Cover
Critical Sectors Serve Ontario Well
Toronto Goes To MaRS
London Calling
Mississauga
Moving On Up
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ONTARIO SPOTLIGHT
Ontario On Target
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sk Anne Marie DeCicco about the merits of her city, London, Ontario, and be prepared for a thorough lesson on what's been going on to boost the city's attractiveness to industry. DeCicco, London's 36-year-old mayor and erstwhile radio journalist, says a major catalyst has been the city's commitment of US$48 million over 20 years for an industrial land development strategy to develop and maintain industrial parks along key highways.
"It's the single best decision we've made as a council," DeCicco says. "It's put us on the radar screen."
Cognizant that quality-of-life considerations are increasingly important in site decisions, DeCicco says more than $73 million has been invested in London's downtown, including the $30.4-million John LaBatt sports and entertainment center, a public-private partnership. Such efforts have drawn the attention of the Conference Board of Canada, which predicts London will have one of Canada's fastest growing economies.
London is just one of the hot spots in Ontario, which continues to see steady investment despite a lingering hangover from last spring's Toronto SARS scare. While SARS proved to be a short-term event in the province, the specter it cast on public perception at least temporarily slowed momentum, but there are signs the corporate hesitancy to look at the region is fading.
Karen D. Campbell, president & CEO of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, which represents 29 municipalities, says SARS caused companies to "definitely delay plans," but adds, "The people we were working with are now coming back. The audience we are targeting is pretty savvy."
A recent economic report fuels optimism. The Economist Intelligence Unit says Canada will be the best country on the globe in which to conduct business over the next five years. The country gets high marks for quality of its infrastructure, openness to foreign trade and capital and favorable market opportunities. Ontario's economy, based less on natural resources than other provinces, accounts for 42 percent of Canada's GDP.
"We're pretty optimistic about the economy," says Patrick Deutscher, director of the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Macroeconomic Analysis & Policy Branch.
"It's the single best decision we've made as a council," DeCicco says. "It's put us on the radar screen."
Cognizant that quality-of-life considerations are increasingly important in site decisions, DeCicco says more than $73 million has been invested in London's downtown, including the $30.4-million John LaBatt sports and entertainment center, a public-private partnership. Such efforts have drawn the attention of the Conference Board of Canada, which predicts London will have one of Canada's fastest growing economies.
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London is just one of the hot spots in Ontario, which continues to see steady investment despite a lingering hangover from last spring's Toronto SARS scare. While SARS proved to be a short-term event in the province, the specter it cast on public perception at least temporarily slowed momentum, but there are signs the corporate hesitancy to look at the region is fading.
Karen D. Campbell, president & CEO of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance, which represents 29 municipalities, says SARS caused companies to "definitely delay plans," but adds, "The people we were working with are now coming back. The audience we are targeting is pretty savvy."
A recent economic report fuels optimism. The Economist Intelligence Unit says Canada will be the best country on the globe in which to conduct business over the next five years. The country gets high marks for quality of its infrastructure, openness to foreign trade and capital and favorable market opportunities. Ontario's economy, based less on natural resources than other provinces, accounts for 42 percent of Canada's GDP.
"We're pretty optimistic about the economy," says Patrick Deutscher, director of the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Macroeconomic Analysis & Policy Branch.