Issue #6 - July 2019  
The Vaughan Economic Monitor is a resource from the Vaughan Economic and Cultural Development Department that shares hard-hitting facts, figures and news related to economic, market and business activities here in Vaughan. New issues are delivered bi-monthly.

In This Issue
Woodbridge Foam Corp. to invest $100 million on new global R&D centre in Vaughan and modernization of manufacturing sites
Woodbridge Foam Corp., a leading manufacturer of automotive foam, will create a Centre of Excellence to concentrate the corporation's global research and development (R&D) activities in advanced materials and product design in Woodbridge.

The company is investing up to $100 million for creating and promoting innovation. The Government of Canada announced an investment of up to $20 million to support the modernization project, which is made through the Strategic Innovation Fund. The Strategic Innovation Fund is a program designed to attract and support high-quality business investments in Canada's most dynamic and innovative sectors.
 
The investment will also modernize two manufacturing sites in Woodbridge (Kipling location) and Bleinheim, and will create more than 100 jobs and conserve more than 700 additional middle-class manufacturing jobs. 
Scotiabank to occupy office and retail space in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre's new PwC-YMCA Tower
View of the fully constructed PwC-Tower from Transit Square (July 2019)
S martCentres announced that Scotiabank will occupy 23,000 square feet of office space on the eighth floor, and 3,500 square feet of retail space in the lobby of the new PwC-YMCA Tower in SmartCentres Place, with an expected occupancy date of Fall 2019. The first two office buildings in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre are now 100 per cent leased.

The PwC-YMCA Tower is a 220,000 square foot mixed-use office tower which will include a 77,000 square foot PwC o ffice, a 20,000 square foot City of Vaughan library and studio space, and 100,000 square foot YMCA including fitness and aquatic facilities and a child care centre. 
Vaughan's industrial development market among top in Canada
Statistics Canada's first-quarter building permit publication ranked the value of Vaughan's industrial permits as eighth in Canada, with $27.4 million in industrial building permits issued between January to March of 2019. Across all categories, Vaughan's building permits totaled $172.3 million for the same period. Vaughan is the 17th largest city in  Canada by population.

Vaughan is the fourth largest industrial market in the Greater Toronto Area, and ranked in the top ten by value of non-residential building permits in Canada in 2018. This follows on an unprecedented amount of building activity submitted for the Vaughan Enterprise Zone (VEZ) in 2018, which saw approximately 6.2 million square feet of industrial place put forward. The VEZ is located in the western quadrant of the City, bordering Brampton, Toronto and Caledon and encompasses a total gross area of 1,668 hectares (4,122 acres). It has one of the largest supplies of vacant  employment lands in the Greater Toronto Area. The VEZ is connected directly to the Highway 401 trade corridors through Highways 407 and 427, with the 6-kilometre Highway 427 expansion through the VEZ slated for completion in 2020.

Recent expansions in the VEZ include:

Mayor Bevilacqua at Highway 427 Expansion groundbreaking
  • Give & Go Prepared Foods, a leading manufacturer of small, bite sized, high quality, indulgent baked goods sold under the best-selling two biteĀ® brand or cobranded with retailer brands, recently expanded into two industrial facilities, both located in the VEZ to accommodate their growth.
     
  • Article.com, a successful furniture start-up from Vancouver, has moved into approximately 170,000 square feet of space to serve as their new warehousing facility for the GTA market.
     
  • Graybar Canada, a Halifax-based wholesale distributor for thousands of items from leading manufacturers of electrical and communications & data products, opened a new branch the VEZ in a 90,000 square foot facility, which is now their largest branch.
     
  • Enviroplast, a recognized leader in the recycling polyethylene, a plastic used to manufacture bags and packaging, announced their expansion of operations to from Quebec to Ontario by establishing a recycling facility using first-in-Canada technology in Vaughan. This represents a $10-million investment, with FedDev Ontario providing a $3-million repayable contribution to the project cost. 
Vaughan one of Canada's most concentrated advanced manufacturing hubs
It is no secret that City of Vaughan is one of Canada's advanced manufacturing hubs. In fact, according to a recent labour market report from  research software Analyst by EMSI, Vaughan has the highest concentrated manufacturing sector in the Greater Toronto Area with a location quotient* of 2.17. This provides Vaughan-based manufacturers with an opportunity to access superior end-to-end supply chain solutions at low costs and help achieve best on-time delivery performance.   

