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Why Ottawa needs more focus on talent
The best part of operating a business is working with good people. Product, pricing and process might be key, but it’s the people who bring everything together.
Here’s the problem. Being an employer is tough and getting tougher. This post-pandemic world has most employers feeling overwhelmed with HR-related issues: figuring out hybrid work, boosting employee engagement, dealing with inflationary wage pressures, and harnessing AI. (Let’s not forget, these challenges added to existing ones, such as managing multi-generational and diverse workforces and talent.)
BEST PLACES TO WORK
In partnership with the Ottawa Board of Trade, OBJ wants to help. Our research clearly indicates that talent issues are among the biggest barriers to growth. Hands down, bar none.
Each year, OBJ runs a program called Best Places to Work. Organizations register, complete questionnaires and launch employee engagement surveys. Every August, OBJ and the board of trade unveil the recipients. This year’s top 20 came out of more than 2,500 responses.
The Best Places to Work recipients, profiled in this issue, are an inspiration. From an HR perspective, they’re getting a lot of things right.
OBJ wants to do more than an annual competition to acknowledge the best employers.
ONE DAY DEVOTED TO TALENT
I think that talent management can be a strategic differentiator for this region. We have one of the largest post-secondary student populations in Canada, enrolled in top-notch
educational institutions. Plus, the National Capital Region is a magnet for foreign talent, especially in the tech sector.
OBJ is calling on employers to devote an entire day to talent. This is the vision behind Best Places to Work Employer Summit, scheduled for Oct. 17 at the Shaw Centre.
OBJ is planning a day chock full of learning opportunities. It begins with an awards brunch and keynote from well-known HR commentator Linda Duxbury. It continues with free sessions throughout the afternoon. It concludes with DisruptHR, featuring presentations in a TED-talk format. Here is the point of all this.
Yes, the workplace has been disrupted. However, there are also new ideas and strategies to help organizations cope, even excel. If we come together as employers, we can achieve real progress and gain recognition as the best employment destination in Canada.
Check out the details at www. bestplacestoworkexpo.ca.
P.S. OBJ hasn’t forgotten about recruitment. Best Places to Work also includes a career expo. Thousands of students, grads and mid-career job-seekers are expected to attend. Organizations can exhibit to get faceto-face with candidates.
Michael Curran Publisher
It’s all about flexibility in the new world of work
The pandemic certainly provided no end of human resources issues to discuss. And HR continues to be a fascinating topic even a few years out from COVID, as we see how the world of work continues to be reshaped. It’s a large part of what has made our annual Best Places to Work program, presented by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade, such interesting reading.
The big theme that emerged for me this year was flexibility, largely around where employees want to work — at home or in the office — but also around the types of benefits and perks being offered. Of course, hybrid work was not born out of the pandemic, but it was certainly expedited by it. Since 2020, our eyes have been opened to all the pros and cons that it represents. Companies are still struggling to find the perfect balance. Many seem to have landed on flexibility as a solution; basically, trusting employees to figure out for themselves what works best for their particular circumstances, as long as the work gets done. Like a Goldilocks thing; not all one way or all the other, but somewhere in the middle.
The other thing around flexibility that jumped out at me from this year’s 20 Best Places to Work was how it is being framed as a way to attract and grow a more diverse workforce. This makes perfect sense, given we’re not all the same and therefore sometimes need different setups or approaches or allowances. It also came through loud and clear how flexibility is key to attracting the gen Z worker (and younger generations) who likely expect work accommodation tailored to their personal circumstance as a given, not a perk.
I read recently that the 9-5 job will go the way of the horse and buggy by 2034. That didn’t surprise me in the least (will it take that long?). And it’s a bit of a relief, really, if I think back on the thousands of days I slogged back and forth from some office. Can we not work smarter? Can we not work better? Don’t we have the technology that’s supposed to enable us to do that? Yes, yes, yes! (And how about that four-day work week thing?) It’s all about productivity.
I also found it refreshing to see that quasi public-sector workplaces in our top 20 are offering much of the same flexibility as their private-sector counterparts. This is key, in my view, if we want a diverse public-sector workforce that is an employer of choice for younger generations. We shortchange and diminish our civil servants at our own peril.
Of course, flexibility within a specific workforce or organization is one thing. But as we’ve seen in Ottawa, these new patterns of work have far wider implications: for our downtown core, for neighbourhoods throughout and beyond the city, for transit, for businesses, and for the very fabric of our society. I wish I had the answer or the crystal ball. But they do say change is the only constant. And flexibility will be part of the solution.
Anne Howland Editor in Chief
OCTOBER 4
Think you know music? Here’s a chance to test that knowledge. Local charity Proud To Be Me is organizing a music trivia night at Sala San Marco this October. Tables of 10 are available. Bring your work colleagues for a rocking good time. Visit www.ptbm.ca for details.
OCTOBER 24
You’ve heard of OBJ’s Forty Under 40? Here comes the 21 Under 21 Youth Awards. This first-time event is organized by Youth Ottawa to recognize and celebrate young people. Rebranded from the Spirit of the Capital Awards, the event honours 21 local youth aged 14-21 years who have made a significant contribution to their local or global community. These youth have demonstrated initiative, enthusiasm and leadership. Visit www.youthottawa.ca for details.
NOVEMBER 6
Ottawans are known for their charitable giving. Here is an event that celebrates that characteristic. The Philanthropy Awards bring together businesses, organizations, professional fundraisers and philanthropists who are “leading the way and making a difference in our city.” This is the event’s 30th anniversary and will feature compelling stories that celebrate the heart and soul of philanthropy across our region. Visit www.afpottawa.ca for details.
OCTOBER 17
In an era of unprecedented workplace transformation, is your organization ready to become an employer of choice in your industry? If not, your future could be in jeopardy. Join OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade for the inaugural Best Places to Work Employer Summit, a one-day experience designed to provide business owners, managers and HR professionals with the insights and strategies needed to create a thriving workplace. The event has an “unconference” format, meaning attendees can attend for the entire day or pick and choose sessions. The day will conclude with DisruptHR Ottawa. The event also includes a career expo featuring 75 of the region’s best employers. Visit www.bestplacestoworkexpo.ca.
NOVEMBER 29
Make sure to circle this date on your calendar. The Best Ottawa Business Awards, better known as the BOBs, are a high point of the fall social season. Organized by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade, this event features the best of the best, including longstanding awards such as CEO of the Year, CFO of the Year, the Lifetime Achievement Award and Newsmaker of the Year Award. Visit www.bestottawabusiness.ca for nominations and gala information.
Nightlife commish Mathieu Grondin shares nine things he’s learned about building a nightlife economy
BY MIA JENSEN mia@obj.ca
Mathieu Grondin, Ottawa’s first nightlife commissioner, says he’s feeling optimistic about the future.
Prior to his move to Ottawa, Grondin was the founder and director general of MTL 24/24, a non-profit organization that has advocated for improved nightlife in Montreal since 2017. During that time, Grondin helped establish a night council and launched the global nighttime governance forum MTL au Sommet de la nuit. In his new role in Ottawa, he’ll be bringing that knowledge and experience to the capital to execute the city’s Nightlife Economy Action Plan, which was approved by city council in May 2023. The plan seeks to address economic opportunities and challenges to nightlife through a series of 10 recommendations and actions that support the development and delivery of nightlife infrastructure, amenities and experiences.
