Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

109 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 HEARST , ONTAR IO which to live in Northern Ontario, we need to keep working on being ready to accommodate that growth. To keep working on being more inclusive. Because we’ll diversify, that’s for sure. The population in Canada is aging and we need to attract people from elsewhere. But we’ve got to transform ourselves a little bit to make room for that growth to happen.” “We’re very well-situated in terms of the Trans-Canada Highway, the railway, natural gas production and low electricity costs,” says Morrissette, chiming in. “We’re pursuing every opportunity to attract businesses. Any mining company, biomass company, forestry company that wants to come here, they’re more than welcome to do so. Big, industrialized corporations and small mom-and-pop shops as well. We’re open to all that.” While the pride of being francophone resonates sharply throughout the town and welcomes all those who visit, Mayor Roger Sigouin is adamant that Hearst is “open-minded and ready to do business” with anyone who desires to join the community. “Our goal is really to make sure everything’s moving in the right direction, while respecting cultural differences, respecting the environment, and respecting the challenges that regional collaboration bring. I mention the region because small communities in the North can’t survive alone. We’ve got to work as a region, and support each other as a region, because that’s truly the way to grow stronger.”