When it comes to running a successful business in Canada, not all regions are created equally.
While some regions – like Calgary – have taken a dive in terms of their business appeal, others are quickly gaining it.
Yesterday, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released a list of the country’s “Entrepreneurial Communities” – and there are definitely some surprises.
The cities were scored out of 100 based on three categories: “Presence” (the growth of business ownership in those communities); “Perspective” (business optimism within said communities); and “Policy” (local government action with regard to taxes and regulations).
Image: Mariner Motor Hotel
As it turns out, Collingwood is much more than its great après-ski scene and the Spa Nordik.
The town tied for first place with Kelowna, B.C. with a score of 72 out of 100 – ranking 18.8 out of 25 on “Presence,” 23.4 out of 35 on “Perspective” and 29.9 out of 40 on “policy.”
Though the figures actually don’t sound too impressive, Collingwood is in a much better place than the Calgary area.
This is the first time in five years that the “Calgary periphery” – the areas that border the city – did not top the “Major Cities” category. The category includes cities with populations of more than 150,000 people.
Instead, it tied for second place with Victoria, followed by the Toronto periphery, Barrie, Guelph and Sherbrooke.
According to the CFIB (but it’s pretty much common knowledge), the fall in Calgary comes amid a “resource price bust” that’s characterized a handful of resource-based prairie cities.
Clearly, the blow impacted the outlook of business owners; the Calgary periphery’s “Perspective” score was lower than the bottom-ranked city on the list at 16.5.
Perhaps they should consider trading moving from the home of the Calgary Stampede to the home of the world’s largest Elvis festival.
And for those of simply seeking employment, here are the best cities in Canada to find it.
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