OBJ spoke with Grondin this summer to understand what he learned while working in Montreal, as well the challenges Ottawa might face, and what makes a successful nightlife community. This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
THREE THINGS LEARNED IN MONTREAL ABOUT BOLSTERING NIGHTLIFE
Consultation with community stakeholders: “You need to consult with the community, the people who make the heart of nightlife beat in the city. Consultation is very important and this was something we did in Montreal. A good part of this has already been done in Ottawa in the last two years by the economic
THREE OBSTACLES TO IMPROVING NIGHTLIFE
Red tape: “I’ve never heard a business owner say the opposite. There’s red tape, especially when it comes to nightlife and culture and entertainment and everything related to alcohol in every city in North America. It’s painful. I think the action plan that was voted on by city council last year identified red tape as an obstacle and right now the bylaw services are undertaking a review of bylaws. I’m sitting down with them next month to see what that means for nightlife. Red tape is a big obstacle everyone can agree on.”
America. You will see that in Europe, but it hasn’t made its way here yet. So trying to devise a program that fits the needs of the night, I think, is something that can be an obstacle to the development of nightlife.”
THREE HALLMARKS OF A THRIVING NIGHTLIFE COMMUNITY
development and cultural services. There’s a lot of work that’s already gone on.”
Political engagement from local officials: “Something we may have lacked in Montreal, which is not the case here in Ottawa, is the level of political engagement. We have an action plan that’s been voted on by city council and a mayor who is dedicated to promoting and developing nightlife. I attended Escapade Festival with Mayor Sutcliffe and it was the first time in 14 years that the festival welcomed the mayor at their event. I think it just shows the level of commitment he has to this issue.”
Interdepartmental cooperation: “I like the metaphor of the city being an engine. You need to be able to put your hands in the engine and fix the different parts of it that might not be working well. And for that you’re going to need a lot of cooperation from the different departments and services inside the city. Interdepartmental cooperation, I think, is essential to make sure that we can develop nightlife.”
Lack of protective measures: “For a long time, nightlife was seen by cities as either not really interesting or, at worst, as a nuisance. Cities are changing rapidly and we need protective measures to be able to protect the uses that are already in place. Since the pandemic, cities all over the world want more livable downtowns and they are going to bring in a lot of residents and it’s going to be great and create more foot traffic for businesses. But you might also create cohabitation problems with the existing uses for nightlife. If you have a framework to protect existing uses, if you have people moving in, they don’t expect the neighbourhood to change just to fit their own needs. One good thing that we’ve seen from the City of Ottawa is the implementation of a change principle in the ByWard Market, for instance. That’s a very interesting measure to try and protect it. It’s not a perfect measure, but it’s a good first step to protect those uses.”
Funding: “It’s always the same for everyone. You need to be able to provide funding. There are different partners; could be the tourism association, could be the BIAs, could be the city. But, as you know, there’s no funding dedicated to nightlife. It’s very tough to find here in North
A vibrant local scene: “A key indicator for me is vibrancy. How busy is a street at night? When I look at strong nightlife cities like Berlin or Amsterdam or Paris or London, they usually have a strong local city. This is what makes them stand apart. We need to empower these smaller local initiatives and make them grow so people outside of your city will come. It’s something unique that they can only experience in your city. It’s nice to have Taylor Swift coming over every four years, but when she’s gone, she’s gone. That doesn’t make your city stand apart from the others. What makes your city stand apart is your local scene.”
Empowered small businesses: “Small businesses with strong identities that have a strong profile and are offering something that is very local that you cannot find anywhere else. People love to find these local mom-and-pop shops or young entrepreneurs coming up with new ideas and products. That’s something that’s more interesting than seeing, for instance, big chains that you will see everywhere else.”
Dialogue and understanding: “I think you need good framework conditions. You need a good dialogue and understanding between the different partners involved in this plan to bolster nightlife: political, administration, and civil society. That’s why cities, especially in Europe, are appointing positions like mine right now, to try and make this happen, to create this dialogue and make sure everybody is on the same page.”
Mathieu Grondin
Grocery chain Sobeys eyes plan for seven-building project in Orléans
BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
Grocery giant Sobeys is spearheading a mixed-use development that would see up to seven buildings constructed on a prime parcel of land near a future LRT station in Orléans.
A zoning bylaw amendment application prepared by Fotenn Planning and Design says the proposal calls for seven buildings ranging from seven to 18 storeys at 1887 St. Joseph Blvd. between Youville Drive and Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard.
The document lists the applicant as SDLP 1887 Orleans Limited. City officials told OBJ that Sobeys is behind the plan, saying the company has retained Fotenn and Figurr Architects Collective to develop concepts “to accommodate multiple residential and mixed-use buildings, which align with the vision outlined in the (Orléans Corridor) Secondary Plan.”
The grocery chain “is looking for others to develop the site and may choose to retain a stake in the project or sell it entirely once the zoning is approved,” John Sevigny, the city’s manager of development review for the east branch, said in an email.
Sobeys did not respond to requests for comment from OBJ.
The 5.7-acre property is located about half a kilometre south of the Jeanne d’Arc transit station that is currently under construction as part of phase two of the Confederation LRT line. It is now home to a building containing a pharmacy and several health-care facilities, as well as a surface parking lot.
Current zoning bylaws limit building heights at the site to 13 and 19 metres. Sobeys wants the height limit raised to 56 metres to accommodate a pair of proposed 18-storey towers on the northwest and southwest portions of the property.
Boulevard would be “vibrant mixeduse” highrises with six-storey podiums featuring commercial and retail space on the ground floor, the application says.
It does not indicate whether a food store would be among the proposed commercial uses.
The remaining buildings, which would be seven or nine storeys, “are proposed to be residential and are oriented with the greatest heights to the north, near the future LRT station, and to the south, fronting onto St. Joseph Boulevard,” the application adds.
It doesn’t specify whether the units would be rentals or condos, saying only “the unit mix and layout will be further refined at the site plan control phase.”
An underground parking lot would include 495 spaces for residents and 95 for visitors, while about a dozen surface parking spots would be set aside for commercial and retail users.
The application says that if the rezoning application is approved, it would represent “one of the first opportunities for redevelopment” in the area around Youville Drive south of the future Jeanne d’Arc LRT station.
The site is part of territory that has been earmarked for intensification under the Orléans Corridor Secondary Plan. The secondary plan aims to promote higher-density mixed-use development within 800 metres, or about a 10-minute walk, of transit stations from Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard to Trim Road.
The current proposal fits the guidelines of the secondary plan and meets the plan’s “long-term vision for a mixeduse residential neighbourhood with opportunities for active and public transportation, high-quality urban public realm, commercial enterprises, and office spaces,” the document prepared by Fotenn says.
The buildings facing St. Joseph
A public road would connect St. Joseph Boulevard to Youville Drive. The proposal also includes two private roads — one running north and south to provide access to parking garages along the eastern entrance, and the other an east-west connection to nearby Marenger Street that would be designed to “encourage lowspeed local traffic rather than (act) as a cutthrough to the existing low-rise residential neighbourhood to the east.”
Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas, who represents the area, said much of the feedback she’s heard from constituents about the proposal so far has been positive.
“This proposal brings density, but its chosen location allows that density to still respect the makeup of the existing surrounding neighbourhood,” Dudas said in an email to OBJ. “It proposes a new community with walkable amenities, in line with what the City, and what residents, want to see more of in Ottawa.”
The plan is the latest in a flood of recent development applications that could significantly change the face of Orléans.
Toronto-based developer Bayview Group, for example, has applied to build a trio of mixed-use highrises a couple of kilometres west of the proposed hotel near the Orléans Town Centre. That project would include more than 1,100 residential units along with retail and office space.
