Articles

 
for more articles on Welland, please visit

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1. Made in Welland campaign impresses
    
2. Firm hopes to harness Welland workforce
    
3. Jays president goes to bat for Welland
    
4. New pipe manufacturer bringing jobs to Welland
    
5. Hundreds of Welland jobs expected from new solar industry
    
6. Brock taking up digs at flatwater centre
    
7. Big things coming to Welland
    
8. New jobs possible at Lakeside Steel
    
9. Harvest benefits neighbourhood
    
10. Building a Dream
     
11. Innovation program showcased
     
12. CRS ELECTRONICS: LED maker in the spotlight
     
13. PM Breaks Ground
     
14. Developing Dreams
     
15. Brock pondering downtown Welland 'mini-campus'
     
16. One hundred years just a start
     
17. First piece of the puzzle
     

 

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Made in Welland campaign impresses

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
June 5, 2010

The people of Welland don't give themselves enough credit for their accomplishments.

And Frank Mete, president of the Welland Economic Development Commission, was happy to see that change with the launch of the city's Made in Welland marketing campaign.

"We have a great story to tell. But sometimes we just have to believe it ourselves," he said.

While the marketing initiative launched this week at a reception at Globalive Communication's headquarters on Toronto's Yonge St. is aimed at luring investment from industry leaders in large urban centres like Hogtown, Mete hopes some of it rubs off on the community itself.

Besides a chance to put Welland in the spotlight, Mete said it's also an opportunity to celebrate the success stories that have come out of the city -- people including Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston and any of several current NHL hockey players that first strapped on skate while growing up here.

He hopes the "champions" that are sharing their success stories of hard work and perseverance, who are part of the initiative, might also help inspire others from Welland to follow their footsteps.

He said the marketing strategy works "hand-in-hand" with Economic Development Commission recommendations on ways to make the city more appealing to industrial investment.

Welland-Pelham Chamber of Commerce executive director Dolores Fabiano is impressed with the city's initiative.

She described the reception held in Toronto to officially launch the marketing campaign as "pretty electric."

"The energy is bouncing off the walls, everyone is feeling very good.

"If we can get that kind of feeling out in the community, I think our job's done," she said.

Toronto-based consultant Jeb Brugmann, author ofWelcome to the Urban Revolution,was one of about 100 guests at the reception.

He, too, was impressed with Welland's efforts.

It's an initiative, he said, that builds on elements of the city that make it unique -- the traditions and culture that are deeply rooted in its citizens.

On top of that, he said "Welland has this infrastructure that no one else -- other small city and not even a big city -- can conceive of capitalizing on these things."

The "green" focus was another aspect of the initiative that made it stand out, he added.

 

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Firm hopes to harness Welland workforce

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
June 5, 2010

The cost of replacing old windows can be astronomical, especially when you're dealing with huge buildings in big cities.

For instance, Lou Panigas, chief executive officer of e-time Energy, said the 46-storey Toronto-Dominion Centre in Toronto is getting 5,000 new windows as part of $110 million in upgrades.

"That payback is about 140 years," Panigas said, referring to the time it will take before the energy savings cover the cost of the upgrades.

But his company has a solution. His company is marketing new products that can be applied to windows and walls to substantially increase the insulation value, at about a tenth of the cost of installing new windows and insulation, he said.

"It's 100% transparent, it's 100% non-distortion and it absorbs and reflects heat," Panigas said, adding "it's the only product of its kind in the world."

And he wants to set up part of his company's operations in the Rose City. "We'll be building a training centre in Welland."

Panigas worked with business partner Anthony Lacavera from Globablive Communications to find a location for the facility the company is planning. Welland was a perfect location. Lacavera announced plans to locate the training centre in Welland during Wednesday's Made in Welland marketing campaign launch at his office in downtown Toronto.

"We're in the final stages of negotiating with the City of Welland and the economic development team," Lacavera said, "... and I'm really excited to be expanding the business not in any other part of southern Ontario than Welland. We're really excited about making that happen in Welland."

Following the announcement, Panigas said one "very important reason" they chose Welland was because of Lacavera's roots here.

But they also chose Welland because of the area's depressed economy and the high unemployment rate. It means there are plenty of hardworking people in the city, looking for a new opportunity. It takes skill to apply the products, and the company needs to train people to do the work -- lots of them.

"We have a product that we're going to need volumes of people to install," Panigas said.

"In the first two or three years, we can train and employ up to 100 people a year."

Once their training is complete, they would work as installation crews throughout the province. And there should be plenty of work for them.

"We are now partnering with some of the largest landlords and property developers in Canada," he said. "It is the simplest form of energy savings that you can add to a building. ... It's a very innovative, very green product."

He hopes to set up the training centre within the old Atlas Specialty Steels office building before the end of the year.

Panigas said he'd also like the city to be one of his customers.

"If the program goes through, we'd like to install it at the city hall and the transit terminal," Panigas said. "Instantaneously, they would see a four-to four-and- a-half-degree change in heat transfer. And we know the city hall in Welland gets very hot in the summer."

 

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Jays president goes to bat for Welland

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
June 4, 2010

"If people don't know you're there, they can't buy your products. It's that simple."

It was advice Anthony Lacavera, chief executive officer of Globalive Communications, recently shared with Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne. And it was advice Goulbourne took to heart.

Lacavera, a Welland native, said cities like Barrie and Cambridge of comparable size to Welland really don't have as much to offer industry as Welland does.

But industries are investing in those cities rather than Welland because "those cities are promoting themselves like crazy downtown here," he toldThe Tribunein Toronto. "They're making people aware, 'Hey, we're an option.' "

And that's something Welland hasn't been doing very well..

But that's changing, starting this week.

Inspired by Lacavera's advice, the city launched a new marketing strategy to help ensure the people who are in a position to invest in Welland know what the community has to offer.

The Made in Welland marketing initiative, developed with the assistance of St. Catharinesbased 180 Marketing, includes a magazine, brochures and a web-site being developed to help promote the city to industry leaders in urban centres such as Toronto. It is intended to give the city an edge when competing with other cities that are actively promoting themselves.

The marketing initiative was first officially announced during Tuesday's city council meeting, and followed up Wednesday with a reception at Globalive Communication's head office on Yonge St., Toronto, featuring prominent Welland natives including Lacavera, Toronto Blue Jays president Paul Beeston, Ontario Consumer Services Minister Sophia Aggelonitis and Leon's Furniture president Terry Leon.

"I don't think I've been in a room with this many Wellanders since I was about 15 or 16 years old," Lacavera told a group of about 100 people who gathered to hear the presentations. They included local politicians and business leaders, as well as Toronto businessmen and others.

"I think it's fantastic that they've taken this initiative and are reaching out to the Toronto business community and making this event happen," he said. "I think it's a very, very important step for Welland and Welland's economic development and growth."

He called his hometown "a great place" with "great prospects for growth" and the leadership needed to make that growth happen.

"It's about getting the word out there that we're open for business," he said.

Aggelonitis, who grew up in the city before moving to the Hamilton area, congratulated the city on the marketing initiative.

"Now the secret is out. People know how great Welland is," she said.

Aggelonitis discussed many of the assets the city has to offer industries, such as access to huge markets.

