By Cecilia Nasmith
Northumberland County still needs couple of ducks to get into the row when it comes to attracting industrial investment – connectivity and serviced industrial land.
The news came during the August meeting of Northumberland County council's Economic Development, Tourism and Land Use Planning standing committee meeting for July, when Director of Economic Development and Tourism Dan Borowec gave his verbal monthly update.
One highlight of his presentation involved the number of investment enquiries being received by Investment Attraction Officer TJ Flynn.
“They still remain very, very strong, and it can be a bit of a Rubik's Cube in terms of trying to match investment enquiries and actual facilities to match those enquiries, so that is a fairly busy portfolio,” Borowec said.
“On a weekly basis, we have multiple calls looking for opportunities to invest in Northumberland.”
Flynn was unable to divulge specifics, but did mention “three fairly major opportunities” that have come up – an American vertical farming interest looking to purchase land, a metal formation company considering the purchase of a local company and an agricultural company from Cornwall hoping to expand to Port Hope.
While progress is being made on connectivity, committee chair Bob Sanderson said, that remains the number-one issue for anyone looking to establish business interests in Northumberland County.
Once that is addressed, Flynn said, job one for him will be the issue of an inadequate supply of serviced industrial land.
“We do not have the land, we do not have the buildings,” he said.
“I think there's a way to figure it out, but it's a big problem. To me, that's the next big challenge.”
Two county councillors expressed differing opinions on that.
For Cramahe Township Mayor Mandy Martin, industrial land doesn't pay all that well in terms of tax revenue.
“I know there are benefits for jobs, and that's a periphery, but tax-wise it hasn't caught up with reality,” Martin said.
“I get more bang for the buck out of a residential development by far than I do from anything industrial.”
Alnwick-Haldimand Township Mayor Gail Latchford often points out that 48% of her township is frozen for development due to its location on the Oak Ridges Moraine.
“Our taxes are residential-based,” Latchford said.