OTTAWA AT NIGHT
Coffee by day, cocktails by night: Three Ottawa cafes and how they’re adding to the nighttime buzz
BY MIA JENSEN mia@obj.ca
Ottawa’s Oat Couture built its reputation as a popular breakfast spot, best known for its selection of sweet and savoury oatmeal dishes. But in 2019, owner Brian Montgomery decided it was time to go beyond breakfast and lunch and target the evening crowd for the first time.
The cafe, located at 1154 Bank St. in Old Ottawa South, would no longer close to customers in the early evening. Instead, the space would transform into a swanky nighttime destination called the Montgomery Scotch Lounge.
“We changed the whole environment,” Montgomery told OBJ. “We put our staff in different uniforms, we dimmed the lights, we changed the music. We found a woman to do custom leather seating to go on top of our chairs so it would be a more comfortable experience. We wanted people to stay.”
For most coffee shops, the day typically ends in the early evening, just as neighbouring bars and restaurants come to life. But some local cafes like Oat Couture are experimenting with ways to reach the nighttime crowd and keep their doors open later.
That’s what Montgomery wanted when Oat Couture introduced the Montgomery Scotch Lounge.
“We wanted to extend the day,” Montgomery said. “We really felt that what’s super important, and I will stress this, is that you have to make it seem like you’re in a nighttime experience. If you make it seem like it’s a daytime cafe just now you’re serving food, in my view, it’s disingenuous. We’re in the business of delivering experiences.”
Since then, the Montgomery Scotch Lounge has moved to Gladstone Avenue alongside a second Oat Couture cafe. For Montgomery, the move opened up an opportunity to once again try something new at the original Bank Street location.
“We were still kicking people out at five o’clock and closing the doors,” he said.
“Given what the offerings were in that neighbourhood, we really felt there was an opportunity for us at nighttime.”
In April, he launched Night Oat, another endeavour that flips the space in the evening, this time serving small plates and cocktails as well as local beer and a curated selection of wines.
“We call it an evening cafe, because it’s not a bar,” he said. “It’s for those people who are just going out or just coming home,” he said. “It’s that sort of happy hour crowd.”
In addition to drawing in more customers and additional revenue, Montgomery said it’s a positive change for employees. With the current cost of living, he said many of his younger staff have been looking for ways to work more
hours, something the evening cafe allows them to do.
This month, Night Oat will launch its permanent menu, which Montgomery said has a lot of Spanish influence. Once that happens, he said the brand will double down on marketing to drive traffic.
“We’re doing this every night and, you know, we’re taking a hit, for sure. The traffic isn’t there yet, but it will be. We’ll stick with it,” he said. “(The community) loves that we’re back. They love that we have another offering where they can come in and have a drink with a friend, or if your sister or brother is in town and you want to go for a drink away from the kids. We’ve had a great response.”
He added that all three of the brands he’s created — Oat Couture, Night Oat and the Montgomery Scotch Lounge — offer something different, allowing him to broaden his clientele.
“We really think we have three different distinct brands and you can visit all three brands in one day,” he said. “We’re moving with our clientele.”
AN ANCIENT BUSINESS MODEL
For some local cafes, keeping the doors open late into the evening has been part of the business model from the very beginning.
When Wise Town Cafe opened at 329A Elgin St. last year, it advertised itself from the get-go as a cozy coffee spot by day and a charming cocktail bar by night. From Sunday to Thursday, the shop is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and stays open even later to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate weekend night owls. Both versions of the cafe have seen success drawing in crowds.
“I think it goes to show how different the two scenes are,” said events manager Carrie Blair. “During the day you see so many laptops and at night there’s none at all. You’ll have a few students trying to cram their essay that’s due at midnight, but besides that, it’s a lot of first dates, cocktails — it’s really cute.”
For the most part, Blair said the cafe, which includes an outdoor patio in the summertime, remains unchanged from day to night. But to set the mood and transition into the evenings, the lights are dimmed, something she said makes it feel “almost like two different places.”
From a logistical perspective, Blair said running a cocktail bar isn’t much different from running a cafe. Wise Town sells alcohol throughout the day and staff are all Smart Serve certified and trained as both baristas and bartenders.
“At the end of the day, I feel like it’s all making drinks and serving people,” she said. “If you’re good at both those jobs, then yeah. As long as you’re a morning person and a night person. That might be the hardest part.”
Wise Town is the brainchild of Duffy Merza. Merza said the idea for an all-day cafe is inspired by the lifestyle of ancient
Night Oat is a new concept from Ottawa’s Oat Couture. PHOTO BY MIA JENSEN
Bablyonians, who tended to work from early in the morning to late at night but took frequent short breaks throughout the day to eat and drink at nearby community hubs.
“In all these mini breaks, they go to what we call today a cafe,” he said. “It had a different name and I can’t claim to say the name because no one can know what the voices sounded like at the time. This place we call a cafe delivered coffee at the time. Everyone was going there. They were exchanging experiences about their work, stories, jokes and drinking beer. But it wasn’t about the drinking or the food. It was about the relationships, the communication. They knew each other from that place. They were spending time and making friends at that place.”
He opened his first Babylonianinspired cafe in Dubai with the goal of providing that kind of experience. Later, he immigrated to Canada with his family and last year decided to do the same thing in Ottawa with Wise Town.
For Merza, local is a priority. From the curated selection of local wines, the pastries and macarons and the imported but locally roasted coffee beans, Merza said he went out of his way to make sure everything in the shop was locally made or sourced where possible, including building materials and furniture.
“I’m very Canadian. I love this country and I respect it,” he said. “And I love this city, this vibe of Ottawa. I have twin kids who are 10 years old and I asked them, ‘What do you think we should name a business, a cafe, started here?’ With all the government, this country from coast to coast to coast, (is) all managed from this city. And they said, ‘Oh my God. She is a wise town.’ They came up with that name.”
On Elgin Street in Ottawa’s original downtown, Wise Town is well situated to draw in the late-night crowds. According to Blair, the area is one of the liveliest parts of the city on a Friday night.
“There’s so many nighttime Ottawa staples on this street,” she said. “There’s just a bunch of great bars that have so much Ottawa history on the street and that’s very beneficial. To the community, to us, people are always walking by and to the downtown area. It just brings more life to it.”
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO STAY OPEN
While evening hours work for some cafes, most local shops continue to close early. Happy Goat Coffee Company, which has more than a dozen shops and
kiosks across the city, starts brewing in the morning and locks the doors at most locations between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
According to owner Henry Assad, it isn’t always easy to stay open later, especially for a growing chain like his.
“As far as after five o’clock, we’ve been trying that for a long time and to be honest it didn’t always work out,” he said. “I think it’s a cultural thing. It’s not really subjective to the cafes. In Canada in general, not just Ottawa, we go to a cafe to have coffee and quick bites. I think we’re stuck culturally. In our head, we can’t go there and have a glass of wine or baked goods.”
But that doesn’t mean Happy Goat isn’t getting creative.
For one, the company is looking for ways to expand its event offering, something it used to do a lot more of. Locations opened up their spaces for private events like parties and corporate get-togethers, and hosted their own evening fare, like open mics and
the difference in the evenings is already noticeable in those locations.
“It’s funny, but having an owner-operator actually taking care of their own location and their events and so on proved to be successful,” said Assad. “We can see a little bit of an increase in activities after five o’clock in our cafes and that’s really encouraging.”
