Based on Conway Projects Database qualified corporate end-user facility projects and project-affiliated job creation and capital investment data between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, Site Selection presents this year’s Canadian Competitiveness Awards (for provincial level accomplishment) and Canada’s Best Locations, honoring the top 20 regional or metro economic development organizations and their constituent communities.
Evaluated on a cumulative and per-capita basis and examined across regions and municipalities, the project data show us where companies are investing with the most frequency, the most capital and the most job creation. Clean energy is a strong theme, alongside electric vehicles. And those are inextricably tied to Canada’s longstanding natural resources riches. A report from Natural Resources Canada stated that as of May 2023, there were 493 major projects (including infrastructure as well as private-sector megaprojects) under construction or planned over the next 10 years in Canada, with a combined potential capital value of $572 billion (all dollars Canadian in this article unless otherwise noted), up by 10% vs. the 10-year total projected in 2022. The proportion in the energy sector is 70% (343 projects) and nearly half (233) are classified as using clean technology, for a total of $159 billion in potential investment, the report said. That represents an increase of 36 clean-tech projects and a 35% increase in value to $40.8 billion.
Canadian Competitiveness Award
Invest Ontario/Ontario Ministry of Economic Development,
Job Creation and Trade
Michael Fedchyshyn, Interim CEO / Vic Fedeli,
Minister of Economic Development,
Job Creation and Trade
www.investontario.ca
Recent Projects:
Welcoming Goodyear Canada’s $575 million investment in Napanee in August, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called it “another significant boost to Ontario’s growing electric vehicle sector, building on the billions of dollars that have been invested in the sector over the past four years. Across Ontario, we’re seeing major investments and new jobs created as we build out our end-to-end EV supply chain, connecting critical minerals in Northern Ontario to world-class manufacturing across the province. Companies are choosing Ontario because of our transportation infrastructure, our competitive business environment and our skilled workforce.”
Qualifying projects tracked by Site Selection are creating more than 22,000 new jobs, taking high point total across all 13 provinces by total jobs and by jobs per capita for Ontario’s population of 14.7 million. Among the leading brag points for the province is one that holds true for Canada: “Ontario’s employers can save 51% on health-care-related costs on average compared to peers in the U.S.” The province also boasts more than 70,000 new STEM graduates per year and its percentage of working-age adults with a post-secondary education is higher than that of any OECD country at 74%.
Invest Québec
Bicha Ngo, President and CEO
www.investquebec.com/international/en
Recent Projects:
“At a time when Quebec is making major commitments to develop new clean energy generation capacity, this new regional hub will enable us to build on our track record in the province and be the partner of choice to meet Quebec’s ambitious energy goals,” said Louis Robert, vice president, Renewable Development, for Invenergy when the company opened a new office in Montréal in December 2023. Its Pohénégamook-Picard-Saint-Antonin-Wolastokuk (PPAW) Wind Energy Centre is in advanced stages of development and will generate up to 350 megawatts (MW) in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region in Quebec upon completion.
The province’s digital infrastructure is getting a boost from Microsoft’s investment in hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure. The company says its investments will “reinforce the province’s robust innovation economy” and increase the size of Microsoft’s local cloud infrastructure footprint by 750% across Canada. Aerospace infrastructure is a leading light as well: In May, Switzerland-based electric aviation technologies company H55 announced the intention of the Government of Québec to invest in equity in the company, saying the decision “would be in line with Government’s plans to establish a new innovation zone, Espace Aéro, focusing on the aerospace industry” and clean aviation in Longueuil.
Invest Québec helped the province attract 7,333 new jobs and $13.1 billion in investment during the time period examined for this exercise. New services include support for companies with labor recruitment; support for companies in finding local suppliers or attracting them from abroad to set up in Québec; and concierge service to support the successful completion of large-scale greenfield projects in the battery industry. IQ also is now offering a site selection service to Québec companies wishing to set up abroad.
Saskatchewan Trade & Invest
Jeremy Harrison, Trade and Export Development Minister
investsk.ca
Recent Projects:
The province in May announced its exports had surpassed $100 billion over 2022-2023, a 52.2% increase over the previous two years, led by increases in uranium, potash and crude oil as well as wheat, canola oil and lentils. “Statistics Canada’s latest GDP numbers show Saskatchewan’s 2023 real GDP reached an all-time high of $77.9 billion, increasing by $1.2 billion,” the government said, placing the province second in the nation in real GDP growth. In 2023, capital investment in Saskatchewan totaled $17.1 billion, a 25.9% increase from $13.6 billion in 2022. In 2024, capital investment in Saskatchewan is expected to be at $19.6 billion. Private capital investment is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2024, says Statistics Canada, an increase of 14.4% over 2023 and the highest anticipated percentage increase in Canada.
