City of Cornwall, Ont. emerging as a key supply chain hub in Canada

Cornwall is home to several major distribution centres servicing Eastern Canada, employing hundreds in the Eastern Ontario city. CTV’s Josh Marano reports

The city of Cornwall, Ont. is home to several major distribution centres, servicing all of eastern Canada, something that city officials say is fuelling major growth in the municipality.

In Cornwall Business Park, there’s over five million square feet of distribution centres from some of the biggest companies across the world, including Walmart, Loblaws and Shoppers Drug Mart and, most recently, Michelin.

Manager of economic development Bob Peters says Cornwall’s geographic location plays a big factor to why these companies look to invest in the city.

“Cornwall has always had a very strategic location in central Canada. It’s between Montreal and Toronto on the highway 401 corridor and well serviced by CN Rail and of course, the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which just opened for the shipping season,” Peters said. “I think, logistics-wise, it’s really a matter of where is the most efficient way to get goods to the consumers or to retailers. And Cornwall fits that spot on the map.”

The centres have employed more than 2,500 workers and Peters says almost all of them are still hiring.

“Logistics has emerged as our fastest growing and our largest single employment sector in Cornwall right now. They’re phenomenal jobs,” Peters said.

It’s not just providing jobs to the people of Cornwall but also attracting people from cities like Montreal and Ottawa.

“It has significantly changed, become a much more cosmopolitan city, and we’ve managed that growth reasonably well and have a number of new housing developments on the books being developed right now and even more in the planning stages.”

Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale says housing is on the rise for Cornwall, adding to the already growing economic impact.

“Earlier this year, we approved a thousand new doors, and it’s a mix of residences—you’re talking about apartments, condos, single family dwelling townhomes, the whole gamut—which is great for us. This is a growth we haven’t seen in decades,” Towndale said.

“Cornwall’s population has been somewhat stagnant for a long time. The signs say 48,000. I’m 42; it said 48,000 for as long as I’ve been around. we’re hoping we finally break the 50,000 barrier and while that may not seem like a lot of growth for us, it’s a big deal, it signals a new way forward for us.”

The city is also in talks with Great Wolf Lodge, with the resort looking to invest in the city and add one of its historic waterparks to the business park.