Presentation to Members of FONOM
At the suggestion of the Mayor and Council of Bonfield Township, I had the pleasure of meeting with members of the Federation Of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) on Saturday April 14th, 2007.
Firstly, I had an opportunity to discuss the widespread impact on fixed and wireless services that WiMAX technology with have on rural Canada and the need to advocate for the deployment of this important access technology in all areas of north. Currently the Bell Canada and Rogers Communications sponsored Inukshuk Wireless network is being deployed in Thunder Bay and Sudbury only.
The majority of my presentation was on telework and how it can play an important role in the economic development of Northern communities by allowing them to attract jobs that typically may have been office-bound in larger cities. While relocating a government or corporate office can be an extremely expensive and risky exercise, telework can provide a cost-effective and flexible method of geographically dispersing work and the related economic spin-offs that come with increased employment in a given community. In addition to the economic opportunities, telework offers a number of other benefits including transportation and environmental. As communities continue to look for new ways of attracting economic growth and employees increasing look for greater flexibility in their work arrangements, telework is an idea whose time has come.
My thanks to the members of FONOM who where great listeners and ask lots of good questions and also thanks to Mayor Narry McCarthy, Councillor Yvon Foisy and the rest of the Township of Bonfield Council for making the trip possible.