Canada is widely revered to be one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. In fact, the country’s largest city has recently been dubbed a global technology hub, for a wide number of reasons. From entertainment, communications and even looking to the future – technology truly transforms the lives of almost all Canadians.
Join us as we dive into some of the advancements and benefits that Canadian technology has given to not only their own people, but the rest of the world too.
Television & Film
Just like most major cities, there’s a high demand for good quality television shows and films all across Canada. You may have previously heard of the Canadian Film Festival – which celebrates the nation’s own filmmakers and gives great opportunities to young rising stars.
Taking things back to simpler times, the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada is perhaps the most central even in Canadian cinema. The NFB are recognised as pioneers in the development of social documentary, animation, documentary drama and direct cinema; initiating further developments in technology, sparked by high demand from the second world war.
With such a rich history behind televised media, it’s no surprise that this technology has only continued to progress in Canada, benefiting not just their own citizens, but those around the world. For example, the invention of the IMAX Motion Picture was founded on the earlier work of the NFB.
Returning slightly closer to home, it’s also worth recognising that even the remotest parts of Canada have the luxury of television, due to the series innovative Anik satellites were originally launched in early 1970s, with some still orbiting today and continuing the serve their purpose.
Gaming
Gaming has been a sensitive subject for many years – with the Criminal Code of Canada continuing to change their view on gambling activity over time. The first amendment came in 1910, when occasional games of chance were permitted to take place, on the understanding that the profits would be used to charitable events. Then, in 1970, it was ruled that each individual province would be allowed autonomy over which gambling activities they would allow.
For example, Alberta decided to form their own governing board called the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) in order to make those big decisions around these recreational activities, in order to keep the province safe and regulated. This is much the case for the majority of online casino games in Canada – however Alberta take things that one step further. The AGLC went on to launch their very own, exclusive, and legally regulated, online casino in 2020. Aptly named Play Alberta, this now offers the province’s residents to enjoy online casino games safely, and from the comfort of their own home.
This development of gaming technology – and perhaps attention to detail – is what makes Canadian players one of the safest group of gamers around!
Communication
Whilst the iconic Blackberry phone no longer represents the forefront of mobile phone technology, it certainly paved the way for the message apps and devices that we use today. And guess where the company behind this marvel invention was based? Waterloo, Canada of course!
The company was then known as Research in Motion (RIM), and released its first hand-held device in 1996. However, this wasn’t a mobile phone, instead it took the form of a pager – the Rim 900 [email protected] Pager. Previous to this product release, RIM’s radio moderns were used by companies such as Sharp, Casio, Hewlett-Packard and even Apple.
The first Blackberry phone – as we would recognise it today – was developed in 1999, with the main selling point being “emails on the go”. Perhaps the most iconic feature that has grown from this device, and the overall franchise, is the instant messaging service BBM. Arguably, this feature was the inspiration behind the world-wide phenomenon that is WhatsApp. Now, it’s not only Canada that is dominated by instant messaging apps – the influence has stretched worldwide.
A New Wave
Because of these astounding inventions, Canada continues to attract global talent and capital, in the technological field. One of the most interesting new waves of software development that operates in Canada is Artificial Intelligence (AI). 995 AI and other machine learning companies already take up space in attractive technological hub that Canada offers, and it appears as if even more developers are choosing to locate their AI research across the country, in order to capitalise on that growing talent pool. Provinces such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa all rank in CBRE’s top 20 tech talent markets – with more than 2.8 million STEM graduates across the whole country.
Another reason that the North American state is so appealing to these businesses is that there is also a great deal of strong government support available, alongside considerably low business costs.
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With all of this in mind, could Canada be the first country to achieve true artificial intelligence? And how will this affect the average resident’s day-to-day life?
