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PUBLISHER’S LETTER
The best employers are bracing for an unknown future I’ve had the privilege of leading many teams during my 30-year career in media. While the leadership challenges have varied because of changing dynamics, today’s business leaders should brace themselves for workplace disruption like never before. In the pages of this magazine, OBJ brings you Best Places to Work 2026. Together with our research partner, OBJ invited local organizations to opt into a rigorous process: employers answered 235 questions and then launched an employee engagement survey. In total, 1,500 local employees provided feedback. The end result is an impressive top-20 Best Places to Work list. And, for the first time, OBJ has broken that list into size of organization to recognize the unique challenges of small, medium and large employers. While the results are fascinating, OBJ’s editorial team went one step further, asking this distinguished group of employers how AI is changing their workplaces. In reading their responses, I came to the conclusion that companies can be grouped into one of two categories: those that see AI as a productivity tool, and those that are redefining their company through an AI lens. As Trellis told OBJ: “It’s baked into our culture, not bolted on.” While I fully appreciate that the opportunities and challenges around AI differ based on sector ‒ for example, a tech company vs. a professional services firm ‒ the Best Places to Work of tomorrow will be those that embrace this unique moment, treating AI as a strategic imperative. Workplaces will always be defined by people, but how those people are trained, the tasks they’re given and how they contribute to business success will forever change in the next five years. In terms of workplace disruption, AI is going to make the pandemic look like a speed bump. Keep reading for pointers on how the Best Places to Work are rewriting their playbooks and bracing for an unknown future. ONE MORE ANNIVERSARY GIFT FOR OBJ READERS Before OBJ turns the page on its 30th anniversary celebrations, we’ve got one more gift for readers. Before I share the big news, a recap. The first anniversary project came in February, when OBJ evolved from a tabloid newspaper to this premium magazine format. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. The second anniversary project arrived in April. It was a website relaunch that included a reimagined homepage, clean new design and a continuous scroll format on news article pages. Since the change, OBJ readers are consuming twice as much news when measured by pageviews. It’s incredibly rewarding to see this readership growth. The third and final project is being tested right now and will launch in September. It’s a mobile app for iOS and Android. There are several reasons why the OBJ team believes this is an important next step. As OBJ learned in 2023 when Meta banned Canadian news, social media platforms are untrustworthy intermediaries. An OBJ mobile app is an unfettered channel to valued readers, offering them convenience and mobile news notifications. It might be OBJ’s birthday, but the gifts are for our readers. Hope you’re enjoying them. MICHAEL CURRAN PUBLISHER publisher@obj.ca
4 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Reflections on the jigsaw puzzle that is urban development I was driving along Preston Street toward Carling Avenue in stop-and-go traffic some months ago when I looked up and tried to picture a 50-storey tower standing next to the existing 45-storey tower. Amazing, but…there I was chugging along a simple two-lane street already congested with cars, trucks, bikes and pedestrians. How would it all work? Fortunately, in my job, I’m able to explore questions just like that. And that’s what led OBJ reporter Mia Jensen to start asking around, trying to put the picture of Little Italy together. After all, it’s not just a second residential tower to be built by Ottawa’s Claridge Homes, it’s a new hospital campus taking shape on the other side of Carling, and potentially a new sports arena being constructed at the north end of the neighbourhood. Not to mention various other developments that are underway or have been proposed. And why not? Little Italy is a fantastic area to live or visit — although notable for its lack of something as basic as a grocery store. It reminded me that there are many pieces to the jigsaw puzzle that is urban development. Housing is one, commercial and retail opportunities are another. There’s greenspace and leisure, entertainment and sports facilities. Of course, there’s infrastructure such as transit and roads, basic utilities, and likely many other things that most of us don’t even see or think about. For areas like Little Italy, it will require a new way of living that is somewhat foreign to Ottawans. As Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster says, “A lot of people are going to be living vertically and living without cars and wanting to walk to get to the amenities they need.” Or, as Catherine Boucher, president of the Dalhousie Community Association, puts it: “We’re building a vertical city, but we’re not adding any space to breathe at the bottom.” Still, developers who see the advantage of the area are willing to take the risk. “It’s all going the way I thought it would go (when the Icon was proposed),” said Neil Malhotra at Claridge. “It’s slowly happening, slowly changing and it will continue to take time. It takes a generation to change these things.” Wise words, which could equally apply to other areas of the city ripe for urban development, from the downtown core to communities such as Orleans, Stittsville and Barrhaven. Check out Mia’s piece for the full story on Little Italy. ONE OTHER THING … Kanata is a great place to drive around if you want a refresher on the innovative work going on in Ottawa. I like to think I have a handle on tech in the city, but it’s always amazing to see all the signs in Kanata — at parking lots, on office buildings — for companies that most of us have never heard of. Plus, the things they’re doing can blow you away. That was the inspiration behind David Sali’s piece “Under the Radar.” In it, you’ll read about companies in Ottawa at the forefront of robotics, health-tech, construction-tech and more. So put the phone down, find a comfy chair, and enjoy,
ANNE HOWLAND EDITOR IN CHIEF editor@obj.ca
6 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
CONTENTS
18
Sue Ivay, chief human resources officer, Calian Group
FEATURES
BEST PLACES TO WORK 2026
GOING GLOBAL
THE ROBOT IN THE ROOM
What it means for HR 18
How today’s best workplaces are adapting to AI 58
THE RISE OF LITTLE ITALY Get ready for vertical living 24
32
A NEW FOCUS Critical minerals come to Ottawa 32
THE NEXT CHAPTER Here's what our Forty Under 40 love reading 38
TECHOPIA Six companies you'll want to know about 50
“I would like Ottawa to have a world-class graphite technology company. We put a bet on this many years ago. It's coming to fruition now.” JEFF YORK, CHAIRMAN AND CO-FOUNDER, FOCUS GRAPHITE
8 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
“It takes a long time for neighbourhoods to change. I think (Little Italy) is on track. - NEIL MALHOTRA, CFO, CLARIDGE
ON THE COVER
Bill Dickie, COO, and Steve Carkner, CTO, Robotics Centre. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
ESSENTIALS
DATEBOOK It's that time of year 12
ICYMI Top web hits 16
MAKING AN IMPACT Meet foot-care nurse Sonia Emuan 116
24
THE LISTS HR consulting firms 88 Commercial interior designers 114 Commercial property managers 118 LIFESTYLE
DOWN TO A TEE Check out some of Ottawa's best golf simulators 44
PARTNER CONTENT
2026 BEST OFFICES OTTAWA MARANT 102
38
CIRA 106 BUROVISION 110
98 obj.ca 9
HOW TO REACH US OBJ INSIDER SUBSCRIPTIONS Ottawa Business Journal PO Box 91585 Ottawa, ON K1W 1K0 subscribe@obj.ca OFFICE OF THE PUBLISHER 613-696-9491 publisher@obj.ca OFFICE OF THE EDITOR IN CHIEF 613-696-9480 editor@obj.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR editor@obj.ca obj.ca/submit/story No faxes GENERAL SALES 613-696-9494 sales@obj.ca obj.ca/advertise FINANCE DEPARTMENT 613-696-9490 accountant@greatriver.ca PERMISSIONS + REPRINTS 613-696-9494 info@obj.ca obj.ca/submit/reprints
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PUBLISHER MICHAEL CURRAN EDITOR IN CHIEF ANNE HOWLAND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER CHERYL SCHUNK CREATIVE DIRECTOR TANYA CONNOLLY-HOLMES EDITORIAL SENIOR FEATURES WRITER DAVID SALI 613-696-9481 david@obj.ca REPORTER MARISSA GALKO 613-696-9492 marissa@obj.ca REPORTER MIA JENSEN 613-696-9501 mia@obj.ca CONTRIBUTORS: SONIA MENDES, ROB THOMAS PRINT + DIGITAL DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR TANYA CONNOLLY-HOLMES 613-696-9487 creative@greatriver.ca GRAPHIC DESIGNER CELINE PAQUETTE 613-696-9486 celine@greatriver.ca SALES + MARKETING ADVERTISING SALES CINDY CUTTS 613-696-9580 cindy@obj.ca ADVERTISING SALES ERIC DUPUIS 613-696-9485 eric@obj.ca ADVERTISING SALES ROBYN HUNTER 613-696-9483 robyn@obj.ca MARKETING CAMPAIGN MANAGER NIKI ABDOLWAHABI 613-696-5931 niki@obj.ca SALES + CAMPAIGN EXECUTION SPECIALIST IHSAN (ISSY) YOUSIF 613-696-9536 issy@obj.ca OPERATIONS + SUBSCRIPTION SUPPORT AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & EVENTS SPECIALIST SUSAN HABIB 613-696-9572 susan@obj.ca
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OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL IS PUBLISHED BY
CO-FOUNDER MARK SUTCLIFFE PUBLISHER MICHAEL CURRAN All content of Ottawa Business Journal is copyright 2026. Great River Media Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. Publisher’s Liability for error: The Publisher shall not be liable for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value of an advertisement. The publisher’s liability for other errors or omissions in connection with any advertisement is strictly limited to publication of the advertisement in any subsequent issue or the refund of monies paid for the advertisement. A guaranteed minimum of 3,500 copies are printed and distributed.
10 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER JUNE 2026 2026
obj.ca 11
Datebook What's on in Ottawa this fall
Co-hosted by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association and the Ottawa Real Estate Board, this mayoral debate will focus on issues around housing, development and the future growth of Ottawa. Hear from candidates Alex Lawson, Jeff Leiper, Neil Saravanamuttoo and Mark Sutcliffe as they share their perspectives on key municipal issues. When: Sept. 24, 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Where: St. Elias Banquet Centre, 750 Ridgewood Ave., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/2kuz8sc3
SEPTEMBER
Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival An annual festival showcasing Canadian talent from musical artists to hot air balloon shows. When: Sept. 2-6 Where: Parc de la Baie, 988 Saint-Louis St., Gatineau Find out more: https:// montgolfieresgatineau.com/en/
OCTOBER
Fight for the Cure
Sunset on the Riviera Glamping Gala Enjoy an evening inspired by the shores of the Riviera, with sparkling cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, in support of BGC Ottawa. When: Sept. 3, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Where: BGC Ottawa Great Lawn, 1463 Prince of Wales Dr., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/ mpkceb8z
Lumière Charity Gala In support of the Queensway Carleton Hospital Foundation, enjoy this shimmering evening of networking and philanthropy. When: Sept. 10 Where: Brookstreet Hotel, 525 Legget Dr., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/4495u4je
Mayoral Debate
In support of the Ottawa Cancer Foundation, this event brings 14 Ottawa-based business leaders into the boxing ring to raise money for cancer care programs and services. When: Oct. 3, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Where: Rogers Centre Ottawa, 55 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/574j84a8
Infrastructure Forum 2026
Canada After Dark
Organized by the Ottawa Board of Trade, this half-day event will bring together government, industry and city-building leaders to explore how Ottawa plans, funds and delivers projects that will shape the city’s future. When: Sept. 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: La Cité Collegiale, 801 Aviation Pkwy, Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/2kmn2s9a
As part of Capital Music Week, this two-day event brings together nightlife industry leaders from across Canada and the world to discuss best practices and the future of nighttime economies. When: Oct. 7-8 Where: National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/m96fcuyv
Do you have an event of interest to the business community? Let us know at editor@obj.ca
Capital Music Awards The Capital Music Awards will highlight those who have made a mark on the city’s music industry, presented by the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition. When: Oct. 9, 8 p.m. Where: National Arts Centre’s Southam Hall, 1 Elgin St., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/6pntnpzm
Businesswoman of the Year Awards Gala A night of celebrating the National Capital Region’s best and brightest female business leaders. When: Oct. 14, time TBD Where: Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, 4837 Albion Rd., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/3j49ppym NOVEMBER
SaaS North This two-day event brings together Canada’s SaaS and AI founders and investors to help emerging companies scale. When: Nov. 4-5 Where: Rogers Centre Ottawa, 55 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa Find out more: https://saasnorth.com/ agenda/
TEDx Ottawa Changing its name from TEDx Mechanicsville to TEDx Ottawa, this event brings together local speakers, ideas and community leaders to amplify diverse voices, spark dialogue and create space for reflection, curiosity and action. When: Nov. 7, time TBD Where: Bayview Yards, 7 Bayview Station Rd., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/ c8hem9xp
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The 43rd Annual Housing Design Awards Join the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association as it highlights the achievements of the city’s architects, designers, renovators and builders. When: Nov. 7, from 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Where: Rogers Centre Ottawa, 55 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/ bn7xb7mv
Blue Door Gala 2026 In support of The Ottawa Mission’s food service training program (FSTP), this event will offer a gourmet culinary experience, prepared by the Mission’s Chef Ric and his team of FSTP student chefs. When: Nov. 12, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Where: Infinity Convention Centre, 2901 Gibford Dr., Ottawa Find out more: https://tinyurl. com/5c8vy24b
The Women’s Summit Hear from some of Canada’s remarkable female leaders in a day of networking opportunities and panel discussions. When: Nov. 20 Where: The Brookstreet Hotel, 525 Legget Dr., Kanata Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/3asyk9t5
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obj.ca 13
THE $10 MILLION GOLF EXPERIENCE
THE GOLF EXPERIENCE LIKE NONE OTHER
$2,033,053 WAS RAISED FOR THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL THIS PAST YEAR
THANK YOU 30C-40M-70Y-10K
TITANIUM & PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD & SILVER SPONSORS 90K
THE $10 MILLION GOLF EXPERIENCE
for your incredible generosity and support!
THE $10 MILLION GOLF EXPERIENCE
THE $10 MILLION GOLF EXPERIENCE
$1,300,335 HAS BEEN RAISED FOR THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL THIS YEAR.
THE $10 MILLION GOLF EXPERIENCE
MASONRY - STRUCTURE
352-(&7 &216758&7,21 0$1$*(0(17
PROJECT & CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
EVENT SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSORS
PROJECT & CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
THE $10 MILLION GOLF EXPERIENCE
PARTICIPANTS & SUPPORTERS GOLD AND SILVER SPONSORS Joe’s Itailian Restaurant ABI Ottawa Charge Cunliffe & Associates KJP Select Hardwoods Aiana Ottawa RedBlacks Dante La Strada Al’s Steakhouse Ottawa Senators DragonFly Golf Links Le Nordik Atelier Perch Elise Loch March Golf Bar Lupulus Pelican Seafood Market Evoo & Grill Lord Elgin Hotel BDA Lighting Faleena’s Petit Bills Mati Bekta Fine Dining First Service Residential Piche Wall & Ceiling MED Ottawa Brassica First Service Security Plasterers Local 124 Mississippi Golf Calabogie MotorSport Park Flippers Seafood Restaurant Pomerleau Napoli’s Cafe Cantina Gia Giovanni’s Restaurant & SUPPORTERS Pye & Richards — Temprano Dining Lounge Non Stop racing Carisma ABI/Advanced Business Interiors Cornerstone Bar & Grill LIUNA Local 527 Riviera & Young Architects Mati Al’s Steakhouse RJC Engineers North & Navy Carleton Golf & Country Club Gitanes DragonFly Golf Links Milestones Kanata All Pro Electrical Entuitive Engineering Rooney, Irving & Preston Hardware Greensmere Golf & Omni Hotels & Resorts Associates – CarrickHill Construction Napoli’s Cafe Ltd. Arlo Faleena’s CountryFauna Club North & Navy Rush Creek Wine Renfrew Golf Club The King Edward Hotel Cheshire Cat Pub Bar Lupulus Olga’s Deli & Catering Social BDA Lighting Flippers Seafood Restaurant Grey’s Social Eatery Restaurant e18hteen OSEG Omni Hotels & Resorts – The Cadillac Fairview Clocktower Pub Beavertails Giovanni’s Restaurant & The King Edward Hotel Lounge Bekta Harmon’s Dining Steakhouse Riviera Ottawa BlackJacks TheCorporation Oz Kafe Clublink Keg Gitanes Brookstreet Hotel Calabogie MotorSport Park Cantina Gia Capital Office Interiors Cheshire Cat Pub Chmiel Architects Inc. Core Software
Graebeck Construction Ltd. Greensmere Golf & Country Club Harbour 60 Ki Modern Japanse+Bar Harmon’s Steakhouse La Strada
Page Flooring & Concrete Solutions Plasterers Local 124 Pye & Richards - Temprano & Young Architects Renfrew Golf Club Restaurant e18hteen
Royal Oak Sandpoint Golf Silverwood’s Golf & Lounge Social Stofa Restaurant Supply & Demand The Brew Table The Keg The Shore Club Trattoria Caffe italia Turner Fleisher TWZ Group UCC Group Waterman Sales White Tail Ziebarth Electric
The Shore Club Trattoria D’Italia UCC Group Victaulic Whitetail Golf Course WSP
The tournament was attended by 220 golfers and 27 NHL Alumni and PWHL players at the Canadian Golf and Country Club on June 18, 2026. The tournament was attended by 192 golfers and 16 NHL alumni at the Canadian Golf and Country Club on June 22, 2023. Together, with generous support from over 100 corporate sponsors we directly raised $$118,212. Thanks to matching contributions from private support the final amount raised was $1,300,335.
OVER THE PAST 9 TOURNAMENTS THE GOLF QUEST 4 CLINICAL TRIALS OVER THE PAST 5 TOURNAMENTS THE GOLF QUEST 4 CLINICAL TRIALS
HAS RAISED $8,910,091 FOR THE FOR OTTAWATHE HOSPITAL FOUNDATION.HOSPITAL FOUNDATION. HAS RAISED $14,687,233 OTTAWA
Next year’s date is June 17, 2027. For more information contact Greg Moore at greg@quantumprojects.ca.
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WEB HITS
Don’t miss these stories on OBJ.ca
Record funding will allow Dominion Dynamics to ‘think big’
The head of a Kanata-based startup that just raised the largest Series-A funding round in history for a Canadian defencetech company says his burgeoning firm could more than triple its headcount to 200 employees by the end of this year as production at its new facility accelerates.
Château Laurier continues food and beverage revamp
As part of a bid to diversify its food and beverage offerings, the Fairmont Château Laurier has added another concept it hopes will bring a new vibe to the 114-year-old hotel. The former location of La Terrasse, which overlooks the Rideau Canal locks, was reimagined this spring as the hotel’s newest patio offering, Émilie’s Terrace.
L-Spark looks to launch defence-tech accelerator
The head of L-Spark says the Kanata-based startup accelerator hopes to launch a program to help emerging Canadian tech companies capture a piece of the federal defence spending pie.
This Ottawa startup connects romance readers with books
For years, Natasha Tardioli kept a spreadsheet tracking romance books. Every novel she finished got its own row. Every book she wanted to read went on a list. She tracked it all year by year and, by the end of each year, she got to see how many books she had read. In the end, Tardioli, a former marketing director at Ottawa’s L-Spark technology accelerator, built her own platform, Romancy. 16 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
Ottawa business schools respond to changing market needs
Amid financial pressures, societal shifts and changing industry requirements, the past few years have forced Ottawa’s business schools to reinvent themselves to respond to new market demands.
No plans in works to redevelop Carlingwood mall site Canadian North doubles size of YOW cargo facility
Terminal upgrades and new restaurants have been welcome additions for those travelling through the Ottawa International Airport in recent years, but a locally headquartered airline is driving growth in a lesser-known area of the airport’s operations.
Architecture firms form strategic partnerships
With smaller architecture firms often unable to compete for big-ticket contracts, one local firm is joining forces with a longtime partner to gain a competitive edge over multinational companies. It’s a trend that could become more common in the profession as projects become larger and more complex, industry watchers say.
Two years after describing the property around the Carlingwood Shopping Centre property as ripe for densification, the owners of the west-end mall say there are currently no plans to add housing to the 30-acre site.
Designing the History Ottawa venue
How do you turn a 1990s bookstore into the city’s hottest live events venue? That was the question the team at CSV Architects started mulling in 2024 as they took on the project to transform the former Chapters location at 47 Rideau St. into History Ottawa, a 2,000-seat Live Nation venue.
How Mat Flosse and Meatings Barbecue went from catering to wholesale
Mat Flosse, founder of Meatings Barbecue, is busy these days selling his products at the Canadian Tire Centre, through local eateries and, eventually, at grocery stores. The restaurant recently reached a new marker of success by getting its pulled pork and chopped chicken into Sysco’s wholesale product system.
Ottawa tech founder Mark Scott on the future of AI
As a driving force behind two successful Ottawa-based tech firms, Mark Scott is a keen observer of the National Capital Region’s tech ecosystem. Scott chatted with OBJ about Top Down Ventures, where he sees the firm’s biggest opportunities and what makes Ottawa a hotbed of technology.
