< Previous48 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION Canada’s Best Locations 2025 ONTARIO Invest Brampton Brampton, Ontario Denis McClure, Director of Economic Development & International Relations investbrampton.ca Recent Projects: Encore Canada, Core Data Centres, HelloFresh, Concord Premium Meats, DH Supply Chain Inc. Brampton yielded an impressive 23 projects this year, with the bulk of $383 million in investment going toward new and expanded distribution warehouses and the manufacturing sector. Encore Canada, the largest provider of event technology and production in the country, also welcomed a new 153,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in Brampton that will be home to more than 200 employees. The site will include front-offi ce operations and warehouse space in one location and underpins the city’s business profi le as hub for company expansion, a skilled workforce and innovative projects. Core Data Centres, in partnership with data center company 55H, also announced in March 2025 a phased expansion of its data center location in the city of Brampton. Advantage Brantford Brantford, Ontario Joe Muto, Director of Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Initiatives www.advantagebrantford.ca Recent Projects: GreenMantra Recycling Technologies ($17 million), Hilton Foods Canada ($192 million), Ferrero Canada ($445 million), Procter & Gamble Inc. ($50 million) Brantford checks several boxes for developers and entities looking to invest and build, boasting competitive coasts, access to a diverse and educated workforce, a pro-business single-tier municipality and aff ordable and available real estate opportunities. The Canadian arm of British food packaging business Hilton Foods will place its fi rst North American food processing and distribution facility in the city of Brantford with an investment of $192 million. The 230,000-sq.-ft. project, which will be operational in 2026, is expected to be part of Hilton Foods Canada’s announcement in 2023 to partner with Walmart Canada to supply those stores with protein food products. Brantford leads in food and beverage manufacturing with at least 20 companies employing approximately 2,300 individuals, supporting Ontario’s role as one of North America’s largest agri-food sectors and top location for food processing. Burlington EconomicDevelopment andTourism Burlington, Ontario Anita Cassidy, Executive Director investburlington.ca Recent Projects: Origin and Cause (80 jobs), ABS Machining (180 jobs), Service Plus Aquatics (100 jobs), Sol Recycling (80 jobs) Part of the Golden Horseshoe urban region of Southern Ontario, Burlington is known for its enterprise in advanced manufacturing, biomedical and life sciences, clean technologies and information and communications technology. One of Canada’s leading aquatic service providers, Service Plus Aquatics, acquired 25,000 sq. ft. of industrial space in March 2025 in Burlington. During the construction of the facility, the company’s 23 offi ce employees worked out of TechPlace, Burlington’s innovation hub. TechPlace will celebrate its eight anniversary in September 2025 and has supported 561 business, 72 new jobs and over $12 million in economic impact. Burlington has also seen several other projects in variety and size, including Ontario’s fi rst truck driver training school owned by Musket Transport and built in fall of 2024. The 170,000-sq.-ft. facility includes simulators, classrooms and a training yard. Invest in Hamilton Hamilton, Ontario Norm Schleehahn, Director of Economic Development investinhamilton.ca Recent Projects: IKEA, Vantage, Hitachi In March 2025, IKEA Canada broke ground on a new customer distribution center in the port city of Hamilton, part of a larger $400 million investment to increase its scope in the Canadian market. The building, which will measure approximately 483,285 sq. ft. when completed, will rank as one of the top fi ve largest zero-carbon industrial buildings in the province. “We are incredibly excited to announce this signifi cant investment in one of our key markets across Canada,” said Selwyn Crittendon, CEO and chief sustainability offi cer at IKEA Canada. “This expansion is a testament to our commitment to becoming more accessible, aff ordable, and sustainable for our customers. [...] We are grateful for the exceptional support of the City of Hamilton and the local community in bringing this vision to life.” With an estimated opening of summer 2027, the Hamilton IKEA distribution center is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in warehouse, delivery, kitchen installation, design services, B2B and third-party assembly areas. Hamilton will also see a $72 million investment from Hitachi Rail to develop a next- generation, communications-based train control (CBTC) signaling system.50 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION