June 2018

182 183 There is also a fully serviced industrial park in the east end of Cobourg. The town owns the land and sells parcels to people wanting to develop their own building and business. In addition, several other privately-owned areas of industrial-suited real estate have brought in businesses that con- tribute to the manufacturing economy. The Nor- thumberland Hills Hospital is Cobourg’s largest employer with a staff of more than 400. In the manufacturing sector, Horizons Plastics has the major workforce. Given Cobourg’s idyllic waterfront location, and convenient highway and rail access, it’s no surprise that tourism is a huge economic driver. “We’ve become known as a destination town,” boasts the Mayor. “If you come into Cobourg in the summer, you’ll find something going on almost every weekend.We’re drawing a lot of people from outside our area –Toronto, Kingston, anywhere within a 120 km radius. Sometimes visitors just come to enjoy a day at the water.We have one of the most beautiful beaches on all of Lake Ontario. They also come to take part in the activities –our award-winning Sand Castle Festi- val with professional sand sculptors; the annual 3-day Waterfront Festival; the Highland Games; Ribfest weekend are all favorites and bring a large number of people to town.” Cobourg is a great community for active liv- ing, with an abundance of walking trails, cycling paths, and arts and cultural events. The Art Gal- lery of Northumberland is located in the down- town core, as is historic Victoria Hall where live theatrical performances are always crowd pleas- ers. Residents enjoy a rich, healthy quality of life, and when they feel like an urban experience, the big city lights are only an hour away. In 2011, Cobourg opened a massive $27 million community center, complete with two full-sized ice surfaces, a pair of full-sized gymnasium courts, COBOURG, ONTARIO and a vibrant seniors organization with over 900 seniors involved in activity programs. One of the arenas has a walking track around the circumfer- ence of the ice surface and seating area. A popu- lar place for walking in inclement weather, it’s not unusual to see 50 to 60 people exercising there on a cold or rainy day. Residential development in town is booming, with four active housing developments on the go - one in the north end, one in the east, and two in the west. Construction offerings include single-family, detached homes and townhomes. One developer has a particular townhouse va- riety much appreciated by seniors looking for low-maintenance living. On the economic de- velopment front, Brocanier notes, “We own our utilities.We’re the electrical supplier for the town, so we’re very much in control. If you look at the 60-plus electrical distributors in Ontario, we’re the fourth lowest in the cost of electricity.” And there’s big news in the technology sector. On May 17, 2018, the Town of Cobourg and the Northumberland Community Futures Develop- ment Corporation (CFDC) officially opened the doors of the new Venture 13 Innovation Centre - a regionally unique facility that focuses on the ad- vancement of technology entrepreneurship, mak- ing, and learning, while connecting entrepreneurs, start-ups, and high-growth SMEs with industry, academia, investors, and the region’s economic development professionals. The 30,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Ven- ture13 complex in Northam Industrial Park has