Niagara Fast Facts

FACT SHEETS: Niagara Economic Development Corporation Download Full Document Niagara's Agri-business Download Full Document Niagara's Leading Employers Download Full Document Niagara's Manufacturing Download Full Document Niagara's Call Centres & Communications Download Full Document Niagara's Population Download Full Document Niagara's Labour Market Download Full Document Niagara's Utilities Download Full Document

FAST FACTS:

MUNICIPALITIES The Regional Municipality of Niagara spans 718 square miles (1,800 sq. km) and is comprised of the following twelve municipalities: Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet, Welland, West Lincoln. DEMOGRAPHICS Population 427,421 * Number of Households 179,903 ** Average Per Capita Income $28,433 *** New Residential Dwellings 9,027 **** Average Housing Price $199,975 ***** Retail Expenditures $4,975,330,000 *** (Sources: *http://www.niagaracanada.com, **Census Canada 2006, *** FP Markets 2007, **** MPAC , ***** Niagara Association of REALTORS, 2006)   MAJOR INDUSTRIAL SECTORS Tourism, Manufacturing (Automotive, Aerospace, Fabricated Metal, Food Processing, Transportation/Machinery), Telecommunications/Call Centres, Agriculture and Greenhouse Production, Service Industries. LABOUR MARKET LABOUR FORCE (16 years and over) 210,370 PARTICIPATION RATE 65% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE 6.45% MINIMUM WAGE 8.00/hr LARGEST EMPLOYERS Private Company NUM EMPLOYEES General Motors of Canada Ltd. 3872 Canadian Niagara Hotels 1880 Canadian Tire Financial Services 1747 Niagara 21st Group Inc. 1600 Algoma Central Marine 1300 (Source: http://www.niagaracanada.com) LARGEST EMPLOYERS Public Company NUM EMPLOYEES District School Board of Niagara 3700 Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort 3343 Niagara Health System 2918 Regional Municipality of Niagara 2591 Brock University 1784 (Source: http://www.niagaracanada.com)

NIAGARA'S LOCATION ADVANTAGES Niagara is extremely well placed for accessing major North American and global markets. Niagara is a one day drive of: 50% of Canada/U.S. population 60% of North American industrial market 75% of Canada/U.S. purchasing power.   TRANSPORTATION Distance to nearest Metropolitan Areas * Canada Distance United States Distance Hamilton Adjacent Buffalo Adjacent Toronto 52 miles (83 km) Rochester 87 miles (40 km) Windsor 213 miles (343 km) Pittsburgh 223 miles (359 km) Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Toronto 51 miles (82 km) Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, Buffalo, N.Y. 19 miles (31 km) John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport, Hamilton 26 miles (42 km) Niagara District Airport, Niagara-on-the-Lake Within *from Regional Municipality of Niagara boundary EDUCATION Student Enrolment Brock University 7,191 Full-Time   2,229 Part-Time Niagara College  5,654 Full-Time   600 Part-Time District School Board of Niagara 27,132 Elementary   15,120 Secondary Niagara Catholic District School Board 15,348 Elementary   8,135 Secondary (Sources: Brock University, Niagara College, District School Board of Niagara, Niagara Catholic District School Board, January 2003) LIFESTYLE AMENITIES Golf Courses 40  Wineries 60  Parks  50 +  Hospital Sites 9  Marinas 17  Cinemas 10  Theatres 8  Campgrounds 25  Trails and Routes (interconnecting across the Region)  Average Annual Hours of Sunshine 2,027  (Sources: http://www.niagaracanada.com)

BUSINESS OPERATING COSTS IN NIAGARA, CANADA Overall Costs Overall costs in Niagara are very competitive compared to other cities in the central North American industrial region. (KPMG 2006)  Location-Sensitive Costs Annual costs in Niagara are lower than any of the US cities examined. (KPMG 2006)  Electricity Local electricity companies supply power to end users. Costs vary by municipality. The contact information for each municipal utility is found in the community data section of www.niagaracanda.com. The KPMG 2006 issue of Competitive Alternatives found that electricity rates in Canada are the lowest among G-7 nations.  Water & Sewer Both water purification and sanitary sewage processing are supplied by the Region; water is distributed and billed through the local municipality. Contact the local municipal office for current rates. Community contact information is available at www.niagaracanada.com  Natural Gas Enbridge Gas is the sole distributor of gas in Niagara. (http://www.cgc.enbridge.com/LVRC/index.asp)Supply charges vary by supplier.  Fibre Optics High speed fibre optic network is available in Niagara. Fully digital DMS switching.  Taxation Niagara represents a 5.5% after-tax cost advantage compared to the U.S. average. (KPMG 2006)  Land Competitive priced real estate supports lower overall business initial investment and start-up costs (www.niagaracp.com)  Labour Regional Labour market of 200,800 (Dec, 2006 Monthly Labour Force Survey). A combination of low base wages and benefit costs give Niagara a significant advantage relate to U.S. cities (KPMG 2006)