CORRECTION In the last issue of MOB (November 2008) Arsic Jewelry and Watch Inc., was mistakenly noted as offering new and used lines of jewelry and watches.

This is not the case.

The firm does not sell used jewelry and has never sold used jewelry.

Zoran Arsic, is certified by numerous international brands to repair timepieces.

Additionally, the spelling of Ksenija Arsic was wrong.

MOB apologizes for these unintentional errors.

2. Give feedback: Feedback allows your employees to develop and improve skills and capabilities that will have a greater impact on your company.

3. Manage your top performers: Get their input often, point out where they need to improve and reward excellent performance with extra perks.

4. Give innovative perks: Consider flexible work hours, downtime for hard work and tele-work opportunities.

5. Reinforce team spirit and recognize team/employee efforts and contributions: Through dinners, sports events or informal gatherings at your home. Assign new employees a buddy to help during orientation.

MINDING OUR

BUSINESS Sherry Clarke DISPLAY AD SALES call to reserve your ad space!

519.843.5410 mob@wellingtonadvertiser.com 905 Gartshore St., Fergus

December 08 | PAGE 7

the chamber OF COMMERCE

ON THE WEB

Chamber Calendar Chamber Calendar of Events December 6th Fergus Santa Claus Parade “Past & Present” starts at GSW at 1:30pm.

December 10th Business After Hours at Tynavon B&B. 5:30 - 7:30 PM. Please RSVP to relax@tynavon.ca or call 519-846-6695.

There is no cost to attend.

January 21st Business After Hours at Arthur Travel (216 St. Andrew Street West, Fergus).

RSVP to Mary at 519-787-7870 or email arthurtravel@hotmail.com. There is no cost to attend.

January 28th The CWCC Annual Mayor’s Breakfast, sponsored by OLG, at Heritage River Retirement Residence (formerly Wellington Terrace) 7:30 a.m. Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj will be giving an update on the Township happenings. This is a great opportunity to come out and meet the Mayor, Councillors and senior Department Heads as well enjoy a hot buffet breakfast. Cost is still only $20 for Members and $25 for Future Members. RSVP to 519-843-5140 or email chamber@cwchamber.ca For more information please call 519-843-5140 or email chamber@cwchamber.ca

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NARDO KUITERT nardo@ ucwebs.com.

BLOGGING – BEYOND THE HYPE The Internet has had a profound effect on our lives. It has enriched our vocabulary as well: I Google, you Google, I blog, do you blog? “Blog” is one such word where a tool has turned into a verb. Blog is short for “web log”, and it is often used as a sort of online journal or diary.The entries, called posts, are usually ordered in reverse-chronological order, so with the most recent entries shown first. The home page of a blog is often a collection of the most recent 3-10 blog posts.The number of blogs has exploded over the past few years; one of the appeals to its users is the ease of use, freely accessible software and the fact that search engines love blogs – frequently updated websites are deemed relevant, especially by Google.

There are several types of blog software available, both free and paid. Blogger.com and WordPress.com both have a huge number of users. These blogging platforms are hosted solutions with preinstalled software: you just have to register, choose a template and optionally change a few other settings and you are ready to go! URLs look somethinglike yourname.wordpress.com or yourname.blogger.com. Serious bloggers want to have more flexibility,

though, and want to have a blog on their own hosting package. Well-known software that provides this flexibility includes Wordpress.org and Movable Type. You can have an ordinary domain name like yourname.com, and can make many adjustments to the software as it is Open Source. Another benefit of the Open Source character of the software is that all kinds of free and paid templates can be found all over the web, as well as so called plug-ins: pages or programs that can add specific functionality to your blog. Adding a contact form or YouTube videos becomes child’s play with these plug-ins enabled.

One aspect that not everybody realizes is that blogging software can also be an effective Content Management System (CMS) for your website. It can even be employed as a hybrid (ah, such a contemporary word ;o), by using both “pages” and “posts”. You can have a “page” as your home page (instead of your most recent blog posts, in reversechronological order), complemented with other “pages” using standard hierarchical navigation, while still writing “posts” in reverse-chronological order, for more “off the cuff” type of content or articles. The nice thing about “posts” complementing “pages” is that posts do not have to be ordered in a certain navigational hierarchy; posts can be categorized using tags (or: labels) (these are sort of keywords) and categories (higher level of grouping). The structure of your site can grow organically.

So is a blog something to consider for everyone? Not necessarily. If you use the blog as a blog (journal, diary) then your readers expect frequent updates. You will have to commit to a regular writing schedule. But using the blogging software as an effective and easy to use CMS (did I mention: free?) can be done by anyone - anytime!

