Northumberland County lies on the north shore of Lake Ontario in the Canadian province of that name. It borders the Greater Toronto Area, home to two Intelligent Communities of the Year: Toronto (2014) and the Durham Region (2025). Incorporated in 1973 as an upper-tier level of government uniting seven municipalities, it is known for its blend of historic small towns, rolling agricultural hills, extensive waterfront and long-standing relationship with the Alderville First Nation.
With 90,000 people spread through 1,900 km2, it is rural in character, and agriculture and tourism are two of its primary industries. The third, however, is advanced manufacturing focused on plastics and metal fabrication. A 2023-2027 Community Strategic Plan calls for accelerating economic growth on that foundation while maintaining a high quality of life as its population expands to an estimated 122,000 by 2051.
Building a Connected County
Northumberland’s geography and low population density have stood as barriers to private-sector investment in broadband. In 2026, about one third of households were currently underserved or unserved by high-speed internet. A major public-private fiber build seeks to close that gap. Northumberland has entered agreements with the federal and provincial governments and private-sector partner Windsor Private Capital to fund construction of a fiber network to provide up to 1 Gb of capacity to over 11,000 homes, including the Alderville First Nation. The build minimizes environmental impact by installing fiber primarily along municipal roads, underground where possible using directional drilling, and ensuring full restoration after completion.
From Education to Entrepreneurship
Northumberland County is responding to an aging workforce and rising hiring demands by strengthening talent pathways, entrepreneurship, and applied learning. The Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN) is the County’s one-stop hub for no-cost small business support, structured as a “ladder of opportunity” supporting all the critical steps in business startup and growth. On average each year, BECN supports the start-up of over 110 businesses, helps create 135 jobs, awards $111,000 in micro-grants, and engages over 330 participants through seminars and conferences.
Like much of Ontario Province, Northumberland County faces a shortage of childhood educators. Through partnerships with a local college, employment center, YMCA and children’s center, the county operates an Early Years Employment Initiative. The six-week program combines classroom learning with job placements and transportation support. Launched in 2022, it has succeeded in sending 50% of participants into Early Years employment or further education. This success convinced the county to offer first-year tuition support and personal mentoring to selected graduates.
Innovating in Agriculture and Energy
Northumberland County’s innovation agenda aims to help its vital agricultural sector add greater value to its products. Launched in 2015, the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre (OAFVC) is Ontario’s only shared-use food hub offering mentoring, training, consulting, and pay-to-play access to commercial-scale processing equipment for food entrepreneurs and farmers. Since opening in 2018, the federally certified, county-operated facility has enabled 190+ new product launches and supported distribution of 100+ lines of consumer-packaged goods across Ontario. Nuclear power is the backbone of Ontario’s electricity grid, providing about half the province’s power, reliably and emissions-free. In 2025, the province announced a proposal to construct a new nuclear power plant in Port Hope, within Northumberland County and the traditional and treaty territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations. The proposed project is slated to deliver up to 10,000 megawatts of new generating capacity and operate for up to 78 years. It will also support 10,500 jobs across Ontario, boost local employment by up to 20 percent and add Can$235 billion to Ontario’s GDP over its lifespan.
To meet the anticipated workforce needs, the county is supporting development of a proposed Canadian Nuclear Learning Centre, which will offer training programs in nuclear engineering and access to Canadian Nuclear Laboratories facilities. In the interim, Ontario Power Generation opened the Port Hope Nuclear Discovery Centre in October 2025 to kickstart local awareness and dialogue about the potential of the new facility.
Expanding Housing and Home Ownership
Housing is essential to attract talent and strengthen the local workforce, but affordability has become a challenge around the world. Launched in May 2023, Northumberland Workforce Housing (NWH) is a Municipal Services Corporation offering a unique solution. It requires buyers to put up only Can$2,000 of a total 5% down-payment on a property, with the balance loaned to the buyer at zero percent interest, repayable only upon sale. The program prioritizes the purchase of land-efficient townhouse formats to make the most of municipal lands and create new property tax revenue over time.
Most jurisdictions are also challenged to help their unhoused population. Northumberland County manages, through a county-owned housing corporation, nearly 400 units of transitional housing and housing where rents are geared to income. The program supplements shelters and services provided to the unhoused by a Transition House Coalition.
Strengthening Community Health
Northumberland County is no stranger to the healthcare challenges facing most communities. While its population ages, this rural county also struggles to recruit healthcare professionals to serve them. The county’s answer is two-fold. Established in 2019 as one of the province’s first, the Ontario Health Team – Northumberland (OHTN) integrates the many elements of care through a team-based approach. The team also brings care closer to residents through a rural outreach clinic, expanded paramedic support for complex needs and the training of volunteers to help older adults stay independent and socially connected. To address the recruiting challenge, the county launched a two-year pilot in 2025 to develop a pipeline of candidates and focused the attention of a recruitment specialist and advisory committee on generating results.
Taking Action on Climate
In January 2025, County Council approved a GHG Emissions Reduction Plan that set a target of reducing emissions from County operations by 65% below 2005 levels and achieving net zero emissions by 2050. It found its biggest success in diverting waste from landfills, including about 3,000 tonnes of food waste per year. The county also pursued sustainable facility investments that have gained LEED certification and approved a Climate Adaption and Resiliency Plan. As of 2023, these efforts had reduced GHG emissions by 25% toward the 65% target.
Listening and Communicating
Change – even positive change –brings uncertainty and doubt. As growth accelerates, Northumberland County is responding by strengthening how it listens to residents and communicates with them. A Communications Master Plan puts rigor behind the good intentions, with measures of accessibility, performance and reporting, and through the creation of online tools. A Join In Northumberland online consultation portal enables two-way engagement with residents on public issues, while the county’s Performance Dashboard publicly tracks service delivery and community health metrics to let residents see progress, understand priorities, and gain greater trust in local government.
Intelligent Communities face the same challenges as any city, county or region. What sets them apart is the ability to see the challenges as parts of a whole, and to take a whole-of-community approach to solving them. That is the value that Northumberland County contributes to the seven municipalities and 90,000 inhabitants it serves.
Population: 89,365
Website: northumberland.ca
Smart21 2026