Create a Competitive Business Environment

In order to retain and attract new investment, Niagara must make it appealing for investors to do business here. Niagara's economic strategy is focused on how best to compete and win new business in order to realize its growth potential. Our objectives are to:

Foster competitiveness, efficiency, and innovation in Niagara’s government and business sectors by:

  • Developing a systematic approach for benchmarking and assessing the cost competitiveness of the Region of Niagara’s services to business.

  • Developing effective and comprehensive support services to help drive innovation and entrepreneurship in targeted areas (e.g. incubators, venture capital) in order to foster SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) growth in Niagara.

  • Encouraging and supporting the expansion of pure and applied research and innovation both in the private sector and post-secondary institutions (e.g. Silicon Knights, Norgen Biotek, Brock University, Niagara College, and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre).

  • Developing and promoting 'best of class' examples in Niagara’s private and public sectors.


Establish an annual Niagara Economic Scorecard tracking the region’s economic progress based on key indicators.
 

Keep Niagara’s overall business cost competitive by:

  • Reducing industrial and commercial taxes in Niagara.

  • Implementing a full range of Smart Growth/ Brownfield redevelopment initiatives including community improvement programs and incentives.
     

Develop an efficient and seamless process for businesses seeking development permits and related approvals by:

  • Working co-operatively with local municipalities to create a timely and integrated mechanism for receiving and reviewing development permit applications. Incorporate an economic development perspective as an integral part of the evaluation of major applications.
     

Promote continuous two-way communication between Niagara business and government by:

  • Nurturing and developing a stronger relationship between the Region of Niagara and the local business community.

  • Developing a new progressive partnership agenda with the Niagara business community.

  • Seeking formal business community input into the Region of Niagara’s infrastructure development and business development programs.
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