As I'm sure you've noticed, this has been a pattern for the candidates in this ward. The other three don't always respond. Is this indicative of how they will respond (or not) to residents should they be elected? It may well be. Consider that when you vote on Monday.
Here's the link to Matthew's story: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2810038
What do voters want? Jobs
By MATTHEW VAN DONGEN, STANDARD STAFF
***This is the last in a weekly series of Hot Topics election stories generated by reader request, leading up to Monday's vote.***
Tom Rankin has a unique suggestion to create jobs for St. Catharines residents: build a windmill plant in Port Colborne.
The founder of St. Catharinesbased Rankin Construction recently appeared before a regional planning committee to pitch the potential of a wind energy "cluster" in Port Colborne to take advantage of canal harbour facilities and nearby highway and rail access.
"I think it's a natural location.... The (employment) benefi ts would be regionwide, not just in Port Colborne," said Rankin, who also heads a renewable energy company that is building wind farms across Ontario.
Would the veteran builder like to see a new green manufacturing plant in the Garden City? You bet. But he's not too picky about the location, so long as Niagara scores the jobs.
"There's always going to be parochialism, but I think the more we can work together, the more people are going to be working," said Rankin, who employs more than 300 people from most of Niagara's 12 municipalities.
One green manufacturing plant, or even several, won't solve Niagara's unemployment woes, of course.
Only Windsor has consistently posted grimmer employment numbers than Niagara over the past two years.
Rankin would like local politicians to talk co-operation and partnerships.
The member of the St. Catharines-Thorold Prosperity Council sees hope in new jobcreating clusters of businesses taking advantage of local research expertise, like Brock University's bioscience centre and Norgen Biotek, or the downtown Niagara Interactive Media Generator.
In St. Catharines and area, federal and provincial money has also launched several jobcreating projects, like the new downtown parking garage now under construction, and the planned performing arts centre and school in partnership with Brock University.
Public stimulus money, however, is drying up fast.
There's no magic bullet for job creation, said Kithio Mwanzia, policy co-ordinator for the St. Catharines-Thorold Chamber of Commerce. Individual councillors or councils can't manufacture employment, or even save jobs from disappearing.
But collectively, they can make it easier for existing businesses to do business and more attractive for outside firms to move into town, Mwanzia said. And by improving the region's transit system, they can help residents fill the jobs that already exist.
At the beginning of the election, the chamber released a report outlining ways to support prosperity in Niagara.
Report recommendations include:
- Regional government reducing the industrial tax burden and development charges to make Niagara more competitive with other municipalities in the hunt for new industry;
- Creating inter-city transit to make it easier for job-seekers and businesses to connect;
- Consolidating the "hodgepodge" of economic development agencies in various cities into a single agency;
- Streamlining Niagara's double-layer of government planning services, in particular by developing a harmonized zoning bylaw for all municipalities.
Making it easier to do business "has a direct correlation to new jobs," Mwanzia argued -- and not just for large manufacturers, either. Small and medium-sized businesses are key to Niagara's future economic growth, he said, but many don't have the time or expertise to easily navigate the labyrinth of local planning regulations, or even explore opportunities for government funding.
"Our communities really have to focus now on businesses retention and expansion," he said.
In this election, Mwanzia said he feels the business community "has a real voice," just based on the number of candidates quoting the chamber report in their campaign literature and debate appearances.
He's hoping voters look for those specific commitments from candidates before they mark their ballots.
To see what local and regional candidates had to say about job creation, scroll down:
Economic development and job creation is one of the cornerstones of my campaign and a serious issue we will need to tackle as a city after the election. Jobs are the lifeblood of any community and I've heard of many people who have left St. Catharines because of lack of opportunities. I know it's quite common for candidates to talk about encouraging economic growth but many are short on specifics, that's why I've spent time researching this topic and carefully considering my platform.
First, I think that we should be increasing the amount St. Catharines spends on Economic Development promotion and outreach. It's an item that has barely increased despite the economic downturn. We need to be more proactive in going out, engaging potential employers and telling them why they should do business in St. Catharines.
