Canada supports economic growth in Eastern Ontario

Ontario East British Home Child Family working in conjunction with the Chesterville & District Historical Society is pleased to present “British Home Children in Eastern Ontario” on September 5 at 7pm at the Chesterville Heritage Centre, Victoria Street Chesterville.   

OEBHCF member Tom Brownell of Lombardy will speak on how the discovery of a British Home Child in his family was a catalyst for the increased awareness and recognition of this subject throughout Ontario and beyond.

Tom’s grandmother, Mary Pearson, was a young girl when she and her sister became wards of Quarrier’s Homes in Scotland.  Within a few years she was sent to Canada, eventually settling in Eastern Ontario.   She worked, married and raised her family, but like many of her fellow British Home Children did not speak in any great detail of her part in the Child Migration Scheme of the British Government. 

Brownell will speak on his grandmother, how her grandson Jim Brownell discovered her story, which became  the  catalyst for increased awareness of the British Home Children and the resultant adoption of September 28 as “British Home Child Day in Ontario by the Ontario Legislative Assembly which led to subsequent events being held at Upper Canada Village and other locations in Eastern Ontario.  Their sister, Judy Neville, has been instrumental in the organizing of various events, facilitating the organization of volunteers which has led to the formation of the Ontario East British Home Child Family group.

Like many families who have a British Home Child in their family tree, the members of the Brownell family have worked tirelessly to promote, preserve and educate the public about this most important aspect of our Canadian culture.  Come join these two historical groups to hear the stories and break the silence that has existed about this subject for decades.  Who knows – perhaps you will find out that you have a connection to these children yourself!

There is no cost for attending this event, but donations will be shared between the two organizations and light refreshments will be served.  For more information please contact carol.goddard@sympatico.ca or jneville0@gmail.com.

 

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B. McNairn-Leader Staff

MORRISBURG–Business partners Bill Dennis and Cindy Lamothe have dropped anchor in Morrisburg and will be opening their new business, Bite me, Bait and Tackle in the Pinkus Shopping Plaza this coming Sunday, December 1.

Bite Me, Bait and Tackle is an extension of Bill’s manufacturing business, Jiggernaut Tackle which he and his wife Claudette have owned and operated in their Cornwall home for 34 years. In an effort to separate their home-based manufacturing business from their home life, the couple purchased a home and have lived in Morrisburg for the past year.

Soon after they arrived in Morrisburg, it became obvious to Bill and Claudette that there was one retail store that was missing….that being something for the local fishermen. And that’s where business partner Cindy Lamothe and her husband Dan entered the picture.

The Lamothes know Bill and Claudette as Dan works for Jiggernaut Tackle as an assembler. As sometimes happens they learned of each other’s interest in opening a retail store and that is how Bite Me, Bait and Tackle got its first bite.

Bill and Claudette first got involved in the fishing accessories/ tackle industry when, “I got tired of buying stuff that was made in China, that just kept falling apart,” says Bill. “So I started making my own stuff.”

Jiggernaut started slowly with the couple making their products and selling them out of their home. “Then we started going out and marketing ourselves,” says Claudette. “And now we sell to Walmart, Canadian Tire and Bass Pro Shops etc. We started out as a simple little business, and every year we grew and grew.”

Jiggernaut manufactures everything from worm harnesses to floating harnesses, Cornwall spinners to bottom huggers.

It’s been a busy 34 years, growing and expanding the business, and now comes the next big step…setting up a retail location.

“Dan and I have wanted to open a bait and tackle shop for years,” says Cindy. “So when we learned that Bill and Claudette were considering something in Morrisburg, we were on board.”

The Lamothes live in Ingleside and Cindy works in Cornwall, so while Bite Me, Bait and Tackle gets going the four plan to divide their time at the store. “We’ll all be sharing the time, our weekends are going to be busy for sure,” says Cindy.

Bite Me, Bait and Tackle is of course stocked with Jiggernaut Tackle products along with other well-known product lines. They will be retailing rods and reels, live bait, ice fishing gear and clothing.

The plan is to slowly grow the business by adding new products with the long-term goal to offer hunting supplies and clothing.

“We hope to sell licences as well,” says Bill. “Hopefully by spring.”.

“We are in a very popular fishing area,” says Bill. “There are plenty of activities and more tournaments all the time. We’ll be able to help people, show them how to fish and what products they should be buying along with how to use them.”

With several weeks of setting shop now behind them, Bite Me Bait and Tackle is excited to be opening in time for the Christmas gift season. With their knowledge of their products, they will be able to help all gift buyers ….even those who don’t fish, but are shopping for the fish enthusiast in the family.

Claudette points out, “we ordered 1,000 display hooks and ran out fairly quickly, so people should be able to find what they want with us. We will have a big assortment at a variety of prices. We will definitely be affordable for everyone.”

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The winning streak for Pumpkinferno continued last Thursday night, November 14 in Toronto when the hugely popular fall event was named Ontario’s Tourism Event of the Year at the Ontario Tourism Summit.

This is the second provincial award for Upper Canada Village’s Pumpkinferno in just it’s second year.

The Ontario Tourism Summit is an annual event that brings together hundreds of tourism professionals from across Ontario to learn the latest in industry trends and forecasts, share best practices, network with colleagues, and recognize industry leaders at the Tourism Awards.  

The award for Tourism Event of the Year is presented to ‘an event or festival that exemplifies industry best practices in all aspects of its operation and serves as an example of excellence.’  

Consideration is given to criteria such as visitor satisfaction, how the event stimulates economic activity for the community, region or province and the growth in visitation, visitor spending, innovation or product development attributable to the event. 

 Pumpkinferno is without a doubt one of the most innovative and creative events in Ontario and has captured the imaginations of thousands of visitors.  In its first year, over 35,000 people visited; in 2013 over 38,000 visitors took in the event, an almost nine per cent increase year over year. 

The Tourism Industry Association of Ontario is the umbrella organization for leading associations, destination marketing organizations and regional tourism organizations serving Ontario’s diverse tourism industry. 

TIAO collectively represents 147,000 businesses and the 608,000 employees that are dedicated to promoting and operating the Province’s tourism infrastructure. 

“Receiving Provincial recognition from our industry peers for Pumpkinferno is a huge vote of confidence in the creativity and innovation shown by our team in the development of this event,” says Darren Dalgleish, GM and CEO of the St. Lawrence Parks. “We set an attendance record in our first year and this year we broke that record!  Ontario’s tourism sector is very competitive and we are honoured to be recognized for Pumpkinferno in this category.”

Earlier this year Pumpkinferno was honoured by Festivals & Events Ontario when it was named 2012 Best New Event in Ontario.  It was also a finalist in the 2012 Ottawa Tourism Awards for Tourism Event of the Year.  

Product enrichment is a key part of the SLPC’s strategic direction to serve the community in a thoughtful and entrepreneurial manner by making its vast array of attractions and experiences more economically accessible and collaborative while at the same time ensuring future growth and fiscal improvement.

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