I was fortunate to move to Canada in the 1980s and be educated there. It’s a country of extraordinary beauty and diverse cultures. The Canadian Rockies are breathtaking and Whistler, its prime ski resort, is a match for any in the world. It’s a fantastic place for a family vacation, and you’ll find that Canadians are generally friendly, kind and welcoming to all visitors.
I’m also proud of Canada’s achievements in technology. I studied for my Bachelor’s and MBA at Prince Edward Island University and it gave me the solid foundation I needed to take me into the communications and IT industries, and my particular specialism –mobile communications – is a sector where Canada has a leading edge.
Canada and communications
Out of all Canadian technology innovations, the phone has had the most profound effect on the world. Scottish-born Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) and Nova Scotia resident, who is credited with inventing the telephone, founded the Bell Telephone Co, which today is called BCE Inc and is Canada’s largest communications company.
And, Canada is the home of Blackberry. It may be facing a lot of competition now from Apple’s iPhone, but its secure BlackBerry Messaging service remains tops in the industry, party due to the fact that BBM’s encrypted data makes it hard to trace the messages back to the owners. Plus, Blackberry has added an even more secure version of the service aimed at users in healthcare, finance and government.
Canada also brought you the IMAX. The concept started in Montreal back at Expo 67 when three artists designed an installation of an immersive movie experience. Three years later the first IMAX film appeared and soon after the IMAX theatres appeared as well. Now, there are IMAX cinemas and films all around the world.
Investing in Canada
The election of Donald Trump in the USA prompted an increase in business people thinking of relocating to Canada. Canada’s world profile is also much bigger than in the past, in part due to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s activities. Therefore, more eyes are on Canada than ever before and market analysts suggest that investing in Canadian real estate is a good move. I’d agree and suggest investors look at areas with strong population and employment growth. Brampton in Ontario for example, which has Coca Cola, Air Canada, Canon Canada are just a few of the blue chip employers relocating there or expanding existing facilities. Other cities I’d recommend looking at real estate in are Milton and Richmond Hill, and I’m sure there are many more.
Canada’s strong economy and well-educated labour are also key reasons why global companies want to establish or expand their business in Canada. We have a broad selection of industry sectors that are ripe for investment. These include digital media, wireless communications and software, areas that are of personal interest to me. Did you know that Canadian studios are responsible for developing one in every six top-selling console games? Blockbuster titles from Canada include Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, EA/BioWare’s Mass Effect, EA Sports’ FIFA Soccer.
And, Canada is leading the growing international demand for wireless technologies with leading infrastructure vendors, application developers and telecom software companies based in Canada. We are also seeing cutting-edge R&D work coming out of Canada from some of the biggest names in the sector: Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Avaya Inc., BlinQ, Ciena, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, JDSU, Nokia Solutions & Networks, Samsung and Sony.
Canada may have been overshadowed for some time by its neighbour to the south, but all the signs are that Canada is poised to maximise its opportunities for investment and to continue playing a leading role in high tech innovation that will secure for it a new status in the world economy. ‘