Second, we should work with the region and the province to lower the industrial tax rate in Niagara. We are currently higher than the provincial average and significantly higher than some other cities (such as Barrie) which puts us at a disadvantage when trying to attract employers.
I also think we should do a full review of our current and recent economic development efforts. We should analyze what has worked and what hasn't, as well as looking at what other municipalities are doing. The result of the review should be a detailed plan for economic development for the next five years.
Lastly, I want to focus on community revitalization, in Western Hill and in other parts of St. Catharines, as a driver of economic growth. I worked with the downtown Niagara Falls BIA during the revitalization of Queen St. and I've seen what revitalization can do. We turned boarded-up shop after boarded-up shop into a vibrant community. We can do that here too.
— Sean Polden, St. Andrew's
I would promote several different strategies to help insure not only small and large businesses find St. Catharines attractive to set up shop. I believe the dynamics of manufacturing and the economy are still very strong and within this area they can be re-built and can be very sustainable. We have a work force of talented and dedicated workers and the factories to perform the jobs all we need to do is seek out forward seeking manufacturers with one goal in mind, making this city a leader in manufacturing not a follower always trying to play catch-up.
A second segment is the need for small businesses and this need is one that is clearly reflected upon in the Port Dalhousie Ward. Although rent is infamously high here, we can create a structure that could aide these businesses in survival. One instance is creating a synergy between community policing- government and business owners. Other factors that need to be worked upon are garbage removal to ensure our street scaping is attractive, helping our local business association out with initiatives to attract clientele both during the winter and the summer, and to provide ample access. Both parking and transit are issues that I run across on a daily basis while meeting with the constituents in this ward. These obstacles can be solved with easy, green friendly, creative, and fun transportation alternatives.
– Kelly George, Port Dalhousie
I feel as though Niagara's economy is at a tipping point. With all of the stimulus infrastructure spending that has come to our region over the past few years, along with some ambitious economic development plans it would appear as though we are in good shape moving forward. But infrastructure investment and good planning alone will not lead to sustainable economic growth. In order to bring quality jobs to St. Catharines and the broader Niagara Region we need to grow business and attract private sector investment. Over the past 10 years the largest growth in our local employment base has come from the public sector, and that trend is not sustainable. Our property taxes will continue to rise, and homeowners will continue to pay more than their fair share. Looking ahead, private sector investment must be the driving force of job growth if we are to achieve long-term economic prosperity.
As a City Councillor, solutions can be found in the relationship between business and government.
We need to reexamine and reform our current local governance structure. Even though this is a provincial responsibility, we must strive to find a 'made in Niagara' solution. By creating a more effective and responsive local government we will make it easier for businesses to communicate and interact with local departments.
We need to streamline government services. While canvassing, local business owners have told me repeatedly about their frustration with the amount of overlap and duplication between the two tiers of government in Niagara. Integration, coordination and increased communication between municipal structures must be a priority for the incoming council. In terms of collaboration, we also need to form stronger partnerships between the private, public and academic sectors. Think of Canada's Technology Triangle in Waterloo. It is such a great city in which to live and do business because these sectors all work together towards a common goal. Given Brock's ongoing expansion and visionary leadership in our community we can build our own Niagara Triangle.
We need a competitive fiscal policy in St. Catharines. Government is not responsible for creating jobs directly, but it can create a positive climate for private investment by maximizing competitive advantages for existing businesses. Currently, commercial tax ratios in Niagara are competitive, but industrial rates are above the provincial average. We need to continue pushing to lower the industrial tax ratio to show that we are serious about supporting this sector in our city. GM will continue to invest in our local plants and new/emerging green industries will consider investing locally if we keep building this competitive fiscal environment.
Finally, business and government need to find solutions to transporation issues. The movement of goods and people by road, rail, water and air are vital to our future economic success. Inter-municipal transit will be a key piece of the puzzle, as well as involvement of private sector carriers and linkages with GO Transit and Via Rail.
