< Previous28 SEPTEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO NTRAILBLAZERS ese jurisdictions top the charts in a nation already leading the way in infrastructure, sustainability and global commerce.Mark Rose, CEO of global commercial real estate services fi rm Avison Young, likes to talk about his company’s collaborative and talent-driven culture, and how shifting from a top-down hierarchy to a model with the client in the center of a circle of resources, innovation and investment is one key to the growing global fi rm’s success. But he could just as easily be talking about Canada.“We are in a period of sustainable stability and growth,” he says of Avison Young’s birthplace. “ at comes from a country that has behaved extremely well. Looking back, the banking system avoiding in the troubles that hit everyone else has been a foundational pillar for Canada’s strength. What’s not talked about? e communication that comes out of Washington, D.C., has impacted universities, and impacted the objectives of investors around the world.” at’s because a “disproportionate” slice of top global talent that previously would have looked to the U.S. for higher education are applying to top schools in Canada instead “and Canada is benefi ting from that.”Other things are aligning well too. Greater Vancouver and Toronto in particular are benefi ting from migration to their downtowns, stable and friendly business environments and transit improvements, says Rose. “Ride the UP Express train in Toronto,” Rose says of the rail service between downtown and Toronto Pearson International Airport. “I’ll never get into a taxi or an Uber. e train is comfortable and less expensive. I’m a CEO and chairman, but I by ADAM BRUNSadam.br uns @ site s ele c tion.c omCANAD A ’S BEST LOCA TIONS 2018TRAILBLAZERS S I T E S E L E C T I O N SEPTEMBER 2018 29don’t need a driver and a car. I love that train.”So might Amazon, which still counts Toronto among its candidates for its HQ2 project.“It would be an unbelievable project,” Rose says of HQ2. Either way, Canada is clearing its own path. “Canada is open for business, not reckless,” he says. “Is Canada going to continue to be the recipient of global business growth? Absolutely.”“Intense competition for office space continues to bolster office market fundamentals across Canada — especially in downtown markets,” said Bill Argeropoulos, principal and practice leader, research (Canada) for Avison Young, on the August release of the firm’s mid-year 2018 North America and Europe Office Market Report. “Demand from traditional sectors is being augmented by the proliferation of domestic and global technology and co-working firms, ongoing urbanization and a burgeoning millennial workforce — all part of Canada’s emerging innovation economy.”“We are in a sweet spot,” Rose says. GDP and employment growth and low interest rates have resulted, “and it’s just setting up very well whether you’re in major, secondary or tertiary markets.”Many of those markets appear in this year’s Canada’s Best Locations, where we salute the top provinces and top metro regions for their private-sector facility investment and job creation performance, considered on a cumulative and per-capita basis based on qualified project data from Conway Analytics’ Conway Projects Database.1. Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade/Ontario Investment OfficeHon. Jim Wilson, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Tradewww.investinontario.com ““We are pleased to commence development of the North and final tower at Bay Adelaide Centre with highly respected financial institution, Scotiabank, as the lead tenant.” — Jan Sucharda, Global President and COO, Office Division, Brookfield Property Partners, August 2018, on the final phase of the 3-million-sq.-ft. center in downtown TorontoSignificant Projects: Ford Motor Co., Linamar, Thomson Reuters, CannTrust Holdings, Amazon Programs & Initiatives: The ministry and its investment office continue to champion programs such as the Red Tape Challenge, which is fielding input from seven sectors (including automotive, chemicals, financial services and tourism) on removing unnecessary regulations. As of 2017, the province’s burden reduction initiatives have reduced business costs by $152 million since 2011. Did You Know? In addition to registering the lowest downtown vacancy in North America (2.2 percent) at mid-year 2018, Toronto had the most overall (8.5 msf) and downtown (7.2 msf) office space under construction in Canada.2. Invest