Montreal has been named 2016 Intelligent Community of the Year in recognition of its Smart City plan, which was introduced in 2011. The honour was bestowed by the Intelligent Community Forum at an event at the Columbus Zoo on Thursday.

The New York-based ICF praised Montreal’s Smart City plan, which includes improving broadband infrastructure and technology, as well as the city’s gaming industry and Cirque du Soleil as examples of Montreal’s unique culture. It also notes that Montreal’s universities have a high graduation rate that ICF says feeds “the region’s fast-growing knowledge economy.”

Read the full story at montrealgazette.com.