It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon in Toronto, and a group of international tourists and new immigrants are staring at me through the glass doors of the reception area of the mayor’s office. I try to ignore them as I prepare for my meeting with the city’s top official when one opens the door and asks me, in broken English, if she can go in and see the mayor.

Midway through my poor attempt at explaining how I don’t have the power to grant her such permission, Mayor John Tory opens the door behind me, prompting cheers and camera flashes from the crowd. “I’m sorry I’m running late,” he says to me, “but I’ll need another minute.” Then he heads toward the group gathered in the hallway.

It’s Newcomer Day in Toronto, an annual celebration that invites those seeking to or in the process of making Canada their home to experience the country’s cuisine, music, and culture, while offering a range of resources to ease their transition into the city.

“Thousands of people will come out, have a bit of fun, have a bite to eat, but mostly will feel supported and be supported,” Tory tells me a few minutes later, as we watch the crowds gather in the square outside City Hall from his office window overlooking the festivities. “We want them to understand that for us it’s a big deal they came here and chose Toronto.”

From Nebraska to New York City, Dallas to Chicago, Boston to Seattle, it seems like every city in North America is trying to be the next Silicon Valley. In recent years, just about every cluster with some modest venture capital activity, a few offices with big tech names on the front, an incubator or two, and a college campus has claimed the “Silicon-something” moniker. But what’s happening in Toronto feels unique.

The city is North America’s fourth largest and fastest growing market for tech workers, currently employing roughly 214,000, according to a report by the Bank of Montreal. Since 2017 Toronto has added more technology jobs than the Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; New York City; and Seattle combined, according to a study by the CBRE group. Recent months have also seen major investments by Uber, Microsoft, Samsung, Intel, and Shopify into the city’s technology ecosystem, which saw more than $1.4 billion in international investment in the month of September alone.

The best and the brightest

If you happen to ask Mayor Tory what the city’s secret is on Newcomer Day, all he’ll have to do is point out the window. Roughly 51% of Torontonians were born outside of Canada, and recent federal programs have made the immigration process even easier for those with technical skills or an interest in starting a business. Canada’s new Entrepreneur Start-Up Visa Program helps foreign entrepreneurs settle in Canada, while the Global Skills Strategy allows employers to bring international talent to the country within two weeks of submitting an application.