Defence, Security and Resilience Bank HQ

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I don't see Vancouver getting picked as it is further from Europe.

I agree. However, Vancouver's pitch is that they are closer to Japan and SK and Aus who are also onboard with this bank. It's not just a NATO thing.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Montreal's chances are hurt by threats of separation and laws that virtually outlaw any language that isn't French.

You should look up the second official language of NATO. And separatism didn't stop NATO from accepting the Centre of Excellence for Climate Security being placed in Montreal.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I believe Toronto might be ahead of the competition due to its status as a World City and the financial capital of Canada however, Ottawa's status as the capital, home of Canada's National Defense, it's proximity to the defense and tech sectors, and home to all foreign embassies in Canada, gives it significant clout.

Toronto's advantages are more than finance here. Literally the two biggest factories contributing to Ukraine are within driving distance. GDLS in London. Roshel in Mississauga. There's other major OEMs. Bombardier at Pearson. Pratt in Mississauga. Wescam in Hamilton. Academia like Perimeter Institute in Waterloo.

A lot of Ottawa "defence companies" are mostly sales offices servicing DND. There's some engineering subcontractors. But even say major work like systems engineering for the new destroyers (largest defence contract in Canada to date) is done in Montreal. The actual plants aren't here.

What Ottawa does have is a decent agglomeration of federal labs and test facilities. And even this is increasingly sketch. See closure of the CSA David Florida lab. It's unfortunate that Ottawa didn't fight harder (or really at all) for NATO DIANA to be in Ottawa. Would have been a great fit for us. And had lots of DND support.

Ottawa can get picked if politics prevails. Heck, Rick Hillier is on the board and is probably pulling for Ottawa. But if it's based on raw connectivity and relevant accessibility, Ottawa is a poor choice.

Originally Posted by J.OT13

The major downfall is the lack of international flights, but that can easily be fixed.

Really curious why you think this. YOW hasn't had more than 2-3 regular year round connections to Europe for maybe decades? A few thousand more public servants isn't enough demand to change that.