Halifax has been rated as one of the top 25 tech cities in North America, according to CBRE. CBRE Group, Inc. is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with 2019 revenues of $23.9 billion and more than 100,000 employees.
The study reviewed cities based on their ability to attract and grow tech talent. Thirteen metrics (each weighted by relative significance to job creation and innovation) were used to measure market depth, vitality, and attractiveness.
Halifax had more than 13,000 people working in its tech sector in 2019, beating much larger U.S. cities such as Tulsa. Halifax was in 12th place, joined in the Top 25 by fellow Canadian cities like Waterloo, Quebec City, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, with Toronto entering Top Ten. The six Canadian cities thus made up one-quarter of the Top 25 list. This is hitting well above our weight, as Canada’s population is only one-tenth that of the U.S., and we should therefore have been expected to have only two or three cities in the CBRE list.
Congratulations from i-VALLEY to Halifax Mayor Savage and the organizations that have contributed to this win, including Dalhousie University, Digital Nova Scotia, the tech firms in the city, and all of the rest of us who have contributed talent to make the Halifax possible! It is a good day for Nova Scotia.