– Marty Mako, Port Dalhousie
As we in Niagara sit with one of the highest unemployment rates in Canada, very little has been done by past governments to remedy this. Our region sits and wonders why the youth leave as soon as they are done post-secondary education, while they have done little to keep them besides identify the problem. St.Catharines and the region have not set the right conditions for larger companies to be interested in our area. It does a disservice to the entire region that the Industrial tax ratio has been higher than the Provincial average for years. It has already been stated on both municipal council's that lowering this tax rate will have minimal effect on the residential taxpayer. How is modern industry supposed to invest in us, when we don't invest in them. Why would any large company move here if this is what we offer? Companies move to places that offer them a better tax rate, other incentives with hydro, leasing of land and zoning just to get them there. There are modern industries staring us in the face we just need to set the conditions for them to invest in us. If future governments don't aggressively and creatively work to attract new investment, it may be detrimental to the Region, and the City that I love. Also, the revitalization of the heart of our city is essential to make it attractive to outsiders, and mend our tarnished image. As a city councillor I can advocate for the conditions that make us attractive to investment, and attempt to procure investment through partnerships, and clear communication of what we offer.
– Alan Ziemianin, Grantham
St. Caharines City council is to be applauded for its buy Canadian policy, but it is important to go further with buy local. The importance of this was recently shown when the council reviewed its employees awards ceremony. Gifts were in the past given on the basis of a New York City ordering house. This is now being modified to an awards system that will benefit local business.
As a long time employee of the Preservation of Agriculltural Lands Society, I know the importance of supporting our local food industry with local purchases throughout the public sector. We need to treasure and celebrate our local farming sector, which is the reason we became known as the Garden City in the 19th century.
The city should press the higher levels of government for policies that would make local industry more efficient by reducing their energy costs. One of the most obvious ways is to facilitate tri-generation, which can produce electricity and cooling as a by-product of burning natural gas for heating purposes.
Having a more beautiful city will attract people to live here with creativity and dynamism. One of the obvious ways to do this is through the basic way we organize our municipal services for water and waste. Having our streets lined with trees and bio-swales employing attractive flowers would make a more beautiful city, use our finances better and reduce the volume of pollutants that foul our city'e beaches. Taking the path to zero waste by putting garbage into clear bags would help make our region a world leader in waste reduction and serve to bolster local industries that can recover waste material.
– John Bacher, St. Patrick's
The following is my response to your question about jobs:
I would look at ways to reduce red tape and the time it takes for businesses to set up in the city. Therefore, working with businesses and the economic development department, I would support:
- having regular meetings/discussions with existing businesses to determine their needs and concerns and promoting their sustainability;
- having meetings with prospective businesses to determine their needs/concerns and criteria they use for selecting their business sites and accommodating them as appropriate;
- strengthening relationships with established and prospective businesses through communication with and promotion of existing businesses and business success;
- promoting ventures that target biomedical, bioscience, advanced manufacturing and interactive media all of which have a strong economic base and respond to the current city's demographic;
- investigating training and education and promoting the acquisition of these from niagara college and brock;
- negotiating and taking advantage of grants available from other levels of government.
– Greg Washuta, St. George's
Council can help with tax breaks and incentives for businesses to create new jobs.
– Richard Naldjieff, Port Dalhousie
St. Catharines as well as the Region of Niagara has had a rich industrial past. We also have a strong agricultural presence. I believe that we new leaders in St. Catharines that can analyze and indentify the direction of the economy while taking these two sectors into consideration, and guide us into new emerging markets.
I hear a lot of talk about promoting our city as a technological hub, unfortunately other regions are years ahead of us in this industry, and although it is a good industry I feel that Niagara does not have the ability to compete successfully.
I have presented the idea of Bio-fuels and alternative energy, which is a huge new market in Canada, and we have not even made a dent in that particular market. With rising oil, and fuel costs, creating a means of producing alternative and green energies will set ourselves apart from the rest of the country and gives us a competitive edge.
Partnering with our local university and college to provide sector specific education, instituting research and development, and creating production facilities, will not only attract, but also retain skilled talents with in this sector.
