A guide to the city slickers of Prince Edward County
Everyone wants a piece of Prince Edward County, and Torontonians have been colonizing by the boatload. Here, a handful of high-profile homesteaders who’ve embraced county life—to varying degrees
THE COWBOY
Andy Stronach, son of Magna tycoon Frank
County cred: Medium
Andy (Belinda’s younger brother) owns three lots along the southern end of the county that he purchased for a total of roughly $600,000. He also raises grass-fed black Angus cattle nearby. For a time, he entered in Marysburgh’s Milford Fair, an agricultural event that includes tractor pulls, cow pie bingo and a sawing competition.
THE GIRL SCOUT
Taylor Thomson, heiress to Canada’s flushest clan
County cred: Low
Through a numbered company, Thomson bought three waterfront lots worth $1.5 million, on the site of the former Waupoos Girl Guide camp in Marysburgh. In 2012, when the reclusive heiress bought the lots, she reportedly told locals she intended to retain their natural ecological beauty.
THE WOODSMAN
David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic
County cred: Medium
Frum, a former speech writer for George W. Bush, and his wife, Danielle Crittenden, a Huffington Post contributing editor, are there for most of the summer. They built a $500,000 guesthouse next to Crittenden’s mom’s waterfront farmhouse on the county’s western edge. Frum recently planted 1,500 evergreens on the property.
THE RANCHER
Greg Sorbara, ex–minister of finance
County cred: High
Sorbara and his wife, Katherine, are transforming Picton’s Royal Hotel into a boutique B&B. At their farm a few minutes away, they tend to 35 head of cattle, which Sorbara will serve up as burgers or steaks. Their guesthouse is a converted barn with bedrooms in the silo and a screening room on the main floor.
THE OENOPHILES
Seaton McLean, co-founder of Atlantis Films, and Street Legal alum Sonja Smits
County cred: High
McLean and Smits, co-owners of Closson Chase winery, live in an 1842 farmhouse in Hillier, which they snapped up for $470,000 in 2002. Smits spends time riding her horse, Roxy, while McLean frequents Vicki’s Veggies fruit stand, where customers leave their payment in a box on the table.
THE NATURE LOVERS
Brad Martin, Penguin Random House CEO, and Donna Hayes, ex–CEO of Harlequin
County cred: High
Martin and Hayes live on a $1-million waterfront grain farm in Consecon and run a small hobby vineyard that produces pinot noir they dubbed Little Red after their dachshund. Hayes was an avid equestrian until she had a riding accident. She now spends her time birding in the nearby wildlife preserve.
(Images: iStock, Getty Images, ThinkStock and George Pimentel)
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