2023-2027 Community Strategic Plan

Housing affordability is a very important concern for Northumberland residents. In our 2023 Budget Survey, respondents ranked housing as one of the top three most important issues facing our community today.  

In 2020, the County introduced an Affordable Housing Strategy for the community - a strategy to increase the supply of housing throughout Northumberland at various levels of affordability, using the tools and resources available to a municipality.  

Since that time, the County has launched construction, pre-construction activities, or purchased over 100 units of affordable housing (ranging from Rent-Geared-to-Income (RGI) to affordable market rent units) to add to the existing stock of 674 RGI and 117 market rent housing units operated by the Northumberland County Housing Corporation (NCHC), non-profit housing corporations, and co-operative housing providers throughout the community. More of this work is yet to come.

The County has also introduced a grant program to stimulate development of affordable units by private and non-profit developers, continued with partnerships like the Renovates program with Habitat for Humanity Northumberland, and increased rent subsidies to support greater affordability in the private market,  to advance the Affordable Housing Strategy.

We’d like to understand what “housing affordability” means to you and why you feel this issue is important. Share your comments and heart the ones you like or agree with.  

Here are some questions to consider:

• When you hear “housing affordability” what comes to mind? How would you define housing affordability?  
• How does the issue of housing affordability affect you? Why is this issue important to you? Why does this issue matter for our community?
• If we made major improvements in housing affordability over the next 10 years, what would change for our community?

In the County's 2023 Budget Survey, 71% of respondents indicated they were either very or somewhat satisfied with the services provided by Northumberland County.

In Northumberland, local government is a tiered system, which means some services are the responsibility of the County (the 'upper tier'), and others are the responsibility of your local municipality (the 'lower tier').  Services such as police, fire, sewer and water, parks, recreation and beaches are delivered by your local municipality. 

We are interested in your feedback on some key services delivered by the County. These include:

• Paramedic services – 911 response and Community Paramedicine
• Waste collection and management
• Snow plowing, maintenance and construction of County roads and bridges
• County Forest – recreation and conservation
• County Archives & Museum 
• Golden Plough Lodge long-term care home
• Social services (social assistance, homelessness services, system planning and oversight for EarlyON and licensed child care centres, client programs and supports)
• Food 4 All warehouse
• Affordable housing development and programming
• Promoting county-wide economic development (manufacturing and talent attraction, employment generation, small business supports, tourism attraction)
• Planning for and managing residential, commercial, and industrial development (land use planning)
• Plumbing and septic permits and inspections 
• Community emergency planning

Share your comments and heart the ones you like or agree with.  Here are some questions to consider:

• How might service in one or more of these areas be improved?
• How might technology be used to improve the delivery of services?
• When you imagine Northumberland 10 years from now, how are services being delivered differently?

Economic development is about creating the conditions for a strong, diverse, and resilient economy in order to enhance well-being and quality of life for the community. 

From agriculture and food processing to advanced manufacturing, plastics to small business entrepreneurship, Northumberland's economy is evolving as Eastern Ontario's production hub, and a wellness tourism destination. 

To foster this progressive transformation, the County has spearheaded initiatives over the last several years such as:

• Bringing together significant public funding and private capital investment to create a private sector-led utility - currently under development - that will deliver high-speed internet to every household and business in Northumberland.  
• Opening the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre (OAFVC) in Colborne, a unique food manufacturing facility designed, built, and staffed to serve as a launchpad for food entrepreneurs moving into the next phase of business growth. 
• Supporting local small business growth with innovative programing through the Business & Entrepreneurship Centre. Programing such as Digital Northumberland - launched during the pandemic to help small businesses increase their online presence. Also programs such as the Faster Forward Summit program for existing growth-stage businesses, the Women's Entrepreneurship Program, and the Summer Company program for youth, along with other small business supports. 
• Creating Ontario's first Tourism Wellness Experience Development program, launched to help carve out a unique niche for Northumberland's tourism industry, and bring more benefits to Northumberland's communities and businesses.

As the County continues to take steps to support a business ecosystem and a talent pipeline that meet current business demands, help us understand what is important about this topic. Share your comments and heart the ones you like or agree with.  

