Since the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) announced its first list of the Top7 Intelligent Communities of the Year, Canadian cities have made a near-annual appearance on ICF’s honor role. From 2002 through 2016, a total of 27 cities and regions in Canada have passed through ICF’s rigorous evaluation process to qualify as a Smart21 semi-finalist, a Top7 finalist or the Intelligent Community of the Year.

In the second half of 2015, the Intelligent Communities Group (ICG) conducted an in-depth survey of the nation’s Intelligent Communities on behalf of ICF Canada using a questionnaire based on the methodology developed by the Intelligent Community Forum in its annual Awards program and Accelerator service. This report is based on the quantitative and qualitative data gathered through the ICF Canada survey process. Its objectives are to paint a portrait of Canada’s Intelligent Communities in both numbers and words, and to identify their outsized contributions to attracting and retaining investment and talent, both domestic and foreign, in the Canadian economy. It is understood that this report will be used to further develop marketing information to help these Canadian communities promote themselves for foreign direct investment purposes as innovation ecosystems with a unique competitive edge as Intelligent Communities.