TORONTO — A global tech conference being held this summer in Toronto is barring businesses, government officials and media with ties to the Russian government from participating in this year's event.
Organizers behind Collision, dubbed "the Olympics of tech," say they are prohibiting all government members and agencies, state-controlled media, state-backed businesses and companies with ties to the Russian government from participating at the June event.
They will also ban all Russian businesses, including public and private companies, from exhibiting at Collision.
Organizers say the decision is their way of standing in solidarity with Ukraine, which Russia has been invading now for more than a week.
Collision says it is "deeply saddened" by the loss of life and the ongoing tragedy in Ukraine and wants to support restrictions and sanctions implemented by the European Union and the Canadian government against Russia and Belarus.
This year's Collision, whose participants include Jeffrey Katzenberg and the CEOs of Tinder and Hootsuite, will mark a return to the in-person event after being forced to move online when COVID-19 began spreading.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2022.
The Canadian Press
