Bancroft’s core is vibrant and viable with a wide variety of businesses, healthcare services and governmental organizations. Out of the almost 3,500 jobs these business and organizations have created, approximately 700 are filled by the townspeople and the rest from surrounding areas. Loyalist College’s Bancroft satellite office is working hard to keep up with the employment counselling and training demands of the area, with programs increasing being offered online.
Dubbed the ‘Mineral Capital of Canada’, Bancroft has over 1,600 mineral species that have been identified in the area, and has turned the area into a major draw for gem and mineral hunting enthusiasts. It currently hosts the Mineral Museum and is leading the effort to create an international Earth Sciences Centre for minerals and plate tectonics. If granted, this project would include both the work of active gemologists and other related scientists, as well as a museum component.
Yet despite the many opportunities that Bancroft offers, the town faces many challenges, such as an aging population, youth migration and a lack of immigration.
