Google Canada's Kitchener-Waterloo Office, 2012
In August 2012 Google Canada launched an official Canadian blog and used its first post to mark a decade in the country. Cambridge Now covered the opening of the company's Kitchener office around the same time, under the headline "Google Canada Develops Global Applications From Its New Digs In Kitchener Waterloo". This page collects what can be confirmed about the company's Canadian offices and the building in Kitchener.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company | Google Canada |
| Anniversary marked | Ten years in Canada, as of August 2012 |
| First Canadian office | Toronto |
| Later offices named in 2012 | Kitchener-Waterloo and Montreal |
| Kitchener location | The former Lang Tannery building, downtown Kitchener |
| Blog post | "Welcome to the official Google Canada blog!", August 22, 2012 |
| Author of the post | Chris O'Neill, Managing Director of Google Canada |
The 2012 blog post
The post, dated Wednesday, August 22, 2012, looked back on 2002, when Gmail and YouTube did not yet exist. It said Google Canada opened in Toronto ten years earlier and was one of the first international Google offices. Since then, it said, offices had been added in Kitchener-Waterloo and Montreal.
O'Neill wrote that Canadian teams had contributed to products including the Chrome browser and Gmail for Mobile. The blog was meant to carry stories about Canada and Canadians, product announcements and glimpses of working life at the company, with posts from several Canadian employees, whom he called "Canooglers".
The Kitchener building
Wikipedia's article on Kitchener says Cadan Inc., a Toronto real estate developer, bought the former Lang Tannery in 2007 for $10 million and converted it for commercial tenants. The building became a base for digital media firms. Communitech moved in during 2011, and the same article says Google became a tenant that year. It adds that the Kitchener office is a large hub for development of Gmail.
The same article places the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy on King Street, across from the Kaufman Lofts, a former shoe factory turned residential. That matches the neighbourhood details in the Cambridge Now story, which also put the office at the Tannery.
Regional context
Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge form Waterloo Region, and the technology sector in the Kitchener-Waterloo area was already well established by 2012. Google's Canadian presence there was one of several large employers in that cluster.
Frequently asked questions
When did Google Canada open? Google's own blog post says it opened in Toronto ten years before August 2012, so around 2002.
Which Canadian offices did Google name in 2012? Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Montreal.
Where is the Kitchener office? In the former Lang Tannery building in downtown Kitchener, according to Wikipedia and Cambridge Now.
Who wrote the launch post for the Canada blog? Chris O'Neill, then Managing Director of Google Canada.
What does the Kitchener office work on? Wikipedia describes it as a large hub for Gmail development. Cambridge Now's report described a broader mobile focus, which this page has not verified.
Sources
The official Google Canada blog post of August 22, 2012, and Wikipedia articles on Kitchener, Ontario and Google.