[Lyle]

Three Canadian cities make best-in-business list
Updated Tue. Jun. 12 2007 8:53 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

The economy may be booming in Calgary, but a report says Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the easiest places to do business in the world.

In a new study, MasterCard ranked the cities among the top 50 "Worldwide Centers of Commerce" that "drive global commerce," using an index that analyzed how they managed to connect markets around the world.

Toronto placed 12th overall, Montreal came in 27th and Vancouver at 28th.

While the three Canadian municipalities failed to crack the top ten, they placed in the top three in terms of being the easiest places in the world for doing business.

Vancouver came in first, followed by Toronto and Montreal.

The study cited "a strong national health care system, excellent infrastructure, low traffic and easy access to public transportation" as reasons why the cities were the most attractive for doing business.

Maurice Levi, a professor at the University of British Columbia who worked on the rankings, told CTV's Canada AM that cities are the driving force of economies.

"Just to put it in perspective, if you take the three Canadian cities that made the list -- Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver -- in every case, these cities constitute 50 per cent or more of the gross provincial products of those provinces," he said Tuesday.

In terms of starting a business, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver ranked first, second and third respectively.

"This is the process of getting yourself incorporated and getting going," said Levi. "Things work reasonably well (in Canada)."

Kevin Stanton, president of MasterCard Canada, said that the study shows Canadian cities are standing "shoulder-to-shoulder" with leading economies around the world.

"The strong performance of Canadian cities as Worldwide Centers of Commerce reinforces how fortunate we are to live and do business here," he said in a press release.

London gained the top spot in the report, with New York, Tokyo, Chicago and Hong Kong rounding out the top five.

[Coldrsx]

waiting for calgary replies of "but but but" in 3,2,1...

[WhipperSnapper]

... 1,2,3, what the heck is bothering me

[401_King]

^ family matters

[bigcanuck]

From the study:

"The MasterCard Worldwide Centers of Commerce Index is compiled from research by a panel of eight independent economic, urban development and social science experts from leading academic and research institutions around the world, led by Dr. Hedrick-Wong. To form the index, the panel first identified 63 cities around the world that met their initial criteria."

I'm curious as to which 63 cities were in the running and what criteria was used to select them. I would guess that only Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver made the first cut.

[Coldrsx]

not slagging calgary per se, but Calgary IS NOT ON THE SAME SCALE AS TORONTO, NYC, TOKYO, LONDON etc...hell, Toronto is barely there.

[davee930]

not slagging calgary per se, but Calgary IS NOT ON THE SAME SCALE AS TORONTO, NYC, TOKYO, LONDON etc...hell, Toronto is barely there.

when did anybody from calgary start arguing?
it doesn't matter edmonton isn't on the same scale as calgary haha

[Coldrsx]

^it wasnt about the people of calgary, it was from this line in the article:

"The economy may be booming in Calgary, but a report says Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the easiest places to do business in the world."

implies that calgary aint a winner here.

This isnt an Edm/Cal thing.

[Claeren]

not slagging calgary per se, but Calgary IS NOT ON THE SAME SCALE AS TORONTO, NYC, TOKYO, LONDON etc...hell, Toronto is barely there.

But it is on the same level as Vancouver or Montreal.


I am guessing three things worked against Calgary:
1) No port
2) Air connections limited, as trans-pacific is routed through Vancouver and trans-atlantic is routed throughToronto and even sometimes Montreal
3) Calgary splits some of its economic clout with Edmonton if you look at the percentage of GDP generated within its provincial unit (which they seem to have looked at). If they were unified (say with high speed rail) and could be counted as a single unit they would likely have been leaders in the study.


But studies like this are by their nature limited in scope.



Claeren.

[Coldrsx]

But it is on the same level as Vancouver or Montreal.


I am guessing three things worked against Calgary:
1) No port
2) Air connections limited, as trans-pacific is routed through Vancouver and trans-atlantic is routed throughToronto and even sometimes Montreal
3) Calgary splits some of its economic clout with Edmonton if you look at the percentage of GDP generated within its provincial unit (which they seem to have looked at). If they were unified (say with high speed rail) and could be counted as a single unit they would likely have been leaders in the study.


But studies like this are by their nature limited in scope.



Claeren.

completely agree.

[The Chemist]

not slagging calgary per se, but Calgary IS NOT ON THE SAME SCALE AS TORONTO, NYC, TOKYO, LONDON etc...hell, Toronto is barely there.