Hosting more events or even extending hours later into the evening could be a potential revenue driver for the company, according to Assad. Several of its locations are on highly visible streets like Bank and Elgin, but that visibility comes with a high price tag when it comes to rent. He hopes franchising and increasing activity could subsidize some of the rental costs.
“Of course, we don’t turn our cafes into clubs, but it’s a matter of just making sure that we add a little bit of revenue to the cafe,” he said. “It does help paying the rent, paying labour. The main reason for us is actually to help in the payment of the overheads. It takes money, but the main reason is to make sure we are doing it optimally and in a friendly way.”
CULTURE SHIFTING AROUND NIGHTLIFE LOCALLY
In Ottawa, conversations about how to breathe life into the local nightlife scene have been rife in recent months. Just last month, the city hired its first nightlife commissioner to lead the charge on implementing a multiyear revitalization planned to make the capital a more exciting nighttime destination.
small-scale concerts.
“In our original location on Laurel Street, we’ve always had events,” said Assad. “We’ve been liquor licensed almost from the get go. We did a lot before COVID hit. For a good five years, we probably did two events a week. It was always active.”
Assad said the pandemic disrupted demand, slowing the company’s event offerings and spreading out bookings. But the other challenge has been the company’s own expansion, with multiple new locations popping up around the city over the past several years.
“When we started expanding, we spread ourselves a little thin when it came to managing all the different events in different locations,” he said.
But that may be starting to change. Happy Goat has started franchising its locations, said Assad, with the goal for almost all its shops to have their own owner-operators in the next few years. It’s a process that’s already started and
Oat Couture’s Montgomery said he’s eager to see what happens in the next few years.
“With Ottawa, the nightlife is there,” he said. “The businesses are providing it. They’re taking the risk. They’ve spent the money, hired the employees and created all these incredible spots. Maybe the nightlife commissioner can highlight these places and shed some light on them.”
Montgomery added that there’s only so much local government can do. Instead, he’d like to see the community do its part and take the time to find the city’s hidden gems, including the unique offerings cafes are putting on at night.
“There’s lots of things to do in Ottawa,” he said. “We would not be having these discussions in other cities in North America. People do go out a lot. It’s a cultural shift. I would say, go out more. There’s amazing places to go. While your own backyard might be fantastic, there’s all sorts of reasons already to go out.”
Wise Town on Elgin Street draws in the late-night crowds. PHOTO BY MIA JENSEN
CEO OF THE YEAR
‘Quietly competitive’: Andrew Waitman pilots Assent to ‘centaur’ status
BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
Ten years ago this month, Andrew Waitman was at a career crossroads.
The veteran venture capitalist and tech executive had just left IT and data analytics firm Pythian after a five-and-a-half year stint as CEO and was looking for a new challenge.
Waitman, a self-confessed “workaholic,” had a couple of potential irons in the fire.
One was commercializing an idea for an app that connected customers with professionals such as plumbers. Then there was the possibility of joining the executive team at electronic product development firm Fidus Systems, where his longtime friend Mike Wakim was chief executive.
In the end, however, Waitman found his next calling in the most unlikely of places — the boxing ring.
Waitman was among the business leaders who took part in the Fight for the Cure, a charity boxing event that raised money for the Ottawa Cancer Foundation.
As it happened, he trained with the event’s co-founder, Matt Whitteker, a young entrepreneur whose company helped manufacturers ensure that materials such as gold, tin and tungsten used in many electronics were ethically sourced and complied with regulations governing environmental, social and other factors.
Intrigued by the small firm then known as Assent Compliance, Waitman moved into an office at the company’s headquarters. In September 2014, he agreed to become CEO of the organization, which had about 25 employees and annual revenues that barely cracked the seven-figure mark.
A decade later, the firm now known simply as Assent helps some of the world’s largest manufacturers ensure their suppliers are complying with an ever-growing list of government laws and regulations on everything from human rights to health and safety standards.
Fuelled by hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital, Assent employs in excess of 1,000 people and has seen its annual recurring revenues more than double in the past three years.
But Waitman, who earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1987 and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario’s Ivey Business School in 1992, is hardly satisfied.
In June, Assent announced it had officially achieved the coveted “centaur” status, hitting US$100 million in annual recurring revenues. But even as the company crossed a threshold that Waitman had been relentlessly pursuing for years, he was already plotting how to lead Assent to US$200 million in ARR and beyond.
Today, the man who returned to his hometown in 1996 to work for the legendary Terry Matthews as managing director of Celtic House Venture Partners is a celebrated tech leader and much soughtafter mentor and investor in his own right.
For all those accomplishments and many more, Waitman is the 2024 recipient of the CEO of the Year Award from OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade. OBJ’s David Sali
recently sat down with Waitman to discuss his career. Here is an edited transcript of their conversation.
What was it about the opportunity at Assent that really grabbed your attention and why did you decide to take the leap at that point?
I was boxing with Matt every Wednesday and Matt heard that I was leaving (Pythian). I said, ‘Well, I could use an office.’ He was like, ‘Sure, we’ll give you an office.’ And I said, ‘In return, if I can be helpful to you, I will.’ In the end, I was impressed with (co-founder) John (Hughes’) and Matt’s energy and enthusiasm. Conflict minerals were really starting to get traction (after the U.S. Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010 requiring public companies in the U.S. to disclose their use of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold). Matt was the quintessential entrepreneur and John was the quintessential salesman. And both of those (qualities) I resonate with. They were getting customers that didn’t make sense to me for a startup that had raised no outside money — I’m talking about brand-name, big companies. I was like, how
are they doing this? That curiosity drew me in. I’m a guy who wants to be helpful. They needed some assistance with some hiring, with some organizing, and so I rolled up my sleeves very quickly, even though I was looking at these other projects. I’m a bit of a workaholic, so I just got involved. And then it became clear to me that there was a big opportunity there with what I call large, real customers. Customer acquisition is one of the toughest things for every business. I was impressed that at that point, their challenge wasn’t so much customer acquisition, it was more handling the fulfilment (of contracts). This is where I thought, ‘Wow, I can help them.’ They needed to do a bunch of work on the product side, on the customer success and go-to-market side.
What was your learning curve like?
I didn’t really understand the business. I had no background in manufacturing, no background in supply chain and really didn’t know these regulations at all. In some sense, that was part of the appeal. Every job I’ve had in my life — whether working for Terry Matthews or going into Pythian and becoming a CEO for the first time — I had no real experience or depth in. That kind of is the appeal — you’re doing something that really takes you out of your comfort zone. I like new adventures.
I had to make some tough calls early on about who we sold to. In the early days, it wasn’t just manufacturing companies looking for solutions, it was (consumer products companies) as well. Our momand-pop competitors were winning some of those big-brand companies very quickly. One of the first calls I made was, no, those companies are not our ideal customer profile. And that focus has served us well. (Some of Assent’s competitors) spread themselves too thin by industry. Therefore, they ran into issues later trying to move beyond conflict minerals.
PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON
I see myself more as a leader who listens and synthesizes and tries to get the best out of the room. I was in a domain that I wasn’t comfortable with, so I was always listening … and then I would make suggestions based on my business experience. I was able to listen to all of their perspectives and then find a course that (the executive team) all got behind.
What areas of the business did you find particularly challenging to navigate?
When I went to raise money (in the series-A round), all the investors saw us as a niche market. Now I understand just how big this space is — what we call supply-chain sustainability. But in the early days, I didn’t understand it at all. In 2015, 2016, I was still trying to figure out, are we in a really niche market, or are we potentially going to be bigger? Over time, I started to appreciate the complexity of all these regulations. The complexity isn’t just in the laws and the rules. The complexity is that in every company and every industry — electronics, automotive, aerospace — they all have to decide how they’re going to meet the laws and the rules. And it’s not obvious.
