Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

41 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 BROCKTON, ONTARIO Strong Agricultural Roots and Economic Opportunities Agriculture plays a pivotal role in Brockton, with livestock producers in the municipality generating the highest volume of farm gate receipts in the entire Grey Bruce region. Brockton Mayor and Bruce County Warden, Chris Peabody remarks, “We certainly acknowledge and support our agriculture community. We’re very happy that our largest cattle producer, Schaus Land & Cattle Company Ltd., which is one of the largest in Ontario, is headquartered here in Brockton.” He shares that in the last two years, the company has invested $6 million, noting, “That will set us up for the next 40 years as a leading producer of beef in Ontario. We’re very proud of that family and support them 100%.” The municipality’s strategic location, just 40 kilometres from Bruce Power, the largest nuclear power plant in North America, further bolsters its economic strength. “We also have small scale, advanced manufacturing in our urban hub, the town of Walkerton. We have a very strong diversified economy, and we’re putting in place a number of measures to help this grow. In our business park, we’ve invested a lot of money to ensure that we take advantage of any spin offs from the nuclear supply chain, or the strong agricultural economy that we have,” Peabody says. Business Park and Infrastructure Development Brockton has made significant investments in its East Ridge Business Park to ensure future prosperity. Brockton’s Chief Administrative Officer, Sonya Watson, relays. “We have been developing the business park over the past few years. There’s 160 acres of land there zoned for a variety of industrial and business park uses. It is centrally located, about two hours from most urban centers and also 35 minutes from Bruce Power. So, for any of the suppliers that are working with the nuclear industry, it’s a prime location.” She reports that in 2024, the municipality is advancing a tender for an additional 16 acres of land to be developed, noting, “These will all be fully service lots, with hydro, water, sanitary, natural gas, Internet and a stormwater management pond. We’re working