Who the fuck ever said it was? :rolleyes:

[Rusty van Reddick]

They only considered cities with large populations- it's that simple.

When it comes to "business" Calgary is absolutely, unquestionably "bigger" than Vancouver.

[ctown.myth]

But it is on the same level as Vancouver or Montreal.


I am guessing three things worked against Calgary:
1) No port
2) Air connections limited, as trans-pacific is routed through Vancouver and trans-atlantic is routed throughToronto and even sometimes Montreal
3) Calgary splits some of its economic clout with Edmonton if you look at the percentage of GDP generated within its provincial unit (which they seem to have looked at). If they were unified (say with high speed rail) and could be counted as a single unit they would likely have been leaders in the study.


But studies like this are by their nature limited in scope.



Claeren.

^ That's true, if I remember correctly, there was a report by TD, stating that the Calgary-Edmonton corridor was the best place to do business in Canada, and alternately, also had one of the highest GDP in Canada.

[someone123]

But it is on the same level as Vancouver or Montreal.

Not really. Calgary may have a stronger economy but Montreal is three times larger and still a much more important city. If you're going to call that being on the "same level" then why not also say that Calgary is on the "same level" as, say, Kitchener, Ontario?

These rankings are just a way for companies to get a bit of publicity.

[Coldrsx]

Who the fuck ever said it was? :rolleyes:

relating it to who is on this survey kido.

so they said it was(nt)

[caltrane74]

I don't know why Vancouver is on the list. It's too small to be considered a world city.

Why Vancouver and not Calgary then?

Oh well, this list is completely subjective crap anyway.

[Coldrsx]

^this is why...you didnt read the story right:

"Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the easiest places to do business in the world. "

[Claeren]

But it is on the same level as Vancouver or Montreal.

Not really. Calgary may have a stronger economy but Montreal is three times larger and still a much more important city. If you're going to call that being on the "same level" then why not also say that Calgary is on the "same level" as, say, Kitchener, Ontario?

These rankings are just a way for companies to get a bit of publicity.

Calgary is the business centre for one of, if not THE, largest oil, gas and coal sources in the democratic world.

It is administering one of, if not THE, largest capital project buildouts in the history of the planet.

Per Capita, each and every Calgarian sends ~$200/MONTH to the federal government that they do not see back. The majority recipient of that money is Quebec. (Hence taxing growth in Calgary to the benefit of Montreal, subtracting Calgary from the equation would hurt Montreal while subtracting Montreal from the equation would help Calgary.)


Calgary/Alberta has less and/or lax regulations, less government interference, lower taxes, less crown-corp competition, and an incrediable availablilty of investment capital unrivalled anywhere that i know of in the world - not just Canada.




I don't think many people would agree with you.



Claeren.

[Coldrsx]

"Per Capita, each and every Calgarian sends ~$200/MONTH to the federal government that they do not see back. The majority recipient of that money is Quebec. (Hence taxing growth in Calgary to the benefit of Montreal, subtracting Calgary from the equation would hurt Montreal while subtracting Montreal from the equation would help Calgary.)"

oh god

[Lyle]

The list wasn't about which city had the biggest GDP. It was about the ease with which companies could get established and conduct business.
I think it is especially pertinent because it directly contradicts the shallow conventional wisdom out there that Montreal is somehow anti-business. In fact, Montreal scores well because of its public supports for a mature economy: public health care, public infrastructure, public transit. That's where places like Calgary might not do as well.

[someone123]

Calgary is the business centre for one of, if not THE, largest oil, gas and coal sources in the democratic world.

It is administering one of, if not THE, largest capital project buildouts in the history of the planet.

Per Capita, each and every Calgarian sends ~$200/MONTH to the federal government that they do not see back. The majority recipient of that money is Quebec. (Hence taxing growth in Calgary to the benefit of Montreal, subtracting Calgary from the equation would hurt Montreal while subtracting Montreal from the equation would help Calgary.)


Calgary/Alberta has less and/or lax regulations, less government interference, lower taxes, less crown-corp competition, and an incrediable availablilty of investment capital unrivalled anywhere that i know of in the world - not just Canada.




I don't think many people would agree with you.



Claeren.


I'll have what he's having.

