Canada is emerging as one of the leading tech hubs in the world with some of its cities proving to be very competitive. Technology is increasingly becoming important in the building of cities as it forms part of the city’s economy.
Canadian cities emerging as tech hubs
In Canada, most cities appear indistinguishably connected to becoming technology hubs. Toronto and Vancouver are some of the leading tech hubs in Canada. It is home to some of the top tech firms such as Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), Ubisoft (OTCMKTS: UBSFY), Uber (NYSE: UBER) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) among others.
Although the large cities get all the attention of the tech scene in Canada other cities are also joining in becoming tech hubs. Innovation is occurring across Canada and other small cities such as Saskatoon, Kelowna, and Halifax. The cities are growing at a rapid phase as tech hubs and in the past five years, they have been aggressive in employing personnel in the tech space.
Number of tech professionals hired in Canada per city
| Date | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Montreal | 121,496 | 121,976 | 127,218 | 132,941 | 135,791 | 139,220 |
| Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo | 18,308 | 18,745 | 18,817 | 20,592 | 21,360 | 22,209 |
| Winnipeg | 11,887 | 11,314 | 10,842 | 11,746 | 13,726 | 14,199 |
| Calgary | 32,914 | 33,490 | 33,838 | 36,195 | 36,760 | 37,657 |
| Saskatoon | 3,970 | 4,067 | 4,159 | 4,222 | 4,277 | 4,352 |
| Halifax | 10,083 | 11,256 | 11,474 | 11,382 | 10,956 | 11,118 |
| Kelowna | 2,218 | 2,333 | 2,526 | 2,753 | 3,160 | 3,310 |
| Victoria | 7,264 | 7,292 | 7,962 | 8,507 | 8,893 | 9,194 |
| Ottawa-Gatineau | 44,430 | 47,482 | 48,660 | 50,456 | 52,960 | 54,302 |
Here are some of the less-known tech hubs in Canada and the tech companies driving growth in the cities:
Kelowna tech hub
Kelowna is one of the emerging tech hubs in Canada and in 2019 its tech employees were around 3,310. It is a pleasant place that is attracting millennials to take up increasing tech jobs. There is some interesting selection of tech companies in the city such as Data Nerds, and Hyper Hippo Games. The companies are growing and expanding fast transforming the region into a tech hub.
Halifax Tech hub
Halifax was traditionally an agricultural and fishing industry town. However, the company is experiencing strong wage growth in the technology space which has attracted several professionals. With government support, the region has transformed into a tech center focused on technology-powered sustainable development. Some companies in the tech space in the city include NNT Data and Mitsubishi UFG.
Winnipeg tech hub
Winnipeg is one of the fast-growing tech destinations with over 60% growth in the last five years. There is an influx of young professionals to the city making it Canada’s fast-growing tech market. Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) recently opened an office in Winnipeg for its AWS business. There are numerous opportunities in the city with tax credits for investment in tech.
Saskatoon tech hub
In Saskatoon, cheaper land prices and tax credits have greatly boosted the growth of the tech industry. The city has a technology park Innovation Place that provides mentorships and office space for tech companies. There are over 1,500 park employees and it is home to companies such as Vendasta Technologies Inc.
