F E AT U RE Ice hockey is part of our culture. On a Saturday night, many Canadians huddle around the television with family and friends watching theirfavourite team play Armstrong International Movers enjoy a hockey day as part of its monthly theme days The programme is called Hockey Night in Canada [and is aired] every Saturday during the National Hockey League season. This has long been available in French and English, our two official languages. Recently, a new telecast started Hockey Night in Punjabi. This was driven by interest from the Indian Punjabi community as the older generation of Punjabis living in Canada wanted to stay connected to the newer generation of Punjabis born and raised here. The show is exactly the same as Hockey Night in Canada, except the on-air commentary is in Punjabi, and presented by native speakers. A BUSINESS MECCA BOB JOHNSON, VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT, PARAMOUNT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS With many corporates basing their headquarters in the city and relocation management companies (RMCs) operating in Toronto there is a huge variety of businessopportunities. Bob Johnson, Vice President, Strategic Development, at Paramount Transportation Systems, says: Torontos financial sector is very strong; there is banking, insurance, wealth and investment management, for instance. There are also mining and resources headquarters, architecture, engineering and construction firms, food, dairy and beverage producers, automotive, construction materials and aggregates, tech firms, consulting firms and transportation firms. According to Johnson, foreign-owned subsidiaries sometimes manage regional mobility programmes from Canada, offering another source of trade. RMCs also provide business for FIDI Affiliates when they need qualityassured suppliers to manage their clients household goods moving programmes. Many industries have strong ties to the USA, says Armstrongs Duffy. Canada and the USA are each others largest trading partners. In the mobility space, however, most of the large corporations outsource [work] to RMCs. Brytor Internationals main focus is on corporate and trade business, which forms 75 per cent of its revenues. HIGH LIVING COSTS From left: Derek Duffy, Armstrong President/Owner, motivational speaker Tommy Spaulding, Rod Speers, Armstrong CEO/Owner, and Dale Armstrong, Armstrong Founder/Owner 74 FF289FebMar19 pp70-79 City on the Move Toronto.indd 74 Some Affiliates believe the relatively high living costs in Toronto, compared with the rest of Canada, are not a huge factor. It means accepting expensive housing and a low vacancy rate for renters in the city, but Duffy says: Most expats have cost adjustments in their compensation packages to keep them whole. So Im not sure this really impacts the expat. Emery, at Paramount, adds: Compared with many other cities of its class, Toronto is inexpensive. Socially and culturally, it offers huge benefits. In the end, there is so much opportunity in the greater Toronto area that it is a highly desirable place to live and work. Although Stone warns the expansion into neighbouring communities has put extra pressure on the transport WWW. F I D I . OR G 24/01/2019 13:45