[Claeren]

"Per Capita, each and every Calgarian sends ~$200/MONTH to the federal government that they do not see back. The majority recipient of that money is Quebec. (Hence taxing growth in Calgary to the benefit of Montreal, subtracting Calgary from the equation would hurt Montreal while subtracting Montreal from the equation would help Calgary.)"

oh god

You are right, that is getting off topic.


My core point is still the same. Calgary was simply discluded from the list of initial cities. That does not mean it ranked lower than the ones considered, it was not even measured.

I hate studies like this - and i hate even more the newspaper write-ups after the fact...



Claeren.

[The Chemist]

Public health care, public infrastructure, public transit. That's where places like Calgary might not do as well.

Not sure where you get this idea from - Calgary does quite well in all three of these categories.

[caltrane74]

^this is why...you didnt read the story right:

"Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are the easiest places to do business in the world. "

But my point remains the same: Why isn't Calgary on the list then?


Edit:

I will correct myself. Easiest to do business means more than just making the big bucks. If it was just about Money Toronto and Calgary would rock the list, I see they also include transporation which would give the advantage to the big 3.

In this case Toronto has excellent Transporation Infastructure created by the Provincial government which loves us lots and builds new highways and expands existing highways around Toronto all the Time.

Toronto just may have the best Truck Highway system on earth, if there is such a thing. Which would do wonders for making a stupid list like the one above.

[rbt]

Calgary is a very difficult place to start a new small business at the moment for the exact same reason it is booming (oil money).

It is difficult to find suitable space at a low rate (new small businesses are not flush with cash) and it is difficult to find good labour at a low salary level.

[Coldrsx]

could be that Calgary is simply "too small" to have been included...

[ctown.myth]

^ Or maybe just too 'unknown' in the business world?

[Coldrsx]

^thats what i meant...as much Calgary is in the media forefront in Canada and to some extent North America due to the oil sands, globally it is still not there yet.

[O-Town Hockey]

Calgary is the business centre for one of, if not THE, largest oil, gas and coal sources in the democratic world.

It is administering one of, if not THE, largest capital project buildouts in the history of the planet.

Per Capita, each and every Calgarian sends ~$200/MONTH to the federal government that they do not see back. The majority recipient of that money is Quebec. (Hence taxing growth in Calgary to the benefit of Montreal, subtracting Calgary from the equation would hurt Montreal while subtracting Montreal from the equation would help Calgary.)

Calgary/Alberta has less and/or lax regulations, less government interference, lower taxes, less crown-corp competition, and an incrediable availablilty of investment capital unrivalled anywhere that i know of in the world - not just Canada.

I don't think many people would agree with you.

Claeren.

People from Calgary on these forums kill me. They have the same argument for every discussion:

-"Calgary is the best city in Canada to do business in because we make tons of money."
-"Calgary is the best city in Canada to live in because we make tons of money."
-"Calgary is a world class city because we make tons of money."

I hate to burst your bubbles, but none of the above could be further from the truth. Just because Alberta is sitting on a very large natural resource doesn't make it a world business leader or a world class city. Calgary has terrible flight connections to the world's business centres (compared to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver). The types of businesses in Calgary are, in general, very narrow in scope and there are very few national head offices (other than oil obviously). The transit system in Calgary may have a head start on ours here in Ottawa, but it is nothing compared to those in the big 3. Calgary is growing and becomming an amazing medium-sized city but it is, by no means, world class. Let's not forget that Calgary is an artificial oasis planted in the middle of a veritable desert with very little of another natural resource....FRESH CLEAN WATER. Calgarians need to wake up and realize that they are not the only city in Canada that has been an economic success over the last decade. Torontonians have long thought of themselves as living in the only world-class city in Canada. While that dream may be quickly becoming a reality in Toronto over the last decade, you have a long way to go Calgary.

[shreddog]

The question should not be “why is Calgary not on this list?” (it certainly does not belong there!!), but rather “Why is Vancouver on this list??”

Look at the list of the 50 cities reviewed and tell me why Vancouver is there, other than to provide geographical coverage of Canada. This is not meant to be a slag against Vancouver, but rather a realistic statement that it is not a major city in world commerce nor politics (some of the cities on the list are there only because they're capital cities).

The truth is that both Toronto and Montreal just barley make it into that club – remember that Canada is a very small player in world commerce.

Anyway, here is the full list of 50 cities, plus a link (http://www.mastercard.com/us/company/en/wcoc/landing.html) to the website that provides methodology and stuff.