MEET THE MEMBERS MERMAID ANTIQUES Knock Knock. Who’s there? Owl. Owl who? Owl you know unless you open the door?

OK – enough with the knock knock.

Although, Elora’s Mermaid Antiques certainly doesn’t agree with that. They recently added a new type of product to their inventory: door knockers. The Door Knocker Room, as owner Marty Van Vliet calls it, has over 100 types of knockers to pick from, and soon the whole world can see them in his webshop as well. Asian, Celtic, nautical themes, – Marty has collected an impressive variety of door knockers from India, China, Syria, Marocco, Thailand, England, Ireland and the US. “Knock on wood it’ll work”, he jokes.

The door knockers are just one phase that Mermaid Antiques has gone through over the years. In order to survive in the volatile antique market you have to adapt. Elora used to house six antique stores, and is currently down to only two. “ Back in 1994, shabby chique was in” Marty recalls. Now young people are not that interested in antiques anymore – at all. People under 35 are buying IKEA, and TV shows about flipping houses only reinforce that trend.

the chamber OF COMMERCE

Mermaid Antiques is intending to stay, though. It is all about adjusting to the market, and business has been good over the years because of it. Furniture sales and traditional antiques like silver, china and glassware stopped working, so now the wide store is stuffed to the brim with a huge variety of unique goods, from antiques to imported new jewelry, old Persian carpets and recently added… door knockers. Finding out what works (and what not) has been a very gratifying experience: for Marty. “you learn a lot about new things all the time”, he said.

Mermaid Antiques does not want to dive in too deep too fast, so changes are made gradually.

Talking to Marty you understand why this retail chameleon has managed to thrive all these years where so many competitors were forced to close their doors.

According to Marty the secret is in knowing what your customers want. As most people visiting are daytrippers, the price has to be right and people have to be able to carry the merchandise out the store.

“Elora is an excellent niche with a definite independent streak.

Compared to Elora, St. Jacobs and Niagara On The Lake are merely malls” he said. His clients are a mix of local people and tourists. The Thanksgiving weekend is an example of how good business can be in Elora; it pulled in thousands of people. “Phenomenal!” The success of Elora?

Tourists are looking for entertainment, frivolity, lunch – not “life stuff” such as groceries, drug stores or insurance. Elora has a wide variety of frivolous stores, and natural beauty to complement these.

One of the major projects that Marty is working on with the Elora BIA right now is to further develop the assets that Elora has, like Lover’s Leap and the Tooth of Time.

“Many tourists leave without having seen it”.

So where did it all start for Mermaid Antiques? In 1992 Marty opened up a small store down the hill on Metcalfe Street.

A budding artist still, he sold his own artwork, such as paper maché lamps and sheet metal clocks. Like many artists he found that with selling his arts he could make money, but not make a living. So he started to supplement his income by buying and selling antiques as well. It grew into a full-time business. “I’m really stuck on being self-employed” – partially because he felt that decisions others made were often not up to his high standards.

But he does not work alone. He says he is lucky to have a good support network with employee Jane, neighbour Richard, friend Stephanie and partner Mark.

All friends are trained in “products and cash” so he can take a day off without having to close the store.

For more information about Mermaid Antiques you can call Marty at 519-8462504, or visit his store at 105 Metcalfe Street in Elora.

December 08 | PAGE 11

Tracy GROUP BENEFITS

CONTINUING INCOME IN THE EVENT OF DISABILITY If you were to wake up tomorrow, unable to go to work, what would be the immediate impact on your lifestyle? It would depend first on whether you are an employee or a business owner. As an employee you can register for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, which will pay you 55 percent of your pre-disability income, starting after two weeks, and paying for a maximum of 15 weeks.

Barney Tracy CFP, FLMI

As a business owner, you will have to rely on your own resources as you are not eligible for EI. Short-term disability benefits are available for business owners but, in most cases, the benefit must also be extended to the employees, thereby increasing costs.

Depending on the size of the company, it might be possible to set up two classes of coverage – for employees and owners – and include short-term benefits for owners while leaving the employees short term needs in the hands of EI, which you are paying for anyway.

The proverbial rubber really hits the road in situations where disability is of a longer term. Now other support systems drop away, and without an income the daily grind becomes just that – a grind. It is our contention that long-term disability benefits are critical – and are not the most costly portion of a benefit plan.This benefit allows a disabled employee to continue to

make a financial contribution to the household, thereby maintaining some semblance of their pre-disability lifestyle.

