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Key industry sector: Business & Professional Services

Business

The business and professional services cluster is among the largest in North America and is growing in step with the city's highly diversified economy. Legal and accounting firms, advertising and marketing agencies, management, technical and design consultancies, human resources services - all create the vital business infrastructure that attracts corporate headquarters and global professional firms. Thanks to a highly educated workforce, great international connections and low operating costs, Toronto businesses have the top-notch support network that is essential to success.

Highlights

  • In total, 316,480 people provide business and professional services in the city of Toronto;
  • Some 24,000 business and professional service firms in Toronto make up 21% of the Canadian total for this cluster;
  • Toronto is home to 18 of Canada’s 20 largest law practices, the head offices for 7 of Canada's top 10 accounting firm, 7 of the 10 largest advertising and communications agencies and all 10 top human resources and benefits firms;
  • Close to half a million highly skilled people work in downtown Toronto and businesses can draw from an overall labour force of nearly 2 million. Over 56% of employees in Toronto's diverse economy have post-secondary degrees or certificates.
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Diverse range of services

  • Some 24,000 business and professional service firms in Toronto make up 21% of the Canadian total for this cluster.
  • Toronto is home to 18 of Canada's 20 largest law practices, the head offices for 7 of Canada's top 10 accounting firms, 7 of the 10 largest advertising and communications agencies and all 10 top human resources and benefits firms.
Toronto's core business services

Legal and accounting

18 of Canada's 20 largest legal practices have offices in Toronto
Rank
2011		 Firm Employment
Toronto		 Total
Employment
1 Borden Ladner Gervais LLP 290 781
2 Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP 221 757
3 Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP 221 686
4 McCarthy Tétrault LLP 281 609
5 Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP 303 595
6 Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP 167 519
7 Heenan Blaikie LLP 177 512
8 Stikeman Elliott LLP 211 509
9 Miller Thomson LLP 163 476
10 Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP 291 460
11 Ogilvy Renault LLP 147 413
12 McMillan LLP 218 395
13 Bennett Jones LLP 143 352
14 Macleod Dixon LLP 44 288
15 Torys LLP 217 256
16 Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP 144 240
16 Davis LLP 46 240
18 Stewart McKelvey --- 226
19 McInnes Cooper --- 212
20 Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP 200 200

Source: Lexpert, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, The 30 Largest Law Firms in Canada 2011

Seven of Canada's largest Accounting firms have head offices in Toronto

Top 10 Accounting Firms in Canada (2009)
Firm Head office 2009 revenue ($000s) Partners/ Principals Professional staff Total staff Number of offices
Deloitte & Touche LLP Toronto 1,387,000 542 5,263 5,805 57
Pricewater
house
Coopers LLP		 Toronto 1,128,900 429 3,912 4,341 25
KPMG LLP Toronto 1,075,510 418 3,400 3,818 33
Ernst & Young LLP Toronto 855,000 330 2,603 2,933 15
Grant Thornton Canada1 Toronto 462,000 402 2,565 2,967 112
BDO LLP Toronto 393,000 368 1,968 2,336 95
Meyers Norris Penny LLP Calgary 329,000 254 721 975 50
Collins Barrow National Co-operative Waterloo 138,365 171 499 670 36
RSM Richter Montreal/ Toronto 124,000 101 333 434 3
Mallette Quebec 49,445 57 419 476 22

Advertising and communications

Toronto is home to a wide range of advertising and communications agencies, with many of the largest global leaders in this field having offices in Toronto. The city also has a range of smaller agencies which have garnered significant national attention.

Global advertising and communications firms located in Toronto include:
Canadian-owned firms located in Toronto include:

Management consultancy

Toronto also has offices for many of the world's largest management consultancy firms, including:

Source: Institute of Communications Agencies, Member Agencies List

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Organizations/ associations

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