– Robert George, St. Patrick's
The over 9 percent unemployment rate in our City is devastating to many of our citizens. We all know people that are unemployed, others who travel to work outside of St Catharines, and others who have two or more part time jobs. Hearing first hand the hardship of parents supporting unemployed family members and others who are struggling with part time work, it became clear to me that the new city council will have to do a lot to change this economic sliding that has taken many many years to leave so many collecting at the food bank and taking loans from family. When I heard that very few people who are currently working on the New Regional Hospital are from St Catharines it became very obvious that the new city council will have to use all of their resources to advance our economy.
Having worked in many different communities it became very clear to me that we will have to use any and all programs that have been successful elsewhere.
We must protect our industrial lands and do everything in our power to seek new industry, develop research companies, produce internet and software corporations, create new initiatives and explore new green industries.
The Strategy:We must aggressively create tax free havens for new start up companies.
We must protect the small industrial lands we currently have.
We must try and create initiatives hand in hand with Brock University and Niagara College Students.
We must tap all federal funds including the money from the National Crime Prevention Strategy to assist with the reintegration of the homeless and the reestablishment of the dislodged people who have taken over much of St Paul Street.
We must seek out new companies and accommodate their business needs so they want to relocate to St Catharines.
Our tourist Industry needs to recognize our historical landmarks that have been ignored for over 150 years.
We must deal with duplication of government services and cut back on processes that hamper corporations starting up in St Catharines.
– Jim Black, Grantham
The term "job creation" is thrown around a lot in the political world, especially during an election. The solutions to job creation are not simple ones but as community leaders we must do all we can to secure new and interesting job/career opportunities.
Some ways of pursuing this particular objective are:
- Investing in major construction projects that will provide a wide variety of job opportunities and stimulate the economy
- Invite, encourage and support private investment.
- Adopt a positive, knowledgeable and congenial attitude towards development and developers
- Promote and engage in public/private investment partnerships
- Encourage positive and productive relationships with educational institutions(schools, colleges and universities), public sector industry, manufacturing, retail, the arts and culture community, the health care community, research facilities, and any other segments of a progressive and prosperous community
- Call on the community partners to share their expertise and provide networking opportunities for job seekers
- Encourage and support the entrepreneurial spirit by supporting and sponsoring in service programs, workshops, job fairs ,etc
- Make a financial commitment (budget) to initiate and support job creation initiatives (consultants, etc.)
- Explore and adopt best practices used around the province/country
- Recognize the importance of making appropriate connections between school, the workplace and the community
– Len Stack, Port Dalhousie
I believe by embracing the greening of housing development, transportation and energy development that councillors can attract new jobs to city. If city council is at the forefront of encouraging a green movement the businesses that develop solar, geothermal and fuel cell technologies will establish a foothold in the city to serve the greater Niagara Region. City council may work to develop its own incentives to current businesses to incorporate such green technologies as a means of reducing their energy costs and to free up additional capital to earmark for further growth. I also believe that as a councillor I can work to ensure the city develops. in partnership with the region a regional transit strategic plan that will create jobs in the design, manufacture and maintenance of such a transportation initiative. The city's historical strength in manufacturing married with a desire for greener transportation should mean more employment opportunities for its residents and those of the entire region.
– Sam Sacco, Merritton
City Council can help to bring jobs to St. Catharines by: putting in place policies that attract business, and allowing existing business to grow. There are a number of different policies areas where this can be done.
In terms of economic development, the city has done a good job by creating a business incubator for New Media Generation. The model should be used in other areas of industry, with a view towards setting up business incubators in the areas of expertise being developed at Brock and Niagara College. Brock in particular is heavily funding its Biosciences program - the city needs to take a lead position in attracting related industries to the city through different incentive programs.
The city also needs to look at the current taxation system, with a view towards reducing the burden on all taxpayers - residential, commercial and industrial. While some forms of taxation are outside of the city's ability to change, City Council needs to lobby hard at other levels of government to lower tax rates and make the city more of an attractive place to invest. A lot can also be done to streamline processes related to business; a lot of duplication exists between the Region and City, and steps need to continue to be taken to cut down on the red-tape that slows down business development.