Ottawa Charge move to Canadian Tire Centre
The Ottawa Charge will play at the Canadian Tire Centre beginning in the 2026-27 season as part of a multi-year deal with the Ottawa Senators, the Professional Women’s Hockey League team announced in July.
obj.ca 17
HUMAN RESOURCES
Personalwesen 人事 Personeelszaken 인사부
Personalavdelingen
मानव संसाधन विभाग Ressources humaines Resurse umane HR
We talk to three Ottawa companies with a global presence BY MARISSA GALKO
18 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
PHOTOS BY MARK HOLLERON
F
ar-flung offices, international customers, global operations. It’s every company’s dream. But what does it mean from an HR perspective? Hiring, managing and retaining talent can look very different in an international context. And now, throw AI into the mix. To get a pulse check on global HR trends, OBJ sat down with leaders at three Ottawa companies that are continuing to build a strong home base, while also expanding their operations — and their teams — into foreign markets.
Fullscript Ottawa-based health-tech company Fullscript launched in 2011 and has since expanded to several cities across the U.S. and Canada. Of its 1,100 employees, about 350 are based in the National Capital Region. Four hundred employees work at its U.S.-based warehouses, while 175 corporate employees are based in the U.S. Chief business officer Dennis Richter says, unlike some of its global counterparts, Fullscript is investing in training its staff on AI tools, and not only in the tools themselves. “These companies will go and say that, because of AI productivity, (they’re) laying off eight per cent of their (workforce). But AI still doesn’t make emotional decisions. It still isn’t rational enough to understand all the nuances.” Across its operations, Fullscript has a “people-first, AI-powered” approach, he said. “We haven’t laid people off because of AI. We’re not downsizing the company because of AI. What we’re doing is empowering our teammates to be more productive, more impactful. We’ve been teaching, coaching and mentoring them on how to leverage AI to augment their outputs.” As a result, Fullscript engineers across the company’s North American hubs are putting out 2.8 times the amount of work they used to, Richter said, and the company continues to hire. “There’s still a necessity to have people deployed against projects, so we’re just more intentional about where we hire and what we’re looking for,” he said. u
Dennis Richter, chief business officer, Fullscript
obj.ca 19
Calian Group CANADIAN OFFICES: Ottawa, Ont.; Halifax, N.S.; Kingston, Ont.; Regina, Sask.; Burlington, Ont.; Saskatoon, Sask.; Smiths Falls, Ont.; Mississauga, Ont.; VaudreuilDorion, Que.; North York, Ont. INTERNATIONAL OFFICES: Kapolei, Hawaii; Houston, Tex.; Steisslingen, Germany; Stavanger, Norway; Temse, Belgium; Huntingford, U.K.; Havant, U.K.; London, U.K.
Fullscript CANADIAN OFFICES: Ottawa, Ont.; Toronto, Ont.; Kelowna, B.C. INTERNATIONAL OFFICES: Manchester, N.H.; Phoenix, Ariz., with distribution centres in Phoenix, Ariz.; Lancaster, Penn.; Riverside, Calif.; Colonial Heights, Va.; and Lenexa, Kansas.
Kinaxis CANADIAN OFFICES: Ottawa, Ont.;Toronto, Ont. INTERNATIONAL OFFICES: Irving, Tex.; Chicago, Ill.; Tokyo, Japan; Seoul, Korea; Wanchai, Hong Kong; Chennai, India; Hyderabad, India; Singapore; London, U.K.; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
20 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
“What is that new market going to bring you? If it’s truly just talent that you’re looking for, then figure out what the talent density is in that market for your respective field. There are certain markets that are just ripe with amazing tech, finance and legal talent.” DENNIS RICHTER, CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER, FULLSCRIPT
As he looks across the company’s offices outside of the National Capital Region, Richter said he’s noticed that there is power in proximity and community, which can easily get lost with teams in different cities. “While we’re not a return-to-office type of company, our mantra has been to work wherever you work well. So we have offices, but we don’t mandate people to be in for a certain amount of time or days. But our teammates naturally come into the office. Our leaders are on-site, creating more moments that matter, instead of what I call forced fun,” Richter explained. “Instead of having phone and Google Meet calls, they’re having meetings live and in-person. There’s just a huge empowerment of choice.” And since Fullscript employees work in different time zones, the company has focused more on outcomes, rather than how employees work. “You need to start setting the tone for what the expectations are and how you’re going to work as a team … We actually trust our teammates to understand what their goals, objectives and outputs are. Then we have leaders work around that and create a more collaborative, cohesive and equitable approach to how things are done,” he said. For other companies thinking to enter global markets, Richter says they should focus on what they’re trying to solve. “What is that new market going to bring you? If it’s truly just talent that you’re looking for, then figure out what the talent density is in that market for your respective field. There are certain markets that are just ripe with amazing tech, finance and legal talent.”
He cautions against growing too quickly. “So many companies, when they think of new markets … they see a lot of excitement, get a little bit caught up and grow too fast. They forget that it’s quality over quantity and it’s much easier to add to than having to take away.” Finally, he said that connection with international teams needs to stay top of mind. “If you’re headquartered in Ottawa, what makes the company special (for a new employee)? What are the special qualities that Ottawa has? Making sure that as you hire people into other locations, you have those culture champions and leaders embedded within those locations so they can be tied back to the company and don’t feel like an island.”
Calian Group At Calian Group, Sue Ivay, chief human resources officer, says being headquartered in Ottawa has provided the company with a competitive edge globally. That’s been key as, in the past several years, Calian has grown beyond Canada and into European markets, in part through the acquisition of companies such as German satellite company SatService. Globally, Calian has 6,100 employees, with 500 working in Ottawa.When it comes to Calian’s worldwide employees, Ivay said it matters less about how they work, as long as the teams are mission-focused. “We deliver critical solutions to industries where failure is simply not an option and so it’s looking at that skillset and passion to deliver fail-safe outcomes to customers. It’s the work that really drives the purpose and connection between roles in the organization. u
Investing in AI technology versus people
Sue Ivay, chief human resources officer, Calian Group
“It's about being mindful about how many markets we're entering ... That (global employee) needs to be connected back to the 'why.' If they're not connected back to the 'why,' what are they doing on your behalf out there?” SUE IVAY, CHIEF HUMAN RESOURCES OFFICER, CALIAN GROUP
Stephen Harrington is a partner and national leader of workforce strategy and insights at Deloitte Canada. He also co-led the firm’s annual Global Human Capital Trends report. This year, the report was all about global trends around AI. “I think that HR is facing a bit of an existential moment, as all back-office functions are. They are trying to figure out their future with AI, like everybody is, but they are also expected to play a role in moving the organization into the future. So, in a way, HR gets hit twice by this moment,” Harrington told OBJ. One of the global trends that his team is observing, Harrington said, is that AI adoption rates are slow because organizations are hesitant. “There are all kinds of difficult questions around data privacy and risks that aren’t being addressed,” he said. Harrington said that while no organization or person can change the pace of AI, fear of it won’t be helpful. “It is moving at its own pace and it’s taking humans along with it. The question is, how do we catch up? And I mean catch up in every sense of catching up: in terms of re-imagining the future of business, the future of work and the ethical and regulatory frameworks that are sorely needed,” he said. Harrington pointed to one data point that illustrates this sentiment. “When we talk to workers at all levels, from senior leadership to the front line, 80 per cent of those workers said they worried that their colleagues were using AI to look more productive than they actually are … It speaks to a workforce that worries that people are cheating, and that if they used AI, they might be cheating. It also speaks to a lack of permission at this stage in the AI revolution to really lean into the technology. My point is that if everybody’s afraid of the moment, we’re not going to get very far,” Harrington explained. This year, the report found that 93 per cent of the global spend on AI was going toward the technology rather than the people. “This often happens. You get distracted by the tech itself. You want to get your hands on it, but fundamentally, I believe that the speed limit of this AI revolution is human,” Harrington said.
“We always start by looking at the strategy, then organization and then people. When we’re really clear about what the outcome we’re looking to drive includes, it becomes clear what kind of team we need to build to drive that outcome and then we can look at what people we need,” she said. Supporting middle managers as they get to know their teams helps employees stay connected to outcomes, she added. “We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on employee engagement and working with managers to understand how their teams are feeling. How is it going at Calian? What are the things we can do locally as well as globally to create that engagement?” To deepen the connections between its global teams, Ivay said Calian recently launched a leadership development program that brings together global leaders to work through tasks and issues. Global operations also mean keeping pace with trends in employee benefits and perks. In fact, some of the biggest challenges are with jurisdictional differences related to salaries and health care. “If you take benefits like health care in Canada, the government offers x amount of health care and, for a company to be competitive, they will typically offer something above and beyond that. When we went to the (United) States, the offering was exceptionally difficult. So when you’re
looking at onboarding employees at different stages of their careers, there are some really impactful questions that you have to ask yourself as an employer,” Ivay said. Calian has also made a big push toward employee wellness. “It’s definitely a challenge and we have continued to do our best to support our workforce in a number of ways. We’ll keep trying to get the balance right. I don’t think that conversation will ever end,” she said. Ivay said that entering a new market can be complex, but companies should stay thoughtful about how they’re going to execute it. “Between setting up entities, following jurisdictional laws, norms and values, something that sounds very simple, like paying people properly, is not. It’s already complex to execute that in Canada, now when you enter the U.K., Germany and France, it just increases the complexity of what you’re managing.” If companies explore expanding to markets outside Ottawa, Ivay said they need to stay anchored to their “why.” “It’s about being mindful about how many markets we’re entering. Why are we entering those ones? … That (global employee) needs to be connected back to the ‘why’. If they’re not connected back to the ‘why,’ what are they doing on your behalf out there?”
Kinaxis At supply-chain management company Kinaxis, wellness is also high on the list, regardless of where an employee works. While its 160,000-square-foot Kanata campus has an on-site gym, healthy meals and access to running and sport clubs, today Kinaxis has more people working around the world than in the National Capital
When it comes to AI, C-suite and HR leaders are misaligned TOP HR PRIORITIES FOR 2026 • Enhancing the employee experience/EVP to attract top talent • Designing talent processes around skills • Rolling out new HR technologies or optimizing existing platforms C-SUITE’S TOP PEOPLE INITIATIVES FOR DRIVING ROI IN 2026 • • •
Redesigning work to incorporate AI and automation Improving HR/people analytics capability Improving managers’ abilities to lead an integrated workforce (humans and AI agents) Source: Mercer Global Talent Trends 2026
22 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
Region. With more than 2,000 employees across the company, about 25 per cent are based in Ottawa, 21 per cent work from the company’s global offices and the remaining 54 per cent work remotely across the globe. “We decided that we really wanted to focus on employee health and wellness. So what we did was we got a staffed gym. We run classes. We do yoga and we’ve also taken our health and wellness programs global,” said Megan Paterson, chief operating officer at Kinaxis. “So in places that we have an office we run classes, but in other places we do virtual classes or we’ll do global running challenges. We try to make sure that all employees feel included, whether they’re in an office or not.” Where AI is concerned, Paterson said it’s adding to a “war on talent” in global hubs. “We’re all going on this AI journey. Different companies are at different stages of that … We’re all after that same type of talent, those data scientists and people that can use (AI) to make your company stronger,” she explained. And as Kinaxis continues to hire across the world, Paterson said the company is finding it difficult to find certain types of candidates. “One of the things that we’re seeing in (Asia-Pacific), specifically Tokyo, is that it’s tough to find talent that has that multinational experience. There’s a lot of great people that have worked for Japanese companies, but sometimes it’s important to have that global view,” she said. Different regulatory processes in Europe and Asia add complexity to the hiring process. “They have much longer notice periods. So you have to be really proactive in your hiring and almost hire before you’re ready, because the person you hire is going to have to give two or three months notice (to their current employer) before they can start with you,” she said, adding that some jurisdictions also have noncompete clauses. “You just have to be more thoughtful, strategic and a little more intentional about it when you’re hiring globally.” In places where Kinaxis is finding great talent, it’s experiencing other hurdles. “It’s a location challenge. There’s so much talent in India. We’ve got about 400 employees in India, mainly in Chennai, but also in Bangalore. One of our challenges
is … we’ve got an amazing office in Chennai and a smaller one in Bangalore, but with traffic, people don’t want to go into the office. You’re looking at a two-hour drive each way for some people. It’s unreasonable,” Paterson explained. At the same time, Paterson said Kinaxis faces local cultural nuances when expanding to global markets. “In a lot of regions in (Asia-Pacific), it’s more about the collective and getting consensus is really important. Collaboration is really important. Then, if you’re in a country like the (United) States, it’s less so. It’s about quicker decision-making and maybe more individual decision-making. That stuff changes (across global hubs), but the core values for our employees stay the same.” Still, Paterson said she is seeing more people value the fact that Kinaxis is a Canadian company. “I think it’s a total advantage. We’re not going to lose that, but now we have the flexibility (to hire abroad) and frankly the pandemic helped us with that. We were forced to hire outside (of Ottawa) and it’s been great for us. I feel like we have the best of both worlds.” Paterson suggests companies do their research before deciding to add global hubs. “It’s really tempting to find a great person who lives in a random country that you’re not established in. I think my best advice is to research and have a strategy about where you want to expand to. Different countries have different labour laws,” she said. Moreover, if a company expands its team outside its headquarters, it needs to be wary of losing touch. “One mistake (a company) would need to avoid is out of sight, out of mind. When people are, in terms of time zones, five or six hours separated, it’s really important to be intentional about communicating, swapping your time zones … Don’t forget about those people. Make sure that they’re included as a part of your company and that they’re not treated as a sort of satellite office, because that can happen really quickly,” she said. n
Megan Paterson, chief operating officer, Kinaxis.
obj.ca 23
DEVELOPMENT
24 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
THINGS ARE
LOOKING UP How Little Italy is preparing to
… WAY UP
welcome thousands of new residents
T
BY MIA JENSEN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON
he Claridge Icon looms large at the southern edge of Ottawa’s Little Italy neighbourhood. The 45-storey tower is currently the city’s tallest residential building, completed five years ago in a neighbourhood just starting to gain attention as a hotspot for development. More than a decade after it began the Icon project in 2012, Ottawa developer Claridge Homes is looking to beat its own record in a Little Italy that now looks very different. Late last year, the city approved Claridge's proposal to build a 50-storey tower as part of a mixed-use complex at 829 Carling Ave. With 503 residential units and 300 square metres of ground-floor commercial space, it will be a massive building, surpassing the height record held by the Icon, which is just across the street. Despite the similarities between the Icon and the future tower, Claridge chief financial officer Neil Malhotra said the circumstances in which the new tower will be built are completely different. “Everybody sees lots of stuff going up today that’s 20-plus storeys,” he said. “Fifteen years ago, there wasn’t that much of it. It wasn’t a very favourable way to plan the city. It was pretty difficult to build a 20-storey building in most parts of Ottawa. There was always a lot of political pushback on it.” These days, Ottawans are more open to building up, with new highrises being proposed to the city every month. In recent years, Little Italy in particular has been the subject of intense interest. When Claridge first entered the neighbourhood, Malhotra said few developers were keeping an eye on it. Intensification and densification conversations were just beginning to bubble up. “Thirteen or 14 years ago now, there was an idea starting to develop in the city that this corridor would start to develop as sort of an extension of downtown,” said Malhotra. “I think that’s how we looked at it, like an opportunity.” Malhotra said Claridge had an interest in building tall and felt that Little Italy was close to the city centre but without the strict height restrictions of downtown. Now, there are even more benefits: the new Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital in the works to the south, and to the north the LeBreton Flats development, with the
obj.ca 25
LITTLE ITALY Chinatown
SOMERSET COMMUNITY HUB GLADSTONE VILLAGE
MOSAÏQ OTTAWA
Centretown West
CLV GROUP
The Glebe Annex
ARNON GROUP
NUOVO APARTMENTS
TURN GROUP TAGGART REALTY
THE LENNOX SOHO CHAMPAGNE 2 SOHO ITALIA CLARIDGE HOMES
Central Experimental Farm
CIVIC CAMPUS
The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus
26 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
Dow's Lake
BUILDING UP l Turn Group 299 Carling Ave. Developer Turn Group is proposing a four-tower mixed-use development on the three-acre parcel on Carling Avenue east of Preston Street that’s currently occupied by a parking lot. Ranging from 13 to 30 storeys, the towers would include 750 residential units and 600,000 square feet of mixed-use space that would include medical offices and other commercial and retail uses, including a grocery store.
l CLV Group 951 Gladstone Ave. Ottawa developer CLV Group is planning three mixed-use highrises on a one-hectare property at 951 Gladstone Ave. and 145 Loretta Ave. N., near Preston Street and the Little Italy neighbourhood. The towers, ranging from 34 to 40 storeys, would contain a total of 930 residential units.
l Claridge Homes 829 Carling Ave. Ottawa’s Claridge Homes has received approval to build a record-breaking 50-storey highrise tower in Little Italy. The mixed-use complex at 829 Carling Ave. will include 503 residential units and is located near an LRT station and The Ottawa Hospital’s new Civic Campus.
l Arnon Group 450 Rochester St. Local developer Arnon plans to build a series of buildings ranging from six to 15 storeys that would include residential rental units and at-grade commercial space.
l City of Ottawa 1010 Somerset Community Hub Concept Plan The City of Ottawa is finalizing a plan to expand the Plant Recreation Complex, build a new French-language public elementary school and bring affordable housing units to a 21acre parcel at the intersection of Little Italy, Hintonburg and Chinatown.
l Ottawa Community Housing Gladstone Village, 75 Oak St. Ottawa Community Housing is collaborating with the city to bring affordable housing to a parcel adjacent to the 1010 Somerset site. Called Gladstone Village, the future affordable land development will include two towers of nine and 18 storeys connected by a fourstorey podium, with a total of 338 units.
l Ottawa Community Housing Mosaïq Ottawa, 811 Gladstone Ave. A multi-phase affordable housing development by Ottawa Community Housing. Work on the project began in 2021 and the second phase is expected to be completed in 2026.
l Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus 930 Carling Ave. The Ottawa Hospital's new Civic campus is under construction. The 2.5 million-square-foot development is located on a 50-acre lot at the corner of Carling Avenue and Preston Street. During construction, the campus is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs and inject $2 billion directly into the Ottawa economy.
RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECTS u SoHo Italia 500 Preston St. A 30-storey tower developed by Mastercraft Starwood, completed in 2023.
u SoHo Champagne 2 115 Champagne Ave. S. A 25-storey rental tower completed in 2024. It’s the second phase of the SoHo Champagne development, which broke ground on its first tower in 2012.
u Nuovo Apartments 518 Rochester St. A 21-storey tower with 144 rental units, completed in 2019.
u Taggart Realty 93 Norman St. A nine-storey residential building with 122 rental units managed by Taggart Realty, completed in 2024.
u The Lennox 90 Champagne Ave. S. A 14-storey luxury rental building by District Realty, completed in 2023.
hope of a new arena. There are three LRT stations along the neighbourhood’s eastern edge and a project to expand the Plant Recreation Centre on the horizon. But these kinds of benefits have also brought more competition, with multiple developers proposing highrises in and around the area. And with the potential for thousands of new residents to move in, there are logistical concerns. But none of that is holding Malhotra and Claridge back. The success of the Icon, combined with the area’s amenities and high residential demand, make the new tower worthwhile, he said. “Market considerations are always going to be there. The supply and demand, you’ve got to be conscious of it, especially in these complicated projects,” he said. “It takes a long time for neighbourhoods to change. I think (Little Italy) is on track. The hospital is being built and whatever happens at LeBreton Flats will be a big step. It’s all going the way I thought it would go (when the Icon was proposed). It’s slowly happening, slowly changing and it will continue to take time. It takes a generation to change these things.” CONSTRUCTION HOTSPOT The new Claridge tower isn’t the only highrise in the works in Little Italy. Earlier this year, developer Turn Group took over a project to build four towers on a 3.4acre site near Dow’s Lake at 299 Carling Ave. The development would add more than 600,000 square feet of mixed-use space, including medical offices and a much-needed grocery store for the area. In fact, the grocery store comes as a relief to developer Arnon Group, which had planned to bring a store to the neighbourhood in the early iterations of its proposal to redevelop a parking lot at 450 Rochester St. While the Arnon development will include a series of buildings ranging from six to 15 storeys, it won’t contain a grocery store. Arnon president Gillie Vered said significant commercial space is still part of the plan. “It was my father’s idea to buy the property,” Vered told OBJ. “He bought three major pieces of real estate in the Little Italy area. He always saw it as one of the most attractive areas in the city, and he’s turned out to be right.” Next to the Corso Italia LRT station, obj.ca 27
Tony Zacconi, Sala San Marco CLV Group has proposed a mixed-use development that would include three highrises at 951 Gladstone Ave. and 145 Loretta Ave. N., just east of Preston Street. The towers, ranging from 34 to 40 storeys, would contain a total of 930 residential units. “We think it’s a very vibrant community, it’s a unique community,” said Oz Drewniak, president of CLV Group. “You have a combination of great restaurants and cafes, a very lively neighbourhood. You have history in the area with places like the Gladstone Theatre. There’s a really great artist community, which adds a lot of vibrancy. So we see it as an excellent area for housing to support all types of residents. It’s overall just a great community.” Drewniak said the site’s proximity to the LRT station will make it an attractive spot for residents, adding that easy access to public transit will ease congestion and parking problems that might otherwise arise. With so much construction activity in the area, Drewniak said each developer is looking to stand out from the crowd. “When you have as much development in one area as you do here in Little Italy in a short period of time, I think residents will gravitate to the developments or the buildings that cause the least amount of friction for them,” he said. “There are a lot of great developers (in the 28 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
Joe Calabro, Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana area). What’s going to separate us more is just the programming. It’s the community in your building, creating amenities that bring people together, services for residents to make life a little easier and the quality of the staff.” PREPARING FOR IMPACT One thing is for sure: Little Italy’s sidewalks are about to get a lot more crowded. In the coming years, Somerset Ward Coun. Ariel Troster said the neighbourhood could welcome 7,000 to 10,000 new residents. Bringing in that many new residents won’t come without its challenges. “More density is going to bring more vibrancy and more services, but it will also place a strain on some of the recreational services,” Troster said. “A lot of people are going to be living vertically and living without cars and wanting to walk to get to the amenities they need. So we’re helping them. More density, more amenities and a more vibrant community.” Catherine Boucher, president of the Dalhousie Community Association, which represents Little Italy, Chinatown and LeBreton Flats, said the area’s compact size complicates things. “We consider meeting the needs of all of those people in this very, very small area,” said Boucher. “We’re building a vertical city,
but we’re not adding any space to breathe at the bottom. That is our big concern as a community association. Where will the people on the 33rd floor of a highrise go to kick a soccer ball or sit under a tree?” Lack of greenspace, congestion and affordability are all concerns frequently brought up by Little Italy residents, she said. But unlike some neighbourhoods, Boucher said height isn’t as much of an issue. “We’ve never been a NIMBY community association. We don’t look at 28 storeys and say it should be eight. We’re looking at what happens at-grade. How do people interact with the building? Are you putting in greenspace? Is there some retail?” On the other hand, transit, as well as services and amenities, could pose a problem. Association secretary Ryan Turley said parents already compare the process of securing swimming lessons for their kids to The Hunger Games. “Spaces are really, really limited for activities in the area,” he said. “We’re really lucky to have the Plant Recreation Centre, but the demand is so high and it’s only going to get higher as the population increases.” There’s also the question of affordability and demographics. Boucher said most of the proposed units won’t be affordable and few will provide more than two bedrooms,
which could make it difficult to attract families. There’s a worry that rising costs could eventually push out low-income earners. “The demographics are going to shift and we want to make sure we’re still a community that welcomes people who have lower or modest incomes,” she said. “We do have a good chunk of social housing already here. Ottawa Community Housing is doing some redevelopment at Rochester Heights. But it’s not going to replace a lot of the housing we’re losing to gentrification.” Despite these concerns, both Boucher and Turley are encouraged by the neighbourhood’s progress. “I think there are a lot of opportunities where the interest of community members and businesses align,” said Turley. “If we can get rowing in the same direction and get the City to agree with that vision, then I think our neighbourhood is in store for a lot of really great things.” READY FOR BUSINESS While recent years in Little Italy have not been kind to businesses, for Tony Zacconi, things are looking up. “Business is a lot better,” said Zacconi, owner of banquet hall Sala San Marco. “I find that business is not the way it was pre-COVID, but it’s busy and we’re doing a lot better than we did two years ago.” These days, Zacconi said events are smaller and fewer companies are hosting large luncheons or meetings on a regular basis. Even weddings have smaller guest lists. However, he said new facilities such as the hospital’s Civic campus could bring more corporate events by replacing the government workers who used to work in the neighbourhood. Already, though, parking has become a problem. “It used to be free after 5:30 p.m. and on weekends. That really helped with the business,” he said. “Especially my business. Now they made it so it’s paid until 7:30 p.m. There’s (a small event venue) up the street that has no parking, so they rely on street parking. They lost five events in the first month.” While paid parking does encourage turnover in high traffic areas, as Troster explained to OBJ, Zacconi said the time limits can lead to tickets for guests attending hours-long events. Still, he said the benefits of development outweigh the drawbacks. As a board member of the Preston Street BIA, he said he’s appreciated the transparency of developers building in the neighbourhood. u
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“Overall, I’m encouraged by the future,” he said. “It looks like it’s going to be a lot better and a bit more mixed-use. I think it’s going to be great for the businesses here and great for the residents too.” Bongo Bicher, general manager of the Preston Event Centre, is also excited about the future of the neighbourhood. “There’s going to be a lot of residents coming here soon, so that’s awesome for anyone who has a business here,” he said. “We’re going to get that foot traffic, which is one thing we miss the most in Little Italy. If those residential projects bring just a little bit of vibrancy, then I think everyone would be in a better position.” More than anything, Little Italy is known for its restaurants. From Scott Street to the northern edge of Dow’s Lake, decades-old family-operated restaurants are dotted between retailers and newer businesses all along Preston Street. The neighbourhood looks much different today compared to when Joe Calabro was growing up. Since 1979, Calabro’s family has run the pastry and gelato shop Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana at 200 Preston St. “When they came from Italy, we lived behind the shop,” Calabro, who is now the owner, said of his parents. “It was different when we came. A lot of immigrants. There were a few cafes where people gathered, where you’d have a lot of Italians. There were a lot of Irish immigrants. It was a much slower pace. A lot of kids in those days grew up within three different streets. We used to play ball hockey outside on the street.” Over the past 47 years, Calabro said everything has changed. But, he said, that isn’t a bad thing. There are more buildings and more residents from across the world to fill them, and many established family businesses continue to thrive, even as newcomers have opened restaurants, adding global flair to the Little Italy food scene, he said. Transit and beautification efforts, he added, have improved quality of life and brought more visitors from across the city. Through the good and the bad, Calabro has seen it all. And, he said, the community’s residents and business owners can weather any challenges thrown their way. “We survived through COVID and we’re still here, always trying to do better,” he said. “Those buildings going up, they’re coming along, bringing in customers, bringing in new residents. There will be a lot of change, and it will be for good.” n
DEFENCE & SECURITY
Focus Graphite's graphite material was tested at a rocket launch in the Mojave Desert.
32 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
The critical minerals race comes to Ottawa How it will be key for sectors such as defence and security BY ROB THOMAS
O
n the surface, the move seems counterintuitive: a mining exploration company with promising sites in northeastern Quebec relocates from Kingston to the national capital. Typically, junior mining companies cluster around Toronto, with its Bay Street access, while Quebec-based enterprises may feel the pull of Montreal or Quebec City. Kingston makes sense too, thanks to industry players and expertise around Queen’s University. But Focus Graphite isn't in Ottawa to sift dirt or turn over stones. Instead, it’s betting on something new to the city: critical mineral processing. And it’s counting on a federal government that has its sights set on upgrading the country’s ability to source and refine critical minerals to serve a burgeoning defence sector and green economy. obj.ca 33
WHAT IS GRAPHITE? Graphite has many uses, but the current demand for it is mostly driven by the production of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). It is one of five materials that are required to make batteries for EVs, along with lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese, and is the primary material to make the anode, or current-absorbing, section of the battery. Source: Focus Graphite
WHAT IS THE CANADIAN CRITICAL MINERALS STRATEGY? The strategy has five core objectives: • • • • •
Supporting economic growth, competitiveness, and job creation Promoting climate action and environmental protection Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples Fostering diverse and inclusive workforces and communities Enhancing global security and partnerships with allies
Source: The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy
Focus Graphite's Lac Knife flake graphite deposit is known for its high purity and grade.
WHAT ARE CRITICAL MINERALS? Canada and other countries have developed defined lists of critical minerals to guide investment and prioritize decision-making to support supply chains. Critical minerals can change with time based on supply and demand, technological development and shifting societal needs. Some commonly recognized examples of critical minerals include lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and zinc. While these country-specific lists differ in their composition internationally, there is a shared view that critical minerals: • • •
have few or no substitutes; are strategic and somewhat limited commodities; or, are increasingly concentrated in terms of extraction and, even more, in terms of processing location.
There is significant overlap between jurisdictions due to the nature of global supply chains and shared challenges. For example, many critical minerals on Canada’s list are also included on lists by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Japan. Source: The Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy
Dean Hanisch and Jeff York, Focus Graphite PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
And so, for long-time chairman and cofounder Jeff York, the move to the capital isn’t counterintuitive at all. “People forget that the National Research Council is here. We have a lot of resources that people don’t realize. A lot of metallurgy is here, a lot of experts are in Ottawa. We want to use a facility (for processing) that's available now, and then we want to build something a little better when we get to the next stage.” Focus recently announced $14.1 million in conditionally approved funding through Natural Resources Canada’s Global Partnerships Initiative to establish a demonstration facility for high-temperature graphite processing in Ottawa. The company will work with Ukrainian and U.S. partners. “This is what Canada needs,” says York, “We’ve got to go upstream where the value is.” In fact, Focus is betting that the future of critical minerals will be shaped in Ottawa, by research, defence procurement and federal policy. And the company may not be the only one to make that bet. BUILDING UP RESOURCES Focus has enjoyed an eventful few months. Recent reports by The Northern Miner ranked the company’s Lac Tétépisca deposit as the
“The process of getting these to market is quite difficult. It takes a long time ... It is a major commitment to get to where we are now and to get to the next step.” JEFF YORK, CHAIRMAN AND CO-FOUNDER, FOCUS GRAPHITE
world’s fifth-largest graphite resource by contained graphite and second in North America behind Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine, currently under construction in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Que. Lac Tétépisca ranks first on the continent by measured and indicated resources. It’s one of Focus’s two exploration and development properties in northeastern Quebec. In April, Focus added former chief of defence staff Wayne Eyre to its advisory board to strengthen “engagement with defence and allied partners across critical supply chains,” according to a release. It’s a name that signals a
broader strategy. And that’s on top of its planned Ottawa demonstration facility. York has been involved with the company for more than a decade and has personally financed portions of its development over the years. He says the recent successes, like the minerals themselves, don’t just magically appear. “The process of getting these to market is quite difficult. It takes a long time,” he says. “You have to work with industry partners. You have to work with government. You have to work with the First Nations communities. It is a major commitment to get to where we are now
and to get to the next step.” The time for the next step would appear to be now. Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy, released in February 2026, notes that Canadian critical minerals offer "substantial economic growth potential.” Graphite is among 10 defence-critical raw materials produced by Canada and required by NATO allies. Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie project is among the critical mineral projects referred to in the government’s new Major Projects Office, which places an emphasis on the country’s critical minerals strategy.
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HOTBED OF EXPERTISE CEO Dean Hanisch says Focus’s headquarters could be anywhere in Canada, but he says the company came to Ottawa partly because its roots are in the city, but mostly because it was the best place to capitalize on technical expertise in high-temperature purification, as well as the critical minerals tailwind being created by the government. “Canada's really looking at and spearheading the critical minerals supply to our G7 partners,” Hanisch explains. “We're trying to get off the Chinese supply chain for Canada and its G7 partners. And Canada has the critical minerals to do it. We're the one country that could actually do it because of the plethora of different critical minerals we have here.” Hanisch says that’s what makes Ottawa an obvious choice. It’s where the government is, it’s where the embassies of international partners are located and the city is positioning itself as a leader in dual-use military and defence technologies. He says Canadian companies cannot compete with China on cost of labour or capital, but companies like Focus can level the playing field on technology and quality. “There is a lot of rhetoric, but when it comes right down to it, in order for Canadian mining companies or exploration companies to be successful, you have to have an A in the grade,” Hanisch says. “We're the highest-grade graphite deposit anywhere, pretty well, in the world. And that's what's going to allow us to be able to actually supply material, because we actually have the grade.” Technology is the second advantage Focus hopes to leverage in Ottawa. Electrothermal treatment uses electrical resistance to generate extreme heat, without the harsh chemicals and liquid waste of typical acid-based methods. "What we're building is a continuous thermal fluidized bed that's half the
temperature of the sun for purification. And it's for graphite purification, but could lend itself to other critical minerals," Hanisch says of the demonstration facility. "It's not something that exists anywhere else. That's why the government gave us some money. We're bringing technology to Canada that doesn't exist here now, so it doesn't help to be in any other city because no city has it." A CRITICAL MOMENT Invest Ottawa has pitched the national capital as a defence and innovation hub through a five-year strategy launched with the cities of Gatineau and Ottawa in October 2025. And the region hosts four NATO DIANA test centres: Area X.O plus three NRC laboratories. Whether Ottawa can be more than a convenient address for resource companies remains an open question. Northern Graphite, for example, has an Ottawa headquarters but also a battery lab in Frankfurt and mines in Quebec and Namibia. Dennis Darby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, says Focus’s Ottawa demonstration facility reflects the kind of investment and innovation Canada needs on the critical minerals and manufacturing front. He’s more cautious, however, on the role critical minerals processing might play in Ottawa’s defence industry ambitions. “The region does have strengths that could support this kind of activity, including a highly skilled workforce, leading research institutions such as the National Research Council, a strong technology ecosystem and broader federal R&D capacity,” Darby says. “At the same time, Ottawa’s manufacturing base is relatively modest, which may affect its ability to scale certain types of industrial activity.” Three years from now, Hanisch and York hope their bet pays off, though their definitions of success differ. For Hanisch, it’s a humming purification facility. “We're successfully purifying and collaborating with both government and industry and producing and selling material to different G7 partners that are looking for specialty material and non-adversarial supply," he says. York’s vision is somewhat broader. “I would like Ottawa to have a world-class graphite technology company,” York says. “We put a bet on this many years ago. It's coming to fruition now.” n
OCTOBER 1, 2026 | OTTAWA, ON
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INSPIRATION MATHEW BARANOWSKI PCL Construction, District Manager
ADAM KOURAKIS Somersault, Owner and Race Director
Odyssey
11/22/63
by Homer Once you get comfortable with the writing style from 800 B.C., it's an amazing story.
by Stephen King An attention-grabbing story that makes you wonder what you'd do in this scenario.
WHAT THEY'RE READING … The 2026 Forty Under 40 recipients share what’s on their bookshelves
CODY CAMPANALE Campanale, Director of Land Development and Finance
The Next Age of Uncertainty by Stephen Poloz This book lays out several global economic forces that are about to radically reshape the world. Very powerful and easy to read.
38 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
KYLE BRIGGS SAIL Fund, Co-founder
The Culture series by Iain M. Banks I have an enduring love of authors that can create deep, immersive worlds of their own in which to tell their stories.
RAMZI SALEM The Westin Ottawa, Market Director of Sales
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek This book reinforced the importance of building trust, empowering teams and prioritizing people. It reminded me that when I support and invest in my team, they are motivated to take initiative, innovate and deliver exceptional results.
CHRIS TESTER Comercio (SaunaKits.com & Outdoor Direct), Founder and CEO
The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan Explains how high achievers often feel unhappy because they measure themselves against an ideal future instead of recognizing the progress they’ve already made. It’s a powerful reminder to appreciate how far you’ve come.
GARRETT INCZE GBI Pool Services, President
FRANCES SHAPIRO MUNN Nelligan Law, Partner
The E-Myth Revisited
Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm
by Michael E. Gerber This book was instrumental in shifting my perspective from working in the business to working on it. It changed my focus to building the systems and infrastructure that allow the company to scale independently of my daily presence on a job site.
DANIELLE MANLEY Carleton University, Associate Professor and Director, School of Nursing
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf This is an early example of the power of women in leadership.
by Adam Dodek Provides excellent insight into the importance of culture, leadership and growth in a law firm. Law firms can be uniquely fragile institutions that require strong leadership and governance.
ADAM BRACKEN The Fitness Lab, Founder and CEO
Traction by Gino Wickman It has helped me restructure our business and get a better understanding of how to play to people’s strengths and become a more effectively run facility.
SAMANTHA LECLAIR Snowed In Studios, Production Director
Fairy Tale by Stephen King It draws you into a fantasy world, mixing fairy tales you heard as a kid with page-turning drama.
obj.ca 39
ANDREW FAHIM Giatec Scientific, Senior Director Research
PIERRE-CHARLES LA HAYE Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton, Partner
Radical Candor
The Secret of Secrets
by Kim Scott It gave me a practical framework for giving honest, direct feedback while still genuinely caring about the people I work with.
by Dan Brown Mix of intellectual puzzles, real‑world science and historical symbolism, all anchored in high‑stakes ethical questions.
GENA SONG CUSTODE Scotiabank, Managing Director, Technology & Innovation Banking
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin It’s a beautiful story about creative partnership, ambition and building something together — themes that resonate deeply with the founders I work with every day. KARINE GÉNIER Alliance Engineering & Construction, CFO and Partner ANDRÉE-ANNE MARTEL Vanier Community Services Centre, Executive Director
Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan The book really made me appreciate the power of empathy, patience, the many ways people can connect beyond words and, most of all, the power that community support has on people.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish I know, it’s a parenting book and, yes, it helps at home, but it reinforced that people want to feel heard and understood, which applies just as much in the workplace.
CHRISTIE WILSON International Workplace Group plc, Senior Legal Counsel North America
DANIELLE BERGERON-WALSH MNP LLP, Partner, Family Office/Succession
How About Now
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Kate Baer I love all her work but, as I approach 40, this collection of poems has really resonated with me. I keep coming back to her reflections on love, motherhood, female friendships, community and savouring the present.
by Jeff Kinney A book our family truly enjoys because it gives us the chance to read a few pages every night together and laugh along the way. Sharing the story with my two boys creates moments of connection and light‑hearted fun, no matter how the day has gone.
40 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
ANDREW LEMOINE Autocorp.ai, CEO
MUHAMMAD ZAHEED BluWave-ai, Vice-President, Finance
Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution
Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse A 100-year-old classic that perfectly embodies my current midlife journey. The book's themes of existential descent reflect my own experience with "katabasis" and the profound reality of having illusions burn away. Ultimately, it validates the extreme resilience required to be stripped of your armour while still carrying the heavy responsibility of forging an unbreakable business.
by Uri Levine It reinforced the importance of staying deeply focused on the customer problem and not getting attached to a specific solution, which is critical when building and iterating a startup.
MICHELLE YOUNES Invest Ottawa, Director of Venture Programs
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah A powerful story about hope and resilience that puts into perspective the incredible strength people can find in the most challenging circumstances.
BRIAN KELLS Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP, Partner and Corporate Lawyer
EMMA BROWN Whimble Care, Founder
Trust
by Jim Collins and Morten Hansen It's providing me much-needed reassurance that my instinct to stay focused on disciplined, scalable systems can lead to long-term success (with some high “return on luck”!).
Great by Choice
by Hernan Diaz It’s a wonderful story told from a few different perspectives that explores questions of wealth and power and how those forces control a narrative.
DHIEGO PINILLA LOPES The Stone Fabricator & The TGi Group
Winning by Jack Welch I resonate closely with Welch’s relentless pursuit of excellence, open communication and candour. His ability to make a mission concrete and measurable helps me embody and enforce the values to accomplish my mission.
obj.ca 41
NEILDA PACQUING GAGNÉ AGI Ventures Canada, Co-founder and Chief Ecosystem Officer
Babel
JAHANZAIB ANSARI Knockri, CEO
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz It’s raw and practical, especially around navigating uncertainty and making tough decisions as a founder.
by R. F. Kuang It follows brilliant students at Oxford who are very much seen — status, access, even prestige — and still don't belong. As an immigrant, I recognized that feeling immediately. You earn your place. You do the work. The room needs you. And still, somewhere in the back of your mind, you're waiting for the moment they figure out you don't quite belong. Who gets into the room? Who does the work? Who gets to stay? They're the same questions I ask every time I design an initiative.
MEAGHAN SHOEMAKER Department of National Defence, Senior Defence Advisor
MICHAEL WALLACK Wallack’s, President and Owner
The Sun and Her Flowers
by Viktor Frankl It reinforced my belief that meaning comes from taking responsibility for something bigger than yourself, which for me is building Wallack’s as a creative hub that serves artists, my team and the broader community.
by Rupi Kaur I value poetry as a way to strengthen my creative thinking, complementing the analytical and research-intensive work I lead in defence.
NATASHA COMMANDA Emdash, Strategist
Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. Growing up, our grandparents shared stories from the bush, and those teachings are still carried and shared within Indigenous communities. I’ve heard those same kinds of stories from Indigenous communities in Australia, as we sat around the fire in the bush. If it's night, don't whistle around me.