1 London
2 New York
3 Tokyo
4 Chicago
5 Hong Kong
6 Singapore
7 Frankfurt
8 Paris
9 Seoul
10 Los Angeles
11 Amsterdam
12 Toronto
13 Boston
14 Sydney
15 Copenhagen
16 Madrid
17 Stockholm
18 San Francisco
19 Zurich
20 Atlanta
21 Miami
22 Houston
23 Washington D.C.
24 Berlin
25 Milan
26 Munich
27 Montreal
28 Vancouver
29 Brussels
30 Vienna
31 Dublin
32 Shanghai
33 Barcelona
34 Melbourne
35 Geneva
36 Bangkok
37 Dubai
38 Kuala Lumpur
39 Santiago
40 Budapest
41 Prague
42 Mexico City
43 Rome
44 Tel Aviv
45 Mumbai
46 Beijing
47 Johannesburg
48 Sao Paulo
49 Warsaw
50 Moscow

[Claeren]

People from Calgary on these forums kill me. They have the same argument for every discussion:

-"Calgary is the best city in Canada to do business in because we make tons of money."
-"Calgary is the best city in Canada to live in because we make tons of money."
-"Calgary is a world class city because we make tons of money."

I hate to burst your bubbles, but none of the above could be further from the truth. Just because Alberta is sitting on a very large natural resource doesn't make it a world business leader or a world class city. Calgary has terrible flight connections to the world's business centres (compared to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver). The types of businesses in Calgary are, in general, very narrow in scope and there are very few national head offices (other than oil obviously). The transit system in Calgary may have a head start on ours here in Ottawa, but it is nothing compared to those in the big 3. Calgary is growing and becomming an amazing medium-sized city but it is, by no means, world class. Let's not forget that Calgary is an artificial oasis planted in the middle of a veritable desert with very little of another natural resource....FRESH CLEAN WATER. Calgarians need to wake up and realize that they are not the only city in Canada that has been an economic success over the last decade. Torontonians have long thought of themselves as living in the only world-class city in Canada. While that dream may be quickly becoming a reality in Toronto over the last decade, you have a long way to go Calgary.

Virtually every city in the world is based primarily on a market niche of some kind. Some would argue that well specialized city-states are the entire future of mankind.

Take government away from Ottawa, pacific trade away from Vancouver, finance from Toronto, insurance from London, etc.

The largest cities would be better off then the smaller ones and ALL of them have secondary industries, certainly, but the subtraction of the core industry would definitely trigger a decline in those cities that could well mark the end of its attraction as a major hub into the forseeable future.


As has been said, Calgary was disqualified before the comparison began. And the comparison was not meant at all to reflect the national comparisons we are discussing now.





Claeren.

[LordMandeep]

the suburban Toronto area is an easy place for anyone to set up a business and the area is heavily benefited from being near a massive US population.

[WhipperSnapper]

The truth is that both Toronto and Montreal just barley make it into that club

barely? ... on that list?!? C'mon dude

[caltrane74]

Like I've said a million times..the focus of the Alberta government is dealing with growth. (or at least it should be)

However there is probably little focus in the Alberta Capital for making Calgary a globally competitive city.

That said agian, this list is subjective crap.

[LordMandeep]

location is key as well, like Sydney is a huge city bigger then Toronto but whats the next major world city near it??? Jakarta, Singapore and HK are quite far away. It has only Wellington and Melbourne near it.

Near Montreal and Toronto you have Boston, Philly, Washington DC and NY and Chicago and Detroit.

[caltrane74]

The truth is that both Toronto and Montreal just barley make it into that club – remember that Canada is a very small player in world commerce.



Here is a hard fact, totally non-subjective. Toronto has the 6th largest equity exchange in the world. Mind you thats money that's invested all over Canada. But it certainly puts us in the big leagues of the global finance industry.

Canada's Economy is over 1 Trillion dollars US - not huge by any measure... But big enough that we could basically buy and sell Switzerland like a 2 dollar crack whore.

[LordMandeep]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stock_exchanges
Ten Largest Stock Exchanges by Market Capitalization (in trillions of US dollars)
1. New York Stock Exchange (merged with Euronext) - $15.87
2. Tokyo Stock Exchange - $4.74
3. NASDAQ - $4.01
4. London Stock Exchange - $3.94
5. Euronext (merged with NYSE) - $3.86
6. Toronto Stock Exchange - $1.92
7. Hong Kong Stock Exchange - $1.87
8. Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Deutsche Börse) - $1.78
9. Shanghai Stock Exchange - $1.70
10. Madrid Stock Exchange (BME Spanish Exchanges) - $1.43

Wierd the NY and TSX are bigger then the total GDP of respective nations.


