The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday, Sept. 19, edition that National Bank of Canada has invested over half a billion dollars to build a new 40-storey headquarters in the heart of Montreal's Quartier de l'Innovation. The Globe's Nicolas Van Praet writes that the building will bring together 11,000 employees and symbolizes the company's expansion into the Canadian market beyond Quebec, including a $5-billion bid for Canadian Western Bank. The location at 800 Saint-Jacques St. W. holds historical significance as the centre of Canadian finance in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Chief executive officer Laurent Ferreira says: "We were spread out across Montreal. We were in five different locations -- because of the growth of the bank over the years through acquisitions. So the idea came in 2016 that bringing all of our people together and creating a gathering place for our employees was a necessity. And we needed a bit of an upgrade, as well." He says COVID presented a challenge: "It definitely slowed down the project for at least six months and obviously brought all the challenges we all know about it: supply chain and the people working onsite. ... But we did not stop our project. We kept going."