2 Friday, November 18, 2016 brooklintowncrier.com Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson The photo's a turnoff - but we beat Vaughan With more than a modicum of pride we can now boast about living in Ontario's best city to do business. So states profitguide.com, which Travis Fortnum has written about on this page. It's no piffling honour. Given Whitby's, and especially Brooklin's, expected growth, more business in the region is good for everyone. This includes pubs, coffee franchises and local newspapers. The site includes the requisite soporific economic stats prospective businesses revel in. Here's one: Our peak electricity cost for mid-size industrial business, in $/kWh, is 0.1210. I had no idea. It even references Brooklin's Secondary Plan. To help identify each city, profitguide. com includes photos of each one. Let's keep in mind none of the places on the list is home to an iconic visual like the CN Tower (Toronto didn't make the cut) or Montreal's cross atop Mount Royal (Montreal also didn't make it). Unfortunately the photo selections scream that the list's compilers did some serious groping for effective images. Whitby's image is of a row of homes next to a power line, on a cloudy day, no less, a dull uninspiring longshot. Hardly a turn-on for a business looking for a landing pad. If a photo speaks a thousand words, ours mutters just one: Whazzat!? Personally, I would have used one of our pics of Music in the Park. But they didn't ask. Number one city, Grande Prairie, has an image of a street scene that, given all the flags, might've been on Canada Day. Then again, it also could've been on Canada Day in Churchill Falls or Victoria or Halifax or, yes, Brooklin. Edmonton (No. 2) shows people frolicking in a downtown wading pool. What, the statue of Mister Gretzky wasn't iconic enough? Lethbridge (No. 4) has a photo of a huge sign that says "Welcome to Lethbridge," which seems redundant. Most importantly, Whitby is the first community east of Manitoba to make the list. Vaughan is right behind us though it has more than twice our population. Clearly we're doing more with less. Here's also why we're ahead of Vaughan: While our photo may be a puzzler, Vaughan's is terrifying. Since Vaughan is home to Canada's Wonderland, profitguide.com chose a shot of the Leviathan roller coaster. This would only be enticing to businesses that manufacture heart medications. The site also features a line in each description about why businesses should locate to the particular city. For Vaughan, it wrote, "Vaughan is home to the Vaughan International Commercialization Centre, helping local small and medium-sized enterprises adapt technology from abroad for local application, and helping local companies prepare products for export." Translation: "Vaughan businesses make stuff." At least the Whitby descriptor gets right to the point. "Location, location, location - come to the crossroads." The omission of Brooklin's Spring Fair must have been a copy editor's oversight. No matter. They have a year to fix it. "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: Crystal at 416-839-0248 crystal@maudeinteriors.ca Next Issue: Friday, December 2, 2016 Deadline: Friday, November 25, 2016 Whitby Ontario's Number One for Business By Travis Fortnum Special to the Brooklin Town Crier Whitby is the best city for business in Ontario and seventh in Canada, according to a top 25 list posted last July on PROFITguide.com. PROFITguide.com is an online source for up-to-date and reliable business information, boasting 30 years of service to the Canadian business world. Its annual list, 'Canada's Best Places for Business', provides a ranking of the top 25 cities across the country. Cities are ranked based on how business-friendly their governments are, balance of costs in the areas, and how the local markets are projected to grow. The site states that Whitby is seeing a population growth of 1.29 per cent and has nearly 5.5 million people living within a one hour commute. But what does Whitby's high ranking mean for Brooklin, currently home to about 22,000 with expectations of hitting over 56,000 by 2031? Deputy Mayor Derrick Gleed feels it helps with the town's current plans to grow the presence of business in the community. "It just adds to the fact that Brooklin is a very favourable place to invest money," he says. In 2014, local government began to develop a vision for the community, referred to as the master plan. That vision has led to goals, including the creation of a "main-street feel" on Baldwin Street, a range of transportation options, improved traffic flow and more. "The focus right now is the downtown," says Gleed, "and that hinges on our ability to gain control of Baldwin Street from the province." Moving forward, Whitby continues to grow its star on the map of Canada with the recent announcement of the expansion of Flanagan Foodservices. This alone will bring over 100 jobs to the area. "The challenge for Brooklin," says Gleed, "is the fact that when you talk about investment in business, the town of Whitby has more on-stream employment land. This means lands that are on the marketplace right now that corporations can invest in. "Brooklin will have more employment land coming on-stream as we proceed with the master plan." With the completion of highway 407, traffic through the area has increased and so has the opportunity for commercial expansion. Although land near the recently expanded highway has not yet become available for marketing, that is only a few years away. Top 10 Best Cities for Business 1. GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALTA. 2. EDMONTON, ALTA. 3. SASKATOON, SASK. 4. LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. 5. HIGH RIVER, ALTA. 6. WINNIPEG, MAN. 7. WHITBY, ONT. 8. VAUGHAN, ONT. 9. MOOSE JAW, SASK. 10. BURLINGTON, ONT. Time for Your Flu Shot Flu season is here and Durham Region Health Department is reminding area residents to get their flu shots. "The flu shot is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the flu," said Bianca Williams, a public health nurse with the Health Department. "By getting the flu shot you're not just protecting yourself, you're also helping to protect those around you, including those who are most vulnerable to the flu." The flu vaccine is recommended for all Canadians six months and older. The vaccine protects against the in- fluenza virus, also known as the flu, which can cause serious respiratory illness. The vaccine is particularly recommended for individuals considered at high risk of complications including older people, pregnant women, Aboriginal peoples, people with chronic medical problems, and residents in nursing homes and long term care facilities. "Children under five-years old, especially those who are younger than two, are also at a higher risk of complications from the flu," added Ms. Williams. The flu virus spreads easily through coughing, sneezing and direct contact with unwashed hands, surfaces, or objects that have been in contact with the flu virus. Ms. Williams explained that the flu virus can be very contagious, especially among children in child care centres and schools, as children share close quarters in these environments. Children are also more likely to get the flu because their immune systems are not fully developed. The flu vaccine will be widely available throughout Durham Region through local health care providers. Participating pharmacies will also offer the flu shot to anyone over the age of five. New this year, the Health Department will be offering flu shot clinics for infants and children six months to five-years old. To book appointments for infants and children at these clinics, please call Durham Health Connection Line at 905-666-6241 or 1-800-841-2729. For more information about the flu or the flu vaccine, visit durham.ca/ flu. To find flu shot clinics in Durham Region, visit ontario.ca/page/flu- clinics.