Kanata North’s high tech district has been designated a Special Economic District within the City of Ottawa’s Official Plan, related to Ottawa’s tech hub generating over 30,000 jobs and becoming the most concentrated market in North America.
Kanata North — spanning 550 hectares in Ottawa’s west end — is made up of more than 540 companies generating over 30,000 jobs, primarily in the tech sector, wrote the City of Ottawa in a news release.
Additionally, the tech park contributes to more than $13-billion annually to Canada’s GDP, said the Kanata North Business Association (KNBA).
According to Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (CBRE) — a real estate services and investment firm based in the U.S. – Canada’s tech talent workforce increased by 15.6 per cent between 2020 and 2022.
Canada’s tech workforce growth rate outpaced the U.S. by an estimate 11 per cent, added CBRE.
While tech represents 13.3 per cent of Ottawa’s workforce, this is a higher concentration than any other market in North America, they noted.
“Kanata North is considered a high tech hub of not just local but national importance — a nationally significant technology cluster and major contributor to Ottawa’s metropolitan economy,” wrote the City of Ottawa.
This year, city council will adopt a new streamlined process for approving new development in Kanata North, once the Community Planning Permit (CPP) is in place.
The introduction of this permit will mean that the process of applying for a building permit, site plan and an official plan amendment will be included in one permit — and the process will take an estimate 45 days instead of taking about 150 days to begin building, wrote the city.
The CPP pilot project kicked off in August 2020 and is expected to come into effect in 2025, they added.
The City of Ottawa notes that the Kanata North Business Association has been working with partners to develop a self-driving vehicle that will act as a shuttle between parts of North Canada.
Currently, the autonomous vehicle is being being for winter road conditions and the city expects it will be on the road in Kanata North summer 2025..
Partners on this project include Invest Ottawa, Aurigo, the City of Ottawa, uOttawa, Deaf AI, EcoSafeSense and more.