Have you ever watched geese flying along in the sky in a “V” formation? They fly like that because as each bird in front flaps its wings it creates an updraft for the bird immediately following. By flying together in a “V” formation, it has been estimated that the whole flock adds over 70% to its flying range than if each bird flew on its own. This means that the flock can cover their journey much more quickly and with much less of an effort by working together.

Geese work together so that the entire flock achieves a higher degree of success. You would think that people would be able to discover this strategy as well. It is a known fact that the City of Greater Sudbury is in trouble. Unemployment is up! Businesses are closing! The hospital construction has stopped! We are losing our youth to the south! Many small businesses which are still operating are barely surviving! The jobs that we are losing are high paying jobs in big industry, but the jobs that we replace them with are low-paying entry-level jobs. There is no need to go on.

Yet, in spite of this, we all share a common direction. Everyone living in the City of Greater Sudbury really wants  to do something to improve the situation. We want to help stimulate the economy and create new jobs so that our children can establish a future in their home town. It is precisely this sense of community and common direction which we must harness and use if we have any chance of rising out of our current state and creating a brighter future for everyone in the area.

In order to see how we can do this, we must once again take a lesson from the geese. The situation in Sudbury is bleak, and we must take action soon in order to correct the situation. Since we are all moving in the same direction, we can travel on the thrust of one another and thrive on the encouragement and support. However, there are those among us - individuals and businesses - who are struggling to keep up. Some of us are in trouble and in danger of losing our ability to carry on with the group. This happens for a number of reasons, but whatever the reason, the result can be deadly.

When a goose get sick or tired and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose and try to nurture it back to health so that it can fly again and rejoin the rest of the group. If after all efforts fail, and the fallen goose dies, then, and only then, do the healthy geese go back into formation with the rest of the geese.

This is precisely the kind of support we must provide for the members of our community who need our help. Instead of continuing along with the rest of the group while there are those among us who are falling, we should make sure that healthy members fall out of formation with them in order to nurture these people back to “health” so that they can once again rejoin the group and continue on the journey. The more of us going in the same direction, the greater the thrust and the easier it is to complete our journey. Every time we allow one of our members to drop out, it means the rest of us have to work harder to keep going. What has happened over the years in the City of Greater Sudbury is that we have allowed members - individuals and businesses - to drop out without providing them the support and encouragement to get back up and rejoin the group.

Even though it may be said that I am biased in that I happen to write for the Vision, I must nevertheless commend  Pierre Charette, the owner of The Vision Paper, for his support of the “Cash For Food” Fund-Raising Drive which is being sponsored in part, by The Vision Paper and a number of other businesses from around the City of Greater Sudbury. The money raised for the Food Banks from the sale of memberships to the Infocom Price Club will not only help provide much needed food and supplies for those members of our community who are in dire distress, but will also encourage consumers to support local small businesses in order to save money themselves on every day purchases. Just as it is with the geese flying in the “V” formation, residents of Valley East, and more importantly, residents of the City of Greater Sudbury, will be working together to create an updraft so that we can all thrust forward into a bright future. We will continue to provide support to those among us who are facing difficulties in order that they too, one day, will recover and rejoin the rest of us on our journey. Let’s all make sure we are heading in the same direction.