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Technology Corridors
Spur Economic Growth

Ontario clearing is heading towards a knowledge-based economy. "There is no question that the IT industry is a huge contributor to the province," says Mitsopulos, as are "the thousand vertical markets that exist under [its] umbrella." The IT industry in Ontario includes more than 8,000 players -- both homegrown and multinationals - employing more than 300,000 highly skilled professionals. The number of companies in the sector is expanding 10 percent annually.

In the telecommunications sector, the province is home to numerous innovative companies involved in the development of digital microwave transmission, satellite communications and data-distribution networks. The MEDT reports that in 1999, telecom equipment and computer exports grew by 12 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

According to the London Economic Development Corp., the city's IT sector, though still in its infancy, is home to 250 IT and related companies that are developing software for manufacturing firms, real-times stock quotes, and virtual reality tours, among others. The prestigious Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario in London recently announced a new "e-Leadership Program," which will be a multidisciplinary approach to developing e-Business managers for electronic work environments.

Ontario's technology corridors are housed in a handful of areas: the Region of Ottawa-Hull, the Greater Toronto Area and the Cambridge-Kitchener-Waterloo (and to a lesser extent, Guelph) "tech triangle". Employment in the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge region's IT sector has grown eight times more on average than it has in the general population, while the electronic market has grown 38 percent, says Randy Ellis at Canada's Technology Triangle, the non-profit alliance that promotes the region. He attributes development of the renowned high-tech corridor to the area's higher education resources.

Three universities -- Guelph, Waterloo and Sir Wilfred Laurier, and Conestoga College are located in the area. The University of Waterloo, specializing in engineering, electronics and computer-technology, offers co-op stints, and has spawned homegrown high-tech ventures, such as Research in Motion, a leader in R&D wireless telecomm, still based in Waterloo. As of fall 2000, Conestoga College, known for its tool & dye, machinery and electronics training, will offer an applied degree in technology, the first college in the province to do so.