Kitchener traffic solutions company halts business in Russia
Posted Mar 9, 2022 06:05:00 PM.
A traffic solutions company headquartered in Kitchener will halt services and business in Russia in a move of support for Ukraine.
Miovision provides technology to cities around the world to improve traffic flow through urban networks.
The company plans to stop selling new business in Russia and not provide support to its Russian customers until Russian troops leave Ukraine and “full reparations are made.”
CEO of Miovision Technologies Kurtis McBride said the decision came right after seeing a social media post from a former employee of the company.
“He posted a story on LinkedIn where he was speaking to his mother, his mother lives in Ukraine, and the phone died. He couldn't get in touch with her for a few days, and you can just imagine the panic and emotion that comes along with that,” he said.
McBride said on a global scale, Miovision is not a big player and Russia is not a major focus for the company, so the target of this move is to encourage other businesses to act too.
He said the world needs to send a very strong message that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is unacceptable.
“You have to take a stand when this kind of stuff happens. Just like with any social movement or any major geopolitical unrest like this, you have to take a stance. Doing nothing is taking a stand. Silence speaks volumes in these situations,” he said.
The company is hoping this will result in a kind of “corporate sanctions.”
We mostly post about traffic, but, like you, we’re also watching the unfolding events in Ukraine with a combination of sadness, frustration and horror. Miovision supports the people of Ukraine in their fight to retain their freedom and denounces the actions of Russia.
— Miovision (@Miovision) February 25, 2022
