> Grimsby residents: Watch for your GBF/Grimsby Fire food drive bags with this edition > Remembrance Day photos Pgs 5, 8 & 10 > Full Hat Trick Hockey standings Pg 8-9 > GO Vaxx bus rolls into Beamsville Saturday Pg 13 Thursday, November 18, 2021 Vol. 10 Issue 28
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BR&E study shows council lost trust of Grimsby businesses
Tree traffic
Beamsville Lion Bob Kelly directs volunteer Elliott Hall on where to place the Christmas tree he was unloading Saturday morning as the Lions prepared for their annual sale. The tree lot is located on Ontario Street in Beamsville just north of the train tracks. Pricing varies. The lot is open Monday-Thursday 3-8 p.m., Friday 2-9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Williscraft - Photo
By Joanne McDonald NewsNow The findings of Grimsby’s Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) Study are in and they do not reflect well on council, says Coun. Randy Vaine. Vaine made the comments at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting. The study – which was to be a foundational piece of a three-year economic development strategy – will now go to Grimsby Economic Development Advisory Committee to plot out next steps. This is expected in Q2 of 2022. “They were quite upset at the comments about council and felt we should be discussing it, said Vaine of a westend business operator who suggested council review the findings in open session. “The report was quite damning against us as a
council; 47 per cent of businesses, apparently, were not happy with us. The comments were pretty harsh, so I think it might be worthy of discussion.” While Coun. Dorothy Bothwell noted the report outlined the process staff and GEDAC would be taking to improve communication and connections with the business community, Vaine was not happy with that approach. “I don’t think this is something that I just want to sit back and, say, let a voluntary committee or an advisory committee tell us how to improve. I think we as council need to look at it because there were some very harsh words said today about council,” said Vaine. “I think if we kick it back to an advisory committee we’re just passing the buck.” See BR&E, Page 3
Laughs, shopping kick off holiday season With the Grimsby Downtown Improvement Area board’s $500 Shopping Spree promotion and Ladies Shopping night set for tonight (Thursday) the busiest stretch of downtown activities ever is now in full swing. “I’ve been on the board nearly 15
years combined over two stints,” said current board chair Mike Williscraft. “I have never seen a stretch like this.” The arrival of Rogers Hometown Hockey over Nov. 27-29 certainly has generated a lot of excitement and the DIA created a Puck Passport program to capitalize on that interest.
“We’ve got nearly 40 businesses participating in the Puck Passport. That was a great response. Anyone completing it can leave it any any participating location and win one of a long list of great prizes, such as hockey tickets, $100 gift certificates to any shop downtown to a Hamilton Bull-
dogs jersey autographed by the entire 2019-2020 team,” said Wiliscraft. “Throw in the Shopping Spree, Lades Night with the comedy show and Dec. 3’s Moonlight Madness with another comedy show and there are lots of reasons to come visit downtown.”