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TT---w "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2000-7 'Udora split began 'long before the 70s To the Editor: Re: Group seeking to. unite divided hamlet of Udora, page 3, edition of Friday, July 28. The fifth paragraph says "...the village found itself divided between York and Durham Region under the amal- gamation plan put into effect by the govern- ment of Premier Bill Davis in the 1970s. The borders imposed on the residents have left some very strange - and very expensive - servic- ing problems." Actually, the division of Udora began 146 years ago in 1854, when - Ontario County was offi- cially split off from York County. Udora had its beginning about the same time, and found itself growing in Scott Township in Ontario County and in Georgina Township to the north in York County. The original Georgina Township was supposed to have also been in Ontario County, and their representative was present at the plan- ning meetings. However, some political games were being played, and when the dust had set- tled, Georgina was a part of York County. Udora has always- been divided for munic- ipal purposes by the townline, now Ravenshoe Rd. The part to the south was governed by Scott Township and Ontario County, and more recently by Uxbridge Township and Durham Region. The part to the north was municipally under Georgina Township and York County, now York Region. Thus, the division came first not in the early 1970s, but in the 1850s, and the residents came later as the hamlet grew. Sitting astride a municipal boundary like Udora is must some- times be like trying to ride two horses at the same time. Allan McGillivray, Zephyr LETTERS Volunteers made pond project happen To the Editor: As you pass Elgin Pond you can't help notice The Diana, Uxbridge's newest addition. The installation of this fountain is the first phase of 'the Elgin Pond beautification project. The Friends of Elgin Pond, a committee of local citizens, has been working with the Township of Uxbridge for the past two years to develop this beautification project. Over the next year and a half, other additions and changes will be gradually implemented to enhance and preserve this wonderful area that we are so fortunate to have right here in the middle of town. Bringing The Diana to our town was a collaborative effort. The committee would like to thank the members of Uxperience for their financial support and the Township of Uxbridge, especially Alex Grant and Ingrid Another great Steam Svelnis, for their continuing efforts on our behalf. Thanks to Bill Scott of Scott Electric who worked very quickly to order and install the fountain once it had been approved. A special thank you is extended to Gary Walters, past chair of the Watershed committee. Gary worked tire- lessly to ensure this entire project got off the ground in the first place, by educating everyone about the impor- tance of protecting our pond. If you haven't seen the Elgin Pond fountain yet, take a few minutes the next time you're in the area. Within the next week it will be lit for night time viewing as well. Enjoy. Tom and Pat James, Uxbridge Who's minding the store? - Saturday Threshing Days To the Editor: The Uxbridge-Scott Historical Society's 29th Annual Steam Threshing Days will take place on and Sunday, August 26 and 27 from 10 am. to 5 p.m. at the Museum grounds, one mile west of Uxbridge. The show will include full size and model steam engines, a large display of antique cars, pioneer arti- facts and demonstrations of pioneer arts & crafts, music and dancing. The threshing separator machinery, will be in full operation. Each day there will be a parade of cars, trucks, trac- tors, steam engines and anything else that moves. Refreshments will be available including sausages, hot dogs, home- made pies and corn-on- the-cob. General admission is $5 and children with adults are admitted free. No charge for parking. Joyce Phillips Corresponding Secretary To the Editor: It is time for Mike Harris to get off the golf course and act as a premier. The Walkerton water crisis was a wake-up call which the premier tried to duck and then on which he tried to pass the buck to Dan Newman. The Ontario Realty' Corporation which looks after Crown land, apparently from the recent results, has not even looked after its own land and seems to care less about its inhabitants, the taxpayers. ORC head Chris Hodgson, who succeeded former Minister of Education Dave Johnson (who is part of an on-going investigation into land sales while he was the ORC head) even ducks the responsibility by giving the job to a spokesperson who carries on the tradi- tion of deceiving the pub- lic by stating the location of the wells are not known. It is time for Mike Harris to get his golf ball out of the sand trap, put his