Category Archive for "Community Development" | Team Berkhout Bosse RE/MAX Niagara Realty Ltd

Building the myNiagara Online Community Platform – Lessons Learned Along the Way

1) Social Entrepreneurship while Valued is Largely Misunderstood The multitude of definitions that exist for social enterprise have served to make the term more of an exercise in academic understanding than a rallying cry for a movement. As a society we embrace enterprising Non-Profits who create businesses to help fund their operations and we applaud…

Meaning of Home writing contest is back!

The Meaning of Home contest is back for its 15th year on January 3rd! The contest invites students in grades 4, 5, and 6 to submit a poem or essay explaining what home means to them. The Meaning of Home contest, in support of Habitat for Humanity Canada, is a great opportunity for students to…

Stories from the Grassroots – If Not You, Then Who?

There are moments in every Activist's life when they are driven to action by a simple compelling question: If Not You, Then Who? In November 2009, the first myNiagara Online Community Platform, myPelham.com was launched with the Mission Statement: “MyPelham.com is not just a website – it is the start of something completely different –…

NWPB Releases the Results of Niagara’s 2018 Employer One Survey

Throughout the early months of 2018, Niagara Workforce Planning Board (NWPB) conducted the Employer One Survey, and as of April 11, 2018, the results are now publicly available. The Employer One Survey is an annual labour market survey for employers throughout the region, intended to gather their perspectives on the state of the local labour…

Greater Niagara Chamber honours Women in Business leaders

Cathy Berkhout-Bosse Recipient of 2016 Community Spirit Award On Friday, October 14, the Women in Niagara (WIN) Council, a business council of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) and founding partners, The Standard, The Tribune and The Review, hosted the Women in Business Awards at the Crowne Plaza in Niagara Falls. “This annual event…

This series of photographs were shared on twitter this past week by local social studies teacher, Kevin Santone via his "Wellandarium" Twitter profile. There is a groundswell of community advocates converging in Welland to collectively lead the process of change needed to bring the bloom back to the rose in Downtown Welland At a Public…

I Spy with My Little Eye...Team Berkhout Bosse hanging from the ceiling at our local Fonthill Sobeys - our photo that is! This photo was part of the Pelham Business Association's Portraits of Pelham Campaign - a marketing initiative that showcases some of the people that own and operate local businesses. The idea is that…

How Might We Build an Economic Action Plan ?

This week I had the opportunity to participate in a creative problem solving process designed to inspire a diverse group of community stakeholders to work together to build an Economic Action Plan for the Town where I live. Our session was an official “Special Meeting of Council” like none other I have ever personally had…

Business marketing has been transformed by the internet. The real estate industry in many ways has been a trailblazer for what is now impacting our local small business community. According to recent studies, over 91% of all home searches now begin on the internet. Property listings must to be online, and findable, when buyers are…

Wikipedia defines consensus as the “community resolution when opposing parties set aside their differences and agree on a statement that is agreeable to all, even if only barely.” While this definition is easy to understand cognitively, it is oh so challenging to achieve in practice. In 2001 I had the decidedly elusive opportunity of participating…

Niagara is a beautiful yet complicated beast. Our economic development landscape is dissected by a complex series of over lapping boundaries. We have five municipal cities with their own economic development office and seven other municipalities that are serviced by the Niagara Economic Development Corporation (NEDC), a non-profit corporation with a mandate to advance the…

We all have our favourite things that we love about living in our community. Collectively documenting the community assets that are meaningful to residents forms the basis for establishing a common identity. According to the most recent (2007) update of the Town’s Corporate Strategic Plan the opening statement of the vision for our Town reads…

Tell Us Why You Love Living in Pelham Niagara

Pelham why do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love the fact that even though I once forgot my keys in my car in the driveway overnight, it was still there in the morning. Whenever I have told this story to my real estate clients who are accustomed to the culture of more urbanized areas they…

Is it just me or are we starting to see more development initiatives taking place with a Niagara-wide prospective? The formation of a new organization called Niagara Heritage Alliance (NHA) is one of the most recent examples. It is a regional alliance of volunteer individuals and organizations from communities across all twelve Niagara municipalities who…

