Ottawa is growing and diversifying!
Professor Richard Florida, the award-winning author of Who’s Your City?, rates Ottawa as the “Best Overall” city in Canada based on the 3Ts of economic development – Technology, Talent and Tolerance. Ottawa also rates higher on many economic and quality of life criteria than American cities such as New York, Boston, Washington and San Jose.
As a beautiful G8 capital, Ottawa is rich in culture and heritage, with many national institutions and historic buildings. Ottawa began as a bilingual city and is a place where our founding linguistic communities (French and English) have always lived and worked together. Adding to the multiculturalism, Ottawa houses Canada’s foreign embassies, consulates, and diplomats.
Ottawa’s citizens enjoy unparalleled health, comfort, and economic well-being, benefiting from a unique combination of urban convenience and accessible nature.
Top Reasons Why Ottawa is Great!
Ottawa is an Established Global Technology Centre
With more than 1900 technology companies employing nearly 75,000 people, Ottawa’s key industries include wireless, photonics, cleantech, lifesciences, aerospace and defence, financial services, and film, TV and digital media. Source: Invest Ottawa Knowledge-based Industry Survey
Strong Mix of Multinational Organizations and Small to Medium Sized Enterprises
Ottawa houses several multinational giants including IBM, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Huawei, Ericsson, Ciena, Avaya, Genband, Nordion, RIM, and Corel. In addition, there are over 1500 high tech companies with less than 50 employees, creating a strong and diverse yet balanced private sector. Source: Invest Ottawa
The Most Educated Workforce in Canada
The Ottawa region’s current workforce has the highest percentage of university graduates in the country, and the highest concentration of PhDs in North America, tied with Boston. Source: Statistics Canada 2001 Census
Second Highest Concentration of Science and Engineering Employment in North America
Ottawa-Gatineau has the second largest concentration of science and engineering employment out of 316 North American cities, surpassed only by Silicon Valley. One in nine employees is a scientist or engineer.
Source: Statistics Canada, May 2006.
One of the World’s Top Sites for R&D
With 90 per cent of Canada’s industrial telecommunications research and development conducted here, Ottawa is one of the world’s top sites for R&D. The R&D infrastructure combines three major research engines: private, university, and government.
Source: City of Ottawa
Canada’s Most Connected City
Virtually 100 per cent of Ottawa’s schools, universities, hospitals, libraries, research institutes and municipal facilities are wired with high-speed internet access. No other city in Canada has the breadth and depth of fibre optic connectivity of Ottawa – making it Canada’s most connected city. Source: Ottawa’s Rural Communities Network (ORCNet)
A Professional Services Industry Supporting Ottawa’s Advanced Technology Sector
Ottawa’s professional services providers have expanded and matured with Ottawa’s technology companies, offering value-added world-class services tailored to an active, globally competitive technology community. Source: OCRI Global Marketing
Strong Entrepreneurial Culture
The total amount of venture capital invested in Ottawa technology companies over the last decade amounted to over $4.3 billion CDN.
Source: The Ottawa Report 2010
Top 15 in the World for Quality of Living
Ottawa ranked 14th worldwide and 2nd in Canada in Mercer’s 2010 Quality of Living survey. Quality of living is determined by many factors such as personal safety and security, health issues, transport infrastructure, availability of consumer goods, adequate housing and schooling, and recreation opportunities.
Source: Mercer HR Consulting Quality of Living survey 2010
Paradise for Outdoor Enthusiasts
Ottawa is in the midst of a giant outdoor playground featuring mountains, beaches, camping, skiing, golfing, and hundreds of freshwater lakes. Ottawa has the world’s largest outdoor skating rink, over 850 parks, 300kms of biking trails, and more than 200 kms of cross-country ski trails to enjoy!
Source: City of Ottawa
A City for Culture and the Arts
As Canada’s Capital, Ottawa is home to a variety of national institutions, including the Museum of Civilization, the Museum of Nature, the Museum of Science and Technology, the National Gallery of Canada, and the National Arts Centre. Nightlife abounds in the Byward Market and on Elgin Street. A City of festivals, Ottawa hosts over 50 ranging from the Tulip Festival and Winterlude, to the Blues and Jazz Festivals, to the Dragon Boat and Hot Air Balloon Festivals.
The Least Expensive Canadian City for Cost of Living
Ottawa remains the least expensive Canadian city according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting, the global leader for HR and related financial advice.
Source: Mercer HR Consulting Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2011 – city rankings, London, 26 July 2011
Ottawa ranked Canada’s most sustainable city
Corporate Knights Magazine unveiled its second annual ranking of sustainable cities and Ottawa came out on top. The list ranks Canadian cities that, according to the magazine, “leave the smallest environmental footprint possible and create a healthy, thriving population.”
Source: Corporate Knights magazine, February 2008.
