Ubisoft to open CGI film studio in Quebec, partially funded by Canada
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Feb 8th 2007 at 9:25PM }
Word from the Canadian newswire is that Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot is preparing to announce a major "growth plan for the company" tomorrow. According to Québécois newspaper La Presse, Guillemot will unveil plans for a new computer-animation studio in Quebec, which would initially produce "short films for the general public."Ubisoft's new CGI studio would be made possible, in part, by an ongoing government grant that is providing the company with roughly C$454 million (approximately $383.9 million USD) over time, in order to create 1,000 new jobs in Quebec. Supposedly tomorrow's announcement will see Canada labor minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay present Ubisoft Montreal with a portion of the grant worth C$8 million (approx. $6.8 million USD).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
kyle @ Feb 8th 2007 9:36PM
simply proves how much more proactive canadian government programs are than in america.
3cubedminus3squared @ Feb 8th 2007 9:58PM
Maybe one day we'll see a big motion picture like shrek or something.
Pyronite @ Feb 8th 2007 10:01PM
"simply proves how much more proactive canadian government programs are than in america."
America does this as well. Perhaps not in the form of national grants but primarily through massive tax breaks, packages to entice companies to come to one town over another, etc.
fawazr @ Feb 8th 2007 10:19PM
except that most American tax cuts go into pockets and not new jobs.
ManicDVLN @ Feb 8th 2007 10:24PM
"1. simply proves how much more proactive canadian government programs are than in america."
It also shows how much taxes we pay to our incompetent government.
Faisal @ Feb 8th 2007 10:44PM
I'm an American and I love being one...but our government really sucks balls at times...it's great to see that the Canadian government is really interested in this stuff and funding them to help set up a CGI studio like that...
blah...other than that Canada sucks...hehe
Kyle @ Feb 8th 2007 11:23PM
@#3 true to an extent
The difference is that the tax breaks(retroactive by nature) you mention target very specific business fields, which drastically limits the options for developing fields such as cgi/ game developement (tech oriented fields).
America's business subsidies are far behind most developed countries in regards to technological fields. We do, however, surpass them in subsidies for skilled laborer/manufacturing fields such as aircraft/auto manufacturing (occupations most prone to outsourceing). But for tech/entertainment/developing fields we lack federal subsidies forcing states to budget for economic growth (state budgets are dramatically less per person than federal) in turn causing failed bid between state (bleeding capital basically).
My point was that this is Canada's attempt at introducing a subsidy program (available at the onset of a business) where as the US utilizes tax system reimbursements that force business into high interest financial loans or intrusive shareholder funding which are not easily shed once the tax reimbursement is obtained.
Steve @ Feb 9th 2007 9:31AM
[sarcasm]Yea! Corporate welfare! I wish America had these enlightened socialist policies where we force every taxpayer to fund the video game development. [/sarcasm]
The economic ignorance in the above comments is absolutely astounding. I know this majority of viewers on this site aren't going to be a showcase of sophisticated economic knowledge, but I would have thought a couple economically literate readers would have posted by now.
If these nanny-state government-managed economies are so wonderful, then why does france (the homeland of Ubisoft) have such a ridiculous economy? Why did/do the people of Eastern Europe, the USSR, and Cuba have such lousy standards of living? Why do most Europeans have a standard of living below that of the American poverty line? Why are the increasingly socialist economies of europe causing economic quagmires across the land, while China's economy seems to explode with every Marxist policy that they abandon?
I can't believe it's the 21st century, information is literally at our fingertips, and the people still turn into mindless sheep when power-hungry national governments bully themselves into running the economy.
But, who cares about understanding economics or the dangers of backwards collectivist Marxist thinking when we have important issues like whether or not Jennifer Aniston will ever find true love and who's going to win an Oscar at next week's Emmy awards!
Sanchinos @ Feb 9th 2007 12:37PM
Whoa. Uh, Steve (#8) - first of all, we're not talking about Eastern European nations, the USSR, Cuba or any of the other nations you conveniently chose in your little tirade. We're talking about Canada. The same Canada that has a surplus budget and has for the last 8 years running. The same Canada that is actively paying down its national debt as opposed to posting a $400 billion+ deficit (more than the total Canadian debt) EVERY SINGLE YEAR. We're talking about the same Canada that is ranked between #1 and #3 most desirable countries to live in the world for the last decade and a half. Most desireable due to it's quality of living.
Coincidentally, the countries that rank right with it are countries like Sweden (who is much more "socialist" than Canada ever has and likely ever will be).
I always get a laugh out of you pseudo-educated know-it-all types who think that because they took a 100-level economics course in college to go along with their propaganda-fueled high school education about foreign policy that they know everything there is to know about world economics, politics, etc.
Your comment is ignorant. Period. Canadians have an extremely high standard of living. They are taxed at a higher rate, yes, but not as high as you seem to believe.
Lay off the "Marxist/Lenonist" crap already. This isn't 1972. The world isn't being threatened to be overtaken by communist regimes. Christ.
Some countries have different ways of going about things. "Different" does not always mean "wrong".
TheKingInYellow @ Feb 9th 2007 12:01PM
Universal healthcare. 'Nuff said.
Evan @ Feb 9th 2007 1:14PM
One thing everyone seems to be missing is: This grant was to create 1,000 new jobs IN QUEBEC! I doubt that an Ontario or BC company would have been given that kind of grant.