Business View Civil and Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 9

168 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 9 flexibility to do a lot of things that large centers can’t always do. If I was pitching to an industry that wanted to set up here, I would say that we can be creative, and it can help just being small enough that things don’t take as long as they may in a larger center. Everything that you can imagine is available here.” With three post-secondary campuses in the town, Northern College, College Boreal, and Université de Hearst, there is plenty of collaboration to ensure a skilled workforce for local industry. COVID-19 brought an unexpected advantage for the town of Kapuskasing, as people moved north to work remotely, while taking advantage of low housing costs and a more serene way of life. This growth is welcomed in the community which was built for a population of 14,000. Plourde recounts, “At the last census, we were at 8,600. So, there was a lot of available housing at our disposal. Fortunately for us, all of that has been bought up. We are seeing a boom in people wanting to build houses – all our lots along the Kapuskasing River have been bought up, and we’re looking at expansion in the future.” With several developers showing interest in the area, the Mayor is confident they will be able to accommodate the sudden growth in population. “Everything is looking bright, and what COVID has done is speed everything up. We always knew that it would happen in time, but this was just overnight, really. If you had asked me two years ago if this was going to happen, I would have said, not likely. Not that fast. Being able to work from home certainly helped that out. A lot of people are looking for Wi-Fi and internet connection, and we are making sure that it’s available to them so they can work from home. Kapuskasing is a great place to live and raise a family.” Arts and Culture are also embraced in the Kapuskasing community, with the Centre Regional de Loisirs offering a variety of art classes and exhibitions, along with theatre