What John got me to understand early on is you need subject-matter experts, which is what has defined our brand. We have these industry subject-matter experts who take the laws and interpret them into pragmatic ways of delivering on the requirements. To this day, it’s one of the things that differentiates Assent. Every year, I learned a new aspect of what these large manufacturing companies have to go through and that the Europeans and the Americans were constantly creating new requirements and laws. The biggest thing was the time it takes a new CEO to really fully appreciate the context. It took me three or four years to have a vision of where this company could go.
When did you first start to realize that Assent could potentially become a centaur?
I had every intention to take Pythian to $100 million (in ARR). I’ve always been fixated on that (number). It really started to form in years three and four that we absolutely could get to $100 (million in ARR), and obviously now my aspirations are a lot bigger. But when I first joined, it wasn’t clear to me whether that was possible. If there was anything that caused me pause about joining, I would say that I wasn’t sure whether it was just a niche software that
you would sell to some industrial software company or whether I could build a real business around it.
In the period from 2010 to 2020, there were a bunch of rules created that were applicable in our world. From 2020 to now, there are a whole bunch of new laws. You could see it coming. You don’t learn about legislation the day it’s published. You are aware through your subject-matter experts that the European Union is working on this, the (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) is working on that. There was a tailwind every year and you start to realize, this isn’t going to stop. I was starting to realize in 2017, 2018, 2019, ‘Hey, if we navigate this well, we can build a real complementary platform business.’ And platform businesses are much more valuable than niche tools. It’s not a big ‘aha,’ like when ChatGPT dropped and the world shifted dramatically. Sometimes these homogeneous tectonic shifts are massive. But we’re in a much more complex, niche market where you realize over time that companies need a new system.
You’ve
talked a lot in the past
about how important it is for tech companies and
their
leaders to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Can you give us some examples of how that agility has served you well at Assent?
When Trump won (the U.S. presidential election in 2016), our investor and our founder were concerned that they were going to throw out Dodd-Frank. At that point, conflict minerals represented 80 per cent of our annual recurring revenue. If they had thrown out Dodd-Frank, none of those contracts would have been renewed. That was a real existential threat. What I said to John turned out to be true. Just because you get elected, doesn’t mean you can change legislation. What happened was conflict minerals lost a bit of their importance, but they didn’t get removed. We had to recognize that we were super vulnerable in one specific area, so we pivoted quite quickly into other areas. We started to really move the R&D and the marketing budgets to offer other areas of value to manufacturers and diversify away from a very dominant conflict-minerals capability. We were too dependent on that, and with agility we moved into other important areas.
A lot of our major accomplishments have come from new regulations that we had no visibility on. If we were to rewind
the tape, people would say, well, how did you know about these topics? I would be like, ‘I didn’t.’ Wayne Gretzky used to say, ‘You skate to where the puck’s going.’ We got our subject-matter experts team to pay attention to early signals (about) legislation or industry requirements that are coming out. Then you have to make a decision of, ‘This is real. This is big. It’s going to have a huge impact on the manufacturing team.’ Our subject-matter expert team has given us that foresightful advantage, but then you have to be agile in both product development and go-to-market (strategies). Agility is a company’s ability to adapt to, let’s call it, the heat map, and adapt to what’s attracting customer attention. I would say that if we were to distil the things that made Assent successful over the last decade, one was the agility to respond to our customers’ new requirements. It’s partly why we’ve gone from being perceived as a single-trick pony to a platform company that’s handling supply-chain sustainability writ large and everything that means.
Now that you’ve set your sights on $200 million in ARR, what’s keeping you up at night?
As you grow to $100 million (in ARR), you have to move from heroes to systems. The heroes are all these critical team members who do extraordinary things and help you win deals and develop products. Heroes matter and we’ve had many. But, as you grow, you can’t rely on heroes. You have to have systems. Your sales process has to be systematized; your marketing programs have to be programmatized. Meaning that you could take different people and insert them and it still works. This is one of the most important things as you’re going from $100 million to $200 million, is how to move with agility from heroes to systems that work successfully. That requires SaaS tools that often need to be co-ordinated in some functional way. And then, do you have the telemetry to give you the feedback to improve those programs?
And then I would say No. 3 is team development and new recruiting for (experienced staff), so that we don’t have to make all the mistakes that every other executive team made. The executive team we have today is very different to what we had five years ago and what we had 10 years ago. I would argue many entrepreneurs and founders do not make those changes along the way and that’s what holds them back. Part of the responsibility of the (investment)
firm is to change the jockey if the jockey can’t scale. And the responsibility of the CEO is to make sure the team is capable. That team may need to be complemented or you may need to replace them. That’s not to say the people you’re replacing are bad people. It’s just that they may be inexperienced (in dealing with issues) at that scale and therefore with the speed at which you have to make these decisions. You can’t (wait) for them to learn on your time. Part of my responsibility over the next couple of years is to (build) a leadership team to make sure we’re able to go to $200 million and $400 million (in ARR).
How would you assess yourself as a CEO?
I am an uber-collaborator. I don’t think I have it all figured out. I’m an educator CEO — I’m a big reader and I’m trying to always share (knowledge). But I’m also a big synthesizer — I’m listening to everyone a lot of the time. I want everybody’s perspective. I do understand that decisions need to be made in a timely manner, but I also think voices need to be heard. In a highly complex environment, you need somebody who encourages all the voices to come together and make good decisions as a team. John Hughes is a founder here; he still works intimately with me and is still the major non-institutional shareholder. And I listen to John even more deeply today than when I first met him, because John has excellent entrepreneurial instincts. Those instincts help me gauge the commercial likelihood of whether we should do this or that. The hardest thing as a CEO is there are always opportunities put in front of you and you’ve got to choose which ones (to pursue) because you can’t chase them all.
Business is a set of tensions. And one of those tensions is in a complex, dynamic environment, you need to get other input, but you also need to make decisions. I think I walk that balance of listening to the folks around me very well while ensuring we are making timely decisions and we are ambitious. I’ve always been ambitious. I’ve always been competitive, but not obnoxiously competitive. I’m what I would call quietly competitive. People often don’t see me coming. But I want to be (in the) top quartile. And I think that requires an ability to work with other people, synthesize what they’re saying and then make sure we’re making decisions in a timely manner, moving forward and learning from those decisions.
UP CLOSE
Why North & Navy’s Adam Vettorel opted for the kitchen over the courtroom
BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca
G
rowing up, Ottawa chef and restaurateur Adam Vettorel was convinced he’d be a lawyer one day.
“I’ve got a big mouth and just got it in my head that’s what I wanted to be,” he said during an interview at North & Navy, the acclaimed fine dining restaurant he operates with longtime business partner Christopher Schlesak.
NoNa, as it’s called, is located on Nepean Street in Centretown in an older brick house just off the beaten path from Bank Street. It specializes in cuisine from northern Italy, where Vettorel’s paternal family hails from.
It first opened its doors in 2014, at
much focus lost on trying to improve the food, he continued. “You won’t have time to deal with the million other things you’re going to have to deal with and, if you don’t deal with those things, all hell breaks loose.
“We’re constantly repairing equipment, training new cooks, hiring new cooks,” said Vettorel of the fires they put out, metaphorically at least.
