“Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.” – Gustav Mahler
A year ago we – like everyone else – had no real idea of what was going to come next. We carried a deep weight fearing for our clients and how they would survive this unprecedented time. We anticipated things slowing down as people ever so cautiously tried to navigate their way through these unknown waters.
Boy, were we ever wrong!
We’ve had barely a moment to breathe in the past twelve months. By the end of December 2020 we had helped six new clients open businesses in the midst of the pandemic, in addition to helping all our existing clients find ways to both pivot and stabilize at the same time. We’re just coming to the close of the first quarter of 2021 and since January we’ve had six projects move forward, with a seventh in the wings!
So, now we need to breathe a bit.
We’re taking a late March Break and our office will be closed at the end of the day on March 26th and will re-open on April 6th. As always, we’re available by email for emergencies but for everything else, we’ll get back to you after April 6th.
While we’re away, we’d like to leave you with some food for thought...
If you think you’ve felt an optimistic vibe in our area, you are not wrong. Real estate is hopping – great news for some but challenging for others. Properties on the market for many years have now finally sold. But houses that were once part of our rental stock are now gone, which is adding to an already existing rental crisis. If someone were to walk into AIRO’s office today and say, “How should I invest my money?” we’d be telling them to create affordable rental accommodations.
In 1994 the population of Annapolis County was 23,630 people. In 2016 it had decreased to 20,591. We don’t think any of the current or pending changes will exceed the 1994 population levels and yet, we need our population to grow back to that amount and a little beyond so that our small businesses and communities can not only survive – but thrive. We’re not in danger of being overrun in our beautiful rural area but what is great to see is that a lot of the people choosing to move here are actually people choosing to move BACK here. One good thing to come out of the pandemic is the increased ability for people to work remotely and that is impacting relocation decision all across our province. Good thing the fibre optic Internet projects are all full steam ahead!
Connected to this burgeoning real estate market is that an incredible number of businesses have jobs available – many full-time, many paying well above minimum wage, and some with benefits available, too. We’re seeing several new businesses opening, many existing businesses expanding, and ideas for community projects and infrastructure bubbling up all over. But filling these jobs also presents a challenge when – you guessed it – affordable rental housing is almost non-existent.
Perhaps we need to look at some creative housing solutions? Maybe co-operative living? Or shared accommodations that match seniors with younger people or families that could help them maintain their properties? If you’ve got an idea on how our region could tackle the lack of affordable rental accommodations, hit reply and share with us. You never know, you just might have the solution to this growing issue.
In the meantime, we’re going to enjoy our break from close of day March 26th until we re-open on April 6th, when we’ll be back ready and raring to go for another several busy months!
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Our office closes at the end of the day March 26, 2021,
and is re-opening on April 6, 2021.
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Know An Entrepreneur Who Is Ready To Dream Big...or step up for one of the opportunities our Local Logic report identifies?
If you have a business idea you want to get off the ground or know someone who does, forward this email to someone who could use our help or go to our website and choose the appropriate application form, submit it, and we’ll reply with the next steps.
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