Lindsay (Kawartha Lakes), Ontario
What Lindsay is made of: the communities whose institutions are here, the sectors its 1,166 businesses sit in, the franchises already on the ground, and the services a newcomer could start.
1,166 businesses on file · 107 trades · 33 sectors · registry population 22,367 · built from geonet.kawarthas on 2026-10-07
Visiting rather than moving? The free guidebook for Lindsay → — the free guidebook for this region: why go, what to see, what is open when it rains.
The local economy
What the business base is made of, what it is specialised in against the national pattern, and what that mix implies. This is the part a development office would read first.
Composition, not health. geonet records what trades exist and where; it does not record formation, closure, employment or revenue, so none of those appear here. What makes this economics rather than a directory is the NAICS coding: it lets the local mix be read against the BLS survival curves and against the 323 industry groups this research has screened.
Every industry group on this page links through to its NAICS page, and to the screened market report where this research has one — that is what the trait-to-NAICS coding buys.
What this city is specialised in
Location quotient is this city's share of a trade divided by the same share across 10 CA metro tables. Above 1.25 is the conventional threshold for a local specialisation.
Thin against the national pattern
Common trades that are under-represented here. For someone deciding what to open, this is the more useful half of the table — though a gap can mean unmet demand or a market that does not work here, and this does not tell you which.
The base against the entry screen
Businesses by the entry signal of the industry group they sit in, from the /markets screen. A large "structure decides" share means most local trades are ones where being better than the incumbent does not by itself win. A trade is matched to the screened record at whatever level the research wrote it — the same code, a broader one, or a narrower one. Where a group holds several screened sub-markets the count is shown, because no single one of them speaks for the whole group.
How to read the survival figure
Each sector's five-year establishment survival rate, weighted by how many of this city's businesses sit in that sector. It is a property of the MIX, not of these businesses — it says what survival this composition would imply at US private-sector rates, because no Canadian equivalent series exists.
Weighted over 97.2% of the coded base — public administration carries no curve. Source: Business Employment Dynamics — Table 7, Survival of private sector establishments by opening year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
And what it does not measure
A "mixed" trait is one that genuinely spans codes — "computers" covers systems design, repair and supply. The clear share is how much of this reading rests on unambiguous coding. Business density also reflects how completely the directory covers a place, not only how many businesses are in it — so it compares poorly between a city the register knows well and one it does not.
Who lives here, and who the city is for
The census: the only figures on this page that count people rather than businesses, and the three cohort readings they make possible.
No census subdivision is mapped for ca-lindsay in local/census-map.json, so this page carries no census figures. The mapping is kept explicit because Canada has several places called London, Toronto and Kelowna, and attaching the wrong one would put another city's demographics on this page.
The communities the register shows
A community appears in the business register before it appears in prose — a national church, a society, a credit union, a newspaper. Those are counted as institutions, and they are what suggests residents. A restaurant serving a cuisine is counted separately as trade, because every city has those and they say nothing about who lives nearby. The ranking is by institutions.
| Community | Institutions | Worship | Trade | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese | — | — | 2 | |
| Italian | — | — | 1 | |
| Dutch | — | — | 1 | |
| Irish | — | — | 1 |
What the city is made of
Every business on file, grouped by the sector it trades in. This is the economic-development view: where the 1,166 businesses actually are, and the specific trades inside each sector.
