Canada’s cities banding together to promote our nation’s tech sector

Some of Canada’s biggest cities are going on the offensive when it comes to attracting investment dollars. Today saw the release of a new website, ConsiderCanada, which highlights the many advantages that come with investing in business in these cities.

 The website puts the spotlight on many advantages that come with investing in Canadian cities; the skilled workforce, the sound banking system, low taxes and high quality of life to name a few. They bring up the diverse industries that foster successful R&D investment and the success stories to be found in cities all across the country.

ConsiderCanada is a joint effort from the “C-11” group of cities: Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, the Waterloo Region, Halifax, Québec City, Winnipeg and Saskatoon. As John Jung, of C-11 partner company Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc. tells The Ottawa Citizen, it was important for cities to speak together with one voice in order to get the most mileage out of their promotional dollar:

“Collaboration is the new competitive advantage,” said John Jung, chief executive of Canada’s Technology Triangle Inc. in Waterloo Region, a C-11 partner.

“Banding together to share knowledge, build consensus on Canada’s selling points and getting out a consistent message around the world allows the C-11 to achieve more together than working in isolation.”

Until this point, economic development agencies from each of the C-11 municipalities have been lobbying international businesses individually.

Those lobbying efforts often placed agencies in competition with one another for foreign investment. Working together allows the agencies to prevent duplication, pare back on marketing costs, refine their “messaging” and help big international business make quicker decisions about where in Canada to set up shop.

There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about Canada’s technology sector, and efforts like this are one of them. There’s a lot of collaboration and teamwork going on between players in this field, and it’s not only manifested in big efforts like this one. It seems like every city in this country has an industry organization looking out for member companies, providing mentorship, advocacy and opportunities. The tech community gets it: when one person wins, every person wins.

You can check out ConsiderCanada here.