Cornwall 2024 Year in Review

Two hundred and seventy-five local business people, professionals, media representatives, and politicians attended the City of Cornwall’s 27th Annual Year In Review at the Galaxy Theatre on Thursday, December 12th, 2024.

Mayor Justin Towndale set the tone of the event by stating that “ Each and every day he was proud of his community,” where the business sector leads the way. MPP Nolan Quinn made a speech via video from Queen’s Park and MP Eric Duncan also delivered a speech.

MC’d by Bob Peters, Cornwall’s Manager of Economic Development plus, it is obvious that bilingual Cornwall is home to business innovation, commercial and industrial growth, tourism and cultural initiatives, and diverse population growth, while being well on its way to becoming a Green Community.

In his illustrated presentation, Peter’s emphasized the importance of the symbiotic partnership between the City and the United Counties. He highlighted the City’s growth and enlarged workforce. He noted how the City’s services continue to expand, stating that Cornwall Transit, will soon count a million passengers annually. Basic services such as Paramedic vehicles, a new Fire Department, health care recruitment and significantly reduced waiting times in the emergency room at the Cornwall Community Hospital have all led to a healthier community. The 128 bed, $26 million Ted Laurier Long Term Care facility and the 27 unit Massey Commons project, scheduled to open in 2025, demonstrate Cornwall’s commitment to caring for everyone.

Multicultural immigration received a shot in the arm when Cornwall was designated a Welcoming Francophone Community. 2024 was also landmark year with Cornwall celebrating an unprecedented number of diverse events and multicultural festivals.

Peters made note of the installation of new tennis and pickle-ball courts, a new pool at Mattice Park, and the development of the fully accessible Park of Hope. He made special mention of the 3 million dollars spent on upgrading 11 kms of the Riverside Trail. Peters went on to say that the nearly 40 kms of
dedicated biking/walking trails, has received recognition from Destination Canada. This means that our bike path will link up with trails to Ottawa and Montreal, leading him to quip “all of this means that we will see a lot more spandex.”

Peters pointed out Cornwall’s expanding arts and culture venues, noting that the long awaited Arts Centre would open in 2025, that the Cline House Gallery continues to grow, and Aultsville Hall remains a mainstay.

Numerous community arts and social service groups accessed hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Ontario Trillium programme to further their community objectives.

The superlatives kept coming. One of the most interesting was found in the fact that Michelin will be opening a 984,000 square foot distribution centre, in the Industrial Park in 2025. He also announced that OPG will be spending $600 million to upgrade the dam and that the Visitor Centre welcomes 11,000
guests annually. And in a sign how Cornwall’s demographics are changing, the East End Burger King is being replaced by a Starbucks. For those who used to worry that passenger train service might be discontinued in Cornwall, Peters said that VIA Rail is upgrading the local station.

Peters also praised the numerous community organizations who had hosted such successful events as the Father’s Car Show, which attracted 3,500 people, and the Tourism Development Fund , which awarded $183,375 to 25 local projects. He noted that Pitt Street came alive with Art Walk and a Beer
Garden. All of this and more was capped off by the filming of an episode of the Amazing Race Canada, which he felt was “one of the show’s best productions.” All the while, the Tourism information booth in front of the Civic Complex catered to more than 5,000 clients.

As a community Cornwall has embraced the Green Movement through the introduction of water meters, the efficient processing of organic waste and by becoming a bird friendly community. Recognized by Nature Canada. If this is not enough the new 25 million dollar municipal works redevelopment will operate on a “net zero energy” basis.

And there was much more!

Peters finished the event by offering his view on the future.

He speculated that Cornwall’s business sector will continue to grow and build, leading to the creation of 2,500 jobs over the next seven year. This means that the community will need all types of housing, with affordable living spaces being an important priority. He continued by the end of 2025 Cornwall will have
500 new apartment and residential units. Educational facilities will continue to expand and diversify to meet old and new needs. Automation will become ever more predominant, meaning that small business in particular, will need to embrace ecommerce. Finally, tourism will become increasingly important to the community. To underline this he noted that Cornwall’ new Hampton Inn was one of the chain’s top performers.

If all of this isn’t enough, work will start on Cornwall’s own Great Wolf Lodge Resort in the not too distant future.

On the way out participants were rewarded with a bottle of Grade A maple syrup produced by Glengarry Maple of North Lancaster and a refreshing Lime & Mint scented bar of soap called “The Kitchen Sink” produced by local soap producer Ground Soap plus a bag of popcorn from Happy Popcorn Co,.