WHITBYFPMREE oe8 WEDNESDAY,,FBBRUAJRY 26,1992,PAGE 1j5 A monster with its toenaIls clipe'd. Bymicael Wyce The cross-border shoppn monster was slightlyda=e recently, when the federai government outlined its actio0n plan te, stem the cross-border tide. The initiatives announced by Revenue Minister Otto Jelinek are a welcome- start, but only a start, since. the 'cross-border monster created largely by Ottwa wiul continue te rage- it merelyhad its toenails célippedl.17 r.Th govenmentlas-four-point plan includes reduclng lrnport tariffa on 25 popular consumer products such as VORs te ailow retailers te lower their prices, prod ucing a more. even playg le d. Ottawa aise Plan 7tcllct prvncial sales taxes at the bre, on condition the provinces harmonize their- PSTé wlth the GST on- goode. Two other measures te ho adopted wull have federal border officera collecting the ful provincial taxes on alcohol and tobocco products aùt the border and dropping the tax4-ree thresold on mail-order imports fro= $40 te $20 with, a $5 handling fe. on any taxable' parcel. Until recently, the various levels of goveronent, especially the sieepy one in Ottawa, had addressed tIùs mass exodus of consumer dollars with mind-boggling .incompetence. Finger pointing, hollow rheteric and the occasionai bond-aid measure had been the response from our eiected. leaders", ai 0of which allowed American retailers te enjoy a continuing bonanza 0f sales te Canadion consumers. Consider- these facts: in 1990, there were almost 106 million highway trips from Canada te the Price Fixratiorn Wydo custemers shop at small businesses? Do they do: ifo btter prices - oniy rarely More likeiy it's for theybetter service, persona]ized . attention a fiendly smile, selection, knowiedge about the product, fieip wbile making your choice, a salesperson who takes the thme te talk te you, a personal comnnttment te the customer's satisfaction, atrsale support and service. But.' rarely, price. So why net advertise your strengths? If you advertise pce, you invite comparisons "I con get it cheaper at Wcooico." "Se go te Wooico if price is your oniy concern." Forget about competingl with the iow price leaders ifyou want te make a peft.. Stress the areas where they're theé weakest - stress service. FInd out why yourcustomers like you and flauntit. United -States, 63.1 million same-day journeys aione. Ini the first seven months bf 1991, nearly 73 million, excurïsions were mode. The arrivai 0f- the Goods ond Services Tax on Jonuary 1, 1991 was sirnply one more reason for tax-exhausted Conadions te, shop in the U.S. One provincia governrnent estimates that $5 billion was spent by Canadians in the U.S. in 1991. Wbat's clear is the cross-border flood has become on avalanche, and Canadian businesses, particularIy small' firms, are being snowed under. lIn light of these devastating numbers, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business wrote Prime Minister Mulroney on- the eve of the recent Firet 1 Ministers' Conference, calling for quick ond decisive action te stem the Uide. CFIB cited gasoiline taxation (which the BUSINESS CLUB The Durham Business & Pro- fessional .Women's Club ,will meet on Wednesday, March 25 at the Oshawa Shrine* Club,* 1626 Simcoe St. N., Oshawa,"(Oust south of Durhamn College). There will be a, panel discussion on abuse and What te expect. Recep tion at 6 p.m dinner at 6:4 p.m. Cost is us425 for members, $30 for non-members. Guests and new- members are welome. Reseiwe by calling 725-9179 or 427-6930. government ignored in its proposais) as an important area of concern, since the poils indicate cheaper gas in the U.S. is the main reason for crossng the border 60 per cent 0f the Urne. CFIB aiso caled for strnger enforcement 0f ,eisting reguations and custom duties as weil as an end toe i.relýee tax increases layered on businesses by 'ail levels 0f governâment. Federation president John Bulloch indicates the seriousness 0f the issue: 'We are in a crisis and the Urne for study is over. Facing up te the issue, including the tax issue, is absolutely necesaar,"e Buloch sttes. "Tis probiem is very real, very seiosand is net going te go away by itself." At long bost it seemi the federal government > has awakened te tie. seriousness 0' f the problem and is preparedfor action. And.sWêa*ng of aon that is exactly what wiii count most from now on. The. empty political -rhetoric ond finger pointinghave clearly run out 0f gas. Thel monster -ha not. Debbie Sabourin wonts you te b. sure and stay in touch. And ah'. got the perfect way f doing it -the latest in pagera ro Motorola. Debbie is the manager of Telecator 'Durhamn, ond she says it's not juat doctors, lawype ana sales peopie un=pagers these days of véopl feikliesfor example. Pol ho have chiidren in day- car. or achool but are often away fiocm tihe office carr a pager se they con b. reached by family members or la case of an ernergencyr. 