| Sector | Businesses | Share | What is in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 81 | 6.9% | physician (30) · pharmacy (9) · medical clinic (7) · chiro (6) · optical (5) · home healthcare (3) · fitness club (3) |
| Business | 75 | 6.4% | association (34) · government (19) · accounting (9) · consulting (3) · cemetary (2) · auction (2) · vending (2) |
| Living | 69 | 5.9% | place of worship (22) · cleaning (9) · apartment (7) · furniture (7) · veterinary (6) · appliances (6) · camping (5) · daycare (3) |
| Automotive | 69 | 5.9% | autos (33) · auto parts (9) · auto repair (9) · tires (1) |
| Construction | 69 | 5.9% | general contractor (12) · home builder (9) · plumbing (8) · electrician (7) · roofing (5) · excavating (5) · heating and cooling (5) · painting (4) |
| Beauty | 64 | 5.5% | hair stylist (40) · dentist (12) · barber (10) |
| Retail | 63 | 5.4% | department store (15) · convenience (15) · gifts (15) · photography (5) · flowers (5) · jeweler (3) · antiques (3) · greenhouse (1) |
| Finance | 54 | 4.6% | bank (19) · insurance (17) · real estate (4) · loans (2) · credit union (1) · stock broker (1) · bankruptcy (1) |
| Dining | 45 | 3.9% | restaurant (20) · fast food (16) · pizza (4) · diner (2) · steakhouse (2) · pubs (1) |
| Living & Home | 36 | 3.1% | landscaping (1) |
| Education | 32 | 2.7% | school (23) · library (5) · writing (1) |
| Retail Goods | 27 | 2.3% | |
| Manufacturing | 25 | 2.1% | industrial supplier (15) · fabrication (5) · machinery (5) |
| Food & Beverage | 24 | 2.1% | fruit (2) |
| Construction & Realty | 22 | 1.9% | |
| Law | 21 | 1.8% | paralegal (2) |
| Tech | 19 | 1.6% | computers (10) · telecom (1) · wireless (1) |
| Agribusiness | 16 | 1.4% | landscaping (12) · livestock (2) · dairy (1) · farm (1) |
| Logistics | 15 | 1.3% | storage (6) · truck transportation (2) · packaging (1) |
| Clothing | 14 | 1.2% |
The franchises already here
Brands from a register of 2,024 franchise systems, matched into this city by name. A high count is a signal in both directions: the territory works, and it may be taken.
20 of these brands are a single common word — Metro, Avenue, Budget — so their counts include businesses that merely share the word. They are marked rather than dropped.
| Brand | Category | Here | Worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salvation Army | retail | 3 | — |
| Tim Hortons | coffee | 3 | 2,890 |
| Canadian Tire | retail | 2 | 455 |
| Coffee Time | coffee | 2 | 300 |
| Athletes World | retail | 1 | — |
| Bell World | retail | 1 | — |
| Blockbuster Video | video | 1 | 5,900 |
| Buck or Two | retail | 1 | 139 |
| Bulk Barn | retail | 1 | 100 |
| Burger King | fastfood | 1 | 11,000 |
| Canada Cash Advance | cash | 1 | 21 |
| Color Your World | retail | 1 | 98 |
| Country Style | coffee | 1 | 400 |
| Curves For Women | fitness | 1 | 10,000 |
| Dairy Queen | fastfood | 1 | 5,900 |
| Days Inn | economyhotel | 1 | — |
| East Side Marios | food | 1 | 100 |
| Flight Centre | travel | 1 | 1,500 |
| Hakim Optical | specialty | 1 | 124 |
| Herbal Magic | health | 1 | 315 |
| Home Hardware | home | 1 | 1,000 |
| Minute Muffler | auto | 1 | — |
| Mister Transmission | auto | 1 | 90 |
| Mr. Sub | deli | 1 | 475 |
| NAPA Auto Parts | auto | 1 | 18,000 |
| Northern Reflections | retail | 1 | 150 |
| Peoples Jewellers | retail | 1 | — |
| Pet Valu | pet | 1 | 300 |
| Pita Pit | deli | 1 | 220 |
| Royal Bank | bank | 1 | — |
| Royal Canadian Legion | club | 1 | 160 |
| Service Experts | specialty | 1 | — |
| St. John | retail | 1 | — |
| U-Haul | car | 1 | 13,700 |
| Weed Man | specialty | 1 | — |
| Wine Rack | liquor | 1 | 160 |
| Young Drivers of Canada | specialty | 1 | — |