 

*Location quotient (LQ) is a way of quantifying how concentrated a particular industry, cluster, occupation, or demographic group is in a region compared to the nation. It can reveal what makes a particular region "unique" in comparison to the national average. Many economists consider an area's industry to be concentrated if its LQ is above 1.2.

EMC's 'Advantage Through Excellence: Future of Manufacturing Conference' coming to Vaughan
Canada's Largest Manufacturing Consortium, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC), together with event partners and stakeholders, is hosting their national manufacturing conference October 8 to October 10, 2019. 'Advantage Through Excellence: Future of Manufacturing Conference' is a two-and-a-half day event exploring the competitive advantages, opportunities and successes that can be achieved by manufacturers through industry-driven interaction and sharing of best practices. Up to 900 manufacturing decision-makers from across Canada are anticipated to attend. 

At past EMC events, conference delegates typically consisting of senior manufacturing leaders (CEO through to Plant/Operations management) comprised over 80% of total participants. These manufacturers are complimented by industry, business and community stakeholders who all share a similar objective: experience first-hand, EMC's motto of "sharing to optimize learning, expertise and resources to achieve world class", which its members have so successfully fostered.

Knowledge, experience and successes will be showcased to explore these five conference streams: 
  1. Advanced Manufacturing & Innovation
  2. Export Development & Growth
  3. Operational Excellence
  4. Future State of Manufacturing
  5. Plant & Best Practice Tours 
For more information and to register please visit https://www.futureofmfg.ca/
Vaughan-based Anatolia Tile + Stone announces investment for global expansion
Anatolia Tile + Stone, headquartered in Vaughan, announced a global expansion to Savannah, Georgia with a $98 million investment in two new facilities. Anatolia Tile + Stone is a source for ceramic and stone products and a supplier to some of the largest distributors throughout the United States and Canada. Their global headquarters in Vaughan houses over 20,000 square feet of office space as well as a state-of-the-art 6,000 square foot showroom, and employs more than 200 people. 
Vaughan-based high-tech company recognized by Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries
From left to right: Scott Berry (OPG), Pat Dalzell (Bruce Power), Gila Martow (MPP Thornhill), Ron Oberth (OCNI), Jay Sarkar (Sartrex Power Controls Ltd.), Sandra Yeung Racco (Councillor Ward 4 City of Vaughan), Shawn Sarkar (Sartrex Power Controls Ltd.) (Source: OCNI, 2019)
Sartrex Power Control Systems was recognized for their contributions to the Ontario and offshore nuclear industries by the Organization of Canadian Nuclear Industries (OCNI), an association of more than 200 Canadian suppliers to the nuclear industry that employ more than 14,000 highly skilled and specialized engineers, technologists, and trades people. 

OCNI President and CEO, Dr. Ron Oberth commended the company, saying, "I am very pleased today to recognize Sartrex and its founder Jay Sarkar for the company's leadership in bringing innovative safety and process control systems to the Canadian nuclear industry and for its long term contribution to the community of Concord, illustrating how Ontario's commitment to nuclear energy generation so positively impacts people in so many regions of the province."
Vaughan-based manufacturer receives federal funding to invest in innovative clean technology and creation of skilled jobs
Northern Transformer Corporation, a Vaughan-based power transformer manufacturer, received $3 million in FedDev Ontario funding to adopt first-in-Ontario clean manufacturing technology for its manufacturing process. The project, which totals an investment of $11.7 million, will also result in the retrofit of the 105,000 square foot facility with state-of-the-art equipment, and create 32 skilled jobs in engineering and manufacturing. 
Air Canada partners with Vaughan-based Drone Delivery Canada to bring drone deliveries closer to reality
A commercial agreement between Drone Delivery Canada and Air Canada was reached in June. The partnership involves Air Canada's cargo unit marketing and selling the drone delivery services using their existing platforms, across 150,000 drone delivery routes in the country.  Drone Delivery Canada is a pioneering drone technology firm developing next generation logistics services.
Preliminary planning, design and engineering for Yonge Subway Extension underway
Mayor Bevilacqua at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) Station
T
he Yonge Subway Extension (YSE) is a 7.4  kilometre extension of the TTC's Line 1 from Finch Station in Toronto to Highway 7 in Richmond Hill and is a cross-jurisdictional project from the City of Toronto into the City of Markham, City of Vaughan and City of Richmond Hill. This critical rapid transit li nk will include up to six stations, four of which are along Vaughan's eastern boundary: Langstaff/Longbridge, Royal Orchard, Clark, and Steeles. The preliminary planning, design and engineering phase of the YSE is currently underway and expected to be completed in 2020. 


