The
time has come for the people of the City of Greater Sudbury to demonstrate
a unified commitment towards the achievement of the common goals which
will form a solid foundation for the future of Northeastern Ontario. Read
this statement again with an emphasis on the first four words.
For as long as most of us can remember, representatives
from North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and the City of Greater Sudbury
have spent much time and energy attempting to come up with effective
economic development strategies in order to boost their own
municipalities. To observers from the outside, and more importantly, to
those residing within Northeastern Ontario, the general perception has
been that each individual area has been in a form of competition with each
of the others.
With the exception of periodic, politically driven
attempts to form committees or task forces designed to come up with an
overall strategic plan for Northeastern Ontario, little has been
accomplished other than the fact that we now have a pile of reports and
recommendations sitting on the shelf.
To use a sporting analogy, which is fitting for
Northeastern Ontario,
you can talk about the game;
you can plan for the game;
you can draw diagrams and develop strategies for the game;
you can even attract people to come and watch the game;
but after all is said and done, when the "puck is dropped", you
had better be there on time to play the game or you will lose by default.
I think it should be perfectly clear to everyone that it
is now "game time" in Northeastern Ontario.
The "pre-game pep talk" is over.
The coaches have all said their piece;
the players know what has to be done;
the conditioning and strength of the "players" has never been
better;
it is time to move out of the dressing room and get ready to "drop
the puck".
I also think it is also clear, once again to use a sports
analogy, that it is up to one of the members to take on the role of
"captain" and provide leadership for the rest of the team in
order to start the game on a positive note and build momentum.
The "captain" of the Northeastern Ontario Team
is, without question, the City of Greater Sudbury.
The planned completion of the four-laning highway; the
Regional Hospital; the medical school; the strength of the mining sector;
the diversified education sector; the development of Science North and
Dynamic Earth; and many other elements which could be listed here, clearly
point to the fact that the City of Greater Sudbury is, and always will be,
the gateway to the north. The more people and businesses we can attract
through this gateway, the stronger the rest of the "team" will
become and the more success we will have in this very important
"game" we have been planning for all these years.
Let me repeat the first statement of this column.
"The time has come for the City of Greater Sudbury to demonstrate a
unified commitment towards common goals which will form a solid foundation
for the future of Northeastern Ontario."
In order to be any good at all to the rest of Northeastern
Ontario, the Greater Sudbury Area must first of all demonstrate its
strength to all observers. It is not enough to simply declare that we are
the gateway to Northeastern Ontario merely because we are the largest
center in the north. We must create an awareness of the strengths and
opportunities which currently exist in the Greater Sudbury Area today and
thus enhance our image as a leader. This awareness and image building must
be done here at home in the Greater Sudbury Area as well as in the rest of
Northeastern Ontario. We must then continue to build awareness in southern
Ontario, the rest of Canada and around the world.
It would be nice if this awareness-building could be done
in a coordinated, simultaneous manner, with all different groups and
organizations in the community moving together in a common direction.
However, if we wait for perfect conditions to prevail, we will miss the
start of the game and lose by default.
For those of you who follow hockey, let me use the example
of the "fast face-off rule" which has been introduced to the NHL
and OHL this season. The referee blows his whistle to signal that each
team has five seconds to be in position for the face off. When that five
seconds is up, he drops the puck. It is up to "someone" from the
team to make sure that he is at the face-off spot before the puck is
dropped. If he is late, he has no chance of winning the face-off. His line
mates may not all be in their proper positions when the puck is dropped,
but as long as they are close and proceeding to their designated spots,
they will eventually come together and play the game after the face-off
takes place.
Northeastern Ontario, and in particular, the City of
Greater Sudbury is being called to play a very important game. The City of
Greater Sudbury must be sent out as the top line to lead the way for the
rest of the team. The puck is about to be dropped, and if we take too long
to decide who is going to "take the face-off", the puck will be
dropped and we won't have any chance of winning the face-off and getting
control of the puck.
The "coaching staff", which includes the people
who have been involved in committees, task forces, symposium groups,
business organizations, and all levels of government, has been waiting
patiently for a leader to step forward to take the "opening
face-off" in order to begin the game.
We can’t wait any longer for the coaches to come to a
consensus as to who is going to take the face-off.
Therefore, Infocom Canada Business Consultants Inc., a
private sector company from the Greater Sudbury Area, has decided to come
forward and take that all-important "opening face-off" in order
get the game under way. We know that all of our line-mates are ready to
play the game and will get into the game once the puck is dropped. By
stepping forward to coordinate the development of a strategic marketing
plan designed to accommodate the needs of all groups and organizations
with a vested interested in the future of the Greater Sudbury Area, we
feel that we won't miss the game. We may not be absolutely, perfectly
ready to play, but the game is going to go on without us if we're not
there to play.
We have studied what has been done successfully in other
major communities across the county and have decided to establish The Greater
Sudbury Marketing Alliance. At this time we are in the process of
meeting with key players from the private and public sectors to invite
them to join with us in a leadership role as we enter the biggest game in
the history of the Greater Sudbury Area. We feel Sudbury is ready and
is on the verge of the greatest period of economic growth ever.
