OTTAWA, Dec. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CIRA is proud to announce that, 32 years after the first .CA domain was registered, the organization now has more than 3 million .CA domains under management.
As Canadian society pivots to digital amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, .CA domains have seen tremendous growth as the value of branding your website Canadian has never been higher.
Canadians are seeking to support local business, makers, creators and causes more than ever, and never has it been clearer that .CA means Canada.
From bestbacon.ca to thenextsip.ca to artwrk.ca, Canadians are starting small businesses and embracing e-commerce like never before.
Key facts
- CIRA registered its three-millionth .CA domain on November 30, 2020, 20 years to the day that ICANN delegated the .CA domain registry to the organization.
- The first .CA domain name was registered on January 12, 1998, by the University of Prince Edward Island, upei.ca. At the time, the .CA registry was administered by John Demco at the University of British Columbia.
- .CA registrations are up approximately 34 per cent over last year as companies adopt e-commerce, businesses pivot to online service models and Canadians embrace the power of digital platforms.
- Thanks to this tremendous growth, .CA gives back more than $1 million every year through our Community Investment Program to support Canada’s internet.
- .CA recently released its latest broadcast advertising campaign featuring the Domain Squad who are continuing their mission to promote the value of .CA for Canadian businesses.
- CIRA recently announced its participation in Digital Main Street’s ShopHERE powered by Google program which helps small, independent businesses and artists pivot to digital amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and start selling online.
- Seven in ten Canadians prefer to support Canadian businesses when possible. A .CA domain name is the quickest and easiest way to show your business is Canadian online.
- With 3 million domains under management, .CA is the 12th largest country-code top-level domain in the world.
Executive quotes
“As the stewards of the .CA domain registry, it is our responsibility not only to provide a safe, stable digital platform but also to promote it to all Canadians. We are proud of the work we have done to grow the .CA domain registry to 3 million strong, and are honoured that so many Canadians are trusting their businesses, their brands and their future to .CA.”
- Byron Holland, president and CEO, Canadian Internet Registration Authority
“This holiday season, it is more important than ever to support local business, and Canadians know at a glance that .CA means Canada. With 3 million domains registered, we’re proud to have earned the trust of hundreds of thousands of businesses who choose .CA to represent their brand online.”
- Paul Sarkozy, .CA business lead, Canadian Internet Registration Authority
Additional resources
- Learn more about the Digital Main Street ShopHERE program.
- Find out why Canadians trust .CA domain names.
- Learn more about the .CA domain Canadian Presence Requirements.
- Learn how .CA gives back to Canada’s internet.
About the Canadian Internet Registration Authority
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) manages the .CA top-level domain on behalf of all Canadians. CIRA also develops technologies and services—such as CIRA DNS Firewall and CIRA Canadian Shield—that help support its goal of building a better online Canada. The CIRA team operates one of the fastest-growing country code top-level domains (ccTLD), a high-performance global DNS network, and one of the world’s most advanced back-end registry solutions.
