Outaouais Economic Highlights

Territory

• The Outaouais has five separate administrative divisions, the four regional county municipalities (MRCs) of Pontiac, Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, Papineau, Collines-de-l'Outaouais and the new City of Gatineau.

Population

• The population of the Outaouais region is 338,491, representing 4.5% of the Quebec population. 243,998 live within the City of Gatineau, while 94,493 live in rural areas of the region.

Outaouais Economy and Employment

• The Outaouais economy is distinguished by its very dynamic urban sector. Advantaged by its proximity to the national capital, the tertiary sector (services, public administration) employs close to 85% of workers in the region. The other workers are distributed as follows: construction 7.7%, manufacturing 5.9% and primary 1.0%.

Unemployment went down slightly during the period of 2003-2005, going from 7.7% to 6.9%.

Economic Activity

• The proximity of Ottawa, a major centre for technology, has an influence on the Outaouais which boasts a first-rate structure for welcoming and guiding enterprises. The City of Gatineau offers many advantages to companies seeking to benefit from the proximity of the region's thirty-three federal research establishments and of the federal apparatus.The establishment of the Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) in 2005 at the University of Quebec in Outaouais (UQO) should allow for development of the translation support industry in the region.
  
  The Outaouais also stands out for the diversity of the forest species that make its mixed forests unique. The region has excellent wood processing plants (flooring, particleboard, pulp and paper). However, this industry has been seriously affected by the US/Canada softwood lumber dispute and the reform of Quebec's forestry regime.

The Outaouais has enormous development potential in the agri-food and forestry industries, especially in secondary and tertiary processing.

Tourism

• Taking advantage of Ottawa's popularity as a prime tourist destination (more than six million tourists annually), the Outaouais relies on its tourism offering, complementary to that of the national capital, to stimulate this important sector. So-called "soft" adventure products such as cycling, cultural and wilderness tours are prominent among the region's tourism strong points.

To learn more, consult the statistical profile ( PDF / HTM Version ) .