One of the lasting economic contributions of the COVID 19 pandemic has been the acceleration of online shopping—and with it a growing dependence on Canada Post and other couriers to bring that shopping home. With the postal strike now in its second week some Islanders are starting to become concerned over whether Santa will be able to complete his rounds before December 25.
But there are a host of local businesses, along with some “extended” local retailers in our neighbouring larger centres, who stand ready to fill in the gap. If ever there is a time to take a second look at local retail offerings, this must surely be it.
Speaking with Island merchants, they will often relate how new customers coming in their doors express surprise at learning that the products on offer in their stores can be found right here on Manitoulin Island. No need for long and stressful trips into the big city to battle the crowds flocking to the big box stores, fighting traffic and dealing with the short daylight hours of late fall and early winter as we dodge deer and other critters popping up in the headlight’s glare.
There are many important and very good economic reasons to “shop local” beyond that of avoiding early winter travel, deer dodging and depending on the vagaries of the couriers and postal services.
The circular effect of shopping local has long been documented by economists. The more times that a dollar recirculates within a community, the greater the impact that dollar has on the economic well being of a region.
This is especially true when it comes to shopping local at reserve businesses like that of Andy’s in Wiikwemkoong. Fiscal transfers into reserves such as those that came with the Robinson Huron Treaty annuities settlement and various land claim settlements almost immediately flow into outside communities but the more that money flows back onto reserves, the larger the positive local impact becomes.
A lot of Manitoulin residents have become far too dependent on off-Island businesses for their retail needs over the past few decades and it is a trend that has unfortunate consequences for those who are not as able to travel to shop. As those dollars traveling outside our region, they take with them the ability for local businesses to maintain stock.
One of the key elements of the laws of retail is to sell what sells, and if too many make their purchases off-Island, it becomes impossible to be able to keep those items in stock locally—accentuating a spiralling downward trend in available products.
“Use it or lose it”—we’ve all heard that saying as well and it strongly applies in this case.
The loss of commercial businesses who can no longer make a go of it on Manitoulin, the brick-and-mortar versions at least, brings an outsized impact on local taxes as well. Commercial tax rates are higher than those of a typical residential property and with fewer and fewer businesses helping to shoulder the load, more and more of the burden falls on the residential rolls.
Simply put, shopping local brings huge benefits, many of which are not readily evident until you really stop to think about it.
Ask any Manitoulin business owner and they will tell you that hardly a day goes by without a local charity, community group or individual coming to request a sponsorship—and they step up like champions to do so. Without those businesses, where would minor hockey and a host of other youth programs be?
The Expositor has always aimed its sights on local advertising, making a conscious effort to not to deliberately seek out advertisers from “away.” To be sure, we do not actively discourage such advertisers, but we also do not engage in campaigns to attract them either. We recognize just how important a healthy and vibrant local business community is for everyone.
So, this Christmas season (and in every season), take the time to peruse the advertisements from local businesses contained with every issue of The Expositor.