Generally speaking, an employee is productive when they are “at work” but the same cannot necessarily be said of an owner, who could be away from the office or shop and still be working “on” the business rather than “in” the business.

Because of the nature of a lot of owners’ responsibilities it is worth looking at a personal disability policy for owners instead of the group long-term disability.

This can provide a number of added features further helping the owner and his or her family.

These might include a cost of living rider, the ability to increase the benefit amount by simply submitting proof of increased income, an extended period when disability will be measured against the duties performed rather than the ability to perform “any occupation.”

We will explore additional aspects of disability protection in future issues of Minding Our Business.

Barney Tracy is a broker in the fields of group insurance, disability insurance and life insurance. He can be reached at btracy@groupbenefits.on.ca or (519) 820 1283.

While you’re looking after business, who’s looking after you?

Barney Tracy, CFP, FLMI Ph: (519) 820 1283 e-mail: btracy@groupbenefits.on.ca PAGE 12 | December 08

BUSINESS TRAVEL For many business owners, travelling is essential for maintaining strong working relationships with clients and partners.

With airlines continually increasing security measures and changing regulations it is important to stay on top of these to ensure a smooth and successful flight.

CFIB SUGGESTS THE FOLLOWING TIPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR TRIP: BEFORE YOU LEAVE: • Make sure you have all necessary documents prior to your departure.

Passport applications are available from your local postal station. The cost of the passport is $87.00 for adults and is valid for a maximum of 5 years.

Allow 2 to 4 weeks for your passport to be processed.

• As of June 1, 2009 you must present a Canadian passport when crossing into the United States.

• Be sure to tag your carry-on and checked baggage, including laptop computers. If you have a business address, put it on the tag instead of your home address.

AIR TRAVEL: • Airport agents are strongly enforcing carry-on luggage size and weight restrictions. Oversized carry-on bags cause many flight delays, so don’t forget to confirm your allowance before your trip. Generally, travellers are allowed to bring two pieces of carry-on baggage onto the aircraft. A piece of carry-on baggage could be a briefcase, knapsack, overnight bag, laptop computer or camera bag. In addition, passengers may also bring on board one personal item such as a purse or coat.

• Pass on the colas and coffee and have plain water in-flight. Drinking water is the best way to avoid dehydration.

• Request a low fat, vegetarian or other specialty meal and bring along some healthy snacks that can come to the rescue if your flight is delayed or you need a quick pick-me-up on the road.

• Use some of your flight time to recharge your batteries.

• Be aware that all carry-on items are subject to screening. Ensure that all electronic devices are operational and

•

•

• • • •

that your batteries are fully charged.

ITEMS PERMITTED IN CARRY-ON BAGGAGE INCLUDE: Passengers are permitted to bring one bag per person of liquids, gels and aerosols in containers with a capacity of 100 ml / 100 grams (3.4 oz) or less. The containers must fit comfortably in one clear, closed and re-sealable plastic bag with a capacity of no more than 1 litre (1 quart).

Keep any prescription medication that you require in its original container displaying the professional label and ensure that it matches your boarding pass/ticket. Syringes, hypodermic needles and biojectors are allowed in your carryon baggage, make sure that the needle guards are in place.

Electronic equipment such as cell phones, portable music players, laptops.

Nail clippers, non-metallic nail files.

Disposable razors, razor blade cartridges.

Walking canes and umbrellas.

ITEMS YOU CANNOT HAVE IN YOUR CARRY-ON BAGGAGE INCLUDE: • Beverages (including water) brought from home or purchased before reaching the security checkpoint in containers larger than 100ml (3.4 oz.).

• All knives and any sharp and/or pointed objects.

• Replica or toy weapons.

• Sports equipment (skis, hockey sticks, golf clubs).

• Tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, drills, saws, crow bars and heavy tools.

• Scissors with pointed tips.

• Corkscrews.

• Fireworks.

CFIB SMALL BUSINESS 101 Be sure to contact your local airline or the following government sites for more information: Canadian Air Transport Security Authority: www.catsaacsta.gc.ca/english/index.shtml For passport and travel document information: www.ppt.gc.ca/ index.aspx?lang=eng For border crossing information: www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/menueng.html For international travel alerts: www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/ctry/ new-en.asp

For some business owners, travelling is a way of life and although business travel can seem like a stressful and time-consuming process, proper planning and preparation can cut down on some of these concerns and help simplify your life on the road.

CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses.

Encouraging the development of good public policy at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, CFIB represents more than 105,000 business owners, who collectively employ 1.25 million Canadians and account for $75 billion in GDP.

