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The Municipality of Leamington knows
a little something about planting seed and reaping the harvest. Sure, this
sprawling county community is best known for producing produce - whether it be
under glass or in wide-open fields. And aside from the large chunk of its
industry dedicated to processing, a little Leamington bounty (from ketchup to
apple juice, and everything in between) can be found in grocery stores and
restaurants everywhere. But there's more to the infamous "Tomato Capital
of Canada" and "Greenhouse Capital of North America" than just fresh
fruits, flowers and veggies.
With a population of just over
27,000 people (and growing), and an economy that supports well over 55,000
people from surrounding communities, it's obvious that Leamington has never been
satisfied to keep all of its tomatoes in one basket. By maximizing all the area
has to offer, and attracting a diverse economy, the municipality has been
enjoying a long season of steady success and growth in business and residential
development. "We're looking into the future. We just don't look at what we've
got on our plate now," says Bill Marck, CAO of the Municipality of Leamington,
adding that the motto, "Building on the past...Preparing for the future', is
serious business for the community.
Leamington's most recent growth
spurt has its roots in the 1999 amalgamation with Mersea Township. The "new "
community that resulted from this marriage presented a unique profile - a
thriving and modern urban environment, surrounded by greenhouses and traditional
agricultural crops. With that, plenty of growth potential was inherited. "The
town of Leamington was relatively landlocked up until that point. Now that we've
amalgamated, we don't have those restrictions," says Anne Miskovsky, economic
development officer with the municipality. The amalgamation gave birth to a new
official plan, which allowed Leamington to identify areas for fresh crops of
growth in industrial, commercial - and especially in residential. Well over
1,000 homes have been built since, with more sub-divisions on the drawing board.
The year 2005 has definitely not
been a time for growth to slow down. Well over $50 million in construction has
been poured throughout the municipality within the first eight months of this
year alone, with most of it - $22.4 million worth - going towards mass
expansions in the agricultural industry. Following close behind was the $19.2
million spent in new home construction. April's housing stats alone surpassed
any other Leamington-sized municipality across the province. In other
developments, $5.7 million went towards industrial growth, $2.3 million in
institutional, and $1.6 million in commercial development. Douglas Morrish,
director of development services for the municipality has been impressed with
the numbers. "So far this year, we're at $51.2 million total construction value.
I think that's a big number for a town like Leamington. I know of bigger
municipalities...that don't have the construction value that we have," he says.
"But our greenhouse operations are the ones that push this number up high."
 Part of a 1,000-plus acre greenhouse
vegetable industry, Leamington boasts the largest concentration of greenhouse
farming in North America. It's so big that it even exceeds the entire
corresponding U.S. industry (estimated at around 850 acres in 2001). "Let me put
it this way - it's the largest area that's under glass or plastic in North
America," remarks Marck, pointing out that though the greenhouse acreage is
shared between Leamington and Kingsville, more than half of it falls within the
municipality of Leamington. According to 2001 statistics, 14 out of 24 of the
largest greenhouse vegetable operations in Canada were located in Leamington. In
fact, the three largest of them all were Leamington greenhouses: Mastron
Enterprises Ltd., Great Northern Hydroponics and Amco Farms. The specialties in
these parts are cucumbers, peppers and, of course, tomatoes. "The greenhouse
industry has been a good industry for Leamington. We've had a lot of spin-off
from it." says Leamington mayor, John Adams. "The greenhouse industry for
Leamington has been good, if not better, than the automotive industry is for
Windsor."
It's pretty much a given that there
will always be a steady demand for food, and that Leamington has benefited
greatly from this key industry. Being home to a major food processing factory
for almost a century doesn't hurt either. H.J. Heinz Company of Canada, Ltd.
employs just under 1,000 people year-round and produces 200 food products in 800
varieties. Tomato products, including the company's famous ketchup line are the
mainstay of the production. Contract growers, with the help of another 400
seasonal workers, deliver 250 million tonnes of tomatoes to the plant during the
summer (hence its moniker - "Tomato Capital of Canada"). But the municipality
hasn't been afraid to peer past produce and processing, in attempts to diversify
its economy and society.
Long warm seasons are not just for
greenhouses, and Leamington has stepped out of the glass box to promote tourism
in the area - which has become its third largest industry. The natural beauty of
the municipality's setting on Lake Erie draws Canadians and Americans alike
through town, enroute to Point Pelee National Park, Colasanti's and Erie Quest
diving development, to name a few. Leamington's marina, which has been rated one
of the best marinas in the Great Lakes, has been a hit with U.S. boaters, who
are exposed to the community through bus trips and bike rentals.
