The latest OCRI (Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation) Ottawa Facts email hit my inbox last week while I was taking time off. They provided some great statistics, and it certainly looks as if tech is back in Ottawa. Unemployment is down, and below the national average. Between June 2006 and January 2006, high tech employment rose from 71,000 to 76,200, and the number of technology companies increased from 1740 to 1811. Best of all, Ottawa is still one of the lowest cost places to live and do business in the country. The average resale price of a home in January 2006 was just C$244,000.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry make Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
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OCRI considers Dell Call Centres “Hi Tech”. I don’t trust their definition of high tech. What does OCRI stand for again?
On a personal note: I know one qualified and capable telecom engineer with a Masters who is currently employed at a call centre and another who is unemployed between short contracts. I can’t say that tech is back. Unemployment may be down.
ps. If you haven’t already, please read “Steering on Black Ice”.