42 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
Man’s Search for Meaning
Are you one of Ottawa’s fastest-growing companies?
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LIFESTYLE
S Y A
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AR-RO U N D
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MA
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The next big g n i w s
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hile many golfers pack up their clubs at the end of the season, a growing number are playing right through Ottawa’s cold, blustery winter. They’re not heading south for a high-end vacation. Instead, they’re opting for indoor golf simulators. From self-serve, 24/7 spaces to full-service, licensed lounges featuring curated menus and craft beer, simulators are transforming how players approach the sport. They’re also attracting a more diverse demographic, from rookies mastering the basics to seasoned pros looking to lower their handicap. “I saw the benefit of getting that instant feedback from the simulators,” explains Adam Freeborn, an experienced golfer who started using simulators several years ago. “If you know how to read those numbers, they’re really like a teaching tool, instead of just hitting a bunch of balls and hoping you hit one that feels right.” While Freeborn has been playing since he was a teenager, he was largely self-taught. Now in his early forties, he says simulators offer the repetition required to cement his new-and-improved golfing habits. “When I started learning how to play golf properly, I had to kind of re-learn everything — that's all done with golf-tech,” he says, adding he typically hits between 85 and 90. “I try to consistently hit the optimal numbers for my swing. “With lessons and practice at the sim, the goal is to try to consistently break 80 by the end of the year.”
THE FULLY REMOTE MODEL Freeborn practises his swing at Bandit Golf, a simulator that opened its doors on Colonnade Road in April. Offering 24/7 accessibility and a lower price point than many larger, full-service facilities, Freeborn says Bandit serves his needs well. “I use it for practice and not so much for the social stuff,” he explains. “When the 24-hour sims started popping up, I thought, ‘Okay, this is way better for me.’” Bandit Golf uses a fully remote model, meaning customers can book online and obtain a unique access code to enter the facility with their clubs. Owner James Stone says it’s ideal for shift workers or new golfers who may be nervous to perform on a traditional course. “Coming here is a great place to practise,” says Stone, adding that outdoor golf courses can be stressful for rookies. “They send off the tee times quite close together, so you have to pick up the pace. It's kind of spoiling the casual aspect of it. “You don't want to feel the pressure when you're new and learning. Here you can make mistakes and no one will know.” Growing up in the U.K., Stone started golfing under his dad’s watchful eye in Essex, just outside of London, when he was 11. After moving to Montreal in 2015, he found himself playing golf less often.
“It just wasn’t as accessible for me when I was living in the city,” recalls Stone, adding he discovered golf simulators during a year-long stop in Richmond Hill, Ont. “It was the winter and I had just moved there. I didn't really know anyone, so I found a few golf sims and visited a bunch.” After he and his partner moved to Ottawa two years ago, Stone decided to launch his own simulator. The name and logo for the business — a sly raccoon holding a golf club — is a tribute to his English roots. “In the U.K., if someone's better at golf than they say they are, they’re called a bandit,” he explains. “It was a personal thing for me and I just think raccoons are funny; we don’t have them (in the U.K.).” With leather chairs and brass lamps set against black walls, Bandit Golf has a high-end lounge feel. “We wanted to be a little bougie,” he says. “A lot of golf sims I've been to are quite utilitarian; they look a bit like a doctor's surgery. I wanted to be a bit more revived, like a place you want to hang out in — a bit more like a club.” Golfers can choose from a private bay in the Henderson Suite (a nod to Smiths Falls legend Brooke Henderson), or two other open bays out back. “If you've got a bigger group, maybe eight people, you could rent both bays and all play together,” explains Stone. “We’ve already had a couple of golf parties here.” Bandit Golf also offers a putting green, allowing guests to practise their short game before or after using the simulator. No matter the skill level, numbers matter in golf, and indoor golf simulators offer an enormous amount of data to help players improve their game. Bandit Golf is equipped with Trackman iO units paired with 4K projectors. Widely considered one of the best simulators in the industry, Trackman offers instant feedback. “Trackman’s real-time feedback is great,” Stone says, adding that lower-quality units often have a 10-second delay before displaying numbers. “As soon as you hit that ball, you can see what it’s doing on the screen. It measures the velocity, the spin — it gets lots of data.” Digging into that data can go a long way when it comes to improving a swing. Trackman measures the club path, for example, which is the angle at which the club strikes the ball. “If you’re slicing the ball and you’re not sure why, that will help you diagnose the problem,” Stone explains. “If you change something in your swing and you see the number reducing, you’ll know what you’re doing is working. “At a (regular) driving range, you don’t have that data. You’re more blind to what’s actually going on.” Trackman also measures a ball’s carry, speed, club path and the “smash factor,” which Stone describes as “how effectively you transfer energy from the club head to the golf ball.” u obj.ca 45
"WE WANTED TO BE A LITTLE BOUGIE ... LIKE A PLACE YOU WANT TO HANG OUT IN — A BIT MORE LIKE A CLUB." Adam Freeborn
THE SOCIAL ASPECT At the Kanata Entertainment Centrum, Silverwood’s Golf and Lounge also uses Trackman to power its simulators. Eric Glynn, owner and director of operations, appreciates the world-famous courses golfers can choose from. “There’s about 500 courses here, all real courses from around the world,” says Glynn, citing prestigious Ontario locations such as the Royal Ottawa Golf Club and the Glen Abbey Golf Club near Toronto. “It's all connected to the internet, so we’re constantly getting new updates (from Trackman).” The system also features kid-oriented games, which have proven popular with families. “There’s a Scrapyard game kids love, where you’re basically blowing up cars,” says Glynn. “Families can play (virtual) mini-putt, closest to the pin or shuffle golf.” Social events are a big draw at Silverwood’s and cater to an array of demographics. “We have couples in here for date nights, we have seniors’ leagues, we have a women's league, we have a men's league,” says Glynn. “We might introduce a couples’ league as well.” Men’s league participant Jack Duffy says Trackman helps keep participants connected. “They'll pick a course for the week, then everyone in the men's league will play that particular course,” explains Duffy, who has been frequenting Silverwood’s since it opened in late 2023. “Every week when we come in, we all hook in with our phones and we have a live leaderboard. “People follow it all winter, it's a big deal. It doesn't get heated, but it gets competitive — people want to win.” Alongside Trackman tech, Silverwood’s has a full-service menu and craft cocktails. With an in-house restaurant and bar, golf’s social dimension is on full display. “I wanted to create a facility where people can have that social side, as well as the full prestige of golf,” explains Glynn, adding that he’s noticed a shift in the game since the end of the pandemic. “It’s gone from when only the elite were playing to more of a social gathering,” he says. “Now we have a lot of corporate client relationships — people bring their client in here and they'll treat them to a drink or a bite to eat. “They can play and talk. You have that ability to socialize without all the awkwardness that comes with that professional side.” Many menu items, such as the chicken wings, feature barbeque sauces and rubs from Gloop Sauces in Carp, Ont. Silverwood’s
THE TEE IN TECHNOLOGY Here’s an overview of some of the most common simulator platforms available at Golf Canada member facilities. While there are other technologies, these are the platforms most golfers will encounter. FORESIGHT
SKYCADDIE SKYTRAK
(camera launch monitor)
(launch monitor)
A powerhouse indoors. Foresight systems are known for precise, reliable club and ball data capture. For players who appreciate detailed numbers and consistent indoor performance, this is a top choice.
Compact and broadly compatible, SkyTrak is a popular choice for golfers who like to combine different software platforms and seek simple, reliable data. FLIGHTSCOPE MEVO+ (radar launch monitor)
TRACKMAN (radar launch monitor)
A tour favourite. Trackman’s dual-radar and camera system provides top-level accuracy and an immersive software environment. If you want the same data trusted by the world’s best players, this is the one. SKYTRAK+ (camera + Doppler)
A blend of accuracy and versatility. SkyTrak+ integrates smoothly with platforms like E6, TGC 2019 and FSX, providing great value and adaptability for all types of golfers. HD GOLF (simulation software + camera sensors)
Think ‘golf theatre’. HD Golf combines high-fidelity visuals with integrated swing analysis tools, delivering a fully immersive experience that feels as close to the real course as you can get indoors. UNEEKOR EYE XO / QED (overhead camera systems)
Designed for fixed indoor bays, Uneekor’s overhead units deliver rapid club and ball tracking. The setup maintains a clean hitting area, making it perfect for dedicated training spaces. GOLFZON (proprietary system)
Golfzon offers a premium all-inone experience, featuring a moving swing plate, auto-tee system and refined software. If you want a complete simulation package without compromise, this is the one.
Portable and powerful. Mevo+ works indoors and outdoors, offers strong shot-tracking capabilities and includes access to different simulation modes; a great choice for golfers on the go. SWING CADDIE (radar launch monitor)
A versatile solution combining Doppler radar with visual swing analysis. It’s an easy choice for players seeking useful metrics without a complicated setup. GARMIN APPROACH R10 (radar launch monitor)
Ultra-portable and budget-friendly. The R10 pairs easily with E6 and other software, making it ideal for casual sessions, small spaces or practice that travels with you. PROSIM (simulation software)
Praised for precise 3D ball tracking and a more “free” hitting environment, ProSim emphasizes reliable shot analysis with fewer setup constraints. FULL SWING (radar + high-speed camera)
Trusted by some of the game’s biggest names, Full Swing combines radar tracking with high-speed imaging to provide accurate ball and club data. Instant feedback and seamless indoor/ outdoor performance make it a preferred choice for players seeking precision and versatility in one premium package. Source: Golf Canada
"YOU DON'T WANT TO FEEL THE PRESSURE WHEN YOU'RE NEW AND LEARNING. general manager, Danny McCallum, also has relationships with Ottawa-area breweries, including the Broadhead Brewing Company and the Tooth and Nail Brewing Company. Golfers choose from a standard, private or VIP experience at Silverwood’s. Five bays are standard, three are semi-private and two are VIP. “The private experience is more tucked in,” says Glynn, who sees groups of up to 25 people book the space. “The seating’s more comfortable and you’re not having people watching and standing over you while you’re playing.” The VIP experience features an upscale space separated from the main area by a sliding glass door. Popular for corporate team-building events, the two VIP bays can be used separately or combined for larger groups. Each VIP bay features a 20-foot screen, along with its own television and Bluetooth speaker.
HOCKEY AND GOLF At Amped Sports Lab & Ice Complex on Leitrim Road, operations manager Chris Miller says golf simulators entertain parents while their kids hit the ice. “It’s a really good add-on for the hockey crowd,” says Miller. “We get parents coming in who drop their kids off and say, ‘Let’s go hit some balls,’ instead of standing there staring at their kids.” The facility, which caters to hockey team training and skills development, features an arena, two gyms and a physiotherapy clinic. Since the three golf simulators were added over the past few years, they’ve proven popular. “We're serving this community quite well,” says Miller. “Some people are here practising almost every day, because it’s so
HERE YOU CAN MAKE MISTAKES AND NO ONE WILL KNOW." close for them. We have a pretty consistent group of shift workers that come in, some guys that work at the airport. They're here once a week after their shift.” Unlike Bandit and Silverwood’s, which use Trackman technology, Amped relies on GolfIn IDRA II, a golf simulator manufactured in Saint-Georges, Que. With a more accessible pricepoint, the IDRA II is considered an entry-level technology. But when paired with GSPro software, the system offers a staggering 2,500 virtual courses. “There are some really big name courses; Cypress Point is one of the best courses in the world,” says Miller. “We also have Ottawa courses and people come in saying, ‘We'd like to play Stonebridge (Golf Club), we play it in real life so we want to play it here.’” GolfIn, which powers about 500 commercial golf simulators across Canada, plans to launch an IDRA PRO version with performance features comparable to Trackman. Around the corner from the golf bays, Amped has added a bar and small kitchen. “It’s surprising how often people order food,” says Miller, adding each bay has a bell to request service. “It's nothing too fancy, just fries, wings — pub food. “The whole main floor is licensed, so parents, if they're watching hockey, can take their beers out there and watch.” And while some Amped clients may take an intense approach to the game, even at an indoor simulator, Miller says the vast majority are just there to enjoy themselves. “A lot of people get too serious on a regular golf course,” he reflects. “If you're playing indoor golf, you’ve got to just have fun with it — you don't want to be too serious.” n
TECHOPIA
UNDER
Bill Dickie, COO, Robotics Centre. 50 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
THE RADAR
Six local tech companies you may never have heard of BY DAVID SALI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON
Steve Carkner, CTO, Robotics Centre. obj.ca 51
© 2026 Ernst & Young LLP. All Rights Reserved. 4789408
future of Canada? Who is shaping the
S
teve Carkner knows a thing or two about high-growth companies. As one of the first dozen employees at Research in Motion, he was the Waterloo firm’s director of product development in its early days and played a role in its ascent to the stratosphere of wireless technology as the producer of the BlackBerry phone. In 2002, Carkner founded his own company, Panacis, which manufactured military and medical devices and made several appearances on Canadian Business’s Profit 100 list before being acquired in 2014. Today, Carkner is chief technology officer at Kanata-based drone manufacturer Robotics Centre. And when he says he’s “excited” about the firm’s growth prospects as defence spending in Canada ramps up, tech-watchers would be wise to listen. “I’ve been involved in a couple of billiondollar growth companies,” he says. “I’m hoping this is number three for me. We’ll see where we end up.” Despite making pilotless aircraft for military customers around the world, Robotics Centre still flies under the radar in the Kanata tech park. But that could soon change as the company kicks its new production facility on March Road into high gear. Fuelled by a mix of government and bank financing — including nearly a million dollars from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program earlier this year — Robotics Centre is on a roll. The company’s headcount has doubled from 30 employees to 60 in the wake of its acquisition of Ottawa-based drone engineering firm Tungsten Collaborative 18 months ago. That deal transformed Robotics Centre, which was launched 15 years ago as a drone reseller, from a steady, profitable business into a global unmanned aerial vehicle production powerhouse that now generates 50 per cent of its sales from foreign markets. At its new 75,000-square-foot plant that opened in mid-2026, the company produces small, self-flying aircraft ranging from 20 to 33 centimetres in diameter with payloads of two to five kilograms. The devices are deployed on battlefields across the globe for striking the enemy, doing surveillance and transporting military supplies. Carkner predicts that, once production is at full capacity by the end of this summer, Robotics Centre will be capable of churning out 20,000 drones a month. He expects the company’s payroll to surpass 100 sometime in 2027. “We have so many job recs open right now,
we can’t hire fast enough,” Carkner says. “We are literally tearing up carpet to put in more machines.” Carkner says the Carney government’s pledge to hit a GDP defence spending benchmark of five per cent by 2035 while awarding a bigger share of military contracts to domestically owned firms has sent a jolt of adrenaline through the entire industry. “Even 18 months ago, banks wouldn’t touch defence,” he notes. “So that’s been huge. The push for made-in-Canada has really helped (raise) interest. We’re still trying to turn interest into orders, but we’re going to get there.” Robotics Centre is just one of a multitude of companies in the Kanata tech park that are making waves in their industries but aren’t necessarily household names. Here are some others:
CAVTERA Just down the street from Robotics Centre’s factory on March Road, Cavtera develops and implements custom solutions that use artificial intelligence to bring together data, workflows and other aspects of decision-making into a single, unified system for customers in
construction and heavy industry. Launched this spring, Cavtera taps into technology from Palantir Foundry, an enterprise data platform from Florida-based data analytics giant Palantir Technologies. The Kanata firm says its software helps clients streamline their operations and become more efficient on job sites. “We come from construction,” says president Jim Orban, who has spent a dozen years as chief operating officer at Ottawa’s Thomas Cavanagh Construction. “We know what the job site looks like, and we know what leaders need to make faster, smarter decisions. That's an advantage no traditional software vendor can replicate.”
CELESTRA HEALTH SYSTEMS When your founder can declare that Terry Matthews “is just down the hall,” that’s saying a lot. And that is indeed the case for Bruce Ford, the founder and CEO of Celestra Health Systems, whose office is based in Kanata at Matthews’s venture capital firm, Wesley Clover International. u
“Our objective … is that we want to become the gold standard globally in neurology clinics.”
Bruce Ford, founder and CEO, Celestra Health Systems.
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Celestra specializes in AI-powered software that monitors the progression of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease by tracking changes in a patient’s gait. Celestra was officially spun out of Wesley Clover International in May 2023. The startup’s platform has since been granted Class II medical device certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning the company can now sell its products to clinicians in the U.S. for prescription use. Celestra’s software analyzes nearly two dozen metrics related to how patients with multiple sclerosis walk, including their stride length and the amount of time both feet are on the ground. Sensors embedded in the insoles of the person’s shoes collect data such as walking speed, direction and foot pressure to come up with a “gait signature.” The information is fed into Celestra’s cloud-based AI platform, which uses dozens of algorithms to assess a patient’s mobility on a 100-point scale that can be updated in real time. Headquartered on March Road, Celestra has conducted nine clinical trials in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany in collaboration with a global team of neurologists and patient advisers. Its customers include global pharmaceutical firms, research institutions and health-care providers. “Our objective … is that we want to become the gold standard globally in neurology clinics,” Ford said in 2024. “In the big scheme of things, we’re a young company. We have a long road ahead of us.”
Tech Leaders, Tech Leaders,
I believe in Ottawa. IAnd believe in Ottawa. I believe in its power And I believe its power to change theinworld. to change the world.
That’s why I’ve joined The Ottawa Hospital That’s why Foundation’s I’ve joined The Campaign Ottawato Create Tomorrow: Hospital Foundation’s a $500-million Campaign to push to build Create Tomorrow: a next-generation a $500-million healthcare push to build campus a next-generation that is data-enabled, healthcare campus AI-informed, that is innovation-driven, data-enabled, AI-informed, and deeply patient-centred. and deeply innovation-driven, patient-centred. Great healthcare doesn’t just treat illness; healthcare Great it powers prosperity. doesn’t just It builds treat a city where illness; it powers the best prosperity. and brightest It builds a wantwhere city to live,the work, bestand andgrow brightest their companies. want to live, work, and grow their companies. This is Ottawa’s moment to lead. It’s a once-in-a-generation This is Ottawa’s momentopportunity to lead. It’s ato reshape the future of healthcare. once-in-a-generation opportunityI’ve to stepped the reshape up. Now, futureI’m of asking healthcare. you toI’ve do the same. stepped up. Now, I’m asking you to do the same.
Join me. Help lead what’s Join Help lead next me. ― for care, forwhat’s next ― forfor care, forus. research, all of research, for all of us.
PLEORA TECHNOLOGIES
President, Kevin Ford Advisory President, Co-chair, Kevin Ford Campaign Advisory to Co-chair, Create Campaign Tomorrow to Create Tomorrow
13 CONSECUTIVE YEARS 13 CONSECUTIVE YEARS CreatingTomorrow.ca CreatingTomorrow.ca
Also located on March Road, Pleora Technologies specializes in video-interface technology that allows data to be transmitted in real time from an array of devices, including cameras and X-ray panels. The company, which has more than 1,500 customers in industries such as medical imaging and defence, is part of the Fabrication of Integrated Components for the Internet’s Edge (FABrIC) network. Launched in 2025, the project brings together organizations and researchers in advanced manufacturing to bolster the design, manufacturing and commercialization of semiconductors and intelligent sensor technology. Founded more than 25 years ago, Pleora now has 75 employees at offices in North America, Europe and Asia. The firm’s products
“Even 18 months ago, banks wouldn't touch defence. So that's been huge. The push for made-in-Canada has really helped (raise) interest. We're still trying to turn interest into orders, but we're going to get there.” Steve Carkner, CTO, Robotics Centre
have the capacity to transmit more than 20 million gigabits of data every day on thousands of unique systems.
TELDIO Another Terry Matthews-backed software firm, Teldio was founded nearly two decades ago but remains a hidden gem in the Kanata tech park. For most of its history, Teldio helped front-office users of Mitel phones connect with workers in the field or on the factory floor, tracking their movements via sensors embedded in two-way radios. But half a dozen years ago, the Kanata company began using its sensors to make the proliferation of devices in what’s known as the Internet of Things — items from cars to fridges that wirelessly communicate with each other to allow consumers to, say, turn up their thermostats using their phones — even smarter. “We’re solving real-life challenges that help corporations get faster and more automated,” CEO Peter Kuciak, a former vice-president of research and development at March Networks, told OBJ in 2021. “It’s a very easy conversation with customers.” One of the company’s biggest breakthroughs came early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when it began deploying its technology at Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Its system links everything at the airport from fire extinguishers to defibrillators, alerting terminal
workers in real time whenever medical or safety devices are deployed and instantly notifying first responders of the exact location where they’re being used. Today, Teldio’s technology is used in a wide variety of applications, including tracking school buses to ensure they stay within the speed limit, monitoring utility trucks and triggering alarms when emergencies arise on job sites. Its customers include General Electric, Tesla and Procter & Gamble.
