The success of Toronto\'s technology sector is summarized in this document.

1. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the recent initiatives in the ICT sector.
Today, we want to provide some examples of where the city is
working with the private sector,
partnering with the many formal and informal organizations,
participating in events,
showcasing the breadth and depth of our talent in the city
and creating partnerships to build the sector.
All of this activity is to create employment opportunities and attract investment.
Following my presentation, you will hear from representatives from the ICT community who are
contributing to the sector’s vibrancy through collaboration and partnership.
They will discuss initiatives at the local community level such as the protech initiative, john davis,
president of humber will elaborate.
Other industry leaders will discuss
their reach to high school students,
their mentorship with entrpreneurs
and their work with post secondary graduates and their respective technology start ups.
What you will hear through this collage of stories and case studies is that Toronto’s diverse talent with its
global origins and with its global outlook is the fundamental driver of Toronto’s successful technology
sector.
Just to be clear about the terminology that you will be hearing today. There are so many ways to
describe the industry, and acronyms, ICT, IT, technology etc. Essentially, technology comes down to
computers and they way they are being deployed. And IT is being deployed in every sector of the
economy. There is tremendous convergence between the IT sector and other sectors. The sector
contains may subsectors and as you can appreciate, it's a large sector.

2. This past year has been an exciting time for the technology sector, and for Toronto's ICT cluster.
Toronto is a hub where capital, creativity, talent, infrastructure, and a strong ICT community comes
together to create a robust ecosystem. New ideas, new companies, the adoption of technology in all
sectors of the economy has created one of North America's largest ICT cluster by employment. Almost
12,000 ICT firms and over 160,000 employees make Toronto Canada’s technology hub. And this number
of employees understates all the firms in Toronto who employ thousands within their firms. An example is
the financial sector which is a creator and user of technology.
And in Toronto, everything is IT. Digital content is being created in every sector, and every sector is
adopting and absorbing the IT, whether it be the:
Financial sector where mobile banking has arrived
In health care, the digitization of health records is transforming patient care
In education, tablets and notebooks are being used in the classroom
In the retail sector, smart phones are becoming your smart wallet
In entertainment, animation and 3-d technologies have transformed IDM
and in publishing-there has been an e books proliferation
And I might add, the developments in one area are being applied to another sector. The 3 –d
technologies that have transformed the entertainment sector are being used in health care and the next
generation of tablets will feature more 3 d applications. And the next generation is 3-6 months away.
And the content is being created by Toronto's talent which is young, entrepreneurial, educated, and has
endless enthusiasm. The coffee shop ideas are being percolated into products and services that have
financial traction. At the coffee shops or at Sprouter events where 100's of entrepreneurs discuss their
latest ideas, or at mobile Mondays or Wednesday start up drinks, there is a cheering on for the creation of
apps for tablets and mobile devices.
This Talent isn't limited to the mobile market or to start ups. Global firms such as IBM and Microsoft are
investing in cloud computing because the talent is here to support cloud networking.
In locations throughout the city, there are mid size firms who are conducting r and d and exporting their
software services. Mid size firms such as VIXS, recently announced the hiring of 40 more ICT related
engineers to continue their r and d efforts. This is another example of the Toronto talent. We'll hear more
about the talent today from our presenters, including Nabil Harfoush, CIO and EVP for Helpcaster
Technologies.
Not only is it a talented sector with a nimble work force, the sector is supported by Toronto's robust
telecommunications infrastructure. Toronto's data centres and network infrastructure serve as a nerve
centre to the nation.
Along with the talent and infrastructure network, there is an incredible network of formal and informal
groups and organizations in the sector. There's a tremendous amount of networking in every sub sector
and across each sector. At a minimum, there's over 40 IT organizations in the greater toronto area.
In addition, we work with our colleagues at invest toronto, so that potential investors can tap into the
strengths of the sector.
And we collaborate with Provincial and federal governments so that firms conducting r & d or hiring
talent, such as VIXS, can successfully apply for tax credits and government programs.