Invest Mississauga Mississauga, Ontario Christina Kakafl ikas, Director of Economic Development www.investmississauga.ca Recent Projects: HD Hyundai Construction Equipment North America ($18 million), Regeneron Canada Company, AstraZeneca, Hoff mann-La Roche ($96 million), Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited ($29 million) The city of Mississauga ranked highly this year, with over 59 projects, $1.7 billion in investment dollars and 3,599 jobs created. The City’s Economic Development Division offi cially launched Invest Mississauga, a new brand for its economic development division, during the Collision Conference in Toronto. Mississauga also received a AAA credit rating in September 2024 from Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services for the 21st year in a row — a result of the City’s very strong fi nancial management practices and proven budgeting process. The city is also set to become Ontario’s fi rst municipality to pilot hydrogen fuel cell electric buses within its transit fl eet. Energy infrastructure is also on the docket in Mississauga, as a new district energy system in Lakeview Village broke ground in October 2024 with the city and the Region of Peel partnering with Lakeview Commnunity Partners and Enwave Corporation on the undertaking. When the district energy system in Lakeview Village is fully operational, it will be the fi rst of its kind in Ontario and the largest in Canada. Niagara Economic Development Niagara, Ontario George Spezza, Director of Economic Development niagaracanada.com Recent Projects: Airbus Helicopters (Niagara Falls, 21 jobs), Schenck Farms & Greenhouses Co. Limited (Niagara-on-the-Lake, 740 jobs), Big Country Raw (Lincoln), Holland Power Services (Fort Erie, 18 jobs), Port Colborne Marine Terminal (Port Colborne, 33 jobs), Hydac Filtertechnik GmbH (Welland) Fed by St. Catharines, the most populous city in the region with 136,803 residents, Niagara is seeing several projects in Fort Erie, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Niagara- on-the-Lake, Port Colborne, Welland and beyond. In June 2024, Niagara Economic Development launched Niagara Signature Sites, an interactive mapping tool that showcases prime industrial and commercial sites across the region. In Port Colborne, the Asahi Kasei Battery Separator Corporation broke ground on a lithium-ion battery separator manufacturing facility in late 2024. The plant, a joint venture between Asahi Kasei and Honda, will contribute to the EV market in North America and is expected to start producing in 2027 with 300 full-time jobs, according to a company press release. It will be the fi rst large- scale wet-process separator plant in Canada. “This facility signifi es a bold step in advancing innovation in battery technology,” said Koshiro Kudo, president and representative director of Asahi Kasei Corporation. “We are establishing a center of excellence here in Port Colborne that will further position Asahi Kasei as a leader in meeting the growing demand for electric vehicle battery separators across North America.” Invest Oakville Oakville, Ontario Rebekah Diec Stormes, Director of Economic Development invest.oakville.ca Recent Projects: Siemens ($150 million), Ford Motor Company ($2.3 billion), Zeton ($3 million), Lions Foundation Of Canada Dog Guides ($49 million) In the second half of 2024, Oakville saw several new industrial business parks, bringing 1.6 million sq. ft. of new space online. Last year Oakville ranked within the top fi ve municipalities reviewed for non-residential property taxes and within the top three for development charges, making it a competitive market for new offi ce investment. One of the new projects belongs to Siemens, which has announced an investment of $150 million to establish a global AI manufacturing technologies R&D center for batteries to be used in EV production. “The decision to choose Canada as home for our Global AI Manufacturing Technologies R&D Center was driven by Canada’s highly qualifi ed talent and strong collaborations with world- leading universities,” said Rainer Brehm, CEO of factory automation of Siemens Digital Industries. Invest Ottawa Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario-Quebec Sonya Shorey, President & CEO whyottawa.ca Recent Projects: Evonik Canada ($9 million), Autoshack, Electrophotonic-Ic ($3 million), Giatec Scientifi c ($48 million) CBRE noted that the Ottawa multifamily market continues to be one of the top performers in the country, characterized by low vacancy, strong fundamentals and positive rent growth. Outside of residential and offi ce space, Ottawa will see builds in operations and industrial as well. In November 2024, Amazon started work on a last-mile delivery facility in the city that will allow for truck freight to sort and deliver large volumes of packages. The warehouse, which will create over 100 jobs and span over 50,000 sq. ft., is the forerunner to a 3.1-million-sq.