Besides the Greater Toronto Area, she pointed out that seven out of 10 industrialized states in the U.S. are within one day's truck travel from Welland.

"Welland truly is, from an economic perspective, I would say, the pulse of Ontario," she said.

She shared a few personal memories about the impact the people of Welland had on her, calling them stories about "the spirit of Welland."

"It's a story about a big little town that acts like a family. A big little town where people pull together and support each other."

Beeston, the former president of Major League Baseball, urged a greater co-operation between his hometown and the city he now lives in.

"For people from Toronto, if you can get over to Welland and see what the community is all about, you'll see something that is quite special that doesn't exist in a lot of places -- where you can have this sense of community, this sense of friendship, this sense of collegiality," he said.

At the same time, he said Toronto is a great city with a great deal to offer the people Welland.

"The fact of the matter is, we have the best of both worlds. I'd like Toronto people to use Welland and Welland people to use Toronto."

Beeston was also impressed with drawings of a new sports complex planned for River Rd. on display at the reception.

"I see you have a sports complex coming up. I think that is absolutely fantastic," he said, while also lamenting the loss of minor league baseball in the city.

One thing he hopes his hometown will never lose is the sense of community he remembers from his youth.

"That's what Welland was all about. Anybody who grew up there is very lucky," he said, adding he wishes his own children who grew up in Toronto could have grown up in Welland instead.

"When I think of Welland and the people that were there, it was quite special."

He referred to Wednesday's reception and marketing campaign as an opportunity for "two great cities" to work together.

"One maybe a lot bigger than the other, but one's no better than the other."

Leon said his grandfather, Ablan Leon, travelled the world before he settled in Welland,

"He was a very wise man ... and he loved Welland," he said.

"It's a town that teaches tolerance. Long before tolerance was a word that existed in the nomenclature of the world, Welland had that."

It was a community of immigrants, and they all needed to set ethnic differences aside to find a way to share this city.

"And I think that's something Welland can be really and truly proud of," Leon said.

"It was the traditions and the background and the foundation that we learned in Welland that gave us the ability to be as successful as we have been ... Welland taught us that we have to work hard."

Goulbourne said the city recently received about $170,000 in funding from the Ministry of Economic Development's Communities in Transition program. A small portion of that funding will be used to offset the cost of developing the Made in Welland promotional materials such as the magazine.

Goulbourne said the cost of the reception was minimal because Lacavera donated the use of his offices for the event. Since a Captains of Industry reception originally scheduled for this fall in Welland was cancelled because of the election, Goulbourne said the funds initially earmarked for that event covered the additional expenses associated with the reception such as two busses and refreshments.

Although the campaign will not impact the city budget, Goulbourne said the city is in the process of calculating all the costs associated with the campaign and that number will be publicly released.

As a result of the work the city will be doing in the months ahead, Goulbourne -- who won't be running for a third term as mayor, but instead for regional council -- said he hopes to "handoff a lot of leads and contacts" to the next city council following the Oct. 25 election.

 

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New pipe manufacturer bringing jobs to Welland

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
June 2, 2010

The city is getting a small manufacturing boost and a few more jobs.

Welded Tube of Canada is expanding into Welland and investing $50 million in a new plant which will be located on the site of the old Shaw Pipe facility at 191 Ridge Rd.

"Welland has gone through some incredibly difficult times and to find business people to take a chance on this city means a lot to us," Mayor Damian Goulbourne said Tuesday.

"I think you can say that things have stabilized and we do have a bright future ahead of us."

The establishment of the new plant -- a pipe heat treating operation -- will mean 25 new jobs in the city to start.

Further expansion could result in as many as 50 additional employees coming on.

Workers at the new Welland plant will produce 125,000 net tonnes of various sizes of alloy casing and tubing in several grades each year.

Welded Tube is a Canadian company specializing in pipe and tube production for the oil and gas sector, with its headquarters in Concord, near Toronto.

At Welland Civic Square Tuesday afternoon, the announcement was made during a news conference inside city council chambers, where representatives from Welded Tube of Canada, local politicians and business people heard about the expansion.

Equipment will start to be installed this summer and should be in place by December. In early January 2011, a dry run is expected to be performed, with full production starting and the end of January.

It's expected that the plant will run three shifts.

The hiring process will begin in October, said Barry Sonshine, Welded Tube's executive vice-president.

Sonshine, aware of the job losses that have affected citizens here, said local workers and contractors will be employed at the new facilitiy.

"That is our intention, to hire locally," Sonshine told reporters following the news conference.

Parts that will be manufactured here will be shipped to western Canada, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Sonshine said.

The firm's familiarity with Niagara and Welland's proximity to the U.S. were two major factors why the manufacturer decided to set up in this city.

"We looked all around but we did choose Welland -- both the community and the site was available," he said.

A 3,600-square-metre (40,000-square-foot) expansion to the former Shaw plant is planned to be completed and operationable by late this fall. Timbro is in the process of designing and constructing the addition.

"It's certainly welcome news that the facility will be operating again soon and even more welcome is the anticipated new employment opportunities for the community," said Dan DeGazio, Welland's manager of economic development.

The mayor said the deal with Welded Tube could have been finalized a year ago, but that didn't materialize because of the economy at the time.

"We were close a while ago, and then the recession came, and everything shut down, all businesses took a step back," he said.

"Once I saw the economy turned around, they came to us and started talking about the Shaw Pipe site and we worked together to help the purchase. From our perspective it's one of the best sites in the city because of the access to rail and existing services."

Welded Tube also has facilities in South Carolina and Ohio.

 

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Hundreds of Welland jobs expected from new solar industry

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
March 12, 2010

WELLAND — The future could be bright for the future of local manufacturing.

The city announced a new partnership with Oneworld Energy Inc. and its subsidiary, COU Solar Inc., to develop a solar energy manufacturing hub in Welland — a project that could lead to the creation of more than 1,000 jobs.

Jeff Dennis, president and chief executive officer of COU Solar, said he hopes to see the first locally-manufactured products rolling off the assembly line by sometime this fall.

In a telephone conference call from his Toronto office, Dennis was joined by Mayor Damian Goulbourne, city manager Craig Stirtzinger, Welland Hydro president Ross Peever and the utility's board chair, Tim Clutterbuck, to share the announcement with local media Thursday.

"We, and our partners, want to get to the market fast," Dennis said, his voice broadcast through a speaker phone at Welland Civic Square. "We need inverters in 2010. We need inverters and (solar) panels in 2011.

"Our goal is to have the first inverters come off the line sometime in the fall," he added, referring to the devices that transform DC current produced by solar panels to the AC used in the province's electrical grid.

One reason for the short timeline is to allow the company to take advantage of the provincial government's Green Energy Act (2009).

That legislation requires half the cost of new solar energy generation projects to be spent on equipment manufactured within the province. In 2011, the domestic content requirement will be increased to 60%.

Since the company works primarily with European and Asian manufacturers, it needs to establish a manufacturing hub in the province to meet the requirements. Welland, Dennis said, is an ideal location for that hub.

"Welland is clearly open for business," Dennis said.

He said the company's international manufacturing partners have asked, "Why Welland? What's Welland? I've never heard of it?"

But Dennis explained the city offers several advantages over other locations in the province, in addition to the city's eagerness to work with the company as well as its focus on the development of green energy initiatives.

