Province profile

Ontario

Canada's largest and most diversified provincial economy, with a strong internal-trade grade — generally the lowest-friction destination for an interprovincial expansion, though still not zero-friction.

Overview

Population

16,103,890

Local time

Internal-trade grade

Net debt / GDP

37.7%

Worth knowing

Canada's most populous province and largest single provincial economy.

Population: Statistics Canada, as of 2026-04-01. Internal-trade grade: CFIB 2026 report card. Net debt/GDP: a compiled cross-provincial estimate, not a single official StatCan table — shown as a data gap for territories rather than assumed zero.

Economy & key industries

Primary sectors

Manufacturing (automotive)FinanceTechnologyAgri-food

Doing business here

Sales tax

HST 13%

Minimum wage

$17.60/hr, effective 2025-10-01

Corp. tax (small biz / general)

12.2% / 26.5%

Corporate registry

Ontario Business Registry

Employment standards

Ontario Employment Standards Act

Workers' compensation

WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board)

Extra-provincial registration by business type

Assuming you're coming from another province with no physical presence in Ontario yet — the most common starting point. Your actual answer depends on your specific presence and revenue; run the full lookup tool for that.

Business type	Extra-provincial registration
Retail / e-commerce goods	Likely not required
Professional services	Likely not required
Regulated trades & licensing	Depends — confirm
Healthcare & medical professionals	Depends — confirm
Alcohol / cannabis DTC	Likely not required
Trucking & logistics	Likely not required
Food & beverage	Depends — confirm

Trade & market access

Investment / trade office

Invest Ontario

Government tenders

Ontario Tenders Portal

Liquor & cannabis authority

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)

Commercial transport authority

Ontario Ministry of Transportation — Carrier Registration

Live federal tender listings and business-registry search across all 13 jurisdictions are also on the Resources page.

AI research brief

Have Claude search reputable sources only — Statistics Canada, the Bank of Canada, provincial governments, major bank economics desks, established policy institutes, and wire/business press — for current context on Ontario's economy and policy climate. Separate from the sourced dataset above.

Run your own check All provinces

Guidance snapshot: 2026-08-05. Broader review pending. Informational only — not legal advice.