Québec City is especially notable for certain sectors of excellence that contribute to its economic vitality. These sectors stand out for their strong growth potential, creation of value-added jobs, and use of knowledge-intensive technologies and processes.
The City of Québec has mandated Pôle Québec Chaudière Appalaches to
develop these sectors of excellence and provide leadership.
Applied Technology
Optics-photonics
Québec City is a rising star in this multi-billion dollar market for
its expertise in the fields of specialty fiber design and manufacturing,
analytical instrumentation, imaging, machine vision, and lasers. Exfo,
Gentec, EO, ABB Process Analytics, Telops, Institut national d'optique
(INO), and Université Laval’s Centre for Optics, Photonics, and Lasers,
are among the many industry leaders headquartered in Québec City.
Defence, Security, and Emergency Preparedness
Québec City is home to the Department of National Defence of Canada’s
largest research and testing centre (Defence Research and Development
Canada DRDC Valcartier), as well as a major Canadian Armed Forces base.
DMR Consulting (Fujitsu), DAP Technologies, and Thales are also established in the
region.
Electronics
Québec City boasts a vibrant electronics sector with over 60
companies, 2,500 jobs, and sales of $385 million CA. Industry leaders
include Gecko, Labcal Technologies, Multitel, and Comlab
Telecommunications.
Information Technology
Ubisoft’s office on Boulevard Charest
Photo: City of Québec
Companies in the region excel in video games, mobile telephony,
computer security, business intelligence applications, productivity
enhancement software, and more. In Québec City, the IT sector benefits
from a skilled and qualified workforce known for its creativity and
innovation. DMR, Frima Studio, Beenox, and Ubisoft have offices here,
while Université du Québec, Université Laval, Cégep Limoilou, Cégep de
Sainte-Foy, and Collège François-Xavier-Garneau all offer cutting edge
training in interactive entertainment.
Geomatics
Local companies have developed cutting edge technology for the
following fields: public safety and emergency preparedness, risk
management (insurance), telecommunications and civil infrastructure
network management, land and cadastral management, marine cartography
and forest management. Groupe ALTA, Korem, Innovision Plus, and XEOS
Imaging all have operations in Québec City.
From Science to Nutrition
Life Sciences
Québec City has over 50 research centers in this field.
Internationally renowned researchers are active in cardiology,
infectiology, immunology, obesity, neuroscience, and more. Companies
such as SFBC Anapharm and Medicago have operations in Québec City.
Health and Nutrition
Home to well-known chefs and innovative entrepreneurs, the City of
Québec is on the cutting edge of the latest food market trends. Biscuits
Leclerc, Immanence IDC, Unipex Group, La Maison Bergevin, and SiliCycle
are among the industry leaders operating in Québec City.
Manufacturing
Québec City’s manufacturing sector is a fast-developing industry
known for vibrant companies, continuous innovation, and major
investments. Québec City manufacturing is characterized by technology,
boundary-pushing, and cutting-edge expertise.
There are over 1,000 manufacturing enterprises in the city, with
about half located in municipal industrial parks. The sector employs
over 30,000 people.
Insurance and Financial Services
The insurance and financial services sector provides over 30,000 jobs
in the Québec City area (EPA 2008). Québec City is known for its high
concentration of insurance companies. The 11 head offices located in the
Québec City area generate close to 40% of the province’s sales in the
field (ISQ 2006). Among these are SSQ Financial Group, Industrial
Alliance, and La Capitale.
For a complete overview of these economic sectors, visit the
Québec International website.