Canada’s Best Locations
ONTARIO
Invest Brampton
Denise McClure, Interim Director of Economic Development
and International Relations
investbrampton.ca
Recent Projects:
The 2023 Annual Report of the City of Brampton’s Economic Development Office released in April cited record-breaking business growth, including $2.3 billion in total construction value and over 5.36 million sq. ft. of approved industrial, commercial and institutional development applications. Momentum continues in such locations as the Brampton Innovation District and the BHive international business incubator. With Toronto Metropolitan University’s new medical school on the way, the city also has launched a MedTech Task Force with the goal to advance medical innovation in Brampton. “We are going to continue this growth by cutting red tape, keeping taxes low, investing in our infrastructure and providing support and resources to our business community,” said City of Brampton Regional Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor, chair of Economic Development.
Advantage Brantford
Joe Muto, Acting Director, Economic Development,
Tourism and Cultural Initiatives
advantagebrantford.ca
Recent Projects:
A total of $113 million invested and 337 new jobs helped drive the economy in this community of just under 105,000 people. Among its supportive actions was the launch of the BuildBrantford.ca website to help streamline development and building projects. In 2023, annual building permit values in Brantford set another new record and exceeded $550 million for the first time. “Industrial builds were a standout in 2023 with construction values estimated at $196 million for 43 projects,” the city announced. “This represented a three-fold increase in the value of work over 2022.” The city has begun the engagement process for a new City of Brantford vision, “Brantford 2050: Mapping Our Path Forward Together.”
Invest Durham
Simon Gill, Director, Economic Development and Tourism
www.durham.ca/en/economic-development
Recent Projects:
Durham Region is made up of eight municipalities, including the cities of Oshawa and Pickering; the towns of Ajax and Whitby; the municipality of Clarington; and the townships of Brock, Scugog and Uxbridge. The region saw $250 million and 3,000 jobs land in Oshawa alone, thanks to the work of the city’s business and economic development services team, which reported total building permit activity of $639 million in 2023, its second highest total construction value on record, with industrial permits shattering the previous record by reaching “more than $128 million in job-producing industrial building permit values,” the city said. The 2023 economic development and tourism annual report from Invest Durham noted Durham Region’s population grew 9.3% between 2018 and 2023 to reach 750,000 and is forecast to grow to 1.3 million by 2051. Among the region’s highlights is Project Arrow, the all-Canadian electric concept car, built at Ontario Tech University. Meanwhile, Durham College’s new facilities include an EV training center.
Invest Halton
Christine Carrington, Economic Development Program Manager
www.halton.ca/For-Business/Invest-Halton
Recent Projects:
Halton Region welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in April to highlight measures focused on building homes on public lands. “Halton Region is one of the fastest growing communities in the country and creating more housing options is a top priority,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. Halton’s 2023 economic review noted 3,300 new jobs created, total building permit construction value of $2.8 billion approved for development and 2.4 million sq. ft. of industrial development with building permits issued. Prominent in Halton Region’s profile are the economic development accomplishments of Oakville and Burlington. Rebeka Diec Stormes, director of Invest Oakville, reports that film and TV production is taking off in the municipality and industrial development activity recently reached a record high of over 2 million sq. ft. of total development and $175 million in construction value.
Invest Hamilton
Norm Schleehahn, Director, Economic Development
www.investinhamilton.ca
Recent Projects:
The area of just over 615,200 people welcomed 312 new jobs and $278 million of capital investment from growing companies during the examined time period, with the city boasting a new record of $2.5 billion in building permit value in 2023. Invest in Hamilton launched a new workforce strategy and a goods movement strategy focused on leveraging the city’s multi-modal assets. The agency and allies such as McMaster University sent international delegations to the UK, South Korea, Brazil and Mexico, as well as life sciences events in Boston and Philadelphia. Invest Hamilton/Niagara, a collaborative effort between the City of Hamilton and the Region of Niagara, continued to advance FDI opportunities.