Its location, near major transportation routes and the U.S. border, is one big advantage.

"There may not be a better location in Ontario if you want to do business both in Ontario and into the United States," he said.

Also, as a result of recent plant closures, he said the city has "a very skilled workforce that's ready to go."

Goulbourne said Niagara College can also play a part in any retraining required to help prepare workers for manufacturing solar energy equipment.

Another local advantage is the area's mild climate, Clutterbuck said.

"The Great Lakes region is actually excellent for wind and solar."

Dennis said plans call for the establishment of three different manufacturing companies in the city, including a solar panel manufacturer, a manufacturer of inverters and a company to manufacturer systems for mounting the solar panel equipment.

"Our intention is to establish at least one of each of these types of manufacturers in Welland," he said, adding the city has helped the company identify several potential locations where those companies could be quickly set up shop, potentially in existing industrial properties. From there, the company plans to develop solar power plants "in and around Welland," he added.

"We'd like to think that we could be building somewhere up to 42 megawatts of power production in Welland, in addition to establishing manufacturing facilities," he said.

The project will directly create 200 to 300 jobs. When indirect jobs are added, associated with ancillary work related to the project, "you're probably looking at well over 1,000 jobs that are going to come from the Welland manufacturing hub," Dennis said.

Goulbourne said the partnership is the result of a great deal of work by Welland Hydro representatives as well as economic development officer Dan Degazio, as well as the assistance of the provincial government.

 

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Brock taking up digs at flatwater centre

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
March 11, 2010

Mayor Damian Goulbourne describes it as a "true milestone" for the city.

Brock University president Jack Lightstone joined him Wednesday in council chambers to sign a memorandum of understanding, formalizing the university's partnership with the city.

The partnership, Lightstone said, will result in the relocation and further development of the university's Human Performance Centre as a tenant within the Welland International Flatwater Centre -- a facility being built for the 2015 Pan Am Games competition.

"We are entering not just into a strong partnership with Brock University, but we are entering a new chapter in our own history, and a chapter of opportunity and achievement," Goulbourne told a gathering of about 50 invited guests prior to signing the documents.

"We are very proud of this. We are passionate about this partnership, as we are in general about our partnerships throughout Niagara," Lightstone added.

"I think it's another step and example of how by working together in Niagara will help advance the development of the entire region, and all the municipalities within it."

Lightstone said the partnership is part of the university's focus on using its resources "to help develop the region in which it resides ... its home economically, socially, culturally and intellectually."

Lightstone later described a "human performance centre" as a facility that is designed to meet the needs of people ranging from "elite athletes to those of us who are entering our 60s and want to remain active and healthy."

It will also cater to people in physically challenging professions such as firefighters and police, he added.

The centre will provide a location for non-academic services which could include firefighter screening programs; laboratory testing facilities for athletes and others services.

"I see the potential of being able to franchise some of these services elsewhere as well with the corporate centre being here in Welland," Lightstone added.

Welland Recreational Canal Corp. executive director Stephen Fischer said the inclusion of Brock University's human performance centre within the facility will make it a flatwater sports venue unlike any other in the country.

 

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Big things coming to Welland:
mayor

Maryanne Firth
Welland Tribune
February 17, 2010

Mayor Damian Goulbourne believes in the health of the city.

Goulbourne visited Rotary Club of Welland Tuesday to update members on projects the city has been working on to enhance Welland's future in the health and wellness sector.

Pittsburgh, Pa., reinvented itself and transformed its economy by embracing its post-secondary institutions -- a path Welland is on its way to following, he said.

The city has been working closely with Niagara College and Brock University on a variety of projects that are expected to be announced in the near future.

Also expected in the coming weeks is the "first big step forward" for the Life Sciences Campus on the Canal.

Goulbourne said the public can expect to hear an announcement, although he wouldn't disclose when, about the facility, which is being developed in partnership with Brock and has been in the works since 2007.

Many questions have been raised about where the city will come up with its $4.4-million portion of the funds needed to create the campus.

The city will share where the funds will be coming from as the months unfold, the mayor said.

The life sciences campus was brought to council in June 2008, but put on hold until Jan. 2009 because of Niagara Health System's hospital improvement plan. The city had to wait, he said, to determine which centres of excellence would be established within Welland before moving forward.

Late last month, the Diabetes Centre of Niagara moved its headquarters to Welland hospital -- a significant move for the city.

The city has set its sights on targeting the following strategic centres of excellence: a diabetes centre for education and treatment, research and design in medical equipment, and a training centre for emergency services and health and wellness.

"We want to give people an image of what Welland can be," Goulbourne told Rotarians.

Welland has a variety of existing assets in the health care and wellness sector, including Niagara College, Welland hospital, Centre de Sante communautaire Hamilton/ Niagara, and the King St. medical cluster, he said.

There's an "emerging wellness node" on King St., for which residents can expect to see "shovels in the ground very soon," he said.

Goulbourne spoke about the $80-million expansion happening at Niagara College, including the new 100,000-square-foot allied health institute.

The expansion, he said, will help to "change the face of Niagara."

He stressed that 70% of all people worki

ng in the health care industry were not doctors, but college graduates.

"These are the people we need to work in the community."

There are "industry linkages" in the works between the health and wellness and technology sectors in the community, he said.

The city has been working to discover which manufacturing companies in Welland could be used to produce components for medical equipment.

"We need to open companies' minds to producing medical equipment."

Many Niagara manufacturing companies are tied to the automotive sector, he said, and can make the transition into producing components for medical equipment.

The public can expect to see many more announcements made similar to the one made by CRS Electronics in January, he said. The Welland-based company received $825,595 in federal investment last month that will create 15 new jobs in the city.

The upcoming announcements, which Goulbourne wouldn't disclose, will include investments of a smaller size -- in the $50,000 to $70,000 range, he said.

"We're on our way to growing our economy."

Goulbourne also spoke to Rotarians about the centre of excellence for human performance, which will provide a year-round training facility for Welland's athletes.

"We need to get out people healthy" through creating a culture of prevention through sport, he said.

Goulbourne shared details of the $3 million in renovations that will be made to the Welland Arena, which include the creation of women's change rooms, a second-floor restaurant to replace the Minor League Hockey House and a large community space.

"It's about getting non-traditional groups to participate in physical activity," he said.

He also spoke of the $9-million expansion to the Rose City Seniors Activity Centre, which will include a 300-seat community theatre and a therapeutic pool.

Shovels for the project are expected to be in the ground this spring, he said.

 

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New jobs possible at Lakeside Steel
EXPANSION: Welland plant receiving $5M

Maryanne Firth
Welland Tribune
February 10, 2010

The future seems solid for Lakeside Steel, which announced Tuesday the Welland plant will receive a $5-million capital expansion expected to create 40 new jobs.

Recently approved by the Lakeside Steel Corp. board of directors, the expansion will include a new casing threading line at the Welland plant.

Lakeside currently out-sources its casing threading to Texas, Alberta and Ontario. Once the line is installed, the plant will be able to complete all products within the Welland plant.

Having a case threading line is expected to improve customer lead times and to have a positive impact on the company's margins, the company said.

Expansion also includes the installation of a new slitting line to process the hot band steel used as raw material at the Welland operations.

