CONNECTIVITY CAN BE REAL EQUALIZER FOR COMMUNITIES

"How you gonna keep themdown on the farm once they've seen Paris". - First World War Song
When the boys came back from the First World War there was a concern at farmhouse kitchen tables that men returning from Europe would have no interest in returning to milking cows or guiding a plough.
For rural Ontario, including small towns or cities like Stratford and Listowel, the war is long over, but that same sort of mindset is still at play.
There's still a concern that young men or women have to move to places like Waterloo, London or, more likely, Toronto to pursue modern, big- time careers and vocational greatness.
But, according to Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) co-founder Robert Bell, that's not always the case now as being able to connect to anywhere in the world via high speed Internet means companies don't have to set up in Toronto or other major urban centres.
The RBD server centre is a good example of that. The massive facility was pursued by over 100 communities, but RBC chose Stratford. Without high-speed access to the rest of North America, however, Stratford would not have made the long list let alone have been the successful suitor.
Bell said here this week that high-speed digital access to the rest of the world serves as a great equalizer and puts Stratford, or any place with high-speed Internet, on a level playing field with big cities - even Paris.
So the young career-minded person, for the first time in history, can have it both ways.
You don't have to suffer through a two-hour commute along 400 series highways, pay $50 a day in parking or worry about walking to the parking garage after dark.
And for those of you who consider Stratford or other communities near here ideal places to raise a family, you don't have to make a choice anymore.
You can work where you grew up and while still having access to the rest of the world and feeling comfortable with your kid's school and with them playing road hockey in front of the house. You can still enroll them in minor sports for less than $5000 a year (unlike Toronto). And parents can walk around the river, walk downtown for dinner or bike to their kids soccer game or farmers market.
Additionally, the broadband high-speed world means local businesses and employers have the same access to technology and connectivity as their big city competitors.
There's no reason for companies to hightail it to major urban areas to be on par with their competitors or expand. That will help to keep jobs here and also help the corporate tax base.
So that historic dilemma for individuals and companies - I would love to stay here but think I have to go to Toronto - no longer exists. Who said progress is bad?
john.kastner@sunmedia.ca