Northern Ontario town says marketing plan has boosted house prices, drawn families

A small town in northern Ontario says a marketing campaign launched four years ago has helped revive its economy, drawing dozens of families and more than doubling property values.

Smooth Rock Falls launched the revitalization effort in 2017, years after the community was nearly destroyed when its main employer — a paper mill — closed its doors in 2006.

But Luc Denault, chief administrative officer with the town, says the marketing campaign, which saw the community offer vacant lots for as little as $500 in some cases, has turned things around.

Officials report that 60 families have moved to the community since it started offering the incentives in 2017, and property values have skyrocketed.

The average property listing is $137,000 this year, compared to $56,065 in 2017 — an increase of 144 per cent.

They say properties are also selling much faster — sometimes within days.

“When I started 10 years ago, we were tearing buildings down,” Denault said. “We are now selling buildings and they’re moving very, very quickly.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2021.

The Canadian Press