A smooth way home

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Northern Ontario Community Rallies to Attract New Residents and Businesses

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The older she gets, the more particular Courtney Marshall is about how she wants to live. So when the lineups in Gray Country, Ontario were too busy for his liking, he turned his gaze north to peaceful Smooth Rock Falls, a small northern Ontario community north of Timmins that is thinking outside the box for stimulate growth.

“Once we got here, we decided this would be our retirement home,” said Marshall, who moved to the city in the summer of 2018 with his spouse and youngest daughter.

“It is such a welcoming community. People come up when they see you move in, greet you and ask if you need anything. In all the years that I lived in the city, I don’t remember so many people inviting me and saying ‘Welcome!’ ”.

Marshall grew up in the Peel region and moved to Gray County several years ago, long before the area began to expand. When she and her spouse discovered Smooth Rock Falls, it seemed like the perfect fit for the more laid-back, family-centered lifestyle they craved. After buying a repair home in the city, they gained a financial advantage in a home that will be affordable as they age, he said.

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“We can live comfortably on the main floor and it has a nice lot,” said Marshall, who runs a small renovation business with his spouse. “It feels like you are in the forest, but you are not, you are still in the city so it has the best of both worlds.”

Marshall’s family is one of more than 60 helping put the city back on the map since 2017 thanks to a bold marketing campaign. Under the banner Near North, Near Perfect, Smooth Rock Falls is using creative financial incentives to attract new owners and businesses, including $ 500 residential lots, many of which were abandoned in 2006 when Tembec’s local pulp and paper mill closed. , leaving 200 residents without work.

Lots are initially purchased for $ 5,000 with a $ 4,500 rebate available two years later if a home is built on the property. Property tax is also discounted for the first three years, starting with a 75 percent savings the first year, then 50, and finally 25 percent.

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“We wanted houses and we wanted people,” said Smooth Rock Falls Mayor Sue Perras, adding that the one-of-a-kind deal is attracting people from as far away as Newfoundland and Fort McMurray, as well as larger centers in Ontario. like Ottawa, GTA and Windsor.

“Someone had the brainstorming to sell lots at a lower price, but it made sense. These lots do not bring income to the city at this time, they are simply empty, ”he said.

The 20-year growth plan also includes the launch of the 12-unit Near North Industrial Center, a 9.57 hectare industrial park. The first occupant is already employing three people and Perras wants more companies to follow suit.

Turnkey industrial lots are offered with an incentive similar to housing lots, with a possible reduction of up to 90 percent when certain conditions are met. The next step is riverside development and a study is underway to explore how the city’s 140 acres can be revitalized along the banks of the Mattagami River.

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“We are open to anything as long as it employs people,” Perras said. “There are so many communities like us that have lost industry and we are all trying to offer something.”

The bold move to sell cheap is working. In 2017, homes in the area were selling for just over $ 56,000 on average. Four years later, the median price is $ 137,000 and properties are typically selling for 95 percent of their asking price.

Perras, a lifelong resident who cares to greet unfamiliar faces she sees, says rising house prices are lifting the spirits of those like her who weathered the steep decline. She encourages people to imagine a more relaxed lifestyle when considering settling in the city.

“It’s cold in here, so you need to bundle up and go outside for new activities like snowshoeing, skiing, or even walking,” he said. “And if you think you’re going to go to the mall when you have nothing to do, well, the mall is over an hour away in Timmins.”

Although he did not accept the city’s offer of a $ 500 lot, Marshall is thriving in his new home. Your daughter’s school is “amazing”, she has found meaningful volunteer work and has a wonderful family doctor.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better to live in a northern city,” she said, noting that she even made friends with insects. “Because it is a small community, everyone takes care of everyone here. It’s just different. “