Community Development Projects

Brockton is supporting young entrepreneurs through the new Saugeen Student Start-Up Program, which gives students in Grades 6-12 the chance to start their own businesses with a grant and paid training over the summer months. 

The program is open to students in Brockton, Hanover, West Grey, Arran-Elderslie, Minto and North Wellington who apply each spring in order to launch their businesses by summer. Application forms and more details are available on the Saugeen Connects website. Several hundred students have taken advantage of the program since it was launched in 2019!

Let us know if you are interested in helping to support the program. 

Looking to improve the look of your business, add a new sign, go green, add accessibility features, or reimagine your vacant or underused space converted into something new that will better meet your business needs? Are you an agri-business wishing to attract more roadside customers, expand the retail side of your business, or explore value-added agriculture? 

The Municipality is offering several new financial incentives to help local business owners achieve these goals. Visit our Business Improvement Grants page for more information. 

Brockton Community Improvement Plan 

The Municipality of Brockton updated its Community Improvement Plan (CIP) in 2022. The updated CIP update provides a framework to encourage the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings and structures, improvement of commercial signage, and redevelopment of vacant and underutilized properties and buildings.

The updated CIP allows for six (6) financial assistance programs to registered owners, tenants of land and buildings within the Community Improvement Area that will assist with building façade and signage improvements, accessibility improvements, environmental stewardship and energy efficiency, vacant property conversion/expansion, and farm gate improvements.

The CIP revisions involved an adjustment of Brockton's community improvement project areas (CIPAs) to include the settlement areas of historic downtown Walkerton, Cargill, Chepstow, Elmwood and Pinkerton, and as well as the full extent of the municipality for certain programs.

You can download the full Community Improvement Plan Update here, including maps of the new CIPA's.

For further information contact the Community Development Coordinator at 519-881-2223 ext 131. 

Bruce County provides assistance to business owners through the Business to Bruce Program, which supports business development, recruitment and enhancement.

The program focuses on inspiring, attracting and supporting business owners and entrepreneurs by engaging and mobilizing the local business communities and municipalities while using County level resources to give the project reach and scale. 

Spruce the Bruce supports local community efforts to facilitate downtown revitalization plans, bringing together stakeholders to build community capacity and assist with strategic policy and capital investment.

The program provides communities with the resources to develop strategies and implementation methods necessary to maintain and grow healthy commercial areas in association with the County and various partners.

View the Walkerton Toolkit for more information on Walkerton's marketing, physical design branding, organization and collaboration efforts, and economic development goals.