Invest Halton Hills is transforming strategic opportunities into real-world growth through proactive economic development and investor-focused services.
Positioned between two of Canada’s most influential economic centres, Halton Hills, Ontario is emerging as a destination of choice for companies seeking room to grow, access to talent, and long-term business support. Located in the heart of the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor, the community is leveraging its strategic location, available employment lands, and collaborative approach to economic development to attract investment across a range of high-value industries.
At the centre of these efforts is Invest Halton Hills, the Town’s economic development division. Invest Halton Hills has quickly established itself as a trusted partner for businesses looking to invest and expand in one of Canada’s most competitive economic regions.
“We function as part of the Town of Halton Hills, and our focus is twofold,” explains Graham Lowe, Senior Economic Development Officer. “It’s about supporting the growth of our existing businesses while also attracting new investment to the community.”
Working alongside Lowe is Tony Boutassis, Director of Economic Development, whose responsibilities include overseeing the Town’s Business Concierge Program. Together, their team provides support across investment attraction, business retention and expansion, tourism, agriculture, community improvement initiatives, and major development projects.
Location, location, location
Geography has always played a significant role in Halton Hills’ economic story. Situated between Toronto and Waterloo, the community benefits from direct access to two of Canada’s most dynamic economic ecosystems. Toronto serves as the country’s largest metropolitan market, while Waterloo has earned international recognition as a technology and innovation hub. “Our location gives businesses access to major markets, a large labour pool, strong transportation infrastructure, and established regional supply chains,” says Lowe.
For companies operating in manufacturing, food processing, agribusiness, clean technology, and advanced manufacturing industries, those advantages translate into operational efficiencies and easier access to customers, suppliers, and skilled workers.
The Town’s economic development strategy is closely aligned with broader provincial and federal priorities, particularly in sectors that are shaping Canada’s future economy. Advanced manufacturing, food and beverage processing, clean technology, renewable energy, and agribusiness remain key areas of focus.
“Our goal is to position Halton Hills as a high-value, future-ready employment location within the Greater Toronto Area,” Lowe says. “We want to attract investment that creates quality jobs, strengthens our business community, expands the tax base, and supports sustainable growth.”
Industrial opportunities
One of Halton Hills’ most significant competitive advantages is something increasingly difficult to find within the Greater Toronto Area: available industrial land. As neighbouring municipalities continue to experience land constraints, Halton Hills offers businesses opportunities to establish new facilities on greenfield sites while remaining connected to the GTA’s vast economic network.
This opportunity is concentrated within the Premier Gateway Employment Area, which encompasses approximately 2,200 acres of prestige industrial land.
According to Boutassis, the Premier Gateway represents the Town’s most important economic asset. “It provides excellent access to the 400-series highway network, the broader GTA, Southwestern Ontario, Pearson International Airport, and U.S. markets,” he says. The area is expected to accommodate a substantial share of Halton Hills’ future employment growth as new industrial developments and serviced lands become available.
What makes the Premier Gateway particularly attractive is its rarity. Across much of the GTA, new industrial development increasingly requires redevelopment of existing sites. Halton Hills offers businesses the ability to build facilities designed specifically for their operational needs. “Many municipalities adjacent to us are running out of available land,” Boutassis explains. “We still have opportunities for companies that need room to grow.”
Additional employment lands are also being brought online through long-term planning initiatives, helping ensure that future investors continue to have options within the community.
Building business success
Location alone is rarely enough to secure major investment. Companies evaluating new jurisdictions often consider factors such as approval timelines, municipal responsiveness, access to information, and the ease of navigating development processes. To address these concerns, Invest Halton Hills has developed a hands-on approach that guides businesses through every stage of investment.
The Town’s Business Concierge Program serves as a central point of contact for major projects, helping coordinate across multiple municipal departments while providing clarity around requirements and approvals. “Our approach is very coordinated,” says Boutassis. “We provide site selection assistance, labour market information, connections to partners, and support in understanding municipal processes.”
The program is designed to identify potential challenges early and ensure that businesses have access to the information they need to move projects forward efficiently. For a municipality of approximately 65,000 residents, the level of support available through Invest Halton Hills is notable. “Many larger cities have business concierge programs,” Lowe says. “What’s unique here is that we’re able to provide that same level of sophistication while maintaining the responsiveness and accessibility of a smaller community.”
That combination allows businesses to work directly with municipal staff who have a personal investment in project success while benefiting from services often associated with much larger urban centres. The impact of this approach can be seen in one of Halton Hills’ most significant recent investment successes: Conestoga Cold Storage.
The company selected Halton Hills for a major cold storage development that represents a multimillion dollar investment across multiple phases. While cold storage facilities are often viewed through the lens of logistics, Lowe emphasizes that Conestoga’s operation represents something much more sophisticated. “This is a highly automated cold storage operation powered by proprietary technologies and advanced robotics,” he says. “They’ve developed their technology in-house, and much of the facility is automated.”