Lakeside's slitting is now outsourced to three Ontariobased processors.

Ron Bedard, president and chief operating officer of Lakeside Steel Inc., said the engineering work for the project began roughly six months ago.

Construction is expected to begin by August, with both the slitting and casing line installations expected to be completed by the end of 2010, Bedard said.

He said the company will see "significant savings" with processing pipe once the expansion is completed. It will help to "bring back work to Lakeside Steel," he added.

Rather than transporting pipe for completion elsewhere in Canada or the U.S., it will all be done at the Welland facility, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

The new expansion builds on the $-million investment made by Lakeside last year for a new upsetting and threading line, as well as a new rail yard, Bedard said.

The rail yard allows Lakeside to easily ship finished product directly to its customers in Western Canada and areas of the United States, he said.

Once completed, the new operations are expected to create up to an additional 40 jobs at the Welland plant.

Lakeside Steel returned to full employment last month when it called back all its laid-off workers.

This means the new positions that will be available when the expansion is completed will be filled with new faces from the community, Bedard said.

"They'll be good-paying, CAW jobs."

The investment in Lakeside's future is "a vote of confidence to our workers," he said.

"We believe in the future of this plant. ... We want to be competitive for the long-term, it's a long-term investment."

Despite a tough year in the economy, the board has "demonstrated confidence" in work done at Lakeside Steel, he said.

"We're seeing a slow gradual climb out of the economic recession."

Bedard said Lakeside staff are committed to working hard, keeping the mills full and people employed. "We're optimistic for improvement in our fourth quarter, which we're in right now."

Lakeside Steel has also announced it has recently renewed its credit facility with CIT Business Credit Canada Inc.

"Lakeside has a long-standing and excellent relationship with CIT and appreciates (its) support and confidence in Lakeside through the economic downturn," Lakeside chief financial officer Ken Hunter said in a release.

"We believe that the worst is behind us and that we have turned a corner. While the economic recovery will be long and slow, we believe Lakeside is in a good position to return to profitability."

 

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Harvest benefits neighbourhood

Maryanne Firth
Welland Tribune
November 16, 2009

The sun wasn't the only thing beaming brightly Saturday.

On a once vacant field by McLaughlin St., bright yellow cobs of corn were being harvested by a proud group of hard-working volunteers.

An urban cornfield was planted in June as part of a pilot project between the City of Welland and RAFT -- Resource Association for Teens -- to benefit the people of the McLaughlin St. community.

Members of the neighbourhood volunteered their time to plant, tend and harvest the crop on the unused city-owned land near the corner of McLaughlin and McCabe, and in return received funding for the street's community house.

"It feels really great that we ended the season the same way we started -- with the kids in the community being part of this," said Mayor Damian Goulbourne, who was on site Saturday with his harvesting gloves on.

Goulbourne thought the outcome would be positive, but he admits the results surpassed his expectations.

RAFT executive director Mike Lethby estimates roughly three tonnes of corn were harvested on Saturday -- sold for roughly $250 to $300 a tonne. The crop was bought by local farmer Robert Kaune, who will use the corn as feed. Project organizers initially considered selling the crop for manufacturing bio-fuel before deciding to sell the produce for feed.

Proceeds from the project will help to support the McLaughlin community house, which opened at the end of June.

Lethby said Kaune helped with the project by plowing the field and helping to teach volunteers how to plant the seeds for the corn.

Before harvesting, volunteers also received lessons on how to properly remove the corn cobs from the stalk -- which can be rather sharp.

Now that organizers have the inaugural year under their belts, the project will be moving forward. "This was a demo project. It was 'can we do it? Can the neighbourhood take care of the crops?'" Lethby said.

Next year they will attempt to grow Jerusalem artichokes on the land, which are a "heartier plant" with high potential to be used for biofuel, he added.

Jerusalem artichokes are less reliant on water and won't require quite as much maintenance as the corn, he said.

"This year was more of 'can we plant on this soil?' and next year will focus more on renewable energy."

Next year, organizers will also be adding a new partner -- NTEC (Niagara Training and Employment Agency) -- to assist with the project.

As promised during the community's block party in the summer, Goulbourne presented the McLaughlin community with a cheque for $750 for their efforts with the crops after the harvest. The community was initially given $750 in June, and promised the additional $750 as incentive to continue tending to the cornfi eld.

Lethby said the original installment helped get programming underway at McLaughlin community house, and the second will help to ensure those programs continue.

RAFT community development worker Sarah Harris, who facilitates activities at the community house, said families have enjoyed all aspects of the project, from planting and tending to harvesting the crops.

Harris said one family in particular praised the project for the fun they had getting their hands dirty while working together outdoors weeding the land and seeding the field.

The project has exposed youth in the area to different aspects of agriculture they may not otherwise have had access to, she added.

"It really brings the street together. Everyone's been here from the beginning," Lethby said, adding McLaughlin community members feel a sense of ownership for the cornfield.

That connection is what made it so important to have the crops hand planted and picked, he added.

"That's what creates the memories, them being here and interacting with each other."

Lethby said one of the reasons McLaughlin St. was chosen for the initiative is because it's "so isolated from the rest of the city."

Now, people travel to the area just to see the urban cornfield nestled in the middle of the city.

McLaughlin St. resident Joanna Latham arrived with two of her children, all eager to help with the harvest.

"It's good for the kids, it gives them something to do," she said, while armed with gardening gloves for picking and a bag for the cobs.

She said the community house initiative has been great for both the street and her children, who like to participate in activities there.

Brock University student Katarina Opashinov was helping with the harvest along with four of her classmates.

"It's a really cool project, I've never seen anything like this before," said the recreation and leisure studies major.

Opashinov said the weather certainly helped to motivate the volunteers -- with the sun shining high and not a cloud in the sky.

"This is a great way to not only help a community in need but to get the kids out and about," she said.

"It really brings people together while bringing money to the community. And every-one's having a good time."

 

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Building a dream

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
November 14, 2009

Jocelyn Langendoen had a dream.

Although she died Jan. 22 at Welland hospital, the people who loved her would not let her dream die with her.

In early 2008, after a few months of planning, Jocelyn co-founded Rose City Kids with John and Sonya Wierenga, and their friend Hielke Janssens.

Inspired by the needs they saw in Welland, they wanted to start a faith-based program that would assist the city's children -- many of whom are living in less than ideal conditions.

"We wanted to break the cycle of hopelessness," Sonya Wierenga explained. "We wanted to give these kids hope and know that they do have a chance in their life, that they can dream big dreams and be something that they want to be and that somebody believed in them."

When they held their first meeting in March 2008, only 15 children registered. Now, 165 children eagerly await a bus that picks them up and takes them to the Guild Hall at Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Division St. for a 90-minute meeting every other Saturday.

Jocelyn's dream was to transform the old Park Theatre into a new home for the fast-growing organization, where they could hold regular meetings with the children, and reach out to the community.

But before that dream could be realized, the cancer she was diagnosed with three years earlier returned.

Jocelyn, who worked as the bookkeeper for her family's business, Willowbrook Nurseries, also acted as the treasurer and fundraiser for Rose City Kids. And not being able to do that job due to her failing health was very "unsettling for her," said her husband, John Langendoen.

