Huawei Canada announced that the province of Ontario, Canada, has partnered with the company for an R&D project called 5G Ontario.
Under this partnership, Huawei Canada will invest $212 million to create hundreds of R&D jobs for Ontario’s highly skilled workers and further solidify the province as a global hub of the knowledge economy, the company said.
An estimated 250 jobs will be created as it creates new research laboratories in Markham and Waterloo and expand its existing research facility in Ottawa.
5G Ontario will focus on advanced communications research initiatives including faster internet speeds and related technologies such as cloud computing, data analytics and mobile security.
“Last month, I was in India on another overseas trade mission. Today, I’m at Huawei Canada to announce that the company is investing an additional $212 million in an R&D project called 5G Ontario. It all connects to my first priority as Premier, which is creating good jobs in a growing economy. The investments our government is making in the talent and skills of our people, the trade missions I lead, the partnerships we’re entering with business and the dynamic, competitive environment we’re creating are all driving real investment, creating good jobs and laying the foundations for sustainable growth for years to come,” said Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, Canada.
This agreement builds on Premier Wynne’s first trade mission to China in 2014, where it was announced in Beijing that Huawei would invest $210 million to expand in Ontario and create 250 highly-skilled R&D jobs. Today’s announcement supports those 250 new jobs and retains an additional 250 R&D jobs. In total, Huawei intends to invest up to $303 million in 5G and related research initiatives in Ontario over the next five years, $212 million of which is supported by the province’s Jobs and Prosperity Fund investment.
According to the Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure, Brad Duguid, “Huawei’s investment in Ontario is a huge vote of confidence in our province’s talented workforce and world-class innovation ecosystems. We are committed to strategically partnering with innovative companies like Huawei.”
The project also illustrates how Ontario’s Going Global Strategy is strengthening the province’s information and communications sector. International trade missions and strategic partnerships with business are both critical ways the government is attracting new investment, facilitating innovation and bolstering global exports.