9It gives you a more soaer feeling te rnow that your family con get a hold of you.» Aise opting for pagera are fermer cellular phone usera >"A lotbf people are turning in their p hones these d ýnd usig pagera tsave rnoney. A jrtirn o eexpen- A -brand new, Motorola pager con be had for as little as $15 a menth. 153 Brook St. N. Unit 2, Whitby 430-PAGE s 430-7243 "There are no extra airtime chargs Just a fiat rate with unlimi- td coil. We rent new papers for lesa than an other ornany. _ 't And leecato r a jt another paging company. For starters, there the only com- anýythat speciaize m ý g-fa t n os in DIu!ha htmeana same day.rp 1 orreplacement ser- vice if anythn should ever go "A lnarger company with thousands of. customers 'may take lonerte wou ecialiy if therefo And Telecater has its own frequen- ie, which means no chargefoexr oeils and no waiting for an overioa- ded frequency te célear. Telecator's area extenda west te Hamnilton est te, Peterborough, and north te dilla,;t You con chos. from pagera which beep or vibrato, or opt for a model which displays phone. numbers or messageevnmeoizsthem for you. They also have voice pagera which ailow you te hear your message Debbie notes that pager are no -oethe hea; ybulktinsthe use te b. Andhy~n estt either beep or vibrato *1entfly, o don'tt thoseannoypmd garsthe next txe'.youWre t a ioi or meet- 'm-Iecator Durhamn is Iocated at 163 Brock St.N. unit 2 in ýWhitby. Ph one 430-PAGE (f4) advertisement "For ,al your office supplies and services. " 102 Dundas St. W. Whitby -666-0800 Fax: 668-1871 Reeognizing the need,, FRANK ERACIproviding the service Speedy, aioliy owned and m 0rated business,- in downtewn Whtbyisa operated b Frank Iteraci, a lifetime resident of hitby. Whitby with it-, diverse mix of businesss was nmilsing on. key elemejit, a stationerý store, te service ail their office' needa. Many businesss in, the, area found themseives driving into Oshawa for supplies, while miany others actuaily purhe d thefr suppies fromn T«oro . -Reognizing tins, I wanted te be abi. te offer 4n abundance of everday items in stock, sucli as photecopy and fax paper, and make thern avoulable for sane day delivery. Other miscellaneous ýtems could aiseo b. delivere within a!day or tw , Speedy inWhit s aonly ;uLine officà supplier that cater. te busi4esesand, organizations for the produets ond servicel they recqireat, very resonable -priceu.1ý Speedy ,'firequeitly omotes speciaifiyer pricing plus their new vrspecia ustrnprogram where, ýcustoÃners con- save when shopping' their 144.,Pa iefulcolour catalogfue which contaIns over. 13..000 office products and furniture. ,The. catalogue and on application for membership are, avoulable fr-e. of charge. Producta and services availabie through.Speedy include: high-sped copying, fax sending and receiving, business carde & letteréhegds laminating, ceriox binding, typing, services, Lnn aser colour copying, cellular phones and Pagera. Custom producta are aiso available including tab dividersbindées ceriox binding,c overs -onD spines, and rubber stampo. (CoU sopeedy for details. Your one stop office shop for:~ Valjue 0 Quaaity 0Service Whether vôu!re à a amil coMpony Just getting started 'oe a lar r ahread estashed Speed, delivero.< Heurs -of oPerationmù: Mondayte Friday-, 8:30 am te 6:00'"PmU, Saudy,9:30" am te 4:30 -p- . I - - --- --.-------.- ---------- ---~---------- ------ ---- buâinssne'Wsà Message from Whitby Chamber of Commerce Presldent - Trevor Bardens Promoting Whitby business Our mission statement says "The Whitby Chamiber of Commerce is the recognized voice, of business, comnitted te the enhancement of economic prosperity in*,Whitby." During these tough economic Urnes, 1 urge al of you te bond together and support the Chamber. Together we, 'con help each other be successful. If you know of any busineassthat are not members, encourage them tejoin by having them contact aur office. Over the years, the Chamber has promoted the business potential of Whitby. We represent the business community and act on its behaif. During the upnigyer we wil ho holding many varied: events. We urge yO o te aeà antago of our programs such as the Good Morning Whithby breakfast senes, seminars an'à d 'Business Afler Hours.' We will aise ho holding several dinner meetings which wiii host some high profile speakers. Remember, by attending these functions you are openfing up on avenue te, meet your business neighbour and you- are also *creaUing a strong networkting system that con only work te your advantage. -i