“You need to be so good at cooking, you can do it in your sleep because sometimes that’s how you will be doing it.”
His best advice for future chefs is to start as a dishwasher, much like he did. He worked for Jim Foster at Pelican Seafood Market & Grill. “If you don’t have the stamina to stand in one place and work that hard for that long, then you’re never going to be a chef.”
Vettorel took to the kitchen at a young age, preparing family dinners for his mom and brother with whatever ingredients they could afford. After graduating from Brookfield High School, he paid his way through university by working at restaurants. During his final year at Carleton University, Vettorel worked less in order to meet the demands of his heavy course workload. “I found myself really, really missing cooking.”
Vocational confusion kicked in, causing Vettorel to seek advice from one of his mentors, the late David Clarke. The trademark lawyer was a regular customer at Fratelli. Said Vettorel of this period of his life: “It’s daunting and stressful to have to pick a lane all of a sudden and you feel like there’s no going back once you’ve made your decision.”
with,” he said of his college instructors and of the mentors he trained under.
Post-college, Vettorel’s big break came when a spot opened up at respected restaurant Domus Café (Jamie Stunt had left to head up Oz Kafé) and Vettorel was hired. He worked with an “all-star” culinary team that included John Taylor and brothers Simon and Ross Fraser. “It was my first taste of a proper professional kitchen, where everyone’s a strong cook and there are no weak links and everyone’s pushing each other really hard and holding each other to really high standards.”
Vettorel remained at Domus for the better part of five years, working his way up to chef de cuisine. On the backburner was his dream of one day opening his own restaurant. It’s something he and Schlesak had discussed during their days at Fratelli, where the late Roberto Valente served as both their boss and mentor. They tested out their entrepreneurship skills together by operating a side-hustle catering business for a period of time.
Vettorel also credits working at Whalesbone and Supply & Demand as key to helping him build his expertise.
Vettorel is particularly proud of how NoNa pulled through the pandemic, with 2022 being its best year yet. “We were firing on all cylinders,” he said of their efforts to be ready for customers when business resumed postpandemic. ”We worked really hard to pivot, which is a word I can happily live the rest of my life without hearing again.”
least for those in the know; the restaurant deliberately went without signage in its early days to create the kind of insider vibe that was trendy at the time.
Over the past 10 years, NoNa has frequently landed on Canada’s list of Top 100 restaurants. Vettorel and Schlesak also run Cantina Gia, their small but consistently busy sister restaurant in the Glebe (in the same former Fratelli Restaurant space where the men first met, worked together and became friends).
Vettorel is refreshingly candid about the challenges of his industry. “You learn to cook and that’s your trade, that’s your profession, but owning a restaurant, owning a business, involves so much more.”
To succeed, the cooking has to be “really, really good,” otherwise there’s too
Clarke cautioned his young friend to choose his profession wisely, knowing he’d have many years of work ahead of him. “He said, ‘If you really like cooking, then maybe that’s what you should be doing.’”
With that in mind, Vettorel enrolled at Algonquin College for his Red Seal certification. Each morning, he’d get up early and ride public transit to the west-end campus on Woodroffe Avenue. Initially, he questioned whether his career decision was perhaps a step backward.
“The bus is so full; there’s nowhere to sit, and I’m holding all my knives and everything. I’m thinking, ‘What have I done? I could have been drinking a coffee at the University of Ottawa, getting ready for my first tort law lecture. Instead, I’m now surrounded by the huddled masses on my way out to the suburbs to chop onions.’
“Luckily, I had some good chefs to work
Employee retention became key, he continued, when they operated under restrictions. They paid senior staff to come in and dust, just to keep them part of the team.
“Once you get to a certain level, the difference all comes down to staff,” he explained.
“If you have two equally good restaurants, the one that ekes out the other one has better cooks, better servers and better bartenders. Once we get good people, we really want to keep them.”
Vettorel is also pleased with the partnership NoNa has with the Parkdale Food Centre, a non-profit organization that strives to meet the needs of its community.
Much of Vettorel’s life revolves around work and family. At age 44, he’s married with an eight-year-old daughter. As an example of how committed he is to his craft, he spent two days during his oneweek summer holiday working as a guest chef at the renowned Pearl Morissette restaurant in the Niagara region.
Adam Vettorel, co-owner and chef of North & Navy and Cantina Gia restaurants.
PHOTO BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS
Air Canada resumes non-stop flight to London Heathrow from YOW
BY SARAH MACFARLANE news@obj.ca
Air Canada announced in August it will be offering non-stop international flights from Ottawa to London Heathrow Airport beginning next spring. Flights will operate four times weekly with Air Canada’s Dreamliner fleet beginning March 31, 2025.
“We are very pleased to solidify Air Canada’s leadership serving our country’s capital with the resumption of transAtlantic services beginning next spring,” said Mark Galardo, executive vicepresident of revenue and network planning at Air Canada, in a news release.
“In addition to London being a top global destination, Heathrow is one of the world’s primary global gateways as well as home to Air Canada’s largest international operations.
“With continued demand for visiting friends, relatives, leisure and tourism, as well as supporting business and corporate travel, this route gives customers from both the National Capital Region and abroad direct, convenient international travel options to and from Ottawa,” he added.
The seasonal flights make Air Canada the only Canadian airline connecting Ottawa to Europe.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that YOW is once again connected, non-stop, to London-Heathrow Airport. As a key destination for government officials, business leaders, and leisure travellers worldwide, having Canada’s capital region back in the London mix elevates OttawaGatineau on the global stage,” said Mark Laroche, president and CEO of the Ottawa International Airport Authority, in the news release.
Michael Crockatt, president and CEO of Ottawa Tourism, said the flights will make
it easier for visitors from the UK, Ottawa’s “top overseas market,” to travel to Ottawa.
“Regardless of the reasons for travel, the tourism and hospitality businesses in Canada’s capital are ready to warmly welcome visitors,” he added.
The announcement is a “big win” for Ottawa, said Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe in the news release.
“Ottawa residents and business owners have been hoping and calling for a return of direct non-stop service to London. The restored flight will boost our local economy, increase tourism, and connect two world capitals,” he said. “It will make it easier for residents to travel abroad, tourists to visit Ottawa, and businesses to launch and expand in our city.”
Air Canada also said it awaits the delivery of the new Airbus A321XLR fleet.
“The economics, optimum cabin size and range of the XLR, which is expected to begin arriving in late 2025, will enable us to consider operating this important international route with greater frequencies and potentially with yearround service,” said Galardo.
The announcement comes as Air Canada plans to expand its services from Ottawa to points across Canada and sun leisure destinations this winter.
The airline plans to operate up to 229 weekly flights to and from Ottawa next year.
The route is “welcome news” for Ottawa, Steve Ball, president of the Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association, told OBJ in an email
“This will help boost local tourism and allow Ottawa Tourism to attract more international meetings and conventions.” Ball explained.
As tourism in Ottawa continues to recover from the pandemic, corporate and business travel has been the slowest to return, Ball told OBJ in July.
The Bright Side of (Downtown) Business is an editorial feature focused on sharing positive stories of business success. The column is presented by Star Motors, Ottawa’s original Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes Van dealer.
With strong roots in Ottawa, Hair Republic expands into Toronto
BY ZENITH WOLFE
After working in salons with unhealthy, competitive environments for years, Ottawa stylist Michelle Nguyen decided the industry needed a change. Her ideas of collaboration and eco-friendliness paved the way for a salon chain that’s now sweeping across Ontario.