London Economic Development Corporation
Kapil Lakhotia, President & CEO
ledc.com
Recent Projects:
This metro of nearly 567,000 people welcomed 1,609 new jobs and nearly $250 million of corporate project investment between June 2023 and May 2024. Employment prospect reports prepared by LEDC staff project that close to 40,000 employees will be needed to address growth, change and retirements in London’s key sectors of IT, health, advanced manufacturing (including food processing) and construction between 2023 and 2031. The city’s booming tourism economy included the 2024 Ontario Summer Games. A $7 billion EV battery plant from Volkswagen-backed PowerCo in St. Thomas, just to the south, already has driven a number of supplier prospects into the pipeline in London. Meanwhile, companies continue to land in Western Research Parks’ two campuses in London, where they employ more than 730 people. The Conference Board of Canada reported that the London region had the biggest gross domestic product growth in the country last year at 3.2%.
Invest Mississauga
Christina Kakaflikas, Director of Economic Development
investmississauga.ca
Recent Projects:
This thriving economic center for Ontario and all of Canada welcomed 1,770 new jobs to the region. Among its newest initiatives is SpinUp, the region’s first venture incubator and wet lab for early-stage life sciences companies, which joins IDEA Mississauga & IDEA Square One entrepreneurship hub, a co-working space that supports entrepreneurs grow, scale and commercialize ideas and businesses. Technology Councils of North America and Canada’s Tech Network released a report naming Mississauga the most attractive Canadian city for tech talent with the largest in-migration for top tech talent of 1,900 workers. The city has developed a Community Improvement Plan that helps transform a former industrial area along the waterfront into a 20-acre innovation campus that supports more than 9,000 jobs in cleantech, life sciences and tech. Investment missions included participation in delegations to the Paris Air Show, Japan, Poland, Seoul and Sydney, and Mississauga itself hosted a delegation of 12 consuls general from EU nations.
Toronto Global
Stephen Lund, CEO
torontoglobal.ca
Recent Projects: Kainos; Cologix/CIM Group; Sanofi; Amazon/MGM Studios; Globant; L&T Technology Services
Counting the efforts of regions and municipalities within the overall Greater Toronto Area (GTA), around 140 projects landed in the region represented by Toronto Global. The organization’s 2023-2024 annual report stated that for three years in a row, over 40% of jobs created have landed in areas outside of the City of Toronto and over half of Fortune 500 companies now have a presence in the Toronto Region. Overall results in the report pointed to 2,647 direct new jobs created and $637 million in capital expenditure. Since the organization’s formation in 2017 the city has attracted more than 10,500 new jobs, with leading contributing regions led by Mississauga, Halton, York, Durham and Brampton. Information and communication technologies led the way by sector during the year, followed by business and industrial services, then life sciences and health care.
Waterloo EDC
Tony LaMantia, President & CEO
waterlooedc.ca
Recent Projects:
Driven by strong performance in such communities as Cambridge, the region long known as the Tech Triangle continues to churn out innovation. Nuclear energy leader Westinghouse Electric Co. opened a new global engineering hub in Kitchener in June, where it plans to add 100 new engineers to a payroll of 250 employees across Canada. “The high-quality education institutions in the area largely contributed to the location of this hub,” said Nathan Lewcock, director, Global Engineering Services at Westinghouse in a release. “Its proximity to the University of Waterloo, a premier engineering university in North America, and the other outstanding universities and colleges in the area provide tremendous access to the top talent in Canada.”
Invest WindsorEssex
Joe Goncalves, Interim CEO and President
investwindsoressex.com
Recent Projects:
Given the region’s once-in-a-generation projects like the NextStar Energy battery plant, the $2 billion Windsor-Essex Hospitals System development and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Invest WindsorEssex (IWE) has hired a talent attraction specialist to support newly landed companies with workforce development and talent acquisition. Project highlights include Germany-based automation technology firm Tunkers Canada’s stocking and assembly facility in the Oldcastle area, known for being home to what the agency calls “the largest mold-making, tool and die and automation cluster in North America.” Through support from the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), IWE has partnered with Virtualware to create a cross-collaboration platform for the Invest Windsor-Essex Virtual Reality (VR) CAVE that will allow it to be utilized when supporting mobility-focused SMEs.
