Tag Archives: coworking

Toronto Is Awesome: Reason #11 – Coworking Spaces

This is my eleventh submission in the Toronto Is Awesome series. I would love your comments, thoughts and future suggestions for this series.

I’ve written about co-working spaces in this blog a number of times before:

  1. http://karimkanji.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/the-incomplete-list-of-coworking-spaces-in-canada/
  2. http://karimkanji.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/the-incomplete-list-of-coworking-spaces-in-canada-part-two/
  3. http://karimkanji.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/my-favourite-co-working-spaces-in-toronto/
coworking
image courtesy of theemployable.com

These lists are far from complete, so if you find a place in Toronto that offers co-working space let people know about it. And consider adding it in the comments section below.

Coworking venues have given small startups and even independent professionals an opportunity to grow and collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs. And Toronto is home to plenty of coworking spaces, startups, independent professionals and budding entrepreneurs. And that’s another reason Toronto is awesome!

the (in)complete list of coworking spaces in Canada: part two

As our social media agency was getting off the ground I wrote about coworking spaces in Canada. In fact I wrote that piece while “incubating” our Toronto-based startup in coffee shops in North Toronto. As we’ve grown we’ve spent most of our time in coworking spaces in Toronto. And thus, I think I understand the importance that these spaces play in the growth and development of Canada’s future businesses and business leaders.

The following is a my updated list of coworking spaces in Canada. It is, as the title suggest, an incomplete list. Please keep the list growing by adding locations in the comments section.

British Columbia: SwitchCube in Abbotsford; HiVE in Vancouver; cowork penticton in Penticton; The Network Hub in Vancouver and New Westminster.

Alberta: unit b in Edmonton; CoworkYYC in Calgary; AcceleratorYYC in Calgary.

Prairies: The Two Twenty in Saskatoon; *Upcoming in 2013: New Media Manitoba.

Ontario: Foundery in Toronto; The Creative Space in Barrie; Camaraderie in Toronto; Coworking Space Toronto; Longbranch  Executive Centre in Toronto; ThreeFortyNine Coworking in Guelph; The Hackernest Coworking Shared Office in Toronto; *Currently closed: The Work Republic in Toronto; Colab in Toronto; kowork London; 3rd Rail Society in Stratford; Project RHINO in Toronto; 10Carden in Guelph; Centres for Social Innovation in Toronto; The Code Factory in Ottawa; treehaus in Kitchener; CoWorkative in Richmond Hill; Spark Box Studio in Picton; Bento Miso in Toronto; Beach Business Hub in Toronto; CO:WORK in Toronto; Locus Quo in Toronto; Network Orange in Toronto The YMC in Toronto.

Quebec: Abri.Co in Quebec City; Station C in Montreal; Ecto in Montreal; Exeko in Montreal; la banque in Montreal; Jelly in Quebec City; RPM Montreal; Notman House in Montreal; nexus montreal; Comunoloft in Montreal; 6cent1 in Montreal

Maritimes: Common Ground in St. John’s; The Hub in Halifax; Coworking Cape Breton; The Hub in Mahone Bay; Queen Street Commons in Charlottetown

Know of places I’ve missed? Please share in the comments section. Thanks!

my favourite co-working spaces in toronto

Almost a year ago I blogged about co-working spaces in Canada. On December 17, 2010 I wrote a piece titled “the (in)complete list of co-working spaces in Canada”.

The impetus of the previous co-working post was the desire to find a space to work from while at the same time being able to take advantage of other people working and building.  Listed below are three places that I’ve had the privilege of working out of:

BNOTIONS:

While not officially a co-working space, BNOTIONS has had a profound positive impact on the growth of thirdocean.  We spent 6 months calling the BNOTIONS office space our home.  We held our team meetings there and also met potential clients in their space.

The culture of BNOTIONS also positively influenced the culture of thirdocean.   Every time a guest exited the elevator on the 4th floor a loud round of applause greeted them.  The BNOTIONS office is also famous for their WWE DVD collection and superhero action figures.  Today, no matter where we work, all thirdocean visitors are greeted as long lost friends.

The Work Republic:

No matter what I say about TWR it will not be enough.  Located at the corner of Victoria Park and McNicol Avenue’s, TWR is only a 5 minute drive from my home.  This has allowed me to work out of a space while still being able to drive my son to his morning and afternoon classes.

This north-Toronto space is a welcomed and quiet reprieve from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto.  On most days you can find Ray, Maurice and Milan listening to old school hip hop (Neil Young when I visit!), building mobile apps and making videos.

Need a space outside the city (yet still very accessible) centre to work from and bring your guests to? The Work Republic is the place for you.

Network Orange:

A slice of heaven in the middle of downtown Toronto, Network Orange is ING Direct’s contribution to Toronto’s startup and freelance community. Nestled at the corner of Yonge and Shuter, Network Orange offers our team a home 7 days a week.  Included in their package are a choice of 3 meeting rooms, wifi, coffee, a functional kitchen as well as ample desk space. Open 7 days a week, I have actually “opened” this space at 8am and left when it closed at 10pm.

Operating out of this space has also allowed us to meet with potential clients, clients and even our service partners.  More than any other space, Network Orange has helped our team at thirdocean grow from a young company looking for an identity to Canada’s community management and social media agency.

If you have a favourite co-working space please tell me about it in the comment section below.  If you want to receive this blog in your email, click on the “sign me up!” button on the right.