Editor’s note: In testimony before a House of Commons committee on Feb. 5, 2021, MindGeek vice-president Corey Urman admitted the company spokesperson originally identified in this column as “Ian Andrews” had been using a fake name. The column has been updated.
MONTREAL — Every cliché has an origin story, and Montreal’s emergence as a world-class tech hub is the stuff of legend.
To wit: a suite of provincial-government tax credits brings the gaming industry to the city, then mired in late-1990s-vintage economic doldrums. Others follow, drawn by buzz and joie de vivre. Investment pours in, artificial intelligence becomes a Montreal thing. Today, this juggernaut rolls along, blessed with cheap rent and fuelled by green hydroelectricity. It is a narrative so compelling it has literally been set to music.
