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Category Archives: Community Development

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

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…
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Greater Niagara Chamber honours Women in Business leaders

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…
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Revitalization in the ROSE CITY

Revitalization in the ROSE CITY
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…
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Portraits of Pelham Marketing Campaign

Portraits of Pelham Marketing Campaign
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…
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How Might We Build an Economic Action Plan ?

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…
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The Evolution of Real Estate Marketing

The Evolution of Real Estate Marketing
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…
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Some Lessons from the Kitchen Table

Some Lessons from the Kitchen Table
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…
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Why Do You Live in Pelham?

Why Do You Live in Pelham?
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…
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Tell Us Why You Love Living in Pelham Niagara

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…
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Niagara is a Changin’

Niagara is a Changin’
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…
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My Pelham Stay-cation

My Pelham Stay-cation
 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…
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My Vision of Pelham, Niagara

My Vision of Pelham, Niagara
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…
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New Growth Era in Pelham

New Growth Era in Pelham
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…
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Cultural Revolution in Niagara

Cultural Revolution in Niagara
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…
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Pelham is more than just a Great Place to Live

Pelham is more than just a Great Place to Live
Here are some interesting thoughts about the Pelham lifestyle. The recent Mayor's Gala raised $25,000 for Connecting Kids a local community support program. 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…
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How “Saleable” is Pelham?

How “Saleable” is Pelham?
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…
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We Help You “Find it Local”

We Help You “Find it Local”
  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…
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Economic Development Benefits: Community Portal Website

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…
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Local REALTORS® work to improve Quality of Life in Niagara

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.…
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Real Estate Taxation is a Shell Game

Real Estate Taxation is a Shell Game
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…
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Common Vision for Pelham-”Yes we can!”

Common Vision for Pelham-”Yes we can!”
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…
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Pelham Local Economy is an Endangered Species

Pelham Local Economy is an Endangered Species
Unlike many Ontario communities where big-box retailers and multi-national corporations dominate the retail landscape, Pelham continues to function as a rare local economy. Decisions that impact local jobs, wages and the quality of life of our community are made in Pelham everyday. When Pelham residents spend their shopping dollars at local businesses 3-4 times the…
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An Economic Vision for Pelham

An Economic Vision for Pelham

Why don't we take our Town vision statement a step further and translate it into an all encompassing marketing message that can serve to unite and promote our entire community? Perhaps our theme will not be retirement but a more holistic, multi-generational, sustainable living centred focus.

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