Don’t you love it when guests arrive from out-of-town and you get to play tourist in Niagara? Just recently my cousin Stacey stopped by for a one day visit. We spent so much time touring Pelham that we didn’t even make it all the way to Niagara Falls. We started off at the Pelham…

Imagine if our Pelham community could become a fully connected on-line neighbourhood. Parents could register their children for sports or art camps or girl guides with a click of a mouse. Local events like bandshell concerts, turkey raffles, trivia nights, dances, golf tournaments would be posted and the listings would always be up-to-date. Social agencies…

The Town of Pelham is entering into a profound era of revitalization and community growth. According to our Town's "Toward 2015" corporate strategic plan the population of the Town of Pelham is expected to increase by 30 per cent by the year 2015. This statistic is noted in the opening environmental scan section of the…

The real estate assets of a community are a visual history book that reflects local economic development cycles. Our buildings, landscapes and monuments all contribute to the formation of our cultural identity and sense of place. In many ways our architectural heritage is a physical representation of the achievements and values of our local citizens. In Pelham and throughout…

According to a Destination Niagara Image Survey conducted in 2008 there is a lack of knowledge of or appreciation for Niagara beyond the Falls and visitors to our area perceive that the Niagara region is weak for interesting towns, recreation, agritourism and the food and wine experience. The study also identifies a peculiar “before and…

Curb appeal is one of the most important aspects of real estate marketing and the initial consideration when planning to make a house more saleable. Imagine that you have arrived in Pelham for the first time – what do you see? How pedestrian friendly does it appear. Would you feel inspired to stop for the…

As real estate professionals, it our primary goal to provide our clients with the most thorough information possible when it comes to finding a place to live. Each and every day John and I actively promote the value of our vibrant Niagara lifestyle and demonstrate our deep personal commitment to helping our local communities thrive. In…

Economic Development Benefits: Community Portal Website

MyPelham.com is a community portal website that my marketing company, Tiger Eye Solutions, is currently developing along with joint venture partner, Melissa Wells of Ex Nihilo Web Designs. This article summarizes the community economic and tourism benefits that a community portal webstie delivers to local communities. 1) Increases traffic for other websites in the community…

Local REALTORS® work to improve Quality of Life in Niagara

As local REALTORS® our work contributes dramatically to the quality of life in our local communities and the Niagara Region as a whole. We sell much more than homes. We sell the livability of our communities and as local citizens we actively participate in a wide variety of initiatives that support economic growth and sustainability.…

The real estate market, whether it is through development charges, market value assessment rates, land transfer taxes, capital gains taxation or broader application of provincial sales tax rates, has become an easy target for ever increasing varieties of tax applications. It is important to recognize that, whatever the source, all tax revenue ultimately combines into…

In Pelham, our political landscape has been littered lately by accusations of conspiracies, hijackings, hidden agendas and elitism. How much better would it be if the picture was focused instead on images such as common vision, engaged citizenship, collaboration, and sustainable prosperity? Just two weeks ago, the St. Catharines - Thorold Prosperity Council presented to…

Category Archives: Community Development

Building the myNiagara Online Community Platform – Lessons Learned Along the Way

Meaning of Home writing contest is back!

Stories from the Grassroots – If Not You, Then Who?

NWPB Releases the Results of Niagara’s 2018 Employer One Survey

Greater Niagara Chamber honours Women in Business leaders

Revitalization in the ROSE CITY

Portraits of Pelham Marketing Campaign

How Might We Build an Economic Action Plan ?

The Evolution of Real Estate Marketing

Some Lessons from the Kitchen Table

Our Dreams for Niagara

Why Do You Live in Pelham?

Tell Us Why You Love Living in Pelham Niagara

Niagara is a Changin’

My Pelham Stay-cation

New Growth Era in Pelham

Niagara Tourism Beyond the Falls

How “Saleable” is Pelham?

We Help You “Find it Local”

Local REALTORS® work to improve Quality of Life in Niagara

Real Estate Taxation is a Shell Game

Common Vision for Pelham-”Yes we can!”

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