Finally, transit needs to be improved, both locally and regionally. Big businesses are not going to relocate to the city if there's no guarantee that the workforce can get to work.
– Mat Siscoe, St. Patrick's
First, I would like to improve regional transit. If we had a fully integrated regional transit, it would improve the cities ability to attract outside investments from the private sector. The private sector could look at the skills within Niagara and know they could utilize the human capital that it contains - whether their company's location is in Thorold, St.Catharines or Welland. It would bring jobs to the area or the area to the jobs.
Second, full year-round GO transit services need to be brought to the area. This would help bring jobs to the area since GO transit would connect us to the larger markets of Hamilton and the GTA. We could utilize this connection to increase the tourism industry in St.Catharines (something the city is attempting to already do). This would decrease our reliance on the manufacturing sector and increase the local tourism industry -including bringing jobs to the area.
Lastly, I would work with other city councillors to find ways to bring high-quality green manufacturing jobs to the area. This would include lobbying other levels of government to bring this industry to the region. A great location would be the old General Motors Plant site on Ontario Street. We could lobby the provincial government, a government that recently spend over 1 billion dollars to promote the green manufacturing sector provincially, to bring some of that investment to the city. This would bring jobs to the area.
– Dave Haywood, Merritton
High taxes discourage new job creation in the city.If our city is to prosper and provide employment opportunities, we must set spending priorities, just as our citizens do with their budgets. Basic services must be maintained and only then, if there are sufficient funds, "wish list" services should be considered. Appropriate industrial lands should not be rezoned but should be made available for new industry. Duplication between the region and the city should be eliminated. Our business development office should be directed to concentrate on new jobs coming to St. Catharines rather than attracting new retailers to St. Catharines who will come regardless of city hall.
– Joe Kushner, St. Andrew's
A City Councillor does not directly create jobs, however City Council as a whole can work to create a climate where jobs are created. We can do this by making sure we move ahead with much needed infrastructure projects and have policies to spend and hire locally as much as possible. We can strive to keep taxes competitive and have an aggressive economic development policy that attracts and retains new businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals who want to live in a modern, progressive city with updated amenities and activities such as sports, entertainment, arts and culture. We should also recognize the continued importance of our manufacturing sector and work with local manufacturers and unions to keep and attract as many of those wealth generating jobs as possible.
– Jeff Burch, Merritton
As we all know, the City cannot create jobs; however, we must work together (as a Council and with the Region) to eliminate (not just reduce) duplication in services, licensing, etc., and streamline policies to make it easier for businesses to go through the process of opening or re-locating here. We need to find a way to implement tax policies that make St. Catharines a desirable location for businesses without penalizing our residential taxpayers. Finally, we need to be more aggressive as a city about implementing policies and projects that will not only make St. Catharines a desirable location for current businesses and residents to stay, but also to attract new residents and businesses.
– Laura Ip, St. George's
It's comforting to know that Niagara has a strategic plan to encourge new businnesses this in turn will attract more employment in Niagara. The long term plan will keep our local businesses active .
The new art cente will definitely attract more tourism and jobs.We should approach our federal and provincial goverernment for more funds to maintain a higher standard and quality of life. Our Municipal government should be encouraging more incentives to attract more manufacturing to settle permanently in the Niagara Region .(ie. 4-5 years tax break )The more businesses that will be invested in our city will ease the tax burden on the resdents . After reviewing the St Catharines and Thorold Chamber of Commerce Plan there is a need for economic growth by attracting private investors.
– Norm St. George, Region
Cut the fat from the Regional budget (Line by Line) and strategically invest part of the $30 million dollars the province uploads each year to reduce industrial tax rates to a competitive rate.