| Limited name only | retail | 9 | — |
| Sears name only | inc | 3 | 2,300 |
| Zellers name only | retail | 3 | — |
| Manor name only | retail | 2 | — |
| Ardene name only | retail | 1 | — |
| Bootlegger name only | retail | 1 | — |
| CARQUEST name only | auto | 1 | 3,400 |
| Cartier name only | retail | 1 | — |
| CIBC name only | bank | 1 | — |
| Coach name only | luggage | 1 | — |
| Fabricland name only | retail | 1 | 170 |
| Hallmark name only | greetingcards | 1 | 5,600 |
| Honda name only | car | 1 | — |
| LCBO name only | spirits | 1 | 600 |
| Loblaws name only | supermarket | 1 | 50 |
| Loeb name only | supermarket | 1 | 35 |
| Midas name only | auto | 1 | 1,800 |
| OLCO name only | fuel | 1 | 319 |
| ScotiaBank name only | bank | 1 | — |
| Toyota name only | car | 1 | — |
Real estate as a local trade
Four unrelated jobs share the name: selling existing homes, owning and letting them, managing them for someone else, and building new ones. For anyone weighing a move or a licence these are the counts — and the ownership question goes to /property, which answers it building by building.
Real estate is a local job market in its own right, and four unrelated trades get the same name. Counts are businesses filed under each trade in the register, which lists a brokerage once however many agents work there — so this measures firms, not licensees.
Selling homes
5312Offices of agents and brokers — the resale market, and the biggest single trade in most Canadian cities.
Named in the register
- B L Hodgson and Association — 24 Lindway Pl
- Babcock and Robinson — 6 Albert St N
- COE Fisher Cameron — 257 Kent Street West
- Coldwell Banker Kent Realty — 189 Kent St W
- Dawe Jamie — 77 Russell St W
- Found Realty — 189 Kent St W
- Lindsay Business Center — 164 Needham St
- Mincom Plus Realty — 92 Lindsay Street South
- RE Max County Town Realty — 232 Kent
- Royal Lepage Kawartha Lakes Realty — 17 Russell Street East
- Royal Lepage Your Community Realty — 61 Kenrei Road
Owning and letting
5311Lessors of real estate: the buildings themselves, filed under the building rather than the owner.
Named in the register
- Briarwood Apartments — 126 Colborne Street West
- Carew Park Apartments — 2 Colborne Street West
- Colborne Lodge — 133 Colborne Street West
- Diplomat Apartments — 53 Adelaide St N
- Kawartha Construction and Rentals — 16 Lindsay Street North
- Maple Place Apartments — 25 Westwood Court
- Walnut Grove Apartments — 9 Albert Street South
Building new homes
2361Residential builders and the general contractors who work for them.
Named in the register
- B A Pyle — 201 St Peter
- Beukeboom Construction — 9 George Street East
- Brasiers Construction — RR 4 STN Main
- colonial conceptskgm constr — 3290 Hwy 35
- Don Wilson Construction CO — 245 Kent St W
- Econo Construction — 25 Georgian St
- Great Canadian Construction CO — 8 St Peter Street
- Integrated Maintenance Oprtns — Hwy 35 S
- Mark V Wilson CO — 245 Kent St W
- Mc Cauley and Gemmill Constrn — 43 Caroline St
- R and C Pfister Master Carpentry — RR 6
- Robinson Contracting — 57 Cambridge St N
- Royel Paving — 3664 Hwy 35 N
- Staple and Hayward Gen Contr — 90 Colborne St W
Financing it
5222Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders.
Named in the register
- canada cash advancelindsay — 15 Commerce Rd
- Cashier — 30 William St S
Who actually owns it
The full property record →From the /property research for this city, which asks a different question: not who trades in property here, but who owns it. An owner is named there only where a document says so. Title public through OnLand, $37.10 per parcel register; no bulk, no open roll.
