It's Time ... to Invest in Hamilton

• Hamilton is located in the centre of the most densely populated corridor of economic activity in Canada (Hamilton is Canada's 9th largest regional economy in Canada with a GDP per capita of approximately $48,000 (2006, CAD) and is the 5th largest "Mega-Region" in North America (Martin Prosperity Group, Hamilton Benchmarking). Within an 30 minute commute, Hamilton has easy access to a highly skilled, well educated and productive labour force of over 1 million people.

• In 2009, Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) named Hamilton the 3rd best large city in North America for its Quality of Life.

• 60% of its land area is designated rural. Hamilton's Agricultural sector generates $1.26 billion a year for the local economy; is boosted by ecologically rich farming lands, has immediate proximity to water, has a temperature climate, solid transportation networks and quick access to national and international markets.

• 2008 - 2010 Shovel-Ready Industrial Lands Summary

• Uniquely positioned as a Transportation Hub for the Goods Movement Industry - Home to the Port of Hamilton (the busiest of all the Great Lakes ports), John C. Munro International Airport (Canada's largest courier and cargo airport generating more cargo flights than any other airport in Canada), proximity to rail lines and easy access to major 400 Series of Highways, Hamilton has long been cited as a key gateway for Goods Movement through southern Ontario.

• Hamilton is quickly becoming a beacon for the latest Hollywood and Canadian productions, attracting stars such as Academy Awards winners Russell Crowe, Robin Williams, Geena Davis and Angelica Huston and shining stars like Edward Norton and Samuel L. Jackson. Only 45 minutes away from Canada's film capital, Toronto, Ontario, Hamilton has the variety of locations, access to film expertise both local and in Toronto and is one of Canada's most cost-effective filming cities

• Incentive Programs include: Hamilton's National Award winning Environmental Remediation and Site Enhancement Program Plan (ERASE), designed to "erase" brown fields by providing financial incentives to clean them up; Downtown development/re-development programs; labour force and training; along with R&D Tax credits and other Government programs.

• Mohawk College is the largest trainer of apprentices in Ontario - annually serves 10, 000 full-time, 3,000 apprenticeship, and 300 international students, as well as 5,000 adult learners and 42,000 continuing education registrants.

• Hamilton Health Sciences employs nearly 10,000 people and is comprised of six unique hospitals and a cancer centre - was recently selected by GE Healthcare to be the first site in the world to receive new prototype technologies for use in a molecular breast imaging research program.

• McMaster University consistently ranks as one of Canada's top 3 most research-intensive (number of research dollars per faculty member) universities and home to Canada's first human embryonic stem cell library. The Research holds promise to treat catastrophic illnesses that range from cancer to Parkinson's to spinal cord regeneration.