-ft. distribution center the tech company plans to build in 52 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION Ottawa that could potentially employ up to 2,500 people and should be completed in 2026. Amazon purchased the property last year from Montreal-based developer Broccolini in a $109.1 million transaction. Toronto Global Toronto, Ontario Stephen Lund, CEO torontoglobal.ca Recent Projects: Hitachi Rail, Toronto- Dominion Bank, The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation, DoorDash, Backblaze/Cologix The business scene in Canada has been somewhat fraught given the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and foreign exporters. Still, that has not stopped companies from making Canada home to their headquarters, facilities or operations. Earlier this year, food delivery services company DoorDash opened a new Toronto headquarters triple the size of its previous offi ce in the city. Founded in San Francisco in 2012, the company fi rst expanded into Canada in 2015. Hitachi Rail is set to invest $100 million at its facility in Toronto, with dollars going toward communication-based control signaling technology. The investment will create 100 new jobs and retain 1,000 highly skilled jobs at Hitachi’s York Mills offi ce, according to an Invest Ontario press release. “The over $100 million investment in the next generation of our world-leading SelTracTM technology is hugely exciting,” said Ziad Rizk, managing director of Urban Rail Signalling, Hitachi Rail. “And we are grateful to the Government of Ontario and Invest Ontario for their support. [...] This Ontario-invented technology is a Canadian success story that is creating jobs and boosting economic growth.” Invest WindsorEssex Windsor, Ontario Gordon Orr, CEO www.investwindsoressex.com Recent Projects: Ennova Facades, Crest Mold Technology, Cedar Valley Selections, Les Aliments Dainty Foods, Minth Group, NEO Battery Materials Windsor has emerged as one of Canada’s most dynamic investment regions, boasting large-scale industrial projects, a growing population and robust economy. The Conference Board of Canada projects WindsorEssex will achieve an annual GDP growth of 2.9% between 2025 and 2028, outpacing national averages. Population growth has also reached record levels, with over 28,000 new residents since 2021, supported by anchor investments such as the NextStar battery plant and more than 50 other projects in the past two years. Minth Group, a Canadian-owned global leader in the manufacturing of exterior and structural automotive parts, invested in a $300 million, 379,415-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant in Windsor. Canadian-based NEO Battery Materials announced an investment of $120 million for an 87,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Windsor that will create 130 full-time jobs. The facility will be the fi rst silicon anode materials manufacturing plant for lithium-ion batteries, contain R&D operations and will be a neighbor to Stellantis, NextStar Energy and Volkswagen. The plant is expected to be fully scaled by 2030. These investments signal Windsor as a global hub for EV supply chains, next-generation manufacturing and R&D. York Region Economic Strategy/YorkLink and City of VaughanEconomic DevelopmentDepartment York and Vaughan, Ontario Jonathan Wheatle, Director of Economic Strategy at York Link Raphael Costa, Directorof Economic Development at City ofVaughan https://www.yorklink.ca https://vaughanbusiness.ca Recent Projects: Apps Cartage Inc, Arla Foods, Flint Packaging Products Ltd, GLS Logistics Systems Canada Ltd, Laborers International Union of North America The city of Vaughan and York region in Ontario have embraced an impressive business investment portfolio this past year, which has been bolstered by future plans to build even more. Last year, the Government of Canada announced a $76 million investment in York Region to electrify and decarbonize the local bus fl eet. The investment comes through the Zero Emission Transit Fund and will supply 180 electric buses and over 100 chargers to York and will also providing funding to upgrade three existing transit facilities with solar power and battery storage. The Canada Infrastructure Bank has also provided $136 million to the York Region as has the Region Municipality of York ($177 million) to upgrade these assets and facilities. Vaughan’s proximity to major transportation assets helps connect it to key regional supply chains, a talented workforce and the heart of Greater Toronto. Vaughan has had two distribution centers from diff erent companies open this year from Rosenau Transport and Walmart Canada. With the support of Brumar Engineering Services, the 403,856-sq.