Elly Yates-Roberts |
Microsoft is driving economic growth in Canada by officially opening its new headquarters in Toronto, and making a number of new investments in the country.
According to new research from EY, the Microsoft ecosystem of more than 15,000 partners supports nearly 300,000 jobs and contributes $37 billion to Canada’s GDP. Through collaboration with the Digital Technology Supercluster, Microsoft has also supported 30 projects that are valued at $190 million, boosting innovation and industry growth. In addition, since the launch of the Global Skills Initiative, Microsoft Canada has helped more than one million people to acquire digital skills.
“Microsoft has been deeply rooted in Canada for nearly 40 years and our commitment to help grow Canada’s innovation economy has never been stronger,” said Kevin Peesker, president of Microsoft Canada. “With the launch of our new headquarters, official opening of our Data Innovation Centre of Excellence and expansion of our regional presence, even more organisations of all sizes and sectors can leverage the power of cloud and data to accelerate their organisation’s growth and drive new economic opportunity for Canada.”
According to Microsoft, Toronto was chosen for the new headquarters due to its “strong technology ecosystem, depth of multicultural talent and network of globally recognised universities”. With collaboration spaces throughout the building, it will play an important role as an innovation hub for leading technology start-ups, students and community organisations.