"She was so excited with the ministry, and she wanted to do so much with fundraising and administration. Every time she woke up, she'd dwell on it -- that the ministry was doing well and she couldn't be part of it."

About two weeks before Jocelyn died, her friends and family visited her at Welland hospital.

"We set Sonya up," Langendoen recalled. "We called her and said, 'Quick, you have to come and see Jocelyn at the hospital.'"

It was then when John and several other friends and family walked into the hospital room and told them that they were all chipping in to purchase the old building and renovate it.

"Jocelyn just cried and said, 'I can't be here for this, Sonya. You have to do it on your own.'

"She knew her dream would come true," he said.

Later that night, Jocelyn woke up when Wierenga was by her side.

She told her, "You have to put it in the paper. You have to put the story in the paper," Wierenga recalled.

They weren't ready to publicly announce their plans at the time, but they are now, she added.

Since the work on the renovations began in early September, the project has stirred a great deal of interest in the community.

Passersby have stopped to talk to Smith, reminiscing about happy childhood memories watching movies in the theatre that opened its doors in 1941, said forman Lee Smith from Brouwer Construction.

"It's amazing, the people who stop by on the street," he said.

Smith, who lives in Beamsville, was also amazed by the number of people who are pitching in to give the old theatre a new life.

"It just seems so positive."

Considering all the setbacks East Main St. has faced over the past few years as a result of road closures and construction projects, he said some positive news was very welcome.

But it's a little more work then they counted on.

The project was initially slated for completion by the start of next month, but the amount of work the building needed was far too extensive to meet that deadline.

"We've done well, but it won't be ready by Dec. 1," he said.

Langendoen suspects it could be finished sometime in January.

Although Brouwer Construction is the general contractor for the project, Smith is the only representative of that company at the site. The rest are all volunteers, he said.

"We have a lot of help here and they're very good guys," he said.

Many of the tradesmen like drywall tapers and electricians have also donated their time to make Jocelyn's dream a reality.

And other people who have been at the site regularly are staff from Willowbrook Nurseries, such as Brian McIntyre and Wilf Schilstra.

McIntyre said as many as 10 Willowbrook staff at a time have pitched in when they had a big job to do, such as hauling out some of the debris from the downtown building that has sat empty for more than 20 years.

Langendoen has been pitching in as much as possible working on the renovations as well.

And spending all his free time working on the old theatre has been "very emotional. It's therapeutic, but also very emotional," he said.

"I'm here because of Jocelyn."

Smith didn't mind working with volunteers rather than his usual staff.

"They're excellent -- excellent volunteers," he said, adding "they know their stuff."

"We pretend we do," said Schilstra, laughing.

"They're very good," Smith p>Besides the volunteers, and staff from his business that are working on the project, Langendoen said many of the tradesmen that are also involved are doing the work for far less than they might have done otherwise.

For instance, he said all of the drywall and the the labour to put it up is being donated at no cost to the organization.

Despite the efforts of the contractors and suppliers to keep costs to a minimum, Langendoen said the project is costing a "significant" amount of money.

He said friends and family have been extremely generous.

Before buying the old theatre, Wierenga said they considered buying the restaurant at the corner of Niagara and Mill St., but "we were always kind of spotting this building."

She said it's a central location within walking distance for the kids who participate, ranging in age from four to 14 years old.

In addition to the exterior work underway, new walls are being built inside creating office space for the organization, and a new stage is being built in the theatre itself -- and that's where all the action will take place.

After the children arrive on First Student Canada buses, Wierenga said they participate in a few games to break the ice, and make the children feel a little more comfortable being there.

They sing songs, and learn a faith based message "to teach them to do what's right," she said.

That's followed by a video that relates to the message. They play a few more games, then they enjoy a delicious meal. In addition to the meetings, she said the organization's members also visit the children at their homes twice a month.

Those visits allow them to get to know the children a little better as well their parents.

"Eventually we want to be able to do things for the parents," she said.

Langendoen added, "By visiting the families in their homes, the parents get to know us and build their trust in us, too. It's for more than just kids. It's also going to involve the families here in Welland."

Over the past year, Wierenga said they've seen the difference the program is making in the lives of the children that participate.

"We actually even measure hope," she said. "We have charts to measure hope, and the comments that we get from parents" indicate the success the program is having.

Another way to measure the program's success is "on the smiling faces of the kids when they walk through the doors," she added.

Although the Rose City Kids started through the founders involvement with Bethany Community Church, Langendoen said it's now grown to include several churches in the Welland area. And as a result, he said Rose City Kids has really become a community initiative.

Renovating the building was also a way to give something back to the city where his family spent a great deal of time while Jocelyn was in the hospital.

"The nurses and doctors were so good to her. For me it's a way of saying thanks to Welland and give back to the community."

Langendoen said John and Sonya Wierenga and Janssens have spent many years working with young people in the Pelham area, including missionary work in Honduras every year.

A year ago, shortly before Jocelyn's cancer returned, he said she had an opportunity to participate in one of those missionary trips to Honduras.

"Jocelyn always said that being a friend with Sonya is going to take a lot of her time. She relished that, too."

Langendoen said the experience of the Wierengas working with children allowed the organization to grow as quickly as it did.

 

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Innovation program showcased

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
November 4, 2009

The city's industry leaders had a chance to learn about resources available to help their companies thrive during an open house Monday, organized by the Atlas Advanced Manufacturing Park innovation support program.

The event in the Welland Civic Square community room was an opportunity to introduce the city's new innovation support program team members -- Amy Lemay, Bob Khuns and Tracy Jennings -- who will reach out to local businesses in the months to come, offering their assistance in accessing government funding programs and other resources, said the city's economic developer, Dan Degazio.

"The opportunities are tremendous and we've got some great experience on our team," Degazio said.

"This is something that's going to bring our local industries to the forefront. ... The government has money. Let's go get it."

The innovation support program team is also working to build links between local businesses and post-secondary schools in the area, including Niagara College, Brock and McMaster universities.

Representatives from the research and development departments of the three institutions were at the open house to explain the programs their students and faculty can offer local businesses.

Marti Jurmain, director of research and innovation at Niagara College, invited the audience to "come and talk to us."

"It costs you nothing to come and talk to us. We are your college. Call us when you need us," she said.

Mayor Damian Goulbourne said too many people in this city are reflecting on the past rather than embracing the future.

He urged business representatives at the meeting to share their success stories with the community, to show people Welland is still a vibrant community.

"We need you desperately to share your stories," he said. "Because there are a lot of reasons to be hopeful and positive about our community."

Welland, he added, has the resources that industries all over the world are looking for -- the hospital, the college and universities in neighbouring municipalities. "Once people understand what we have in this area, they start to get excited," he said.

Degazio introduced the audience to Grace Hinz, a native of Hamilton who has spent the past five years working for a non-profit Spanish organization that encourages partnerships between businesses in that country and businesses in Canada.

She discussed several programs that local businesses can tap into to help them make connections with potential partners in the European country.

Frank Mete, president of the Welland Economic Development Commission, toldThe Tribunethe city's initiative is an impressive strategy -- particularly because it uses the facilities of an old defunct steel plant to help the businesses of today and tomorrow thrive.

"I think in this day and age you need to be innovative and you need to couple that with some tradition and some of the past," Mete said.

