Retention is important
“It used to be that jobs and economic opportunities drew migrants. No longer. Today’s populations are more mobile than ever. Armed with information and freed by technology, today’s migrants choose their communities much more carefully than ever before. Therefore, communities must be savvy in the retention and attraction of people. In fact, if communities don’t inspire their citizens, they run the risk of becoming failed communities.” - From “Beyond Economic Survival” by Centre for Innovative & Entrepreneurial Leadership. Taken...
Read MoreLoss leader for halton & milton
Walmart, Superstore and other retailers sell hardcover books for less than the cost. Why? It gets people to the store. Specifically, it is better than selling toasters or socks at a discount because it gets the right customer in the store. Customers who buy hardcover books (which is arguably a luxury item) buy other items too. Does your municipality have a loss leader? Something it offers in a discount to attract desirable businesses or residents? The Region should do this for high quality employers. A one million square foot office building employs...
Read MoreWhat’s your brand worth?
A city or a town is nothing less than a brand name. Some brands matter while others do not. Why should Milton (or any town for that matter) care about its brand? First, property values (of course). Second, strong brands create strong attachments and municipalities with stronger attachment experience better economic growth. A recent study confirmed it. Will Milton be a vibrant, growing brand in GTA or an irrelevant...
Read MoreE-mail halton councillors about the CN underpass on Derry
I have been debating for several weeks whether to do this or not. I have been unsure about the format as well (should we collect signatures and take them to the Council, or have individuals e-mail them?) Here is the issue :- There are already thousands of homes west of the CN Rail track on Derry Road. The only practical way to get to the town is to go east on Derry, which requires crossing the tracks. Many trains take that track every day, causing a lot of traffic delay. Once traffic backs up, it takes a long time to clear, especially during rush hours. The situation is getting worse...
Read MoreMake-or-break for Milton
For various reasons, details of which are not critical at this point, Halton is studying how to increase the population density in the region (in existing urban areas). I’ve seen regions handle it really well and really poorly (and everything in between). For instance, Redmond severely restricts building heights (to 3 floors), and I hope Milton adopts a similar restriction. Bellevue has an amazingly well planned downtown core (not completely implemented yet). The residential areas are very walk-able, walking distance from movie theatres, restaurants, shopping, hotels etc. etc. etc. Not...
Read More
