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Haliburton

The village of Haliburton has a population of 15,085 and is located in the central part of the province, about 100 kilometres north of Peterborough and not far from the southern tip of Algonquin Provincial Park. The population in Haliburton and the neighbouring town of Minden increased by some 300 to 400 per cent in the summer months due to an influx of cottagers and tourists. Tourism is the main driver of the economy, with additional input from the forestry industry. Sales and service occupations are most prevalent in Haliburton (29 per cent of employees), followed closely by trades, transport and equipment operators (21 per cent). Of all of the towns we visited, Haliburton had the lowest proportion of residents that worked full-year, full-time (43 per cent), probably linked to the seasonal tourism industry; as well as the largest retirement population (40 per cent over the age of 55). Almost one quarter (23.2 per cent) of all income in Haliburton comes from some sort of government transfer, such as old age pension or social assistance.

From 1995 to 2007, OTF had invested almost $1.47 million in Haliburton through 48 grants, including three Province-Wide grants. Grantees in Haliburton and Minden have engaged over 1,800 volunteers who have contributed almost 67,000 hours of volunteer time – a volunteer value of just over $1.1 million. Grantees in Haliburton and Minden have also been extremely successful in leveraging funds from other sources through their OTF grants. Together they have secured $4.4 million in funds, which resulted in an average return on investment of $5.55 on every OTF dollar granted.

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Figure 1: Map of Small Towns and Key Impact Statistics


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Hawkesbury

Hawkesbury is a town of 11,629 on the Ottawa River in Eastern Ontario, where 81 per cent of residents speak French at home (neighbouring Alfred and Plantagenet add another 8,600 people). Located halfway between Ottawa and Montreal, many Hawkesbury residents commute to either city. Due to its proximity to the Quebec border (a bridge in town connects the two provinces), there are strong cultural ties with that province. Hawkesbury has seen many of its industries leave over the last two decades, resulting in high unemployment (8.2 per cent, compared to Ontario’s average of 6.1 per cent). While 34 per cent of its inhabitants still work in manufacturing and construction, almost one-third of the population aged 44 or younger have less than a high school education.

As of February 2007, OTF had invested almost $2.5 million in Hawkesbury, Alfred and Plantagenet through 56 grants, including three Province-Wide grants, 97 per cent of which have benefited the local Francophone population. Grantees in the Hawkesbury area have engaged over 1,200 volunteers who have contributed a total of almost 65,000 hours of volunteer time, a volunteer value of just over $1.1 million. Grantees in Hawkesbury have raised a little over $500,000 in other financial and in-kind contributions. This has resulted in an overall return on investment of $1.42 for every dollar granted.

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Kapuskasing

Kapuskasing is located in northeastern Ontario, approximately midway between Thunder Bay and North Bay. It is a major service point for northern communities along Hudson Bay and James Bay. Of its population of just over 9,000 (10,200 including neighbouring Moonbeam), 68 per cent are Francophone. Of the six towns in the area, Kapuskasing boasts the youngest population, on average: 26 per cent are 20 years old or younger, while 25 per cent are over the age of 55.

Kapuskasing also has the highest unemployment rate of the six towns (9.9 per cent), which is almost one-third higher than the Ontario average of 6.1 per cent. Like Hawkesbury, mill closures have hit the community hard in the last two decades. Manufacturing and construction remains the most prevalent employer (25 per cent), followed closely by health and education (20 per cent). Jobs in sales and service occupations (24 per cent) are slightly more populous than those in trades, transport and equipment operation (19 per cent). Interestingly, despite the high unemployment rate, only 13.9 per cent of total individual income in Kapuskasing comes from government transfers – the second lowest proportion of all six towns.

As of February 2007, OTF had invested almost $1.5 million in Kapuskasing through 38 grants, including three Province-Wide grants, 56 per cent of which have benefited the Francophone population. Grantees in Kapuskasing and Moonbeam have engaged 329 volunteers who have contributed a total of almost 13,330 hours of volunteer time – a volunteer value of just over $226,000. Grantees in Kapuskasing have raised a little over $500,000 in other financial and in-kind contributions. The net result of the volunteering and leverage values is a return of 68 cents on every dollar invested by OTF.

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Kenora

The town of Kenora, with a population of 15,838, is located about 200 kilometres east of Winnipeg, near Ontario’s western border with Manitoba. Traditionally a pulp and paper town, Kenora recently saw the end of that era with the announcement of the closure of the Abitibi-Consolidated mill in December 2005. Kenora has the second highest unemployment rate of the six towns – 8.5 per cent. Nevertheless, Kenora residents were most likely of the residents of all six towns to work full-time, year-round (54 per cent). As well, only 15 per cent of the population worked in the manufacturing and construction industry, whereas 22 per cent worked in health and education. In addition, Kenora has successfully turned its focus to tourism in recent years, and today 31 per cent of all jobs there are in sales and service occupations. Like Kapuskasing, Kenora has a relatively young population – only 25 per cent of its population is over the age of 55. Kenora also has the highest percentage of people under the age of 20 (27 per cent), in part due to a prominent Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis population that represents 12 per cent of the population. The nearby Anishinaabe of Wauzhushk Onigum Band reserve (population 150) and the Ochiichagwe’babigo’ining First Nation Band (population 120) are also served by Kenora and its organizations.

As of February 2007, OTF had invested almost $1.6 million through 35 community grants in Kenora, 42 per cent of which have benefited Aboriginal, First Nations and Métis populations. Grantees in Kenora have engaged 1,800 volunteers who have contributed a total of almost 28,000 hours of volunteer time, a volunteer value of just over $471,000. Like grantees in the other towns touched by mill closures, Kenora grantees have had trouble leveraging funds from other sources through their OTF grants – yet they still managed to secure a little over $766,500 in funds. The strong volunteerism in the community boosts the leverage values to a return of $1.51 on every dollar invested by OTF.

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Port Colborne

Port Colborne, with a population of just fewer than 18,500, is located in the Southwestern region of Ontario, about 40 kilometres south of St. Catharines, on the shore of Lake Erie.  Like some of the other small towns we studied, the manufacturing and construction industry plays a significant role in this community, employing 28 per cent of the workforce. Plant closures have had an effect on the local economy. However, Port Colborne has been less hard hit by plant closures, with an unemployment rate of 6.7 per cent, which is only slightly higher than the provincial average of 6.1 per cent. Port Colborne also has a prominent Francophone population, and while only 7 per cent of its residents speak French at home, the town has French language schools and a thriving local Franco-ontarien culture.

As of February 2007, OTF had invested almost $1.1 million in Port Colborne through 36 community grants, 19 per cent of which has benefited its Francophone population. Grantees in Port Colborne have engaged 930 volunteers who have contributed a total of almost 88,500 hours of volunteer time, a volunteer value of just over $1.5 million. Port Colborne grantees have been very successful at leveraging funds from other sources through their OTF grants – they managed to secure a little under $850,000 in funds. Add this to the strong volunteer turnout and OTF sees an impressive return of $3.11 on every dollar invested.

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Back to Main Small Towns Page | Background and Method | What We Learned | Challenges Facing the Voluntary Sector... | Success in Small Towns | The Importance of Local Circumstances | Going Forward – Increasing OTF’s Impact in Small Towns

Appendix 1: Analysis of OTF Granting | Appendix 2: Census Data