Putting our weight behind member priorities
The Board’s greatest strength is our ability to convene the right players around issues that matter to business.
When we bring bright minds together, new initiatives are often created. These unique projects help to achieve our members’ goals and benefit businesses across the Region by pushing for bold solutions to big problems.
These initiatives complement the Board’s existing offerings, including the networks, programs, advocacy, research and resources – but they focus on specific high-potential areas identified by our members.
Learn more about the Board’s current initiatives below.
Areas of Focus
The Toronto Region Board of Trade is focused on the Now and the Next — working with you and for you towards a vibrant economy.
This joint initiative dives into a key business district in the region where economic activities such as warehousing, logistics and distribution, and manufacturing concentrate.
We're watching Toronto Mayor candidates closely to find out who’s up to the task of tackling our biggest issues.
Measuring and analyzing our Region to put forward smart, coordinated growth plans, powered by the Board’s research-driven Economic Blueprint Institute.
Our economy is heavily regional and interconnected. In fact, the Innovation Corridor – made up of 34 municipalities from Waterloo in the west through to the Greater Toronto, Hamilton and Durham areas to the east – is the largest and most economically diverse urban region in Canada.
Yet as integrated as our economy is, growth decisions are still made at a city-by-city and town-by-town basis. When choosing where to build new homes, lay down transit and roads, invest in schools and hospitals, find skilled workers – rarely is the full picture of our regional economy considered. That’s why the Board’s research and data initiatives are so valuable.
By presenting our Region in new ways – either in regular updates on post-pandemic trends through our Recovery Tracker, or reconstructing the map of our economy through Business Districts – we’re empowering governments, collaborators and investors to make data-informed, regional decisions.
Using Data to Track Recovery and Growth
When we think about the Toronto Region, we often think of the cities and towns it is comprised of. But to properly track and plan for business growth, the Board has redefined the region along economic lines and continues to publish regular insights on how people work, move, shop and spend time in the Region.
The Board’s Recovery Tracker provides a better understanding of how our region has been impacted by and is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recovery Tracker gives regularly updated indicators to help paint a comprehensive picture of how people are moving, working, shopping and spending time in the region.
Assessing five Districts based on key economic, physical, and workforce characteristics.
A web-based tool that measures how the Innovation Corridor is rebounding from the pandemic – with statistics about employment, mobility, consumer spending and other metrics.
