Foreign direct investment

Billennium charts growth course in Ontario. Ontario’s Investment Services Team works with Polish IT services company.

In his feature article, Minister Fedeli sets out how Ontario is working proactively across industry sectors as forward-looking companies position for long-term growth in an economy shaped by technological disruption and the need for environmental sustainability.

Ontario communities are at the forefront of Site Selection magazine’s 2021 competitiveness rankings. Of 21 Canadian communities highlighted, 10 are in Ontario.

Oakville’s high quality of life has attracted a community of talented, diverse and highly educated individuals from all over the world, making Oakville the community where companies want to be.

Ontario cities are leading the future, recognized as prime investment locations in North America.

Business Facilities magazine recently released its 2021 Metro and Global Rankings Reports, and Ontario cities rank highly on numerous lists. Business Facilities is a leading full-service media brand specializing in the site selection marketplace.

Canada ranks second in A.T. Kearney’s annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index for 2021, a jump from ranking third in 2019. Although business leaders are relatively less confident about the outlook for the global economy in the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, they remain highly optimistic towards Canada’s economic prospects, proving Canada’s unrelenting strength in today’s global economy.

This is the first time Canada has claimed the top spot in the yearly ranking, having spent several years in the second and third positions. Highlighted in the 2021 report is that Canada ranked first in sub-rankings, including quality of life and social purpose, meaning that it is seen as “a stable and safe society in which individuals [and business] can develop and prosper, and is open, fair and equitable.”

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the global marketplace to innovate, accelerate and respond resourcefully—including in my home province of Ontario, Canada. Living in France throughout the challenging past year, I have experienced first-hand the resilience of the commercial ties between businesses in Ontario and France.

The Ontario government has appointed the first members to the Board of Directors of Invest Ontario, the new provincial agency focused on promoting the province as a key investment destination.