Landowners
- The Corporation of the City of Kawartha Lakes — city hall, 166-bed long-term care home, paramedic and fire services, community housing in nine communities
- The Ross Memorial Hospital — $3.49M of land and $92.46M of buildings at cost
- Province of Ontario (Ministry of the Solicitor General) — Central East Correctional Centre, 541 Highway 36
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — 2.0963 ha, 12 buildings, 4,316 sq m
- Parks Canada Agency — 16,737 ha across Kawartha Lakes
Homebuilders
- R. Moore Holdings Inc. (R. Moore Homes) — 54
- Wilson Developments (MVW Construction & Engineering Inc. / Wilson Developments (Lindsay) Inc.) — 38
- Integrity Home and Cottage Inc. — 27
- Grimesway Construction Ltd. — 23
- Harbour View Development Corp. (Harbour View at Snug Harbour) — 0
- Carbon Contracting Inc. — 3
Commercial landlords
- Not established - landlord of 32 Cambridge Street South — 1,006 sq m
- Not established - landlord of 65 Kent Street West — 465 sq m
- Not established - landlord of 12 Commerce Place — 598 sq m
8 marquee buildings examined, 5 with an owner established.
On "how many doors"
How many doors a landlord holds is not in any of this. The register files an apartment building under the building, not its owner, and carries no unit count; there is no open dataset of Canadian landlords by portfolio. Where this research has established ownership it is in the /property record for the city, building by building, which is a different and much slower exercise.
Work where you go to them
The Ultimate 411 half of local: everything where the customer does not have to come to you.
A shop needs the customer to walk in. These 157 services do the opposite — the mobile mechanic, the mobile groomer, the bookkeeper, the junk haul — and they are the ones a person can start without a lease. 0 of them already match a trait filed in this city's register.
The 157 Service=1 rows in search.local: work where the provider travels to the customer. "present" counts businesses already filed under that exact trait name; a blank is a coverage gap, not proof of absence, because the two vocabularies were built separately.
home services
events
pets
luxury
healthcare
sporting goods
sports
business
outdoors
construction
travel
tools
Schools and colleges
wander.schools is a post-secondary table — universities and colleges. K-12 public and private schools are not in it, and only 7 of its 1,686 rows carry coordinates, so these are listed and not mapped.
In the business register
Where schooling shows up as a business rather than an institution — which is where K-12, tutoring and childcare appear.
Health and care
What a person moving a parent here would ask first. The register files clinics and pharmacies; it has no category for a hospital at all, so hospitals are matched by name and the limit is stated rather than hidden.
Matched on the name "hospital"
- Kawartha Animal Hospital — 130 Angeline Street South
- Ross Memorial Hospital — 10 Angeline St N
geonet carries no 'hospital' trait, so these are matched on the business name. A distance-to-hospital figure needs a source that states hospital locations.
Mayor & politics
Who holds office here and who is asking to, from the official lists on /politics: the council, the riding’s Member of Parliament and the provincial member. Each name opens its row there.
Realtors in Lindsay — the brokerages and licensed agents to call →
What this record cannot tell you
Named in full, because the gaps are the part most likely to be misread as an answer.
- No census figures on this page: this region is not mapped to a census subdivision in local/census-map.json, so the community counts here are business-register institutions, which is a different measurement and cannot substitute for a population.
- wander.schools is now readable, but it holds universities and colleges only and 1,679 of its 1,686 rows have no coordinates. K-12 public and private schools need a separate source — in Ontario the Ministry of Education school finder, in British Columbia the provincial school list. wander.citytowns, hotels and territories remain denied to the ru user.
- No 'hospital' trait exists in geonet; distance to a hospital needs an external source such as StatCan's Open Database of Healthcare Facilities.
- 10.9% of businesses here carry no coordinates, so a map or address lookup would miss them. Postal codes reach 96.3%.
Built from
geonet.kawarthas— the local business registerwander.regions— city name, population, metrosearch.local— trait vocabulary and the come-to-you servicessearch.cozfranchises— 2,024 franchise brands