THINKRF Also based on March Road, ThinkRF is a leader in software-defined spectrum analysis platforms that monitor, detect and analyze complex waveforms to help ensure that the wireless signals that connect vehicles and other smart technologies are safe, secure and clear. The firm’s AI-driven analytics software continuously monitors signals across the radio-frequency spectrum, scanning for any changes and sending alerts when spectrum changes or anomalies are detected. The company, which has conducted pilot projects with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, can track RF spectrum activity at high-security sites such as border crossings, and also works with private operators to help ensure their wireless networks are running as smoothly and securely as possible. n
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AWARDS
BEST PLACES TO WORK 2026
Curiosity and judgment MEET efficiency and productivity How today’s best workplaces are adapting to AI
58 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
W
hat makes a great place to work? It’s not an easy question to answer, and it’s not a simple thing to create. Technology changes, societal norms shift, and human expectations of work are always evolving. Best Places to Work is an annual program organized by the Ottawa Business Journal. Employers who take part fill out an extensive questionnaire that determines, for example, what types of benefits they provide employees and how they address issues ranging from work-life balance to diversity. Employees are asked to rate the performance of their workplace in categories such as leadership and planning, corporate culture, job
satisfaction, training, and pay and benefits. This year, approximately 1,500 employee surveys were completed. Participants are ranked according to the results by U.S.-based Workforce Research Group. For 2026, to recognize the different challenges that can be experienced by various types of companies, we’ve ranked firms in three categories: small, medium and large employers. But regardless of the size of firm, it’s fascinating to read how participating organizations are thinking about and approaching AI. There are common themes, but also distinct differences. Based on the research, here are the Best Places to Work for 2026.
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Julie Kingstone and Keenan Wellar, Co-Leaders at Live Work Play
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Top 20 Overall Relax Massage Group LiveWorkPlay / VivreTravaillerJouer Jennings Real Estate Corp.
SMALL employers
Snowed In Studios
(15-49 employees)
Bushbalm Numbercrunch Stoneworks Technologies Ottawa Tourism Entuitive Kongsberg Geospatial Trellis Corp. Dilfo Mechanical Ltd. Knak McCay Duff LLP Arup Mann Lawyers LLP TPH Plumbing and Heating Pomerleau Inc. J.L. Richards & Associates Ltd. Amsted Design-Build
RELAX MASSAGE GROUP Founded: 2004 Sector: Health care Local employees: 34 Winner in 2025 Melissa Gardner, Owner LIVEWORKPLAY / VIVRETRAVAILLERJOUER Founded: 1995 Sector: Non-profit Local employees: 26 New to BPTW Keenan Wellar and Julie Kingstone, CoLeaders How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? At LiveWorkPlay, we use AI to draft first versions, summarize long documents, organize messy notes, clarify language, convert to plain language and to brainstorm. We don’t use AI to enter identifying information, draft participant stories without involvement, create testimonials, attribute generated quotes to real people, make support/eligibility decisions.
How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has had a modest impact on our hiring approach. Our work remains highly relationship-based, requiring strong interpersonal skills, judgment and problem-solving in real-world community and employment settings. Within the organization, AI is increasingly used by management to support writing, analysis and administrative efficiency. As a result, we place value on digital literacy and the ability to use tools effectively to enhance productivity. We do not have a traditional junior staffing model and AI has not reduced the need for employees. Instead, we continue to seek individuals who are adaptable, curious and able to combine strong human skills with the thoughtful use of emerging technologies. JENNINGS REAL ESTATE CORP. Founded: 2018 Sector: Real estate Local employees: 25 New to BPTW Christian Jennings, President How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Our organization promotes the responsible and ethical use of AI by providing clear
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Great workplace.
Greater purpose. Congratulations to LiveWorkPlay on being named one of Ottawa's Best Workplaces by the OBJ. For three decades, LiveWorkPlay has helped the Ottawa community welcome and include people with intellectual disabilities and autistic persons. Every year, that means real opportunity for 300+ jobseekers and 100 individuals in supported independent living, because everyone deserves a life of their own choosing. The BUSY Group shares that exact belief and has spent nearly 50 years building the same kind of opportunity for people across Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and now Canada. It is that mutual view that brought our two organizations together. We congratulate LiveWorkPlay on their recent Best Workplace acknowledgement, and we warmly welcome them to The BUSY Group.
thebusygroup.ca
liveworkplay.ca
95%
FORMAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE Does your organization have a formal grievance procedure in place for employees who feel they have been treated unfairly based upon their race, gender identity, or beliefs?
guidance to employees on how these tools should be used in daily work. We emphasize accuracy, confidentiality and human oversight, ensuring that AI supports — not replaces — professional judgment. Employees are instructed to avoid entering sensitive or personal information into AI systems and to verify all AI‑generated content before use. We also encourage employees to use AI for productivity, research and drafting while maintaining accountability for final outputs. As AI evolves, we continue to review best practices and update our internal procedures to ensure safe, compliant and effective use across the organization. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has influenced our hiring approach by shifting the skills we prioritize rather than reducing the need for junior employees. We continue to hire early‑career talent, but we now look for candidates who are comfortable using digital tools, can validate AI‑generated outputs, and can apply critical thinking to technology‑assisted workflows. AI has increased the value of analytical skills, sound judgment and the ability to interpret data rather than simply process it. We also look for adaptability and a willingness to learn new systems as AI capabilities evolve. Overall, AI has enhanced our expectations around
digital literacy, but it has not replaced the need for foundational roles or the development of junior staff. NUMBERCRUNCH Founded: 2014 Sector: Finance Local employees: 30 Winner in 2025 Susan Richards, Co-Founder and CEO How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? We don’t currently have a formal policy specifically for AI use, but we do encourage employees to use AI tools in a responsible and practical way to support their work. We see AI as a helpful tool in today’s changing work environment — supporting efficiency, learning, idea generation and problem-solving. Employees are encouraged to use it to streamline tasks and enhance their work, while still applying good judgment, maintaining confidentiality and following internal standards. As AI continues to evolve, we remain open to developing more formal guidance if needed to ensure it continues to be used effectively and appropriately. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has not significantly changed our approach to hiring or the types of skills we look for. The nature of our business still requires us to regularly hire entrylevel and junior employees, and we continue to value and invest in developing early-career talent.
60% YES
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION TRAINING Does your organization provide formal diversity and inclusion training?
30% YES
EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS Does your organization have Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) for employees who fall into the “diversity” category?
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Complexity is What You Face. Clarity is What We Create. Change Management | Executive Alignment | Transformation Strategy
craftxecs.com
We look for people who use AI to punch above their weight, not people who resist it.
While we recognize the growing role of AI in the workplace, it has not reduced our need for junior team members, as handson learning, foundational skill-building and internal development remain central to our growth model. STONEWORKS TECHNOLOGIES Founded: 2020 Sector: Technology Local employees: 25 Winner in 2025 Jody Burton, CEO TRELLIS CORP. Founded: 2019 Sector: Technology Local employees: 30 (41 in Canada) Winner in 2025 Fahim Sheikh, CEO How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through,for example, specific policies or procedures? As an AI-powered platform ourselves, Trellis has a uniquely informed perspective on how to integrate AI into daily work. We actively encourage employees to use AI tools to move faster, think bigger and eliminate low-value busywork — it’s baked into our culture, not bolted on. We’ve established practical guidelines around data privacy and responsible use, ensuring employees understand what information should and shouldn’t be shared with external AI tools. Beyond policies, we invest in hands-on exposure: team members are encouraged to experiment, share what’s working and teach each other. We see AI fluency as a core competency across all roles — not just engineering — and we hire and develop with that in mind. At Trellis, AI isn’t a threat to how we work, it’s central to why we work the way we do. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has meaningfully shifted what we look for when hiring. Across every function, we now prioritize adaptability, curiosity and the ability to work effectively alongside AI tools over narrow technical checklists. For roles like marketing, operations and customer success, AI fluency has become a baseline expectation rather than a bonus. That said,
we haven’t reduced our investment in junior talent — if anything, we see early-career hires as having a unique advantage: they’re entering the workforce already comfortable with AI as a collaborator. We look for people who use AI to punch above their weight, not people who resist it. On the senior side, we value judgment and strategic thinking more than ever, since AI handles more of the execution layer. MCCAY DUFF LLP Founded: 1946 Sector: Accounting Local employees: 47 New to BPTW Dianna Larkin, Managing Partner How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Our approach to AI emphasizes responsible adoption, data protection and professional judgment. We work closely with our IT advisers to assess risk and establish clear guardrails, including approval-based access to enterprise tools and strict prohibitions on using consumer AI platforms with confidential or client information. We continue to evolve our acceptable use policies and provide ongoing guidance to ensure AI enhances productivity while maintaining quality, independence and confidentiality. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has not reduced our commitment to early-career hiring, but it has influenced the skills we prioritize
VACATION DAYS If your organization does not offer unlimited vacation days, how many vacation days does an employee receive in their first year of employment? 10
15
20
REMOTE WORK What percentage of your employee population works remotely? 0 1-50 51-99 100
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Nigel Franks, Studio Head, Snowed In Studios
66 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
and how work is performed. We continue to value strong technical foundations, critical thinking and professional skepticism, while seeking individuals who are comfortable working alongside technology and using AI as a tool rather than a decision-maker. AI allows us to reduce time spent on low-value administrative tasks, enabling employees to focus on higher-value work, learning and client interaction. We are deliberate in balancing automation with development, ensuring that junior staff continue to build the skills and experience required for longterm progression.
employees. However, use of AI can make interviews and skill assessments more challenging. When we are hiring programmers, for example, we don’t just want them to be able to answer a programming test question, we want them to understand why the answer makes sense. Application of knowledge is very important to us. So, although a prospective hire might be able to ace our skills assessment test with AI, we try to put their knowledge to the test during the interview. Our interviews are a mix of interpersonal questions and technical questions, so we are able to really examine if someone can deal with problems they might encounter on the job without over-reliance on AI.
AMSTED DESIGN-BUILD Founded: 1989 Sector: Construction Local employees: 40 New to BPTW Lindsay Haley, General Manager
BUSHBALM Founded: 2016 Sector: Retail Local employees: 51 (53 in Canada) New to BPTW David Gaylord, CEO
MEDIUM employers
OTTAWA TOURISM Founded: 1970 Sector: Non-profit Local employees: 59 New to BPTW Michael Crockatt, President and CEO
(50-249 employees) SNOWED IN STUDIOS Founded: 2010 Sector: Technology Local employees: 107 Winner in 2025 Nigel Franks, Studio Head How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Due to the nature of our industry, use of AI is being explored across all levels. However, it presented many interesting legal challenges for our team. Since our work is contract-based with external clients and not our original IP, we sometimes encounter clients who forbid use of AI when it comes to programming or art, for example. Generally, AI can be a useful tool for things like taking meeting notes or helping create a slide deck. But before our team can use AI, it must be approved by our Infosec team, and staff must take a training course on proper use of AI. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? So far, AI has not affected our need for
How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? At Ottawa Tourism, we aim to leverage the best of AI, particularly generative AI, to enhance our business and processes, avoiding distractions from novelties that offer little benefit. This policy aims to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement, leveraging AI and GPTs to enhance our marketing efforts without compromising quality or integrity. Employees are encouraged to explore and adopt AI tools to enhance creativity, efficiency and innovation across teams. A learning culture is supported, where employees experiment with AI and share insights and best practices to strengthen organizational knowledge. Any AI tools must be vetted through the IT assessment process prior to use. Ottawa Tourism as an organization has embedded Copilot in the company hub for all staff to use, we also provided training on how to use Copilot during onboarding. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? Throughout the hiring process, all decisions are made by Ottawa Tourism’s hiring team Ottawa Tourism does not include any use of AI through the hiring
80% YES
MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING Are managers trained to look for and deal with signs of mental stress, fatigue, and/or burnout among their team?
85% YES
PROFESSIONAL GROWTH Does your organization offer formal employee professional development and/or career advancement programs?
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT How often does your organization conduct employee engagement surveys? This is the first time 5% Less than once a year 15% Once a year 35% More than once a year 45%
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pdinstitute.uottawa.ca 68 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
process. Ottawa Tourism is still seeking junior employees for the past two years. KONGSBERG GEOSPATIAL Founded: 1992 Sector: Engineering Local employees: 78 New to BPTW Jordan Freed, President and Managing Partner KNAK Founded: 2015 Sector: Technology Local employees: 114 Winner in 2025 Pierce Ujjainwalla, Co-Founder and CEO How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? At Knak, we’re building a future-ready workplace by embedding AI into both how we work and what we deliver. With the recent launch of Knak AI in our product, our team is directly shaping and experiencing the impact of AI firsthand. Internally, we equip employees with tools like Claude Code to enhance productivity, streamline workflows and unlock creativity. We pair this with continuous learning through initiatives like our book club, featuring titles such as The Scaling Era of AI, to explore how AI is transforming work. We foster a culture of curiosity and experimentation, encouraging teams to test, share and scale new ideas responsibly. By combining hands-on product innovation with everyday AI adoption, we ensure our team stays ahead, builds future-ready skills and drives meaningful impact. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has shifted our hiring approach from rapid growth to more intentional, thoughtful hiring. Rather than scaling headcount quickly, we’ve focused on building internal efficiencies first, leveraging AI to enhance productivity and better understand where additional talent will have the greatest impact. This doesn’t mean reducing opportunities for junior talent, but evolving how we think about those roles.
We’re placing greater emphasis on critical thinking, adaptability and the ability to work alongside AI tools. Junior employees are increasingly expected to interpret, refine and build on AI-generated outputs, rather than start from scratch. As a result, we’re prioritizing candidates who demonstrate curiosity, problemsolving and a willingness to learn in a rapidly changing environment. This approach ensures we continue to grow responsibly while equipping our team with the skills needed to succeed in an AI-enabled workplace. MANN LAWYERS LLP Founded: 1994 Sector: Legal Local employees: 65 Winner in 2025 Andre Martin, Co-Managing Partner How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Mann Lawyers has taken a proactive and structured approach to employees’ use of artificial intelligence, grounded in responsible innovation and risk management. We have established formal policies and procedures that outline acceptable use of AI tools, data privacy requirements, security safeguards and ethical considerations, including confidentiality, bias mitigation and human oversight. These guidelines are aligned with our legal, regulatory and organizational values. To support adoption, we provide targeted training and awareness programs that help employees understand both the capabilities and limitations of AI, as well as their individual responsibilities when using it. Training emphasizes practical use cases, governance expectations and escalation processes for potential risks or concerns. We also maintain ongoing review mechanisms to adapt our policies as technologies evolve, ensuring AI use remains transparent, compliant and aligned with business objectives. TPH PLUMBING AND HEATING Founded: 1986 Sector: Construction Local employees: 126 Winner in 2025 Patrick Taillefer, President How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? TPH approaches staff use of artificial intelligence through our AI Rollout Governance Policy and Generative AI Usage Policy, launched in June 2025. These policies place a strong emphasis on security, governance and reasonable adaptation, while still encouraging innovation and productivity. TPH requires that all employees utilize
only company-managed AI tools in order to ensure secure, monitored and controlled usage. TPH has implemented security tools such as multi-factor authentication through company-issued emails for all work-related tasks. The use of personal AI accounts is strictly prohibited to ensure a secure and auditable environment. TPH also emphasizes pilot-based rollout, ROI measurement and human review of external content to protect legal compliance, data integrity and brand reputation. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has not significantly changed TPH’s approach to hiring. We do not currently use AI in recruitment and it has not replaced any positions. Instead, AI is used as a productivity tool for employees, helping them work more efficiently in their existing roles. Our hiring continues to focus on trade skills, adaptability and the ability to contribute to a collaborative, high-performing team. AI serves as a complement to employee expertise, enhancing workflows without reducing the need for junior or entry-level staff.
LARGE employers (250+ employees) ENTUITIVE Founded: 2011 Sector: Engineering Local employees: 24 (302 in Canada) Winner in 2025 Brock Schroeder, CEO How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Our organization has taken a structured, responsible approach to employees’ use of AI through formal governance and clear guidance. AI use is governed by an Acceptable Use Policy and a dedicated AI Policy, which outline ethical, secure and accountable use of generative AI tools. Employees are prohibited from using AI with confidential, personal or client‑sensitive data, including proprietary
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PERFORMANCE REVIEWS How often does your organization conduct performance reviews for all employees?
As needed 10% Annually 30% Semiannually 45% Three or more times a year 15%
EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT Do you require employees to complete any of the following workplace-related training on a regular basis?
Communication 45%
Conflicts of interest 45%
Cybersecurity 80%
Discrimination 70%
Job safety 70%
Moral behaviour 40%
Products and services 25%
Quality 35%
Racial sensitivity 25%
Sexual harassment 60%
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design information, without explicit approval. The policies require employees to validate AI‑generated outputs before applying them to business decisions or project work, restrict the use of high‑risk AI applications, and mandate reporting of any misuse or security incidents. Responsible adoption is further supported through internal communications, AI use‑case sharing and recommended learning resources. Policies are reviewed regularly to remain current as technologies evolve. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? To date, AI has not materially changed our approach to hiring or the skills we seek. We continue to value a balanced workforce that includes junior, intermediate and senior employees, recognizing the importance of early‑career roles for learning, mentorship and long‑term professional development. While AI tools may support efficiency in certain tasks, they are viewed as complementary and do not replace foundational engineering judgment, collaboration or problem‑solving skills. As a result, we have not reduced our need for junior employees and we continue to prioritize curiosity, critical thinking and strong communication skills across all levels. DILFO MECHANICAL LTD. Founded: 1980 Sector: Construction Local employees: 277 Winner in 2025 Danny Dillon, President How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Our organization is in the early stages of formalizing our approach to AI, with a focus on encouraging responsible adoption and building capability across our teams. We actively support employees exploring AI tools to improve efficiency and enhance their day-to-day work. At the same time, we reinforce expectations around professional judgment, confidentiality and the importance of reviewing and validating AI-generated outputs. We are currently developing structured training that will be rolled out over the next year. This training
will have a focused area related to AI and how to use the tools safely and productively in a workplace setting. We plan to introduce more guidelines to ensure consistency and responsible use across the organization. Our approach is to enable early adoption while building the knowledge and structure needed to support long-term, effective use of AI. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has not significantly changed our hiring strategy. We continue to prioritize hiring junior talent where possible and investing in their development through hands-on experience and mentorship. Our focus remains on building long-term capability, particularly in a construction environment where practical skills and field knowledge are critical. Rather than reducing junior roles, AI is reinforcing the importance of developing employees early and equipping them with the right knowledge and resources to enhance their capabilities. We are placing more importance on candidates who are adaptable, curious and eager to learn. AI is shifting the skills we are seeking, not replacing them. ARUP Founded: 2024 Sector: Engineering Local employees: 17 (647 in Canada) New to BPTW Sean Meadows, Principal How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Arup has adopted a clear, responsible approach to employee use of AI through a firm‑wide Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, which establishes expectations for ethical, safe and transparent use, emphasizing human oversight, data protection, compliance with legal and client requirements, and accountability for AI‑assisted outputs. To support this, Arup defines approved AI tools and actively discourages the use of non‑approved or high‑risk AI services through technical safeguards, guidance and warnings designed to protect confidential client and project information. Employees are provided with clear guidance and training on responsible AI use, including expectations to verify outputs, apply professional judgment and ensure all work meets Arup’s quality and governance standards. This structured policy‑led approach enables members to use AI thoughtfully to enhance productivity and innovation, while maintaining trust, integrity and alignment with Arup’s values and Total Design principles.
How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? Arup continues to recruit junior and early‑career employees, while placing increased emphasis on learning agility, critical thinking, collaboration and ethical judgment alongside technical skills. AI is viewed as a productivity-enabler that allows employees to focus on higher‑value work, making strong foundational skills, curiosity and the ability to work across disciplines more important — not less. POMERLEAU INC. Founded: 1966 Sector: Construction Local employees: 202 (5,000 in Canada) Winner in 2025 Peter Weiss, Regional Vice-President How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? Pomerleau approaches the use of AI thoughtfully, with a focus on responsible adoption, data security and supporting
employee productivity. The organization encourages employees to use AI‑enabled tools where appropriate to support tasks such as research, drafting, data analysis and process efficiency, while reinforcing the importance of professional judgment and human oversight. Guidance is provided on the appropriate use of AI, including the protection of confidential and project‑sensitive information. As AI continues to evolve, Pomerleau remains focused on learning, best practices and using technology as an enabler rather than a replacement for human expertise, collaboration and decision‑making. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has reinforced Pomerleau’s focus on adaptability, critical thinking and continuous learning rather than reducing early‑career hiring. The organization continues to invest heavily in junior talent through internships, co‑op programs and early‑career roles, recognizing the importance of developing future leaders. While AI tools can support efficiency, Pomerleau places strong value on core skills such as problem‑solving, collaboration, communication and on‑the‑job learning. As a result, AI is viewed as a complementary skill set and the organization seeks employees who are curious, adaptable and able to use technology responsibly while continuing to build strong technical and people‑focused capabilities.
