ONTARIO, CANADA Community Profile
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SAULT STE. MARIE ONTARIO, CANADA Community Profile July 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . 4 1 0. INTRODUCTION . 5 1.1 Location .......................................................................................6 2 0. DEMOGRAPHICS . 7 2.1 Population Size and Growth ...................................................................... 7 2.2 Age Profile ....................................................................................8 2.3 Income (2015) ..................................................................................9 2.4 Mobility Characteristics ........................................................................ 12 2.5 Language Characteristics ...................................................................... 13 2.6 Level of Education ............................................................................ 14 3 0. LABOUR FORCE . 15 3.1 Key Indicators ................................................................................. 16 3.2 Labour Force by Occupation .................................................................... 16 3.3 Labour Force by Industry ........................................................................17 3.4 General Wages by Occupation .................................................................. 18 3.5 Largest Employers ............................................................................ 19 4 0. TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS . 20 4.1 Highways ..................................................................................... 21 4.2 Rail Service ..................................................................................22 4.3 Airports ......................................................................................22 4.4 Ports and Marine ..............................................................................22 5 0. TAXES AND UTILITIES . 23 5.1 Local Property Tax Rates .......................................................................24 5.2 Federal and Provincial Tax Rates ................................................................25 5.3 Water/Wastewater and Waste Management ......................................................27 5.4 Electricity ....................................................................................28 5.5 Natural Gas ...................................................................................30 6 0. PLANNING, AND DEVELOPMENT RELATED FEES . 31 6.1 Planning Related Fees/Charges .................................................................32 6.2 Development Charges and Fees .................................................................32 7 0. BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES . 33 7.1 National and Provincial Support .................................................................34 7.2 Local/Regional Support ........................................................................35 7.3 Education and Training .........................................................................36 7.4 Communications Infrastructure .................................................................38 8 0. QUALITY OF LIFE . 39 8.1 Cost of Living ..................................................................................40 8.2 Housing Characteristics .......................................................................43 8.3 Healthcare ....................................................................................44 8.4 Education ....................................................................................44 8.5 Climate .......................................................................................44 8.6 Recreational Facilities .........................................................................45 8.7 Arts, Culture & Recreation ......................................................................46 APPENDIX A – MUNICIPAL, PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL INCENTIVES . 51 Provincial Funding ................................................................................52 Federal Programs .................................................................................53 Jobs Programs ...................................................................................54 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario - Community Profile 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ONTARIO, CANADA Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada has a population TransCanada highway, with uncongested travel of 73,500 and boasts an extraordinary quality of north of the city, and to the south, a short bridge life. A family-friendly community, work/life balance crossing away, is Sault Ste. Marie Michigan and that cannot be beat, affordable housing, centres Interstate-75, which goes all the way to Florida. of learning and culture, urban amenities, and Sault Ste. Marie offers numerous cost benefits over our renowned four-season recreation assets are business operations in larger cities. We offer quality natural complements to the competitive business talent and expertise at an affordable rate, lower environment. business operating costs and affordable land and Sault Ste. Marie has a cost advantage as it relates to real estate. We have access to financial incentives utility and service costs. Sault Ste. Marie through its and programs for new and existing clients. A 2016 wholly-owned public utility prides itself on providing KPMG competitiveness report ranked Sault Ste. reliable services at the lowest possible prices. Marie 10th globally out of 111 cities for competitive In 2016, Sault Ste. Marie was third lowest in the business cost structure. Province for electric residential power rates based Sault Ste. Marie is the place to enjoy a “big” lifestyle on an average monthly bill of 750kW. with a small footprint. The nature that surrounds We have deep roots in manufacturing and our us inspires our commitment to living well and growing smart energy sector builds upon the nearly growing well. From its rich history and quality-of-life 1200 megawatts (MW) of clean renewable energy benefits, to its growing economy and competitive produced in the region (solar, wind, hydro-electric advantages for businesses, Sault Ste. Marie is a generation). Planned community-wide smartgrid great place to live, learn, work and play. and battery storage projects will lower electricity With our strategic location, access to markets, costs even further on top of increased power lower cost structure, affordable living and high reliability and redundancies. quality of life, Sault Ste. Marie is the ideal place for We are a multi-modal transportation hub, with your business and your family. access to the TransCanada Highway, Canadian Pacific and Canadian National Rail, deep sea port shipping and a regional airport with multiple daily flights to Toronto, Ontario. Sault Ste. Marie is located at the centre point of the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario - Community Profile 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION Sault Ste. Marie has a long and fascinating history Sault Ste. Marie boasts an extraordinary quality and is one of the oldest French settlements in North of life. A family-friendly community on the steps America -- at the crossroads of the 3,000-mile fur of nature. Enjoy a work/life balance that cannot trade route, which stretched from Montreal to Sault be beat, with 10-minute commutes, affordable Ste. Marie and to the north country above Lake housing, and urban amenities. Enjoy our four- Superior. seasons with year-round sports, activities and fun! Far more than a border city, we are an international Own a home and a cottage, or choose to live on the trailhead for commerce and recreation. water year-round. Whether you travel by water, rail, land or air, this We are located in the largest province in Canada is the prime route to North America’s heartland. and the centre for business and commerce. Ontario For business, it’s a leading hub for transportation, is located within one of the most stable and specialized industry and digital innovators. For competitive business environments in the world. recreation, this is an ideal gateway to one-of-a- Canada has the world’s most stable banking system, kind tourism, waterways and wilderness adventure. is ranked the second most politically stable and For international professionals, students and is rated among the top three best countries for newcomers, we are a welcoming harbour for business. settlement opportunities. For centuries, enterprising builders and entrepreneurs have forged world-renowned solutions here – from paper and steel to transport and power generation. Today, that same “maker” ingenuity is powering new segments of the global economy: renewable energy, gaming, geomatics, aerospace, agri-innovation and more. It’s also incubating start-ups, revitalizing craft industries and celebrating a rich indigenous culture. That’s why the resourceful and independently minded find themselves at home here. Source: Invest Ontario (https://www.investinontario.com/why-ontario) Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario - Community Profile 5 1.1 LOCATION Sault Ste. Marie is strategically located at the heart We are located at the centre of the Great Lakes of the great lakes, on the U.S. border with Michigan Economy, a highly integrated trading zone that and near the centre point of the Trans-Canada accounts for more than 50% of all U.S./Canadian Highway. We are a multi-modal transportation bilateral border trade and over 200 million tons of hub with excellent air, highway, marine, rail and cargo shipped annually. The region, made up of 10 telecommunication connections ensuring rapid and U.S. states and two provinces has a GDP of US$6 economical transportation