ICT, Gaming and Interactive Media

Halifax has niche strengths in:

• aerospace and defence, particularly in software based products and services, as well as systems integration and supporting services. Lockheed Martin, CAE, IMP, and Advanced Systems International are based in Halifax. 
• financial services, with an emphasis on ICT-intensive back and middle office operations. Home to Citco, a leading BPO provider to the hedge fund industry, and NTT Data.
• healthcare ICT, largely due to the substantial healthcare infrastructure in the city that includes the National Research Council Institute for Biodiagnostics;
• business process outsourcing/contact centers, a local industry that largely serves American corporate clients; and,
• gaming and interactive media, offering expertise in core, mobile and serious gaming which includes dynamic companies, like Longtail Studios, Silverback Productions, Radian 6 and Ad Dispatch. 

Why Choose Halifax?

• Halifax is strategically located, whether you are moving goods in and out of North America, or delivering services across European, North American and Caribbean time zones.
• Halifax's multi-modal transportation infrastructure and transload capabilities will get your goods to market – fast!
• Halifax is Canada’s smart city, with one of the best educated workforces in all of Canada. More than two-thirds of Halifax's population has a trade, college or university designation. We have one of the largest concentrations of universities in North America, with a local enrolment of 32,000 students every year. This is in addition to the some 11,000 students across Nova Scotia who attend the Nova Scotia Community College, as well as students graduating from universities in nearby provinces. Three universities and one college in metro Halifax alone offer programs important to the digital industries sector.
• Reliable and secure telecommunications infrastructure that includes: Hibernia Atlantic’s Halifax International Exchange Centre, providing fast and secure transmission of data between commercial North American and European clients; a  stable and self-sufficient power grid; and 100% Broadband availability.
• Competitive business costs. Halifax offers more competitive business costs compared to other cities across North America. In 2010 Competitive Alternatives survey of 95 jurisdictions in ten countries, KPMG  found that Halifax had significantly lower business costs for back office, software design and web multimedia companies compared to all of the major ICT centers surveyed: Lyon (FR), New York, Seattle, San Fransisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Boston. Furthermore, it ranked 13th out of all 95 jurisdictions in terms of costs for web & multimedia companies. Halifax also offers competitive digital industries salaries.

• Major incentives, including the Nova Scotia Digital Tax Credit and Nova Scotia Payroll Rebate and a number of other incentives to help you invest in Greater Halifax, as listed below:

1. Nova Scotia Incentives
2. Nova Scotia Digital media tax Credit
3. Productivity Investment Program (PIP): Capital Investment Incentive and Workplace Innovation and Productivity Skills Incentive.
4. ACOA's Atlantic Innovation Fund
5. ACOA's Business Development Program (BDP)
6. NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)
7. The Scientific Research & Experimental Development (SR&ED) Program
8. Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP)

• Immigration-friendly policies and employer support programs will help you attract foreign workers.
• Ocean. Nightlife. Affordable living. Environmental stewardship. Quality of life that is the envy of the world!
• The Greater Halifax Partnership and our partners are committed to helping you grow here.

ICT, Gaming and Interactive Media Companies in Halifax

Industry Voices