Canadian businesses spend less on ICT than US counterparts
A new report for the Information Technology Association of Canada (ITAC) reveals that Canadian businesses spend considerably less than companies in the United States on information and communications technologies (ICTs). Compiled by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), the study illustrates the gap in ICT spending. In 2004, the average level of ICT investment from the business sector was $1,468 per worker in Canada compared to the per-worker average investment of $3,253 in the United States. The report concludes that the government should consider accelerating the depreciation of enterprise IT equipment and other economic incentives as ways to close the gap between ICT investment levels in Canada and the United States. A conference in Ottawa on December 6, CAN>WIN 05, brought many industry leaders together to debate and discuss some of the challenges associated with the widening productivity gap between Canada and our largest trading partner, the US (see article on page 6 for more details).