The City of Toronto publishes Toronto Business News a minimum of four times a year to keep local businesses informed about municipal programs and services designed to assist them. The newsletter also features upcoming events and information that can help them run their businesses.
In this issue:
- Free online training helps businesses prepare for Pan Am/Parapan Am Games
- Economic summit to be held ahead of Pan Am/Parapan Am Games
- Pan Am/Parapan Am Games travel guide to help businesses
- City's online directory provides listing of resources for startups
- Enterprise Toronto helps apparel studio stitch together new business
- Learn how to re-use water and save at upcoming workshop
- Businesses reminded to install a backflow prevention device
- Partnering with City of Toronto brings rewards
- Did you know? Number of Toronto hi-rises to grow to 55 by 2018
- Contacts & Key Resources
Free online training helps businesses prepare for Pan Am/Parapan Am Games
The City of Toronto will launch a free online customer service training program for Toronto's business community in April 2015, just in time to help businesses prepare for the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games.
The new online initiative builds on the City's award-winning We've Been Expecting You (WBEY) classroom training program, which has been running since 2011. The program aims to further instill a culture of hospitality excellence throughout the city so that visitors feel welcomed and informed – and experience Toronto as a friendly destination.
With tens of thousands of visitors expected to attend the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan American Games in Toronto, WBEY training is being made available to many more businesses in web-based format. Three online modules will cover customer service best practices, Toronto visitor information, and information about the Pan Am/Parapan American Games.
Interested in getting updates about the launch of the online program and other tourism and hospitality related news? Sign up for the WBEY eNewsletter. Or stay tuned for more information about the program in an upcoming issue of Toronto Business News.
Economic summit to be held ahead of Pan Am/Parapan Am Games
The City of Toronto is working with organizers of the Toronto Global Forum to develop a special 2015 Pan American Economic Summit. The Forum will take place in Toronto from July 8 to 10 immediately prior to the opening of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, to benefit from the proximity of the Games and the associated international presence.
Among the speakers confirmed for this year's economic summit are Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company; Thomas J. Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer, United States Chamber of Commerce; Luis Alberto Moreno, President of the Interamerican Development Bank; and Daniel Servitje Montull, President and Chief Executive Officer, Grupo Bimbo.
Over the years, the Forum has become a strategic platform for business development, offering opportunities for business meetings and connections aimed at promoting partnerships among major Canadian and international corporations.
Find out more about the 2015 Pan American Economic Summit.
Pan Am/Parapan Am Games travel guide to help businesses
When athletes, media and tourists come to Toronto for the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, they’ll be joining the millions of families, commuters and businesses who use the transportation network.
If your business operates in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the Games and temporary traffic changes may affect your normal routine during summer 2015.
Learn what you can do to make travel more efficient for your business. Visit the Ministry of Transportation website for travel tips and strategies.
City's online directory provides listing of resources for startups
Whether you're looking for business advice and mentoring, office space or shared equipment, there are many Toronto-based organizations that offer the supports you need to start and grow your operation.
Now you can find an aggregated list of business incubators, accelerators and co-working spaces in an online directory. Created and maintained by the City of Toronto, the directory lets you search by target industry, client group or type of support.
If your organization provides programs and services focused on advancing entrepreneurship in Toronto and you would like to be included in the directory, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Enterprise Toronto helps apparel studio stitch together new business
For Sherri Carlson and Nikki Francies, it felt like they almost had it made.
After spending four years building apparel production house CRW Design, their business was moving forward on its own momentum. They’d beaten the odds, producing made-in-Canada clothing for a variety of clients – from high-end garment designers to active wear companies – at a time when many small manufacturers were shuttering or moving their productions overseas.
But the duo was caught off guard last year when the main sewing shop they worked with unexpectedly closed its doors.
“The owner wanted to retire and we were partnered with her for about 90 per cent of our production,” laments Carlson. “That meant we either bought it or she sold everything and that was it, we'd have to find someone else to work with.”
So they reached out to Enterprise Toronto for assistance in getting a loan from Futurpreneur Canada – a non-profit organization that provides young entrepreneurs with financing and other support – with the goal of buying the sewing shop.
Read more about how Carlson and Francies were able to expand their business with the help of the City's entrepreneurship support program.
Learn how to re-use water and save at upcoming workshop
Join the City of Toronto and Partners in Project Green on Wednesday, March 18, 2015 to learn how to save water and money by re-using water within your operations.
Perfect for general managers and staff in operations or corporate responsibility, this in-depth half-day session (8 a.m. – noon) will feature a panel discussion from experts in the field and provide participants with exclusive access to new water re-use planning and evaluation tools.
Learn more and register for the workshop.
Businesses reminded to install a backflow prevention device
In order to protect Toronto's drinking water supply, most industrial, commercial and institutional businesses are required to install a backflow prevention device on all pipes that deliver water into their building. Backflow devices work to isolate a building from the City's water distribution system, helping to ensure contaminants do not enter drinking water.
Installing a backflow prevention device is mandatory under the Water Supply Bylaw. Devices must also be tested annually to ensure they are working properly and a test report must be submitted to the City of Toronto.
Learn more about the City's Backflow Prevention Program.
Partnering with Toronto brings rewards
Seeking new ways to build your firm's brand recognition and fulfill corporate social responsibility goals? Look no farther than the City of Toronto. The partner of choice for many organizations, Toronto makes corporate donations or sponsorships a rewarding experience.
The City offers a variety of opportunities for your company to the quality of life in Toronto, in areas such as economic development, community investment and green programs. You can help kids succeed by supplying computers, promote vibrant neighbourhoods by creating jobs and community gardens, or provide life-saving defibrillators in public places.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we'll help connect you with the partnership activity that works best for your company.
Did you know? Number of Toronto hi-rises to grow to 55 by 2018
In 2005, Toronto had 14 buildings (including the CN Tower) taller than 150 metres (approximately 45 stories).
In 2014, Toronto had 32 buildings taller than 150 metres.
In 2018, Toronto will have 55 buildings taller than 150 metres (based on buildings currently under construction).
Source: The Skyscraper Centre, the world’s largest free database on tall buildings, which is maintained by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
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