Newsletter



		The first issue of Expansion Greater Montréal, launched last fall, was a huge success among hundreds of readers in the Montréal metropolitan region. This enthusiastic response has encouraged us to expand the distribution of the e-newsletter to enable a larger number of readers to receive the detailed, relevant information it conveys on different aspects of the Greater Montréal region investment climate. Continued >>>



Between 2002 and 2007, the Canadian dollar rose 59.5% with respect to its American counterpart. It reached parity and even shattered all records. This dizzying rise, 14.9% in 2007 alone, stems from several factors, including higher prices for natural resources, the excellent state of Canadian public finances, sustained growth in the domestic economy and weakness of the U.S. dollar. Continued >>>

In his mini-budget on October 30, 2007, federal Finance Minister, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, made a commitment to lighten the personal and corporate tax burden, starting January 2008. These measures will represent savings of $60 billion by 2012. Continued >>>



		The aerospace cluster of Greater Montréal, with 42,000 jobs, enjoys an excellent international reputation for its advanced expertise in the design, construction, overhaul, integration and repair of aircraft, engines, flight simulators, avionics and landing gear. Continued >>>



The Montréal International Game Summit (MIGS) was held on November 27-28, 2007 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. For two days, this large-scale international event welcomed close to 80 speakers who came to share their experiences and knowledge with some 1,000 professionals in the video game industry. Continued >>>

Axcan Pharma, a pharmaceutical company in Mont Saint-Hilaire specialized in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders, will be acquired by the U.S. company TPG Capital and members of its group. Continued >>>



		Société de transport de Montréal (STM) presented its triennial real estate program and plans to invest $1.5 billion in the maintenance and replacement of its assets and in increasing and improving services offered for the period 2008-2010. STM is also investing $102 million to enlarge the Legendre transportation centre and build a new bodywork centre to facilitate maintenance and accommodate new articulated buses. Continued >>>

Last October, the Québec government tabled a $30-billion investment plan for the next five years to renew public infrastructures. Québec premier Jean Charest called this initiative "the greatest economic worksite in Québec's history." Continued >>>



Montréal and the provincial and federal governments will inject $120 million to strengthen Montréal's image as a world-class cultural destination, which will widely promote the City's economic and cultural development. Work will be undertaken in the Quartier des spectacles (theatre district) in four phases in 2008-2012. The private sector will also contribute to revitalizing this district by investing $12 million. Press release >>>

The Québec government used the occasion of the 13th edition of Fashion Week to unveil its support program for the fashion and clothing industry. In total, the government will invest $82 million to support the industry's positioning efforts. Continued >>>

The City of Montréal announced the implementation of new incentives designed to enhance Montréal’s attractivity, mainly by supporting investment in several fields of high added-value activity, including R&D, head offices and software package publishing. Continued >>>



		UNESCO's Institute for Statistics officially opened its new annex, located on the Université de Montréal campus, thanks to the support of Montréal International and financial assistance from the federal and Québec governments. Since coming to the region in 2001, this international organization specialized in the field of statistics has gone through significant expansion, increasing from an initial staff of 9 employees to its current workforce of 97. Press release >>>



The federal and Québec governments renewed their agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), thereby enabling it to maintain its secretariat in Montréal for a further 10 years, i.e. until 2021. Montréal International acts as a liaison between the two levels of government and WADA. Press release >>>

The International Forum of Public Universities (IFPU), a new international organization comprising 21 universities from four continents, was officially inaugurated in the presence of some twenty rectors and delegates of university members as well as guests from Montréal's university, international and political communities. Press release >>>

Thanks to the support of the Québec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Line Beauchamp, an international, non-governmental organization dedicated specifically to the fight against greenhouse gases will open a secretariat in Montréal. Continued >>>



		In the 2007 rankings of the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES), two Montréal universities ranked among the world's best. Continued >>>

On October 5, 2007, the federal government launched a public consultation with the objective of improving the efficiency of the SR&ED tax incentive program to the benefit of Canadian and Montréal businesses, in order to promote national competitiveness and prosperity. Montréal International used this forum to submit its recommendations. Continued >>>

On October 30, 2007, the Competition Policy Review Panel, chaired by L.R. Wilson, published a consultation paper entitled Sharpening Canada's Competitive Edge. Continued >>>


