The relocation of SheepDog Animation Workshops and Exhibits is a nice feather in the municipality’s cap.
Sure, it’s a two-person operation, but the fact remains, a highly regarded animation team that does work with the likes of Disney has eschewed Kitchener-Waterloo – one of Ontario’s Silicon Valley locations – in favour of Chatham-Kent.
Paul Kriz and Alice Sinkner happened to love Rondeau Provincial Park as a place to visit. But when a property near the park – up Kent Bridge Road only a few kilometres – came available, they jumped at the relocation opportunity.
So now, they can enjoy daily treks into the park, while Chatham-Kent now plays host to a high-tech operation that will soon be offering classes in animation, and will open a museum showcasing various historical pieces related to the progression of animation practices in film and television.
Some people might say this is no big deal. It’s just two people moving to Chatham-Kent. But it’s much more than that.
Again, they operated in a tech hotbed location, and were two hours closer to the Greater Toronto Area. Despite that, they chose Chatham-Kent as their preferred location of living and working.
That says a great deal. And we know they aren’t alone. The past two years have seen hundreds of people move to Chatham-Kent from higher density urban areas to enjoy what we have to offer here. Thanks to improving Internet access in smaller communities and rural areas, running tech-based businesses here is much easer, and it is only becoming more attractive as rural fibre optic cables continue to be laid throughout the municipality.
Home-based offices, small businesses, remote working options – it all points people to Chatham-Kent. Then again, access to improving walking trails, two lakes, friendly neighbours, and with urban locations such as London, Windsor and Detroit only a short drive away, people are beginning to realize what C-K has to offer.
