EDITORIAL

A little good news 

 

The Bulletin has received numerous complements for this year’s Aylmer Business Directory; this is interesting in our era of digital tunnel-vision! Aylmer shoppers tell us they find the publication both “exciting” and “quick and useful”. One comment said all the colour and the photos of life and events in Aylmer reflect “the diversity and fun” in our town. The thirty-four pages of business listings and notices  “project the right image for Aylmer – positive, professional, and people-friendly”,  said another comment. The colour, the large photos and “Aylmer flavour” make it clear this directory is produced within our community and not something ‘Made in Montreal’, as appears elsewhere.

 

A common point in all these comments is that this directory is well-designed, and inclusive – very useful and quick to consult.  It is, in short, a crucial tool in Aylmer’s effort to build and support a local economy – the “perfect tool for Shopping at Home”.  A big thank-you goes to the designers, sales people, and other staffers!

 

The Aylmer sector of Gatineau is unique. We represent so much of the best of Gatineau and of Quebec, and we depend upon our small-scale local economy to power our community, its sports teams, school events, festivals, and other events—not to mention provide local jobs, especially summer and after-school work for our kids.  Our small but growing local businesses keep our dollars here at home, rather than having them bleeding off into other towns.

 

We all have roles as defenders and builders of our town, because that is about all we can do to pull ourselves up by our own boot-straps. Aylmer is not a suburban feed-lot, and we are not cattle!  Aylmer has a culture, a history, an architectural patrimony – and a real future. But we have to make that future happen. It would we wise, and beneficial to us all, if more community players participated and supported tools like this Aylmer Business Directory.  They, the advertisers, win, and we, consumers, benefit. One major player missing here, and one of the most important forces in our community’s life, is the City of Gatineau. 

 

How helpful it would be for the City, as well as for us taxpayers, if the administration took a separate, multi-page section within the Directory to promote and list city services, programs, and contacts.  Everything would be together, easily at hand, and evident – it would be easy for taxpayers to see that our city does want to reach us, does want to inform us, does want to enlist our participation in its many programs and services.  Right now, these lists are dispersed across the internet, and not evident to the public at all.  Such a special section would no doubt be very cost-effective for the city.

 

Building our community is our task. No one will do it for us in Quebec City or Ottawa. The Aylmer Business Directory is a great tool and a great help – keep it by your phone all year long!         

 

Fred Ryan