Quebec lags in IT spending

[ErickMontreal]

Quebec lags in IT spending

Slowest growth. Ontario has highest investment per worker

 

ERIC BEAUCHESNE, Canwest News Service

Published: 8 hours ago

 

Ontario and Alberta lead the other provinces in investment in information and communications technology per worker, which is increasingly seen as a key to boosting Canada's lagging productivity performance.

 

In contrast, New Brunswick and British Columbia have invested the least in productivity-enhancing computers and telecommunications equipment and software, and Quebec's growth in such spending is the lowest among the provinces.

 

Those are the findings of a report by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards released this week in the wake of news that Canada has suffered its longest slide in productivity in nearly 20 years, leaving output per hour worked here further behind that in the U.S., its main trading partner and competitor.

 

The report noted that other studies have found that Canadian investment in information and communications technology, like Canadian productivity growth, lags that of the U.S.

 

The focus of the Ottawa-based think tank's latest study, however, is on the varying levels of such investment within Canada. This year has been the first published breakdown by Statistics Canada of such investment by province.

 

"Many factors affect productivity but ICT investment is a key one," economist Andrew Sharpe, the report's author and head of the research firm said in an interview.

 

For example, the lower level of productivity in most of Atlantic Canada compared with Ontario has been linked to lower levels of ICT investment in Atlantic Canada, he said.

 

Important ICT investment disparities exist, only some of which can be explained by the industrial makeup of the provinces, it said.

 

All provinces have experienced strong growth in ICT investment this decade, led by Newfoundland with increases of nearly 15 per cent per year, almost double that in Quebec which had the weakest growth in such investment at 8.4 per cent.

 

However, the actual level of investment per worker in 2007 varied widely.

 

"These disparities ... may stem from many reasons: Lower levels of wealth, a lack of investment-friendly policies, policies favouring investment in other asset types or industrial structure.

 

"Yet, the significant differences in ICT investment between provinces suggests that policy differences may be important in driving ICT investment," the report concluded.

 

Provincial Breakdown

 

Information and communications technology spending per worker:

 

Ontario $3,870

 

Alberta $3,722

 

Canada $3,353

 

Saskatchewan $3,050

 

Quebec $2,953

 

Prince Edward Island $2,935

 

Newfoundland $2,765

 

Nova Scotia $2,716

 

Manitoba $2,688

 

British Columbia $2,674

 

New Brunswick $2,445

 

Centre for the Study of Living Standards

[Malek]

J'aimerais savoir ou se retrouve la destination de cet argent là... je suis sûr que ça profite beaucoup au Québec.

[WestAust]

J'aimerais savoir ou se retrouve la destination de cet argent là... je suis sûr que ça profite beaucoup au Québec.

 

ca depend bcp, j'ai un de mes amis qui travaille pour une cie americaine qui fait tout le systeme informatique de quelques ministeres de l'ontario, donc au bout de la ligne, ca ne profite ni au quebec (qui a perdu un bon travailleur) ni au canada (c'est une cie americaine qui empoche les profits) tandis qu'au Québec on semble plus préoccupé de donner le contrat a des entreprises locales (CGI par exemple, ou des employés locaux du moins)

[superstar]

au lieu de regarder la somme. il faudrai regarder en quoi est-ce que cet argent a été investi. De ces temps ci, en Ontario ont investi beacoup d'argent en VPN pour sauver du temps et de l'argent pour les employés. Est-ce qu'en nouvelle-ecosse ou au quebec on a besoin d'investir la-dedans.

 

Je sais que l'infrastructure de Bell Helicopter et de Bombardier vaut pas 2 cent ( j'ai fais du soutien technique pour eux), mais c'est relatif.

[LindbergMTL]

au lieu de regarder la somme. il faudrai regarder en quoi est-ce que cet argent a été investi. De ces temps ci, en Ontario ont investi beacoup d'argent en VPN pour sauver du temps et de l'argent pour les employés. Est-ce qu'en nouvelle-ecosse ou au quebec on a besoin d'investir la-dedans.

 

Je sais que l'infrastructure de Bell Helicopter et de Bombardier vaut pas 2 cent ( j'ai fais du soutien technique pour eux), mais c'est relatif.

 

 

VPN? Vraiment pour Nuls? C'est quoi?

[Malek]

Virtual Private Networks.

[LindbergMTL]

Ok, mais encore? des sortes d'intranet pour blackberrys?

[Malek]

Imagine toi que tu travailles sur le reseau du bureau sans etre au bureau... tout est pareille... sauf que t'est pas dans un cubicule mais dans ton salon

 

C'est ca que le vpn permet... une connection internet rapide + le laptop de la compagnie + logiciels de securite et voila.

[LindbergMTL]

Ok, merci Malek.