Apr 9, 2026
If you have ever driven through the quiet, tree-lined streets of Exeter, Ontario, you know it as a charming hub in South Huron, perhaps best known for its famous white squirrels.
But the people running the town will say that the community is on the verge of a transformation that most small towns only dream of.
From stagecoach stop to a growing regional hub
Situated about 50 kilometres north of London, Exeter serves as the primary urban hub for the municipality of South Huron. The community was originally settled in the mid-19th century and built its early reputation on a thriving canning industry and its location along the historic London to Brucefield stagecoach route.
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Today, while it is famously known as the "Home of the White Squirrel" due to its unique population of leucistic mammals, Exeter has evolved into a key service centre for the surrounding agricultural industry. Its proximity to both the Lake Huron shoreline and the growing city of London makes it an increasingly attractive destination for those seeking a blend of rural charm and modern accessibility.
Recent provincial infrastructure investments show that what’s happening in Exeter is a perfect case study for anyone interested in where Ontario’s housing market is headed. It’s not just about hammers and nails; it is about the unglamorous world of municipal sewage.
For years, the southern end of Exeter has had the land but lacked the capacity to support significant growth. That’s changing thanks to the London Road South trunk sewer project. This isn’t just a minor upgrade. It’s a $7.5 million endeavour that will extend a trunk sanitary sewer pipe to the town’s southern edge.
The provincial government is footing a massive portion of the bill, contributing $5.3 million through the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund. While "trunk sewer" may not sound like the most exciting topic, the implications for the local economy and real estate landscape are significant.
South Huron Mayor George Finch is not understated about the impact. In a recent interview with CTV News London (1), he described the project’s potential as "legendary."
"Once that pipe goes into the ground, which we anticipate to be done this year, that will allow up to 2,100 new homes to be built on the south end of Exeter," Finch said.
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To put that in perspective, South Huron currently has about 4,500 homes. Adding 2,100 new units to Exeter would increase the entire municipality’s housing stock by nearly 50%. This is a massive shift for a rural community, and it represents a broader trend in Ontario: the push to move housing supply beyond the cramped borders of the GTA and into the surrounding counties.
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Why a single pipe changes the local economic landscape
When analyzing these shifts, timing is the most critical factor. Even with the necessary infrastructure, houses do not appear overnight.
"When you think of how many people that would bring to the community, now, they’re not going to be building homes tomorrow or next week," Finch noted. "There’s going to be land acquisitions, planning applications to come through and whatnot, but the potential is huge."
The long term projections for the area are bullish. Huron County predicts that South Huron will lead the region in population growth and housing starts through 2051, averaging about 70 new homes per year over the next quarter century.
Finding the hidden signals in municipal growth plans
Getting ahead of the curve in the Ontario real estate market requires following the "sewer money." Real estate value is often driven by serviced land. When a municipality announces a major water or wastewater project, it’s often a leading indicator of where the next major developments will occur.
In this case, the Exeter project is part of a larger $40 million provincial investment in Huron-Bruce intended to unlock nearly 5,000 new homes across the region. For those looking for more affordable entry points into the housing market compared to London or Kitchener-Waterloo, these "infrastructure-ready" towns are worth watching.
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Monitoring these opportunities can be done by checking the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure’s newsroom or looking at municipal "Capital Expenditure" reports.
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The $5.2 billion blueprint for growth in Halton
While Exeter represents a significant rural expansion, the town of Georgetown in Halton Hills serves as a prime example of how major wastewater infrastructure acts as the "go signal" for large-scale urban development.
For anyone tracking the connection between pipes and property values, Halton Region’s massive infrastructure investment is a masterclass in planning. The region is currently deploying a $5.2 billion investment in water, wastewater and roads infrastructure by 2031. A cornerstone of this plan is the expansion of the Mid-Halton Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is boosting capacity from 125 to 175 million litres per day to handle the influx of residents in Georgetown, Milton and Oakville (2).
This investment is the literal foundation for "Vision Georgetown," a massive 1,000-acre development project. Located south of 15 Sideroad between Eighth Line and Trafalgar Road, this new community is expected to house approximately 20,000 new residents. Much like the project in Exeter, the construction of these homes is entirely dependent on the successful rollout of the Drumquin Wastewater Pumping Station, designed to move 1,200 litres of wastewater per second from Georgetown to the central treatment plant.
Without these deep-earth connections, the thousands of planned townhouses, apartments and schools in Vision Georgetown would remain on the drawing board. For investors and homeowners, Georgetown’s strategy highlights a vital lesson: the real growth doesn't start with the first brick laid, it starts with the first pipe buried.
"The water capacity is there. And now the wastewater will be the next project," Finch said. "And like I said, that will be done hopefully by the end of this year. And then let’s see where it goes. The future is bright for South Huron."
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
CTV News (1); Halton Region (2)
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Leslie Kennedy served as an editor at Thomson Reuters and for Star Media Group, followed by a number of years as a writer and editor and content manager in marketing communications, before returning to her editorial roots. She is a graduate of Humber College’s post-graduate journalism program and has been a professional writer and editor ever since.
