TERRY MATTHEWS: A YEAR OF PROGRESS

BY TERRY MATTHEWS, WESLEY CLOVER

It is hard to believe that 12 months have passed already since the inaugural edition of Tech Talk was published in the fall of 2021. Time just insists on fl ying by, doesn’t it? And an active 12 months it has been, for the team at the KNBA and for Kanata North and the business park overall.

One year ago we were looking forward to the grand opening of

Hub350 in October 2021. The vision of creating a state-of-the-art town hall technology centre for the benefi t of the local community has now materialized and met, if not exceeded expectations. Depending on how you want to measure success, you can count a steady and growing list of regular meetings and events, the active presence of local post secondary institutions and students, the continuing build-out of existing and new partner spaces, a guest list that has included the Premier of Ontario and other dignitaries, and more.

In terms of the Kanata North Business Park, 12 months ago we were wondering what the return-to-theoffi ce stage of the pandemic would look like, and when it would happen. It is accurate to say this process is still under way, and roadways are evermore busy, parking lots are increasingly full, and most importantly, the number of companies calling Kanata North home has grown. Despite the next hit of global pullbacks in investment and stock prices and economic forecasts, the competition for technology workers in Kanata North remains aggressive.

Why is that? The fact is companies in Kanata North are focused more than ever on diverse and sustainable technologies. Take 5G as one example. The full specifi cations for this tremendous new public and private wireless networking standard are not yet fi nalized, yet more than US$166 Billion* was invested in its development in 2021 alone! Cloud and edge computing goes hand-in-hand with 5G/ IoT and AI. The emerging demand to bring computing closer to where the action is generated US$136 Billion* in 2021 investment. Autonomous vehicle technology, compound semiconductors, the list goes on. Kanata North is a hotbed for this type of development

and commercialization. And this greater breadth than ever bodes very well not just for next year in Kanata North but for the next decade as well.

And if we look at what it will take to attract, house, feed and retain the increasing workforce and local overall population those technology projections suggest, this past year saw at least two particularly relevant announcements.

Local multinational Nokia tabled a proposal to redevelop the real estate they own in Kanata North. One of the area’s largest employers, the Finnish telecom giant fi led planning documents in May proposing to replace its existing Kanata North campus with a combination of a new 500,000-squarefoot offi ce and R&D hub, plus as many as 11 residential high-rises ranging from 13 to 29 storeys and containing up to 1,900 housing units. The offi ce complex would also include approximately 35,000 square feet of ground-fl oor commercial and retail space to cater to these residents and the community overall.

In parallel, in September city council approved an application by Wesley Clover International to build a 28-storey tower with more than 250 rental apartments of varying confi gurations, as well as an upper-fl oor pool, a 150seat restaurant, and additional meeting and banquet space. The tower, located adjacent to the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata North, is now beginning construction and, true to the ‘character’ of Kanata North, you can expect the result to be among the most technologically and environmentally advanced properties once complete. Current plans are for the fi rst tenants to begin occupancy by August 2025.

Developments such as these are consistent with the objectives the KNBA has set out to establish Kanata North as an approved ‘Special Economic Zone’ and transform the area over time into more of a mixed-use district with vibrant commercial and residential components.

This can only be good for business and for lifestyle. More employees of local fi rms will be able to live, work and play in an integrated, progressive community featuring leading amenities and advanced connectivity. Step by step, it is yet another vision that is moving rapidly toward reality.

*Source = ABI Research