December 08 | PAGE 13

economic DEVELOPMENT

Dave Rushton

ELORA HAS NEW DEVELOPMENT AND REDEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY You can’t drive up Metcalfe Street in Elora without seeing the incredible change to the Dalby House. The plan called for covering the paint on the building with stucco but it would not adhere, so some stripping of the paint was in order. Akin to pulling up carpet and finding hardwood floors, a gorgeous building was unveiled as the paint came off. The brick was brittle and needed some sealing to preserve it but the finished product is fantastic. We hope this is a trend on the redevelopment for buildings that have been painted. The Family Health Team will be moving in shortly, giving this building a new life and vitality inside as well.

Just down the hill a little is a new building between Petro Can and Past & Present.

This will be a gallery, studio and residence for a couple new to our community, who, in their visits, could sense how we embrace the arts.

Around the corner at 9 East Mill is another redevelopment which will be the new home for Economic Development and Tourism. The Elora BIA and the Elora OPP Community Policing office will also share in this facility. As well, our ever popular public washroom will be there too. Anne and Peter Mason are redoing the complete inside and the exterior will be unveiled in future years. Anne is a descendent of the family who used to own the dairy that was located in the plaza on East Mill.

At the corner of McNabb and County Road 7, we have seen the redevelopment of the Antique Warehouse into an office building. There will be several tenants that occupy this former retail space. The new development, that Mason Capital is building, will have a Physiotherapy business as their

PAGE 14 | December 08

first tenant, and they will still have some additional space. Across the street, Little Angels Child Care will be moving in on the east side of County Road 7, beside Community Futures.

Then looking back in the village at the top of the hill is the redevelopment by the county of the Elora Library. This million dollar facelift will bring the building up to current accessibility standards and offer a much improved facility that will even have public washrooms and good lighting.

Out East Mill Street the Keating’s are busy erecting their 40,000 square foot office building that will see the engineering firm, Mallot Creek, as the first occupant and owners of their portion of the building. A small office setting is also being proposed for those that want to have a professional space away from their home office that can have shared services and facilities.

Further down the road towards Fergus, the county will also be redeveloping the Museum to add new archival space to protect the wealth of heritage information and records that they maintain.

Our infrastructure and economy continue to grow.

CONTACT LISTING Ministry of Labour www.employeradviser.ca WCB - 1.800.387.0774 Employment Standards 1.800.531.5551

Waterloo-Wellington M.P.P. 519.787.5247 Ted Arnott ted.arnottco@pc.ola.org

Ontario Government www.gov.on.ca

Wellington - Halton Hills M.P. 519.843.7344 1-866-878-5556 Michael Chong chong.m@parl.gc.ca

Revenue Canada www.cra-arc.gc.ca Service Canada www.servicecanada.gc.ca

Fergus BIA 519-787-1384 fergusbia@wightman.ca WW Community Futures 519.846.9839 Rick Whittaker rick@wwcfdc.com Centre Wellington Economic Development 519.846.0974 Dave Rushton drushton@centrewellington.ca

The Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce Phone: 519.843.5140 E-mail: chamber@cwchamber.ca

Township of Centre Wellington 519.846.9691 www.centrewellington.ca

BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) 519.571.6680 Don Cubbidge don.cubbidge@bdc.ca

WCB 1.800.387.0774 www.employeradviser.ca

Minding Our Business The Wellington Advertiser Box 252, Fergus, Ontario N1M 2W8 519-843-5410 telephone 519-843-7607 facsimile mob@wellingtonadvertiser.com

Elora BIA 519.846.2563 Esther Farrell elorabia@execulink.com

BUSINESS CARD DIRECTORY Business Etiquette ... If you are dealing in international trade it would be wise to make yourself knowledgeable about the customs of those you would like to gift. Example: If you are dealing with oil barons from the Middle East you would not want to give them a gift of wood no matter how intricate, or in Mexico a gift of silver, as it is plentiful and inexpensive there. The perception of either gift would be they are of very low value.

162 St. Andrew St. E. Fergus, ON M1N 1P8

Total Computing Solutions

Debbie Kurt Sales Representative

ON-SITE SERVICE • NETWORKING • OFF-SITE BACKUP WORKSTATIONS • SERVERS • WEBSITE HOSTING www.icscomputers.ca

Call 787-4700 (519)

820 Gartshore Street, Unit 5, Fergus

519-843-5400 Cell: 519-766-6384 Toll Free: 1-866-343-6825 debbiekurt@royallepage.ca www.debbiekurt.com

December 08 | PAGE 15

Feel the excitement even before you get here.

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Your mini holiday.

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