Quite surprised its ahead of HK and Frankfurt.

[CanadianCentaur]

location is key as well, like Sydney is a huge city bigger then Toronto but whats the next major world city near it??? Jakarta, Singapore and HK are quite far away. It has only Wellington and Melbourne near it.

Near Montreal and Toronto you have Boston, Philly, Washington DC and NY and Chicago and Detroit.

That's incorrect. Toronto is a bigger metropolitan area than Sydney, Australia. Toronto has about 5.2 million (or around 5.6 million, if you go by the GTA). Sydney's population is about 4.3 million.

[LordMandeep]

really Sydeny appeared bigger then Toronto to me...
maybe because its way more spread out.

[shreddog]

Funny, it seems that the egos of Torontontians are as fragile as Calgarians.

What I meant by my statement is that Canada is a non-player in the world of International commerce. In a country with less than 0.5% of the world’s population that contributes less than 2% of the world’s GDP, the biggest of fish really don’t matter compared to the real econonic centres. Canada is not a major exporter of capital, there are no major “world” financial organizations based here that export a Canadian perspective, we have no major players in any of the key financial industries (though we are starting to have some legs in the mid-tier insurance business) nor do any Canadian companies dominate (or even figure in) any industrial sector.

An yes, I am very aware of the role the TSX plays in Canada. The truth is that regardless of the volume of trades performed on it, it is NOT a major international exchange. Forget the dollar value traded (which changes year over year more due to currency exchange rates than anything else), instead please list one foreign based company of substance that is co-listed on the TSX. Please, anyone? Same applies to the ME.

BTW, this is not a slag against Toronto or Montreal – great cities they both are, but the reality is it doesn’t matter how big these two fish are, the pond they play in/dominate is very small!

For those that disagree, just go to the WSJ or FT and do a search for Toronto or the TSX. Hell just browse through a version of the Economist to see the impact Canada has on the international markets. In most issues, the only reference to Canada is found in the index table on the second last page.

And Goodlookin, I do agree with you about the make-up of the names on that list. Note my original post where I say that many of those cities are obviously there only because of political reasons. (Warsaw??) That said, Vancouver is neither a world player in economics nor politics, so I am not really sure why it is there.

[caltrane74]

fair enough.

[401_King]

TSX is the sixth largest exchange in the world. The amount of business in canada is unappreciated.

[caltrane74]

Isn't it funny how Germany a Country with an economy at least 2x bigger than Canada doesn't have a stock exchange bigger than the TSX?

I'm assuming their financial markets are more decentralized than in Canada.

Italy not even in the top 10 world equity exchanges....hmm

[shreddog]

Isn't it funny how Germany a Country with an economy at least 2x bigger than Canada doesn't have a stock exchange bigger than the TSX?

I'm assuming their financial markets are more decentralized than in Canada.

Italy not even in the top 10 world equity exchanges....hmm
London really dominates the European capital markets. Nearly 50% of the companies listed on it are co-lists. Many of which see more capital transactions on the LSE than they do on the home/national markets.

Also, remember we are comparing these markets by using the US dollar. I guess this is another benefit of the rising loonie. Imagine the C$ was still only worth .65 USD?? The TSX likely wouldn't be in the top ten (in 2004 it ranked #9 in volume based on USD conversion)

[caltrane74]

I see. I see.

[Claeren]

TSX is the sixth largest exchange in the world. The amount of business in canada is unappreciated.


And the recently rising Loonie would support that suggestion i think.

I have heard some suggesting that the Canadian dollar could shoot right past the USD once it reaches parity. Fundamentals are largely better in Canada and once the stigma of the 61c dollar is totally vanquished further momentum could be found.


Claeren.

[Rusty van Reddick]

People from Calgary on these forums kill me. They have the same argument for every discussion:

-"Calgary is the best city in Canada to do business in because we make tons of money."
-"Calgary is the best city in Canada to live in because we make tons of money."
-"Calgary is a world class city because we make tons of money."


