Cornwall hopes to draw immigrant entrepreneurs to set up shop

The town of Cornwall, P.E.I., is open for business.

A group of entrepreneurial newcomers took a tour of the Cornwall town hall and attended an information session on Wednesday to learn more about launching a business in the small town.

Coun. Peter Meggs, Cornwall's deputy chair of planning, said about 50 newcomers attended the "wonderful session."

"We're just looking to make sure people understood that Cornwall is a very great opportunity right now, and they should keep that in their vision as they decide where their businesses are going to go, and, in fact, where they want to live," he said.

The town collaborated with P.E.I. Connectors, which connects immigrant entrepreneurs to the Island's business community, for the event.

Town in transition

Meggs said lots of changes are happening in the community.

Most recently, a new portion of the Trans-Canada Highway opened up from Clyde River to North River.

Work has now begun on greater access and connections to the newly-named Main Street, which used to be part of the Trans-Canada Highway.

"Where we're trying to make things more pedestrian-friendly on the Main Street ... we're trying to make sure people understand that there are opportunities for retail development," said Meggs.

"We have the zoning and we have the people to help them set that up."

He said the town is looking for all kinds of new businesses: residential, commercial, industrial, and retail.

The session featured a number of speakers, including the town's recreation manager, the librarian, and business owners to tell newcomers what Cornwall has to offer.

"It was a quite a mix of people just making sure that the newcomers knew what Cornwall was all about," said Meggs.

He said the attendees seemed "very interested" in learning more about the town and asked a lot of questions about details of the population, Cornwall's zoning, where businesses could be set up, and what the residents are like.

Meggs said he's optimistic that the event will lead to either businesses or people moving to the town.

"All sorts of exciting things happening in Cornwall right now," he said.

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