PEI based CGI has won an international, multi-million dollar contract competition that has brought 35 new positions to Stratford, a town east of Charlottetown. What makes this move unique is that rather than outsourcing the work to other countries, they will be importing workers who originally worked in India.

When Ramesh Ramachandran’s Conneticut based firm began to ran into financial trouble, his contract, that brought him to the US from India, was in jeopardy along with his future. In a reverse trend, Stratford based CGI acquired the contract as well as 70 workers who were assigned to the project. Now eight months into life in PEI, he is experiencing positive growth both personally and professionally.

CGI’s CEO Michael Rogers is also pleased with the results. By moving 35 workers to Halifax and the rest to Stratford, he feels that the strategic decision against outsourcing has paid off for his organization as well as the local economy.

"I think there's a lot to say about the service we can provide in a near-shore model," Rogers stated in a CBC interview, "we're in the same time zone; we can react quicker to problems during the day for the client."

To read what new CGI employees and world travellers think of their new town, click here.