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VERSION FRANÇAISE


ECONOMIC INDICATORS
	EMPLOYMENT (M) October 2007: 1.90 November 2007: 1.93 December 2007: 1.92 UNEMPLOYMENT RATE October 2007: 7.0% November 2007: 6.6% December 2007: 7.2% GDP ($ 1997) Q2 2007: $114.3 B Q3 2007: $114.9 B EXCHANGE RATE $US October 2007: 1.0254 November 2007: 1.0340 December 2007: 0.9969 EXCHANGE RATE € October 2007: 0.7204 November 2007: 0.7041 December 2007: 0.6846 PRIME RATE Canada: 4.25% United States: 4.25% REAL ESTATE Industrial sector (Q3 2007) Montréal centre-west Vacancy rate: 5.9% Average rental price: $5.34 sq. ft. Laval and North Shore Vacancy rate: 8.6% Average rental price: $5.34 sq. ft. South Shore Vacancy rate: 7.0% Average rental price: $5.28 sq. ft. Office space sector (Q3 2007) Montréal downtown Vacancy rate: 8.6% Average rental price: $12.72 sq. ft. Laval Vacancy rate: 8.0% Average rental price: $11.50 sq. ft. South Shore Vacancy rate: 6.3% Average rental price: $11.67 sq. ft. VENTURE CAPITAL Total amount invested Q2 2007: $114 M Q3 2007: $103.7 M Life sciences Q2 2007: $14.1 M Q3 2007: $46.6 M ICT Q2 2007: $79.7 M Q3 2007: $53.1 M Total amount invested by metropolitan region, first three quarters 2007 Montréal: $356.3 M Toronto: $354.6 M Vancouver: $239.8 M Ottawa: $180.7 M Calgary: $23.8 M Canada: $1,561.3 M Funds allocated to university research - 2006 Montréal: $998.4 M Ottawa: $318.1 M Toronto: $830.7 M Calgary: $262.2 M Vancouver: $491 M Funds allocated to university research - 1999-2006 Montréal: $6,529 M Toronto: $4,619.2 M Vancouver: $2,549.4 M Ottawa: $1,806.3 M Calgary: $1,506.3 M Bilingualism rate (French/English) Census 2006 Montréal: 51.9% Ottawa: 44.4% Toronto: 8.3% Calgary: 7.8% Vancouver: 7.8% Average monthly rent for two-bedroom apartments (April 2007) Montréal: $630 Ottawa - Gatineau (QC) : $654 Ottawa - Gatineau (Ont.) : $961 Toronto: $1,073 Calgary: $1,037 Vancouver: $1,051 EMPLOYMENT DATA FROM STATISTICS CANADA Total Job growth 2000: 2.1% 2004: 0.9% 2001: 1.4% 2005: 1.0% 2002: 3.7% 2006: 1.8% 2003: 1.4% 2007: 2.5% Manufacturing sector 2000: -3.1% 2004: 2.8% 2001: 0.5% 2005:-4.1% 2002: 0.7% 2006:-6.0% 2003: -7.7% 2007: -9.4% Services sector 2000: 3.2% 2004: 0.9% 2001: 2.0% 2005: 1.3% 2002: 3.5% 2006: 3.4% 2003: 3.5% 2007: 4.1% Share of the manufacturing sector in the jobs total 1990: 20.3% 2005: 15.7% 1995: 18.4% 2007: 12.8% 2000: 18.5% Share of the services sector in the jobs total 1990: 72.2% 2005: 78.7% 1995: 75.9% 2007: 81.2% 2000: 76.7% Unemployment rate 2000: 7.8% 2004: 8.7% 2001: 8.3% 2005: 8.7% 2002: 8.6% 2006: 8.4% 2003: 9.5% 2007: 7.0% ECONOMIC OUTLOOK OF THE CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA Growth in GDP ($ 1997) 2006r: 1.6% 2009: 2.9% 2007: 2.1% 2010: 2.9% 2008: 2.7% 2011: 2.9% Growth in total population 2006r: 0.8% 2009: 0.9% 2007: 0.8% 2010: 0.9% 2008: 0.8% 2011: 0.9% r: real


COMING EVENTS
	Vision PDG 2008 February 7-9, 2008 International Conference on Formal Concept Analysis (ICFCA'08) February 25-28, 2008 CRIM Crystal Ball Conference February 26-27, 2008 Annual Conference on Health Technologies March 13-14, 2008 Montréal Job and Training Fair March 18-19, 2008


DID YOU KNOW THAT...
	Montréal is the first city in the world to obtain "Geotourism" accreditation from the Centre for Sustainable Destinations of the National Geographic Society (NGS). This accreditation is based on criteria that include the wealth of the patrimony and cultural heritage, quality of life, respect for the environment and the quality of services offered to tourists.