We see AI fluency as a core competency across all roles — not just engineering — and we hire and develop with that in mind.
J.L. RICHARDS & ASSOCIATES LTD. Founded: 1955 Sector: Engineering Local employees: 297 (534 in Canada) New to BPTW Saverio Parrotta, President, CEO, Chair How has your organization approached employees’ use of AI through, for example, specific policies or procedures? JLR approached employee use of AI by focusing on clarity, inclusion and shared responsibility. The firm established a clear AI policy and leadership manifesto that outline responsible use, expectations and ethical boundaries, giving employees confidence about what is encouraged and supported. Rather than limiting AI to a small group, JLR trained all 550 employees to create a shared baseline of understanding. A network of 20 staff champions across departments provides ongoing guidance, peer support and practical examples. Engagement formats such as Innovation Cafes, workshops and internal resources encourage learning and experimentation at different comfort levels. This combination of governance, training and peer support ensures AI use is consistent, transparent and integrated into everyday work. How has AI affected your approach to hiring employees and the skills you are seeking? AI has not reduced JLR’s need for junior employees, but has influenced the skills and attributes the firm values. With AI assisting with repetitive tasks, JLR increasingly looks for employees who demonstrate critical thinking, adaptability and the ability to apply judgment rather than just technical execution. Curiosity, comfort with learning new tools and collaboration are now more important across all roles. Junior staff benefit from AI support that accelerates learning and reduces administrative burden, allowing them to focus on higher-value work sooner. The firm continues to hire across career stages, while emphasizing digital literacy and a willingness to engage with evolving technology as part of professional growth.n
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OTTAWA’S BIGGEST HR EVENT OTTAWA
October 6 @ Algonquin Commons Theatre
Get inspired. Get disrupted. New format. New venue. 74 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
PRESENTERS
PARTNERS
SUPPORTERS
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UN IV ER S I TY O F OTTAWA
Find Your Next Great Hire Did you know the University of Ottawa can support you in finding the ideal talent, based on your goals. • Solve business challenges through course-integrated projects. • Access a year-round talent pipeline with co-op students available in over 90 programs. • Engage with students through employer information sessions, career fairs, and sponsorship opportunities. • Strengthen your employer brand on campus. To learn more about our services, consult our website or email us (talent@uottawa.ca)
76 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
OBJ360 CONTENT MARKETING PROFILES LIVEWORKPLAY / VIVRETRAVAILLERJOUER // KONGSBERG GEOSPATIAL JENNINGS REAL ESTATE // BUSH BALM // KNAK
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TOP TO BOTTOM:: Celebration with members. Presentation to RCMP. Award recipient at CASE Conference.
78 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
LIVEWORKPLAY / VIVRETRAVAILLERJOUER 7 Bayview Station Road Ottawa, ON, K1Y 2C5 https://liveworkplay.ca keenan.wellar@liveworkplay.ca
OVERVIEW Executive Leadership: Julie Kingstone, Co-Leader and Director of Operations, Keenan Wellar, Co-Leader and Director of Communications Industry: Non-Profit Employees in Ottawa: 26 Vacation allowance for new employees: 15 days Number of Stat Holidays: 11 Other Days: 10 paid sick days, 0 formal personal days (utilizes routine flex time), 5 days paid compassionate leave Medical Benefits Absorbed: 100% Dental Benefits Absorbed: 100% Vision Benefits Absorbed: 100% Retirement Plans: CAAT DBplus Defined Benefit Pension Plan (9% employer match and 9% employee contribution) Remote Work: 100% (Bayview Yards membership providing flexible collaboration space for a highly mobile, community-based workforce) Workplace Fitness: Emphasizes device-free outdoor time and walking performance check-ins Professional Development: Biweekly one-onone coaching, specialized certifications, conference presentations, participation and leadership on professional committees.
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How LiveWorkPlay rebuilt the non-profit workplace around human value Each December, every staff member at LiveWorkPlay is secretly matched with a colleague to create a short video celebrating the positive difference that colleague makes to others. The creative results often include original music, poetry, humour, and heartfelt appreciation. The tradition reflects a workplace culture where peer recognition is personal, creative, and deeply valued. The work of LiveWorkPlay’s Community Supports and Employment Supports teams brings many celebrations of success for people with intellectual disabilities and autistic persons. This vital work takes place in the context of significant challenges. In a sector facing persistent recruitment and retention challenges, LiveWorkPlay has responded by investing in competitive salaries and benefits, career development, and a workplace where recognition, coaching, and continuous learning are part of everyday practice, while ensuring staff have the support, flexibility, and encouragement to respond to each person’s individual needs. There is no typical workday at LiveWorkPlay. Employees coordinate from Bayview Yards, work in neighbourhoods across Ottawa, and meet colleagues and community partners in the field. Because the work is built on relationships, leaders make time for walking meetings, informal coaching, and regular check-ins away from desks and computer screens. Weekly team meetings celebrate milestones, recognize contributions, and strengthen collaboration. Success is measured not by time spent at a desk, but by outcomes such as someone moving into a home of their own or succeeding in authentic paid employment. Career development is supported through a collaborative performance management process that emphasizes coaching, continuous improvement, and opportunities for increased responsibility. Many team members began as student placements from post-secondary institutions. Learning opportunities are closely connected to delivering better outcomes, with training ranging from mental health and person-centred practices to leadership, technology, and other areas identified through the coaching process. Staff are also encouraged to share their expertise through conferences, advisory groups, community events, and other public-facing opportunities. The organization recently overhauled its retirement program based on staff feedback, moving from an entry-level plan to a high-quality defined benefit pension. LiveWorkPlay has also invested in administrative and technical support that allows leaders to spend more time coaching staff and strengthening services. Community is central to the organization’s work, with staff building relationships every day with employers, housing providers, schools, recreation organizations, arts organizations, and many other partners across Ottawa. Those experiences often inspire employees to become volunteers and leaders with other community organizations, reflecting a workplace culture that values civic engagement.
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80 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
KONGSBERG GEOSPATIAL 411 Legget Drive, Suite 400, Kanata, Ontario, K2K 3C9 www.kongsberggeospatial.com Kenza.Loulidi@kongsberggeospatial.com
OVERVIEW Executive Leadership: James Menard, Human Resources Manager Industry: Engineering Employees in Ottawa: 78 Vacation allowance for new employees: 15 days Number of Stat Holidays: 10 Other Days: 10 sick days, one personal day Medical Benefits Absorbed: 100% Dental Benefits Absorbed: 100% Vision Benefits Absorbed: 100% Retirement Plans: Deferred Profit Sharing Plan Remote Work: 60% (majority hybrid with a two-day in-office minimum) Workplace Fitness Facilities: Community space with ping pong table, company sports teams (softball, curling, golf) Professional Development: Annual employee appraisals for training identification, adhoc courses, conferences, large-scale or specific team training sessions
“Kongsberg Geospatial employees are empowered to do challenging work that matters.”
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Kongsberg Geospatial coding for NATO, caring for Ottawa Building software for air traffic control and military defence requires intense concentration. At the Kanata office of Kongsberg Geospatial, the stakes are high. Engineers here write code that manages real-time geospatial data for NATO allies and international aerospace applications. It is a high-pressure environment where minor software errors can have severe real-world consequences. To counter this operational intensity, the company enforces a hard stop on the first Friday of every month. At precisely 3 p.m., keyboards click shut. The defence contractors pivot immediately to the community space for Mario Kart tournaments and trivia battles known as KG Feud. This structured break provides a necessary relief valve for a workforce dealing with complex global security systems. The daily atmosphere balances technical discipline with casual, localized camaraderie. Employees navigate a hybrid work routine that requires regular in-person collaboration. In the shared common area, a steady supply of carbonated drinks and snacks keeps the development teams fuelled. The company manages this snack stash with a unique twist. Everything is sold at cost, and every cent collected is funnelled directly to the Royal Ottawa Foundation to support mental health initiatives. It is a small, unpolished tradition that connects daily office cravings with local community needs. Nearby, a ping pong table serves as an active arena for developers looking to clear their heads between coding sprints. Recognition here skips the usual generic corporate announcements. Instead, the firm uses a tiered reward system that links peer accolades directly to project impact, handing out customized gift cards and hosting impromptu team outings when major engineering milestones are met. Long-term retention in the competitive tech sector depends heavily on early intervention and clear professional progression. The firm builds its pipeline early by pulling co-op students from regional colleges and universities. New hires receive fully funded medical coverage starting on their first day on the payroll. Career advancement is tied to annual performance appraisals where employees map out specialized training courses and international conference budgets with their managers. The company also provides structured leadership training to help technical experts transition into people management roles. This steady investment in professional development creates deep loyalty. Workers who hit multi-year milestones receive custom plaques and cash bonuses at all-hands meetings. The local footprint remains firmly rooted in the high-tech hub of Kanata, even as the team collaborates weekly with colleagues overseas in Norway. Growth is measured not just by headcount, but by the continuous deployment of critical software. Discover your next career move: https://www.kongsberggeospatial.com
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LEFT: Jennings Team Sens Night. TOP: Forty Under 40 - Celebrating Christian Jennings. BELOW: Jeannings Team Photo - Penthouse, 141 Laurier Ave. W.
82 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
JENNINGS REAL ESTATE CORPORATION 141 Laurier Ave. W., Suite 602 Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3 www.jre.ca
OVERVIEW Executive Leadership: Christian Jennings and Ken Jennings Industry: Real Estate Employees in Ottawa: 25 Number of Stat Holidays: 10 Medical Benefits Absorbed: Comprehensive employer-supported medical coverage Dental Benefits Absorbed: Comprehensive employer-supported dental coverage Vision Benefits Absorbed: Employer-funded vision care coverage Retirement Plans: Group RRSP with employer matching contributions that increase based on employee tenure Remote Work: Office-based collaborative work environment Workplace Fitness: On-site fitness and shower facilities, along with secure bicycle storage, make it easier for employees to incorporate wellness and active commuting into their daily routines. Professional Development: JRE supports continuous learning and professional growth by providing financial assistance for successfully completed job-related education and development opportunities. This includes post-secondary courses, real estate development programs, professional designations and certifications, technical training, industry-specific systems training, skills development, and continuing education.
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Jennings building value through collaboration and solutions Jennings Real Estate Corporation (JRE) began with two brothers, an idea and a shared ambition to build a great real estate company. What started as an entrepreneurial vision has grown into a team of more than 25 people, with active development projects and a portfolio of more than one million square feet under management across Ottawa and Halifax. That growth has been guided by four core values: understanding the value of reputation, always improving, being solution-oriented, and doing the right thing. These principles shape how JRE approaches its properties, partnerships, and people. At JRE, employees are encouraged to contribute ideas, take initiative, and find better ways of doing things. Direct access to leadership and collaboration across different areas of the business gives team members opportunities to learn beyond their individual roles and see the impact of their work. Working together from JRE’s downtown Ottawa office helps ideas move quickly, challenges get solved collaboratively, and relationships develop naturally. That connection extends beyond day-to-day responsibilities. Monthly team lunches provide time to celebrate milestones and achievements, while employeedriven Lunch & Learn sessions encourage new ideas, perspectives and continuous development. Throughout the year, the team comes together for sporting events, summer outings, industry gatherings, charity initiatives and site tours of JRE properties and projects. Always improving also means investing in people. JRE supports job-related education, professional designations, specialized training, and continuing development. Employees are encouraged to expand their knowledge, embrace new technology, and look for better solutions, while professional judgment and personal accountability remain central to the company’s approach. JRE also recognizes that a rewarding career extends beyond the work itself. Comprehensive benefits, retirement savings matching that increases with tenure, flexible schedules and respect for personal time reflect the company’s commitment to supporting its people and recognizing their contributions. As JRE continues to grow, the entrepreneurial spirit that started the company remains. Employees have the opportunity to contribute to a growing organization, take on new challenges, and build meaningful careers alongside colleagues who care about doing great work. For JRE, building a great company means protecting the reputation earned through every interaction, continually improving, finding solutions, and doing the right thing.
“Employees are empowered to grow, find solutions, do what’s right and take pride in their work. ” OBJ360 CONTENT MARKETING | BEST PLACES TO WORK 2026
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Top left: David Gaylord, CEO/Cofounder (left), and Tim Burns, COO/Cofounder (right), address the team at Bushbalm’s new office ceremony. Top right, left to right: Tim Burns, COO/Cofounder; Erica Emery, Senior Sales Manager; Kiana Buzza, Senior Brand Marketing Manager – Professionals; and David Gaylord, CEO/Cofounder, at Bushbalm’s 2025 Pro Summit. Bottom: Bushbalm’s team at the annual summer get-together.
84 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
BUSHBALM SKINCARE 2934 Baseline Road, Suite 302, Ottawa, Ontario, K2H 1B2 www.bushbalm.com
OVERVIEW Executive Leadership: Tim Burns - COO/Cofounder David Gaylord - CEO/Cofounder Industry: Beauty & Personal Care Employees in Ottawa: 51 Vacation allowance for new employees: 15 days Number of Stat Holidays: 11 Other Days: 10 personal days Medical Benefits Absorbed: 80% Dental Benefits Absorbed: 80% Vision Benefits Absorbed: 80% Remote Work: 50% Parental Leave: Maternity & paternity leave top-up program offered Workplace Fitness: Fitness program reimbursement through the Life Style Spending Account. Our Ottawa office also features an on-site gym, available at no cost to all employees who work from the office. Professional Development: Internal mentoring and funded professional development opportunities.
“We create effective, resultsdriven products that help people feel confident in their skin.”
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How Bushbalm grounds its e-commerce expansion in personal connection Scaling an e-commerce brand past its early momentum takes more than speed, it takes infrastructure that can hold steady as the business grows. For Bushbalm, working out of Ottawa, the real challenge has been keeping a distributed team connected to home base. With half the team remote, leadership invests directly in closing that distance: every remote employee flies to Ottawa twice a year for multi-day gatherings, while Toronto staff have opportunities to meet at a coworking space and enjoy outings like baseball games. For the co-founders, this isn’t optional, it’s core to how the company runs. Inside the Ottawa headquarters, the day-to-day leans on simple rituals like Bagel Days, casual social hours rather than over-engineered corporate programs. Recognition happens in the open: promotions are shared company-wide and celebrated at weekly town halls, and peer recognition moves through public channels rather than staying buried in personnel files. Personal milestones get the same visibility. Birthdays and work anniversaries spark company-wide messages, weddings are marked with registry gifts, and new parents receive flowers and gifts at home - all within a workplace that welcomes employees’ pets. Operationally, the team tracks output without leaning on mandatory overtime, and employees are encouraged to fully disconnect on vacation. That same philosophy extends to a full shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s, with staff paid in full. Illness and personal leave are kept in separate banks, so an unexpected life event never eats into vacation time. Feedback flows to senior leadership through an annual review cycle that shapes policy and training, and career growth leans heavily on internal mentorship, giving employees direct exposure to logistics, marketing, and retail. The business is currently navigating a period of significant local expansion, with the leadership group actively deploying capital to scale its Ottawa-based workforce and opening new positions to handle its growing retail footprint. Yet even as the company scales, it maintains a strong local focus by product donations that roll out to charitable groups across the city. Ultimately, the startup that began as a niche idea has transformed into a permanent fixture on the local corporate map, a reality reflected every day as the Baseline Road office continues to fill with new hires.
BEST PRACTICES TO EMULATE
Ottawa business owners managing distributed teams should look closely at the value of fully funded, bi-annual summits to close the distance remote work creates. Rather than relying on digital check-ins alone, Bushbalm flies every remote employee to headquarters twice a year for several days of alignment and connection. It turns digital colleagues into real workplace peers and closes the communication gaps that slow remote teams down. Dedicated co-working passes and local outings keep satellite staff just as connected — a clear investment that pays off in retention.
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TOP PHOTO: Knak Company-Wide Onsite in Ottawa September 2025 BOTTOM PHOTO: Knak Company-Wide Celebration Trip to Mexico March 2026
86 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
KNAK 2 Gurdwara Road, Suite 200, Ottawa, Ontario, K2E 1A2 www.knak.com stephanie.leblanc@knak.com
OVERVIEW Executive Leadership: Stephanie Leblanc, VP of Employee and Customer Success Industry: Technology Employees in Ottawa: 122 Vacation allowance for new employees: 15 days Number of Stat Holidays: 10 Other Days: 7 Life Leave days, 1 paid volunteer day, year-end holiday shutdown Medical Benefits Absorbed: 100% Employer Dental Benefits Absorbed: 100% Employer Vision Benefits Absorbed: 100% Employer Retirement Plans: None Remote Work: 50% Workplace Fitness: Ping-pong tournaments, HOPE Volleyball, weekly group walk cohorts, Golf and Ski days. Professional Development: Structured career development, dedicated learning budget for courses and conferences, leadership development and mentoring, professional membership coverage, funded book club and company-funded AI learning initiatives.
“High performance is possible when people feel trusted, challenged, supported and genuinely get to bring their ideas to life.”
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How AI fuels innovation at Knak For many organizations, AI conversations begin and end with productivity. At Knak, efficiency is the starting point, not the destination. The company is embracing AI to eliminate repetitive work and accelerate execution, but the real opportunity lies in what comes next: creating more capacity for innovation, better customer experiences and more meaningful work. Rather than asking, “How can AI help people do more?” Knak is increasingly asking, “What becomes possible when AI gives people time back?” That shift in thinking is influencing everything from hiring and leadership development to how success is measured. As AI takes on more routine tasks, the company is raising the bar on the skills that matter most: critical thinking, sound judgment, creativity, communication and curiosity. These are the capabilities that amplify AI, not compete with it. Learning is no longer viewed as something that happens a few times a year. It’s becoming part of the job. Employees are expected to experiment, challenge existing ways of working and continuously develop new skills because the pace of technology demands it. This philosophy extends beyond AI. Knak believes great employee experiences and great customer experiences are deeply connected. Teams that are empowered to learn, make decisions and solve meaningful problems are better equipped to help customers do the same. For a company built on innovation, investing in people is as important as investing in technology. Culture, however, isn’t defined by perks. It’s built through everyday leadership decisions: creating transparency, encouraging healthy debate, recognizing great work and giving people ownership to solve problems. Those behaviours create an environment where ideas can come from anywhere and where continuous improvement becomes part of the operating rhythm. The celebrations are simply an extension of that culture. Company onsites, peer recognition and milestone experiences strengthen relationships, but they’re successful because they’re built on a foundation of trust, accountability and shared ambition. As AI reshapes the future of work, Knak believes the companies that will lead won’t necessarily be those with access to the best technology. They’ll be the ones that build organizations capable of learning faster, adapting quicker and turning newfound efficiency into innovation. Because in the age of AI, competitive advantage won’t come from the tools alone. It will come from what people choose to do with them.
BEST PRACTICES TO EMULATE
Listen continuously and act visibly. Knak gathers employee feedback through regular eNPS and employee experience surveys, using the insights to identify opportunities before they become larger challenges. Leadership shares action plans, communicates progress transparently and adjusts priorities based on what employees are saying. Rather than treating feedback as a periodic exercise, the company has embedded continuous listening and continuous improvement into how it operates.
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THE LIST HR CONSULTING FIRMS (RANKEDBYNUMBEROFLOCALEMPLOYEES)
Company/Address Phone/Fax/Web
No. of local employees
No. of contract staff
No. of CHRP/ CHRL/CHRE certified staff
No. of Canadian offices/Year founded
Key local executive(s)
Major clients and sectors
10 1945
Cory Skinner, Partner, Office Leader; Genevieve Lemieux, Partner
Public Sector, Crown Corporations, Private Sector, Not-for-Profit
Group health/wellness benefits, pension/ retirement savings/ investments, total rewards/ compensation design, pay equity.
5 1995
Jim Harmon; Michael Naufal, Managing Partners
Organizations including technology companies, public sector institutions, social impact entities and industry leaders.
Senior-level executive/ board search,leadership/ board advisory services, and interim management.
Ottawa Network for Education Pearl Morissette Ottawa Salus Corporation
Regulatory compliance, HR policy, onboarding and offboarding, compensation/ organization reviews, payroll, benefits, staff engagement.
Government, education, healthcare, not-for-profits, financial, technology
TalentMap is Canada’s Employee Listening Experts.
