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August 2010 Muskoka's Business Newspaper Since 1997

G8 news reports tracked

By Chris Occhiuzzi When the world talks about Muskoka, the Canadian government listens closely. Muskoka made headlines around the world following the G8 Summit and those promoting the region are hopeful it will continue to make the news. Phrases such as l'affascinante region (the fascinating region) from La Repubblica in Italy are common, while articles from the Russian news agency Itar-Tass discuss the possibility of investment in our region. In the Jakarta Post from Indonesia, a huge feature page was dedicated to Muskoka as a whole, Deerhurst Resort and Algonquin Provincial Park. In these three articles, beauty was used in a descriptive sentence more than once. Tracking the international media mentions of Muskoka helps the government to measure the success of the event from a promotional standpoint. They continue to record and collect all articles where Muskoka is discussed. "It gives us a real understanding of the penetration of the event, in the minds of people that never heard of Muskoka before," says Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Tony Clement. "Right in the immediate aftermath of the G8 there were over 100 mentions of Muskoka. Obviously there were mentions before the G8." AIM - p. 16

Muskoka's boating butcher

FRESH IDEA: Matt Lovering cruises Lake Muskoka with the Cottage Butcher delivery boat. Boaters and cottagers flag it down for steaks and other delicacies. Story on page 18.

High-speed reaches more areas

By Karen Wehrstein Access to high-speed internet continues to expand in Muskoka. Stanleydale/Stisted North and Skeleton Lake have now been added in the Huntsville area, plus Harp Lake, Walker Lake, Echo Lake/Lawson Road and Birchcroft in Lake of Bays. In the initial stages of the project, 40 towers across the district were planned, but that has grown to approximately 60. That is partly as a result of budget underruns allowing more builds, according to Rob McPhee, executive director of Muskoka Community Network, which is overseeing the project. The addition of more towers is also due to public concerns about large towers, resulting in the erection of two or three smaller towers rather than one large one in some areas. "We worked very hard up front to ensure there was very good cost control, and continued to monitor that as the project rolled out," says McPhee. He also credits Core Broadband, the company building the network. "Because of that the nature of the project and the scope of it, they've been able, at times, to buy equipment at good prices. When you buy one can of Coke, you pay more than when you buy it by the case. There have also been dollar fluctuations that we've been able to take advantage of." Funded by a $1.7 million Fed- Nor grant, the project was intended to provide high-speed connections to 80 per cent of the rural customers in Muskoka who didn't HIGH-SPEED - p. 6

northcountrybusinessnews.com

Design dreams

Graphic designer sets out on his own.

See p. 6

High hopes for fractional

Phase one of project to be complete by June 2011.

See p. 12

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Saving energy in the workplace - See p. 8 - 11

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