What’s red and white and purple all over? Brock University’s Grape Stomp! This annual tradition, which usually takes place on the third weekend of September, showcases groups of local students enthusiastically stomping your next LCBO purchase into a messy purple carpet…albeit a rather smelly carpet. The annual Grape Stomp is a great way for individuals and groups alike to participate in a community event and learn about some of the regions various attractions. Did you know that the Niagara Region has a very unique climate and landscape that allows for many agricultural ventures? The most significant of these ventures are viticulture or winemaking. Actually, there are over seventy different wineries just in the Region alone. In addition, they all have the rare ability to make Ice-Wine. Our climate allows the water in the grape to freeze without freezing the sugars and other dissolved solids. When harvested, these semi-frozen grapes yield a much smaller (but more concentrated) amount of very sweet wine. Some of the most famous (and expensive) Ice-wines come from Canada, about 75% of which are made here in Ontario. Who would have thought learning and earning in Niagara would be this sweet?
Ice-wine is quite the delicacy and has become a catalyst for many related ventures in the region, but none more significant than the one initiated by Niagara College. In 2000, the college established the Winery and Viticulture Technician program on their Niagara-on- the-Lake campus (the first of its kind in Canada at the time). Since then, it has blossomed into Canada’s only Wine Business program. The success of this program is showcased through the recognition of Niagara College President Dan Patterson as the Business Citizen of the year. The award is bestowed to one who best represents Niagara wineries in the domestic and global winery industry. “It really has been an amazing journey. I think of the 40-acre vineyard that we started off with as a living lab for our students and how it has developed. It is now on the national stage. It has been an incredible experience for the entire college committee”*, said Patterson when asked about the programs accomplishments.
This program is of significant importance when considering the ongoing debate in Niagara about brain drain (process of skilled or knowledge workers migrating to foreign countries), where we are seeing an out flux of skilled workers leaving, mainly the United States, to find work**. This costs Niagara millions because scholarships and subsidies are given to these students by the provincial and federal governments to attend school in the region with the hope that they will stay and work here. The answer to this brain drain is quite simple; we must acknowledge our competitive advantages and then capitalize on them. There will always be countries or even cities with unique assets and jobs, such as the financial district in Toronto. If we protect and promote our own advantages, such as our climate for viticulture, we can ensure the retention of as many skilled workers as possible. Creating such programs is a great initiative taken by Niagara College. Not only does the program give a reason for us students to stick around after graduation, but it proves as a blueprint for what can happen when insightful people work together with our community’s best interests in mind.
References:
* Quote obtained from Niagara College website
** http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0002595
