Site selectors look no further: Ontario’s one-stop source for industrial properties

Providing comprehensive and complete information about pre-qualified industrial properties

In 2018, three years after they announced they would build an €850 million data centre in Ireland, tech giant Apple pulled the plug. The reason? Too many delays in the approval process—and no guaranteed end in sight.

Apple’s experience is just one of countless examples worldwide where investment deals have fallen apart at the eleventh hour.

Finding the perfect location for a site is time-consuming and expensive, particularly for manufacturers who want a piece of land of a certain size that’s zoned and serviced—or ready to be.

Ontario’s Investment Services team looks carefully at the project specifications, conducts a thorough analysis—including key milestones for planning, development and launch—then recommends an appropriate list of candidate sites.

Ontario: Canada’s choice for foreign direct investment

By the time companies begin to evaluate site options, Ontario is high on their list of prospective locations, thanks to a combination of market access, talent, cost-efficiencies and pro-active government.

The province offers direct, tariff-free access to the $24.2 trillion-dollar North American market —together with a sophisticated transportation infrastructure—and has strong ties to and free trade agreements with 50 other countries around the globe.

Then, there are workforce skills critical to innovative companies in every sector from automotive to aerospace, information technologies to cleantech. Ontario comes out on top, with workers who are better educated than those in any other OECD country. And, the province’s highly regarded universities and colleges provide a steady stream of exceptional talent. An intelligent approach to immigration expands the talent pool even further while producing different perspectives that enrich the culture of innovation.

Ontario’s business costs, including corporate tax rates, are highly competitive, which means companies can stretch their manufacturing and R&D dollars further.

Finally, the Ontario government offers a wide range of programs and incentives that speak to businesses. The latest? The Invest Ontario Fund, which commits $400 million over four years to encourage and support investments in the key sectors of advanced manufacturing, information technology and life sciences.

From initial planning stages to up-and-running, Ontario’s site selection services have investors covered

As impressive as they are, Ontario’s competitive advantages alone won’t always seal the deal. Most companies are looking for a site that suits their exact project needs and timelines. That’s where Ontario’s site selection services provide needed support.

Competition among North American jurisdictions to secure new investment, particularly large-scale manufacturing investment, is fierce. Companies must evaluate a range of cost, timing and myriad other factors as they determine the most suitable location for their investment.

To help them in their decision-making—and ultimately speed up development timelines—the Investment Services team provides a full range of services, including confidential site searches and evaluation, and site tour facilitation. And to meet critical project timelines, they assist in coordinating the permits and approvals as well.

Ontario offers an extensive inventory of pre-qualified industrial properties

Skip This Map

The Investment Services team offers streamlined site selection: the investment services branch has developed an extensive inventory of pre-evaluated sites—ranging in size from five to 500+ acres—that provides important information, including availability, infrastructure, logistics, market access and environmental records.

Bottom line? Our goal is to make sure that companies looking to locate In North America choose Ontario. We want them to know that we’re here to help them at every step along the way—and to make it easy for them by being their single point of contact.