Latest news with #TerryMatthews
CBC
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Kanata tech park office conversion passes at city committee
Social Sharing An office conversion project in Kanata North sailed through a city committee today, with the local councillor hoping it will help transform the area's tech park. The 11-storey building at 535 Legget Dr. is one of three identical glass office towers surrounding a parking lot. Owner Wesley Clover International, chaired by billionaire Terry Matthews, wants to convert it into a mixed-use development with 115 housing units. Council's planning and housing committee voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the required zoning changes. Kanata North Coun. Cathy Curry called it an exciting project that will change the dynamic of the community. "Right now, it has 570 companies where people work — just the work hours — and then they leave," she said. "Well now, with people living there, it will bring about more restaurants, more nightlife, more activities that people can participate in, which will bring a lot of life to the park and make it more attractive." She said the project isn't a one-off, but part of a trend toward more residential development in the technology park. Main and Main is planning an expansive housing development in Kanata North that could add 2,100 housing units. The city's top planning document aims to transform the Kanata North Economic District from a 1970s-era business park built around the automobile to a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use community focused on innovation. The conversion plan for 535 Legget Dr. calls for replacing the existing window walls with a new facade including Juliette balconies. The developer is also planning to add green space, and to connect the building to the neighbouring Brookstreet Hotel to allow residents to access restaurants, a spa and The Marshes Golf Club. While the upper floors will be residential, the plan would retain about 4,300 square feet of office space on the ground floor. The developer also asked the committee to relax minimum parking rules. It plans to provide 108 parking spaces for the 115 units, including visitor spaces. The committee agreed, and also voted to ban auto-focused uses such as drive-thrus from the site. The committee's decision must still go to a full meeting of council for final approval. But Curry said work has already begun, and CBC witnessed crews at work on Wednesday. Large panels of windows have already been removed. "The preliminary construction starts because they can do that without getting this final approval," said Curry. "I'm in the park a lot and I talk to the people who are running this project and they are full steam ahead." Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper, who chairs the planning and housing committee, said city council is keen to see more office conversions. But based on his discussions with the industry, he admits it might not be a quick fix to the city's housing shortage. "There are economic challenges to doing conversions, and some of the advantages that are purported to be part of those may not materialize," he said. "That said, certainly if developers are interested in converting, as a city council we're here to support them."
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Liberal's Promise to Extend Investment Incentive to Tech Could Mean $500 Million in New Private Investment
OTTAWA, Ontario, April 23, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new Liberal policy promise, could create a half-billion dollar economic boost for Canadian tech start-ups. The Liberals proposed to expand a 71 year old incentive program heavily used by mining companies. The Liberals described the measure as a way to "Supercharge" the economy. That is the exact description used by a campaign called Canada Flow-Through Shares as they reached out to politicians. Flow-Through Shares allow a company to "flow" tax deductions to investors via special shares. David Perry, co-founder of the campaign says, "Congratulations to the Liberals for realizing the significant value of this change. We are disappointed that no other party followed suit. This change would propel Canada's tech sector and in turn the entire economy by getting more Canadian investors into Canadian firms. We are going to keep up the pressure." Economic analysis by the group, using recognized financial formulas, produced three key numbers for a first year of FTS : $500 Million in new private investment $1.25 Billion in new economic activity $375 Million in new government tax revenues Canada's successful billionaire tech entrepreneur, Terry Matthews, put his support behind the campaign and states, "I know that the FTS program works well. An effective program that would be a huge assist to tech startups. It would be a win for Canada at an important time for the tech sector and for our economy." This shot in Canada's economic arm would raise the GDP contribution of tech to nearly $127 Billion, almost on par with the mining industry. Last year FTS generated a Billion dollars for early stage mining firms on the TSX. The parent firm of the exchange, the TMX Group is also calling for the FTS shift along with other business groups and leaders. About Canada Flow-Through Shares David Perry launched Canada Flow-Through Shares in December of 2024. This group wants the federal government to extend the investment incentive tool, FTS, to the tech sector. As Canada wages economic war with the United States, it is imperative to make it easier for Canadians to invest in Canada and boost the tech sector. Join the movement View source version on Contacts David Perry Founder, Canada Flow-Through Shares613-850-0608 (c)dperry@ Paul Brent Communications Specialist613-797-3783 (c)pbrent60@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Wire
