NIAGARA PROFILE

Niagara is a major gateway to North America, through its 12 municipalities. Located in the

heart of Southern Ontario and bordering on the United States, the Niagara region, of 430,000

people is situated between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Its cities and towns are less than a

one hour drive to Toronto, Buffalo or Western New York. Businesses are within one day’s

drive of 55% of all U.S. manufacturing activity, almost half of the U.S. population. Niagara

is accessible worldwide through the St. Lawrence Seaway and Welland Canal. The Niagara

border is the second busiest commercial crossing between the U.S. and Canada, carrying 19%

of all trade between the two countries.

 
Manufacturing is the region’s major economic driver and includes transportation, machinery,

fabricated metal, food processing, primary metal, plastic and rubber. Agriculture, the

greenhouse and wine industries are also very important to the region’s economy. Niagara

has a strong logistics industry with several hundred companies providing a full-range of

transportation services and immediate access to the U.S. market.

Niagara Canada offers many competitive advantages to business including;

• Easy access to North American and global markets.

• Well-integrated transportation infrastructure. The region is served by multi-lane provincial

              highways, three international and local airports all within a one-hour drive.

• Competitive business costs compared to other cities in North America, including land,

              building, labour, utility costs and immediately available serviced land adjacent to major

              national and international highways.

• Proactive regional and municipal government which is continually improving business

              processes including taxes, development charges, planning approval.

• Highly skilled, well educated and productive labour force of 210,400 people.

• Post secondary education provided through Niagara College and Brock University along

              with several other major institutions in close proximity. Business technology support

              is offered through specialized training facilities such as Niagara College’s Centre for

              Integrated Manufacturing and Applied Research (CIMTAR).

• Multicultural society. Over 20% of Niagara residents speak a second language and

              coupled with the region’s diverse tourism base, of 14 million visitors annually, it is a

              multicultural and internationally welcoming society.

• Excellent quality of life, Niagara is a wonderful place to live and work. From the

              spectacular Niagara Falls to beautiful parks, golf courses, orchards, vineyards, trails and

              gardens the area’s natural beauty is world renowned. It has an affordable cost of living.

• Research and development tax credits which encourage innovation within our

              local companies.

• High speed, advanced fifi bre-optic networks linking Niagara to domestic and

              international markets.