Partner Spotlight: Elizabethtown-Kitley
When you’re evaluating sites for a new facility, it’s easy to overlook small townships. Elizabethtown-Kitley, Ontario doesn’t come up early in most searches but is certainly worth a look. The township has exactly what site selectors need once the shortlist gets serious: ready land, existing infrastructure, a local government that wants to fill it, and a cost base that works.
Where Elizabethtown-Kitley Is Located
The township is part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Eastern Ontario. It covers about 550 square kilometres, running from the St. Lawrence River up toward Smiths Falls. About 10,000 people call it home. The commercial and industrial hub sits three kilometres north of Highway 401 via County Road 29.
That highway access matters more than it might first seem. The 401 is the main land route between Montreal and Toronto. This township sits right in the middle of the Eastern Ontario stretch. Businesses that ship goods east and west don’t lose anything in reach. And land costs here don’t reflect that position.
What Does the Business Park Actually Offer?
The Elizabethtown-Kitley Business Park was opened in 1984 and has seen over 40 years of industrial activity thus far. The park features more than 100 acres of zonedx industrial land with about 30 businesses currently in operation. There is also roughly 25 acres still open for new development. Businesses use private well and septic systems, with natural gas nearby, zoning completed and roads are in. For operators who need to move fast on site work, that’s a real edge over raw land.
Who’s Already Operating There
Burnbrae Farms, one of Canada’s largest egg producers, has a facility here. So does Troy Dualam, which makes fiberglass reinforced plastic equipment for industrial clients across North America. Lafarge Canada, Thousand Islands Concrete Ltd., Built Rite Utility Bodies, and Pricedex Software all have a presence in or near the township as well. That makes a national food producer, a North American industrial maker, one of the world’s largest building materials firms, a software shop, a utility body maker, and more all call the township home. This diversity allows for a more resilient economy that is well suited to deal with the constantly shifting global economic landscape.
The St. Lawrence Corridor Cost Advantage
In recent years businesses across multiple industries are searching for areas that feature the benefits of a large urban centre like Toronto without having to pay the large costs typically associated with them. The St. Lawrence Corridor has emerged as a popular choice with industrial land running about 25% less compared to the GTA and a solid 30% less than just over the border in New York. Having the ability to cut out a quarter of your land costs not only helps your upfront spend but also shifts depreciation and carrying costs while widening the room you have for growth without a major capital event. The corridor also sits close to deep water ports, highway 401, multiple major rail lines, and airports allowing businesses that ship goods to have cost effective solutions for reaching markets.
What SLCEDC’s Partnership With the Township Means
Elizabethtown-Kitley is one of our seven partner municipalities in the corridor. We work to help businesses find their new homes, help with approvals, connect businesses to local decision makers, help secure funding, and more. We also work hand in hand with the municipality itself to attract new business investment, retain existing ones, and generate new jobs and opportunities for residents in our communities across the corridor.
