If you are doing a survey on the most expensive commercial properties in Ontario, it is almost guaranteed that Toronto will head the list both in most expensive property and most expensive average price for property. The city is not a cheap place to work, to live, or to do business. While some people and many businesses may be tied to the streets of the nation's largest city, though, many are not. Businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs and one valid way to do so is to move your center of business.

Again, the oil company BP is a great example of doing so in a totally unethical way. They chose to set up in a nation with little environmental regulations or protection, where many speak English as a second language. Canada would never have allowed such a slipshod operation to appear in its national waters, and the result is a catastrophe which could be one of the worst in history. Fortunately, businesses in Ontario still have to abide by certain regulations no matter where they go. They can still move from one location to another in order to save money, but the big rules are the same everywhere.

That's why many Canadian based businesses have chosen to switch from having headquarters in Toronto to nearby Mississauga. One might even say that the expenses of doing business in Toronto are the single biggest boon to the economy of Mississauga. Lower property taxes, more accessible property, and much lower prices on that property mean that it's a great place to do business for everything from banking to wedding catering. Mississauga has many companies which actually do the majority of their business in Toronto, but work out of this city.

And really, that makes a lot of sense. After all, if you can save hundreds of thousands every year in taxes, or millions on a bigger office, why wouldn't you move to a new business location in a new city? You still have the same demographics, the same governmental protections, even the same customer base, the only thing which has changed is the amount of overhead you end up paying each month. That's great for a Canada trademark office or for a lawyer.

And it has also been great for development in the Mississauga area. The city is taking on a decidedly metropolitan feel. Condos in Mississauga are going up at an incredible rate, as the upwardly mobile seek to live in homes amenable to their lifestyles. In turn, that generates more work in Mississauga for the best architect Canada has to offer and development companies as well.