Cash, cheap land and throw in a few chickens
Several smaller cities and towns in Canada and the U.S. offer various incentives to entice people to move there. Some Canadian examples:
Cochrane, Ont., offers land for $10, with 1,500 eligible lots. Buyers (ideally developers) are responsible for developing the infrastructure on the unserviced lots. Bonus: property tax relief and wandering polar bears.
In 2019, the small village of McAdam, N.B., offered 16 plots for only $1. They received over 600 calls.
Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, Que., bought a large tract of land, subdivided it into 40 lots, then gave it away for free to folks willing to move there and build a house. Speaking French was essential.
Reston and Pipestone, Man., are two towns offering $10 housing lots, as reported by Dorcas Marfo of CTVNews.ca.
Not to be outdone, our American neighbours go the extra mile to attract new residents. For example:
Tulsa, Okla., offers $10,000 (U.S.) to people to move there for one year. This program, launched in 2018, has had 2,900 people benefiting from it since then.
Five communities in West Virginia offer a whopping $12,000 cash incentive to relocate, plus perks like rock climbing, golf and ziplining.
Dozens of cities and regions in Indiana offer relocation packages and perks, such as a $5,000 grant, a season of free golf at two courses and coffee with the mayor.
Eight places in Kentucky offer $5,000 in cash, plus perks like 50 per cent off after-school child care, lunch with the mayor and a free monthly delivery of eggs, as reported by Blane Bachelor for CNN Digital.
To help small cities (even Peterborough) attract new permanent residents, I humbly offer the following suggestions:
Forget the mayor treating newcomers to coffee or lunch at a restaurant. Instead, the mayor will come to your house and cook a barbecue dinner with all the fixings.
Meanwhile, city councillors will mow your lawn, de-weed your garden, trim your bushes, paint your fence and wash your car(s). Walk your dog too, if applicable. (One time only!)
A local fisherperson will show you the best spots on the nearby lakes or rivers, along with tips and advice. If you’re totally inept, they’ll even catch the fish for you, allowing you bragging rights when you return home.
A renowned fan of the local hockey or lacrosse team will treat you to a game with the best seats in the house.
More importantly, afterwards they’ll take you to the best pub for brews and grub, darts and fibs.
On a certain afternoon in a church hall, representatives from all local clubs and causes will make presentations to newcomers, soliciting membership.
Snacks and beverages will be provided. Sign-ups would soar if the beverages were alcoholic.
Instead of promising the proverbial “a chicken in every pot,” new arrivals will receive live chickens for their backyard. And perhaps a goat. (Apartment dwellers would get a plot of municipal land on which to keep their livestock.)
You and your kin will be placed on the priority list to get a local family doctor, which should only take 10 to 12 years. If you’re lucky.
Receive free membership at the best local golf course where, thanks to a municipal order in council and a decree by the premier, long-established foursomes of cronies would be required to golf with a newcomer as the fifth duffer, letting them win sometimes.
Longtime residents would understandably be upset if the city doled out hefty cash incentives. So, in lieu of cash, thick envelopes stuffed with coupons from local businesses would be given to newcomers.
The small village of McAdam, N.B., offered 16 plots for only $1. They received over 600 calls