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BUSINESS
AND ECONOMY
Calgary's
head offices tend to be active globally. Gas supplier headquarters
are concentrated in Calgary and make it a logical attraction
for other utility service companies. Some of the new arrivals
to Calgary are the headquarters of Canadian Pacific Railway
Ltd., Suncor Inc., Shaw Communications and Dow Chemicals.
With
electrical utility deregulation, Calgary is fast becoming
a centre for independent power production and energy marketers.
Thanks to the Canadian Venture Exchange, which is headquartered
in Calgary, Calgary has fluid capital markets and consequently,
a large capital pool that supports further growth and diversification
in the utility industry.
Calgary's
downtown centre includes 50 million square feet of first
class office, hotel, retail, restaurant, entertainment and
cultural facilities. We have less expensive commercial rents
than most North American cities and an abundance of prime
office space. Calgary has lead all other Canadian centers
in the level of commercial construction the past five years.
As compared to Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg,
Calgary's commercial rent, utility costs, and other overheads
are very affordable. With our well-constructed infrastructure,
businesses find it easy to build.
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Calgary
has enjoyed a much stronger employment rate compared to
the national average over the past decade, and incomes tend
to be higher than both the provincial and Canadian averages.
In 1998, for example, the median annual income in Calgary
was a full 11% higher than that of Alberta, and almost 20%
higher than that in Canada. Calgarians enjoy the highest
per capita income of all of Canada's major metropolitan
centres. Yet the cost of doing business in Calgary is low
compared to its peer North American cities.
Calgary
has the lowest municipal tax rates. We have a low tax regime
for personal and business taxes and lower cost of living
than most other major Canadian cities.
Calgary
has seen a growth in the number of medium and large businesses
and has a significant presence in the national big business
arena. In fact, 16% of the top 1300 businesses in Canada
call Calgary home. Calgary is viewed as a centre of excellence
around the world in the oil & gas industry; however, sectors
that are showing the strongest growth in terms of employment,
average salary and revenue are: business services, high
technology, finance and insurance, transportation, communications,
utilities and manufacturing. The oil & gas industry remains
strong, which allows specialty services to flourish and
create spin off opportunities in the general economy.
Calgary
besitzt eine breite Auswahl an Lieferanten von Rohstoffen
und Fertigungserzeugnissen, die bestens geeignet sind, um
kleine Hersteller- und Vertriebsfirmen zu beliefern. Dank
des Wettbewerbs unter den Lieferanten ist der Markt für
preisgünstige materielle Einsatzgüter gut. Darüber hinaus
investieren lokale Unternehmen in Forschung und Entwicklung,
wodurch sie in der Lage sind, Waren zu niedrigeren Kosten
herzustellen und neue Wege zu entwickeln, um die umweltschädlichen
Einflüsse bei der Produktion zu reduzieren.
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