Temiskaming shores.

• Position: COMMUNITIES OF THE NORTH

Just five years after the amalgamation of the former municipalities of Haileybury, Dymond and New Liskeard, the City of Temiskaming Shores continues to grow as a prominent regional service hub.

The local population of more than 10,000 regularly caters to an additional 40,000 people from throughout an ever-increasing area.

Located just 15 minutes from the Quebec border on Highway 65, the city also handles a large number of people travelling from the northwestern part of that province.

The business community has responded to the need with a flurry of ribbon-cutting on new facilities through 2008. Even the local Walmart has committed to beginning an expansion in the spring of 2009, transforming the location into one of the chain's superstores. This confidence from the retail giant has helped draw further interest from various national brand chains, as well as the promise of an $8-million, 70-room Holiday Inn Express set to begin construction in 2009.

To encourage new development, city officials have been pursuing investments to improve infrastructure. This includes increasing the local capacity and space for industrial and commercial sites, with a focus on enhancing the water capacity of the local industrial park.

The creation of a new Official Plan is another landmark for the...