No kidding?!?! O-Town, please refrain from lighting any matches or you might ignite the straw man you've just created. NOBODY is saying any of these things. Show me one person who's said "Calgary is the best city in Canada to live in because we make tons of money." People on this board from Calgary may, more often than not, like and defend their city, but we aren't a bunch of blinder-wearing boosters who overstate things like you've just stereotyped us. And those of us who prefer Calgary to other cities in Canada to so not because "we make tons of money" but for reasons having to do with the city's spirit, ethos, potential, and other less tangible features as well as its beautiful natural surroundings.

[shreddog]

Here is a hard fact, totally non-subjective. Toronto has the 6th largest equity exchange in the world.

Sorry Caltrane, I just can't help myself.

It is absolutely incorrect that the TSX is the 6th largest exchange in the world. According to the World Federation of Exchanges, as of the end of April 2007, the TSX was in 7th spot!

Source (http://www.world-exchanges.org/publications/EQU1107.pdf)

1. NYSE Group:16,111,659.0 (+12.4% over Apr06)
2. Tokyo SE:4,653,107.0 (-5.2% over Apr06)
3. Euronext :4,155,997.0 (+27.7% over Apr06)
4. Nasdaq:4,060,657.0 (+7.8% over Apr06)
5. London SE:3,969,311.8 (+12.4% over Apr06)
6. Deutsche Börse :1,904,926.0 (+29.6% over Apr06)
7. TSX Group:1,823,352.0 (+3.1% over Apr06)
8. Hong Kong Exchanges:1,821,416.0 (+44.7% over Apr06)
9. Shanghai SE:1,613,413.0 (+375.9% over Apr06)
10. BME Spanish Exchanges :1,432,074.0 (+23.5% over Apr06)

BTW, this is the same source as the Wiki reference, it is just that the numbers (and rankings) referenced on Wiki were from March (out of date). Also, given the growth in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, I wouldn't be surprised to see the TSX fall to 9th by year end.

The point of this post is not to be pedantic but rather to show that simply looking at market capitialization doesn't show the scope of an exchange's importance. On a total tangent from this thread, if someone really wants to understand the interplay between international equity markets, start checking out the tables here (http://www.world-exchanges.org/WFE/home.asp?menu=396) that are available from the WFE. The stuff available in the member's only area is much more detailed, but the free stuff puts lots in context.

[shreddog]

And one more thing, while the TSX does well on market capitalisation, these are exchanges we are comparing. That is, there main purpose in life is to allow for the commercial exchange of equity and capital.. In that role, the TSX barely makes it into the top 15 as of April this year.

YTD trading values in USD:

1. NYSE Group:8290985
2. Nasdaq:4343411
3. London SE:3545956
4. Tokyo SE:2169091
5. Euronext :1691145
6. Deutsche Börse :1360700
7. Shanghai SE:1070833
8. BME Spanish Exchanges :923387
9. Borsa Italiana:695983
10. OMX:622579
11. Swiss Exchange:614093
12. Shenzen SE:560127
13. Korea Exchange:474823
14. TSX Group:456420
15. Hong Kong Exchanges:431139
Wiener Borse:40801

Finally, I only added the Vienna exchange 'cause I've always thought that their name is cool!!

[shreddog]

Isn't it funny how Germany a Country with an economy at least 2x bigger than Canada doesn't have a stock exchange bigger than the TSX?

I'm assuming their financial markets are more decentralized than in Canada.

Italy not even in the top 10 world equity exchanges....hmm
As per my follow-on posts, at end of April, the DB is larger is capitalisation. Also note, that it's YTD trading value is over 3 times that of the TSX.

[ctown.myth]

The question should not be “why is Calgary not on this list?” (it certainly does not belong there!!), but rather “Why is Vancouver on this list??”

I think it's because Vancouver is a major Canadian port...

[Xelebes]

Didn't the TSX gain 10% over the last couple months?

[Xelebes]

I think it's because Vancouver is a major Canadian port...

North American Port. I think I've heard that it is larger than San Francsico.

[MolsonExport]

Calgary should be...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is better than....blah blah blah blah!

This list is shit because Calgary is not...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is the biggest....blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is way better than...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary, Calgary, Calgary....did I mention Calgary?

[Greco Roman]

Calgary should be...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is better than....blah blah blah blah!

This list is shit because Calgary is not...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is the biggest....blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is way better than...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary, Calgary, Calgary....did I mention Calgary?

