According to a survey by Site Selection magazine, Québec is the most competitive province in a Canada for economic development, followed by Alberta, and a tie between Ontario and British Columbia. And metro areas from Greater Toronto and Montréal to Hamilton, Vancouver and Winnipeg head Site Selection’s annual list of top Canadian economic development groups (see full list below).

Those are the conclusions reached as Site Selection publishes its ninth annual Canada’s Best Locations awards and rankings, based on April 2014-March 2015 corporate end-user facility investment and job creation data derived from the publication’s proprietary Conway Project Database and the magazine’s own research. The rankings include:

The Canadian Competitiveness Award, awarded to the leading province based on data derived from qualifying new corporate facilities and expansions;
Top Canadian Groups, recognizing local economic development groups based on project data, regional partnership, proactive and innovative programming, and quality data and Web tools and resources, and including an Honorable Mention category.

The Canadian Competitiveness Award goes to Invest Québec. "Just as the province's most famous export, Cirque du Soleil, is pitching its tents all over the world, FDI trends show plenty of companies from those same countries pitching their tents in Quebec," says Adam Bruns, managing editor of Site Selection. "From open immigration policies to infrastructure investment to proactive outreach abroad," says Bruns, "Invest Quebec and the other provincial and regional economic development organizations among the top performers we salute this year exhibit a sense of creativity and collaboration that resonates with the creative and digital hubs that many of their communities are fostering."

Canadian Competitiveness Rankings

1. Invest Québec
2. Alberta Ministry of Innovation and Advanced Education
T3. Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure
T3. British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Tourism & Skills Training

Top Canadian Economic Development Groups 2015 (in alphabetical order)

Calgary Economic Development
City of Charlottetown (PEI)
Edmonton Economic Development Corp.
City of Hamilton Economic Development (Ont.)
Montréal International
Québec International
Regina Regional Opportunities Commission
Invest Toronto
Vancouver Economic Commission
Economic Development Winnipeg

Top Canadian Economic Development Groups 2015 Honorable Mention

City of Brampton Economic Development Office (Ont.)
Canada's Technology Triangle (Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.)
Greater Halifax Partnership (NS)
Lloydminster Economic Development (Sask.)
London Economic Development Corp. (Ont.)
City of Mississauga Economic Development Office (Ont.)
City of Oshawa Economic Development (Ont.)
Enterprise Saint John (NB)
Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (Sask.)
WindsorEssex Economic Development Corp. (Ont.)

The Canada’s Best Locations 2015 report, entitled "Wonderlands," includes a Canadian economic development directory, and appears in the September 2015 edition of Site Selection, available at siteselection.com.

"We make sure Canada is covered in every issue of Site Selection, from provincial and Canada-U.S. border updates to coverage of new projects in our industry reports," says Mark Arend, editor in chief of Site Selection. "The annual Canada’s Best Locations feature sheds additional light on Canada’s many location options for corporate site selectors. We salute the provinces and communities that made this year’s rankings."

The entire Canada's Best Locations article appears in the September 2015 edition of Site Selection and online at www.siteselection.com. Also featured in the issue are Site Selection's annual ranking of Top US Utilities in Economic Development, and reports on global infrastructure, logistics, and rural economic development. The issue also contains international, regional and state spotlights; industry reports; and several of the magazine's popular Investment Profiles.

Site Selection magazine, published by Conway Inc., delivers expansion planning information to 48,000 executives of fast-growing firms. The senior publication in the development field, Site Selection is also available via Site Selection Online. The publication also publishes or co-publishes e-newsletters, including The Site Selection Dispatch and its Online Insider series, Life Sciences Report, Aerospace Report and Energy Report; The Global FDI Report; TrustBelt.com and the OnSITE Travel blog.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Conway since 1954 has been a trusted advisor to corporations, government economic development and investment promotion agencies around the world. Conway owns and manages London-based Conway Events, organizer of worldwide FDI events; Berlin-based FDI advisory firm Terrain Consulting; and New York-based Conway PR & Marketing, a leading PR and lead-generation firm. In February 2015 Conway formed an exclusive partnership with Silverlode Consulting Corp. as Conway's corporate location advisory partner in the United States. Conway also manages the Industrial Asset Management Council and the Global FDI Association. Conway in 2013 launched a Custom Publishing Division that has published economic development guides for territories including Texas, California, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Mississippi. Conway employs over 80 people in 10 offices in seven countries.