Medical Devices and Remote Healthcare
Jobs in the healthcare, medical and social assistance industry are more highly concentrated in Thunder Bay than in most Canadian cities, and have enjoyed a stable labour supply of educated professionals in recent years.
With a strong outlook as a growth industry, the medical devices and remote healthcare sectors represent a unique and encouraging investment opportunity for both established and up-and-coming companies.
Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre
Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute
Minnesota Medical Device Cluster
Hennepin, Carver and Ramsey Counties have some of the highest concentrations of Medical Manufacturers in the United States.
10,000 plus people make up Thunder Bay’s Healthcare Sector, drawing interest from investors and attracting new talent to the City.
Ontario’s combined general federal-provincial CIT rate is lower than the average of G20 countries and the average federal + state CIT in the United States.
Thunder Bay offers competitive land costs, construction costs, and zero development charges, making it an ideal location for expansion and new construction.
Skilled Labour Force
Lakehead University offers five undergraduate programs, four master’s programs and one doctoral program for students pursuing careers in Health Sciences. Confederation College offers 22 different programs dedicated to Health Sciences. The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has 7 distinct program streams as well as continuing education for medical professionals.
Ontario enjoys universal healthcare, which means the average employer health costs per year for companies based in Ontario are 1/3 of the cost of the US average. Access to healthcare raises productivity due to lower rates of absenteeism.
The Government of Ontario invested $5 million in Lakehead University to create the Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering and Sciences. A 42,000 sq feet facility with new laboratories and equipment to support research and training.
The Government of Canada invested $1.85 million to enable the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute to purchase equipment and implement new technologies in probe development and biomarker exploration (PD&BE).
Incentives / Funding Programs
Thunder Bay is committed to supporting the advancement of the medical devices and remote healthcare industry in Northwestern Ontario. There are numerous incentives and funding programs for new and expanding businesses to offset costs and encourage research and innovation.
