tests; as well as clinics on dermatology and urology. So this is not your typical small-town hospital.” AREA GROWTH RANKED BETWEEN CHILLIWACK, BC AND PETERBOROUGH, ONT. “Every week I’m attending a ribbon-cutting for a new business. I take no credit for this. It is simply that we are gaining momentum. The march of the GTA to Georgian Bay first impacted the Towns of Collingwood and Wasaga Beach, then Town of Blue Mountains, and now Meaford.” This bold claim is supported by recent data. In 2024, U-Haul named the Owen Sound-Meaford area as Canada’s 17th fastest-growing market, citing a 16% increase in arrivals and just a 1% rise in departures, showing that people are choosing to make the Meaford area their home. “I know that moving to Meaford as a teenager presented me with opportunities I never imagined growing up in Toronto. In my long experience, most people are here by choice. Whether they chose to come or chose to stay, the result is a talent pool that makes everything better here,” the mayor asserts. With a vision to create a fly-in community, new airport owner, Rick Horwath, president of Air Bravo, has made a significant investment in Meaford’s airport and restaurant, re-naming the Airport for Canada’s most decorated flyer. Mayor Kentner was excited to hold his 2025 New Year’s Levy at the Major-General Richard Rohmer Meaford International Airport. HERITAGE AT THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN Preservation is a big part of Meaford’s charming downtown, and the core is currently experiencing an infusion of restoration and creative redevelopment. The old firehall, now Station 87, is one example. “It is a restaurant, bar and market, with two outdoor patios, one in front of the three red Romanesque doors, and one on the roof of the later addition,” describes Mayor Kentner. “They poured something in excess of $4 million into this heritage building to renovate it. That is a huge gain for us.” Right next door is the historic Meaford Hall, a community resource, and home to an opera house and gallery spaces. A block away, the Station 87 developer has acquired the former Capital Theatre. 164 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 08
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