People and places

Building an economy on information, technology and communications takes talent and location to attract business, says a member of Ontario’s economic development and trade ministry.

Claude Myre has been selling Ontario to the world as a place to do high-tech business. He was in the city Thursday as part of the sold-out Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Commission’s information, communications and technology conference at Lakehead University.

During the conference Myre admitted that selling a place like Thunder Bay, or even Ontario, to the tech world isn’t a simple task.

"I think it’s always a challenge no matter where you are. In Thunder Bay, if you speak to people from Toronto their perception is what it is and we see that at the Ontario level also," he said. "If we’re dealing with international clients or companies from foreign markets, they may never have heard of Ontario. We experience the same challenges that Thunder Bay would even face at the provincial level."

But the province has had successes.

Myre points to a recent move from video game giant Ubisoft that will bring 800 jobs and more than $1 billion in investment to Toronto. He also notes that another example of that success is Waterloo’s reinvention as a North American ICT hub.

While location can play a key role in those moves, Myre said a company’s main priority is always the people.

"Number one is talent, and number two is talent," he said.

The talent comes not only from colleges and universities, but also from people who create a board of directors or even other well-run companies in the area to do business with.

Location comes into play when a high-tech firm needs to be close to its clients. While the Internet and conference calls can shorten the distance, they aren’t everything.

"Distance becomes an issue the more risky or critical an assignment is from a technology perspective," he said.