Official registries and open data list 3,009 active companies in professional, scientific and technical services in Ontario, which puts Ontario in 2nd place in Canada for this sector (2 % of the national total). 455 of them (15 %) have at least one known director, and 118 (4 %) published an official change in the last 18 months: incorporation, amendment, change of director or address.
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Get 5 profiles from this segmentProfessional, scientific and technical services employ nearly 2 million people in Canada, more than construction or manufacturing, and form the most atomized sector of the economy: 530,000 establishments, with nearly three-quarters of employers counting fewer than five people. After a decade of rapid growth driven by IT services and engineering, the pace moderated in 2025, while artificial intelligence is redistributing value among firms.
NAICS 54 covers legal services, accounting, architecture and engineering, computer systems design, management consulting, scientific research, advertising and design. The Labour Force Survey counts 1,997,600 people employed in December 2025, including 913,800 in Ontario, 374,300 in Quebec, 313,000 in British Columbia and 250,300 in Alberta.
ISED counts 530,194 establishments in 2025, including 372,200 without employees (self-employed, incorporated professionals) and 157,994 employers, of which 116,592 are micro-businesses, 39,630 small (5 to 99 employees) and 205 large. Ontario (70,365 employers), Quebec (27,765) and British Columbia (24,694) hold most of the firms.
Economic weight is dominated by IT and engineering. Software development and computer services generated $161.9 billion of revenue in 2024, including $113.0 billion for systems design (Ontario 51.3%, Quebec 23.8%, British Columbia 13.7%, Alberta 6.8%). Engineering services reached $46.8 billion, with transportation (14.2% of revenue) now ahead of petroleum and petrochemicals (13.5%) and commercial and institutional buildings (12.9%).
After years of double-digit growth, the sector has slowed. Employment was flat year over year in December 2025 (-18,000 in the month of December alone) and Statistics Canada notes a deceleration in engineering in 2025, to about half the 2024 pace, for lack of oil and gas investment. In Ontario, Job Bank notes layoffs at large technology firms but employment supported by investment in artificial intelligence.
Three drivers stand out for 2026. First, infrastructure and energy: Federal Budget 2025 and the Major Projects Office feed consulting engineering firms (transit, electrical grids, nuclear, critical minerals). Second, compliance and trade: US tariffs, the CUSMA review, rules of origin and cybersecurity fuel demand for legal, customs and accounting advice. Third, generative AI, which compresses fees for standardized tasks (document review, bookkeeping, basic programming) and creates demand for integration, data governance and security.
The workforce is aging: nearly 19% of NAICS 54 workers in Western Canada are over 55 according to Job Bank, and vacancy rates reached up to 7% in British Columbia. Firms respond through consolidation (acquisitions of accounting offices and regional engineering firms by national groups).
Professional practice is governed by provincial regulators: law societies and the Chambre des notaires, provincial CPA bodies, engineering regulators (Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Professional Engineers Ontario, Engineers and Geoscientists BC, APEGA) and architects' associations. Quebec adds the Professional Code and the Office des professions. Suppliers to the federal government go through CanadaBuys and Public Services and Procurement Canada supply arrangements.
Associations structure the market: the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies Canada (ACEC) and AFG in Quebec, CPA Canada, the Canadian Bar Association, CMC-Canada, the Council of Canadian Innovators and ICTC. The SR&ED tax credit, NRC IRAP and provincial credits (CDAE in Quebec) fund a good share of research and software development.
The major players are audit and consulting firms (Deloitte, KPMG, EY, PwC, MNP, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton), IT integrators (CGI, Accenture, IBM Canada, Telus Health), engineering firms (WSP, Stantec, AtkinsRéalis, Hatch, Tetra Tech, EXP, BBA), the large national law firms and communications agencies. The main buyers remain governments (21.7% of engineering sales), large corporations and, increasingly, SMEs outsourcing their support functions.
Who buys what: firms with 5 to 99 employees buy practice and billing software, cloud and cybersecurity, professional liability insurance, premises, recruiting and continuing education, marketing and lead generation. Mid-sized firms buy AI tools, document management, specialized subcontracting and M&A services. Incorporated professionals (372,200 establishments without employees) are a mass market for accounting, insurance and financial services.
Signals to watch: public awards of engineering and consulting services (SEAO, CanadaBuys, Infrastructure Ontario), new registrations with professional regulators, mergers of regional firms, job postings in AI and cybersecurity, and major project announcements that call for pre-design studies well before construction.
How ciblr helps: segment firms by NAICS subsector (5411 legal, 5412 accounting, 5413 architecture and engineering, 5415 IT, 5416 consulting) and by province, isolate employers with 5 to 99 people (one employer in four, but the bulk of professional purchasing), spot recently created firms and cross-reference public contracts and hiring to identify expanding firms.
Nearly half the sector: 913,800 jobs in December 2025 and 70,365 employers, with $75.4 billion of sector GDP (2024). Toronto hosts the national law, audit and consulting firms, Ottawa the federal government suppliers, Waterloo and Toronto the IT services.
Of these 3,009 companies, 458 are federally incorporated, 1,571 are known through the provincial registry, 981 only through open data (licences, public contracts, grants, registered employers). 152 of them were founded in 2025 and 2026, that is 5 % of the active base; 109 incorporations in 2025. That is in line with the average of the three previous years (128 a year): a steady pace of creation.
Over the last 12 months, 126 companies in the sector (4 %) won at least one public contract, 795 contracts in all, published by governments, cities and public bodies. 193 received a federal grant or contribution (269 agreements).
Headcount is known for 1,963 companies (65 %): 101,986 declared jobs in total, and the median company has 1-4 employees.
426 companies (14 %) publish a general phone or email, 308 have a website verified by ciblr, 43 hold an official licence or permit.
Moves published in the last 90 days: 13 relocations, 16 public contracts, 5 dissolutions.
3,009 companies in professional, scientific and technical services are active in Ontario according to official registries and open data, that is 2 % of the 126,538 companies in the sector across Canada.
455 of these companies (15 %) have at least one director on the federal registry (the only registry that publishes directors), which lets you approach them through the right person.
ciblr sends 5 company profiles from this target free of charge, directors and contact details included. The subscription at 99 CAD per month gives access to the whole target, with Excel export and change tracking.
Every company counted here is active in an official registry (Corporations Canada, Registraire des entreprises du Québec, OrgBook BC) or named by an official open source (licence, public contract, grant, registered employer). The sector is a NAICS code, size comes from the declared headcount when a source provides it and otherwise from an estimate based on the registry (board size, age, status, statute), and "recent signal" means a published move (incorporation, amendment, change of director, address, contract, grant, hiring) in the last 18 months. Figures are recomputed every week from the ciblr database. No data is purchased or invented.
ciblr sends you 5 profiles of companies in professional, scientific and technical services in Ontario free of charge, directors and contact details included. For the whole target, the subscription is 99 CAD per month, no commitment.