Cornwall Ontario – Cornwall’s economy remained strong in 2023 as the city welcomed a wave of entrepreneurial activity, according to a report prepared by Cornwall Economic Development.
“2023 is the year of the entrepreneur as we welcomed several new businesses to the city,” said Bob Peters, Manager of Cornwall Economic Development. “At the same time, many of our largest employers are adding new technology as they expand to meet growing demand for their products and services. This investment activity is creating dozens of employment opportunities.”
The 2023 Year in Review report was delivered to an audience of 300 business and community leaders at Galaxy Cinemas. Cornwall Economic Development has delivered an annual recap of business news for past 26 years. Information for the report is gathered from diverse sources including building permits, local media and submissions from local businesses and organizations.
The 2023 report recaps dozens of stories of investments and achievements by local companies and individuals. Mayor Justin Towndale, MPP Nolan Quinn and City of Cornwall CAO Mat Fleury also spoke at the event, while MP Eric Duncan brought video greetings as he was in Washington representing the region.
2023 – Year in Review
Building permit values for Cornwall will exceed $130 million by the end of the year – double the value of those issued in 2022. Here are some of the highlights from Mr. Peters’ presentation, which can be downloaded from the ChooseCornwall.ca website.
Commercial
The number of commercial businesses that opened or expanded operations in Cornwall this year is the highest in the history of the report. The city once again welcomed a number of new restaurants, retail stores and businesses offering healthcare services. Of particular note is the number of entrepreneurs that are new to Cornwall and in many cases new to Canada. National retailers such as HomeSense, Ren’s Pets and Long & McQuade all chose Cornwall in 2023, and Cornwall Square invested significantly in the a new Food Hall. A new 80 room Hampton Inn is expected to open by mid-December. Many of these businesses have been supported by organizations including the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre, Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and ACCFutures.
Industrial
Several local manufacturers, food processors and logistics companies expanded operations in 2023, with a particular emphasis on adding new technologies and capabilities. This includes the region’s largest private sector employer, Walmart Canada, along with other major employers, including Axalta, Cantech, Hood Packaging, and Laframboise Group. Local transportation companies such as Minimax and Seaway Express expanded their fleets to meet service Canada’s supply chain network. A key highlight of the report is that Broccolini is currently developing an 80 acre site in the Cornwall Business Park that will be home to a 984,000 sf distribution centre.
Residential
Local developers continue to build new homes across the city in a number of subdivisions. Over 200 new residential units and hundreds of long-term-care beds were introduced to the city, with more on the way. A number of proposed new multi-residential apartment buildings were also unveiled.
Institutional
St. Lawrence College invested in the Cornwall Campus and reached record enrollment levels, the Cornwall Community Hospital welcomed a new mammography machine and the City of Cornwall invested in new roads, facilities and infrastructure projects. OPG continues to make significant investments at the Saunders Generating Station and Cornwall Electric is expanding its network.
More Info
The above is just a sampling of the dozens of stories referenced in the 2023 Year in Review report, which can be downloaded from the Resources section of this website. In-depth coverage of many of the success stories are covered with articles in the News section of this website.
Jobs
Most major employers in the Cornwall region are currently recruiting, with an estimated 500+ jobs available in the region at any given time. You can view job postings online on the ChooseCornwall.ca Job Board.
YourTV Broadcast
The Year in Review presentation will be broadcast on YourTV Cornwall. The main air dates are as follows:
- Thursday December 14 at 8pm
The full schedule can be found at yourtv.tv/cornwall
