Toronto Region’s Mayors And Chairs Reflect On Amazon Process
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.”
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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
A recent report by Youthful Cities and RBC ranked Toronto the number one spot for young people to live and work. The Urban Work Index looks at a number of characteristics from 30 Canadian cities, including affordability, education and training, good youth jobs, entrepreneurial spirit, economy, equity and diversity, health, transportation and digital access.
The report outlines why Toronto is so attractive to young people to move to, but questions why they choose to stay. Well, we have the answers. Here are five reasons why young people flock to the Toronto Region for good.
Education
There is no shortage of top-notch education in a wide variety of fields with 18 colleges and universities in and around the Toronto Region. Whether it’s a Bachelor of Commerce at University of Toronto’s renowned Rotman School of Management or a Bachelor of Animation at Sheridan College – also known as the “Harvard of Animation” – there is something for everyone at postsecondary institutions in our region.
More than 370,000 international students choose to learn their desired skill in the Toronto Region, and Canada’s favourable student immigration policies make it easy to stay. In 2022, over 46,000 international students in the Toronto Region held a Post-Graduate Work Permit, allowing them to work in Canada for any employer for up to three years. After the three years is up, many choose to apply for permanent residency to continue their career that was built here.
Diversity
The Urban Work Index marks that diversity is the fourth most important trait that young people value in their place of residence, even more than education. If young people are looking for diversity, there is nowhere in the world more diverse than the Toronto Region. The cities of Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto all ranked in the top three spots for equity diversity and inclusion.
Roughly half of the Toronto Region is foreign born, with over 250 ethnicities and 190 languages represented. Residents of the Toronto Region feel at home here because they can find a small piece of their home wherever they go.
Mississauga has the largest number of Japanese companies in Canada, Brampton’s population is 38 percent of South-Asian descent, the most common language in Markham is Cantonese. All these communities are the reason why young people from all over the world feel comfortable staying in the Toronto Region.
Transportation
The formerly stated cities and more make up the Toronto Region, which means that they are all accessible by GO Transit, our regional transit system comprised of over 1,200 kilometres of transit routes and over 6,000 services per week. GO trains and buses allow young people to live anywhere in the Toronto Region while working elsewhere with ease, as GO trains travel beyond the region into the cities of Hamilton and Waterloo.
Climate action was noted as an important factor for young people, which goes hand in hand with public transportation. GO Transit’s operator, Metrolinx, announced in 2017 a target of having electric trains running every 15 minutes in both directions within the most heavily travelled sections of the GO train network.
With GO Transit across the region and TTC in Toronto, young people may never have to drive again – and if they do, they will be living in the region that produced Canada’s first zero-emission vehicle. It’s safe to say the options are endless when it comes to transportation in the Toronto Region.
Economy
The Toronto Region is the second-largest financial centre in North America, and the largest in Canada. As Canada’s financial centre, the Toronto Region’s diverse industrial make-up contributes about 20 percent to the country’s total GDP.
In an age of economic uncertainty for young people, the Toronto Region’s economy is resilient. We surpassed pre-pandemic levels of employment by the end of 2021 and our job numbers continue to grow steadily.
With 38 percent of Canada’s multinational headquarters and nearly half of Fortune 500 companies located in the Toronto Region, there is ample opportunity for young people to enter the workforce and join an economy they can count on.
Entrepreneurial Spirit Young People
Young people want to be in the room where it happens, and at the risk of boasting, that room is most often in the Toronto Region.
For example, Sheridan Animation grad, Domee Shi, became the first woman to solely direct a Pixar film and went on to win an Academy Award for her 2018 short film Bao. Shi is just one of countless students from the Toronto Region who use their experience here to innovate, inspire and do something that has never been done before.
In the Toronto Region, we believe that quality of life plays a role in innovation and entrepreneurship. Home to five major professional sports teams, countless theatres and event venues – including the oldest operating theatre in North America, the Royal Alexandra Theatre – young people in the Toronto Region can enjoy their five to nine after their nine to five.
Learn more
It is no question as to why young people want to stay in the Toronto Region with its cities dominating the leader boards of the Urban Work Index. Want to learn more about quality of life across the Toronto Region? Click here.
