When I think about Ottawa, I think of quite a few things: stunning museums, brutal snowfalls, and huge multiculturalism. But, one of the things that the capital of Canada is not so well-known for is being on the cutting edge of technology, and especially not in an automotive sense. However, earlier this year, Aurrigo’s Canadian division made the city the new headquarters of its project for driverless pods.
This is a decision that Aurrigo haven’t taken lightly, it is one that has Ottawa to thank for, as Ottawa in recent years has been determined to attract more technology companies to the city. Even though they are not the first driverless car company to invest in the city, they seem to make much more of a news topic than some of the other competitors. This is because no one expected them to choose Ottawa.
The company Aurrigo itself has stated that it chose Ottawa for two main reasons. The first being that where the company itself is based, in the United Kingdom, does not have nearly the same climate as Ottawa, so a different kind of region would be good for testing their products’ endurance. The second is the investments from Ottawa itself. Ottawa has an entire department dedicated to enticing high-tech companies into moving some of their assets to the city, and I have no doubt that they had a big part to play in this deal as well.
Overall, I see this as a major addition to the development of Ottawa, and because of this major step, there will likely be many more companies attracted to the city. As more technology keeps moving in, it will not only benefit the city, but provide evidence to other firms that Ottawa is a viable environment for their high-tech needs.
