VANCOUVER - Microsoft Corp. held the official opening of its first Canadian development centre in a Vancouver suburb Wednesday, adding 300 jobs and more clout to the region's growing technology sector.

The centre, located in Richmond, B.C., will have software developers working on more than half of Microsoft's products, including the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office productivity software, the Zune Media Player, Windows Mobile and the Xbox 360 gaming console.

Microsoft Canada president Phil Sorgen said the centre will contribute to Microsoft's global competitiveness, while providing economic benefits to both British Columbia and Canada.

"The real contribution is the innovation they are creating," said Sorgen.

He said the company chose Vancouver in part because of its quality of life and multiculturalism.

"We are recruiting, as many companies are, for the best talent in the world and Vancouver has consistently been rated as one of the five top most livable cities," Sorgen said.

"When we have talked to our recruiters, one of the things they told us is... this would be another asset to us, to have a centre in Vancouver we can recruit talent to."

Sorgen said the high Canadian dollar was not considered an issue because the centre is a long-term investment for the company, and the currency fluctuates.

Engineers working at the centre represent 45 different countries and speak 15 distinct languages, Microsoft said.

The centre first opened in July 2007 with 21 employees and Sorgen said it's the fastest growing centre Microsoft has in the world. He said it's likely the centre will continue to expand.

"We are very open to further expansion and we believe it will grow," said Sorgen.

"It will grow based on business need. The fact that this is the fastest growing business centre... gives us a lot of optimism that there is a lot of future growth potential."

Kevin Restivo, a technology analyst with consulting firm IDC, said the new centre is a way for Microsoft to attract talent in the competitive software development sector.

Even though the Vancouver area is one of the most expensive places to do business in Canada, companies such as Microsoft look at it as an investment in their employees.

"It is also very expensive to attract and retain talent and the issue has become more of a priority for organizations," said Restivo.

"I can see why Microsoft would spend the kind of money they need to to make it work."

Restivo said many technology firms have thrived in Vancouver, including video game maker Electronic Arts, which was started in the city and retained thousands of jobs there despite relocating its headquarters to Redmond City, Calif.

"(Vancouver) has always been a city that software companies have seen as a place to locate," Restivo said. "It's known as an attractive area to house strategic resources."

Engineering expertise has also been spun off from such firms as Vancouver-based MacDonald, Dettwiler & Associates (TSX:MDA), which was one of the few high-tech firms in the region when it started in the 1960s.

The new Microsoft centre is located in two buildings totalling more than 73,000 square feet in the business park known as Crestwood Corporate Centre.

The company has similar centres in Boston and Bellevue, Wash.

Microsoft also has development centres in North Carolina, Ireland, Denmark and Israel, as well as full research and development centres in the United Kingdom, India, China and Silicon Valley.

Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Wash., near Seattle. Microsoft Canada is headquartered in Mississauga, Ont.