Honestly, no one can say it any better than this. 5 gold stars for the young lad. :tup:

It was bad enough that for years under King Ralph's rule, Calgary recieved all the attention while the rest of the province took a back seat. Now that the tables are reversed, they just can't deal with it. Oh well, it's fun to watch them whine like a spoiled brat; reminds me of Paris Hilton, lol.

I really am starting to believe that Toronto is no longer the centre of the universe................................

[SFUVancouver]

...nor do any Canadian companies dominate (or even figure in) any industrial sector.

I agree that Canada does not have too many home-grown global powerhouse brands like Boeing, Microsoft, and Exxon. However we are far from being bit players in the world, as seems to be a reoccurring theme.

Bombardier is the third largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft in the world, while Bombardier Transportation is the largest manufacturer of passenger rail cars and a major player for urban rail transportation, including metros, trams, and commuter rail. Prevost and New Flyer are major players in the North American coach and transit bus sector.

Alcan, Barrick, Inco and Teck Cominco are all major world players in their respective portions of the metals and materials sector.

Research in Motion is a major player in the handheld pda market with the Blackberry.

Just some food for thought.

[ErickMontreal]

I agree that Canada does not have too many home-grown global powerhouse brands like Boeing, Microsoft, and Exxon. However we are far from being bit players in the world, as seems to be a reoccurring theme.

Bombardier is the third largest manufacturer of commercial aircraft in the world, while Bombardier Transportation is the largest manufacturer of passenger rail cars and a major player for urban rail transportation, including metros, trams, and commuter rail. Prevost and New Flyer are major players in the North American coach and transit bus sector.

Alcan, Barrick, Inco and Teck Cominco are all major world players in their respective portions of the metals and materials sector.

Research in Motion is a major player in the handheld pda market with the Blackberry.

Just some food for thought.

You know what? I`m agree with you!

There is a plenty of success stories in this country and each provinces provided those one

[dubiousmike]

Calgary should be...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is better than....blah blah blah blah!

This list is shit because Calgary is not...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is the biggest....blah blah blah blah!

Calgary is way better than...blah blah blah blah!

Calgary, Calgary, Calgary....did I mention Calgary?

I cordially invite you to go fuck yourself.

You poor, poor, non-money-having asswipe.







;)

[ErickMontreal]

I cordially invite you to go fuck yourself.

You poor, poor, non-money-having asswipe.

;)

You should take a look at it

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/investor500/list.jsp?showNum=50&pageID=list&i500=1&type=t50&listType=t50revenue&year=2006&page=1&customView=&customCols=&conten

No offence but outside oil sands industry Calgary has huge work to do.

Promoting diversification of economic activities through others sectors could be a option...

[fortroad]

But it is on the same level as Vancouver or Montreal.


I am guessing three things worked against Calgary:
1) No port
2) Air connections limited, as trans-pacific is routed through Vancouver and trans-atlantic is routed throughToronto and even sometimes Montreal
3) Calgary splits some of its economic clout with Edmonton if you look at the percentage of GDP generated within its provincial unit (which they seem to have looked at). If they were unified (say with high speed rail) and could be counted as a single unit they would likely have been leaders in the study.


But studies like this are by their nature limited in scope.



Claeren.


I totall agree, great reasoning for high speed rail. We need more things to unite Edmonton and Calgary allowing us to become more powerful on the international stage!

[waterloowarrior]

I know it's hard to believe, but as of the latest census, the 4th biggest metro in Canada (after TO, MTL, Van.) is Ottawa, not Calgary ;)

[The Kid]

Honestly, no one can say it any better than this. 5 gold stars for the young lad. :tup:

It was bad enough that for years under King Ralph's rule, Calgary recieved all the attention while the rest of the province took a back seat. Now that the tables are reversed, they just can't deal with it. Oh well, it's fun to watch them whine like a spoiled brat; reminds me of Paris Hilton, lol.

I really am starting to believe that Toronto is no longer the centre of the universe................................

Oh yes, another brilliant post from Albertaboy.

How are the tables reversed you dumb ass! Premier Ed is not from Edmonton, he is from Vegreville, atleast an hours drive east of Edmonton doing 120km's. He was also everybody's second and third choice....that's something to be proud of now isn't it.

Your world is so small. Every post from you is you trying to slam Calgary to make yourself feel better inside.

