The Town of Orangeville works closely with local businesses to promote economic growth. Plans and reports published by the Economic Development and Culture office provide insights about our business community and outline various initiatives and projects to support it.

A new Economic Development and Culture Strategy was adopted by Council on November 18, 2024.  

Economic Development and Culture Strategy

The 2024 Economic Development and Culture Strategy is a five-year plan developed through extensive consultation with stakeholders and the community. The strategy identifies three priority focus areas: 

Developing a Resilient Business Community 

Economic diversity is one of the most effective ways to increase long-term
economic resilience. Having a diverse economy means Orangeville can weather downturns
in the economy, resist disruptive events (e.g., COVID 19) and help provide a more
sustainable environment for business start-up, success and growth. It’s all about retaining
local business, providing opportunities for business to grow and attracting new business to
the community while creating a climate conducive to investment.

Supporting Small Business 

Small businesses are the heart of Orangeville. Most of the jobs in Orangeville
are provided by small businesses (5 to 9 employees) across a diverse range of sectors
including manufacturing, retail, professional services, construction, and the creative sector.
Beyond employment, small businesses support the economy by creating valuable local
connections, investing in community initiatives, contributing significantly to the local tax
base, and demonstrating pride for their community

Fostering Tourism and Culture

Tourism and culture are intertwined. In Orangeville, culture is broadly
defined and encompasses heritage, visual arts, performing arts, and public art as well as
festivals and events that celebrate our community. These important cultural assets also act
as foundational tourism drivers that attract visitors, support local business, and create jobs
in creative industries such as film, photography, and design. The Town’s existing Tourism
Strategy specifically recognizes the importance of tourism in Orangeville and identifies
actions to attract visitors. The EDC Strategy aims to identify relationships, opportunities, and
assets that can support culture and, in turn, tourism in Orangeville.

Tourism Strategy and Action Plan

The Town of Orangeville's five-year Tourism Strategy & Action Plan has been developed to provide clear and achievable goals that will guide ongoing local tourism success. Its creation follows the findings of the Town’s Economic Development Strategy 2018, which identified tourism as a sector of focus for future growth within the region.

The plan highlights assets throughout the Town that, together, create a compelling tourism narrative, and seeks to define how these can be most effectively utilized or enhanced. The strategy also identifies new and innovative approaches to attracting visitors, building upon established themes such as arts and culture, nature and the outdoors, and historic, small-town charm.

Annual economic development reports
Each year, the Economic Development and Culture office publishes a report to demonstrate the progress that we've made on our economic development strategy in the Town of Orangeville. Review our past annual reports:

Business retention and expansion reports
The Town of Orangeville supports the retention and expansion of certain key business sectors in the community. Review our Business Retention and Expansions (BR+E) reports to find out how we plan to grow these sectors: