Ontario pledges $15M for Ottawa innovation complex

The Government of Ontario has pledged $15 million towards a proposed innovation complex in Ottawa that will include business incubation and acceleration space and a new home for Invest Ottawa (formerly the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation). The 14,000-sq-m building is being proposed for the Bayview Yards, a 1940s-era municipal public works garage located near the Ottawa River just west of the urban centre. The Ontario government's commitment allows the project - still in the early stages - to move forward. The city says it will contribute $15 million worth of in-kind provisions and has approved $1.2 million to stabilize the structure and conduct an environmental cleanup. This is the second attempt to establish an innovation cluster in Ottawa. In 2009, a proposed $100-million Innovation Hub and business incubator failed when the province withdrew financial assistance, opting instead to support small-scale interconnected business ecosystems....