Competing on Creativity: Placing Ontario's Cities in North American Context

Abstract

Creativity is crucial to economic growth. Regions must develop, attract and retain creative people who generate innovations, develop technology-intensive industries and power economic growth. Creative people concentrate within particular city-regions with a social environment open to creativity and diversity. The ability to attract creative people and to be open to a diverse population provides advantages to regions in generating innovations, growing and attracting high-technology industries, and spurring economic growth. This report examines the relationship between talent, technology, creativity and diversity in city-regions in Ontario?and Canada more generally?and compares these to relationships found to exist in American metropolitan regions.