Here are some questions to consider:

• What are steps we can take to further promote innovation, and support talent and business to thrive?
• When you imagine Northumberland 10 years from now, what makes our community an incredible destination to visit, and a great place to live, work, and raise a family?

Thriving and Resilient Communities has to do with having the systems and services in place that foster a vibrant, inclusive, safe, healthy, and secure place for people of all ages, stages, backgrounds, and cultures to live, work and play.

The County strives to foster a thriving and resilient Northumberland with measures such as:

• Industry-leading pre-hospital emergency health care delivered by Northumberland Paramedics through 9-1-1 response, as well as innovative preventative health care delivered through the Community Paramedicine Program.
• Collaboration with community partners as a member of the Ontario Health Team of Northumberland to advance health and well-being priorities for the community.
• Investments in affordable housing, including approximately $10 million planned for 2023 to advance construction of new affordable housing units and other affordable housing initiatives and partnerships. In addition, investments in a coordinated system of supports for people experiencing homelessness, including more than doubling investments for 2023 to over half a million dollars to support Transition House emergency shelter, the overflow motel system, a winter warming room, and other services and supports. Access the County's 2021 Housing & Homelessness Annual Report to learn more about efforts to address housing and homelessness priorities, including progress on the six strategies identified in the County's 10-Year Housing & Homelessness Plan. (Note: the 2022 annual report is scheduled to be released in June 2023.) 
• Partnerships to promote education and intercultural understanding for a more diverse and inclusive community. This includes partnership with the Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre to provide Indigenous-led programming for children and families through EarlyON and child care centres; seeking guidance from the e wiindmaagzijig (Indigenous Advisory Circle) to lead the development of Northumberland County Archives and Museum's inaugural exhibitions planned for 2024; hosting the annual Diversity Festival to celebrate local diversity through music and food; and partnering with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to host citizenship ceremonies, celebrating new Canadians and featuring the welcoming and inclusive nature of the Northumberland community.   

We'd like to understand what a 'thriving and resilient community' looks like to you, and why you feel this topic is important. Share your comments and heart the ones you like or agree with.  

Here are some questions to consider:

• What can we do to build a healthier, more livable community?
• What opportunities exist to strengthen diversity and inclusion in our community? 
• What could we do creatively in Northumberland to address chronic issues like housing, poverty, and inequity that impact community health and well-being?

Throughout our Northumberland Next Official Plan Update process, we have heard that growth, where it happens and how, is a key concern for Northumberland residents. By growth, we mean making improvements to existing neighbourhoods, as well as building new ones. Sustainable growth is about balancing the benefits of development with the capacity to appropriately service this growth.  

It is estimated that by 2051 there will be about 36,000 more people living in Northumberland. Our county needs to grow to accommodate new neighbours. That will mean more homes, neighbourhoods, roads, bridges, transit routes, and other infrastructure.

Help us understand what is important about this topic. Share your comments and heart the ones you like or agree with.  

Here are some questions to consider:

• When it comes to community growth, what is the most important for us to focus on and why?
  • Space for new homes (ie: where they are located throughout the County)
  • Transportation (examples: transit systems, traffic management, bike and pedestrian lanes)
  • Construction of new – and maintenance of existing – County roads and bridges (examples: potholes, bridge updates, snow removal)
  • Other?
• Why does growth matter to you? Why is this issue important for our community?
• If, over the next 10 years, we made major improvements to how the County grows, what would change for the better in our community?

Community engagement in planning and decision-making improves the County’s understanding of resident and partner concerns, expectations, and priorities, and ensures that diverse perspectives inform decision-making. 

We’d like to understand what participation in municipal decision-making means to you and why this is important. Share your comments and heart the ones you like or agree with.

Here are some questions to consider:

• Why did you decide to take part in this Ideas Board today? What motivates you to engage with the County? What else might help you take part in decision-making?  
• Why is public engagement important to our community?
• Do you feel as though your input makes a difference? Why or why not? How might the County build trust?
• If, over the next 10 years, we improved our public engagement practices, how would our community change for the better?