QuébecPierre Gabriel Côté, President and CEOwww.InvestQuebec.com“In France, when you try to grow your customer base, companies’ doors are often closed to you. Here in Québec, customers are more open.” — Frédéric Picard, President of Picard Technologies, April 2018Significant Projects: EndoCeutics, Ubisoft, Thales, Bridor GroupPrograms & Initiatives: From 2016 to 2018, Invest Québec invested $1 billion in funding in partnership with the Government of Quebec to support manufacturing companies that have created investment projects worth $3.9 billion. Did You Know? Census numbers show that close to 54.4 percent of Montreal’s population speaks English and French and the metropolitan area is now Canada’s most trilingual city, with 21 percent of the population speaking at least three languages.3. Alberta Ministry of Economic Development and TradeHon. Deron Bilous, Ministereconomic.alberta.ca/“Together with business leaders, we are building on Unless otherwise noted, all dollar figures are in Canadian dollars. At press time, C$1 = US$0.772018 Canadian Competitiveness RankingsMark Rose, CEO and Chairman, Avison Young32 SEPTEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO Nour strengths in energy, petrochemicals, agri-business, forestry, life sciences and tourism, creating a stronger, more diversified Alberta.” — Rachel Notley, Premier of Alberta, July 2018Significant Projects: Amazon, Canada Kuwait Petrochemical, Sundial GrowersPrograms & Initiatives: About $99 million in credits from the first three rounds of the province’s Capital Investment Tax Credit are expected to support more than 3,000 jobs, with companies investing more than $2 billion in their facilities. (The fourth intake window will open in January 2019.)ase from June 2017.CANADA’S BEST LOCATIONS (METRO-AREA LEVEL, alphabetical by place name)Calgary Economic DevelopmentSteve Allan, Executive Chairmanwww.calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com“The competition for brains, vision and capital is fierce.” — Jim Gray, Chair, Economic Development Investment Fund Steering Committee, Calgary Herald, December 2017Significant Projects: Aurora Cannabis, Canadian Tire, AmazonPrograms & Initiatives: In 2017 the organization brought Startup Calgary under its umbrella, and also welcomed a $100-million commitment from the city to the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund. Calgary Rising is a new program inviting capital partners to invest in Calgary infrastructure projects.Did you know? Calgary was just named by The Economist Intelligence Unit as the most liveable city in North America, and fourth globally.Hamilton Economic DevelopmentGlen Norton, Directorwww.investinhamilton.ca“Coupled with CN’s order for 350 centrebeam lumber cars, this additional 1,000 grain car purchase will result in the hiring of more than 550 additional people at our Hamilton facility, which currently employs over 1,500.” — Gregory J. Aziz, Chairman and CEO, National Steel Car, May 2018Significant Projects: ArcelorMittal, Stryker, Burloak TechnologyPrograms & Initiatives: “The Bayfront Industrial Strategy will ensure the efficient use of Hamilton’s working waterfront while improving environmental conditions,” says Avison Young Principal John Bar, “and the city’s capital program for Shovel Ready Employment Areas will continue to bring greenfield lands on stream.”Did you know? Hamilton has recently added more than 1,000 acres of employment lands abutting the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (Canada’s busiest overnight express cargo airport and fastest-growing passenger airport).London Economic Development CorporationKapil Lakhotia, President & CEOwww.ledc.com“In addition to extensive infrastructure improvements and the development of Dundas Place, there are currently 10 high-rise projects in various stages of completion which, once finalized, will create more than 3,000 new units in the downtown core.” — Charlie Gobert, Executive Vice President, Avison Young, Waterloo region Significant Projects: Nestlé Canada, Lafitte Ventures, PwC,Programs & Initiatives: Between 2001 and 2017, the city sold approximately 619 acres of industrial land. London’s newcomer strategy is a program to welcome and integrate immigrants into the fabric of the city.Did You Know? In April, Western University in London, with enrollment of 30,000, opened its $47-million Western Interdisciplinary Research Building (WIRB).City of Mississauga Economic Development OfficeBonnie Brown, Directorwww.thefutureisunlimited.ca“Mississauga