Services offered
1
Mercer (Canada) Limited 550-55 Metcalfe St., Ottawa, ON K1P 6L5 613-230-9348 mercer.ca
2
Boyden 300-979 Bank St., Ottawa, ON K2P 0C2 613-742-3220 boyden.ca
3
Business Sherpa Group (virtual HQ) Ottawa, ON K4A 5B6 1-866-702-1190 businesssherpagroup.com
22
25
6
0 2008
Margo Crawford, Founder & Chair; Todd Luckasavitch, CEO
4
TalentMap 1000 Innovation Dr., Suite 500 Kanata, ON K2K 3E7 888-641-1113 talentmap.com
20
2
0
3 1999
Sean Fitzpatrick, President & CEO
5
Stratford Group | Stratford Intellectual Property 100-350 Legget Dr., Kanata, ON K2K 2W7 613-868-4514 stratford.group
7 2008
Jordan Pynn, President, Stratford Intellectual Various organizations Property; across Canada and Myriam Davidson, the US VP, Stratford Intellectual Property
Virtual IP Department Services, Internal & External IP Audits, Portfolio Impact Assessment, and proactive IP strategy, protection, and management.
6
TAP 201-110 Didsbury Rd., Ottawa, ON K2T 0C2 613-222-2499 tapstrategyandhr.com
1 2006
Bruce Weippert, CHRE,President TAP Strategy; Terri Harrison, President TAP Institute
Government; healthcare; notfor-profit; tech; community and social services; associations; construction.
End-to-end HR services, HR program development, leadership coaching, organizational review/ design.
7
iHR Advisory Services F2-130 Terence Matthews Cr., Ottawa, ON K2M 0J1 613-686-6364 ihradvisoryservices.ca
1 2016
Karen Brownrigg, Founder and CEO
CHBA; Child and Nature Alliance of Canada; Drug Free Kids Canada; Carleton University; uOttawa
HR Audits, employment contracts, HR policies, job descriptions, salary scales,compensation program design, organizational design.
7
Right Management Canada Inc 201-1565 Carling Ave., Ottawa, ON K1Z 8R1 1-800-237-4448 right.com
WND
Outplacement; career transition; career development; talent management services including assessment.
9
AFA Groupe Conseil inc. / AFA Consulting Group Inc. 151 Slater St., Suite 500 Ottawa, ON K1P 5H9 613-230-7023 groupeafa.ca
WND
Coaching and developing talent; assessment of potential and selection; career management and transition; organizational health.
45
26
15
10
5
5
4
88 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
0
3
7
6
3
20
4
0
3
15
10
3
20
1
10 1980
3 1985
RJ Dhillon, Senior Account Director
Jean-François Denis, President
Getting your business where you want to be is our mission. That means we’re ready to work with you to ensure your company gets up and running or to the next level quickly. Plus, we’re home to a lower cost of doing business, efficient infrastructure and a top-tier talent pipeline to help keep you growing for years to come. Sure, this sounds like a dream, but it’s not. This is Iowa. Minding your Business. Learn more about us at businessiowa.com.
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When AI gets it wrong, is your business responsible? As AI becomes more integrated into day-to-day business, Emond Harnden LLP says employers must navigate the legal, ethical and operational risks that come with its use
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hen an Air Canada chatbot gave a customer incorrect information about the airline’s bereavement fare policy, the airline learned an important lesson about AI: Businesses may be held responsible when the technology they deploy gets it wrong. The customer relied on the chatbot’s advice, purchased his ticket and later discovered the information was inaccurate. Air Canada argued it shouldn’t be liable for the chatbot’s mistake, but the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal disagreed and ordered the airline to compensate the customer. “The fact that something is well-written and sounds factual doesn’t mean the information is accurate,” says Jordon White, a labour and employment lawyer with Emond Harnden LLP. “As organizations continue to use AI to draft emails to clients, respond to customer complaints, or assist with human resources matters, we’re going to see more liability issues emerge.” For employers, the lesson is clear: AI may be a powerful workplace tool, but responsibility still rests with the people and organizations using it.
allegations that may have been generated or shaped by AI. AI also raises significant privacy concerns. Consider an AI agent designed to transcribe conversations between doctors and their patients. If the doctor tasks the agent with sending out summaries to patients, the agent can act autonomously with no safeguards as to the accuracy of the summaries or even that the summaries are going to the right people.
AI IS RESHAPING WORKPLACE DISPUTES AND PRIVACY RISKS
THREE PRACTICAL STEPS FOR MANAGING AI IN THE WORKPLACE
The risks extend to internal workplace disputes. White says lawyers are increasingly encountering employees using AI to help prepare complaints, grievances and legal documents. “We are seeing more self-represented individuals using AI to obtain legal information, ask questions about workplace disputes and draft responses to their employers,” he says. For employers, this can create additional work and complexity when responding to
“It’s critical that employers understand the tools they’re using.”
JORDON WHITE, A LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LAWYER WITH EMOND HARNDEN LLP
White recommends three practical steps for businesses adopting AI. “First and foremost, I would recommend that employers establish clear expectations about how AI should and should not be used for their specific organization,” says White. Second, businesses need to stay informed about legislative developments. “Ontario, for example, introduced new requirements under amendments to the
Employment Standards Act, 2000 that took effect on Jan. 1 and require employers to disclose the use of AI in certain hiring processes,” White adds. Third, employers need to understand the privacy and data security risks associated with AI. “It’s critical that employers understand the tools they’re using, how they work and whether confidential information entered into them remains private,” says White. Employers should expect the regulatory landscape to continue evolving. For organizations in federally regulated sectors, staying informed will be critical as the rules around AI continue to develop. For a deeper look into AI in the workplace, you can watch the OBJ webinar: Navigating AI in the Canadian Employment Landscape: Risks, Responsibilities, and Best Practices with Jordon White of Emond Harnden LLP.
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uOttawa Engineering faculty puts out call for feedback to Ottawa tech firms
Faculty of Engineering aims to fill gaps required by employers in a fast-paced, always-changing technology and engineering environment
T
he University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering wants to hear from Ottawa businesses, entrepreneurs, and innovators. That’s because, as emerging technologies continue to reshape the workplace, the faculty is increasingly working with industry to help identify the graduate skills that matter most for employers. To that end, it recently released a twominute anonymous survey for National Capital Region employers. The survey’s answers will inform the faculty’s ongoing modernization of its programs, explains Vice-Dean of Programs Andrew Sowinski. “This feedback will help us strengthen uOttawa Engineering programs, and ensure graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills employers need,” adds Sowinski. While Sowinski says the Faculty of
Engineering is constantly engaged with industry and is always evolving its programs, it’s hoping to put that modernization into overdrive by putting out a direct call for broad industry feedback.
AN ONGOING MODERNIZATION, WITH SUPPORT FROM INDUSTRY
Sowinski says the faculty’s ongoing evolution has included a shift to different modes of course delivery, support for generative AI tools, and the addition of selected topics in engineering courses – such as technology entrepreneurship – designed for flexibility. But he says the importance of continued modernization grows practically by the day as the pace of technological change increases. “Everything’s moving so fast,” he acknowledges, adding that the faculty’s Kanata North campus is its main vehicle
for industry collaboration and feedback. The Kanata North campus helps facilitate industry partnerships through its strategic location in Canada’s largest technology park. Other collaborations often arise from personal relationships between professors and members of the business community. The faculty regularly pairs students with industry partners on co-op placements and internships, helping them develop relevant industry skills through experiential learning and preparing them to solve realworld problems. It also requires students to complete in-depth, fourth-year capstone projects solving real-world engineering problems for clients, along with special projects such as the twice-yearly Design Day. Local innovators are also invited to regularly drop in as guest lecturers to help draw connections for students between classroom theory and reality on the ground. This last bit is important for students to see that their coursework has real-world implications, Sowinski says. “It’s not just a siloed course,” he explains. “It shows the students that everything’s connected.”
BALANCING ENGINEERING THEORY WITH REAL-WORLD INDUSTRY NEEDS
Sowinsky says the faculty plans to increase the frequency of its industry engagements, so they’re “a little bit more systematic,” along with increasing its emphasis on the development of professional skills along with technical know-how. “The outcome of that,” he adds, “would be that our students will be better prepared once they graduate.” The faculty’s industry survey is one such step in that direction. It asks respondents to identify the skills most important to their organization, from technical expertise to leadership and problem-solving. “This survey is a feedback tool, but it’s also a road map,” Sowinski says. “Every response helps us sharpen our programs so our students graduate ready to lead in the industries shaping our future.”
Ottawa-based organizations can access the survey by scanning this QR code
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Court of Appeal addresses broken law surrounding termination clauses How a few problematic words in an Ontario employment contract turned a two-week severance into a $150,000 payout
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hen the Township of Ignace in northern Ontario terminated an employee 15 months into what was supposed to be a 38-month contract, its termination clause was thought to limit the payout in accordance with the Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA). Instead, an Ontario court ruled it unenforceable, ordering the township to pay the remaining 23 months of the contract. The final bill: over $150,000 more than the employer expected, plus interest and legal costs. Other organizations have been hit with similar surprises, explains Karin Pagé, a partner at Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall LLP with expertise in employment law.
HOW THE WORDS ‘AT ANY TIME’ CAUSED SO MUCH HAVOC
Pagé says the law surrounding employment contracts was relatively stable before 2020 when the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA) upheld the Waksdale decision, which found that language which purports to allow a termination without notice for just cause is in breach of the minimum standards set in the ESA. In that decision, ONCA further confirmed that any violation of employment standards legislation by part of a termination clause voids the entire clause, entitling the employee to common-law reasonable notice. That’s a big deal for employers, because while the maximum ESA entitlement is a combined 34 weeks after 26 years of service, common-law notice can be several months, even exceeding 24 months in exceptional circumstances.
Because of this large gap, employers use contractual termination clauses to limit their exposure to these potentially higher payouts. Following Waksdale, most employers removed “for cause” language from their agreements. However, in Dufault v. Ignace (Township), the court found a termination clause unenforceable both for retaining “for cause” language and for giving the employer discretion to terminate “at any time” without cause – wording that could violate the ESA’s prohibition on terminating employees for taking protected leave or exercising statutory rights. Many courts have subsequently found the words “at any time” overreach, making the termination clause null and void. But not all courts agree: • One group of rulings said using “at any time” – when especially paired with language giving the employer sole discretion – oversteps what the law allows. • Another group said the phrase itself isn’t automatically fatal, and that it depends on how the rest of the contract is written.
UNCERTAINTY RESOLVED BY COURT OF APPEAL On Aug. 6, 2026, ONCA provided muchneeded clarity, finding the words “at any time” and “for any reason” will not automatically invalidate a termination clause where all indicators suggest the employer intended to comply with the ESA. Courts must not strain to find ambiguity
where none exists. By inserting the words “at any time” or “for any reason”, ONCA held the parties did not intend or understand that the employer would be entitled to terminate the employee in circumstances prohibited by statute.
WHAT EMPLOYERS SHOULD DO NOW
Pagé recommends that employers remain vigilant and ensure they have valid employment agreements in place. “Employment agreements are definitely worth having in place” for both current and new employees, she explains. “But they should be reviewed to determine what their exposure might be.” This article does not constitute legal advice. Readers should contact Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall for advice regarding specific employment law matters.
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CHEO Charity Classic drives home more than $320k for kids’ health
The Royal Ottawa Golf Club hosted a sun-soaked day of golf and giving, part of the event’s three-year push to raise $1 million
O
n one of the most beautiful days of the summer and in one of the National Capital Region’s most stunning venues, the business community came out for a day of golfing, philanthropy and networking, raising more than $322,000 for CHEO. The 2026 CHEO Charity Classic,
presented by RBC, was hosted by The Royal Ottawa Golf Club on July 6, part of the club’s three-year commitment in support of Ottawa’s pediatric health and research centre. “The Royal Ottawa Golf Club has a long history of charitable support,” said Gregory Richardson, general manager of The Royal
Ottawa Golf Club. “Partnering with CHEO has been a rewarding experience and one that our members are pleased to support.”
‘CHAMPIONS FOR CHILDREN’
“Looking around this room, I see community builders, business leaders, philanthropists, and above all, champions
for children,” said Steve Read, president and CEO of CHEO Foundation, at the event’s reception and auction. He told attendees that they were part of a historic transformation for the children, youth and families CHEO serves across Ontario, western Quebec, and Nunavut. “The health challenges facing children and youth today are very different from those CHEO was built to address over half a century ago,” Read explained. “We’re seeing unprecedented demand for mental health services, increasing medical complexity, and growing pressure on families.” To meet those challenges, the Kids These Days campaign is raising $220 million in support of pediatric health care, including care for children with complex needs, new tools for children with rare diseases, coordinated mental health services, and modernized emergency care and surgery.
A COMMUNITY HUB FOCUSED ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH
“I look at CHEO as a community hub,” said Ryan Kelahear of Melicaa Management Consulting, a member of the Kids These Days campaign cabinet. “An event like this brings together so many people across so many industries to once again remind
ABOUT CHEO Every year, CHEO has more than: o 750,000 patient visits o 6,700 admissions o 7,700 surgeries o 75,000 visits to the Emergency Department o 180,000 visits to outpatient clinics In August 2024, CHEO Foundation launched its biggest fundraising campaign yet – Kids These Days
people how important children are in our community.” Eight-year-old Jordan brought the house down with his request for applause for all the work his mom does to make sure he gets the best care. At CHEO, he said, “the doctors are really nice, Zedd the clown is really funny, and also people are just really kind.” Karl Quinn, vice-president at RBC, added: “RBC is really proud to stand alongside CHEO in their mission to transform pediatric care for the children and youth they serve today and for generations to come.” Excitement is building to achieve the event’s three-year mission to raise $1 million for the Kids These Days campaign. “It’s remarkable to see business leaders all out for such an excellent cause,” said J.D. Lees of Lees & Wood Wealth Management at BMO Nesbitt Burns, member of The Royal Ottawa Golf Club, and member of the event’s organizing committee. “It was a magical day. Not a cloud in the sky.”
OBJ360 SPONSORED CONTENT
Bronson.AI: turning data chaos into AI-driven insight and automation Canada’s premier AI consulting firm is growing at the fastest rate in its history
L
ong before AI became a buzzword, Bronson.AI was helping Canadian organizations make sense of their data. Founded in 1991 and now headquartered on Carling Avenue, the Ottawa-based AI and data consultancy helps Canadian organizations with work that matters: moving from raw, scattered data to decisions that change how businesses operate. Led by President Martin McGarry and an executive team of Daniel Mixture (vicepresident data strategy and governance), Glendon Hass (director, data, AI and automation), and Stephen Fleming (vicepresident, corporate affairs), Bronson.AI has built one of Canada’s deepest data and AI practices – a track record spanning the National Arts Centre, Ottawa Police Service, Farm Boy, and national airport authorities.
MORE THAN 1,000 PROJECTS WORTH OF EXPERIENCE OVER 35 YEARS
With 35 years and more than 1,000 projects worth of experience, Bronson. AI has led clients through every major technology shift: from the early days of relational databases, to the cloud era and, now, the rise of generative and agentic AI.
That foundation shapes how it engages with clients: by meeting them where they are in their journey. As a member of the Anthropic Claude Partner Network and an Enterprise Data Management (EDM) Council Data Management Capability Assessment Model (DCAM) Authorized Partner, the firm sits at the intersection of transformative AI capability and rigorous data governance – a rarity in a boutique practice. Clients get senior practitioners across the full engagement lifecycle, from AI strategy through delivery and long-term operation, with a consistent team throughout that ensures continuity of knowledge and accountability at every stage.
TRUE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF TECHNOLOGY EXPERTISE
Bronson.AI’s distinction rests on two foundations: breadth and depth. The firm’s work spans sectors as varied as construction, transportation, legal services and public agencies. Recent client work reflects that breadth: • Rohl Global: AI transformation to help the company modernize how it captures and uses corporate and operational construction data. • Aviation Data Exchange: Gathering
requirements for a Canada-wide airport data exchange to support how airspace information moves between national agencies, airports and airlines. • Truth & Reconciliation Commission: Litigation support for the TRC, building data workflows and applying data analysis at the scale of significant legal proceedings. • National Research Council: AI metamodel development, foundational work shaping Canada’s AI research ecosystem. This breadth of expertise and project experience sharpens the team’s thinking, as patterns from one sector routinely unlock solutions in another. It also extends to how the firm handles client data: Bronson.AI has completed a SOC 2 audit, an independent examination
TOP: L-R: Vice-President of Corporate Affairs Stephen Flemings, President Martin McGarry, and Business Analyst Sarah Vickers discussing strategy and client work. RIGHT: L-R: President Martin McGarry and Director of AI and Automation Glendon Hass attending the 13th Annual Summit for Health Data Analytics in Toronto, sponsored by Bronson.AI. of controls across all aspects of security, and is SOC 2 Type II certified. This globally recognized certification ensures Bronson.AI’s safeguards are not just well designed but consistently effective in practice.
BEER & ANALYTICS AT LANSDOWNE PARK
This fall, Bronson will host Beer & Analytics on October 20, 2026, at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park. A staple of the Ottawa networking scene since 2018, it’s an evening built to cut through the jargon. Modern analytics and AI from sharp speakers in one room, and a local craft beer in hand. Worth the calendar hold.
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BEST OFFICES OTTAWA
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WELCOME Places Matter. The workplace has always been more than four walls and a collection of desks. It is where ideas are sparked, relationships are built, cultures are strengthened, and innovation comes to life. While the way we work continues to evolve, one truth remains constant: great places inspire great people. This year’s edition of Best Offices Ottawa celebrates organizations that understand the strategic value of the workplace. The best offices are now defined by thoughtfully designed environments that support collaboration, individual focus, well-being, flexibility, and the unique culture of the organizations they serve. Inside these pages, you’ll discover some of the National Capital Region’s most inspiring work environments. From adaptive reuse projects to innovative headquarters and collaborative hubs, these workplaces demonstrate that exceptional design brings people together and inspires them to do their best work. As the proud sponsor of Best Offices Ottawa 2026, Burovision is honoured to celebrate the organizations that continue to raise the bar for workplace excellence. For 35 years, we have had the privilege of helping organizations across Ottawa create progressive work environments that inspire people, strengthen culture, and support business success. We are proud to serve as a trusted guide, partnering with our clients to navigate the changing world of work and transform their vision into spaces where people and organizations thrive. Because the best workplaces don’t just support great companies, they help create them. Gillian Oxley-Harper
PRESIDENT, BUROVISION OTTAWA
MARANT
CIRA
BUROVISION
Integrated design and commanding views
A hybrid workplace for a new era of work
A workplace that brings people together
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Integrated design and commanding views The new Fasken offices boast commanding views of Parliament Hill while also serving all of the client’s needs in terms of employee comfort and client confidentiality. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON
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ARANT Construction Ltd. takes pride in its ability to deliver professional service spaces, so its latest project at 55 Metcalfe St., an office tower that stands at the corner of Queen Street and boasts a commanding spectacular view of Parliament Hill’s Peace Tower, is an especially new feather in the company’s cap. The offices represent a strategic move by Fasken, Canada’s largest law firm, from the building’s 13th floor in favour of the 16th. A key feature of the project is its early evolution to a construction management contract (CM) model that emphasized collaboration on the part of MARANT, along with important partners such
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as [in]tempo design, a local interior design firm; GWAL Engineering; Falkbuilt, which provided a demountable partitions and an operable wave wall vendor; Skyfold, who produced the suites’ vertical operable partition; and BDA, for developing the specialty and design-critical lighting package. “This was originally to be a traditional tendered project, however the client’s unique project challenges opened the opportunity for MARANT to consult early and suggest a more forward-thinking CM model,” says Heidi Pershick, MARANT’s project manager on the file. “With very tight timelines, it was helpful to consider other contract models that would benefit the requirements of the client (Fasken).”
