Early Morning Insights at the Mayor’s Breakfast Update

On Thursday morning, May 22nd, I was up bright and early (yes, even before my second cup of coffee!) to attend the annual Mayor’s Breakfast Update, held in a fully packed Cabaret Room at the Best Western Parkway Inn. Hosted by the Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce, this event brought together community leaders, local officials, and business owners for a delicious breakfast, a chance to network and a look into what’s happening in our city.

Sponsors of this event were, Title Sponsor, Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est ontarien (CSDCEO), as well as Enbridge Ontario, Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), Cornwall & District Real Estate Board, and the DEV Hotel & Conference Centre  who even provided an exciting Staycation Prize!

The morning began with greetings from Angela Bero, the Chamber’s Office Manager, followed by Eric Tremblay, Chamber Vice-President. We then heard from Title Sponsor Jean Lemay, President of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario, who highlighted how bilingualism is a vital economic driver in our region.

Next up was Tim Mills, Cornwall’s Chief Administrative Officer, who passed the mic (or as I called it, the “talking stick”) to our Mayor, Justin Towndale.

Mayor Towndale (pictured above) stepped up to the podium and gave a lively and informative update, sprinkling in humour and personal touches. He began by acknowledging the City Councillors in attendance: Syd Gardiner, Sarah Good, Elaine MacDonald, and Denis Sabourin.

One of his first points was “Inflation”, even joking that with rising costs, “we’re now paying $10 to attend this breakfast!”

Next we heard about “Housing Developments and Affordability”, a topic close to my heart because as the population of Cornwall grows I am forever worried about where everyone will live.

I was happy to hear that there is a 12 storey apartment building under construction  in Le Village along with two 12 storey and 2 – 8 storey apartment towers proposed for the former General Hospital site plus a 5 storey building unit on the former parking lot at McConnell West. Pitt Street North will see a development with 27 stacked two bedroom units being built including 9 accessible units and the Massey Commons Project where the conversion of an existing building into 20 modern homes, including both one and two bedroom units will be starting soon.

As a local landlord, I know how tight the rental market is — so this was music to my ears!

The next topic was “Infrastructure and Investments”. We heard of a Secondary Raw Water Intake Project moving forward to protect water access for residents and businesses. Concerning Roads and Infrastructure upgrades we heard that aging roads, sewers and water mains across the city will be replaced, including Marleau Avenue, Brookdale and Lemay. There will also be a redevelopment of the Municipal Works Yard.

Under the topic of “Business Development Highlights”, we heard how the Michelin Distribution Centre officially opened a 984,000 sq ft facility in the Cornwall Business Park and this centre services all of Canada. Two new Starbucks locations have come to Cornwall and the Dev Hotel and Conference Centre has reopened to enhance local tourism and business opportunities. Plans for the Great Wolf Lodge Project are progressing well and the Business Park is being expanded.

Trade and Border Issues came next in the list Despite what is happening across the border we still want to maintain friendship with USA and  there have been meetings with local stakeholders and local businesses dealing with the ongoing effects of cross-border trade tariffs, Cornwall has also joined other municipal leaders in the “Border Mayors Alliance” to push for fairer tariff rules and to support local industries.

There are ongoing improvements in the “Business Licensing Department”  to simplify the business licensing procedure with less red tape.

As far as supporting Local Businesses the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre is there to offer support to entrepreneurs, small business and startups through programs, advice and grants as Cornwall is fostering a city where innovation and entrepreneurship thrive.

Under the topic of “Quality of Life” the Park of Hope, a project with Rachel’s Kids is in phase 2 of improvements and expansion, Cornwall Civic Complex is undergoing major renovation and we heard that proposed plans for a local beach and dog park are moving forward well. The City is working on a Transit Master Plan, exploring Sunday service and potential regional service to meets the changes of the municipality.  

And good news from St. Lawrence College: they’re not leaving — in fact, they’ve re-opened the millwright machine shop and are introducing new trades programs!

Justin then threw in some “Trash Talk” explaining that the City opted into the provincially mandated recycling program on January 1, 2025 and the use of clear garbage bags has increased organic waste diversion from 8 tonnes a day to 20 tonnes a day. The Food Waste and Green Bin Program has been a big success with over 1,000 tonnes of organic waste diverted from the landfill – equivalent to  85 school buses full of compost! With these changes we have extended the life of our landfill site by about 9 years, saving the City millions of dollars.

Even though 8 am is very early for me, I’m so glad I made it out. Mayor Towndale covered a wide range of important and exciting updates, many of which I wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

Thank you to the Cornwall and Area Chamber of Commerce for organizing this event and I look forward to December when I once again get up early to attend the City of Cornwall’s “Year in Review” held annually at the Galaxy Cinemas, where we hear more about what has been happening in our city and its surroundings.