Take a page from other Edmontonians who think Calgary and Edmonton should stop bashing each other and try to work making Alberta the best it can be.

You're a piece of shit!

[vanman]

I don't know why Vancouver is on the list. It's too small to be considered a world city.




I'm sick of this flaky notion of 'world city', WTF does it even mean? A city on planet earth? How many air connections to other cities the city has? How many spotlights a city has pointed to the sky at any given moment?Give me a break.

And if Vancouver is considered too small to be a 'world city' than why did
places like Zurich(1.6mil), Warsaw(1mil), Prague(1.2mil),or Copenhagen(1.7mil) make the cut. Their metro population's are all smaller than Vancouver's. Population was obviously not a factor in the creation of this list.

[WHISTLERINMUSKOKA]

So many of you rule out Vancouver for being able to get in the best-in-business cities list. So many of you think that a lack of head offices, office towers, and large companies means a lack of business. What about tourism? Vancouver must have this countries largest tourism industry, with massive amounts of spin off businesses that set up. I'm not surprised at all.

Anyway, all these lists are pointless on this forum it seems, nothing good ever comes from them.

[SFUVancouver]

I hear Parenting Magazine this month has a handy tear-out worksheet to help parents make a list ranking their children from favourite to least in a variety of dubious and highly subjective categories.

I'm in the Let's-Be-Proud-That-Canada-Did-Awesome-On-This-Particular-List camp. Anyone want to join in? It's a big camp: membership from sea to sea to sea.

It is a testament to the diversity, size, and economic power of Canada that our country of 31 million has as many big cities as we have. Had things gone differently Canada could have been a one-city country. Our one megacity would be the whole ball game, the political and economic command and control centre for our entire vast expanse of land. Instead we have a massively decentralised and diversified economy with robust growth all over the place. We are doing great and are getting better every day. I may be jumping the gun on Canada Day by few weeks but in this instance I really must take a step back and let myself be amazed at this country of ours.

[vanman]

^Although a significant contributor to Vancouver's economy, tourism is by no means the city's largest industry. I think that is probably one of the biggest mis-conceptions that people have about Vancouver. They see it has a large tourism industry and high-priced condos and therefore disregard the entire place as nothing more than a seaside resort. All this despite the fact that the city has the second most diverse population in the country after Toronto, has one of the largest ports in North America, and has one of the biggest high tech industry in Canada.

[WaterlooInvestor]

Your world is so small. Every post from you is you trying to slam Calgary to make yourself feel better inside.

You're a piece of shit!

I thought the rivalry between the mid-sized Southern Ontario cities was bad. Calgary and Edmonton make us look like amateurs :haha:

[Greco Roman]

Oh yes, another brilliant post from Albertaboy.

How are the tables reversed you dumb ass! Premier Ed is not from Edmonton, he is from Vegreville, atleast an hours drive east of Edmonton doing 120km's. He was also everybody's second and third choice....that's something to be proud of now isn't it.

Your world is so small. Every post from you is you trying to slam Calgary to make yourself feel better inside.

Take a page from other Edmontonians who think Calgary and Edmonton should stop bashing each other and try to work making Alberta the best it can be.

You're a piece of shit!

Hehe. The truth hurts, don't it?

Thank you. And you are an even bigger piece of useless shit. Sounds like you need to get laid, buddy, so maybe you are the one that should go and fuck yourself, if you are able too. :cool:

[The Kid]

Hehe. The truth hurts, don't it?

Thank you. And you are an even bigger piece of useless shit. Sounds like you need to get laid, buddy, so maybe you are the one that should go and fuck yourself, if you are able too. :cool:

Great comeback!

I'm the one who needs to get laid? I would love to see you just post one thing that doesn't involve displaying you're absolute envy of Calgary. Do you not think people can see through your petty attempts to make yourself feel big and important? You are not helping Edmonton. Why don't you wake up and understand that we are all Albertans. It's people like you that help create the rift between the two cities when we should be putting our best foot forward to the rest of Canada and the world.

I'm sure all Edmontonians are proud to have you representing on this forum.

[MonkeyRonin]

What about tourism? Vancouver must have this countries largest tourism industry, with massive amounts of spin off businesses that set up. I'm not surprised at all.

Actually, that one would also be Toronto.

[204]

North American Port. I think I've heard that it is larger than San Francsico.

The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest port and also (by cargo tonnage) the largest on the west coast of the Americas (North and South).