Map of future Yonge Subway Extension (Source: York Region Rapid Transit Corporation, 2019)
For this phase of the project, the Government of Canada committed $36 million and the Province of Ontario, through Metrolinx, committed $55 million. In April, 2019, the Province announced $11.2 billion to support capital construction for four major rapid transit projects, including the Yonge Subway Extension.

Over the next several months, you may see crews surveying and conducting geotechnical testing along Yonge Street and some side streets from Finch Avenue in Toronto to Highway 7 in Richmond Hill. 

For the latest news and updates, visit www.yongesubwayext.com or follow the project team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Vaughan's Starter Company Plus program applications now open
Application for Vaughan's Starter Company Plus program are now open! This program is designed to help start-up or expand your business. Receive tailored training, mentorship and the opportunity to apply for a provincial grant of up to $5,000 to help your business grow. The Starter Company Plus program is offered at the Vaughan Business Enterprise Centre through the support of the Government of Ontario and the City of Vaughan.

Qualified applicants to Starter Company Plus will receive:
  • Mentoring from successful local entrepreneurs
  • Training to develop business knowledge and skills
  • Access to advisory services for your business
  • Access to business workshops and valuable networking opportunities
  • Opportunity to apply for a grant of up to $5,000 in provincial funding
To receive further information about the program, please complete the Starter Company Plus eligibility survey. All eligible participants will be invited to attend an information session in July outlining the program requirements and deadlines. Business training and business planning sessions will begin in August.

Applications for the Starter Company Plus program are due September 12, 2019.
Learn more about eligibility criteria, program requirements and key dates.
Music in the Square event series to take place at VMC Transit Square in July and August


The City of Vaughan's very first Music in the Square event series will be held in partnership with SmartCentres and Arcadia Live! Productions throughout July and August. Join us for fun, free musical and cultural events taking place all summer long in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre's (VMC) Transit Square - the core of Vaughan's emerging downtown. Pickup and drop-off zones are available along New Park Place and Millway Avenue and validated parking is available through SmartCentres.  Visit vaughan.ca/culture for a list of event dates and more.
Experience a 360-degree tour of Downtown Vaughan
Screenshot from the 360-degree tour of VMC
360-degree video tour of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) has been developed tointroduce business, real estate, and other audience to the VMC. Click and drag the video to follow the 360-Degree Tour of this incredible city-building project. 
Upcoming business events
Find an up to date list of events, seminars, and networking opportunities for businesses at vaughan.ca/BusinessEvents or view a full calendar of all community business events by visiting the City's Event Calendar

The City of Vaughan's Economic and Cultural Development department focuses on facilitating entrepreneurship, employment and investment opportunities, developing and promoting art and cultural experiences, as well as engaging thought leaders to generate insightful ideas, strategies and actions that drive economic, cultural and partnership investment. We work to make Vaughan a place where entrepreneurship, business, art and culture prosper and grow.

For more information, contact the City of Vaughan's Economic and Cultural Development team at 
905-832-8526 or visit our website at vaughan.ca/business.

To view previous editions of the Vaughan Economic Monitor and to subscribe, visit vaughan.ca/BusinessNews.