Webnames.ca History
Webnames.ca was created from the original .CA registry at the University of British Columbia in the fall of 2000 by four partners, John Demco, Stephen Smith, Matthew Lane and Cybele Negris.
The most recognizable symbol of Canadian identity on the Internet, .CA was conceived in 1987 by John Demco, Computer Facilities Manager at UBC who had the foresight to protect a uniquely Canadian presence on the World Wide Web. Back in the old days - that is, before 2000 - all .CA domains were personally administered and registered on a voluntary basis by John in his UBC office, faxes stacked to the ceiling.
In an effort to free-up time for John Demco to work on the government mandated transition of .CA control and authority to CIRA (Canadian Internet Registration Agency) Stephen Smith - Webnames.ca's President and CEO, then working in Technology Transfer for UBC's University-Industry Liaison Office - proposed building automated systems and hiring students to help with the growing demand for .CA's. This was the call to action that brought together what would become the Webnames.ca team for the first time in the spring of 2000.
Cybele Negris, a management consultant for the UILO, came onboard to provide leadership in the area of operations, eventually becoming Webnames.ca's Chief Operating Officer. And soon thereafter Matthew Lane, Webnames.ca's Chief Technical Officer, was contracted to develop the first generation online registration system that have since developed into Webnames.ca's leading-edge systems. Along with an amazing group of UBC students hired by Steve to assist with .CA registrations and administration - some of whom are still with Webnames.ca today - this mix of talent and technology was the foundation of Canada’s most experienced domain registrar.
With John's foresight, what began in a cramped UBC office has since evolved into the current .CA landscape where 71% percent of Canadians prefer using .CA website services over all others because they know .CA is Canadian. A UBC spin-off company, Webnames.ca was incorporated on September 23, 2000 and has come a long way to become the company you know today. Over the last five years, extensive energy has been put into developing the industry’s most powerful and user-friendly online systems, as well as hiring the best customer and technical support representatives available. We are 100 percent Canadian owned and operated and our motto - Reliable • Experienced • Canadian - is also our guarantee.