3. During the past year, there has been an incredible buzz about the IT sector. And the buzz is being
captured by the local and international media.
Internationally, article about open data in the guardian newspaper, and there was article in wall street
journal about mobile apps. And the local press has published articles about mobile applications, game
apps, and the IT infrastructure.
It's tremendous when a worldwide phenom such as Google acquires a Toronto company, Bump Top, a
University of Toronto start up, and when Google announces that it hiring more staff for its Toronto offices.
The city has also benefitted from Ubisoft,, a French company with a global presence, that continues to
hire local gaming talent and attract new talent.
Social networking giants face book and linked in opened offices in Toronto. No doubt, they will benefit
from the financial network in the city.
And a Ryerson start up, Flybits, specifically From Ryerson's Digital Media Zone, also made news when
the firm launched its Mobile Transit App to the Paris Metro system.
Companies have also benefitted from the city's Imagination, Manufacturing, Innovation, Technology
(IMIT) Grant. PEER one networks, a Vancouver firm, established a 42,000 square foot data centre in
scarborough, spending 6 million dollars for reuse of a vacant warehouse. This kind of investment, along
with my previous mention of cloud computing is testament to Toronto's robust IT infrastructure…in other
words, Fibre matters.
The buzz and excitement that we see in the sector was also evident this past November at the inaugural
Technicity event.
For the first time, the city brought together executives, entrepreneurs, small and medium sized business,
representatives from the many ICT organizations, and post secondary partners from the GTA to
undertake initiatives to attract talent and grow the companies in the sector.
Technicity was advised by the Technicity advisory board, a board comprised of representatives of the
cluster in Toronto, including Michael Williams as the Chair.
Over 300 executives attended the event and actively participated in strategic think tank sessions to
exchange ideas on talent, innovation, and investment.
And our post secondary partners such as George Brown, Seneca, And Ryerson's digital Media Zone
highlighted their gaming, open technology, and social networking applications. We will learn more about
the Digital media Zone from their director, Valerie Fox.
Technicity however is more than a one day event. As one executive stated, "We are trying to build a
movement." The ideas and dialogue from the entrepreneurs, small businesses and larger firms in all the
ICT subsectors are being translated into actions items to strengthen Toronto's tech community.

4. As an example, Technicity emphasized that we should work with the education sector on building a
pipeline of talent. To that end, the city is working with the Information and communications Technology
Council and private sector to encourage high school students in the city to consider career opportunities
in the ICT field. Sergio Matues from Sapphire Technologies and Dennis Hitchmough from the Council
will elaborate on the program.
Along with Technicity, the City is partnering with the various sub sectors to build capacity, create
awareness and build collaboration among the formal and informal organizations.
The city is showcasing a number of events throughout the year
MESH, a conference about web entrepreneurs
Flash in the Can- building multimedia talent for the web
Mobile Innovation Week,-trends and app discovery for mobile market
Battle of the Apps,a mobile app competition where apps are being created specifically for the
toronto community. The competition is a partnership between the private sector, the city and post
secondary partners such as OCADU and Ryerson.
For the city's gaming community, the City is also working with the Toronto chapter of the International
Game Developers Association to build the HR capacity for the growing game market
Finally, the City is also partnering with the CFO Technology Forum to support SME networking and
business opportunities.
On the research side, and as part of Technicity, the city produced a well received report on the current
status of the ICT sector in toronto. You have copies today. We heard from the sector that the research is
important.
All the subsectors want the "what and how" in their sector to be published. The report is available
electronically and has been distributed to provincial and federal counterparts both within Canada and
abroad to highlight Toronto's advantages as an ICT hub. You will receive more insight about the report's
findings from Shane Schick
For 2011, the city will be engaged and actively participating in Technicity to create the second annual
conference. In addition, we are exploring trends and themes to capture in a report to be published as part
of Technicity 2011.
And for the mobile sector, the city is partnering with the Ontario Media Development Corporation and the
Mobile Experience Innovation Centre at OCADU on a research study in order to capture the latest trends
and developments in the city's very successful mobile sector.
These are some of the examples where the city is partnering with the many stakeholders in the city's
technology hub.
Through collaboration and partnership with the private sector and with our public sector partners, we can
continue to build the sector and create opportunities for corporate partners, for entrepreneurs, for small
and medium sized businesses, and for our youth.
And given how IT is integrated in every business and sector in the city, it's vital that we grow the firms and
support the talent in the city.