Michelle and her architect husband John Nguyen opened the first Hair Republic location at 1093 Bank St. in 2011. The business has since expanded to three locations in Ottawa and recently opened a fourth in Toronto through a partnership with the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Michelle attributes much of the success to the collaborative environment she’s been able to foster. As a burgeoning stylist, she learned from many talented people, but also worked for mentors who preferred giving orders over teaching. They expected her to specialize in everything and that created negative relationships between her and her colleagues.
Now, the Hair Republic manager says she avoids these pitfalls by talking daily with employees and encouraging their strengths. Some of her stylists, like Paul and Diana, have become experts with colour
and texture, respectively.
“I wanted a space where I would manage, but it would be collaborative,” Michelle says. “I’ll learn as much from someone coming into this industry as they’ll learn from me.”
The architectural principles incorporated by John have been just as critical to the business. Floor-to-ceiling windows let in natural light that helps clients see their true hair tone.
“They might love it in the hair salon, but then go outside and see a completely different tone. What they see in the mirror is what you want them to see outside,” Michelle says.
With the narrow room of the first location on Bank Street, John had to optimize use of space. He says it’s important to prevent clients and stylists from bumping into each other when moving between stations.
“You want to minimize common walkways,” John says. “In the storefront, we also wanted to display retail to convey that this salon sells hair care products.”
Hair Republic stylists build stronger connections with clients by prescribing the products the store sells. This is strengthened by the eco-friendly inventory; Michelle says the store’s vegan, hypoallergenic, and sulfate-free options are
healthier for hair and more cost-effective now that they’re “all the rage” at salons.
Since 2011, Michelle and John have worked with Green Circle Salons, a Toronto company seeking to reduce waste in the industry by recycling dyeing tubes, bottles, and even hair.
“They reuse the hair to make fibres, fabrics and those hair (mats) that suck up oil spills because hair is so porous and effective in that instance,” Michelle says.
The Hudson’s Bay Company, wanting to partner with younger brands, approached the couple in the fall of 2020 to discuss opening a new location in one of the major retailer’s locations. This was Michelle and John’s best shot to expand into Toronto, but first they needed to familiarize themselves with the shopping centre conglomerate. They started with the Freiman Mall on Rideau Street, where HBC has a long-term lease, and in 2023 expanded into Toronto with a new location in Sherwood Gardens.
The unfamiliar market taught them valuable lessons, such as how to centralize the business’s purchasing habits by buying in bulk. Michelle and John travel to Toronto regularly to manage the new location.
John says they’re toying with the idea of franchising, but it would not come at the expense of their core values or creativity — they would strive to remain flexible and “boutique.” Michelle, who loves teaching, wants to start a stylist school to combat ongoing labour shortages and has considered building a network of salon operators to help elevate industry standards.
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Michelle and John Nguyen. PHOTO BY ZENITH WOLFE
Navigating the Legal Landscape of Foreign Investment in Canada
Canada has consistently maintained its identity as an open trading economy, where foreign investment plays a pivotal role in enhancing the vitality of its business sector. This article focuses on key statutory considerations for foreign investors looking to enter the Canadian market, specifically the choice of investment vehicle and Investment Canada Act requirements. These two areas are commonly the first two considerations facing investors.
Choice of Investment Vehicle
Like other jurisdictions, there are numerous legal structures available for conducting business activities in Canada, with the two preferred investment vehicles for foreign investors being: (a) corporations; and (b) limited partnerships (“LP”).
Canadian corporations: Federal or Provincial?
The federal government and the provinces have concurrent jurisdiction to incorporate corporations, allowing incorporaters to choose between federal or provincial incorporation. A federal corporation operates under the Canada Business Corporations Act (“CBCA”), whereas each province has its own incorporation act and regulations; for instance, an Ontario corporation follows the Business Corporations Act (“OBCA”).
Whether incorporating under the CBCA or the OBCA, the process involves filing articles of incorporation, appointing directors, officers, and shareholders, and establishing bylaws.
While these statutes share significant similarities, certain distinctions could influence their suitability from an investor’s perspective, especially that of a foreign investor. The primary distinction lies in the CBCA’s allowance for national business operations, contrasting with the OBCA’s limitation to provincial business activities. This means that a corporation
incorporated under the CBCA can carry on business in any province or territory without needing to incorporate separately in each one (although registration may still be required in those provinces or territories).
Another crucial consideration for foreign investors looking to incorporate involves the residency of directors. Federal corporations must comply with the CBCA’s requirement that at least 25 percent of directors must be resident Canadians — a requirement not mandated by the OBCA. The CBCA’s residency requirement for directors can add complexity and costs for foreign investors, whereas the OBCA’s lack of such a requirement offers more flexibility and ease in appointing directors, simplifying incorporation and governance.
Limited partnerships
Limited partnerships are popular for investments because they limit the liability of limited partners to their contributions and allow profits to pass through directly to partners without entity-level taxation. Limited partnerships in the Province of Ontario are governed by the Limited Partnerships Act (“LPA”). An LP consists of at least one general partner who assumes full liability for the LP’s debts and obligations, and one or more limited partners whose liability is limited to their agreed contributions. Forming an LP involves filing a declaration under the LPA, which includes basic details. This declaration expires after five years, but the LP is not dissolved by such expiry; it merely requires the renewal of the declaration before the expiry date.
Foreign Investment Notifications and Review under the ICA
Before foreign investors can establish or acquire a business in Canada, they may need to obtain approval from the federal
government or provide notification under the Investment Canada Act (“ICA”). The ICA requires foreign investments to undergo either notification or, in certain cases where the value of the investment exceeds specified thresholds, a ministerial review to ensure the investment provides a net benefit to Canada. This process helps ensure that foreign investments contribute positively to the Canadian economy while safeguarding national interests.
When assessing net benefit, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry or the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, as applicable, considers these factors and other contextual considerations, offering predictability to investors while ensuring investments contribute to Canada’s economic interests.
Foreign investors are required to submit a notification to the Investment Review Division of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada when initiating a new business activity in Canada or acquiring control of an existing Canadian business valued below the threshold. The notification must be filed no later than thirty days after the implementation of the investment.
When certain large-scale foreign investments exceed the specified thresholds, they must undergo a formal review and approval process known as the ‘net benefit review’. This assessment considers six key factors:
1. the investment’s impact on the level and nature of economic activity in Canada;
2. the extent and importance of Canadian participation in the Canadian business;
3. the investment’s impact on productivity, industrial efficiency, technological development, product innovation and diversity;
4. the investment’s effect on competition;
5. its alignment with industrial, economic, and cultural policies; and
6. its contribution to enhancing Canada’s competitiveness in global markets.
Foreign investments may also be subject to a national security review if the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry has reasonable grounds to suspect that the investment could be injurious to national security. This review can be initiated at any time within specified timelines and entails a thorough evaluation by relevant government agencies. Importantly, this review may occur independently of any notification or net benefit review required under the ICA.
Conclusion
These considerations for foreign investors illustrate Canada’s commitment to welcoming investments, while also safeguarding national security and economic integrity. Foreign investors should carefully select the appropriate Canadian business structure and ensure compliance with ICA regulations. By carefully navigating the regulatory landscape, foreign investors can thrive in the Canadian economy. Choosing the appropriate investment vehicle and complying with the foreign investment notifications and requirements under the ICA are vital steps for establishing a successful business presence in Canada.