York Region Economic Strategy/York Link
Jonathan Wheatle, Director, Economic Strategy
yorklink.ca
Recent Projects:
Home to nine cities and towns with over 1.2 million residents, the Regional Municipality of York (York Region) is the third largest municipality and business center in Ontario. The nine municipalities include the cities of Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan, and the towns of Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Newmarket, and Stouffville. “The combination of a central location in the Greater Toronto Area, multi-billion-dollar transit and infrastructure investments, shovel-ready employment sites, proximity to academic institutions, competitive commercial property tax rates, and a mix of urban-suburban-rural lifestyle options make York Region a top destination for business, innovation, and talent,” says the team at this organization. The region is home to the third largest manufacturing sector in Ontario and leading industry clusters in automotive parts and autotech, hardware and electronics, enterprise-scale technology, agri-food, warehousing and distribution, and life sciences.
QUÉBEC
Granby Industrial
Lukas Dufault, General Director
granby-industriel.com
Recent Projects:
Lukas Dufault is quick to point out he also leads a second economic development organization called Entrepreneuriat Haute-Yamaska. “Granby has a long industrial tradition,” he says. “Entrepreneurship, innovation, partnerships, diversity and expertise are what define Granby’s corporate culture. The nucleus of the city’s business world is the industrial park, which is visible to drivers travelling along Route 139, linking Granby to Autoroute 10.” Granby is home to 267 manufacturing companies, 160 of them in the park. “The industrial structure of the Haute-Yamaska region is also highly diversified,” Dufault explains, noting the four key clusters of aeronautics, ground transportation equipment, food and beverage, and small- and medium- scale hydro. “These poles are driven by companies active in the metal products, and plastics and rubber sectors. They create more than 4 500 jobs, representing over 50.1% of Granby’s jobs and 28.1% of its companies.”
Montréal International
Stéphane Paquet, President & CEO
www.montrealinternational.com
Recent Projects:
When Equinix chose to place one of its International Business Exchange data centers in Montréal last year, Equinix Canada Managing Director Andrew Eppich described the metro area as a “a key economic center in Canada and globally, with a thriving and innovative ecosystem known for its diversity, creativity and collaborative spirit.” The tech workforce includes large cohorts in gaming, aerospace and financial services. The aerospace sector welcomed more growth in May when Boeing announced a $240 million investment that includes a $110 million new Aerospace Development Centre, $95 million dedicated to Wisk Aero’s autonomous air taxi, and $35 million to advanced landing gear research in partnership with Héroux-Devtek. “Québec’s aerospace capabilities are recognized worldwide,” said Dr. Brendan Nelson AO, president of Boeing Global. In February, Montreal International in its 2023 results reported it had supported a total of 87 foreign direct investment projects worth more than $2.7 billion that created 5,983 jobs. Eight of those projects (valued at $643 million) are in the cleantech and environmental services sectors.
Québec International
Carl Viel, President & CEO
quebecinternational.ca
Recent Projects:
Carl Viel reports that the activities of Québec International (QI) contributed to regional economic spinoffs of $990.3 million in FDI. “Despite daunting projects and challenges, the technology sector particularly stood out this year,” he says, highlighting the four-facility Microsoft data center investment, “an exceptional project that positions the greater Québec City region in the high-tech and cybersecurity sectors.” He also notes that QI and Microsoft since 2019 have maintained a business relationship through the technology accelerator and incubator LE CAMP. “Microsoft was looking for a location for their future facilities that would support their aggressive goals in terms of eco-responsibility by 2030, and the Québec City region was ideal to keep energy costs down, facilitate the digital transformation of government services, increase accessibility to innovative solutions in cybersecurity, and provide access to the Eastern Canadian market,” he explains. QI played a major role as an intermediary to introduce the company to cities in the region, leading to the acquisition of four parcels in Lévis, Donnacona, L’Ancienne-Lorette and Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures. Among other benefits, the investment means a 240% increase in the region’s cloud computing capacity over three years.
ALBERTA
Calgary Economic Development
Brad Parry, President & CEO
calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com
Recent Projects:
Calgary’s known penchant for technology has a natural but cultivated corollary: attracting venture capital. The Canadian Venture Capital Association’s H1 2024 report found the Blue Sky City saw $346 million invested through 33 deals through the first half of the year, placing the area third among major Canadian cities in both VC dollars invested and number of deals. Startup activity in cleantech, fintech and agtech drove the region to be named among the top 50 globally in Startup Genome’s 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report. Growth in life sciences also continues apace, one reason the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (established by the city in 2018) recently pledged $8.5 million to the Life Sciences Innovation Hub (LSIH) at the University of Calgary. “To date,” says CED, “the LSIH has supported nearly 400 local and international companies, which have in turn generated over $270 million in revenue and raised $87 million in capital.”
