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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday November 17, 2007 - 17 SHOP CANADIAN! Support you local businesses - keep Oakville vibrant! By Shannon Mastaler OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Every time you make a purchase within Oakville, you are strengthening your community. It's like a domino effect; keeping your hard-earned money within the community leads to vibrancy and growth, while choosing to spend elsewhere can lead to economic hardship and diminish the charm we all have come to love and expect from Oakville. With the Canadian dollar continuing to climb above the U.S. dollar, many Oakville residents have been tempted to take the drive and shop across the border. But what is this decision doing to the future of Oakville and the businesses and retailers of our community? Are we really saving when we shop across the border? Keeping money within Oakville enables local business to give back to the community. These businesses create jobs for our neighbours and children, they support not-for-profit organizations that help keep our community healthy they support other local companies and create important business relationships. The arts and culture community thrives because of support that comes from companies within Oakville, and if your child is involved in a sports league or organization, they are probably supported and funded by a local retailer. The Oakville Chamber of Commerce plays an active role in helping grow local businesses and keep them successful within our community. "Shopping locally is a very important issue on many levels," explains John Sawyer, Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. "It is an economic, social and environmental concern." "We are very proud of Oakville's quality of life, but it has to be paid for. Businesses pay double the tax that residents pay. The residential tax base does not cover the cost of Oakville to be the Oakville we love," says Sawyer. "Not only do businesses pay double the tax, but they use far fewer services than residents. It is the businesses that pay to help make Oakville what it is today." With the environment being a very important concern for many Oakville residents, driving 90 minutes to the U.S. and idling your car for hours at the border does not help this global issue. "People are also very concerned about gridlock on the on roads, well, let's keep shopping local and keep cars off the roads!" says Sawyer. "Oakville offers residents really great places to shop locally, there's the downtown core, Bronte Village, Kerr Street Village and the reconstructed Hopedale Mall and Oakville Place." What is the Chamber doing to help local businesses? The Chamber is very proud to provide an online directory of all businesses in Oakville. "Residents can use this database and find useful information on all Oakville businesses." Simply go to www.oakvillechamber.com and click on the YLM (Your Local Market) icon. "It is very important for all businesses to have an online presence," says Sawyer. "More and more people are shopping online, and even those who shop traditionally at the store, are researching their purchases online before they go out shopping." The Chamber is also the innovator of Continued on Page 19