Have you ever watched geese flying along in the sky in a “V” formation? They fly like that because as each bird in front flaps its wings it creates an updraft for the bird immediately following. By flying together in a “V” formation, it has been estimated that the whole flock adds over 70% to its flying range than if each bird flew on its own. This means that the flock can cover their journey much more quickly and with much less of an effort by working together.

Geese work together so that the entire flock achieves a higher degree of success. You would think that people would be able to discover this strategy as well. It is a known fact that the City of Greater Sudbury is in trouble. Unemployment is up! Businesses are closing! The hospital construction has stopped! We are losing our youth to the south! Many small businesses which are still operating are barely surviving! The jobs that we are losing are high paying jobs in big industry, but the jobs that we replace them with are low-paying entry-level jobs. There is no need to go on.

Yet, in spite of this, we all share a common direction. Everyone living in the City of Greater Sudbury really wants  to do something to improve the situation. We want to help stimulate the economy and create new jobs so that our children can establish a future in their home town. It is precisely this sense of community and common direction which we must harness and use if we have any chance of rising out of our current state and creating a brighter future for everyone in the area.

In order to see how we can do this, we must once again take a lesson from the geese. The situation in Sudbury is bleak, and we must take action soon in order to correct the situation. Since we are all moving in the same direction, we can travel on the thrust of one another and thrive on the encouragement and support. 

What the Greater Sudbury Area needs now is leadership. Valley East is more than capable of providing that leadership. Together, we can use Valley East Today to create the leverage we need to make our own community stronger and then move out to the front of the pack to help bring the rest of the flock - the other municipalities in the City of Greater Sudbury - in the right direction.

We ask that every resident of Valley East make a sincere effort to do their part to help make this community stronger. Valley East once held enviable position of being the fastest growing municipality in the region. We still are and we can still hold our heads up high. 

Amalgamation may have taken away our right to call ourselves the City of Valley East, but that was just a name. We haven't changed as a people. We haven't changed as a community. It is time to move forward, and take a lesson from the geese. It is our turn to move to the front of the formation and lead the flock. Let's prepare for the journey. It is going to take every bit of strength we can muster.