General

1. What is the Select Ontario site selection tool?

   Select Ontario is a flexible and dynamic search tool that showcases investment properties, infrastructure, location advantages and workforce statistics. Select Ontario makes site selection decision-making easier.

2. What does Select Ontario do?

   Select Ontario

   • Lets you search for your ideal site by business needs you define. Most tools require users to search available sites first.
   • Allows you to define their search based on the types of things that are most important to your location decision - proximity to transportation routes and infrastructure, availability of real estate, availability of skilled workers and industry cluster locations.
   • Gives you quick access to key information needed to invest in over 500 communities in Ontario.
3. Who is the tool designed for?

   The tool is designed for site selection professionals. The tool can also support research initiatives with a wealth of community and geographic information.

4. How do I get started?

   You can choose from any of four search options. Search results from one search type can be combined with the others to find the ideal investment and site location.

   	Site searches allow users to find an ideal site for sale or lease based on specific property criteria such as price, industrial type, and proximity to highways, airports and railways.
   	Community searches contain data for over 500 communities in Ontario. Users can find an ideal community to locate their business by community name, demographics and workforce statistics.
   	Industry sector searches help users locate hundreds of existing Ontario industry clusters based on either NAICS or SIC codes.
   	Skills searches focus on educational level and field of study for Ontario's workforce. These searches can be categorized by community as well as by graduation and matriculation statistics (by program) at Ontario universities and colleges.

5. What real estate data is used?

   All of the real estate listings are retrieved from the Ontario Real Estate Association, which represents the province's 42 real estate boards and their 45,000 brokers and salespeople. For more information visit the OREA website at http://www.orea.com/.

6. How do I find a commercial real estate agent?

   You can use the following search engine to locate a commercial REALTOR^® in Ontario please: http://www.icx.ca/RealtorSearch.aspx.

7. What are the sources of data for the Select Ontario tool and how often is data updated?
   
   

   Data Data Source Update Frequency Business Information List of Ontario businesses InfoCanada Semi-Annual List of Ontario exporters Canadian Company Capabilities - Industry Canada Annual Community Investment Profile Community profiles Ontario Communities (Various) through Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation website Weekly Education & Research Primary and secondary schools Ontario Ministry of Education Annual Universities, colleges, private colleges, graduation and enrolment rates Ontario Ministry of Training Colleges and University Annual Ontario Research Institutes Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation Annual Geographic Boundaries MEDI economic regions Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation based on Statistics Canada Economic Regions Every 4 Years Imagery Satellite imagery Bing Maps Ongoing - Based on Microsoft Data Update Rate Ontario Business Services Ontario Business Advisory Centers, Small Business Enterprise centers, Economic Development Officers Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation Annual Points of Interest Child day care centres Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services Annual First Nation areas Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource - Land Information Ontario Annual Tourist points, Ontario Provincial Police stations Ontario Ministry of Transportation Annual Hospitals Ontario Ministry of Health Annual Provincial parks Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource - Land Information Ontario Annual Infrastructure Major airports, rail lines, road and highway network Ontario Ministry of Natural Resource - Land Information Ontario Annual Regional commuter train stations (Go Train) Ontario Ministry of Transportation Annual Ports, ferries, border crossing, truck inspection stations, carpool lots Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation Annual Property Available property listings Ontario Real Estate Association Weekly Statistics Census and workforce estimates Manifold Data Mining Annual Wage by occupation and industry Statistics Canada, Labour Force, Special Tabulation Annual

8. How do I find the source of data while using the tool?

   To find the source of data, please click on the icon located above the map.

9. Where do I find a report?

   After performing a search, reports are located beneath the map in the results panel. Reports will depend on the type of search: for example a site search will give you access to a site report while a community search will give you access to a community report.

   

   
   
10. How do I print a report?

    To print a report, click on the print icon located on the top left-side of a report.

    

    
    
11. How do I print a map?

    • Select the printer icon on the Tools panel.
    • Select either a simple map or a map with selections.
    • Fill out map title, subtitle, comments and format and click preview.
    • The map will open up in a new window.
    • Print that page.

12. How do I get help on the system?

    For help with the Select Ontario tool: Click on the help icon located on the Tools Panel or imbedded within search boxes.

    Access Select Ontario video tutorials.

13. Who do I contact if I still need help?

    For more information about Select Ontario call 1-800-819-8701 or email us at info@investinontario.com.

    If you are located in North America and would like to obtain help in French, please call 1-800-819-8701.

Information for Ontario Communities and Economic Development agencies

1. What is the difference between the Select Ontario tool and Community Profiles?

   Select Ontario is a flexible and dynamic search tool that showcases investment properties, infrastructure, location advantages and workforce statistics and makes site selection decision-making easier.

   The Community profiles section of the investinontario.com website allows Ontario communities to control what information is displayed about their community. The profiles display in-depth information including economic strategies and services, population and labour force, major employers, transportation and communication infrastructure, real estate information, and utilities and quality of life statistics. Participating municipalities and regions are able to input and update their data through a secure on-line portal.

   The information contained in the community profiles is used as a data source for the Select Ontario tool.

2. How do I find my community on the Select Ontario tool?
   
   
   • Select Community Search -> Find Community By Name.
   • Select your region and find your community and click search.
   • In the result window at the bottom you will find a list of reports select the report to review data.

   

   
   
3. How do I update my community information on the Select Ontario tool?

   The data is drawn from the Community Profiles section on the investinontario.com site. If you wish to have your community participate and/or need a login/password, please contact us at compro@investinontario.com or at 1-800-819-8701.

   Please note that at least 75% of the profile needs to be completed before it is activated. Once you have done so, please send an email to compro@investinontario.com or call 1-800-819-8701. We will review the information, and then post the information to the website.

4. How often is the Select Ontario tool updated with the Community Profile information?

   The Select Ontario Tool is updated every Friday. Therefore, if you have updated your community profile, please remember that updates will be reflected on the next scheduled update session.

5. How do I get municipal properties included in the site?

   Municipal economic development officers may load municipally owned properties for sale or lease to the OREA Commercial Property Database which is located at www.ici-properties.com

6. I don't have an OREA account, how do I get my data into the OREA property listings?

   Please visit the OREA Commercial Property Database which is located at www.ici-properties.com and complete the user registration process. Upon verification of your registration information your account will be approved and notification will be sent to you via email.

   Once your account has been approved you can log in and input your listings. Once your listing has been entered into the database it will be uploaded to the listings on both the Invest in Ontario and Select Ontario web sites during the next scheduled update.

7. Why is my data not in the OREA listings?

   If you believe your commercial listing is missing from the database, please email commercialrelations@orea.com with the MLS ID listing number and your contact information including real estate board for assistance.