2012 Vinodrai et al EDCO Taking Regional Action - Faculty of ...

Figure 3.1: The Waterloo region
Source: Waterloo region Tourism Marketing Corporation
(2011). Explore Waterloo region. Retrieved from
http://www.explorewaterlooregion.com/
3.1 Economic
history and profile
Waterloo region’s economic resilience, industrial
diversity and strong civic engagement have come to
be known as ‘The Waterloo Way’ XII . Authors point to
the region’s legacy of entrepreneurialism, its appetite
for innovation, and its penchant for communityoriented
action as critical ingredients resulting in its
leading economic position in Canada. The Waterloo
region community is observed as one that “…actually
does things, rather than engage in endless debates
about change.” XIII
While the region is recognized in Canada for its
dynamic technology sector and its post-secondary
education institutions, the region has a very diverse
industrial base, particularly for its size XIV. Figure 3.2
shows the relative strengths of the regional economy.
It depicts a ‘bubble chart’ comparing the performance
of the region’s main economic sectors in terms of
growth, specialization and size. The horizontal axis
shows the employment location quotient, which
compares the proportion of the region’s employment
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Taking regional action