Winnipeg is viewed as the historical financial centre of Western Canada and is headquarters for both Great-West Life Assurance Company, Canada’s largest insurance company, and Investors Group, Canada’s largest mutual fund company.
Winnipeg is the location of Canada’s only Commodity Exchange and is Canada’s grain industry headquarters. Major agriculture-based corporations include: Cargill Limited and James Richardson and Sons, Limited .
Winnipeg is positioned as having one of the most diversified secondary manufacturing sectors in Western Canada and over 50% of Canadian agricultural machinery output is manufactured in Manitoba. The Winnipeg area is home to Palliser Furniture, one of Canada’s largest furniture manufacturers and home to Canada’s largest window manufacturers – Willmar Windows and Loewen Windows.
Manitoba is the largest and most diversified aerospace centre in Western Canada. World-class companies include: Standard Aero Limited, Boeing Canada Technology and Bristol Aerospace Limited.
The Manitoba fashion industry ranks as the third largest garment production centre in Canada. Winnipeg firms include: Mondetta, Gemini Fashions, Nygård International, Western Glove Works, Standard Knitting and Prosperity Knitwear.
Winnipeg is home to several major global biotechnology companies: Cangene, Biovail Corporation, and Monsanto Canada Inc. This sector is supported by a strong research infrastructure comprised of world-class university and government laboratories, and research institutes – Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health and the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics.
The information, communications and media industry is a significant contributor to Manitoba’s economy, generating revenues of over $1 billion Canadian. Winnipeg is headquarters for CanWest Global Communications Corporation, which owns and operates the Canadian broadcasting network, Global Television, CanWest Entertainment and CanWest Interactive. CanWest Global is also Canada’s largest daily newspaper publisher.