No one embodies the current population boom, recent historic growth and appeal to relocation to Listowel quite like the town's own mayor, Todd Kasenberg.
"I am kind of the poster boy in some ways of the migration that has happened here. I am part of the wave," Kasenberg said.
Kasenberg moved to Listowel from Kitchener in 2016. Two years on, he was elected mayor of North Perth.
"When I started as mayor, the jump in population was already evident," Kasenberg, now in his second mayoral term, told StratfordToday. "I was riding the tiger in my first term of mayor. There was substantial housing growth. A lot of people were moving here from urban areas."
As the major hub of North Perth, Listowel, about 54 kilometres northeast of Stratford, offers traditional smaller community benefits to city dwellers that may be looking for more square footage or a bigger lot.
And the people just keep coming.
It's a straight shot to Waterloo, as Kasenberg notes, with attractive home prices that have enticed thousands to leave the hustle and bustle of a bigger centre.
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) reported that North Perth had the fourth largest growth rate in Ontario in 2022 (under 15,000 population) behind Blue Mountains, Muskoka Lakes and Middlesex Centre, at nearly $91 million.
North Perth is the fastest growing municipality in Perth County. Between the 2016 and 2021 census, the population grew by more than 18%. But over the last three years - the newest census is still a year away - more and more people have chosen to set-up shop in North Perth.
"Part of the draw is we have most of the amenities," said Kasenberg. "A good hospital, doctors, healthcare, some mental health provisions, although that is always a challenge. We have a nice business community."
The pandemic accelerated the growth when more people were apt to leave the bigger cities, and some companies were transitioning to a work-from-home environment. That option has remained for some employees along with hybrid office and home offices.
Perth County is in the process of developing a new Official Plan to guide future planning and development within the county, including designating additional residential land in North Perth required to meet population growth targets.
According to a council composition and ward boundary review by Watson and Associates Economists Ltd., today's population is about 17,600 but projected to reach 25,000 by 2036, with most of that population in Listowel and Atwood.
Past population growth, noted in the 2014 North Perth Master Growth Plan update, showed an increase of just 377 people over a five-year period ending in 2011, when the population was 12,631.
Kriss Snell, chief administrative officer of North Perth, said the municipality's growth plan back in 2012 predicted about 50 new homes getting built per year. Some 334 new dwelling units were created in 2019 alone, he said.
Although that number has come back to Earth, the amount of new builds are "substantial for a community our size", he said.
Snell said North Perth started to experience noticeable growth when the tech sector started to flourish in the Waterloo region. Snell said 18 subdivisions have been built in the municipality since 2009, with several more currently in the planning stages.
The pandemic led to a "record boom", he noted.
"I don't think anyone could predict what impact COVID would have on small town Ontario. We have seen a lot of people migrate from Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge area. Certainly a lot of people escaping the hustle and bustle of the city found homes in North Perth and other rural areas. There is a certain aspect to living in a small town that people enjoy."
Kasenberg said the flip side to growth is having the space and amenities to handle it. The mayor said previous councils did a good job in terms of setting up the physical infrastructure. The local landfill has a 110 year capacity and upgrades have been made for water and sewer services. The wastewater treatment plan is at 35 per cent capacity.
The new Steve Kerr Memorial Complex was completed in 2017, with an option for a second ice pad. The municipality now has five times more daycare spaces, however, that is not currently keeping up with the demand.
"We communicate with our partners," Snell said. "We have given the school board and the hospital our most current info so we can plan. Growth planning is crystal balling sometimes, it's tough to be completely accurate."
"Trying to make sure we plan our community as best as possible...you need to think of everything when you grow."
Kasenberg said the municipality's staffing has grown over the years, including focusing more on economic development and an advisory committee with representatives from different sectors, doing work around a range of projects. The community is assertive in trying to access grants for economic activity through agriculture, the mayor said.
Half of North Perth's economy is rooted in agriculture and that hasn't been forgotten, Kasenberg said. Council invested in a project that led to a provincial grant to create an agricultural planner concept for the municipality, leading to a new hire that works with the agricultural community on business plans and grant applications, among other duties, the mayor noted.
"It is pretty unique. I haven’t heard of other communities taking the kind of action that we have on this.”
An economic advisory committee is working on tourism initiatives, something the area may not be known for. The mayor said there are broad-ranging discussions about trails, the golf scene and some of the area's famous people, noting Jared Keeso of Letterkenny fame is from Listowel, for example.
"We are seeing if we can animate some of the destinations and signature opportunities."
Kasenberg said he has four or five files on his mind on any given day. They are usually considerable issues, he said.
"I am very aware we need a hospital, very aware we need primary care physicians. Housing, public safety, a new official plan, land development, transportation. All these topics that cycle through. This is the kind of stuff we are coming to grips with."
"We are just average people that were elected…we have a great team of staff, experts who can do what needs to be done."
Kasenberg said that with growth projected to continue, the municipality has its work cut out for it to keep up, and they will continue to plan for a bigger population.
"A lot of smaller communities didn’t have the foresight or investment dollars to prepare the ground if you will for growth, and we did."
Through it all, the small-town charm that has attracted new residents in the first place will remain.
"People are a little bit more chill here," the mayor said. "You get to know your neighbours."