is Canada’s sixth-largest city and is arguably the core industrial market for all of Canada, with more than 188 million square feet (22 percent of the Greater Toronto Area’s 815 million sq. ft.) of established inventory.” — Martin Dockrill, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director, Ontario34 SEPTEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO NSignificant Projects: Cognizant, Bombardier, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries CanadaPrograms & Initiatives: Mayor Bonnie Crombie and EDO leaders went on a trade mission to Japan in 2017 — Mississauga, with 100 Japanese companies, accounts for over a half of Japanese companies in Ontario. In 2017, a new life sciences cluster strategy was approved by city council.Did You Know? Served by seven major highways and with Toronto Pearson International Airport at its doorstep, Mississauga is home to 60 Fortune 500 company headquarters offices.Montréal InternationalHubert Bolduc, President and CEOwww.montrealinternational.com“The industrial market has changed over the last few years with vacancy rates dropping to unseen values and frequent opportunities to develop industrial properties off-island.” — Denis Perreault, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director, MontrealSignificant Projects: XTL, Molson Coors, IkeaPrograms & initiatives: The federal and provincial governments will each allocate $1.3 billion toward the new $6.3-billion Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) rail transit network, scheduled to start operations in 2024 and connect the south and west boundaries of the Greater Montreal Area to the rest of the city’s transit system. From the same entities, Montreal is expected to receive close to $200 million over the next five years for a new innovation campus.Did you know? Hubert Bolduc, President and CEO of Montreal also serves as interim chair of the Consider Canada Alliance, a 13-region coalition of investment promotion agencies representing 59.6 percent of Canada’s population, 65.1 percent of its GDP and 83.4 percent of Canada’s GDP growth in the five years ending in 2017.Ontario EastBonnie O’Neill, Executive Director ontarioeast.ca “Venture13 is one of the most exciting projects ever undertaken in Eastern Ontario, and I firmly believe it will be the crown jewel in any ongoing innovation strategy for the region.” — MP Kim Rudd, Northumberland-Peterborough South, May 2018, at the opening of Venture13 (V13), a new innovation, tech startup and entrepreneurship center in CobourgSignificant Projects: Canada Royal Milk, Amazon, Xplornet CommunicationsPrograms & Initiatives: Based in the university town of Kingston but with over 140 members, the Ontario East Economic Development Commission represents more than 200 communities. Its key sectors are advanced manufacturing and materials technologies, logistics, food processing, rural innovation and investment tourism. Did You Know? KPMG has calculated operating costs in Toronto to be 12.3 percent higher than communities in Eastern Ontario. Québec InternationalCarl Viel, President and CEOwww.quebecinternational.ca“The Foreign Trade Zone point will support the development priorities of the Port of Québec, Jean-Lesage International Airport and the new regional industrial port zone, thus strengthening Québec City’s position as the European gateway to trade in North America.” — Québec City Mayor Régis Labeaume, August 2017, on the city’s designation as the first foreign trade zone point in the provinceSignificant Projects: Corbec, EndoCeutics, Valero, DebiopharmPrograms & Initiatives: A federally backed artificial intelligence supercluster will include the SCALE.AI project in Quebec City. Meanwhile, “we are aware that labor shortages are the primary concern for the coming year,” said Carl Viel in January. “With that in mind, Québec International will redouble its efforts this year and increase the number Canada’s Best Locations Honorable MentionInvest Barrie (Ontario) www.investbarrie.comDurham Region Economic DevelopmentEdmonton Economic Development Corporation (Alberta) www.eedc.comIgnite Fredericton (New Brunswick) ignitefredericton.comInvest in Guelph (Ontario) guelph.ca/business/economic-development-officeCity of Moncton (New Brunswick)monctonwins.caNiagara Economic Developmentwww.niagaracanada.com/Ecdev/Home.aspxSherbrooke Innopole (Quebec)sherbrooke-innopole.comToronto Global, torontoglobal.caToronto Globaltorontoglobal.caWaterloo Economic Development Corporation, www.wredc.caWindsor-Essex