Great things happen when determined people work together. Of course you could argue the opposite, but who’s a pessimist in today’s economy anyways? The latest announcement made by Brock University is a testament to just how great these “things” can be. On September 17th it was announced that the TD Bank Financial Group will be contributing $250,000 to Brock University’s School of Fine and Performing Arts, which will be moving to the old Canada Hair Cloth Building. The new $100 million Arts Centre is expected to take between 24 and 30 months to complete. The donation from TD is the first corporate sponsorship Brock has received and when paired with the $62.16 million contribution from the provincial and federal governments, as well as the initial $15 million donation from Marilyn I. Walker, the backing for this project is evident.
It is very refreshing to see so many people and parties all working towards a shared dream, especially when it is a dream that truly benefits all us. In the last decade or so, many Niagara Region cities and townships have seen their downtown areas slowly deteriorate and yet, there has been little to no funding to help curb this trend. In many local cities parking has disappeared, streets have become jumbled and traffic always seems to be in gridlock. To further my point, from 2001 – 2006 the St. Catharines – Niagara area has experienced a population increase of 3.5%. In this same time period, Ontario as a whole has experienced a 6.6% population increase, almost double the size. The Niagara Region has areas that simply need updating, which is why announcements [such as Brock’s] go unnoticed, both in the public- and corporate-eyes. “We need the commitment of friends and supporters who share the conviction in investing in education and the renewal of downtown St. Catharines; which is really investing in the future and is good for all of those in the community”, said Brock chancellor Ned Goodman. Such an investment is a “blueprint for what can happen when community’s and members of community’s work together”; he later went on to say.
Many local cities have seen an out flux of jobs in the last decade, with many of them being manufacturing based. This means higher unemployment, lower relative wealth and a harder way of life for our neighbours. Pair this with a degenerating downtown and many potential businesses will avoid investing any time or money in the region. Our downtown areas are the ‘heart’ of our communities and should showcase just how beautiful our cities are. The Niagara Region offers such potential, but we aren’t quite capitalizing on it and in doing so, our Gen Y era is very tempted to leave. However, this only signals a rising opportunity - an opportunity to rally as a community and as a group of determined people who a share a common dream. In doing so, we arm ourselves with all the necessary tools to not only initiate, but accomplish projects that are smart, economical and future oriented. We can bring in new business, we can create jobs and we will make opportunities for us, as well as for the next generations. It is up to us to ensure a viable future for ourselves and in order to do so, we must continue pooling our resources and working together. By doing so, we will build a brighter tomorrow and we will reach our dream for today.
