Google is awarding several Canadian towns where small businesses have shown some technology zeal with eTown awards, the search giant announced today.
The awards go to places where smaller shops have made use of the Internet to find new customers, grow their business, and improve operations, Google Canada says in a blog post. The five Google eTown award winners are:
Moncton, New Brunswick
Dorval, Quebec
Parry Sound, Ontario
Canmore, Alberta
Duncan, British Columbia
Google Canada manager Chris O’Neil (left) awards MP Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka) with an eTown trophy.
Sunny Point Resort, based in Parry Sound, was singled out by Google for its use of AdWords in 2009 to help its smaller resort compete with larger ones in the area.
It’s not the first time Google Canada has made overtures to the small business community. Its Get Your Business Online program launched in March 2011 offered to buy small businesses a free dot-ca domain and pay for a year of Web hosting.
Google says it considered the adoption of its own services as a major factor in selecting the award winners. That includes AdWords, Get Your Business Online, and Google Apps. It broke down Canada into five regions and considered thousands of cities before choosing the recipients.
Chris O’Neil, the managing director of Google Canada, met with the Members of Parliament representing each of the towns on Parliament Hill to deliver the award hardware and have photos snapped. The images are shared on Google+.