Economic Developmentchoosewindsoressex.com S I T E S E L E C T I O N SEPTEMBER 2018 35of initiatives to attract the workers we need to the area.”Did You Know? A January 2018 survey of 175 company leaders in the metro area found that 79 percent of respondents plan to invest in their companies in 2018, the highest level since 2012.Sarnia-Lambton Economic PartnershipStephen Thompson, CEOwww.sarnialambton.on.ca “Sarnia-Lambton represented a tempting choice for the ownership of NOVA because of its proximity to three existing NOVA Chemicals manufacturing sites, existing pipelines and transportation infrastructure, however, we believe the local leadership with NOVA and our community earned this opportunity.” — Bruce Hein, Chair, Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, December 2017, on NOVA Chemicals’ decision to construct a $2.2 billion world-scale polyethylene plantSignificant Projects: NOVA Chemicals, Advanced Chemical Technologies, Origin MaterialsPrograms & Initiatives: The Sarnia Lambton Industrial Alliance (SLIA) is a coalition of over 30 Sarnia-Lambton companies in manufacturing services. Local leaders continue to push for development of an oversized load corridor that will involve upgrading roads and Sarnia Harbor.Did You Know? In addition to the Blue Water Bridge (Ontario’s second-busiest international crossing for commercial trucks), CN Rail’s international tunnel connects Sarnia-Lambton to Michigan under the St. Clair River.Vancouver Economic CommissionBrian Buggey, Acting CEOwww.vancouvereconomic.com“Near-record-low vacancy and rising rents in both the office and industrial markets coupled with strong demand are pushing developers to deliver ever more new space despite rising construction costs and permitting delays.” — Michael Keenan, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director, VancouverSignificant Projects: Stemcell Technologies Canada, Sundial Growers, AmazonPrograms & Initiatives: The VEC says one in 15 Vancouver residents already works in the green economy, but in March, the region announced the the beginning of a year-long collaboration with economic theorist Jeremy Rifkin’s team in order “to transition Greater Vancouver into a smarter, greener and connected region and economy.”Did you know? The total spend of B.C.’s film & TV industry more than doubled from an estimated $1.6 billion in 2012 to $3.8 billion in 2017, much of it in Vancouver.Economic Development WinnipegDayna Spiring, President & CEOwww.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com “The Winnipeg Whiteout Street Parties confirmed Winnipeg’s reputation as a modern, energetic and cosmopolitan city. We are world-class, and we have the passion to match it.” — Dayna Spiring, President & CEO, Economic Development Winnipeg, on the parties during the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff run that saw more than 120,000 people gather downtownSignificant Projects: Ubisoft, 24-7 Intouch, J.R. SimplotPrograms & Initiatives: Since its inception in 2011, the YES! Winnipeg program’s results have included investment in the initiative from 100 local companies; 82 firms successfully created, relocated or expanded; 4,801 jobs created; and more than $577 million invested at maturity.Did You Know? “We are Canada’s best kept secret,” says Wes Schollenberg, Avison Young’s managing director, Winnipeg, noting the area’s affordability. In 2017, the average market cost was $330,000 for a two-story detached house, and $250,000 for a two-bedroom condo. The whiteout parties during the Winnipeg Jets’ 2018 NHL playoffs drew more than 120,000 to downtown streets.Photo courtesy of EDW36 SEPTEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO N36 SEPTEMBER 2018 SI T E S E L E C T IO NJunction City lived up to its name on June when Camso, a Canadian company that makes products for off -road vehicles, ended its national site search by selecting a building in the central Kansas community for a $.-million new plant investment.Headquartered in Magog, Quebec, Camso employs more than , workers in countries around the world, and now it’s going to add a rd plant location to its global footprint: the ,-resident community of Junction City.“We started with a national search to fi nd a site,” says Jason Collins, plant director for Camso in Emporia, Kansas. “Our search pretty quickly narrowed in on the Midwestern states.”After considering multiple sites in Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, Camso decided that the optimum mix of factors made Junction City in the center of Kansas the best location for the new plant. An available ,-square-foot building in Junction City was tapped to become home for the operation that will employ full-time workers by January of .