Barrie
Quick Facts
Province: Ontario
Population: 132,000
An easy commute to the Greater Toronto Area, Barrie is the second fastest-growing urban area in Canada, with an annual growth rate of 4.9%. Under the banner “Barrie means business”, the city is fast-tracking development of the infrastructure and services that companies look for when scouting a new location, all the while preserving its appeal as a small historic town on the shores of Lake Simcoe, a popular cottage destination.
Key Advantages
- Ranks higher than most Ontario cities including Toronto, London and Waterloo in terms of cost competitiveness
- Growing industries include traditional manufacturing of packaging, metal processing and plastics, industrial automation, electronics and electrical equipment sectors and an emerging industry in geo-synthetic biosciences
- Advantage of being located a days trucking distance to more than 60% of Canadian market, less than 1 hour drive from Pearson International Airport
- Over 6.2 million people live within a 160 km radius
- 40 minutes away from the Industrial Research and Development Institute Facility, one of the largest and most flexible private industrial engineering R&D facilities in the world
- “One of the most balanced municipal tax systems” (Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses)
- Fibre optic telecommunications infrastructure
- Site of new multi-million dollar Bank of Montreal Technology Centre
- Over 1,000 acres of industrial land
Sector Strengths
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Automotive Technology
- Food and Beverage Industry