"I think combining both of those is pretty powerful."

And when post secondary institutions like universities are included, he said it adds substantially to the program's potential.

 

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The economy's bright spot
CRS ELECTRONICS: LED maker in the spotlight

Mark Tayti
Welland Tribune
October 22, 2009

CRS Electronics is casting a big shadow in the emerging green economy.

The Welland-based LED manufacturer's success in the field attracted national attention this week in an article published by The Globe and Mail.

Colin Digout, chief financial officer for the company, said attention on the MR16 light-emitting diode (LED) sold by the company has been building in the past 18 months. A recent contract to install about 1,000 lamps at Humber College in Toronto has now propelled the company into the national spotlight.

"It's a good news story for Welland and it's a good news story for the environment," Digout said yesterday.

Digout said the six-watt MR16 sold by CRS Electronics can match the performance of a 50-watt halogen light. Choosing LED lamps can lead to huge savings for institutions, businesses and residential properties by slashing electricity bills and cutting maintenance costs.

"We are happy with the (media) exposure but we believe we have the product to support it."

Digout said 12% of electricity produced goes for lighting.

"If you can knock that down by 80%, you can take a lot of pressure off the grid," he added.

Digout said phones at CRS have been ringing as a result of the Globe and Mail article. Some of the calls were local from people. One call yesterday was from a company that builds colleges and universities.

CRS Electronics has been around for 10 years, but Digout said technological advancements in "the strength of the diode" has helped the product make the leap from limited use to being a viable mainstream alternative.

The potential for growth is huge, given that LED lights currently only penetrate less than half a percentage of the market.

"People are looking to go green for all the right reasons," Digout said. "We can now give them a very strong business case for going green."

In regional areas where electricity costs are high, Digout said the payback for changing over is as little as nine months.

As energy costs continue to rise, quality LED lamps of the variety sold by CRS Electronics serve as a hedge on increasing rates, Digout said.

While LED lights have been around for some time, Digout said many businesses initially had bad experiences with inferior LEDs coming from the far east.

CRS Electronics started gaining attention when it soared above other LED products in a report published by U. S. Department of Energy by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The report showed the MR16 LED produced by CRS excelled in colour and light output and backed up the company's claims of being a superior product.

The fact the lamps last so long and use so much less electricity than halogen bulbs means customers don't have to give up quality to achieve savings.

Even in Ontario where electricity costs are still relatively low, the CRS MR16 is becoming the light-of-choice for shrewd business owners with an environmental conscience.

"The last 18 months has really seen the product hit its stride," Digout said. "CRS Electronics is definitely a bright spot on the local economy. We have been able to increase staff from 12 to 22 employees and we continue to grow."

CRS LEDs are used to light Welland city streets, in traffic lights and school buses.

 

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PM breaks ground

Wayne Campbell
Welland Tribune
October 10, 2009

Stephen Harper became the first sitting prime minster to visit Niagara College yesterday.

In a relaxed campaign-style appearance, he officially broke ground on the college's $40-million applied health institute and gave a speech praising the school and his government's infrastructure program.

He posed for a photo opportunity in front of construction equipment with local politicians and Niagara College leaders.

And after standing in front of his government's Action Canada sign, he led Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley and college president Dan Patterson over to a nearby provincial Building Knowledge sign and posed in front of it. Federal and provincial governments provided equal grants to the project to match a similar fund from the college.

Harper gave a speech praising the college and his government's infrastructure program stressing the need to "stay the course," switching his oration between English and French in bilingual-designated Welland.

He took questions from local and national media in a short news conference.

Then he shook hands with Niagara College students, and staff posed for photos in the student union building and the parking lot.

Harper called this "exciting times for Niagara College" and quipped that its enrolment was up to 8,000 at Ontario's fastest-growing college because of its award-winning teaching winery products.

He said Niagara College has a crucial part to play.

"Welland was particularly hard hit by the global economic recession," he said.

But quoting a headline from The Tribune, Harper said Welland has reinvented itself.

"Talented hardworking entrepreneurs are trying creative business approaches" he said his government is proud to support.

Harper touched on the role of his government in dealing with the recession, saying it cut red-tape and moved projects along, pointing to a ceremonial groundbreaking that yesterday came well after the project had gotten underway.

While he said the economy is improving, "we are not out of the woods yet. Now is the time to stay the course, implementing our plan, seizing the opportunities."

Canada, he said, still has to face "economic effects from beyond our borders" and possible political instability at home.

He carried the concern into a question period with the media when he said the economic slowness in the United States such as job losses creates an economic drag on Canada.

In answer to other questions, he said an employment insurance legislation before Parliament will add more weeks to benefits for unemployed who may be seeking training at Niagara College but haven't been able to enrol yet.

Harper blamed opposition from two other parties for delaying the legislation and urged all parties to get behind it.

The prime minister said he would not raise taxes when the recession ended to fight the deficit.

"We do not require a tax increase," he said preferring spending restraint to bring down the deficit.

On a question about Afghanistan, he said Canada's military mission will end in 2011 and his government has no intention to ask for an extension.

Other speakers at the groundbreaking included federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, Ontario Transportation Minister Jim Bradley, Niagara Region Chair Peter Partington, Niagara College board chair Len Crispino, college president Dan Patterson and Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne.

The $40-million applied health institute at Niagara College's Welland campus will provide space for health training for students wanting to become practical nurses and support workers, recreation therapists, paramedics, pharmacy technicians, dental assistants and dental hygienists.

It will also allow the college to launch new programs for occupational therapist assistants, mental health workers and elder care advocates.

It will bring all applied health programs into one training complex for 1,000 students.

It will also provide an inter-professional education centre and opportunities for those wishing to retrain after layoff or change their carreers, Patterson outlined in his speech.

 

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Developing dreams

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
October 2, 2009

A few years ago Stefanos Horianopoulos invented something remarkable.

It's a patented device to harness energy from passing traffic.

In a process he calls Kinergypower, hydraulic pistons are used to create energy as vehicles drive over the device that could be used to replace speed humps, or be set into the pavement.

In 2005, Horianopoulos was at a city council meeting to discuss that invention.

It was a presentation city council never forgot.

And now, the city is helping Horianopoulos make his business dreams a reality.

Goulbourne invited Horianopoulos to the old Atlas Steels office building yesterday for a special announcement.

A few weeks ago, Goulbourne said the city learned it will receive $3.1 million to develop the Atlas Advanced Manufacturing Park (AAMP).

Building on that announcement, Goulbourne said the city recently received about $200,000 in federal government funding for a six-month project to assist small-and medium-sized businesses "to help them innovate and to help them adapt to the changing marketplace so that in the future they will be able to manage the highs and lows of these tough economic times."

The program will help link those businesses with government services, programs and funding that's available to assist them, as well as all the support that's available at post-secondary institutions.

"Most people don't know what government programs are out there and if they can tap into them, how that can lead to job creation," the mayor said.

"They also don't know what are the services that Niagara College can provide for businesses."

Although Welland has only received funding for six months, Goulbourne said the city anticipates additional funding to extend the project to 18 months.

The program is being run by Amy Lemay from VISTA Science and Technology Inc. out of the old Atlas Specialty Steels office building on Centre St., recently renovated by developer Steve Curic.

