Sault Ste. Marie is strategically located at the centre of the Great Lakes bordering the U.S., and features a “best of both worlds” lifestyle and a variety of industrial infrastructure.

Greater Sudbury, a multi-cultural and bilingual community, is a regional centre for Industry, Commerce, Health Services, Retail, Government Services and Education.

Since the gold rush of 1909, mining continues to be important to Timmins' economic base. In recent years, the city has become a regional centre for health, government and education.

North Bay is a regional centre with a trading area of 112,000. It has a diverse economic base and is home to a number of multinationals providing highly engineered products and services to global markets.

Thunder Bay is a regional centre and the “Gateway to the Great Northwest”. With a population of 109,140, the city is the largest metropolitan centre in Northwestern Ontario.