23-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
The Liberal's Promise to Extend Investment Incentive to Tech Could Mean $500 Million in New Private Investment
OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new Liberal policy promise, could create a half-billion dollar economic boost for Canadian tech start-ups. Canada's serial entrepreneur and billionaire, Terry Matthews, is a supporter and says 'I know that the FTS program works well. An effective program that would be a huge assist to tech startups. It would be a win for Canada.' The Liberals proposed to expand a 71 year old incentive program heavily used by mining companies. The Liberals described the measure as a way to 'Supercharge' the economy. That is the exact description used by a campaign called Canada Flow-Through Shares as they reached out to politicians. Flow-Through Shares allow a company to 'flow' tax deductions to investors via special shares. David Perry, co-founder of the campaign says, "Congratulations to the Liberals for realizing the significant value of this change. We are disappointed that no other party followed suit. This change would propel Canada's tech sector and in turn the entire economy by getting more Canadian investors into Canadian firms. We are going to keep up the pressure." Economic analysis by the group, using recognized financial formulas, produced three key numbers for a first year of FTS : $500 Million in new private investment $1.25 Billion in new economic activity $375 Million in new government tax revenues Canada's successful billionaire tech entrepreneur, Terry Matthews, put his support behind the campaign and states, "I know that the FTS program works well. An effective program that would be a huge assist to tech startups. It would be a win for Canada at an important time for the tech sector and for our economy." This shot in Canada's economic arm would raise the GDP contribution of tech to nearly $127 Billion, almost on par with the mining industry. Last year FTS generated a Billion dollars for early stage mining firms on the TSX. The parent firm of the exchange, the TMX Group is also calling for the FTS shift along with other business groups and leaders. About Canada Flow-Through Shares David Perry launched Canada Flow-Through Shares in December of 2024. This group wants the federal government to extend the investment incentive tool, FTS, to the tech sector. As Canada wages economic war with the United States, it is imperative to make it easier for Canadians to invest in Canada and boost the tech sector. Join the movement
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Almost half of Britain cannot browse internet because of poor mobile signal
Britain's mobile coverage is so patchy that almost half the country struggles to browse the internet, data have revealed. The four mobile network operators have 'acceptable' coverage across just 55pc of the country's landmass on average, leaving large swathes of the population with sluggish connections, according to figures compiled by mobile data firm Streetwave. The research appears to underscore concerns among Britons that shoddy mobile signal is frustrating consumers and damaging productivity. Kester Mann, an analyst at CCS Insight, said the analysis 'highlights, once again, the disappointing performance of UK mobile networks'. He added: 'This is a combination of several factors, including a lack of investment from the industry, the mandated swap-out of equipment from Huawei, environmental push-back against the deployment of new masts and burdensome planning restrictions.' The research found significant disparity between the performance of the UK's four mobile networks. EE's coverage levels were the highest at 69pc, followed by Vodafone at 61pc. O2's acceptable coverage reached just 50pc, while Three lagged well behind on 38pc. Overall, however, the results for all providers are below the official data compiled by regulator Ofcom in September stating geographic 4G coverage is in the range of 88pc to 89pc. Sir Terry Matthews, the Welsh billionaire and an investor in Streetwave, said the data were 'enabling the industry to have a candid conversation around how coverage can be improved in the UK, while empowering consumers to make informed choices about which mobile network best meets their needs'. An operator is considered to have 'acceptable' coverage where their network provides users with 5 Mbps download speeds, 2 Mbps upload speeds, and latency below 40ms on any connection ranging from 2G to 5G. These are the speeds at which