Toronto Mayor John Tory, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey, Durham Regional Chair Gerri Lynn O’Connor, Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr, and Wayne Emmerson, Chairman and CEO of the Regional Municipality of York, issued the following statement:
“Today, Amazon announced that the Toronto Region is no longer part of the competition for their HQ2. There were some incredible cities on Amazon’s shortlist, and including the Toronto Region was an unmistakable signal that our region is regarded as one of the best locations in North America for investment and expansion.
The HQ2 process provided us with the opportunity to showcase our region as one of the world’s premiere business destinations with an unmatched quality of life that grows, attracts and retains the world’s top talent. We now have the ability to leverage the exposure we have received in order to highlight our unique value proposition to other major global players.
One of the main reasons the Toronto Region’s bid stood apart from others is the fact that we have the talent pipeline companies need in order to grow and remain competitive in the long term. Our diverse and highly skilled talent pool is attracting other companies to the region as well. Recently, we welcomed global technology leader Cognizant to their new location in Mississauga, adding 600 jobs.
E-commerce giant Etsy and multinational conglomerate Samsung both recently opened AI labs in Toronto, building on our region’s reputation as a burgeoning global AI hub. In addition, U.S. entertainment company CBS Television Studios announced that it will open a TV and film production hub in Mississauga, giving a boost to our regional film and TV sector.
Finally, Collision, North America’s fastest growing tech conference, has announced that it will relocate from New Orleans to Toronto, citing our diverse talent pool and growing tech sector as the main reasons for choosing our region.
Another distinguishing factor in our bid was the decision not to offer any incentives to entice Amazon to choose the Toronto Region. We are proud of our decision to compete solely on the unique strengths of our region, regardless of Amazon’s decision.
We are also proud to have worked together as a region throughout the Amazon HQ2 process. The decision to release our bid book publicly, which has been downloaded 17,300 times to date, has opened the door to many conversations with international companies considering the Toronto Region. Global businesses don’t see municipal boundaries; instead they look to assets across an entire region to support their activities.
Including the Toronto Region in the HQ2 competition shows that when we work together, we are of a scale that rivals the most competitive cities in North America. We’ve got the world’s attention, and proof that when we work together, everyone wins.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to our colleagues at the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada for working closely with our team throughout this process.
In particular, we were proud to submit our HQ2 response alongside some of the most competitive and dynamic Canadian cities, who helped to highlight the great range of advantages Canada offers. We were honoured to be selected as the only Canadian location on Amazon’s twenty-city shortlist, which was the result of a collective effort of all three levels of government.”
– 30 –
ABOUT TORONTO GLOBAL
Launched in February 2017, Toronto Global is an arms-length not-for-profit corporation representing municipalities in the Toronto Region. Its mandate is to work with our municipal, provincial and federal colleagues to market the entire region to international investors by promoting the Toronto Region’s diversity of services, sectors and industries, diverse and innovative workforce and strong and stable economy to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) from targeted industries around the world.
Toronto Global’s work builds upon the federal and provincial government’s commitment to growing Canada’s innovation and knowledge-based economies by driving targeted, region-wide economic growth to generate quality skills, jobs and opportunities for Canadians.
Toronto Global’s team of experts provides a comprehensive, customized service to ensure a smooth transition for international companies wishing to do business in the Toronto Region. Toronto Global makes investing in the region simpler by actively researching and targeting growth sectors such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences, financial services, technology and food and beverage with a goal of bringing companies to the region to generate economic growth and create high value jobs.
ABOUT THE TORONTO REGION
The Toronto Region is the economic engine of Canada, generating 20 percent of the country’s GDP and housing 40 percent of Canada’s business headquarters. The region is a major player on the international stage, attracting business investment from all over the world. There has never been a better time to come together to build on this momentum and to bolster the region’s stellar global reputation as a safe, stable and profitable place to invest.
The region is the most multicultural in the world and home to the most skilled and highly educated workforce among countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). With our strong and diverse economy, competitive business costs, exceptional talent pool, strategic location and unmatched quality of life, the municipalities that make up the Toronto Region present a global business offering that is second to none.
CONTACT
Toronto Global
Julia Sakas, Director, Marketing & Communications
Toronto Global
Erika Thompson, Communications Specialist
City of Toronto
Don Peat, Director of Communications, Mayor John Tory
City of Mississauga
Nicole McInerney, Senior Communications Advisor, Office of the Mayor
City of Brampton
Navdeep Dhaliwal, Senior Advisor, Mayor Linda Jeffrey
Region of Halton
John Davidson, Director, Economic Development, Halton Region
Region of York
Jennifer Mitchell, Manager, Corporate Communications
Region of Durham
Sandra Austin, Manager, Corporate Initiatives