Fast Facts : Niagara Region

The Regional Municipality of Niagara spans 718 square miles (1,800 sq. km) and is comprised of the following twelve municipalities: Fort Erie, Grimsby, Lincoln, Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Pelham, Port Colborne, St. Catharines, Thorold, Wainfleet, Welland, West Lincoln.

The Niagara region is extremely well placed for accessing major North American and global markets. Niagara is a one day drive of

  • 50% of Canada/U.S. population
  • 60% of North American industrial market
  • 75% of Canada/U.S. purchasing power
LIFESTYLE AMENITITES
Golf Courses 40
Wineries 60
Parks 50 +
Hospital Sites 9
Marinas 17
Cinemas 10
Theatres 8
Campgrounds 25
Trails and Routes (interconnecting across the Region)
Average Annual Hours of Sunshine 2,027

Source: http://www.niagaracanada.com

REGIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS
Population 410,570 *
Number of Households 172,944 **
Average Per Capita Income $24,600 ***
New Residential Dwellings 1,873 ****
Average Housing Price $187,309 *****
Retail Expenditures $5,738,800,000 ***
BUSINESS OPERATING COSTS IN NIAGARA, CANADA
Overall Costs Overall costs in Niagara are very competitive compared to other cities in the central North American industrial region. (KPMG 2002)
Electricity Local electricity companies supply power to end users. Costs vary by municipality. The contact information for each municipal utility is found in the community data section of www.niagaracanda.com. The KPMG 2002 issue of Competitive Alternatives found that electricity rates in Canada are the lowest among G-7 nations.
Water & Sewer Both water purification and sanitary sewage processing are supplied by the Region; water is distributed and billed through the local municipality. Contact the local municipal office for current rates. Community contact information is available at www.niagaracanada.com
Natural Gas Enbridge Gas is the sole distributor of gas in Niagara. (http://www.cgc.enbridge.com/LVRC/index.asp)Supply charges vary by supplier.
Fibre Optics High speed fibre optic network is available in Niagara. Fully digital DMS switching.
Taxation Niagara represents a 4.3% after-tax cost advantage compared to the U.S. average. (KPMG 1998)
Land Competitive priced real estate supports lower overall business initial investment and start-up costs (www.niagaracp.com)
Labour Regional Labour market of 204,200 (February, 2003). A combination of low base wages and benefit costs give Niagara a significant advantage relate to U.S. cities (KPMG 2002)

Ontario has one of the best health care systems in the world. The Ontario Health Insurance Plan provides medical and hospital services at no charge to eligible residents of Ontario. Publicly financed health care provides Ontario tourism operators and developers with a significant competitive business advantage.

The Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation collaborates with tourism partners and colleagues at home and internationally to develop and deliver exciting, integrated, research-driven marketing programs that reinforce Ontario as a strong tourism economy and a premier, four-season travel destination. For investors, this added benefit and support from government assists operators with tourism marketing.

For more information on tourism investment opportunities throughout Ontario, please visit: www.investinontario.com/tourism/regionalinvest.asp.