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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver... these are usually the Canadian cities that we have in mind when we think about corporate relocation. They compete for the big chunks of the market, one offering lower taxes, another milder climate, and the third smaller distances to international financial centers and industrial parks. Surprisingly enough these three cities occupy the last three places when it comes to relocation preferences among the top international CEOs. Much smaller towns enjoy the top of the list. Is this only a temporary change of the fashion lines or we are witnessing a fundamental change in our preferences?

Communication, communication, communication, these were the three main reasons why the large cities in Canada dominated the national economic landscape in the past. These are main reasons why such cities have bright future in many Third world countries. By this triple communication we mean proximity to international business partners via international airports; proximity to the industrial facilities; and proximity to domestic partners. Your office being close to the international airport, to your industrial park and to your domestic suppliers and customers gives you comparative edge over your competitors. If you can do in one hour what others can do in two hours you're already one hour ahead. It's a truism that as a matter of time anyone has resources exactly 24 hours a day. In a game when usually the winners take all, it isn't just important to be the first. Sometimes it's the only thing that really matters. In the good old days when the aircraft, the telephone and the car were the three main and fastest transport and communication tools it wasn't surprising that the business answer were bigger and bigger business downtowns.

Technologies change and sometimes their course of action is unpredictable. 25 years ago only Japan had a high-speed railway system. 15 years ago the Internet was still a gadget for technological enthusiasts only. These two and many more technological innovations combined make the old way of doing business gradually eroding. Sometimes the high-speed train is more appropriate than the international airport hub. Sometimes an Internet videoconference is just what we need instead of making long business trips.

The smaller and much cheaper towns along and around the line connecting Quebec on the east and Windsor on the west gradually become competitors to Toronto and Montreal by attracting some of their corporate clients. Their traditional advantages in terms of low prices are unchanged. Their new bonuses in terms of better transportation and communication services begin to shift the business executives' interest. At the end it isn't so surprising that these smaller cities occupy the top positions.

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