-ft. Rosenau Transport warehouse facility was built at a breakneck speed of four months. Walmart Canada’s new distribution center opened in Vaughan earlier 54 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION this year as part of the company’s landmark $6.5 billion store and supply chain footprint investment. QUÉBEC Montréal International Montréal, Québec Stéphane Paquet, President & CEO www.montrealinternational.com Recent Projects: Mountain Granite, Bit Digital, Xsolla, TotalEnergies Marketing Canada, CCL Industries Montréal’s 2030 Economic Plan notes the city will invest $255 million in its economy to spur green initiatives, improve access to and participation in the city’s economy, enhance appeal and unique positioning and revitalize economic and commercial hubs undergoing transformation. According to the Conway Projects Database, Montréal had 27 projects, $392 million in investment dollars and 700 new jobs this year. The region will receive its third data center with an announcement by Bit Digital in early 2025 indicating the company bought the rights to a new data center site in development in Saint-Jérôme, Québec. The 202,000-sq.-ft. facility will support a 5-MW colocation agreement with Cerebras Systems and will be located on 7.7 acres. Sam Tabar, CEO of Bit Digital, said, “Speed to market is a key diff erentiator in the AI infrastructure space, and this site refl ects our ability to mobilize and deliver capacity on accelerated timelines. We’re proud to advance our partnership with Cerebras while expanding our data center footprint in the greater Montréal region, a growing hub for AI innovation.” Québec International Québec City, Québec Carl Viel, President & CEO www.quebecinternational.ca Recent Projects: Fnx-Innov ($12 million, manufacturing), Vantage Data Centers ($471 million, new and expanding data centers), Groupe Qualinet ($5 million, headquarters) The Québec City region has received more than $2.9 billion in capital investments and seen the creation of over 1,600 new jobs in the past few years. Large-scale public projects, including a $910 million tramway, a $103 million energy recovery complex and an airport expansion, are strengthening infrastructure, improving mobility and creating new opportunities for private sector growth. Companies supported by Québec International in 2024 generated $1.34 billion in economic impact, with foreign direct investment accounting for $861.6 million of this total, alongside $193.9 million through international recruitment and nearly $140 million from technology entrepreneurship. Vantage Data Centers, a global provider of hyperscale data center campuses, announced a $500 million investment to expand its fourth and fi nal facility at its Québec City campus. The 925,000-sq.-ft. campus will be powered by energy from Hydro-Québec and will leverage sustainable operating solutions. IDÉ Trois-Rivières (Innovation et Développement économique Trois-Rivières) Trois-Rivières, Québec Mario De Tilly, CEO www.idetr.com/en Recent Projects: G3 Canada Limited ($12 million), Kruger Inc. ($22 million), Olymel L.P. ($104 million) Trois-Rivières, located where the rivers Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence join, is part of the Québec City-Windsor Corridor and about midway between Montreal and Québec City. Known for its manufacturing sector and well serviced by its port location, the city is a lightning rod for companies looking to expand their product lines. Canadian food company Olymel announced its intent to expand its La Fernandière plant in Trois-Rivières with a $142 million investment that is slated to be operational in 2026. “We’re very proud to announce this major expansion of our Trois-Rivières plant,” said Yanick Gervais, CEO of Olymel. “It’s a big step forward for Olymel. Having this state-of-the-art plant will create new possibilities for expansion and signifi cantly improve our effi ciency, which is central to our company’s performance.” ALBERTA Calgary Economic Development Calgary, Alberta Brad Parry, President & CEO www.calgaryeconomicdesvelopment.com Recent Projects: Dollarama ($331 million), True Wild Distilling ($22 million), Kpmg LLP ($18 million), Lufthansa Technik ($120 million) Calgary is a city that invests in itself. Lufthansa Technik, a German company that provides aircraft maintenance service, broke ground on its Canadian headquarters in Calgary in June 2025. The $120 million project will also include a test cell facility near Calgary’s International Airport and will lend to Calgary’s reputation as a rising global aerospace and aviation hub. “Having Lufthansa Technik’s Canadian hub established in Calgary showcases how our city is stepping up to deliver solutions for the global aerospace sector,” said Brad Parry, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development and CEO of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF). Supported by a $2.5 million OCIF investment, the facility will test next-generation Next >