City of Vaughan

Key Highlights 

• The national Consumer Price Index rose 2.4 per cent year-over-year in September, following a 1.9 per cent increase in August. 
• The national unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 7.1 per cent, while the employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 60.6 per cent.   
• National Real Gross Domestic Product contracted 0.3 per cent in August, offsetting most of July’s 0.3 per cent growth.   
• In September, the Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre experienced demand for consulting in other services, retail trade, and professional scientific and technical services.   
• Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network 2.0 will be implemented over the next four years, with Infineon and Mercedes named as the primary partners. 
• Walmart Canada opens its first Ambient Distribution Centre in Vaughan, marking the company’s most advanced distribution centre in the country.      
• Tailored Genes opens its new 5,145-square-foot viral vector manufacturing facility in Concord.   
• Shake Shack opens a new location at Vaughan Mills, marking the franchise’s first expansion into York Region. 
• Six companies from Vaughan have been recognized in the 2025 edition of The Globe and Mail’s “Canada’s Top Growing Companies” list. 

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SELECT Economic Indicators

The national Consumer Price Index rose 2.4 per cent year-over-year in September, following a 1.9 per cent increase in August. 

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.4 per cent on a year-over-year basis in September, up from a 1.9 per cent increase in August. In Ontario, the Consumer Price Index rose 2.0 per cent year-over-year in September, up slightly by a 0.3 per cent increase from August. The Consumer Price Index increased in September at a faster pace than in August in each of Canada’s ten provinces.  

Consumers paid 4.0 per cent more year over year for food purchased from stores in September, following a 3.5 per cent increase in August. Increased prices for fresh vegetables, sugar, coffee, and fresh or frozen beef drove faster price growth. 

As students in Vaughan and across the Greater Toronto Area returned to post-secondary education programs, tuition fees, which are priced annually in September, increased by 1.7 per cent in 2025 compared to a 1.8 per cent increase in 2024. Aside from 2019, the 2025 increase was the smallest since 1976, when the index remained unchanged at 0.0 per cent. Students in Ontario had the smallest tuition increase in Canada at 1.1 per cent, coinciding with a tuition fee freeze in the province. 

The national unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 7.1 per cent, while the employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 60.6 per cent. 

The national unemployment rate remained unchanged in September at 7.1 per cent, while the employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 60.6 per cent. National employment increased by 60,000 (+0.3 per cent) in September, partially offsetting a cumulative decline of 106,000 jobs (-0.5 per cent) over the previous two months. From January to September 2025, employment has recorded little net growth (+22,000; +0.1 per cent). 

Employment was up in the core-aged group (25 to 54 years old), both for women (+76,000; +1.2 per cent) and men (+33,000; +0.5 per cent). There was an increase in full-time employment (+106,000; +0.6 per cent) in September, and average hourly wages among employees increased 3.3 per cent (+$1.17 to $36.78) on a year-over-year basis.  

Employment in manufacturing increased by 28,000 in September (+1.5 per cent), with the majority of the growth occurring in Ontario (+12,000). While employment grew in manufacturing, another one of Vaughan’s key sectors saw a decline, with wholesale and retail trade dropping nationally by 21,000 jobs (-0.7 per cent). 

The youth unemployment rate rose to 14.7 per cent in September. The elevated unemployment rate among youth attending school in September follows a challenging summer student job market in 2025. On average over the months of May to August 2025, the unemployment rate for returning students stood at 17.9 per cent, the highest rate since the summer of 2009 (18.0 per cent), excluding the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

National Real Gross Domestic Product contracted 0.3 per cent in August, offsetting most of July’s 0.3 per cent growth. 

National Real Gross Domestic Product contracted 0.3 per cent in August, offsetting most of July’s 0.3 per cent growth. There was a decline in both goods-producing and service-producing industries for the first time in six months.  

Goods-producing industries declined 0.6 per cent in August, marking the fifth contraction since the beginning of the year. Service-producing industries edged down 0.1 per cent, marking this aggregate’s first decline in six months, driven by contractions in transportation and warehousing and in wholesale trade. 

Primarily driven by a work stoppage (strike) in August, the transportation and warehousing sector declined by 1.7 per cent. The wholesale trade sector declined by 1.2 per cent in August, after three consecutive monthly increases; motor vehicle and parts wholesalers led the decline with an 8.3 per cent drop in August as activity in the subsector eased, coinciding with planned annual summer shutdowns and lower exports and imports of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts amid ongoing tariff uncertainty with the United States. 

