Bick’s Closure shows Councillors must have business Experience

News of Bick's Pickles' impending closure is unfortunate for everyone in Haldimand. For the employees, families and farmers supplying Bick’s, it’s nothing short of tragedy. This closure should serve as a wake-up call for Haldimand. It highlights the need to attract and retain businesses in our community. Bick’s closure is a symptom of a larger problem facing Haldimand.

It is clear – now more than ever - that every effort must be made to ensure businesses stay in Haldimand. There is another community rejoicing because Bick's is moving to their community, providing jobs and contributing to their tax base.

The obvious conclusion of these recent events is that our new Council must be proactive, and have the business skills and experience to compete with other communities. We need councillors who know how to support existing business and attract new ones.

The challenges we face as a community are many: Family farms are under threat, jobs are moving elsewhere and youth are moving away to find new opportunity. But, together we can succeed and prosper. We have a well-trained work force, good transportation network, and solid infrastructure. Our community can prosper with well-paying jobs for today’s work force and our children. We can do this and still protect what is important to us: Our way of life and the natural beauty of this area.

On October 25, residents from across this county will make an important choice when they elect their new council. If we are to take anything from the loss of 150 full-time jobs at Bick’s, it is this: Councillors elected on October 25 must have the skills to attract and keep jobs here.

If you believe, as I do, that this is the change we need elect me to council for Ward 2. I am committed to work as part of your council’s team.

To contact Fred, go to http://www.electmorison.ca/ or call 905-772-1060 or email morison@electmorison.ca

Fred Morison, of Cayuga, is a Business person and active member of the community. Fred is running as Candidate for Haldimand, Ward 2.

Compelling others to live as you see fit

Of all the tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.
The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
CS Lewis

Robes

The fellow who took this picture was a friend of my father's; he also took several photos for my father over the years. Thanks Walter Oleksiuk for your expertise.

Health: Americans vastly outpace Canadians as healthcare tourists

In a recent study researchers found that only 20 in 18,000 Canadians actually ever travel abroad to seek out healthcare. That works out to be just over 1 in 1000 Canadians leaving Canada to seek medical services outside of Canada.

That is compared to a recent study released in the US that shows that nearly 1 in 50 Americans will seek treatment abroad in 2010 - many traveling to Canada for such services. The vast majority of these Americans report that they cannot afford healthcare in their home country and so must travel to other countries for services.

This data supports earlier findings that suggest that the vast majority of Canadian-American cross boarder healthcare shoppers are actually Americans who simply can't get the care they need at home. Many other American health shoppers also travel to India and other developing nations to seek medical treatment.

See
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/palin-says-family-went-to-canada-for-health-care/article1494080/

see also
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/21/3/19