The GTA has access to 135 million people within a 500 mile radius (one-day drive or 1 hour flight), compared to 70 million people from New York.

Through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Canada is assured long-term access to the North American market of over 440 million people, with a combined GDP of more than $16 trillion.

The GTA is the Industrial and financial capital of Canada.
It generates 20% of Canada’s GDP with $323 Billion and is home to 40% of Canada’s business HQ’s, such as:

- Sun Life Financial
- RBC Dominion Securities
- Nortel Networks
- Scotiabank
- General Motors of Canada
- Ford Motor Company of Canada

In Addition, the GTA’s Key Sectors include:
- ICT
- Life Sciences
- Financial Services & BPO
- Energy & Environment
- Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing

The GTA is a city of innovation and ingenuity.

A diverse economy is important because it will increase collaboration and, in turn, increase the competitiveness and profile of the industry. Businesses in the GTA hail from a wide range of sectors, such as:
- Information and Communication Technology
- Renewable Energy
- Advanced Manufacturing: MRO
- Financial Services
- Business Process Outsourcing

58% of Ontario’s Population has a Post-secondary Education:
University: 25%
College: 25%
Apprenticeship: 8%

With 5 universities and 6 colleges, the GTA continues to provide a high quality and quantity of skilled labour.

In 2006, over 388,000 students were enrolled in post-secondary institutions and close to 1 million workers had a post-secondary certificate, diploma or university degree.

The combined Federal and Ontario Provincial Income Tax Rate will decrease annually from 33% in 2009 to 25% in 2013, making the Greater Toronto Area an economically efficient and competitive setting for locating a new investment both within Canada and internationally.

Canada’s excellent economic fundamentals and political stability provide a first-rate, low risk business environment. Canada moved up FOUR spots in the 2009 “Forbes’s Annual Best Countries for Business”.

Forbes notes, “this is not a tally of economies with high gross domestic product growth, or low unemployment. The goal is to quantify for entrepreneurs and investors the often-qualified information about dynamic economies and what they would consider desirable conditions for business.”

Forbes also notes that “trade and budget surpluses, tax relief from the current administration and conservative lending practices of its banks have left the U.S.’ northern neighbor in an enviable position amid global tumult.”

The Toronto Region performs 35% of all research and development carried out in Canada and is home to 53 of the world’s most highly cited scientists, 1/3 of Canada’s total.

Some examples of innovation in the Toronto region:
335 patents in 2007, the GTA ranked 15th in the world – example, Xerox Research Centre of Canada generates over 10% of all of Xerox’s worldwide patents.
Medical and Related Sciences Centre (MaRS) Discovery District: Toronto designated 2 sq. km in its downtown as the Discovery District, home to the MaRS commercialization project.
Private: IBM Toronto Software Lab, Bell University Laboratories…
University of Toronto ranked Canada’s top research-intensive university with 6 Nobel Prize-winning graduates.

Pearson International Airport, located in the GTA, is Canada’s busiest airport, with direct flights operating to over 100 destinations and the capability of processing 1 million metric tonnes of cargo annually.

GTA offers its residents the best of both worlds - the relaxed pace of a smaller community or the hustle and bustle of a large multicultural centre.

With low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and highly developed infrastructure, Canada has the most liveable destinations in the world - Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

43% of all Canadian immigrants come to Toronto, which is over 100,000 immigrants annually.

34% of these immigrants have at least one university degree.

Retention rate after 1 year: Toronto 88%; BC 72%; Quebec 49%; Atlantic 40%.

Over 240 ethnic groups; Over 120 languages and major dialects; Over 169 countries of origin.

English is the dominant mother tongue, followed by Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Punjabi and Spanish

The UN has designated Toronto the "world's most multicultural city."