most mobile functions including browsing the internet, streaming videos and joining conference calls can be carried out. Any drop below this level would be likely to result in a compromised user experience, such as videos buffering and images taking time to load. The survey was conducted in 113 councils across the UK, representing 37pc of the UK's geography and around 19m people. It was carried out by attaching signal readers to rubbish collection lorries, measuring mobile performance outside virtually every home and business in each council area. Mobile UK, which represents mobile network operators, said it disputed the findings of the research. A spokesman said: 'While we acknowledge that all models, including our own, involve predictive elements, Streetwave's conclusions are based on an extremely limited dataset, derived from just a third of councils across four nations, and are heavily skewed towards rural, low-population density areas. This significantly restricts its applicability to the broader UK mobile landscape. 'While we do not agree with these findings it once again puts in sharp focus the need for the Government to better prioritise mobile deployment in its policy making.' An Ofcom spokesman said: 'Streetwave's coverage data isn't directly comparable to ours, which comes from mobile network operators' predictions and may not always match people's real-world experience at a very local level. 'We're working hard to improve the data we use, and we will relaunch our mobile coverage checker later this year with new and improved information to better reflect what people can expect.' Poor mobile connectivity has become a major political issue, with MPs lining up to bemoan patchy coverage, especially in rural areas. The first stage of a £1bn government-backed project to stamp out so-called 'not spots' in rural areas has now been completed and a target of reaching 95pc of the UK's landmass with at least one provider by the end of the year has already been met. However, ministers are now discussing watering down the second stage of the programme, the Shared Rural Network, in a move that is likely to anger mobile companies. Vodafone and Three are in the process of combining in a £15bn merger that will create the UK's largest mobile network. The companies have long argued that the tie-up was necessary to upgrade the country's sluggish 5G connectivity. Angus Hay, the chief executive of Streetwave, said: 'A collaborative approach is needed to improve mobile connectivity across the UK. This includes continued private and public investment into the networks, as well as local efforts by councils and planning authorities to support infrastructure investments. 'Our findings raise significant questions around whether there is need for an extension to the Shared Rural Network programme to further support rural communities.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Brutalist: Welsh tech billionaire's son Trevor Matthews up for Oscars
The son of one of Wales' most successful entrepreneurs is in the running for a haul of Oscars at this year's Academy Matthews, the son of business magnate and Celtic Manor Resort owner Sir Terry Matthews, was among four producers of The hit movie has been nominated for ten Oscars having already won three Golden told BBC Radio Wales Drive: "I don't think you ever expect this kind of success when you're making art, but it has certainly surpassed our expectations." Matthews, 42, grew up in Canada before moving to the US to pursue an acting career and had roles in several short he has found greater success as a producer having set up Brookstreet Pictures in Los Angeles company is named after the street in the Caerphilly county town of Abercarn where his father Terry grew Matthews said: "I grew up in Canada but I've always felt very proud of my Welsh heritage. Every time I'm there I feel like I'm at home." He added: "I'm blessed, I've got one of the best role models in the world. I'm so proud of my dad."He leads by example and I'm trying to do the same thing."I've always been interested in film and he's been supporting me for so long. Everyone in my family has. He gave me the security and the ability to be an entrepreneur."Matthews' production company was behind Bruce Willis' 2017 film First Kill and the The Forgiven (2021) starring Ralph Fiennes and Jessica it is the three-and-a-half-hour epic, The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody, telling the story of a Hungarian holocaust survivor rebuilding his life in post-war America as an architect that has brought global renown. Trevor said it had been "quite the journey" overcoming the challenges of multiple delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic to make "a true indie movie"."No matter if you're making a $100m studio movie or a little independent movie, it really is lacing up your boots and getting ready for battle."You have to constantly believe in yourself and your team.""The film has overcome a lot of adversary to get to where it is today and to see the film have this response has been overwhelming."It's been such an incredible ride and we're so proud of it."The 2025 Academy Awards will be presented on 2 March in Los Angeles.