Edmonton Global
Malcolm Bruce, CEO
www.edmontonglobal.ca
Recent Projects:
A recent report from NAI Commercial Edmonton pointed to the surge of downtown retail and hospitality activity caused by the deep run of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals. But a growing population and improved economy point to growth that is more long-term and sustained. “Now, we’re seeing consistency across commercial realty, a sharp rise in residential development and improving economic conditions,” said NAI Commercial Edmonton President Chad Snow in July. “As interest rates continue to come down, inflation drops, and unprecedented migration to the capital region continues, we could be in for a resurgence in commercial realty investment that will exceed what was seen even pre-pandemic.” Recent news includes the June groundbreaking for a Critical Medicines Production Centre (CMPC) for the $200 million Canadian Critical Drug Initiative (CCDI), a collaboration between Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation (API) and the University of Alberta’s Li Ka Shing Applied Virology Institute, home to the largest consortium of virologists in Canada.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Invest Vancouver
Jacquie Griffiths, President
investvancouver.ca
Recent Projects:
In addition to projects in Vancouver proper, strong activity continues in the municipalities of Surrey, Richmond and Burnaby. Life sciences — captured in the $701 million campus from AbCellera Biologics announced last year — got another boost this summer as STEMCELL Technologies opened its new biomanufacturing campus in Burnaby. Supported by $22.5 million each from the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia, the project has already overshot its job creation goal of 675 by delivering more than 1,000 jobs. The company can now manufacture products at the higher regulatory compliance standard required to support clinical trials around the world for cell therapy, tissue engineering, immunotherapy, gene therapy and regenerative medicine. A recent Strategic Industries Analytics report from Invest Vancouver identifies digital media & entertainment, life sciences and high-tech services as Metro Vancouver’s rising stars.
MANITOBA
Economic Development Winnipeg
Ryan Kuffner, President & CEO
www.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com
Recent Projects:
Projects valued at over $467 million landed in this area of 815,600 residents, creating 527 new jobs. The YES! Winnipeg business development team’s strategic initiatives translated to $197.6 million in impact. EDW’s work in 2023 led to 85 qualified opportunities. Many of them are international, blending nicely with the team’s targeted international outreach in places such as the United States, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan, focusing on key sectors such as agribusiness, technology and aviation. In 2023, Tourism Winnipeg, attracted events, conferences and delegates to the city for an overall economic impact of $70 million. The Globe and Mail last year named Winnipeg Canada’s No. 3 most livable city and No. 1 place to raise kids. Winnipeg has become a central hub for Indigenous economic development, including the nation’s largest urban Indigenous economic zone, Naawi-Oodena.
NOVA SCOTIA
Halifax Partnership
Wendy Luther, President & CEO
halifaxpartnership.com
Recent Projects:
The 2024 edition of the Halifax Index reports that population growth hit a new record high, propelled by international migration — good news in some ways, but also putting pressure on housing and health care. Employer expansions, however, offer plenty of opportunities. Last fiscal year the Partnership supported 13 new company locations and two significant expansions by existing companies, all of which will result in 1,429 new jobs. Among other programs, the Partnership last year released its five-year African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity strategy. In terms of talent retention, the organization’s Connector program (supported by RBC and the Province of Nova Scotia) since 2009 has helped connect 5,274 newcomers and recent post-secondary graduates with leaders in the community, resulting in 2,252 having found their career jobs in Halifax. The program is so successful that it’s now available in 44 communities across Canada and six more cities in the United States and Europe. The Partnership last year also showcased 15 employers at recruitment fairs in Ontario, the UK, France and Morocco.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
City of Charlottetown, Economic Growth and Attraction
Wayne Long, Manager of Economic Growth and Attraction
charlottetown.ca
Recent Projects:
The city’s economic growth and attraction office assists in navigating a wide variety of issues in order to facilitate development and is responsible for administering the city’s tax incentive programs. Charlottetown recently had the third highest growth of major Canadian cities and continues to focus on its strengths in bioscience, IT and financial services. “The Charlottetown advantage,” the city says, “is our low-cost environment, dedicated and skilled labor force, exceptional technology infrastructure for business, and an unparalleled quality of life that has us tied for first place on Maclean’s Magazine’s most recent Canada’s Best Communities list.”