– Mike Coakley, Region
Given our fantastic location in the cradle of the Great Lakes, our amazing natural resources and amenities, and the positive spirit of our people, the Niagara Region could be a wonderful place to raise a family and live, work, and enjoy but the sad reality is that our quality of life has been seriously diminished by a constant stream of City and Regional politicians who seem more concerned about their own needs then ours. One out of five in our community is jobless (when you combine the "unemployed" and those on "social assistance). Most people in our City are not looking for a handout, but they would like a leg-up. Unfortunately, our municipal governments do not understand this and even if they did, they haven't proven anywhere close that they can implement any type of "job creation/promotion" strategy properly. Consider that regarding all three mega-projects on our books today, that is, the pool, the parking garage, and the performing arts centre, which were passed by this Mayor and Council at an astonishing cost to taxpayers of well over $150 MILLION, that a large Toronto-based company(s) has or will be awarded the contract to construct them. And guess what? Most of the workers on those jobs sites come from out-of-town which means that they take their paycheques home every week and spend their money everywhere but here! That's shameful!
The problem is that our governments are deceived. They believe that they can buy jobs and prosperity and/or borrow themselves out of debt which has never been true. The ONLY long-term solution to achieve, not "create", a healthy and sustainable local job environment is to achieve a healthy and sustainable business investment environment. The truth is that Niagara has one of the highest business and property taxes in the province...no wonder we have one of the highest unemployment rates also. This can ONLY be accomplished by removing as many impediments as possible to business investment including high business and property taxes, too much bureaucracy and wasteful spending (eg. duplication of services), and an arrogant attitude where unaccountable and just recently, inaccessible, government acts like it belongs ahead of or instead of business and the people.
There are many steps we can take right away to begin changing this bleak picture. The first is to ignore amy "emperors with no clothes" who want to tell you otherwise which goes for our politicians, our media, and our business advocates. The second step is to reduce the size of government which as your regional councillor I would initiate by reducing the number of St. Catharines politicians now from the current 18 part-time to 6 full-time that will be much better positioned to keep a watchful eye on ow senior bureaucrats try to spend and collect our tax dollars. We also do not need government "economic development" departments sucking up millions in wasted tax dollars (over $50 MILLION across the Region in the last 15 years). We need to eliminate wasteful agencies like NEDC and high-priced consultants and re-direct those funds to lowering our taxes instead. I believe we need to appoint an outside and independent Auditor to oversee the spending of ALL 13 Niagara municipalities including the Region and even the NHS if we can get our hands on their books, but I suggest this happens immediately, not in 2012 as proposed for some strange reason by the Chamber. I predict that the cost of an expert Auditor will pay for itself HUNDREDS of times over in identifying tens of millions of dollars in wasteful spending. Finally, we need more transparency with government and more accountability.
– Andy Petrowski, Region
Job creation of course should be one of the main focal points for any politician in our city. Creating employment opportunities, however, should accompany incentives for present businesses to remain here and to expand. New businesses or expansion of present busineses should occur only in areas designated as appropriate for growth or for infilling.
Municipal cultural planning is one way to transform the community for economic prosperity; what you end up with is a more creative community that is better positioned to compete in the global economy. You achieve this through harnessing the assets (cultural, economic, social, environmental) of the community and developing an economic development strategic plan which targets new business sectors, e.g. health, medical/green/alternative energy.
Amenities such as adequate and affordable public transportation, recreational activities, heritage awareness and support, and educational institutions such as Brock University and Niagara College all should form a mosaic to make this area a great place to both live and work. Proximity to large markets such as the U.S. is a bonus for businesses seeking a productive and profitable location in which to set up shop.
The region and municipality should work together to encourage business and employment opportunities in Niagara. Since our tax levied dollars are split between the region and municipal levels they should work hand in hand in meeting the needs of businesses. As a Regional Councillor I will encourage regional activity for business growth which will put us in the position to say "Niagara is open for Business."
– Pat Lindal, Region
We definitely need to reform Regional Government to make decision making more efficient. Fewer Councillors will definitely help. In business I always argue that it is difficult to get things done with a committee of more than 6 members. While such a low number is likely impossible, it should be lower than current. In addition I want to initiate an Organizational Effectiveness Study that looks at all aspects of the Region's organization and identifies more efficiencies to be achieved and duplication to be eliminated.