LOCAL TRENDS, INVESTMENTS, AND SUCCESS STORIES 

In September, the Vaughan Business and Entrepreneurship Centre experienced demand for consulting in other services, retail trade, and professional scientific and technical services. 

In September, the top five industries seeking small business or entrepreneurship consultations were: 

1. Other Services (27 per cent) 
2. Retail Trade (23 per cent)
3. Professional Scientific & Technical Services (14 per cent) 
4. Education Services (10 per cent) 
5. Construction (6 per cent) 

*Other services include: repair centers for motor vehicles, pet care services, funeral, laundry, photo finishing, etc. 

Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network 2.0 will be implemented over the next four years, with Infineon and Mercedes named as the primary partners. 

During the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network Forum on October 29, Raed Kadri, VP Strategic Initiatives, Business Development and Head of OVIN, announced Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network 2.0 will take place over the next four years, with Infineon and Mercedes announced as the primary partners. While no further details were provided during Mr. Kadri’s address, the intent is to continue the collaborative nature of their program and expand research and partnership opportunities through Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network 2.0  

Walmart Canada opens its first Ambient Distribution Centre in Vaughan, marking the company’s most advanced distribution centre in the country.  

Walmart Canada officially opened its most advanced distribution centre in Vaughan on October 16. The 550,000-square-foot, 94-feet-tall facility, which is the retailer’s first Ambient Distribution Centre in Canada, leverages automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence to deliver products to customers across Ontario. This new distribution centre employs more than 200 associates, creating opportunities for skill development and career growth in high-tech logistics roles. The new distribution centre currently services 131 stores and two fulfillment centres across Ontario, making it the highest-volume facility in Walmart Canada’s supply chain network. 

Walmart Canada’s new Vaughan Ambient Distribution Centre is designed with associate experience at its core, enabling products to move more quickly. The new distribution centre uses advanced AI-driven warehouse management, autonomous forklifts, and automated storage and retrieval systems. This new state-of-the-art facility enables Walmart Canada to ship up to 70 million cases annually.    

Tailored Genes opens its new 5,145-square-foot viral vector manufacturing facility in Concord. 

Tailored Genes celebrated the grand opening of its new 5,145-square-foot viral vector manufacturing facility in Concord on October 16. During the grand opening, the federal government announced an investment of more than $1 million, through FedDev Ontario, towards advanced equipment to enhance the testing and development of gene and cell therapy methods at the new facility, with the aim of treating rare and life-threatening diseases. Tailored Genes uses its tailoring background to provide customized advanced gene and cell therapy applications to clients with the power to treat, and potentially cure, genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDs, and certain cancers.  

This new facility is part of a more than $2-million project to relocate the company from Toronto Western Hospital to a larger, more advanced facility in Vaughan. The new labs will provide biotech companies, academic institutions, and medical startups with better access to domestic expert advice and tools to turn discoveries into market-ready treatments more efficiently.   

Shake Shack opens a new location at Vaughan Mills, marking the franchise’s first expansion into York Region.  

The fast-food franchise, known for its smash burgers, cheese fries, and milkshakes, has recently opened its first location in Vaughan at the Vaughan Mills shopping centre. This is also the first location in York Region, as the brand begins its expansion into the Greater Toronto Area after successful restaurant openings in Toronto. While specific employment numbers at the Vaughan Mills location are not yet available, it’s estimated that six locations in the Greater Toronto Area will create more than 400 jobs. 

Six companies from Vaughan have been recognized in the 2025 edition of The Globe and Mail’s “Canada’s Top Growing Companies” list. 

These firms, including Fastfrate Group, Unilux HVAC Industries Inc., Amar Transport Inc., Apaylo Finance Technology Inc., Clever Digital Marketing and Catanzaro Mechanical, have each achieved strong multi-year revenue growth, earning them national recognition for their performance. This achievement reflects Vaughan’s thriving business ecosystem and its strong capacity to foster, attract, and sustain high-growth companies in an increasingly competitive market. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jordan Lopez, Economic Development Coordinator at Jordan.Lopez@vaughan.ca.