Civil and Municipal - Mar 2023

118 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 3 provides perfect growing conditions for apples, pears, cold hearty grapes, and hops, it was once dubbed the “Apple Capital of Ontario,” and, today still supplies a quarter of the province’s apples. Recent growth has occurred in organic farming and the development of local wineries, breweries, and cideries. And because the Niagara Escarpment also offers some of the most beautiful and unique natural environments in the province, tourism has become another economic driver with Meaford advertising itself as a four- season destination with numerous outdoor activities and adventures awaiting its visitors. Another reason to visit, live, or settle in Meaford is its historic downtown, home to the only functioning opera house in the southern Georgian Bay area. Originally completed in 1909, the Meaford Hall Arts and Cultural Centre once housed the town’s government, its police department, a courtroom, and a library, while the Opera House on the second floor was the site of traveling shows as well as local productions and concerts. In 2006,