Small Business Is Discovering That Web Sites Have Become Affordable

Web Sites were once thought of as being useful only for large multi-national corporations. Little-by-little, however, small and medium-sized businesses are discovering that having their own customized web site can be extremely helpful in marketing their products and services. The Vision Paper has been online for over a year and a half and our readers find that it is extremely convenient to look back to past issues when they are trying to find a phone number or some information that they read months before.

What is more exciting about the new technology is that small businesses are finding that the cost of hiring a professional to  manage an effective web site is well within their budget. Web Site management companies conduct a  thorough fact-finding process to determine exactly what your goals and objectives are and then follow this up with a written report outlining specific recommendations and strategies to meet those goals. Business owners appreciate the fact that they can now arrange to have a very attractive and functional web site on which to display a complete range of their products and services to potential customers, and this can all be done by simply placing instructions over the phone to a professional who is responsible for managing the site. The future is now for small business. A web site is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. The good news is that an excellent web site is now affordable for everyone. Call some of your local consultants and ask for some advice on how you can put your business online.

Education, Health Care, Municipal Services and Local Economic Activity Top The List of Concerns For 2002

By Robert Kirwan

The hangovers should be cleared up by now and the Christmas bills will soon be rolling in as we once again find ourselves heading into a brand new year. It is expected that the year 2002 will be a turning point in the history of the City of Greater Sudbury, and in particular in the history of Valley East. It will be a year during which many important decisions will be made and many complex issues will come to the surface.

We begin the year with a municipal service issue with the introduction of the three-bag limit for garbage pick-up. While this may seem like a trivial topic with which to begin this article, it is symbolic of the multitude of “hidden taxes” which have been gently wedged into our existence over the years. Local political leaders continue to applaud the fact that municipal taxes have not risen in many years. Nevertheless, we are restricted in the amount of garbage we can put out; we are facing hundreds of dollars of damage to our automobiles due to terrible road conditions; hundreds of jobs have been eliminated in the municipal sector, thus damaging our economic stability; the number of councillors available to deal with our problems has been cut in half; we will be paying much more for ice time, baseball fields and virtually all other recreation services; we have seen millions of dollars in reserve money disappear to pay for restructuring costs; and the list grows with each passing day. Yes, it is true, our taxes have not gone up. When I pick up an item at the grocery store and find out that I am paying the same price for a smaller container, I am not fooled into thinking that I am getting the same value for my money. The same is true with taxes and local services.

Upon close examination, it is evident that local residents are paying a great amount of these “hidden taxes” as a result of political decisions in recent years. For example, we have taken over $12 million out of the pockets of local taxpayers for the Heart and Soul Campaign to help fund a half-built hospital and now find out that the costs have escalated out of control to the point that it may be impossible to finish construction. While ordinary people are collecting nickels and dimes in support of this campaign, which was necessary as a result of a hospital restructuring process which was intended to make things better in Sudbury, we have a hospital which is running a deficit budget of some $30 million. I don’t remember things being this bad before restructuring began. We are also faced with major fund-raising projects for “Dynamic Earth” which is intended to bring more tourists to the region; a United Way Campaign which is becoming more and more important as government social service agencies are cut back in funding; food banks which are seeing an alarming increase in the number of people using their services; and other community volunteer groups seeking money to help provide for their clients.

With respect to Education, we continue to witness a funding system which is inadequate, resulting in children being sent into the community selling chocolate bars to raise money to buy paper and art supplies. Every time you support one of these fund-raising activities, it is the same as voluntarily paying higher education taxes to buy things which were once covered by school budgets. We are also anxiously awaiting the outcome of discussions between the two local school boards to see if Confederation Secondary School will be shared, or if a new English Catholic Secondary School will be built.

Yes, 2002 will definitely be an interesting year in many ways. It will be a year during which “action” instead of “rhetoric” will be needed in order to repair the injuries which have been caused over the years. If we fail to come up with viable solutions to some of our major problems, there may not be much cause for celebration at the end of the year. Time will tell! 

Confederation Family Life Class Makes Real Impact On Community

The “Old Guy” as he refers to himself at the top left hand corner of the photo hardly needs an introduction to local residents who have watched MCTV sports over the years. John Walton, a well-known and well-respected local television sports announcer with MCTV, has put down his microphone and taken up the chalk in his new career as a teacher at Confederation Secondary School. Under his leadership, the O.A.C. Family Life in Perspective class went all out in December with a number of community initiatives. Shown in the photo, the top row, from the left: John Walton, Julie Renaud, Penny McAlpine-Clayton, Shandy Sagle, Andrew Keen, Tina Belanger, Jenna Smith, Nicole Stewart, and April Gosselin. Bottom row: Lindsay Labelle, Allison Linney, Lauren Dubois, Amanda Winn, and Tasha Osterlund. Missing when the picture was taken were Sara Trudel, Mike Colvin, Dana-Lynn Burton and Kris Meawasige.

First of all the students collected money in class and bought a single mother of four boys (all under the age of six) some toys and clothing for Christmas. They also brought in non-perishable cans of food to give to the family. Second, through arrangements spearheaded by April Gosselin, the group went out on December 19 to sing Christmas Carols at two different Sudbury locations. They visited the Westmount Seniors Centre and the Children’s Treatment Centre. Finally, the students raised over $1,000 for the MCTV Lions Club Telethon by window painting in the community.

These young people, and their teacher, Mr. John Walton, are to be commended for their kindness and generosity. Because of their efforts, many people in the City of Greater Sudbury enjoyed a great Christmas. 

Three Household Garbage Bag Limit Is Now in Place. It's No Longer Four! So Recycle More

The City of Greater Sudbury's three household garbage bag limit comes into effect in the new year. Starting in January, low density residential households (six units or less) in the City of Greater Sudbury are restricted to a maximum of three garbage bags or containers each week. Citizens are encouraged to minimize their waste by reducing, reusing and recycling.

"The four garbage bag limit has reduced the amount of waste going to our landfill sites," says Chantal Mathieu, the City's Manager of Waste Management. "The citizens of Greater Sudbury have demonstrated their willingness to support an initiative that promotes environmental awareness and conserves valuable landfill space. Limiting households to three bags or containers will be even more effective."

Citizens may leave their household waste in approved bags, containers or bundles, provided the total number does not exceed three. Collection crews cannot accept bags, containers or bundles weighing more than 25 kg (55 lbs) each. Garbage containers cannot be more than 95 cm (3 feet) tall and they must have handles. Garbage bundles cannot be more than 1.2 metres (4 feet) long and they must be securely tied.

"Landfills are becoming increasingly expensive to operate and that cost is passed down to ratepayers," says Mathieu. "It's to everyone's benefit to be more environmentally aware of product packaging, the types of products we consume and how we dispose of the end product."

Greater Sudbury Waste Management Services offers programs and information to help citizens reduce their household waste. The City's leaf and yard trimmings collection service, for example, diverted close to 288 tonnes away from landfills over a six week period in October and November. Leaf and yard trimmings are turned into compost for lawns and gardens.

Greater Sudbury also provides year-round curbside collection of bulky items like stoves, washers, dryers and large furniture, and a "Toxic Taxi" home collection service for the proper disposal of household hazardous waste.