Ottawa, ON – November 25, 2025 – The Ottawa Board of Trade, in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab, has launched the inaugural Ottawa Economic Scorecard to give our city a clear and honest baseline for economic performance. For too long, Ottawa’s progress has lacked a common set of facts – now, this data-driven initiative provides the foundation for shared understanding and coordinated action.
The results are encouraging – Ottawa scores a solid B, ranking near the top of Canada’s largest metropolitan areas thanks to strong fundamentals, a highly educated workforce, world-class research assets, and an exceptional quality of life. These are real strengths and validate Ottawa’s status as a leading Canadian city. But for a G7 capital, “B” is not good enough. This new Scorecard makes it clear that Ottawa has the potential for so much more and must aim higher.
Nearly half of Ottawa’s workforce is anchored in the public sector, which brings stability but also exposes the city to risk. As growth, innovation, and diversification become more critical, this Scorecard spotlights the need for both safeguarding our advantages and addressing vulnerabilities. To reach its true potential, Ottawa must invest in the infrastructure that helps people and goods move quickly and reliably, make it easier to start and grow businesses, and focus on making downtown safer, more vibrant, and a magnet for residents, visitors, and employers alike.
The findings offer a roadmap for the future. Ottawa excels in greenspace and housing affordability, boasts one of the country’s most educated populations, and is recognized as a top destination for visitors. But challenges – such as youth retention, fewer new business startups, and the need for improved commercial space conditions – must be overcome through decisive, collaborative action.
The Ottawa Board of Trade will use this Scorecard as a north star for advocacy, aligning public and private leaders behind a collective mission: With deliberate effort, Ottawa can become one of the most dynamic, competitive mid-sized cities in North America. Our “B” is a baseline, not our destiny – now is the moment to act together and realize Ottawa’s full promise.
“Ottawa is good – but is good the goal? This Scorecard gives the region’s stakeholders a data-driven foundation to build from and a clear picture of where things could be even better,” said Patrick Gill, Vice President of the Business Data Lab at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “If Ottawa is striving to stay globally competitive, it can’t afford to stand still. This Scorecard is a call to action – to shift into a higher gear and turn the region’s full potential into performance.”
This evidence-based Scorecard not only affirms Ottawa’s unique strengths but also sets an action-oriented agenda for tackling challenges together – including strategies to boost employment, support startups, and retain global talent. “This Scorecard tells the story of a city in transformation,” said Sueling Ching, President and CEO of the Ottawa Board of Trade. “Ottawa is evolving beyond its traditional government identity into a diverse, resilient, and globally connected economy – one that welcomes creative industries, prioritizes sustainability, and values talent from every corner of the world. Our work with the Business Data Lab and our community partners means this Scorecard is not an endpoint, but a beginning – a foundation for ongoing dialogue, strategy, and collective action toward a world-class capital city. The next step for the Ottawa Board of Trade is to convene the Business Council of Ottawa, a newly launched group of our top private cross sector leaders, to identify the key areas of opportunity that will move our region toward a solid “A” future.”
The Scorecard is now publicly available and, in line with the Business Data Lab’s mission, its underlying data set will be open for research and municipal planning. This unique partnership exemplifies data-driven leadership and reinforces Ottawa’s ambition to compete globally for talent, investment, and innovation.
About the Ottawa Board of Trade:
The Ottawa Board of Trade (OBOT) is the voice of business in Ottawa, representing enterprises of all sizes and from across all sectors since 1857. As a key economic development partner in the National Capital Region, OBOT advocates for collaborative and sustainable community prosperity, supports businesses at every stage of growth, and champions Ottawa as the best place to live, work, learn, play, visit and invest. It is committed to fostering a thriving, world-class business community and advancing affordable, inclusive, and sustainable city building. For more information, visit www.ottawabot.ca.
About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – The Future of Business Success:
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is Canada’s largest and most activated business network – representing over 400 chambers of commerce and boards of trade and more than 200,000 business of all sizes, from all sectors of the economy and from every part of the country – to create the conditions for our collective success. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is the undisputed champion and catalyst for the future of business success. From working with government on economy-friendly policy to providing services that inform commerce and enable trade, we give each of our members more of what they need to succeed: insight into markets, competitors and trends, influence over the decisions and policies that drive business success and impact on business and economic performance.
About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Data Lab
Launched in February 2022, the Business Data Lab (BDL) by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce provides free tools and real-time insights to help organizations understand Canada’s economy today and anticipate future trends. Supported by Statistics Canada and funded by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the BDL aims to ensure that rapid economic change and shifting business dynamics do not leave Canada’s decision-makers behind. By democratizing data on Canadian business conditions and offering future-focused, real-time, and local insights, the BDL enables organizations to better understand and navigate the Canadian economy.
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