Partner Spotlight: the City of Brockville
In March 2026, the Ontario government confirmed a $12.3 million manufacturing investment in Brockville. Nobody who’s been watching this city closely was surprised. It was the latest in a pattern that looks less like good luck and more like the track record of success that it is.
Brockville is one of seven partner municipalities in the SLCEDC network, and we’ve worked alongside them for years. What we’ve seen is a city that performs well above what is expected for their size. With a population of roughly 22,000, two industrial parks, and a list of major employers, Brockville stands out as a dynamic industrial hub in today’s economy.
A Manufacturing Base Built Over Decades
The diverse range of industries present in the city isn’t a mistake. Companies like Northern Cables, have anchored the local economy for 25 years. That kind of track record matters to site selectors. They need locations that hold up and can evolve.
Leclerc, one of Canada’s leading food makers, purchased the former Procter & Gamble site at 1475 California Avenue. The investment: more than $100 million. The result: over 200 new local jobs. That’s what Eastern Ontario manufacturing investment looks like when a company does its homework and commits to laying down roots in our communities.
The John G. Broome Business Park and the Western Industrial Park cover real ground. Food processing, drug production, cables and wires, power tools, product packaging. The range is wide and while no single sector dominates, and that’s a strength most industrial cities spend decades trying to build. This range of industries contributes to an increased resilience in the face of an ever changing global economic landscape.
The Location Case
If you take a look at the City of Brockville on a map the advantages immediately stand out.
Brockville sits on the 401 corridor with St. Lawrence Seaway access and CN Rail close by. The U.S. border is minutes away. For industries that run on supply chain timing, that kind of reach defines the shortlist. No matter where your customers are or where you would like to sell, you have seamless access to markets throughout Canada and beyond.
CABN’s modular housing plant in Brockville is set for a major expansion. Serious investor capital is backing it. 3M’s Brockville facility went from zero N95 masks to shipping a first order of 700,000 — eight months, start to finish. The location held up.
The labour pool runs across Leeds and Grenville County. That’s a workforce base that supports manufacturing at scale without the recruiting friction you’d face closer to the GTA.
What a St. Lawrence Corridor Partner Municipality Delivers
The SLCEDC relationship with Brockville isn’t a shared logo. When a company comes to us looking at sites in the region, our team works directly with the City’s economic development office. Properties get walked together and the right local contacts get introduced early. City of Brockville business investment decisions don’t get stuck in bureaucratic hand-offs. Both teams know what companies need and everyone is invested in success. The Brockville industrial parks offer real sites at price points that work for manufacturing. The City shows up. SLCEDC connects the two.
A City Worth Knowing Before You Need It
The industrial case is strong. The quality of life picture is more compelling than most people expect from a city this size.
Brockville was named Port of the Year in the 2025 Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge® Series. The 1,000 Islands region and the lower cost of living factor into whether employees actually put down roots. It matters more than the spreadsheet shows. This creates an ecosystem of local talent who aren’t forced to leave for another city to start their career while allowing them to gain hands-on work experience and build connections with industry leaders.. For companies trying to hire and keep good people in a competitive labour market, it’s one of the stronger location arguments in Eastern Ontario.
Feel free to reach out to the St. Lawrence Corridor Economic Development Commission with any questions you may have and to learn more about Brockville area opportunities.