“In terms of geography, this is close to our customers, OEMs and after-market suppliers,” says Collins. by RON S TARNERe ditor @ site s ele c tion.c omINVESTMENT PROFILE:JUNCTION CITY, KANSASTheCenterff ttentionJunction City attracts global businesses seeking access to labor and growing markets. S I T E S E L E C T I O N SEPTEMBER 2018 37“It is right on Interstate . We also wanted to position ourselves close to a major university, and Junction City is within minutes of Kansas State University in Manhattan with a major engineering school. Plus, we have the advantage of being located close to Fort Riley, giving us the opportunity to tap into retiring Army soldiers as an employee base. ere are , to , transitioning soldiers a year. at was a big factor.”On top of that, says Collins, “we were met with a very big welcoming from the economic development team in Junction City. ey were looking to bring more manufacturing jobs to the area, and they stepped up to support us.”Other employers in the community tell a similar story. Leon Osbourne, president of Kaw Valley Engineering in Junction City, says the central U.S. location enables fi rms like his to serve clients nationwide. “We are minutes to the regional airport and only two hours to Kansas City International Airport,” he says. “We have a great work force, and we are adjacent to Fort Riley, making this a perfect location for any industry to draw upon our outstanding work ethic. Plus, we have great utilities and a lot of property that is easily accessible. Rail, gas, electric, water and sewer are all here in abundance with great reliability and quality.”Osbourne puts his money where his mouth is. In addition to expanding his own company, he stepped up to volunteer to serve as chairman of Junction City First, the economic development initiative of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our goal is to help existing businesses and promote new growth and new business,” he says. e city does its part as well. When Camso came calling, the city commission authorized the issuance of taxable industrial revenue bonds of up to $ million for the project. e issuance of the industrial revenue bonds will give the company a property tax exemption by locking in the property tax rate for the next years and make Camso eligible for a sales tax exemption on equipment purchased.“Camso is a global company with a proven track record,” says Allen Dinkel, city manager. “Our goal is to keep expanding our base of industry and employment. We want to diversify our mix of businesses, and we are on that path. By creating diff erent sectors, we will bring in more business to this community.”Upgrading infrastructure will help, Dinkel adds. “We’re spending $ million on water and wastewater treatment improvements, adding reliability to our system,” he notes. “We’re also undertaking a major streetscape improvement program, spending more than $. million a year for the past fi ve years. It is starting to show.”Some of the best testimonials for Junction City, he says, come from transitioning military. “Our retired soldiers say they wish they’d come here sooner. Most who come here genuinely love this community. My wife and I adopted an -year-old recruit who came here from Bakersfi eld, California. We became her ambassadors. She tells us that she loves living here.”Junction City is not done improving itself either, adds Dinkel. “We’re building a brand new high school in three years, and we plan to recruit even more retiring military to live here and pursue a second career,” he says. “We want everyone to know that Junction City is a progressive community and that we have a plan for our future.” We were met with a very big welcoming from the economic development team in Junction City. ey were looking to bring more manufacturing jobs to the area, and they stepped up to support us.” — Jason Collins, Plant Director, CamsoWe were met with a very big welcoming from the We were met with a very big welcoming from the economic development team in Junction City. ey We were met with a very big welcoming from the This Investment Profile was prepared under the auspices of the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact Mickey Fornaro-Dean at 785-762-1976 or mickey.dean@jcacc.org. On the web, go to www.jcgced.com.All photos courtesy CamsoNext >