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OUR NEWS ARTICLES OF SUPPORTReprinted with Permission WHY ARE BUSINESSES FAILING IN THIS AREA? Caledon Citizen Editorial - February 15, 2006 Mark Pavilons - Editor Many of you will simply say, "that's business." But in this community of relative wealth and prosperity, there's no reason our residents can't support their own. There's no reason to leave our community and take our dollars with us. Just recently, Wendy Evangelista, who operated the Stedmans store in Bolton for more than 17 years, decided to call it quits. After the bottom line suffered in recent years, due to Bolton's expansion and influx of the larger, big box stores, Stedmans found it harder to compete. When the conglomerates south of town were first created, there were fears expressed by local residents that they would kill the smaller merchants and change the face and character of this area. Many scoffed at the idea, maintaining that consumer needs dictate business trends. It would seem that in Stedmans' case, they were right. As a small department store, it just couldn't compete with the larger, all-in-one chains. Evangelista leaves with a tear in her eye because she's not only committed to her community (being named Woman of the Year for 2005), but she loved her job and her customers. It was evident every time you walked into her store. That's the atmosphere and feeling that Caledon is known for. It's a precious commodity these days, and it seems it's a dying one, too. Bolton Garden in The Royal Courtyards, packed it in after several years serving the community. One would think there would be plenty of business for one of only three Bolton-based Chinese food restaurants. Obviously this wasn't the case. Caledon also seems to be in love with their automobiles and refuses to embrace any form of public transit. Darren Parberry, of Metis Transit Ltd., has had to suspend operations of his newly launched charter bus service, after only one month. The reason? Lack of ridership. This, despite years of work and survey after survey that indicated a strong and growing desire and need for alternate modes of transit. Where are all these people, who time and again, supported Metis Transit and adamantly said they'd use such a service? Parberry noted it takes roughly $10,000 per month to run his service or roughly $330 per day. In the big picture, it doesn't sound like a lot, but obviously the handful of riders who did use the bus just couldn't carry the service. "You asked for the service and I delivered. It is now up to you to help keep it going," he said, indicating he hasn't given up yet. And he's right. You have to give him credit. Like a tireless terrier, he's sunk his teeth into a project he believes in and never gave up. He fought, jumped through hoops and when various levels of government turned their backs on him, he found a way around it. He delivered, but there was no one to accept his package. Maybe we will still see a bus service in our area. Residents, for decades, have complained about the lack of public transit in Caledon. Now that they've rejected this service, what chance do you think we'll have in getting a full-blown municipal service like that enjoyed by Brampton or Mississauga? One could assume from this that we love our gas-guzzling SUVs and luxury sedans. A quick glance at the dealer emblems on the vehicles will tell you the majority are not being purchased locally. We prefer wasting fossil fuels running a few errands, and taking our business elsewhere. We are bloating on our own affluence. We are creatures of habit and convenience. We embrace the concept of one-stop shopping and we'll go out of our way to save a few pennies on a can of soup. We are green to an extent. One day, in the not-too-distant future, our "small town" atmosphere will vanish. And we may not even notice it. Self-preservation requires the "self" to be involved. Are you? |