Future of Logistics in Caledon: Event Recap & Key Takeaways
A Path for Purposeful Growth in Caledon
On November 5, industry leaders, innovators and international partners gathered at Caesar’s Centre in Bolton for The Future of Logistics: Caledon in a Global Economy. The morning opened with a keynote from Leslie Woo, Principal of She Builds Cities, who framed the conversation around a simple idea: growth should be purposeful.
Leslie began with the global context. Canada is pursuing a “nation-building” agenda focused on the clean economy, productivity and infrastructure, and it aims to double its non-U.S. exports by 2035, an increase of roughly $300 billion. That raises the strategic importance of ports, rail, intermodal networks and trade corridors, and of the technology that makes them more productive.
Then came the number that anchored the morning. Goods movement-related industries in Peel contributed an estimated $49 billion in GDP, equal to 21% of Ontario’s goods-movement GDP and 8.7% of the sector’s output across Canada.* Caledon is a strategic partner in that hub, with more than 1,000 logistics and warehousing businesses, being part of the Pearson Economic Zone and our proximity to the CN Brampton Intermodal Terminal.
Leslie’s question for Caledon and our partners centered around warehouse robotics, AI-driven planning, real-time shipment visibility that are already reshaping the sector. Caledon’s opportunity is to become a place where companies develop, install, maintain and use logistics technology. Done well, that means equipment suppliers, systems integrators, training providers and technical careers based close to home.
That vision connects to the work already underway locally, including DMZ Caledon at the Humber River Centre and the Japan Innovation Showcase with DMZ, JETRO and J-StarX, which connect local industry with international innovators.
International investment should complement the businesses already here and bring new capabilities, not simply more buildings. That is the focus of the Business Attraction & Investment team.
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Thank you to our panelists Dr. Holly Gardner (NuPort Robotics and Altitude Accelerator), Deniz Celebioglu (DMZ) and Ben Roberts (Town of Caledon), and to everyone who joined us. If you’re looking to grow, invest or innovate in Caledon, contact the Business Attraction & Investment team at business@caledon.ca
*Source: Region of Peel Goods Movement Economic Impact Analysis (2014 data).