Microsoft doubles down on Canadian investment with downtown Toronto HQ announcement

Microsoft Canada announced it will move its Canadian headquarters to a new space in the heart of downtonw Toronto in 2020. The new facility on Bay Street will be located at the new CIBC Square and will span four floors in the 132,000 square-foot space. 

The future home will also include a new state-of-the-art Microsoft Technology Centre that will serve partners, customers as well as a learning centre for school-aged youth. The move is just one of a series of significant investments Microsoft is making. These investments will enable an expansion of Microsoft's Canadian operations, including increasing staff, modernizing its real estate, and growing its research lab in Montreal that is focused on artificial intelligence. 

"This announcement by Microsoft offers yet more evidence of the strength of Toronto as a global technology centre, and as a desirable home for major corporations. By choosing South Core as its new home, Microsoft is embracing one of the hottest new areas of downtown and Toronto welcomes them with open arms,” said Toronto Mayor John Tory, in a released statement this morning. 

Currently Microsoft employs more than 2,300 employees across Canada, and supports an extended network of more than 14,000 partners who sell, service or deploy Microsoft products. The company expects that given the pace of technology and the investments its making that this could account for more than 60,000 new jobs by the time its headquarters opens. 

Microsoft has had a headquarters in Canada since 1985 and has injected billions of dollars into the Canadian economy. Most recently, the company opened two datacentres (Toronto and Quebec), an innovation hub in Vancouver, and an artificial intelligence lab in Montreal. 

In addition other major investments the company has made includes...

• $111M in Azure Credits into the startup ecosystem by supporting 5,700 start ups. 
• donating more than $178 million in cash, software, and technology services to Canadian non-profits
• enabling employees to contribute up to 100,000 person-hours annually of volunteer time in support of causes representing an equivalent dollar value of $10 million. 

In addition to the latest announcements, Microsoft Canada says it intends to:

• grow staff by more than 500 full-time employees, with an additonal 500 co-ops/internships by 2022.
• invest $21M in Azure credits to the Canada's Supercluster initiative.
• invest $10M over 5 years into Cascadia innovation corridor which is formed between Washington and British Columbia to create new economic opportunities.
• invest more than $570M in next 3 years in fixed assets in the country, including relocation and expansion of its research and development lab in Montreal, relocation of its Vancouver sales office, renovation and redesign of its Ottawa, Calgary and Montreal sales offices, and the relocation of its Canadian Heaquarters.