"We're taking out a few offices here and really breathing new life into it. We believe we can turn this building into a centre for innovation for advanced manufacturing. Once we start to help these companies get on their feet, they'll be looking for office space. And they'll be looking for a place to be home base, and maybe this will be that home base."

Goulbourne said Horianopoulos's company seemed ideal as the first client for that new program -- and the city also has plans for the product he created.

Although municipalities can't provide financial incentives to businesses, Goulbourne said they can be customers.

"The best way to support Stefanos is probably to be his first customer," he said.

"We have been waiting for this project because we want you to be the first client, in terms of helping you," the mayor told Horianopoulos.

The mayor said a staff report will be coming to council in the near future, recommending that Horianopoulos's device be installed at the Welland Transit Terminal.

The weight of the buses travelling over the device should create enough energy to power the terminal building.

For Horianopoulos, it's an opportunity to showcase the device to show the world what it's capable of doing.

"Hopefully if we can set up the first pilot project in Canada and the first one in the world, we can showcase our device and then hopefully we can get into manufacturing," Horianopoulos said.

As a former welder at the Dain City plant that's closing entirely by early next year, Horianopoulos has a good understanding of the amount of talent this city has that could eventually help manufacture his product.

"There are about 800 people who are out of work and let's face it, there are not too many jobs available," he said.

However, he said this area has "all these personnel that have all these abilities in manufacturing, in trades."

"I think this is an opportunity for any business to come and start up here. You don't have to retrain workers. Everything is available in this area."

Welland economic development officer Dan Degazio said after talking about plans for an advanced manufacturing park for years, the city has finally reached the point "that we can actually do it."

Working with Horianopoulos is something he said the city is very excited about.

"This is going to bring new energy and new cost savings to many different segments of communities, whether it be a school or a public building, or an industrial building or whatever it might be, it's going to save a lot of money for people in the future," Degazio said.

Niagara College is an important partner in the overall project, offering its assistance to the businesses that will participate in the program.

While college president Dan Patterson said he's pleased about the city's initiative, he said he's also "anxious to find out more about it and how it will materialize."

"We see it as an opportunity to have the clients that come here access the college resources," he said.

 

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Brock pondering downtown Welland 'mini-campus'

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
September 19, 2009

Another piece of the Life Sciences Campus on the Canal is falling into place.

Following an in-camera meeting Tuesday, city council supported a motion calling on the mayor and city manager to work with Brock University to explore the development of a new facility in Welland's downtown core, when the university can run new programs.

The facility was referred to as a "human performance centre" in the council motion. Mayor Damian Goulbourne said he's hesitant to call that proposed facility a campus.

Although the facility will include classroom space, Goulbourne said it offers much more.

"It's more than just a campus for students," he said. "It's going to provide some wonderful opportunities for contract training, also a site that can partner with athletic organizations all across Niagara and Ontario. And the type of facilities they're going to have in this site open up training opportunities that are international in calibre."

John Corlett, the university's dean of applied health sciences, provided some additional insight into what he described as "a mini campus" in the city.

He said there are "probably a half a dozen different things" planned for the facility.

Some of those plans, he added, are still a little tentative and he didn't want to discuss them.

But some plans the faculty has for the facility are a little more concrete -- such as a firefighter screening program.

Corlett said the university has already been running that program "very successfully," working with fire departments from Toronto and North Bay, as well as locally.

The program offers physical aptitude testing for prospective firefighters hoping for jobs working with those departments.

If that program is moved to Welland, Corlett said as many as 4,000 prospective firefighters a year will need to visit the new facility.

"And if we do some of the professional training for firefighters that we'd like to be able to do they're going to stay overnight in Welland for maybe a few nights, and it's all good economically. But it's also good for the reputation of the city as a place that's engaged in this high profile, high knowledge, high-tech kind of testing stuff."

The university's cardiac rehabilitation program would also fit in well with the new facility.

"We'd like to centre at least a part of that program in a facility and Welland is an ideal place to be."

Another part of it would be a "pretty sophisticated exercise physiology fitness centre."

That facility, used for the firefighter assessment as well as the cardiac rehab program, could also fit in with additional plans the city is considering for new facilities in the city.

Goulbourne said Corlett is anxious to get the project underway as quickly as possible.

"If you talk to John it would be tomorrow," he said.

"That's how quickly he wants to move."

But Goulbourne said he'd rather wait a few months to learn the outcome of the Greater Toronto Area bid to host the 2015 Pan-Am Games.

Considering recent discussions about building a large new facility along the canal bank, if the Pan-Am Games bid is approved in early November, Goulbourne said there's a potential to expand the partnership between Brock and the city to include Welland Recreational Canal Corp.

And instead of just building a facility for the games, he said Brock's facility could also be included as part of that project.

"Could you imagine what a dynamic relationship we could have if the Brock University Centre for Human Performance merged with our International Flat Water Centre -- the flat water centre we will be building if Toronto gets the Pan-Am Games bid?"

That flatwater centre would cost about $9 million to build, with $5 million coming from upper-tier governments and $4 million from local taxes.

Adding Brock's facility to that building "would be a small incremental increase" compared to the cost of building a stand-alone facility.

The mayor said the WRCC will discuss the potential of joining the Brock and City of Welland partnership at an upcoming board meeting.

"We're looking at lots of partnerships to see if we can pull this thing off," he said, it would dramatically reduce the impact on the city's tax base.

Goulbourne said the city is also exploring running a fund-raising campaign to help pay for Brock's facility so "we don't solely rely on the property taxpayer or other levels of government."

Corlett agreed that such a campaign could have merit.

He said it would bring together the credibility of both the university and the city for a common goal, which more people might be willing to support.

While he's eager to see the project move forward, Corlett said he's prepared to wait.

"We're just kind of waiting patiently for things to unfold," he said.

And however long it takes, he said that facility will be built in Welland rather than another location.

"We're not shopping it around."

 

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One hundred years just a start

LAKESIDE STEEL: Plant celebrates 100 years of steelmaking in Welland

Mark Tayti
Welland Tribune
September 17, 2009

A company that forged its place in Welland's industrial history was celebrated yesterday for 100 years of continuous steelmaking.

"One hundred years is just a start," Lakeside Steel chair and CEO Vic Alboini said as he spoke about "a sense of renewal" that is reflective of "our commitment to grow."

"Welland is a very strong community," he said. "We want to grow Lakeside Steel from this base."

The company, which began 100 years ago as Page-Hersey Works, used the anniversary open house to unveil its new $5-million upsetting and threading line. The new equipment allows Lakeside Steel to thread pipe in-house, instead of shipping it to Texas to complete the production process.

Ron Bedard, president of Lakeside Steel Corp., cut the ribbon on the new milling operation with Ken Lewenza, national president of the Canadian Auto Workers union.

"This is a significant investment for a small company," Bedard said.

The equipment, which was purchased in Albert a , addresses a "competitive disadvantage" that Lakeside had in its supply chain.

Bedard later hammered the last railroad spike in a section of track that restores rail service to the Welland steel maker.

Bedard said the line was taken out by Stelco when it owned the plant and the steel rails were melted down and used as scrap.

"This will help us provide better service to our customers, more cost effectively," Bedard said.

The rail line now gives Lakeside Steel more control when supplying products to its customer base.

