Dufferin County, ON

A Caring and Engaged Community

Strategically Located and Close to Everything You Could Want, This County is a Great Place to Call Home

Located just an hour northwest of Toronto, Dufferin County is a thriving region, alive with character and opportunity. Its landscape of forests, waterways, and farmland offers a peaceful way of life, while its growing towns and proximity to major highways provide convenient access to city amenities. Residents enjoy the best of both worlds, making Dufferin County a place where people put down roots and stay for generations.

Warden Janet Horner sees the county as an ideal place to call home. “One thing that is very special about Dufferin is that we’re close to all kinds of amenities,” she shares. “We’re an hour  from the airport and  yet we’re in the country at the same time. We’ve got nature right at our back door, and we’ve got some of the wonderful attributes of urban living right here as well.”

Rajbir Sian, Director of Development and Tourism, conveys, “We really do bring that mix together and offer a lot of newcomers, young families, an opportunity to live, grow and work in Dufferin County,” she says. “But on the other end of the spectrum, we also offer a lifestyle that a lot of individuals who have been in the hustle and bustle their whole lives are looking to escape and come out to the countryside and enjoy more of a slower pace”

Economic Growth with Local Roots

Agriculture is a major player in Dufferin’s economy, and farms across the county are diversifying. “Many times the agricultural industry is underestimated in its ability to adapt to change and to technology,” notes Horner. “Within Dufferin County, you’re going to find some of the most technically advanced farmers in the province, using all kinds of  GIS technologies and the latest in sprayers and robotics.”

She emphasizes that a significant investment in broadband is essential to this progress. “If you’re going to run a modern dairy farm, you’ve got to have that available to the robots that are operating within that dairy barn. So we’ve got some highly technical operations here, not just in the primary production, but then in the further processing.”

Beyond large scale operations like Lennox Farms, the largest rhubarb producer in North America, many farmers engage in farm gate sales and Agri-tourism ventures that connect them directly with the community and visitors. “We have a lot of first class ag businesses here who are interested in strengthening the community,” adds Sian. “They are very much a part of our ongoing discussions on how we position Dufferin for future growth, and how we ensure that that growth still honors that agricultural history and strength that we have from our past.”

Logistics is another important economic driver, and Dufferin’s location makes it an ideal spot for distribution and warehousing. “We have major arterial highways that run throughout our county, Highway 9, Highway 10, and we’re very close to the 400 series highways,” Sian describes. “That really positions our county very uniquely for those that are in logistics.”

Tourism and Recreation

Life in Dufferin County is a four-season experience, rich with opportunities to be immersed in the beautiful scenery. Hikers and nature enthusiasts flock to the area to enjoy Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, the Mansfield Outdoor Centre, and the Mansfield Ski Club. “Depending on your interest, we have lots of snowmobile trails, walking trails, all kinds of outdoor fun,” boasts Horner.

Sports tourism is a growing area in the county. The Athlete Institute in Orangeville hosts Ontario Volleyball Association, and is home to the Orangeville Prep Academy, who have produced several NBA players. Lacrosse is also an important part of the community, with competitive programs feeding into professional leagues. “The Athlete Institute is actually expanding their operations to include a soccer pitch,” relays Sian. “So in addition to FIFA coming to Toronto in 2026 there is the opportunity for us to be able to host some of those practices for those teams that are coming in.”

Dufferin also offers immersive farm experiences to attract visitors to the rural areas. “You meet us and the owner of the farm there,” Sian expands. “We do an hour-long guided tour on the farm, and that farmer then has the opportunity to talk about what it is that they do on their lands, how they approach their farm from a business perspective. It also allows them to get some exposure with an audience that they wouldn’t necessarily have the time to go out and do marketing for on their own.”

Last year, the county was one of only ten municipalities across Ontario invited to present at a provincial tourism pitch event. There, leaders connected with major developers, including Sunray Developments, the owners of Hockley Valley Resort, who now have plans for further expansion in the community.

“That got us a seat at the table to talk to Sunray face to face, which is oftentimes difficult to do with a large developer,” Sian recounts. “We have submitted another proposal to be heard at the pitch session for this year. Not only do we want to get people to come to Dufferin for the day, we would really like for them to stay overnight.”

 Infrastructure Challenges and Growth

As it attracts new development, Dufferin is also tackling ongoing infrastructure challenges. “There are a lot of parcels available, but we don’t necessarily have the servicing for them,” Sian  acknowledges. “We rely on groundwater here in Dufferin County and we don’t have the flow capacity within our existing wastewater treatment facilities to be able to bring these parcels online.”

To manage this, significant funding, and collaboration with provincial and neighboring municipal partners is required. “Once we do have those service needs addressed, I think we’ll be in a really good state,” she says.

Transportation is another priority, and a traffic study has highlighted the need for a bypass around the community of Shelburne. “We’ve been at this in conversation for many years, but now we’ve started to do the actual studies that are going to be required in order to make that bypass a reality,” Sian underscores. The study also resulted in a collaboration with the counties of Grey and Bruce to provide a bus route linking Owen Sound to Orangeville and GO Transit connections.

“We showed that we were a good partner. We showed that it was effective, and now we have a five year commitment from the provincial government to run that bus service,” says Horner. “To me, that’s a huge thing. You have to do those things in order to be successful in an infrastructure need.”

Main Streets and Community Vitality

While farms and open spaces define much of Dufferin County, its towns and villages are also vibrant hubs. The communities of Orangeville, Shelburne, and Grand Valley offer traditional main streets with shops, restaurants, and entertainment amenities. A county wide Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is underway to support rural and urban areas. Efforts will assist farmers in attracting farm gate sales and create awareness of what Dufferin County has to offer.

“At the county level, from an economic development perspective, we want to be able to enhance and complement the entire county,” Sian stresses.

To ensure that community voices guide decisions, the county collaborates with the Dufferin Board of Trade, the Dufferin Federation of Agriculture, and local economic development committees.

“Sitting in a glass ivory tower at the county offices doesn’t really give me a good perspective of what’s going on,” Sian remarks. “I need to have boots on the ground. I need to go visit these businesses, and I need to understand. From a commercial perspective, our main streets are our drivers, but we do have a lot of mom and pop shops, and those are prominent commercial providers within our local economy as well.”

A Caring Community

For Warden Horner, the word that captures Dufferin County’s character the best is ‘Caring,’ a characteristic that is exemplified through the development of a Health and Human Services Hub. “This is an initiative that we feel will embody that caring community and put it into action,” she says.

“We’re going to be putting our paramedic services, all the county health and human services, the Alzheimer’s and Diabetic societies, all kinds of different folks that are serving the needs of Dufferin County residents all under one roof.”

Supportive housing is another priority, with county-owned properties being prepared for partnerships that will provide stable homes for vulnerable residents. Horner details, “We’ve got some really talented staff that think big and dream big. They are making sure that those who do not have what they need to thrive in our community have their needs met in some way.”

Moving forward, Dufferin County will be prioritizing these initiatives, while  also continuing to advocate for critical wastewater, tourism, and transportation projects. “There’s all kinds of work to do, and that’s the thing I love about being the warden is seeing the overarching picture, and how just a bit of effort, some creativity and a bit of money is going to make a huge impact in lots of folks’ lives.”

AT A GLANCE

Who: Dufferin County, Ontario

What: A county encompassing eight thriving municipalities, one hour from Toronto

Where: Central Ontario, Canada

Website: www.dufferincounty.ca