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News and Events
2009 - A Year in Review
2009 was a breakthrough year for Cornwall – and it looks like 2010 will be just as good. That was the concensus of the 500+ people who attended the Team Cornwall Year in Review meeting on December 18th at Aultsville Theatre.
$160 million worth of building permits were issued in the City in 2009, which is more than the three previous years combined. Building permit values is a measure of economic activity, and growth was seen in the residential, commercial and institutional sectors. Mark Boileau, Manager of Cornwall Economic Development, recapped the year’s positive developments with a comprehensive presentation that mentioned investments by dozens of companies in the City.
There are several major development projects underway in the City at the current time:
- Cornwall Community Hospital - $120 million redevelopment project
- Shoppers Drug Mart Distribution Centre - $60 million new construction
- Service Canada – 33,000 sf new construction
- Harden Group – 70,000 sf new commercial plaza
- Pizza Hut - $1 million new restaurant
- OPG Visitor Information Centre - $8 million new construction
The above projects, along with growth from existing firms, is expected to create hundreds of temporary and permanent jobs in Cornwall in 2010. In fact, two projects, the Shoppers Drug Mart Distribution Centre and the Service Canada Call Centre, will create over 300 full time jobs by the end of 2010, with firms such as StarTek, Teleperformance and Sigmapoint also announcing plans to grow their workforce.
“2009 was perhaps the busiest construction year in Cornwall since the construction of the Seaway,” said Mayor Bob Kilger. “We expect that postive activity to carry forward into 2010 and on through 2011. It is an exciting time for Cornwall.”
The City also saw the completion of the some major projects in 2009, as well as the start of others that will continue into 2010. St. Joseph’s Continuing Care Centre completed their $40 million facility, while work began on a new multi-sport facility and St. Lawrence College announced a $10 million renovation project. The City of Cornwall is also planning a number of infrastructure projects in 2010, not the least of which will be a new $55 million secondary wastewater treatment facility.
The December meeting was attended by over 500 people, doubling the attendance of previous meetings. The entire event was also broadcast by TV Cogeco.
“Business people in Cornwall are extremely invested in the growth of our City, and I think that was clearly evident by the turnout this morning,” said Gilles Latour, Chair of Team Cornwall. “We think that this economic growth will be the catalyst for encouraging more people to take a closer look at Cornwall, and realize just what a great city this is.”
Prior to Mark Boileau taking the stage to deliver his Year in Review report, the audience was treated to presentation by Bob Koehler, a motivational speaker renowned for his humourous yet thought provoking presentations. Mr. Koehler praised the people in attendance for understanding the importance of taking a positive attitude to growing their community and remarked that the energy is Cornwall is remarkable.
The Team Cornwall Year in Review meeting was made possible through the financial contribution of the following companies and organizations:
- City of Cornwall
- St. Lawrence College
- Dreambuilder Studio
- Fishrizzo Productions
- Seaway News
- Corus Entertainment
- TV Cogeco
- Browns Fine Foods
- The UPS Store
- SCM
- StarTek
- Scotiabank
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