“It’s a great time to be a resident of Chatham-Kent.”
That was the message Mayor Darrin Canniff delivered to local business leaders during the annual Mayor’s Address hosted by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce Thursday.
“We are going through unprecedented growth,” Canniff said, adding, “We have never seen this type of growth in Chatham-Kent since amalgamation.”
The mayor said the municipality’s population grew during the last census and has continued that trend. The next generation will see Chatham-Kent’s population has grown by 20,000 residents, he said.
“That’s a lot of people added to our community,” said Canniff, calling the influx a boon to small businesses.
For Chatham-Kent to accommodate the growth it’s enjoying today, Canniff said more new housing is critically needed. This additional housing, he added, will help address a common issue faced by many businesses today – difficulty finding enough employees.
The municipality has been in a building boom.
The mayor said building permits were issued for nearly 800 homes last year while, in 2020, there were nearly 1,500 building permits issued with a value of nearly $375 million.
He added there are currently nine apartment buildings in various stages of construction across Chatham-Kent after roughly three decades of virtually nothing being built — and there is interest in building more.
“We know that we need all sources of housing right from high-end down to affordable housing,” Canniff said.
He pointed out the municipality currently owns more than 700 affordable housing units. Last year, 65 more affordable housing units were built through the municipality and private investment while another 77 units are planned or are in various stages of construction this year.
On the industrial side, the mayor said 26 acres of land has been sold in the municipally owned Bloomfield Business Park in the past year after several years of inactivity.
He said another 5.5 acres was recently sold at the business park with details to come before council soon, as well as another 5.5 acres sold at the Blenheim Business Park.
“Chatham-Kent’s a hot spot for business,” Canniff said.
With the development happening across the region, including the recently announced $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Chatham-Kent is poised to see some major economic spinoffs in the form of new feeder plants here.
The 86-acre former Navistar site that offers fully serviced industrial land with a rail line is expected to attract a lot of attention, along with land around Tilbury, which is short distance to Windsor, Canniff said.
“We’re not just in isolation here,” he said. “When we look at Windsor-Essex, we are integrated into their economy.”
Canniff said the municipality’s economic development department has also been reaching out to the small business sector.
He said this has included a training program to help people get new businesses off the ground.
“It’s exciting to see people doing things they love,” the mayor said.
He also pointed to the Digital Main Street program that provides grants to help businesses get online.
“We know today that it’s so important to have an online presence,” Canniff said.
Noting the program has provided $500,0000 in grants in the past year, the mayor said he’s heard from many businesses that now collect 60 per cent of their revenues from online sales.