Taxation is a most critical issue. In simple terms, our taxes are too high and this is a deterrent to both new investment and new residents. While the Region has kept increases very low the past few years, we are starting from a very high base. Because of this, Taxpayer Affordability is my number one priority. We must ensure budgets and actual expenditures reflect our taxpayers' ability to pay and that tax increases are minimized or, ideally, avoided altogether, while still delivering essential social and other services. We can do this by both Reducing Operating Expenses and also by Reducing Capital Expenditures. We need to closely scrutinize, prioritize and monitor capital expenditure plans, including those for police facilities, and eliminate non-essential items to bring expenditures in line with what taxpayers can actually afford.
To create jobs we need to continue to support our struggling manufacturing industry by minimizing tax increases but, we also need to aggressively seek new investment in industries such as High-Tech and, particularly, Tourism. The Region needs to take a leading role and work with the Province's new Regional Tourism Authority and individual municipalities to develop an integrated, long term plan to capitalize on cultural, heritage and other tourism opportunities. We need to better market our Region's unique cultural heritage, attractions and location to create jobs, build wealth and reduce the load on taxpayers. Studies show that tourists want an authentic experience and that cultural heritage travellers stay longer and spend more money and, what better timing that NOW with the BiCentennial of the War of 1812 fast approaching.
All of this, of course needs improved public transportation and we need to push strongly for expanded GO service earlier than planned.
– Carlos Garcia, Region
Niagara has been struggling for some time with job losses and a turbulent economy. We have recently seen a large number of new infrastructure projects implemented creating some jobs, but they are relatively short term. We need to get serious about job creation at all levels of government. We need to appreciate the needs of business from their perspective. Business-friendly fiscal policies and coordinated support are necessary to attract business to St. Catharines. We need to portray an "open for business" attitude with services that are easy to access to attract and retain business.
As a senior manager at General Motors in St. Catharines the changes in our business have been dramatic. I am pleased to be part of a team that has brought $500 million in new capital investment to the St. Catharines Glendale Plant. Through this experience I have certainly gained a clear understanding of what business really needs from Municipal government to assist them. It is not simply financial, there are many ways that government can provide support to business including policies and services that already exist but are much too awkward to manoeuvre.
While on the Board of Meridian Credit Union over the past seven years we have risen from a $2 billion operation to over $5 billion. Member credit unions of the credit union system have a great model that demonstrates support and respect for each other. Despite the fact that they are direct competitors, credit unions know that clearly they will be stronger if they work together instead of competing with one another. Merging resources, eliminating duplication and reducing administration are easy opportunities for Niagara Region to take advantage of and save cost. The member cities of the Niagara Region would definitely benefit immensely from a similar, more conciliatory business model.
I have been a Director with the YMCA of Niagara for the past six years. During that time the Y has doubled in the number people it serves in Niagara. It now has nearly 200 facilities, reaching out to some 80,000 people, providing essential services to our community and is rated one of the best Y's in Canada. Cooperation with other YMCAs, sound management policies and great leadership has been the key to success for the YMCA of Niagara. The Y is continually reinventing itself to ensure the services they provide are innovative and relevant to the community it serves. Niagara Region needs to be promoting innovation in the way it operates and the new business it is trying to attract. Breaking down the barriers and supporting innovation are critical success factors for new business.
I am well experienced in what it takes to incentivize business and create prosperity in St. Catharines. I have a Masters Degree in Operations Management and have been able to capitalize on my knowledge and experience to achieve the results detailed above. Clearly there are many opportunities to promote improvements in Niagara at the Regional level. There is a critical need to send a strong message from the Region that we are serious about attracting and retaining business.
- Alan Caslin, Region
One aspect of NIagara's economy deserves more attention, and that is the potential for a Ports Niagara Strategy that markets the port side potential of the Welland Canal. There are warfs and docks on the Port Weller piers of the Welland Canals that are under used. There is potential for large component manufactered goods shipment around the world from St.Catharines based on Marine transportation. The St.Lawrence Seaway and the shipping companies Niagara offer the greenest and most cost efficient mode of transportation for large component manufactured goods like Wind Mill blades and towers. The Drydocks of Port Weller have great potential for servicing the fleets of the world and large component manufacture. A strang Welland Canal Corridor economic developmewnt strategy should be a top priority this term for NIagara Region.
