Google Canada welcomes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at unveiling of new Canadian engineering headquarters in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario

KITCHENER-WATERLOO, ON, Jan. 14, 2016 /CNW/ - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau helped to officially open the doors of the new Canadian engineering headquarters of Google Canada today, alongside Sam Sebastian, Country Manager, Google Canada and Steven Woods, Director of Engineering, Google Canada. The Prime Minister toured the beautifully restored Breithaupt Block building and joined local school children participating in Codemakers, a partnership between Google Canada and Actua that creates compelling and fun STEM learning modules for kids.

A handful of Googlers opened the company's first office in Kitchener back in 2005. Since then, Google has steadily expanded its investment in the region. The new 185,000 sq feet headquarters unveiled this week will be home to over 350 engineers who work on products used by billions of people around the globe.

"Businesses like Google harness the incredible talent and capabilities of Canadians. This government will continue to make significant investments to boost Canada's innovative capacity, help dynamic firms grow, and create the jobs of tomorrow right here and right now," says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Prime Minister Trudeau was also joined on his tour of the Google Kitchener-Waterloo office by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

"Kitchener-Waterloo has an incredible mix of world-leading engineering and science education, feeding into a dynamic young start-up community, and anchored by global tech companies who could spot the incredible talent in the area," explains Sam Sebastian, Country Manager, Google Canada. "It's like lightning in a bottle - you could try this in a hundred different places and never achieve the same type of community as what has been created in KW."

Kitchener-Waterloo was recently named one of the 10 cities that will be part of Google's North America Tech Hub Network, along with Montreal. The network provides financial support and the best of Google's resources to startup communities that equip and nurture entrepreneurs..

"We've been a part of the Kitchener-Waterloo tech community since 2005 and have seen up close that it is bursting with talent and energy," says Steven Woods, Director of Engineering, Google Canada. "The Googlers based in Kitchener-Waterloo have been major contributors to Google's product innovation. The University of Waterloo remains one of our top schools for recruitment anywhere in the world, and we've invested heavily in local startups. This region is a major source of entrepreneurial computer science talent, and we're continuing to grow as fast as we can hire."

Google Kitchener-Waterloo has played a critical role in many of Google's core tools and products, including GMail, Google Fiber, the Chrome browser and Google Ads. Additionally, the team led a significant portion of the software development for the new OnHub router.

Photographs and b-roll footage are available at: https://sites.google.com/site/kwofficeopen/, including:

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touring the new Google office
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interacting with local kids participating in the Codemakers program
• Official remarks from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• Official remarks from Sam Sebastian, Managing Director, Google Canada
• Official remarks from Steven Woods, Senior Engineering Director, Google Canada
• Prime Minister Trudeau, Steve Woods and local kids light up the new Google sign to officially open the office and set off confetti cannons
• Exterior and interior shots of the new Google office
• Shots of tour highlights, including product demonstrations and Codemakers workshop
• Quotes from other elected officials and third party organizations

GOOGLE'S COMMITMENT TO KITCHENER-WATERLOO

In addition to our investments in the local tech ecosystem, Google Canada has been a major contributor to the Kitchener-Waterloo community:

• Provided $50,000 to the Waterloo Region District School Board in order to broaden the reach of WiFi in elementary schools through Waterloo Region
• Support for Shad International and Let's Talk About Science at the University of Waterloo, both of which provide programs dedicated to raising awareness of math, science and technology
• Volunteering to restock the Grand River with fish for several years
• Helping to build a virtual, interactive space for the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery
• Funded three faculty research awards at the University of Waterloo since 2011

ABOUT GOOGLE CANADA

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.  As a global technology leader, Google's innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world. Google Canada has offices in Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa with over 400 'Canooglers' working on teams across Engineering, Sales, Marketing, PR, Policy, and HR. Engineers at Google Canada work on many of company's core products including Chrome, Safe Browsing, and Gmail; while the Sales Teams assist Canadian businesses with their digital advertising strategies.

SOURCE Google Canada

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