Grande Prairie has made a huge jump to the top of the rankings of the country’s best places for businesses. In the first annual PROFITGuide.com report last year, GP was placed 10th, but skyrocketed up to first in 2016.
The magazine credits the city’s diverse economy as making it an attractive place for business owners, but also gives a nod to local programs like grants for developing new homes and a tax deferral on all new houses in the downtown core. It adds that it’s free to get a business licence in less than a week, and the city’s non-residential tax rate is 1.8 per cent.
The rankings aim to find the places with the best balance of moderate costs, growing markets and business-friendly governments. Edmonton ranked second behind Grande Prairie, while three other Alberta cities made the top 25.