Live data from Hacker News

Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

techcrunch.com

161–170 of 304 posts

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and the people who look like lumberjacks probably are. As someone who grew up in a forestry town in Northern Ontario...Toronto is a world away, and much more similar to the Bay Area than where I grew up.

Oh, for sure. But there's Brooklyn hipsters, and SF hipsters, and Toronto hipsters, and then there are actual forestry workers who come into town.

No they don't. Toronto is two plane rides away for them.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#162
post #80

Not if Toronto keeps hemorrhaging talent. I graduated from the University of Toronto last year and can only name 2 of my classmates who are actually working in Toronto now. The rest are in SF, Seattle, and NYC - including many people who have family in Toronto, like me. All of my friends who were seriously working on a startup have moved it to the Bay Area. Many of us would love to move back to Toronto 'eventually',…

Waterloo grad here. Seeing pretty much the same thing. Really not difficult to imagine why Canadian tech companies have mostly stopped being competitive on the global stage, considering most of the talent they have access to at these pitiful salaries are essentially left-overs. Unfortunately, I honestly don't see how the situation can improve. It's a classic tragedy of the commons situation. Companies act in self-int…

This happened before in the late 90s. Before the first bubble. What happened then was some slingshot effect, when Canadians go to SF and make $200K for 10 years, and still can't afford a house and are faced with mediocre schools unless they want to commute (which they don't) they may come back.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

how is the tech scene at Montreal?

Regrettable Some say it's ok. There are some startups, but most of the environment seems to be "corporate oriented", and .NET is very popular

That's a shame. Given that Vancouver and Toronto both have higher rents and are less attractive cities than Montreal, I was hoping that it'd be heating up in terms of jobs.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#168
post #80

Not if Toronto keeps hemorrhaging talent. I graduated from the University of Toronto last year and can only name 2 of my classmates who are actually working in Toronto now. The rest are in SF, Seattle, and NYC - including many people who have family in Toronto, like me. All of my friends who were seriously working on a startup have moved it to the Bay Area. Many of us would love to move back to Toronto 'eventually',…

Do you think there'll be opportunities to start terrific technology companies in Toronto ~5-10 years down the line, when "everyone moves back"? Especially if they pay better?

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#169
post #116
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought the H-1B was a temporary visa?

I am not an immigration lawyer, but this is my understanding: The H-1B is similar to the TN but each have their pros / cons: TN is much cheaper (~$50 + lawyer fees) and there is no cap / application deadline. You apply at the border so there is also virtually no waiting time assuming you get it. The downside of the TN is that it is a "temporary" permit. Technically it's not actually a visa. It simply allows you to wo…

One correction:

> "In other words, you are not supposed to apply for a green card while you are on it."

You can actually do this, it's very painful but it's not rare. The gotcha is that the moment you leave the country your TN is kaput, so you're effectively trapped in the USA until the green card process is complete.

Re: Toronto is poised to become a producer of tech startups

#170
post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waterloo grad here. Seeing pretty much the same thing. Really not difficult to imagine why Canadian tech companies have mostly stopped being competitive on the global stage, considering most of the talent they have access to at these pitiful salaries are essentially left-overs. Unfortunately, I honestly don't see how the situation can improve. It's a classic tragedy of the commons situation. Companies act in self-int…

This happened before in the late 90s. Before the first bubble. What happened then was some slingshot effect, when Canadians go to SF and make $200K for 10 years, and still can't afford a house and are faced with mediocre schools unless they want to commute (which they don't) they may come back.

come back to Toronto where they also can't afford a home? Or live in the suburbs of the GTA and slog it through some of the worst traffic in North America for two hours each way?
Post reply on HN