Mayor Matt Wren highlights record year for development and growth in Brockville amid economic challenges
Brockville City Council is highlighting a record year for development, with new data showing unprecedented levels of construction activity across the city.
During the regular meeting of Brockville City Council on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Mayor Matt Wren took a moment to share some words with council about the city’s renewed focus on growth in the last four years.
After becoming mayor in 2022, Wren says he immediately regarded growth as an urgent priority for the city. “Brockville needed momentum on housing and investment and on confidence, and I made it my mission to ensure that growth was a clear and consistent focus of this Council’s work. That’s not because elected officials build things because we certainly don’t, but it is our responsibility to make sure that the conditions exist for other people to do so.”
Brockville recorded $119.5 million in construction value in 2025, the highest level of investment ever recorded in the city’s history, according to Wren, who added that the city issued 346 building permits and saw 253 new residential units created in a single year.
These figures, which were drawn from the city’s latest building and bylaw services activity report, reflect a broad range of development initiatives, including hotel projects, industrial expansion, retail growth and institutional construction.
“None of that happens because of any one person, and it certainly doesn’t happen because of speeches or policy statements alone,” Wren emphasized. “It happens because builders and employers and families decide that this community is worth investing in and because the municipality has worked very hard to make approvals predictable, to have land serviced, and decisions made in a timely fashion.”
The mayor framed this latest activity report as tangible proof of the success of council’s approach this past term.
“I said that the only answer to noise is results—real, measurable outcomes speak for themselves,” Wren stated. “This report is exactly that; a factual record of what has occurred on the ground over the past year.”
Wren made sure to acknowledge the economic pressures facing residents, noting that while these strong construction numbers are promising, they do not offset the realities of rising costs and financial uncertainty among many residents.
“It’s a very difficult economy right now. Many of our residents are feeling the strain,” he added. “Growth in construction doesn’t cancel out that lived experience.”
He then reiterated that while municipalities have limited control over broader economic forces and elements, such as interest rates, housing prices, and global markets, they do play a key role in ensuring communities are set up and prepared to seize future opportunities.
“Our role as a council is to set the stage for longer-term prosperity, even when the short term is hard,” Wren explained. “We don’t control those larger forces, but we do control whether this city is ready when opportunity comes.”
According to Wren, the latest data suggests Brockville is well-positioned.
“This report tells us that Brockville has been ready,” he said. “It shows that even in challenging conditions, investment is choosing our community.”