 Tourists are not the only ones the
southernmost town in Canada has been attracting. Industries, sold on
Leamington's closeness to the U.S. and easy access to Highway 401, have been
migrating to the municipality too. With an action plan strategy in place, and
200 acres set aside for future industrial/business park development, the
municipality has tremendous industrial growth potential. Already, industries
outside of processing and agriculture have been cropping up around town,
particularly those related closely to the automotive sector. Plastech (formerly
LDM). a plastic injection molding company specializing in automotive parts,
provides 550 local jobs. Elring-Klinger Sealing Systems, another automotive
supplier, just recently underwent major expansions, motoring its workforce on up
to 300. While KUS Canada produces aluminum pistons in Leamington, and employs
150 people.
Tracey Pillon-Abs, planner with the
municipality says she's been moved by the interest that the new developments
have shown in the town. "Some of the industrial developments have been
established in Leamington and they've stayed in Leamington. They're been
very committed to the town and that's probably what I've been most impressed
with. We haven't seen any big industrial closures." she says, pointing out that
this industrial loyalty looks good for new growth opportunities. "As soon as we
have more land available, I think we're going to start seeing some very unique
industries moving into town."
With growth has come more stores,
namely big-name, big-box enterprises, like Wal-Mart and Super Zehrs. And the
townspeople have been welcoming them with open arms. Retail sales in 2001 were
34 per cent above the national average in Leamington, which is probably why it
is not too far-fetched to believe that other popular retailers, like Home Depot
or the Brick may one day make their way into town also. The second largest
community in Essex County, and the furthest away from the city, Leamington is
becoming more and more a regional centre for commercial activity. "(The
residents) are saying that they'd still like to see a lot more commercial
development," says Pillon-Abs. "They're looking for more Windsor-type
development so that they don't have to drive there, especially with the increase
in gas prices. They're liking what they're seeing, and they're definitely
encouraging us to be able to get that message back to council, with respect to
keeping it going."
 Leamington's charming "small-town"
style is largely maintained by its specialty shops. However, Hilda MacDonald,
chairperson of the Uptown Leamington BIA, and owner of Strawberries Kitchen
Shop, says that the development and big box stores have drawn business away from
the town's core. "Big box stores have certainly put a whole new face on
retailing," she says, explaining that uptown business has come to rely heavily
on tourists, and can offer customer service and unique touches that the big guns
can't match. On a whole, business has been a challenge, but she admits that it's
better than it was eight years ago when she started. "We have a lot of trade
with the boating people in particular. The marina pulls in a lot of people, and
we get a lot of out-of-town people too. I have a healthy Windsor clientele, as
do a lot of other shops. We draw quite a bit from outside the area."
Within 20 years, the municipality
projects its population to swell to anywhere between 30,000 and 34,000 people.
New sub-divisions are being planned mainly for the north and southeast areas of
town, and an extension to Highway 3 will bring commuters past where it currently
stops at County Road 34, and connect them onto Bevel Line - the road that goes
to Point Pelee National Park. "We kind of have this 'glass girdle' effect. All
of the greenhouses established themselves all over the westside of town,"
explains Pillon-Abs, pointing out the reasoning behind the residential sprawl in
the east. Ongoing expansions to the Union Water System and improvements to the
Pollution Control Plant are underway to support the growth in the municipality -
especially in the greenhouse industry.
Not just a "bedroom community" to
Windsor anymore, families are being drawn by the lower housing costs and
potential employment. "Leamington has all the advantages of living in a quiet
lakeside resort, yet there's all the opportunity you could ever think of to work
here as well," says Miskovsky, pointing out the area's friendly, ethnically
diverse and picturesque qualities. Leamington has three high schools, numerous
public and separate schools, its own hospital, transit system, municipal marina
and a new multi-million dollar sports and recreational complex. Adams attributes
the growth to a council that's never been afraid to take a stand and move
forward. Currently, Leamington is in the process of hiring more police officers,
and is looking to replace its volunteer fire department with a full-time squad.
"People are really liking the environment that we're offering," says Pillon-Abs,
adding that the municipality has lately been marketing the area towards
retirees. "Leamington is attracting a lot of seniors, so a lot of our town
houses and semis are being purchased by people that have chosen Leamington as
their retirement community."
Next to B.C., Leamington is the
second warmest spot in Canada. And out of all of Essex County, the town has the
only hospital outside of Windsor. These two "perks" have proven very attractive
to retirees. "The fact that we don't get a lot of snow is appealing. Seniors
hate snow, and they hate hills - and we don't have either of them," says
Miskovsky. According to the mayor, plans are underway for a hospital expansion
to provide more services - and parking. There has also been a push to recruit
more doctors to the area to accommodate the growth and especially the
anticipated rise in the senior population. "I would hope to keep expanding, I
really think we have to," says Adams, "Like any other business or municipality,
you have to grow to succeed anymore in this life."
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