With the right approach, Niagara can continue to be a powerhouse in the key sectors of agribusiness, manufacturing and tourism, says newly released Brock research.

The latest report by the Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) analyzes the region’s established and emerging sectors and how Niagara Region’s 10-year Economic Development Strategy addresses these areas.

Supported by funding from the Wilson Foundation, the report also recommends a variety of ways to boost Niagara’s economic resiliency.

“Like other regions in Canada and worldwide, Niagara is navigating the choppy waters of shifting global markets, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, unprecedented climate change and the persistent challenges of growing income inequality and job precarity,” says Professor of Political Science and NCO Director Charles Conteh, the report’s lead author. “The recommendations from our study focus on how Niagara can orchestrate change in partnership with public, private and non-profit stakeholders as it navigates these global rapids.”

The research shows Niagara has excelled in agribusiness in recent years, particularly in the animal food production and farm product wholesaler industries. The region has seen employment growth of 22 per cent in this sector versus two per cent growth in Ontario from 2013 to 2023.

During that same time, the region’s manufacturing sector saw a 19 per cent increase in employment, compared to five per cent in Ontario and Canada. Key manufacturing areas include animal food production, industrial machinery and furniture.

Although Niagara’s tourism sector has declined as a whole, there are bright spots. These include scenic and sightseeing water tours, which saw a 305 per cent increase from 2013 to 2023, and recreational vehicle (RV) parks and camps, with a growth of 187 per cent.

The report identifies several promising trends in the emerging sectors of information communication technology (ICT), health care and the aerospace industry.

The research team, which includes NCO Research Fellow Nathan Olmstead, Research Associate Felice Martinello and Research Assistant Tia Henstra, calls for policy-makers to adopt the “smart industrial specialization” approach to economic development in Niagara, which involves thinking about subsectors rather than whole sectors.

“Smart industrial specialization is about identifying and building on Niagara’s core strengths, and the relationships that exist between things like manufacturing, agriculture and tourism within the region,” says Olmstead.

Other recommendations in the report include creating “industry-led innovation consortia” in which a variety of stakeholders work together to build Niagara’s competitive edge and establishing “industrial corridors” that expand Niagara’s economic reach to nearby markets.

The report, “The Next Frontier of Economic Development in Niagara: From Concierge to Orchestrator of Change,” was one of several studies presented at the Wilson Foundation Symposium, held at Brock on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The event concludes the two-year Brock-Wilson Foundation partnership on the project “History of Niagara’s economic development in a changing world.”

Earlier this year, Conteh led a team of Brock researchers, including Olmstead, Martinello, Associate Professor of History Elizabeth Vlossak and Adjunct Professor of History Kimberly Monk that produced a series of papers examining Niagara’s economic history over the past 200 years, presented to the community March 4.

The Foundation provided Brock with a $500,000 philanthropic investment in support of the initiative, which brought together an interdisciplinary research team focusing on five key economic sectors: hydroelectric power generation, manufacturing and industry, marine transportation, tourism and agribusiness.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the study and the progress to date of the Brock project,” says L.R. Wilson, the Foundation’s Chairman. “Hopefully, it will help navigate the economic development of the Niagara region well into the future.”