Inspiration on the 77th Meridian (Part I): Growing a Creative Economy

Follow the 77th meridian north, from Geneva, through Lyons and Sodus, and out across Lake Ontario, and you’ll come to Prince Edward County (PEC), Ontario, Canada. PEC is a scenic, historic lakeside region which has a great deal in common with our own city, Geneva, New York. And PEC could well serve as a model, and inspiration, for us as we contemplate community-based, arts-based, agritourism-based economic development.

Prince Edward County is, technically, a large island-- just off the northern shore of Lake Ontario, west of Kingston, Ontario, about half-way between Ottawa and Toronto. The current population of PEC is about 25,500 year-round residents. Until recently, it was a quiet agricultural community, but it’s now in the midst of economic transition—well on its way to becoming a tourist destination. You can check it online here.

PEC has all the features we’ve been talking about in Geneva for the past several years: a lakeshore, several wineries and a few micro-breweries (and cheese works), a good many artists in residence, concerts and theater, and all things nautical, including plenty of boat launches, public docks, and beaches. The quaint Glenora Ferry, as the continuation of Route 33, takes you from the island across Adolphus Reach, toward Kingston.

Each of the small towns in the region (e.g.’s: Picton, population 4,000; Bloomfield, 575; and Wellington, 1650) has its own identity, with interesting shops and restaurants. There is Garb, a chic women’s clothing boutique in Bloomfield, and, in Picton, Buddha Dog-- home of the highest rated hot dog in all of Canada!

Picton is also home to the restored Regent Theater, one of PEC’s featured success stories, comparable to The Smith in Geneva. It’s a regular stop for other regional arts groups, including the Pinnacle Playhouse, the Quinte Symphony Orchestra, and the Quinte Ballet School.

However nice it is, what interests us most about PEC is not the what, but the how of their economic transition, still very much a work in progress. Underlying the change has been the formation of several not-for-profit associations among the various segments of the tourist economy. Each clustering of related businesses tells the story of its segment and how it fits in to the larger story of the entire region.

It appears, as well, that government plays a critical, but limited, role in the exciting transformation. It facilitates the associations and coordinates economic development efforts among the different levels of government-- local, county, provincial, and national. In addition, helping to keep property taxes low, and hence, to keep the real estate market strong, municipal mergers (what Canadians call amalgamations) have cut costs and improved services-- from communities as large as Toronto to those as small as Picton.

While some sizable government grants are important catalysts for change, massive infusions of public funds to privileged developers and entrenched businesses appear not to be the model.

One of the key figures in government has been PEC Economic Development head, Dan Taylor. At a neighborhood Canada Day celebration, several local residents, mostly retired professionals from Toronto, suggested Taylor was “controversial.” Why? He has brought outside people-- and outside money-- to the area, creating an influx of economic activity but contributing to tensions between old-time residents and the newly arrived.

Change is, however, well under way. The PEC Arts Council sponsors studio and gallery tours, juried art shows, music festivals (jazz and classical), and a crafts fair. Their “Year Round Studio Guide” brochure features more than 30 local artists (painters, sculptors, jewelers, potters, photographers and maps the locations of their studios. It guides tourists to the art and the artists.

“The Taste Trail” publication does the same for vineyards, wineries, and restaurants. Author and “culinary activist” Anita Stewart notes in her welcome, “The speed with which Prince Edward County’s food scene has coalesced and developed is second to none.” “The Wine Tour Map” of the Wine Growers Association and “The Official Guide to the Ontario Craft Beer Route” guide visitors to tastings, and the Waterfront Trail pamphlet, “Your Pedal Passport,” describes six bicycle tours for those wanting to experience the area on wheels.

We noted, whether cause or effect, each member of each association has become an ambassador for their business, their segment of the tourist market, and the whole of the region. Even the cops! When our friend, anxious to get to an event, was stopped for speeding, the officer who wrote him up said, “I’m reducing your violation to a lesser offense, and I hope you spend the money you save in fines on one of our great County restaurants.”

PEC has many assets, and it’s not without conflict (growing pains, as they say); but, in assessing its resources, assets, and potential, it has little, if anything, that Geneva does not have. What has driven the change there-- and would drive change here-- is a coherent vision, an openness to change, and liberation from narrow, self-interested developers.

Progress is coming incrementally, on a small scale, with a delicate balance of the old and the new. We urge folks, especially anyone civicly engaged participating in our community’s dialogue about its future, to make the four-hour drive and spend a weekend in PEC. Experience the possibilities. You’ll be inspired.