A series of seminars to engage Indian Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) interested in expanding operations into North America via Toronto, Ontario. The "Next Big Idea" Seminars are scheduled to take place on May 6 & 7, 2013, in Ahmadabad and Pune, respectively. The seminars will be offered free of charge and are open to all SMEs interested in learning about setting up an office in North America, All they need to do is to contact Preeti Sawhney: Preetilsawhney @ Internationallgclca to register for the seminars
Organised jointly by the Ontario International Marketing Centre in India and Invest Toronto, the Seminars will guide Indian SMEs to set up operations in Toronto, access facilities and incentives, and also establish networks that will enable them to capitalize on global business opportunities from Toronto. Invest Toronto is the organisation responsible for attracting inbound foreign direct investment into the City of Toronto and offers complimentary one-on-one consultations to businesses and site selectors making global business investment decisions.
"Indian companies such as ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Infosys, Gateway TechnoLabs, Mastek, Zylog Systems and Polaris have already made their foray into North America via offices in Toronto," said Aaron Rosland Ontario's Senior Economic Officer in India. "Ontario is home to more than half a million Indo-Canadians, making it an ideal entry point into the North American market. Ontario has made India a priority market for commercial links.
Forbes.com recently named Ontario as a top destination for foreign direct investment in North America and gave the Province top rankings in various areas including job creation, tax reform and health care. Ontario accounts for 38% of Canada's GDP, 35% of the country's industrial production and is home to 60% of Canada's foreign-controlled head offices. Companies that do business in Ontario have access to a US $ 17 trillion marketplace under the North American Free trade Agreement, with 158 million consumers within a day's drive. The Province is also home to a diverse economy with: 18,000 + ICT firms; over 950 interactive digital media companies; more than 2 million vehicles produced every year; a vibrant clean technology and energy sector; a water sector that is # 8 worldwide for water -related citations, drawing on 19 water-related research institutes; and a mining sector driven by a stable regulatory environment and thriving finance ecosystem.
About Toronto, Ontario
Canada's largest city, with 2.8 million residents and 6 million in the Greater Toronto region.
The fourth largest City in North America.
Highly educated and diverse workforce - 1 in 3 people hold a bachelors degree or higher.
One of the most diverse economies in North America - over 50% of the population include people who are foreign born and there are over 180 languages and dialects that are spoken.
Toronto's business environment is comprised of 3 major sectors:
ü Finance - 3 rd largest stock exchange in North America and the largest exchange in the world with respect to the number of listings of mining, oil and gas firms
ü Life Sciences - the largest in North America, with over 50% of companies located in the Toronto region
ü Information and Communications Technology - the largest in Canada, and third largest in North America
About Ontario, Canada
Ontario, Canada's business environment is designed for global success. Ontario is an efficient North American hub for international investment and trade. It offers direct access to the US $ 17 + trillion North American market; a multicultural workforce; streamlined regulations; a low-risk investment climate, competitive business costs, a great quality of life and more. World leading companies in the automotive industry, aerospace, life sciences and biotech, ICT, water and wastewater technologies, financial services, mining and more have invested billions to start or expand their operations in Ontario. They are also leveraging Ontario's competitive advantages to develop breakthrough technologies, products and services for global markets. Examples include Honda, Magna, Sodexo, Alcatel-Lucent, AXA, Bombardier, DuPont, MDS, sanofi pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline Trojan, IBM, and Dell. Indian enterprises that have set-up base in Ontario include: Essar Group (Algoma Steel Inc.), Subex Ltd., Piramal Healthcare Ltd., Hexaware Technologies Ltd. and ICICI Bank. The province has a population of almost 13 million (the largest in Canada), generates 38% of Canada's GDP, and boasts an export-oriented GDP that is larger than that of Belgium, Switzerland or any of the Scandinavian countries. Ontario's total international trade (exports and imports) was over C $ 424 billion in 2012.
Organised jointly by the Ontario International Marketing Centre in India and Invest Toronto, the Seminars will guide Indian SMEs to set up operations in Toronto, access facilities and incentives, and also establish networks that will enable them to capitalize on global business opportunities from Toronto. Invest Toronto is the organisation responsible for attracting inbound foreign direct investment into the City of Toronto and offers complimentary one-on-one consultations to businesses and site selectors making global business investment decisions.
"Indian companies such as ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Infosys, Gateway TechnoLabs, Mastek, Zylog Systems and Polaris have already made their foray into North America via offices in Toronto," said Aaron Rosland Ontario's Senior Economic Officer in India. "Ontario is home to more than half a million Indo-Canadians, making it an ideal entry point into the North American market. Ontario has made India a priority market for commercial links.
Forbes.com recently named Ontario as a top destination for foreign direct investment in North America and gave the Province top rankings in various areas including job creation, tax reform and health care. Ontario accounts for 38% of Canada's GDP, 35% of the country's industrial production and is home to 60% of Canada's foreign-controlled head offices. Companies that do business in Ontario have access to a US $ 17 trillion marketplace under the North American Free trade Agreement, with 158 million consumers within a day's drive. The Province is also home to a diverse economy with: 18,000 + ICT firms; over 950 interactive digital media companies; more than 2 million vehicles produced every year; a vibrant clean technology and energy sector; a water sector that is # 8 worldwide for water -related citations, drawing on 19 water-related research institutes; and a mining sector driven by a stable regulatory environment and thriving finance ecosystem.
About Toronto, Ontario
Canada's largest city, with 2.8 million residents and 6 million in the Greater Toronto region.
The fourth largest City in North America.
Highly educated and diverse workforce - 1 in 3 people hold a bachelors degree or higher.
One of the most diverse economies in North America - over 50% of the population include people who are foreign born and there are over 180 languages and dialects that are spoken.
Toronto's business environment is comprised of 3 major sectors:
ü Finance - 3 rd largest stock exchange in North America and the largest exchange in the world with respect to the number of listings of mining, oil and gas firms
ü Life Sciences - the largest in North America, with over 50% of companies located in the Toronto region
ü Information and Communications Technology - the largest in Canada, and third largest in North America
About Ontario, Canada
Ontario, Canada's business environment is designed for global success. Ontario is an efficient North American hub for international investment and trade. It offers direct access to the US $ 17 + trillion North American market; a multicultural workforce; streamlined regulations; a low-risk investment climate, competitive business costs, a great quality of life and more. World leading companies in the automotive industry, aerospace, life sciences and biotech, ICT, water and wastewater technologies, financial services, mining and more have invested billions to start or expand their operations in Ontario. They are also leveraging Ontario's competitive advantages to develop breakthrough technologies, products and services for global markets. Examples include Honda, Magna, Sodexo, Alcatel-Lucent, AXA, Bombardier, DuPont, MDS, sanofi pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline Trojan, IBM, and Dell. Indian enterprises that have set-up base in Ontario include: Essar Group (Algoma Steel Inc.), Subex Ltd., Piramal Healthcare Ltd., Hexaware Technologies Ltd. and ICICI Bank. The province has a population of almost 13 million (the largest in Canada), generates 38% of Canada's GDP, and boasts an export-oriented GDP that is larger than that of Belgium, Switzerland or any of the Scandinavian countries. Ontario's total international trade (exports and imports) was over C $ 424 billion in 2012.
