While 2022 was a return to a form of normalcy for Chatham-Kent, the municipality’s mayor says it was also a year for local growth.
Mayor Darrin Canniff, who was re-elected for a second term in October, referred to 2022 as a “transition year” and commended the resiliency of the municipality throughout the pandemic.
After two long years of lockdowns and social distancing, Canniff said it has been a breath of fresh air to see the community return to community gatherings and events.
“What I’ll remember [about 2022] is getting back to normalcy; the special events, getting out to public events, the parades and doing all of those things,” he said.
However, Chatham-Kent wasn’t without its challenges over the past year due to the fallout from the pandemic and inflation, which have driven up everyday costs for local residents.
“Certainly we’ve struggled along with the rest of the country in a few things, particularly homelessness, lack of affordable housing and attainable housing,” said Canniff. “If there was an easy solution, it would have happened by now. It’s a very complex issue that’s going to take a lot of money. We need federal and provincial governments to step up.”
Despite those challenges, Mayor Canniff said the municipality continued to grow, with several residential developments announced and new businesses creating jobs within the community.
In particular, United Industries Inc. announced it will be opening a state-of-the-art production facility in Tilbury for stainless steel tubing. The factory is expected to generate as many as 100 local jobs.
“I love seeing that people want to come to Chatham-Kent,” he said. “We were very much a well-kept secret. We’re not so much anymore. More and more people are recognizing Chatham-Kent as the place they really want to live and there are huge job opportunities here.”
Heading into 2023, Canniff said residential and industrial growth will likely continue. Specifically, the mayor said he expects to see development announced for the former Navistar property, as well as further progress on the proposed revitalization project for downtown Chatham.
“In 2022 we really set ourselves up for success moving forward,” he said.