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 could promote their services, connect with potential volunteers and receive donations on-line.
Local businesses could post information about job opportunities, sales events and specials, hours of operation and searchable product listings. Community members could even register to receive a weekly newsletter that consolidates all the information about the community happenings scheduled for the coming week.
Picture that all the data is also sorted into consumer interest categories such as cultural and recreational attractions, dining and shopping. All the components would be available for not only visitors to Pelham, but also for local residents to plan a day tour or simply schedule their To Do list.
Day trips could include a cycling tour through our rolling countryside with pit stops at our local fruit stands, specialty bakeries, chocolate, maple sugar and cheese shops in order to gather all the ingredients to enjoy a picnic under the shade of Canada's oldest maple tree. How about some retail therapy beginning with our specialty apparel boutiques then moving on to our unique gift and home décor shops and reenergizing at one of our many incredible restaurants. Or perhaps golf is the preferred get-away -we certainly have a fine assortment to choose from in Pelham.
Now consider how appealing the possibilities would be to anyone who may be thinking about moving to our beautiful Niagara Region. Perhaps they first began considering our area because they so enjoyed their previous wine tour or visit to the Shaw Festival or were captivated by the magnificence of the view of the Falls from the Maid of the Mist.
How likely is it that they will research the Niagara area via the internet?
Imagine that the Niagara Region is the central community that connects all of the on-line neighbourhoods within Niagara. Now substitute the term municipality for the word "neighbourhood".
