‘Ontario’s Feel Good Town’

From Lakeside Charm to a Community of Opportunity

Known as “Ontario’s Feel Good Town,” Cobourg sits on the scenic shores of Lake Ontario along the 401 corridor between Toronto and Kingston. Rich with charming rural character, this is a town on a journey of growth and reinvention, transforming from a waterfront gem into a thriving hub of opportunity.

Mayor Lucas Cleveland describes Cobourg as, “an incredibly beautiful and generous community,” a statement borne of firsthand experience since moving to the town only eight years ago. “What we noticed then, and what we’re seeing now, is that we are in this incredibly wonderful transformation as a community. Some would say it’s growing up, but I would prefer to say that it’s becoming more of what it always was.”

A Unified Strategic Framework

The town’s 2023–2028 Economic Development and Venture13 Strategy and Action Plan  developed by the Economic Development department defines key pillars such as downtown revitalization, business attraction, investment readiness and setting measurable goals to ensure lasting impact in every initiative. Mayor Cleveland underscores the courageous efforts of Cobourg’s leadership, who have embedded sector-specific strategies within the town’s broader term-of-Council Strategic Plan.

“When you read a lot of political strategic plans, they have all these aspirational goals,” he remarks. “What we’ve done is hammer it down to three key priorities. This strategic plan wasn’t some lofty ambitions of what we hope to accomplish. Instead, it is a lens with which to view all decisions.”

With this in mind, every proposal, from a new festival to a planning application or a capital project, is evaluated against these priorities. “The strategy is about having a well rounded team that knows the plan,” he says. “We have this incredible staff who are out there doing the work day in, day out. And they have a unified Council out there with the branding, the advertising, and the marketing chops to get the attention in the public and political sphere. That is now allowing the excellence of our staff to be showcased, we can see that through our grants that are coming in, and through the awards we have received.”

In recognition of these efforts, the Economic Development Department was recently honored with an Award of Excellence from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario for workforce development and talent attraction.

Parks, Recreation and Downtown Revitalization

Cobourg’s Community Services Division is undergoing its own evolution, shifting from a project-by-project mindset to a long-term framework designed to serve residents for decades to come. Mayor Cleveland details, “This Council and the staff are focused on ensuring that Cobourg is ready for the growth that is occurring and the growth that will come.”

The town’s historic King Street is experiencing revitalization, supported by a Downtown Improvement Area and an enthusiastic community. Where there were once significant vacancies, there is now a waiting list for retail space. “Across our departments, we all contribute to the downtown core,” shares Director of Planning and Development Cristal Laanstra. “We create a really great culture and spirit that contributes to the overall experience that residents have all year round.”

The town’s natural setting forms the backdrop for a year-round calendar of community events and recreational programs. “Cobourg welcomes over 100 community events each year,” describes Chief Administrative Officer Tracey Vaughan. “We have sporting events such as beach volleyball, lawn bowling, baseball and hockey. We have our Waterfront Festival, our Sandcastle Festival and a variety of cultural programming. While we’re known for our beach, we are also focused on a more rounded lifestyle and the ability to utilize our other assets, such as our community centre.”

From hosting the Ontario curling championships, which generated over $3 million in economic impact, to supporting local theatre groups and the Cobourg Dragon Boat and Canoe Club, the municipality partners closely with volunteer organizations to stretch every tourism dollar, drawing tourists from the waterfront into the downtown to eat, shop and explore.

Encouraging Economic Development

Cobourg’s economic development strategy is built on a philosophy of innovation and service. “There has been an influx into Cobourg from the business community over the last several years,” outlines Mayor Cleveland. “Through our innovative business development team, we’ve worked with them to secure some major grants.” Among the successes are Baxter’s Bakery, who received $466,000 to leverage a $3.4 million automation investment and create 54 new jobs.

In addition, Beneco Packaging obtained over $500,000 to support a $7 million equipment upgrade, and Custom Plastics International was awarded $217,000 toward expanded production lines. Vaughan notes, “We are incredibly grateful that the province has recognized the work we are doing in Cobourg and have provided essential funding to see these projects to fruition. Our business partners, and Council are actively invested to ensure that the return on investment is multiplied exponentially.”

Mayor Cleveland adds, “When we took office two and a half years ago, we had a million square feet of industrial space still available for rent. That has all been occupied, and we have hundreds of thousands more in the planning department through Lucas Point Park.” Venture13, the Town of Cobourg’s innovation and entrepreneurship centre, has also played a pivotal role in the community’s evolution, offering business workshops, speaker series and peer‑mentoring, while attracting growth and new investment.

Investments in the Future

Infrastructure planning is top of mind in Cobourg and recently, the town was successful in obtaining a $25 million infrastructure grant from the province, with Cobourg contributing an additional $10 million from recoverable development charges. This funding will go towards expanding its wastewater collection system and watermains to help enable the immediate construction of 2,266 new homes.

“Our secondary plan in the east end is really taking off,” Director of Public Works and Engineering, Laurie Wills highlights. “It’s a very exciting achievement to further grow Cobourg through developing a whole entire new area of the town, which will include commercial and industrial areas, parks and recreation and a full secondary area of our small town.”

At the same time, plans for downtown infrastructure projects, such as the Walton and Monroe Street rehabilitations are also in the works, as well as environmental assessments for expansion of the town’s two wastewater treatment plants. Wills stresses, “we’re very happy to have had some great partners with the province as far as infrastructure goes, and we hope through our asset management planning that it continues, as our existing infrastructure really requires that attention as well.”

Thanks to efficiencies in planning and building processes, and years of preparation, Cobourg is meeting Ontario’s housing growth targets at a rapid rate. “We’ve been preparing for this moment in time for close to a decade, and now here we are, being enabled through provincial infrastructure investments to construct the infrastructure that will accelerate the full build out of 9000 homes in the Cobourg East Secondary Plan area,” touts Mayor Cleveland.

“We’re looking at a new plan for the community about intensification. We’re looking at different options around parking. We’re looking at what’s going to be needed to upgrade our sewers and our water treatment plants to facilitate this growth. The reality is Cobourg knows we need to build houses, and we are getting them built.”

Within these efforts, preserving the charm of the existing community remains a priority. “We want to make sure that we are continuing to review the areas in Cobourg for the densities and for the height that we want for our area, we want to make sure we’re reviewing built form,” acknowledges Laanstra. “All of these things are elements that we keep in the back of our mind, and we continue to collaborate together so that we can make sure that development and intensification is happening across the municipality, in all areas where it makes sense and is appropriate.”

For Mayor Cleveland, the emphasis is on ensuring the town has enough diversity in housing, particularly high density units. “We’re really good in Cobourg at encouraging single residential dwellings, and we’re very blessed to have a very wonderful, accepting and generous community,” he maintains. “However, we want to ensure that the individuals and families we are attracting to Cobourg for the jobs we are creating, can afford to live and work within our community. So, when we approach the housing crisis, we need to look at the entire housing spectrum.”

A Future of Growth, Learning, and Collaboration

Cobourg’s continued transformation is the result of a decade-long commitment to strategic foresight, and collaborative, open minded leadership. “We’ve seen success after success after success, because of a philosophical understanding that learning needs to be continuous, constant, and that there is no shame in saying ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’ve made a mistake, let’s do better,’” says Mayor Cleveland.

As the town looks beyond 2025, this forward‑thinking mindset and spirit of generosity and resilience will continue to create a vibrant and thriving community for all.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Cobourg, ON

What: A town experiencing a vibrant transformation

Where: Northumberland County, Ontario

Website: www.cobourg.ca