costs according to KPMG International’s bi-an-
nual study: Competitive Alternatives- Guide to
International Business Location Costs for 2014.
The international report, which was comprised
of ten countries and over 130 cities, listed
Charlottetown as a cost-effective business lo-
cation for corporate services, including profes-
sional services and corporate shared services.
“The report confirms what we’ve been saying
in Charlottetown for a number of years, but
it’s meaningful when an outside agency says
it. We’re very proud of that ranking,” boasts
Mayor Lee. This ranking speaks to the city’s
phenomenal education system, property tax
system and low taxation rate that makes the
cost of living a lot less than other urban cities,
such as Vancouver or Toronto, and increases
the quality of life for residents. “We’ve invest-
ed considerable dollars in upgrades to our rec-
reational facilities and recognize the fact that
we need to attract young professional families
as well as bringing in more immigrants to the
community to sustain the province.”
Though, Mayor Lee recognizes that there are
issues that must be addressed in order to pros-
per the city further, such as a need for infra-
structure funding. “We are well aware, as are
other municipal governments in this country,
that there is a dire need for major amounts of
money to be invested into communities from
the provincial and federal governments. There
is a new program being developed [The Build
Canada Fund] which hasn’t been signed in PEI
yet, but we are anticipating it will be signed to
improve our province’s infrastructure.” Char-
lottetown also ranked no. 4 for most cost-ef-
fective city studied in North America for over-
all business costs, which is further proof that
Charlottetown is a city all investors should keep
an eye on.
The vivaciousness of the city leaks into every
visitor that walks on the sandy shores of the
island, and when they return to their homes
they take back with them a piece of Canadian
history. Charlottetown will continue to bolster
its economy, build on its historic roots and
shelter a culture of national inheritance for the
remainder of its existence.
“For a small city in a small province, I think
Charlottetown plays a major role in attraction –
attracting visitors, and boosting the tourism in-
dustry. Over the years there have been efforts
in attracting the Asian market to our province,
for example,” says Mayor Lee about Charlotte-
town’s future endeavours. “We have a fantas-
tic workforce, and when people move to Char-
lottetown they stay here for the long-term.”
JULY 2014
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