woods away and bring out his putter for a clearer shot at regaining the public's trust or he may find he is in the deepest water hole with no return. John Shipton Toronto E-Swing: A look at the wired world Shake, Rattle and Roll: E-business has arrived By Karla ). Ingleton E-Business: What does it mean? Tv time," said Mr. Romanchuk. "SKG then incorporated a he already knew this trend. E-Business involves the networking of the entire value chain from product conception and creation, all the way through manufacturing and production, distribu- tion and consumption. The deepening and maturing roots of the Internet are shaking, rattling and rolling businesses like never before. While executives of major corporations no longer question whether the Internet will impact their busi- nesses, they may not realize how much this electronic Elvis will transform customers, careers, and relation- ships. The e-business revolution is undulating. Enterprises that do not adopt its "flying pelvis" attitudes will be lost. For others, who can embrace the dynamics of electronic enterprise, this will be an era of unprecedented oppor- tunity... and success. Transformation is occurring on all levels, as every type of business gets into the swing of things. Take, for exam- ple, Port Perry investment/merchant banker Paul S. Romanchuk. Until a short time ago, he was working on financing Sikaman Gold Resources Ltd. (SKG), a compa- ny deeply rooted in the industrial revolution. He was given the opportunity to take direct management control over SKG in May of 1997, when he became president and a director. He i became chairman of SKG in late 1998. In 1999, Mr. Romanchuk spun a deal to turn gold min- ing into silicon mining, so to speak, rolling SKG into the e-business world. "SKG acquired the NorstarMall operating entity, and | became chairman and CEO of NorstarMall.ca Inc. at that holding company (SKG Interactive Inc.) to hold all of the technology and intemet entities." According to Mr. Romanchuk, "NorstarMall.ca is evolv- ing to be one of the most comprehensive leading edge e- commerce-retail solution providers, with 2-D, 3-D and wireless capability." The real e-business is an interactive environment. One has only to ask around to find out that more and more people are using their Internet connections to do their banking, check their stocks, and shop. Through the Internet, we have more access to information than any generation before us. Many business people ask if e-business will replace brick and mortar businesses. Personally, 1 don't think that traditional businesses will go away, although some will. The fact is, as components of the interactive envi- ronment mesh with the wired consumer and the wired business, it will build a synergetic network. The Americans have proven that through e-business, the world is their marketplace. Canadians, on the other hand, are skeptics. A study by the Boston Consulting Group found that Canadian retailers are reluctant to take their operations online, as they see online retail eco- nomics as unproven. Retailers fear the high initial costs of setting up an e- business. They also feel that an e-business will canni- balize their existing customer base. And there is the problem in achieving economic scale in a country with a low population density. So what does this mean to e-business enterprises like NorstarMall? Mr. Romanchuk was quick to point out that "Canadian retailers have a ways to go to catch up to their U.S. counterparts," he said. "In the meantime, Canadians are shopping at US sites! (60% of Canadian online shopping dollars go to the US). "In light of this, we are rapidly expanding our U.S. presence. If you see our U.S. online mall, the number of U.S. retailers is at 500 tenants." In fact, SKG will be taking a number of steps shortly to leverage its technology and infrastructure into the American market in a significant way, as Mr. Romanchuk sees an incredible opportunity. "In accessing the U.S. market with our cutting edge technology from our base in Canada, our feeling is that this U.S. expansion will help give the Canadian retailers on the sidelines, an opportunity to see what is possible," he said. "Maybe it will help overcome their reticence to expand their e-commerce operations." History shows that Canadians have always been cau- tious. What Canadian businesses have to realize is that Canada is not the only market in cyberspace. The new economy is all about competing for the future. If you have the capacity to create new products or services that yesterday couldn't be imagined, and that tomorrow wonit become obsolete, then e-business is for you. Go shake 'em up. Karla }. Ingleton is a Canadian journalist who can be found on the web at HYPERLINK "http://www.seen.com". Come Visit to learn more about new visions, new ventures and the new economy.