The metaverse will be built in Toronto — or some significant parts of it, at least, on top of the many virtual spaces and 3D innovations already put forward by local talent in recent decades.

All of this is to say that Meta, as in Facebook's parent company, is creating a brand new Canadian engineering hub right here inNorth America's third-largest city for tech.

The social networking platform-turned-multinational technology conglomerate announced the news Tuesday, noting in a press release that it will not only open a new hub in Toronto, but increase hiring across all of its existing offices in Canada.

"This is expected to create up to 2,500 new jobs over the next several years, with recruiting already underway,"reads the release from Meta.

"The majority of roles are engineering-focused and expected to span across building extended reality experiences and Meta technologies. We're also establishing the first Canadian WhatsApp, Messenger and Remote Presence engineering teams and growing our Canadian Reality Labs and AI Research teams. "

As if this weren't already a big enough feather for Toronto's (frankly already overflowing at this point) cap, the American tech giant also announced some$510,000 in unrestricted grantsto 17 Canadian research labs, all of them "working on research that will advance innovations needed to build the metaverse."

"Unrestricted grants provide maximum flexibility for labs to pursue their mission, and once published, their research becomes publicly accessible to drive further innovation across the industry," explains Meta.

Investing in Canadian Talent to Help Build for the Metaversehttps://t.co/6YCs5p5gY6

— Meta Newsroom (@MetaNewsroom)March 29, 2022

"Over the next decade, we'rehelping to build for the metaverseto drive a new generation of immersive online social experiences that have the potential to unlock access to creative, social and economic opportunities," said Meta's head of Engineering and Remote Presence, Maher Saba, on Tuesday.

"Canadians are already building for this future and will play an important role in shaping it from the start."

Heck yeah, we will.

Meta already boasts hundreds of employees across four offices in Canada and cites the country's vibrant pool of tech talent as a reason for this huge expansion. Toronto, specifically, appealed to Meta as one of the most multicultural cities in the world.

"Canada is poised to have a critical role in building for the next evolution in social technologies, so we plan to help further establish the country as a global leader in this effort," says the California-based company.

"Having Canadian voices and values represented early on will be vital to creating inclusive digital spaces that we can all enjoy together. As we embark on this journey of innovation together, thousands of Canadians will find opportunity in helping build for the metaverse — both at Meta and alongside us as creators."

乔bs created through this initiative will offer highly-skilled candidates a blend of in-office and remote work options all over the country.

No word yet on where Meta plans to build its grand engineering hub or when, but this is major news for Toronto's economy — and bodes well for its attractiveness as a place for talented workers to settle in the future.