Source: Backbone Magazine
GTA hub scores impressive 23 per cent growth. York Region led all major Canadian Information and Communication Technology (ICT) hubs with a growth rate of 23.3 per cent (branham300) in 2012 alone.
The Region also continued to demonstrate its breadth of ICT capability, growing to more than 3,900 ICT firms, making it the largest enterprise solutions ICT cluster in Canada, as well as the nation’s largest industry cluster relative to population size. This momentum has continued in 2013, with several big names making sizable investments in the area, including the likes of SunGard (new 20,000 square foot data centre), Toshiba Canada (new 80,000 square foot head office), Discoverture Solutions (new office), Digital Realty (120,000 square foot office), SAP (acquired Camillion Solutions) and Qualcomm (opened second facility), amongst others. Despite this, York Region has had much lower awareness compared to other clusters in Ontario and the rest of Canada. This, however, is now starting to change.
York Region’s enterprise solutions depth and breadth is a major reason the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is now considered one of the top ICT clusters worldwide. Outside of California, most people associate Silicon Valley with San Francisco, but in reality, it is communities such as San Jose, San Mateo, Sunnyvale, etc., that drive the ICT culture of this region. And the same can be said for York Region, as it is the most visible ICT cluster in the GTA.
For years, York Region’s ICT cluster has developed a strong reputation for building seasoned solutions that address real-world enterprise-scale requirements. The area is home to dozens of ICT multinationals, including IBM, Huawei, Oracle, HP, GE, Alcatel-Lucent, Qualcomm, AMD, SAP, Avaya, Motorola Solutions, CA Technologies, Compuware and McAfee, to name a few, as well as hundreds of Canadian-born companies from small to large. These firms and many others continue to see the benefits that York Region and its local municipalities have to offer, including a central, cost-effective location to access the significant B2B market in the Greater Toronto Area and Ontario, as well as the GTA’s 200,000-strong ICT sector workforce.
Many of these companies can also link some of their success to York Region’s strong ecosystem of diversified and mature enterprise focused companies that provide hardware, software and service solutions across a range of disciplines. OnX Enterprise Solutions, a leading Canadian provider of Managed Services and Data Solutions with more than 20 locations worldwide, is a prime example of this, to the extent that it was able to grow from an initial investment of $10,000 to become an internationally focused company with more than $800 million in revenue. The depth of the York Region ICT cluster, the extensive list of customers in and around the region, as well as the availability of talent, all provided the company with a ‘market lab’ within blocks of its office.
These factors amongst several others have allowed York Region’s ICT sector to grow steadily over time. While many recognize the City of Toronto as Canada’s leading tech hub, very few have fully understood the role that York Region plays within the GTA, across Canada and internationally.
For those companies looking to expand into or across Canada and in Toronto in particular, York Region should not be overlooked. Companies that locate in the area can benefit from a variety of federal and provincial incentives, not to mention significantly lower tax rates and operating costs as compared to the City of Toronto. Further, with a highly skilled workforce, advanced infrastructure, reliable energy grid and access to key markets, the Region continues to top many of the benefits found in some of Canada’s other leading tech hubs. York Region is a key piece to the GTA’s position as an international tech hub and is continuing to position itself well for technology-based businesses from small to large going forward.
Quick facts:
- York Region is made up of nine local municipalities: Markham, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Newmarket, Aurora, Whitchurch-Stouffville, East Gwillimbury, Georgina and King
- York Region is the fastest-growing large municipality in Canada and Ontario’s 2nd largest business centre, with more than 42,000 businesses (Statistics Canada)
- Named “Top tech growth hub” in Canada and “Canada’s largest Enterprise Solutions cluster” based on Branham300 2012 ranking of Canada’s top technology companies
- Home to IBM’s largest software development lab outside the U.S.
- Home to four of Canada’s top 10 corporate R&D investors, most of any other Canadian municipality. Six York Region companies account for 17 per cent of total corporate R&D in Canada (Re$earch Infosource 2012)
- Top 25 Canadian Headquartered ICT Companies in York Region: www.branhamgroup.com/yorkregion
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
The Regional Municipality of York is located in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area and is home to 1.1 million residents and 42,000 business establishments, making it one of Canada’s largest municipalities and the second largest business centre in the Province of Ontario.
Comprised of nine local municipalities, York Region is a premier business location in Canada. The Region is home to operations of 14 Fortune 100 companies, four of Canada’s top 10 corporate R&D investors, Canada’s second largest Information & Communications Technology (ICT) cluster and global industry leaders in Life Sciences, CleanTech, Financial Services and Advanced Manufacturing.
As Canada’s fastest growing large municipality, York Region has one of the most educated and diverse workforces in North America, the lowest commercial property taxes in greater Toronto and an exceptional quality of life attracting top global talent.
York Region’s local municipalities include the City of Markham, the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill, the Town of Newmarket, the Town of Aurora, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, the Town of East Gwillimbury, the Town of Georgina and the Township of King.