A word of caution – the original article relates the best areas for real estate investment in Canada. YMMV – your mileage may vary.

The National Post published the Real Estate Investment Network’s “Top 10″ list of the best housing bets in Canada. Waterloo Region (Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, to be exact) came in at number 2, behind Calgary and ahead of Edmonton.

The network arrived at its list by mapping the area’s average income, population growth and job growth against the provincial average, and factoring in new amenities (in our case, a light rapid-transit system).

Does this mean that we’ll soon be looking at $90,000 for a garage?

Read the rest of the story here.

Posted in Lifestyle, News, Waterloo Region Tech, cambridge | No Comments »

It’s not often that I’ll chuck a single sentence on the Communitech blog, but this post on the Harvard Business Review by recent Tech Leadership Conference speaker Clayton Christensen warrants it.

People who are driven to excel have this unconscious propensity to underinvest in their families and overinvest in their careers—even though intimate and loving relationships with their families are the most powerful and enduring source of happiness

Happy Friday.

Posted in Communitech Events, Lifestyle | No Comments »

As expected, RIM was holding an ace or two up its sleeve after announcing upgrades to the Bold and Pearl. Here’s a video preview of what we can expect from their next-generation operating system and smartphones.

First impressions? Thoughts?

Posted in Digital media, Lifestyle, Waterloo Region Tech | 1 Comment »

Communitech was very pleased to be a part of the first IgniteWaterloo last night, and it was an honour to sponsor the event. Community-driven, there are few venues out there which legitimately care about fostering opinion and interest in a pure, open forum.

 I have to say my personal fav was Dave Estill’s “solar power blows the lid off” rythmic, poetic, high-impact presentation which single-handedly converted me into a solarist and a white boy rap fan in a matter of minutes. The guy is passionate. Kinda brilliant to map the cadence of his vocal presentation with the visual.

All of the presenters had some fantastic stuff to say and night was well worth all of the effort. And there was plenty of effort that went into the event. Big props for the organizers, partners, volunteers and particularly to the presenters, which I’m going to list here because I think these folks should get as much notoriety as possible!:

Mark Connolly: Metaphor in product design: are you sure that’s an album?

Jesse Rodgers: VeloCity, Startup and the now-notorious ultimate cool shark/gorrilla high-5

Brent Curry: Nudging people onto bikes in the age of the automobile

David Estill: Here Comes the Sun: Solar Energy as development home and abroad

Jon Fishbein: Meet The Real Africa

Nicholas Oddson: Nothing’s impossible when you’re creating it: How theatre helped my career

Aden Seaman: Solving a Rubik’s Cube in 90 seconds

Jason Shim: ‘Til Disconnection Do We Part: A Second Life Wedding

David Swart: Novel ways to display the visible sphere

Jaclyn Konzelman: TEDxWaterloo

Jayne Thompson: Global climate change at a local scale: forecasting floods and issuing warnings

Darin White: Meta-Making: creating a hacker space in 17 easy steps

Kevin Thaler: Twenty-two years of Policing:  Thrills, Laughs and Fears

This thing is just starting. Like the ideas and opinions which comprise the content, just watch this great idea grow.

– Thom

Posted in Lifestyle, Startups, Talent, Waterloo Region Tech | 1 Comment »

Waterloo Region tech companies will be recruiting talent in Mississauga next week. The Region continues to shine as the tech star in Ontario — offering high quality jobs, and giving residents a better quality of life at significantly less cost than other tech centres. Competitive costs and high standard of living are wooing techies to Canada’s premier technology community.

On November 4th the Toronto Star reported that the average price of a home in the Toronto area in October was $423, 559 (Toronto Real Estate Board), while the November 7th edition of the Waterloo Region Record reports the average price of a home in Waterloo Region was $255,190, during the same period.

“While much of the economy is in turmoil, the tight tech talent market hasn’t changed. We still want the best and brightest,”, says Iain Klugman, President and CEO of Communitech. “Talent continues to be a key factor to the growth and competitiveness for tech firms in Waterloo Region.”

In addition to the very affordable cost of housing in the area, Waterloo Region offers a quality of life second to none. Eighty percent of people in Waterloo Region live within a 30-minute commute to their office – meaning they can actually take advantage of the lifestyle opportunity the Region affords. With 22 golf courses, six conservation areas, and countless cultural festivals, sports and recreation facilities, a world-class symphony and acres of parkland, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in this thriving metropolis.

All of these factors combine to create a compelling argument to “Get a Life” in Waterloo Region. Communitech and some of the Region’s hottest technology companies will be at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga on Wednesday, November 25 from 5-7:30 p.m. to entice tech workers to re-locate.

Participating tech firms at the Living Arts Centre include Agfa HealthCare, Christie Digital Systems Canada, Inc., Moxy Media, Desire2Learn, Research In Motion, Tech Capital Partners, Coreworx, Avvasi, Miovision Technologies and more.

Visit www.waterlootechjobs.com for further information or to register.

Posted in Communitech Events, Lifestyle, Talent, Waterloo Region Tech, Workforce Development | No Comments »