Nestled between Hamilton and St. Catharines on the shores of Lake Ontario, Grimsby is proving that small towns can think big. With a flourishing business community, a scenic setting at the foot of the Niagara Escarpment, and a clear vision for sustainable growth, this town of 31,000 benefits from a strategic location, low costs, and strong local partnerships that make it an increasingly attractive destination for companies looking to grow and for people who want to live, work, and thrive close to it all.
The Town’s Economic Development Officer, Frank Miele, describes Grimsby, Ontario as a “thriving business community that boasts a diverse business ecosystem and has perfected the art of collaboration and networking. The Town is also strategically located less than 45 minutes from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and right next to Hamilton, with direct access to Ontario’s GO Transit coming soon,” he says. “Combine this with very low real estate and operating costs, and Grimsby offers the advantages of a metropolitan location without the high-end overhead.”
Strengthening communication between businesses and local government has been a key focus in recent years. The Town is currently undergoing internal restructuring to improve collaboration and avoid duplication of efforts, addressing challenges as a team rather than as separate departments. This approach aligns with the Town’s commitment to proactive economic development, a priority that has guided Miele’s work since he joined the team in 2021.
Along with this favourable and productive business environment, Grimsby sports a talented workforce—a skilled labour pool that is experienced and educated in agriculture, manufacturing, and technology.
Perhaps most importantly, Miele says that “Grimsby has an outstanding quality of life.” It is a safe community surrounded by the scenic Niagara Escarpment, with a welcoming populace, rich in lifestyle choices and attractive to prospective employees and their families to live and work in. Grimsby is the kind of town that Canadians are proud to call home, and its continued evolution has been made possible by a smart strategic plan, which was put together around the time of the appointment of the Town council about two and a half years ago. The strategic plan has been meticulously developed, with specific goals, objectives, action steps, and KPIs (key performance indicators), many of which the town has gone on to exceed.
Ambassadors for business
One of the key objectives of the Town’s economic strategy is to align with the priorities of other departments. As Miele notes, 80 to 90 percent of new jobs in a community come from existing businesses, and that is why the Town is deeply committed to supporting and strengthening its established enterprises.
To this end, Grimsby has instituted initiatives to leverage local business talent in the continued growth and development of the Town’s economic prospects. Grimsby’s concierge service program sees Miele visiting businesses regularly to find out how the Town can help supercharge development and growth, opening lines of communication and breaking through obstacles that get in the way of expansion and development.
A recent highlight of Grimsby’s economic development efforts is the launch of its Business Ambassador Program. The initiative brings together respected members of the local business community to collaborate with the Town in attracting and supporting new businesses in a coordinated way. Originally conceived and developed by Miele during his time with the City of Scarborough in the 1980s, the program recognizes that prospective business owners place great value on the insights and experiences of those already thriving within the community.
Miele revived the project in Grimsby and has made it more robust, selecting 10 Business Ambassadors to engage with and represent the community and support economic development for the next four-year term. Ambassadors include CEO of VTR Feeder Solutions, Jim Hills, and President of 360 Energy Inc., David Arkell, among other local business leaders.
These and other ambassadors will be expanding their businesses locally and have been proactive since their onboarding in June. For example, Jim Hills’ company will be looking to re-shore processes from China to Grimsby in a $10 million machinery investment that will employ more people, while David Arkell will be representing the Town at a local energy summit in November to help potential incoming businesses reduce their power loads and costs.
Grimsby is also taking a closer look at tourism, putting approximately $50,000 into a budget and asking TPN (Tourism Partnership Network) to match its funds while also asking CRG (Context Research Group) to undertake the strategy. With its brand-new strategy currently in the draft phase, CRG has touched base with many from the business community in Grimsby and has identified some great opportunities. One is with the Niagara Gateway Information Centre at the crossroads of the Queen Elizabeth Highway and Casablanca. With more than 3.5 million visitors stopping there annually, persuading even three to five percent of them to take advantage of Grimsby’s tourism assets could help usher in a new era of tourism development.
Space to grow
The Town is certainly not short of land and growth opportunities for those who want to take the initiative. Miele says that Grimsby has two to three large pieces of land that are prime for potential new investment.
One of these is 36 acres of greenfield investment located in the westerly portion of Grimsby, next to Hamilton. Anatolia Business Park is currently going through a site plan agreement and hopes to launch its 650,000-square-foot industrial buildings in the spring of 2026, creating about 500 new jobs for the community.
The second major land investment is 12 acres on Main Street West, the site of an old cannery that has been closed for decades. This land is now for sale, and three or four local businesses are considering making a major investment.
A place for people
Grimsby also has new residential developments in the pipeline, with over 85 units in a geothermal-equipped condo building being built downtown by DeSantis Homes. The builder is also building the first purpose-built rental building in the Town, with 130 units in a unique and affordable development close to the hospital, opening in the fall. An important focus for the community is preserving its heritage, and the Town is investing $2 million in restoring a key heritage property.
An interesting opportunity has come about through the ambassador program. Breckon Husband, Senior Vice President of Aon Canada, has helped to connect the Town of Grimsby with Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England. Known as the twinning project, this opportunity could inspire joint projects, cultural exchanges, and new ventures. Miele says that the twinning process could get underway next year, an example of how keen local ambassadors are to make the Town where they live better in every way.
To celebrate ongoing local networking, Grimsby held an economic gala in September, which saw businesspeople stepping up to celebrate economic growth with the community as well as inform community members about local opportunities. The funds raised by the gala will go toward a new hospice building being constructed by the local McNally House Hospice.
Miele says that cross-developmental coordination is very important in economic growth because industries go where they are invited and usually stay and expand where they are treated well. “If Grimsby looks after its issues efficiently rather than putting up roadblocks, then the Town has done its job,” he says. Roadblocks to development, he says, are largely created not by municipalities but by the development process in Ontario itself, which can involve some slow-moving procedures. However, Grimsby has identified these challenges and knows how to work within and around them, and things are picking up.
Already blessed with a fine way of life, the Town of Grimsby, as it grows by leaps and bounds, has much to offer anyone who wants to be part of it—including a warm welcome.
