On September 12, 2002 13:59, Ken O. Burtch wrote: > Hello Bill, > > After I posted that comment I realized it could use a little > elaboration. It's always been my feeling that, because of the Internet, > high tech companies can locate almost anywhere they choose.
as long as there is a pipe, some reasonable security, reasonable power supply and staff accomodatiions. >Well, maybe > not the South Poll--Wired magazine reported last month that the > scientists at the U.S. Antarctica research station get 10 hours of > spotty Internet a day by bouncing signals off old satellites with > decayed orbits. Hay watch it. I worked in the high artic buddy for years...:) The only major problem was working in an usheilded room would make your putter (486 laptops at the time) go blanc every time the radar dish completely its sweep. Rather funny now...but not then. > I suggested once to a guy that if PegaSoft ever hit the big time it > should relocated to a place like Bracebridge. Near enough to Toronto to > drive for meetings, but far enough away it's on the fringe of Muskoka. > You've got fishing, hiking, rivers and watersports. This is exactly what needs to be done but never is for the reasons already mentioned. We Canadians have a county that if you add up the population and land mass theres what 200 square miles per person. Yet 95% of us live withing 200Km of the dam border. I moved to Ottawa about 11 years ago as I could not stand it in Toronto where i was forced to work. Now Ottawa is planned for 5M pop in 10 years. Time to move again. This was such a nice sleepy town with all the added bonuses of a capital city. Only issue here is property taxes as everyone mistakenly believes that the Ottawa landscape comes from federal dollars. Nope: Ottawa Tax payers for 90% of it. Only NCC property is maintained by the feds and thats less then 10% of the total realestate. > After all, when > George Lucas built his Industrial Light and Magic compound he put it out > in the country. But the guy I was talking to replied, "Oh, no! You've > got to build your headquarters in North York. That way you can make > your enemies drool with envy as you drive by in your BMW." He was > serious. But I thought that was a waste, spending all that money on > revenge instead of having a good time. Yup same here in town. I have rental property and will not rent to local high tech people if I can avoid it at all. Two lads from Mitel should up a few years back with two cars each. One putter for work and one racing machine each for the weekends. They were all of 21. Not to mention nada social skills and had to repaint after 30 day occupancy due to my termination. The boonie option IMHO is very real and accepted by most, other than true urbanites that have never experienced a few weeks in the great out doors. This is slowly evolving here in the Ottawa region with firms poping up it outlyiing areas pending taxation breaks. So you have shops in Hull, Gatineau, Wakefield. Chelsey, Stittsville, Carp, etc etc. The real issues are urbanization factors. People want toys, houses, transportation corridors and business needs access to markets. We are still lucky up here as its all available but for a price. The US is 35 minutes from here with a tax free zone accross the bridge on Hwy 16. Housing costs are now commiserative with S. Ontario which is about a 45% increase in five years. This really sucks but thats my gripe. Construction and contracting are booming with totally unreasonable rates. 20K for example for a porch rebuild. This will come to an end too.,..:) Wrt to boonie business, Im all for it but the issue is staffing. I mean last time I drove through Peterborough I was blown away. Here is a beautifull little place, with all the right stuff and its seniors heaven. Same could be said for North Bay and points WNW. The main reluctance of staff so far has been, "theres nothing going on there" when in reality the quality of life is so far suppior that it takes a least a year or two too unwind from the pace and stresses of S. Ontario to see and feel it. Me thinks its getting time to move out West...:) /ch
