Jacques Latour is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). He has 25+ years of experience in various roles within the private and not-for-profit sectors, including research and development and software development to IT operations and business development.
Jacques is currently responsible for the architecture of the .CA ccTLD. In this role, he provides leadership and direction for the management and security of the .CA registry and its underlying DNS, critical components of Canada’s national Internet infrastructure.
Jacques is committed to the development of a new Canadian Internet architecture. Under his direction in 2012, CIRA spearheaded the development of a national, robust network of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) to diminish Canada’s dependence on out-of-country infrastructure, enhance domestic Internet performance, and decrease costs. As a result, Canada’s IXP network has grown sevenfold. He has also served as the catalyst for the creation of a national Canadian IXP association, CA-IX, and is a member of the Manitoba Internet Exchange’s (MBIX) Board of Directors.
Jacques has also played a central role in the modernization of the .CA top-level domain. He led the wholesale rewrite of the .CA registry system, updating and simplifying every aspect of the registry from its technological processes to its policies and business practices. In 2014, he implemented DNSSEC at CIRA, enhancing the security of Canada’s online identifier.
