The Greater Toronto Area is the corporate capital of Canada. The GTA is home to more nationally and internationally top-ranked companies than any other Canadian metropolitan area. Compared to the U.S., only New York and Chicago have more corporate headquarters than the GTA.

At the same time, the GTA's economy is the largest and most diverse of any urban region in Canada. As the financial and industrial centre of the country, the GTA leads the nation in manufacturing, retail sales, tourism, new building activity and small-business growth.

* More than half of the top 50 foreign-owned companies doing business in Canada have their headquarters in the GTA. These include: General Motors, Ford, IBM, Exxon, Sears, Mitsui, Honda, A&P and General Electric.

* The GTA has the fourth-largest office market in North America - 147 million square feet.

* All of Canada's largest national banks have their headquarters or executive offices in the GTA.

* Manufacturing in the GTA employs more than 500,000 people and continues to be a strong and vital part of the area's economy.

* Strategic business sectors in the GTA include: (1) information technologies and telecommunications; (2) automotive and manufacturing; (3) business and financial services; (4) bio-medical; and (5) agri-business and food processing.