A tour of the plant concluded with the unveiling of a sculpture dedicated to employees. A time capsule was also buried at the entrance to the administration building.

The sculpture was created in six weeks by former Stelco employee and Ridgeville artist Neil Bilbe. It illustrates a foreman and employee holding a section of pipe.

The resin sculpture looks like bronze that has been weathered by time.

Throughout the morning, union officials, company executives and visiting municipal, federal and provincial dignitaries offered their best wishes for the company's future and reflected on the past.

About 300 employees, former employees, customers and community leaders braved cool temperatures and overcast skies to help celebrate the occasion.

"Our employees stand above the crowd," Bedard said, beginning a theme that would be repeated by many of the speakers throughout the morning. "What differentiates a plant that operates for 100 years from those that come and go -- employees and customers."

He made reference to five generations of employees that have excelled through boom times and recessions.

Plant manager Vince Penney focused on the past, present and future of Lakeside Steel.

"The future will be on sustaining and growing the business to ensure there are jobs for Canadian pipe makers for the next 100 years," Penney said. "We are proud of the efforts -- and the results of those efforts -- in the sustaining of our business during this tough economic period that we have all been experiencing.

"We are proud of the growth we have achieved here at Lakeside and the jobs that will be created here in Welland with the addition of our new upsetting and threading line and our onsite rail car loading capability," Penney said.

"We will continue to seek additional growth opportunities to make this company bigger, better and capable of providing jobs to workers to allow them to contribute to another 100 years of pipe-making excellence in Welland."

Lewenza paid tribute to the workers represented by CAW Local 523.

He said Lakeside Steel and the companies that preceded it "have stood the test of time."

The union boss said the recession has changed the landscape of Canadian manufacturing.

"It is not business as usual," he said. "These are trying times. This cannot happen without partnerships."

He said it is incumbent on politicians to "raise the profile on issues facing Canadian manufacturing" and to fight for the implementation of "fair trade" over free trade.

"It's been a tough year, but what inspires us is what we are seeing here today," Lewenza added.

The most senior speaker at the podium was Mike Bosnich, who started at the plant in 1939 and negotiated the company's first pension benefit as a business agent for United Electrical.

He said workers went on strike for seven weeks in 1965 when then Stelco wanted to cancel service time for employees who were off the job due to sickness for more than 12 consecutive months.

Bosnich congratulated Lakeside Steel on its current bid to buy former Stelco properties in Hamilton and Nanticoke owned by U. S. Steel.

"I hope they succeed," he said.

York Centre MPP Monte Kwinter was on hand to represent Sandra Pupatello, minister of economic development and trade.

"There is a sense everywhere I go that things are starting to look better," Kwinter said. "I feel it here."

Kwinter said the key to success is customer service.

"If you have good customers, you'll have a good job."

He was "thrilled" to celebrate what he called "a century of commitment to the community."

"A vibrant manufacturing sector is crucial to Ontario's economy," Kwinter said.

Welland MP Malcolm Allen presented Lakeside Steel with a Canadian flag and credited the workers in the community for 100 years of continuous steelmaking on the site.

He credited management for being able to navigate through recessionary times.

Mike Haines attended the celebration for Welland MPP Peter Kormos, who was in the legislature yesterday.

Speaking in the legislature Tuesday, Kormos said workers have done "a very difficult job of keeping the company alive during very difficult times when the company has received very little support from governments."

Niagara College president Dan Patterson focused on the "wonderful sense of history" that Lakeside Steel was celebrating.

"At the end of the day, it's about people power and human capital," Patterson said.

"Today is a defining moment. Let's celebrate the success of a wonderful company."

Regional Chair Peter Partington said Lakeside Steel has commanded a "well-deserved reputation" and continues to be an integral part of the region and its economy.

He said manufacturing has always been an important part of the region's economy.

"While we talk about the new economy, we must remember that in Niagara we continue to make things," he said. "Thank you so much for being an important part of the Niagara region."

Welland Mayor Damian Goulbourne said despite the numerous plant closures in recent years, "manufacturing is alive in Welland."

He said there are "positive signs" that give him hope in the city's future.

"Manufacturing is coming back ... slowly and quietly, it's coming back," he said. "The interest internationally to invest in our community is incredible.

"I believe we can still make things (in Welland) and make things of good quality."

The anniversary celebration concluded with a barbecue for employees both past and present.

 

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First piece of the puzzle

WELLAND COUNCIL: Life Sciences Campus on the Canal discussed last night

Allan Benner
Welland Tribune
April 8, 2009

A building of glass and steel could rise six to eight storeys above King St. in the near future.

And that building could bring as many as 30,000 people a month into the heart of Welland for services offered by the medical professionals within, said Andrew Shapack, chief executive officer of GT Canada Capital Corp.

The building could also be the first piece of the Life Sciences Campus on the Canal the city has been working to establish for the past year.

Shapack and Ed Thornley from the Toronto-based company were at last night's city council meeting to discuss their plans for land beside Welland hospital.

It's only a concept at this time, Shapack said, but it could soon become a reality if efforts to find tenants for the building are successful.

"The purpose is to create a modern design, with state-of-the-art technology to coincide with a momentum that was set up by the government," Shapack said, referring to the Ontario government's plans to establish Family Health Teams throughout the province.

The building was designed around the Family Health Team model, under the guidance of Thornley, who has built dozens of medical buildings across Canada during his long career.

Thornley, whom Shapack described as the inventor of "the modern medical office building in Canada," said he already owns a medical building on King St., across the road from the hospital.

Shapack said developers hope to "capitalize on the excitement of this kind of development" by including areas for retail sales within the design.

He said a good medical office building can see 30,000 people a month.

That kind of traffic will benefit the city and neighbourhood, he added.

Bringing 30,000 visitors to that facility a month isn't unrealistic, said Shapack, telling councillors that a medical building Thornley designed in Guelph is already attracting that many people.

Attracting physicians to work in it is also realistic, Thornley added. The building is designed specifically to provide working conditions younger physicians are looking for. The company is working with realtor Huy Lam to find potential tenants.

Thornley likened the project to planting a garden.

"These things grow. You plant some tomatoes and the next thing you know you have 1,400 tomatoes," Thornley said.

"Medical buildings are like that. You go into a town and say, 'We have an idea,' and they say, 'Oh, wow! We've been waiting for this.' And it feeds off itself."

Thornley said after doctors are in there working, "you get all the people that service the doctors."

City councillors were extremely enthusiastic about the project during the meeting.

They approved a motion authorizing economic development officer Dan Degazio to continue working with GT Canada to "explore opportunities to facilitate the development of a medical centre, envisioned for the Life Sciences Campus on the Canal ..."

"This is not pie in the sky," Degazio told reporters following the meeting.

He said the city has been working with the developers for the past eight months.

They plan on meeting within the coming days to further develop plans.

The building, which features a curtain wall of glass to allow light to flood into waiting areas on each floor, as well as a rooftop "healing garden," was designed by New York City architect Andrew Fredman.

Fredman's concept drawings of the building have been posted on the architect's web-site, www.andrewfredman.com.

"This rendering was not done by a local cartoonist," Degazio said, referring to the renowned architect.

Shapack said he learned about Fredman after reading a full-page article in the New York Times about award winning projects he's worked on.

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