Western Cities To Lead Growth

But there were four cities east of the Ontario-Manitoba border that made the top 10 list for 2008, as opposed to only two that made the grade last year. Toronto, Quebec City and Halifax tied for sixth place with a growth forecast of 2.8 per cent, and Kitchener, Ont., is expected to advance by 2.7 per cent. Ottawa-Gatineau could also be considered part of the top 10 with an identical 2.7 per cent forecast gain. The news is expected to get even better for Eastern cities in the 2009-12 forecast period, with Toronto, Oshawa and Kitchener forecast to vie with Calgary and Edmonton as Canada's best performing cities. With the manufacturing sector in a deep slump, St. Catharines-Niagara, Windsor and Thunder Bay had the weakest growth rates in 2007 and are forecast to continue on hard times in 2008. The Conference Board said St. Catharines-Niagara will grow a modest 1.5 per cent this year, Windsor by 0.9 per cent and Thunder Bay will fare even worse, with just a 0.7 per cent GDP gain. ... http://www.reportonbusiness.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080121.wcities0121/BNStory/robNews/

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