- Bruce Timms, Region
I can make my answer very simple for you. I am 100% in agreement with the recommendations of the Chamber's Prosperity Report and have it as the main platform on my website. We can certainly use this report as a baseline and template for future discussion and implementation. There is no sense in reinventing the wheel when such a great job was done with this report.
– Ted Mouradian, Region
The only way government can really help create jobs without spending money is giving tax breaks and incentives. If you sat down with the big bosses at general motors for example and said what can we do to get you to invest more jobs in St. Catharines. Listen to what they have to say and see if it is reasonable. If it is, then do it. We have lots of property to develop on, whether it's industrial or commercial, any business added to St. Catharines is good business, as long as its legal. As a business owner, if government said to me what can we do to help you set up shop here, I'dbe saying St. Catharines is a friendly city open for business. They're open for discussions instead of 'this is the way it is' if you don't like it, too bad, go elsewhere.
- David Graham, Region
During this election one of my main issues has been small business development and enticing manufacturing jobs back to St. Catharines and the region. The municipalities and in particular St. Catharines must work more effectively with small business to remove any road blocks once development begins. In the Chamber's prosperity report they encourage a new regional economic development agency. If I understand it correctly this agency would work with new and existing businesses throughout the region and in the long run would be better able to co-ordinate their required needs. This would probably save money instead of have several municipalities having their own agency and the smaller communities having none. In short we need new business and new jobs. It's time we start a concerted effort in government to do more to bring them here.
- Michael O'Leary, Region
I agree with the Thorold St. Catharines Chamber of Commerce recent Prosperity through effective government. However, cooperation across the Region is key to a strong Economic Development plan cooperatively created and operated by all partners Cooperation is crucial to the growth of our Region, by attracting new and assisting existing business growth and therefore new and better jobs. Integral, to the development of our community is to bring a sense of fairness in providing shelter for our citizens in need, a connected transit system that works, a fiscally responsible administration which is crucial to the development of a strong sustainable community.
– Tim Rigby
Most of our problems here in Niagara will be eliminated by attracting "New Tech/Green Tech" manufacturing companies to set up shop here in Niagara. We have great raw material here to work with. We have Brock University and Niagara College. The new Bioscience Research Complex at Brock University will open up all kinds of opportunities for growth once it is finished. There are already world class researchers working at Brock and with these new labs there will be more space to teach and produce more graduate students. Where will they go after they graduate?
We need to take advantage of the new hospital being built in west St. Catharines. It has great access to highway transportation and the land there has been zoned to accommodate businesses geared to the sciences. We need to promote this important addition to our region. We need to go out and search for the companies and businesses that will be the right fit and bring them here to our "Hub".
We need to promote the fact that we have cheap transportation! What mode of transportation is cheaper today than water? We have industrial docks on the Welland Canal that should be busy all the time. We need to go out there and find the companies that build the wind turbines and solar voltaic panels and show them what our region can do for them. We need to bring them here so that they can build their futures with us.
Think of all of the currently vacant manufacturing space that we have here and all of the old asphalt parking space that goes with it. Think of John Deere in Welland and the old General Motors plant on Ontario Street in St. Catharines. Let's do something with it. Let's clean up the "brown fields" that have been left by those old plants and others. They must be productive again! We need to promote these things!
– Kelly Edgar
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Previous Hot Topics
All six Hot Topics stories are available online at www.stcatharinesstandard.ca,under the blue Election 2010 pull-down menu. Below is a list of the previous stories' headlines and print publication dates:
-- A cutting election debate, Sept. 16
-- New arena, yes -if the price is right, Sept. 23
-- Spinning our wheels on bike lanes, Sept. 30
-- Divided by the chicken issue, Oct. 7
-- Voting for smaller government, Oct. 14
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