The operation utilizes advanced robotics and proprietary systems to manage inventory within highly specialized cold storage environments. The project also demonstrates the broader economic opportunities that can emerge when anchor investments take root.
The full food supply chain
Once a major logistics and food supply chain operator establishes a presence in a community, related businesses often follow. Food manufacturers, processors, distributors, and suppliers benefit from proximity to critical infrastructure and industry partners.
“We’re seeing increased interest from food and beverage companies that want to be close to those supply chain assets,” Lowe says. The result is a growing ecosystem that strengthens Halton Hills’ position within Canada’s food production and distribution network. Among all of Halton Hills’ target sectors, food and beverage processing stands out as one of its strongest value propositions.
The region’s agricultural heritage, transportation connectivity, and proximity to major consumer markets create an environment where businesses throughout the food supply chain can thrive. “In our part of Ontario, you have the full food supply chain,” Lowe says. “From agricultural producers to processors to transportation and logistics, everything is connected.”
Companies located in Halton Hills can reach approximately 150 million consumers within a day’s drive, providing efficient access to both Canadian and U.S. markets. The community is already home to a diverse collection of food-related businesses, ranging from multinational corporations to rapidly growing entrepreneurial ventures. Among them are major industry names such as Kraft Heinz and Cargill Chocolate, alongside innovative companies including Freshouse Foods, Terra Cotta Cookies, and Vision Food Innovations, whose products are distributed nationally.
The sector’s continued growth is supported by a combination of market access, transportation infrastructure, industrial land availability, and competitive development costs.
Sustainability at the forefront
According to Lowe, development charges and real estate costs in Halton Hills often remain more competitive than many neighbouring GTA municipalities, providing additional advantages for expanding businesses. And as economic growth and environmental responsibility are increasingly interconnected—particularly as investors place greater emphasis on sustainability during site selection—Halton Hills has embraced this reality by integrating sustainability into both municipal planning and economic development initiatives. According to Lowe, many companies now evaluate communities based on factors such as energy efficiency, green building standards, waste reduction strategies, and access to cleaner energy sources.
The Town has spent years developing policies and initiatives that support this shift. Climate planning, low-carbon transition strategies, green building initiatives, and sustainable infrastructure investments all play a role in shaping future growth.
The focus extends beyond policy statements and into practical implementation. Municipal capital planning, land-use decisions, and economic development strategies are increasingly viewed through a sustainability lens. That alignment positions Halton Hills to compete for investment from companies that prioritize environmental performance alongside operational efficiency.
A rich pipeline of talent
Of course, a strong workforce remains one of the most important factors influencing business investment decisions. Halton Hills benefits from access to one of North America’s largest labour markets, with approximately 4.7 million people located within commuting distance. The region’s transportation connections support significant commuter movement throughout the Greater Toronto Area, giving employers access to talent from a wide geographic area.
At the same time, the community itself boasts a highly educated population. According to Lowe, approximately 75 percent of local residents possess post-secondary credentials, exceeding provincial averages. Educational institutions across Southern Ontario further strengthen the talent pipeline, with more than 20 colleges and universities located within an hour’s drive of Halton Hills, many of which operate specialized research centres and industry-focused programs. For sectors such as advanced manufacturing, food innovation, agriculture, engineering, and technology, these institutions provide ongoing access to skilled graduates and collaborative opportunities.
“We have access to a highly educated local workforce, a massive regional labour pool, and strong connections to post-secondary institutions,” Lowe says. Those factors help companies meet both their immediate hiring needs and long-term workforce development goals.
Quality of life, always
Amidst its economic ambitions, Halton Hills remains committed to protecting the qualities that make the community attractive to residents and businesses alike. Growth is guided by a planning framework that directs employment development to designated areas while preserving established neighbourhoods, agricultural lands, and natural spaces. “We don’t pursue growth for growth’s sake,” Boutassis says. “It needs to support the broader community through jobs, services, infrastructure, sustainability, and quality of life.”
The Town’s two primary urban centres, Georgetown and Acton, retain their distinct character, while employment growth is concentrated within areas specifically designated for industrial and commercial activity. This approach helps maintain the balance between economic opportunity and community livability. For residents and visitors, that means access to parks, trails, green spaces, and recreational amenities. For businesses, it means operating within a community that understands the importance of long-term planning and sustainable development.
As Halton Hills continues to evolve, its economic development team sees significant opportunities on the horizon. The community already supports approximately 23,000 jobs and more than 1,400 businesses. Additional employment lands, ongoing infrastructure investments, and a growing reputation among investors position the Town for continued success.
For Lowe, the formula is straightforward. “The fundamentals are already here,” he says. “We have the land, we have access to talent, we’re connected to major markets, and we’re ready for investment.”
As companies evaluate locations across Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, Halton Hills is increasingly demonstrating that growth need not mean choosing between business opportunity and quality of life. Instead, Halton Hills offers a combination of both, supported by strategic planning and a clear vision for the future.
