Cities Civil and Municipal July 2024 Public Sector

North Dundas, Ontario – Dundas County

July 29, 2024

North Dundas, Ontario

Building a Dynamic Future

A Friendly Community Rooted in Connection and Growth

Known for its strong sense of community and proximity to the bustling city of Ottawa, North Dundas is fast becoming a desirable destination for those seeking a balanced lifestyle. With its open spaces, inviting establishments, and friendly people, the township offers an idyllic blend of rural charm and small-town warmth.

As for what makes North Dundas a standout choice, Mayor Tony Fraser states, “There’s growth, there’s opportunity, there’s jobs. I don’t want to say we’re a bedroom community, but we do have many people that live in North Dundas and commute to the City of Ottawa for the variety of jobs that are available there. But when they come home, they come home to a community.”

Open Spaces and Community Gathering

The township boasts a variety of outdoor amenities that cater to its growing community, as well as visitors to the area. Ben de Haan, Interim CAO describes, “North Dundas, is a wonderful mix of rural and small town. We only have about 13,500 residents here,but we manage two arenas, we have large recreational parks, with baseball diamonds, outdoor pools, and a number of smaller parks for some of the smaller, more isolated subdivisions.” The township, along with the entire region, known as the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, is also a growing hub for cycling enthusiasts, thanks to an ongoing commitment to developing cycling infrastructure.

A highlight of North Dundas’s social calendar is the “Meet Me on Main Street ” series. These six summer events rotate through different villages and hamlets, bringing together about 400 residents each time to enjoy food, music, and entertainment. “The intent of the Meet Me on Main Street series was to get out and meet your neighbor and encourage that sense of community,” depicts Fraser. “Sometimes there’s 400 people that show up, sit together, enjoy the evening, and visit. It’s akin to a backyard party at your own home with your best friends, but you don’t have to provide refreshments and you don’t have to clean up.” He underscores the efforts of North Dundas staff, who work tirelessly to organize the event. “Our staff look after all the logistics, from organizing the vendors, food, bands and the buskers. The Recreation and Culture Department also sets up the event and tears it down the next morning. You wouldn’t know there was 400 people enjoying the evening.”

North Dundas also hosts a popular motorcycle night during the summer months, drawing bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts from as far as Quebec and Kingston. “We shut down the downtown core in Winchester four different times throughout the summer,” Fraser recounts. “At one count they had over 2000 motorcycles show up. Similar to our Meet me on Main Street, there’s food, vendors, seniors dancing, and kids enjoying the music. It’s not strictly for the motorcyclists, it’s for the whole community.”

Infrastructure for Growth

As North Dundas continues to grow, substantial investments in infrastructure are underway. $32 million has been allocated over the next few years to support water and wastewater enhancements in the township. “This investment is part of the big four infrastructure projects that North Dundas is hoping to get done by the end of 2025,” expands de Haan. He details a $4.75 million investment to reconstruct the Main Street pumping station and force main in downtown Winchester and a $13 million lagoon upgrade in another area of the village. “That’s where sewage treatment occurs for the village of Winchester. That’s a large project that’s underway right now, being worked on by Tomlinson,” he reports. Along with these, North Dundas is working on a $5.2 million water reservoir in the community of Chesterville, in partnership with Louis Bray Construction, as well as investing $8.3 million in the establishment of a new groundwater well to increase water capacity for both Chesterville and Winchester.

de Haan highlights the necessity of these projects, sharing, “We’ve reached the limit of growth in our serviced villages right now, because we have reached our capacity for water and wastewater. There are a number of developers that are knocking on North Dundas’ door because they are ready to go. It is incumbent on the township to take those proactive steps to invest in this infrastructure so that we can support the demand for housing.”

North Dundas, like much of Eastern Ontario, is also benefiting from an extensive fiber expansion, ensuring high-speed internet is available to support residents, remote work and business operations. “We’re in a very enviable position in terms of being able to provide that critical piece of personal infrastructure that people need, to essentially work and survive in the world anymore,” de Haan asserts.

Residential Development

North Dundas is experiencing a housing boom, as Fraser conveys, ‘We are in the enviable spot of being located right next to the capital of Canada, where there’s so many job opportunities. The developers see that they want to build larger homes on larger lots, and they can’t continue to do that in the City of Ottawa.” More and more people are moving out of the city, seeking out a more relaxed quality of life, a trend that Fraser says was accelerated during the pandemic, but has continued to increase. “Our anticipated supply of water and wastewater allocations changed dramatically in 2020,” he relays. “Our twenty-year forecast became less than five years with the sudden growth that we experienced. Looking ahead, we’re anticipating the potential for an additional 2000 homes over the next twenty years, which is an incredible amount of growth.”

To meet the demands of a growing population, diverse housing options are being developed, including higher-density options like 24-unit apartment complexes, townhomes, semis, and single detached homes. “We’re seeing a lot more of a higher density style within the serviced area of Winchester, and some of our other service areas,” characterizes de Haan. “The development we see in our unserviced rural settlement areas is the more traditional single family home on larger lots, because they have to construct a septic system and well, so you do need that space.” North Dundas is also embracing developments like Wellings of Winchester, a 55+ retirement community in the village of Winchester, which is anticipated to bring 450 senior-oriented residential units, accompanied by its own community center.

Commercial and Industrial Investment

North Dundas is not just a residential oasis, it is also ripe with commercial opportunities. On the agricultural side, the township is home to Lactalis, the largest cheese manufacturing plant in Canada. Other significant employers include Sevita International, an exporter of soybean products to Asia, Synagri, suppliers of seed and fertilizer, and Advanced Drainage Systems. “With our strong agricultural base, we have large supporting industries such as industrial grain elevators, and then some other smaller spin off businesses” says de Haan. “This year we are also welcoming a new agricultural equipment dealership in North Dundas; the first Claas mainline dealer in all of Eastern Ontario.”

The township is also attracting businesses from Ottawa. Mayor Fraser tells the story of an industry relocating to North Dundas due to space and cost constraints. In true small town fashion, the move was facilitated by community connections and supportive local services. “He’s moving his operation out to Winchester,” he illustrates. “I didn’t anticipate he was going to buy the whole piece of property that was available, but he bought it knowing that there’s an opportunity for him to grow, because it’s on the highway that takes you to downtown Ottawa, and it’s close to the United States. He saw that it was a great opportunity to both move out and grow his business.”

North Dundas is also targeting the health care sector, and Winchester District Memorial Hospital works closely with Ottawa General Hospital for the training of healthcare professionals. “It is quite a feather in our cap, in a small community like ours,” acknowledges Fraser. “It’s not a small hospital. It’s a very modern hospital, and it’s helping develop and train doctors and nurses and other healthcare practitioners.”

Looking Ahead

As North Dundas looks to the future, its focus remains on advocating for rural support and continuing to encourage growth, de Haan emphasizes the township’s efforts to secure funding to offset the costs of its infrastructure projects, aiming to minimize the financial burden on residents and businesses. “We’re very cognizant that the more funding we can get, the better it is for the users that pay for the services. These costs also impact development, because those fees play into the financial calculation of building.”

Fraser points out the importance of staff efforts in overcoming challenges and ensuring sustainable development. “Ongoing advocacy for support in our rural areas is one of the key components we need to continue,” he maintains. “But another key goal is that we continue our efforts to find ways to encourage growth in North Dundas.”