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“With a CM, it’s a more integrated approach where we’re supporting the client, designer, and consultants with developing budgets and suggesting constructability strategies on how to piece things together as the design is being developed,” says Matthew DiCinto, MARANT’s regional director of operations. “We prefer this approach because it allows us to have more involvement up front. We become a consultant partner and we really specialize in being at the table early, enabling early procurement and navigating a tight schedule. They trusted us to do that.” The model allowed all parties to be at the table as decisions are made. Fasken’s project leads were also heavily involved, which ensured the client was consulted at every step and pleased with the final product. Sustainable lighting solutions that incorporated the impressive natural light from existing large windows was an important design requirement and a key aspect of the project. “There’s interesting lighting in some of the public areas, with dropdown, floating circular lights, and lots
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of indirect lighting that’s not shining directly down on people, rendering a natural sunlight effect,” DiCinto says. The views of Parliament Hill are some of the best in the city, so the design was crafted to exploit those as much as possible. “There was a lot of effort to maintain those views in the design. The boardrooms, for example, have doublepaned glass for sound attenuation because of the sensitive nature of the business, but you still have beautiful views of Parliament Hill,” Pershick says. The design exposed a unique change to traditional legal settings; offices are moved to the interior with large glazed office fronts for lawyers. Paralegals, meanwhile, work in an open concept space that surrounds the floor’s perimeter, enabling all staff to benefit from natural light and expansive views. Fasken, [in]tempo and MARANT all believe in sustainability and reuse so they made sure to re-use or donate what was salvageable from the demolition of the old office space. “Some of it was donated to Operation Come Home — instead of going to a landfill, it was donated to charity for their
future re-use,” Pershick says. “We also re-used some of the existing cabinetry that was already there from previous tenants, reworking and refreshing with new veneers to support sustainability goals.” Because Fasken hosts regular events, there’s a polished café-bar off the reception area that doubles as a space for bar service. “When the elevator doors open, you’re greeted by a beautifully executed reception area,” Pershick says. “ It’s a true showpiece because of its unique millwork, integrated finishes and custom elements, which are home to reception, the café and flexible assembly areas.” “This tier one space in Ottawa aligns with our tier one clients and practice. Our clients and our people regularly tell us how much they love the new space and enjoy coming into the office. We couldn’t be happier with the new space,” says Karen Sargeant, Fasken’s Managing Partner, Ontario. The collaboration was such a success that the client is considering future projects with MARANT, a testament to the firm’s overarching mission of earning trust and building partnerships.
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A hybrid workplace for a new era of work Employee feedback helped shape CIRA’s new Ottawa headquarters into a collaborative hybrid office where “people genuinely want to be.” PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN BELANGER
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W
ith its lease up for renegotiation and major redevelopment planned at Lansdowne Park, CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, decided it was time to hit refresh on its Ottawa headquarters with a move to Westboro that would avoid years of construction while placing the office just steps from a future light-rail station. A fixture in Ottawa’s technology community since 2000, the member-based not-for-profit viewed the relocation not as a logistical challenge, but as an opportunity to create a modern hybrid workplace built around the way people work today. “Every decision we made served a purpose: to support collaboration, improve the employee experience, celebrate CIRA’s role as the steward of .CA, Canada’s internet domain, and create an environment where our people genuinely want to be,” says Byron Holland, president and CEO of CIRA. To ensure every design element balanced aesthetics with functionality, Holland and his team worked closely with local design firm 4Té Inc., to transform its two-floor space on McCrae Avenue into a physical expression of the way CIRA works. “From the outset, the goal was to create a workplace that reflects who CIRA is today while giving the space the flexibility to evolve with the organization over time,” says Chantal Boyer-Casey, principal designer at 4Té Inc. From meeting spaces and technology to the acoustics, flexible layouts and Canadian-inspired touches, every detail was intentionally designed to support a collaboration-first approach to hybrid work.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON
“A lot has changed in the past five years, including employee expectations,” says Holland. “We took careful steps to create the kind of space people want to come into—not because they’re told to, but because it helps them do their best work.” These steps included asking its 140 employees what design elements and features were most important to them. When staff expressed concerns that open environments could be loud, the organization responded by adding plenty of meeting rooms of various sizes and incorporating sound-absorbing wall treatments and acoustic lighting that help reduce noise throughout the office. “Our approach centred on thoughtfully reimagining the existing space — preserving what worked, minimizing demolition and waste, and reshaping the environment to better support the organization’s evolving needs. The result is a space that seamlessly integrates sustainability, performance and identity into an experience that feels authentic, enduring and welcoming,” Boyer-Casey adds. Located in a LEED Silver-certified building, the environmentally sustainable space also features an expansive boardroom with movable walls, a large café and kitchen, flexible workspaces, quiet focus zones and a wellness room. With employees expected to spend three days a week in the building, ensuring a seamless experience for both in-office and remote staff was a key design priority — one made possible by integrated, enterprise-grade video-conferencing technology. When employees, partners and community organizations enter the new office, they’ll also notice subtle nods to Canada, from red accents and warm wood finishes to lighting inspired by flying geese, reinforcing CIRA’s role as the powerhouse behind every .CA internet domain. In true Canadian fashion, there’s even a large outdoor patio, where CIRA plans to bring employees together for a summer barbecue before the end of the season. “We had a strong vision for the space,” says Holland. “Something modern, clean aesthetic, but with warmth and a Canadiana feel because we’re about as maple syrup and Canadian bacon as you can get.”
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A workplace that brings people together Burovision helped Bellai Alliance Construction build a workspace that not only transformed a building, but also the experience of the people who use it every day. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK HOLLERON
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hen Bellai Alliance Construction set out to relocate its administrative offices, the objective extended far beyond moving into a larger building. The company envisioned a workplace that would strengthen collaboration, support its growing team and reflect the craftsmanship that has defined its business for decades. Through a competitive tender process, Burovision was selected as Bellai Alliance Construction’s furniture solutions partner because it was recognized for delivering the strongest combination of value, innovation, professionalism, and responsive service.
TRANSFORMING AN EXISTING SPACE Located at 1261 Saint-Joseph Blvd. in Gatineau, Québec, the project involved converting a former automobile dealership into approximately 18,000 square feet of modern office space. The single-story facility also included a finished basement that was transformed into a dedicated training room, creating a workplace designed to support both dayto-day operations and long-term growth. The relocation also allowed Bellai Alliance Construction to repurpose it’s previous administrative building to expand its production operations — creating efficiencies across the organization while investing in a workplace that better supports its employees. A SPACE THAT REFLECTS THE BRAND As a leading concrete contractor, Bellai Alliance Construction wanted its new office to reflect its identity and expertise. Polished concrete floors create a clean, industrial aesthetic, while a custom graffiti mural by local artist Martin Freundorfer tells the company’s story and celebrates its history. Together, these design elements create an environment that feels authentic to the Bellai brand. The completed workplace features a variety of settings that support different ways of working, including
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private offices, workstations, conference rooms, collaborative spaces, and individual focus areas, providing employees with flexibility throughout the workday. A PARTNERSHIP BUILT ON TRUST From the outset, Burovision worked closely with Bellai Alliance Construction and the broader project team, including DMA Construction and ODESIGN & Co., to deliver furniture solutions that met the customer’s vision and functional requirements. Reflecting on the experience, Bellai Alliance Construction shared: “From start to finish, the level of service was outstanding,” says Judy-Ann Lamarche, officer manager and financial controller at Bellai Construction. “Throughout the entire year-long project, Scott LeClair, creative director at Burovision, and Heather Pivnick, sales and design co-ordinator at Burovision, were invaluable partners, consistently providing support, expertise and guidance that contributed significantly to the project’s success.” The customer also noted that selecting Burovision through the competitive tender process was a decision the company “never once regretted,” citing the professionalism, responsiveness, and quality of both the products and the team’s service.
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BRINGING PEOPLE BACK TOGETHER Perhaps the greatest success of the project has been its impact on Bellai Alliance Construction’s people. Previously, employees were spread across several buildings, limiting opportunities for collaboration and daily interaction. The new workplace has united the administrative team under one roof, creating natural opportunities for connection and teamwork. A spacious kitchen has become a gathering place where employees eat lunch together, while thoughtfully designed collaboration spaces encourage spontaneous conversations and cross-functional teamwork. These new habits have helped restore the sense of community that was challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond improving the day-to-day employee experience, Bellai Alliance Construction believes the investment will strengthen employee retention and help attract future talent as the company continues to grow. CREATING WORKPLACES THAT SUPPORT GROWTH At Burovision, every project begins with understanding how people work and what an organization hopes to achieve through its space. Bellai Alliance Construction’s new office demonstrates how thoughtful workplace planning, quality furnishings, and a collaborative project partnership can transform not only a building, but the experience of the people who use it every day. The result is more than a new office, it’s a workplace designed to support collaboration, strengthen culture, and position Bellai Alliance Construction for continued success.
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THE LIST COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGN FIRMS (RANKED BY NUMBER OF ARIDO REGISTERED DESIGNERS)
Company/Address Phone/Fax/Web
1
LWG Architectural Interiors Inc. 211-2141 Thurston Dr., Ottawa, ON K1G 6C9 613-739-3699 / 613-739-3965 lwg-ai.com
2
4Té inc. 377 Dalhousie St., Suite 301 Ottawa, ON K1N 9N8 613-232-4499 4te.ca
3
Parallel 45 Design Group Ltd. 240-700 Industrial Ave., Ottawa, ON K1G 0Y9 613-738-7600 / 613-738-9425 parallel45.ca
4
Architecture49 150 Isabella St., Suite 1000 Ottawa, ON K1S 1V7 613-238-0440 architecture49.com
4
NORR Architects & Engineers Limited 55 Murray St., Suite 600 Ottawa, ON K1N 5M3 613-241-5300 norr.com
6
HOK Inc. 150 Slater St., 7th flr Ottawa, ON K1A 1K3 613-683-1807 hok.com
7
Atkinson Schroeter Design Group 410 Laurier Ave. W., Suite 110 Ottawa, ON K1R 1B7 613-563-3797 asdginteriors.com
8
NEUF architect(e)s 10 Rideau St., 4th flr Ottawa, ON K1N 9J1 613-234-2274 / 613-234-7453 NEUF.ca
8
Provencher_Roy 410-47 Clarence St., Ottawa, ON K1N 9K1 613-686-6339 provencherroy.ca
No. of local ARIDO designated employees
15
9
8
6
6
5
4
3
3
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No. of local support staff
Major clients and projects
Products and services
Bryan Wiens; David Gibbons, Principals
Confidential
Specializes in commercial interiors with a focus on workplace design/sustainability. Project visioning, spaceplanning, concept design, furniture design/specifications, design development, construction drawings and specifications, construction administration.
1
Chantal Boyer-Casey; Emily Chamberlain; Tzoofit Hammer, Principals
PWGSC, BGIS, City of Ottawa, NAVCanada, CDA, Dentons,TCU Dev, Ellis Don, Minto, PCL, Colonnade, Homestead, Taggart, CIRA,CIMA, Smart & Biggar, Welch, Crown, BMT, Gerik; Architects: CLV,DSAI, Hobin,KWC,RLA
Full commercial interior fit-up including programming and planning. Specialties include change management-Prosci, furniture strategies, GoC Workplace/ABW, REVIT, BCIN, WELL, LEED.
2
Liz Miller; Sarah Oakley; Robin Peixoto, Principals
WND
Full corporate/ commercial office design, retirement community, specialty & medical/ dental, optometry programming and facility space planning; design development; permit and construction documentation; BCIN, LEED ID+C, WELL accredited professionals.
105
Tanya Irvine, Principal Interiors
Government of Canada, PSPC, National Defence, Sobeys, Global Affairs Canada, Metrolinx, Ottawa Police Services, WSP
Commercial Interior Design services including; functional programming, concept planning and renderings through to creating tender ready construction packages. Building sustainable, WELL and LEED certified projects for local and national clientele.
40
Patricia Costa, Studio Manager_Architecture; Jonathan Hughes OAA, Chief Operating Officer; Tobias Fellows OAA, Principal; Peter Croft OAA, Director, Operations
PSPC, Global Affairs, BGIS, Bank of Canada, JLL, Rogers, WSIP, Canadian Blood Services, Ellis Don, Bird Construction, City of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Carleton University, Algonquin College, Canada Post Corporation
Functional programming and master planning for institutional and commercial projects; feasibility studies; furniture, fittings and equipment; design and procurement; building information modeling.
6
William Mitchell, Principal-in-Charge; Paul Harrison, Design Principal; Caitlin Turner, Director of Interiors
N/A
Interior design, feasibility studies, programming, space planning, schematic design, concept design, contract documents, contract administration, consulting.
1
Sonja A. Schroeter, Principal
City of Ottawa, CREA, Merkburn Holdings, Colliers, PSAC, KRP, Apollo, GWLRA, Epic, Groupe MACH
Functional programming, space planning, design concept, renderings, construction documents, furniture procurement, project and move management.
28
Frank Puentes, Partner Architect; Evelyne Cardinal, Ottawa Office Director
National Defence Ministry + Cadillac Fairview; KRP properties; SINA; Claridge Homes; DCC; Dream; Great West Life Realty Advisors; Groupe Lépine; Perley Health; Brigil; Canada Post; Regional Group
National Defence Buildings, Institutional buildings and offices, Residential units, Affordable and Student Housing, Retirement homes and hotels, Industrial and commercial spaces, Sustainability + Leed + Carbon Zero Certifications
Anna Westlund, Partner
High-tech and professional offices, embassies, lobby repositioning and basebuilding work, non-profits, hotels and restaurants, multi-family residential
Commercial interiors studio focused on innovative office design. Visioning and workplace strategy/programming, full design services from test-fits to concept, drawings, permit and construction administration, furniture. LEED/ WELL certification.
3
47
Key local executive(s)
"When you give back, you’re putting a smile on that person's face. It is just worth a million dollars to me."
Sonia Emuan PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
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MAKING AN IMPACT
Sonia Emuan
The best foot forward By Marissa Galko
Why did you choose to do this work?
N
When I came to this country, I had so much help. I've always thought that when I have the opportunity to dive in and give back to the community, I would. In Ottawa, we help each other. We are like each other's keepers. So that being said, the Ottawa community has guided me to give back. I just feel this is my only way to give back, especially with the elderly. They’ve worked their whole lives and so this is the time for us to reciprocate help for them. For example, the other day, I went to my client's house. She was referred to me by the Champlain Hospice Palliative Care Program. When I got there, she said, ‘I'm embarrassed to take my socks off.’ I said, ‘Don't worry, I've seen it all. I'm a foot-care nurse.’ When she took her sock off, you could tell that she hadn't been cared for for a long time. She gave a little story about how she neglected herself for the past six years. When I finished, I did it with compassion, dignity and respect. She was so emotional. She started crying and I gave her a big hug. She brought out her purse and I said, ‘You know what, today is your lucky day. It’ll be free of charge.’ I told her to book three more sessions with me and they would also be free of charge. So that is my little way of giving back to the community.
early two decades ago, Sonia Emuan came to Canada from Nigeria to become a registered nurse. She would go on to specialize in foot care, diabetes care and gerontology. In 2017, she opened Sonia Foot Care. In the years since, she has helped more than 5,000 people improve their mobility and live pain-free. But Emuan’s community impact doesn’t stop there. In an effort to give back, she’s partnered with numerous organizations, including the Glebe Abbotsford Seniors Centre, Sonshine Families, Wabano Centre and Old Forge Resource Centre, to give subsidized or free treatments to those in need. Her philanthropic spirit was recognized with the 2026 Business Achievement Award from the Global Community Alliance in February. OBJ spoke with Emuan about what inspires her. The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
How has this work affected you? When you give back, you’re putting a smile on that person's face. It is just worth a million dollars to me. I am deeply touched by all of the people I’ve helped, such as the woman the other day. I still picture her over and over, with the smile that she had and the tears of joy. That has really impacted me. It’s encouraged me to do more, to give back more, as much as I am capable.
What has it taught you about the Ottawa community? Ottawa is like a huge community. It’s one that if you drop something, before you know it, somebody is ready to pick it up for you. In Ottawa, we are stronger together. It's a huge community that everyone is always ready to help. So being in that environment makes you want to give back as well. Ottawa has taught me that helping is the least you can do for anybody.
What has been your favourite experience? During COVID, clients would book appointments and they’d be waiting at the door to see me walk to their home, because most of them were very lonely. So going to clients’ homes and having conversations with them, it meant the whole world to them and to me.
What are your other favourite charities in the city? The Community Cancer Hub plays a big role in the community.
Who has inspired you to continue doing this work? Working in long-term care homes, I have seen how people struggle with their feet and that was the reason why I went into the foot-care business. I have strong people behind me, like my friend Liz Smith, who has always been my rock. The support of my family, my parents and my siblings, my friends in Ottawa, such as Mildred Ababio, who is my backbone.
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THE LIST COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGERS LIST (RANKED BY SIZE OF LOCAL COMMERCIAL PORTFOLIO)
Company/Address Phone/Fax/Web
Size of local commercial portfolio (in sq. ft).
No. of commercial properties managed locally
No. of local employees
Key local executive(s) Year established locally
Notable properties managed
1
Colonnade BridgePort 200-16 Concourse Gate Ottawa, ON K2E 7S8 613-225-8118 / 613-225-3898 colonnadebridgeport.ca
7,000,000
80
120
Brent Arseneau, Vice President, Leasing; Brandon Malleck, Vice President,Strategic Operations and Sustainability; Ron Matheson, Senior Vice President, Real Estate Management Dow's Lake Court Place; Vincent Services; Kelly Rhodenizer, Senior Vice Massey National Capital Business President, Development; Kyle Larkman, CFO/ Park Andrew Blair, Managing Partner; Ian Boake, Executive Vice President; Hugh Gorman, CEO 1985
2
Morguard Investments Limited, Brokerage 402-350 Sparks St. Ottawa, ON K1R 7S8 613-237-6373 / 613-237-0007 morguard.com
4,236,000
28
50
Michael Swan, Assistant Vice President property management and leasing 1967
150 Elgin St., Ottawa; 155 Queen St., Ottawa; St. Laurent Shopping Centre, Ottawa
3
District Realty 20 James St., Suite 100 Ottawa, ON K2P 0T6 613-759-8383 / 613-759-8448 districtrealty.com
3,466,338
59
71
Ken Halef, Chief Operating Officer; Jason Shinder, CEO; Michael Morin, Senior Property Manager 1987
The Train Yards; Innes Crossing; Klondike Crossing Retail Plaza; The Harmony Health Centre; The City Centre Complex
4
KRP Properties 300-555 Tower B Legget Dr. Kanata, ON K2K 2X3 613-591-0594 krpproperties.com
3,000,000
30
60
Todd Beech Mr, Vice President Leasing; Terry Young Mr, President 1986
303 Terry Fox; 555 Legget Dr.; 350 Legget Dr.
5
The Regional Group 1737 Woodward Dr. Ottawa, ON K2C 0P9 613-230-2100 regionalgroup.com
2,121,373
34
83
Sender Gordon, President and CEO 1958
Qualicum Centre; Churchill Office Park; Carling Business Centre; Ottawa Citizen Building
6
Arnon Corp. and Arnon Development Corp. Ltd 1801 Woodward Dr. Ottawa, ON K2C 0R3 613-226-2000 / 613-225-0391 arnon.ca
87
Dan Gray, President; Gilad Vered, CEO 1960
2 & 100 Constellation Dr.; 180 Elgin St.; 60 Queen St.; 56 Sparks St.; 560 Rochester St.; 785 Carling Ave.; 1600 Star Top Rd.; 1630 Star Top Rd.
7
Metcalfe Realty Company Limited 210-130 Albert St. Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4 613-563-4442 metcalfe.ca
1,600,000
21
50
Jen Arbuckle , President; Mike Shore , Vice-President Leasing; Wayne Hutchings, Vice President 1949
75,85,116,130 Albert St.; 123 & 151 Slater St.; 150 Isabella St.; 2650, 2680, 2700 Queensview Dr.; 700 Industrial Ave.; Beaconhill Shopping Centre; 1926 Merivale Rd.
8
Richcraft Properties Ltd. 2280 St. Laurent Blvd., Suite 105 Ottawa, ON K1G 4K1 613-739-5777 / 613-739-7102 richcraft.com
1,500,000
24
9
Michael Ivanich, Director of property management 1983
2370 Walkley Rd.
9
Taggart Realty Management 708-225 Metcalfe St. Ottawa, ON K2P 1P9 613-234-7000 / 613-235-8910 taggart.ca
1,378,751
23
50
Julie Taggart Jeff Parkes, Co-Presidents 1991
Blue Heron Mall; 1500 Bank St.; Signature Centre; 499 Terry Fox Dr.; Kenson Building; 225 Metcalfe St.
10
Merkburn Holdings Limited 2191 Thurston Dr., Unit 4 Ottawa, ON K1G6C9 613-224-5464 merkburn.com
12
Matthew Schultz, General Manager Kevin Rougeau, Managing Partner 1969
1547 Merivale Rd.; 4037 Carling Ave.; 62 Steacie Dr.; 308 Legget Dr.; 383 Parkdale Ave.; 436 Hazeldean Rd.; 1827 Woodward Ave.; 1701 Woodward Ave.; 88, 93 & 95 Hines
2,075,000
1,002,203
118 OTTAWA BUSINESS JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2026
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$5,200,000
Overlooking Dow’s Lake Call Us to Find Your Dream
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Reba Wilson, Broker of Record & Realtor® and Marilyn Wilson, Realtor® | 613.842.5000 DreamProperties® is a registered trademark across Canada.