Paola Gonzalez is an Associate in PerleyRobertson, Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l.’s Corporate Law Group. Paola is fully bilingual in English and Spanish. She can be reached at pgonzalez@perlaw.ca
How the ByWard Market has become ‘a market only in name and history’
BY SARAH MACFARLANE news@obj.ca
Once filled with specialty food stores and niche grocers, the ByWard Market has shifted away from its roots as a traditional food market, area business owners say, and some aren’t sure the trend can be reversed.
The owner of Saslove’s Meat Market, a family-owned butcher shop that has been operating in the Market since 1954, says the ByWard Market is facing the “end of an era.”
This past summer, John Diener, who took over ownership of the business from his parents in the 1980s, announced that the store would be closing after 70 years.
Diener has seen the Market go through decades of change, but he says the pandemic was “the last straw” for Saslove’s and that downtown revitalization plans are “too late.”
“In this market 50 years ago, it was almost all food retail stores for blocks. There were 11 or 12 butcher shops here in the 1960s, there were multiple fruit and vegetable stores, a couple of fish stores, and now we’re hanging on with one of each,” he explained.
In the early 1900s, the Market featured taverns, hotels and industrial buildings and the rural farming communities of the surrounding region relied on it for distribution of agricultural goods. As a result, many specialty food retailers called the Market home, and some still do.
One of the neighbourhood’s most historic buildings, 64 George St., housed J. Saso and Son Italian grocery store, which opened in 1923. Last year, current store owner Pat Nicastro celebrated 100 years of serving Italian groceries in the market, under the name La Bottega Nicastro.
When La Bottega took over J. Saso and Son in 1995, Nicastro said the Market was “very different” than today.
“You could find a lot of small retail stores where you could get everything, do all your shopping, from fruits and vegetables, meat, bakeries …” he explained.
“There’s still quite a few, but it’s different.
“When I opened, there was the Budapest Deli and House of Cheese, which are closed. There were all kinds of bakeries out there, and they’ve closed,” Nicastro continued. “So many fruit and vegetable stands have closed. There was Aubrey’s Meats. All gone.”
The ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA) points to changes in retail spending habits, particularly a growing concern among consumers over food prices, Victoria Williston, manager of communications, told OBJ. Williston cited a report from Statistics Canada that found that 87 per cent of respondents were concerned about food
prices, 70 per cent of whom considered fresh meat their biggest concern.
In efforts to support small businesses and local vendors, the BMDA has introduced retail concepts like STACKTx — a pop-up shop model housed in shipping containers — and the immigrant entrepreneurial pop-up shop. It also operates the ByWard Public Market, which recently implemented a policy allowing farmers to set up and sell free of charge.
Deiner said rising costs and a change in consumer habits were largely responsible for his decision to close Saslove’s.
“COVID was the last straw. Everybody was working from home, so we lost that after-work traffic. They used to come to the Market and pick up food before going home,” he said. “And even though they’re back two or three days a week now, over the course of the pandemic, people’s habits
changed, so we haven’t gotten that business back, specifically in the meat industry.
“Meat, especially beef, is very expensive now, so people don’t buy the way they used to. The days of people coming in and picking up 20 or more steaks for a barbecue at their cottage on the weekend … those days are gone,” Deiner continued.
“Somebody will buy a steak once in a while. It’s a treat. So, all these factors combined just made it difficult to continue, let alone the increase in expenses.”
The ByWard Fruit Market has been serving fresh produce to customers for more than 20 years. Owner Isaac Farbiasz’s view of the Market’s current predicament isn’t optimistic.
“It’s quite simple; Byward is only a market in name and history,” he wrote in an email to OBJ. “Sad but true.”
For Nicastro, the problem is twofold: a
Saslove’s Meat Market will be closing after 70 years in business. PHOTO BY SARAH MACFARLANE
continued lack of foot traffic in the Market, and not enough support from municipal authorities for food retailers.
“The customer base has changed a little bit. There’s less people working down in the area. So we’ve lost a bit of that. But to get people down, the city has to give us support, knowing that retail is a special business,” he explained. “That’s an important factor to want to keep retailers, especially food retailers.
“We do need support from the city and the other stakeholders in the Market. To keep retail alive, they’ve got to make it more convenient for customers,” Nicastro continued. “You know, it’s not just an entertainment zone. It’s also a retail zone, and I think they forget that.”
Chris Penton, president of Beechwood Market, operates under the umbrella brand Ottawa Street Markets, which he said aims to bring the market experience to Ottawa’s neighbourhoods.
In this market 50 years ago, it was almost all food retail stores for blocks.
John Diener
“ByWard had been a shadow of its former self for some time,” Penton wrote in an email to OBJ. “A sad development, as it was once the food and entertainment beacon of Ottawa.
“Our three markets — Beechwood Market, Alta Vista Market, Elgin Street Market encourage people to walk to their local market,” Penton said. “One component of the elusive one-minute neighbourhood, we believe this to be a key detail in building loyalty between local vendors and their customer base.”
With live music, programming for kids and plentiful seating, Ottawa Street Markets has created a “pretty nice experience,” he said. But “these might be a few features ByWard let slip over the years.”
As he prepares to shutter his family’s business, Deiner says it’s “too late” for
Saslove’s. But at least one city architect hasn’t given up on the potential of the Market.
Toon Dreessen, principal architect and president of Architects DSA, said that while the ByWard Market is an “ideal 15-minute neighbourhood,” the city has not addressed the “root problems” that are causing issues for business owners.
“We’ve allowed the Market to really decline,” he said. “It’s a chicken-and-egg problem, because we need more fruit and vegetables and market sellers and to attract that we need to have more people. To attract more people, we need to have less parking and more pedestrian space and a more welcoming public realm that’s safer and more equitable and more accessible.
“And we don’t have that because we have too much parking. We have too much parking because we don’t have enough sellers of fruits and vegetables to demand the number of people that are there,” he continued. “So it’s a sort of continuous cycle.”
Concern over safety, crime and security in the Market is also contributing to the issue, Dreessen added. But instead of an increased police presence or “Band-Aid” fixes, he says the city needs to examine the Market “holistically.”
“We’re not doing enough to support the operation of businesses and our response is to say, essentially, ‘There’s a concern about crime in the Market, so we’re going to put in some cops,’” he said. “That’s not the solution. The solution is to look at the root cause, which is usually housing and mental health and addiction.“
To support businesses, the city must be willing to fund a “major” overhaul of the Market and engage public and private stakeholders, he said.
“We can tick a box and say, ‘Look, we’ve added these police, so that’s going to help.’ But is it? Is that going to help, or is that going to stigmatize the unhoused even more?” Dreessen said. “What if the root cause could be solved for half the amount of money if we said, ‘We’re going to deal with the unhoused crisis by providing housing.’
David and Kyle Stout
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“It’s not going to happen with a narrowly scoped, marginalized request for proposal where we get one idea from one firm with one approach that meets the brief of whatever has been written by city staff,” Dreessen continued. “We need a holistic, collaborative, integrated design approach that thinks about all of the solutions that we need to address all of the issues.”
Innovate Energy leading largest retrofit of government’s energy services in Canada
Consortium including PCL Construction is spearheading the modernization of Ottawa’s energy services program
One of the largest energy retrofit projects in North America is currently underway in downtown Ottawa, and PCL Construction is proud to be part of the consortium changing the face of green energy in the capital.
As a part of the Innovate Energy consortium, PCL is working with partners from WSP, Black & McDonald and Equans on upgrades to the heating and cooling plants scattered throughout the region, including Gatineau. These plants, which supply heating and cooling to the Parliament buildings, have been around for at least five decades, including the Cliff Plant under Parliament, which has been in operation for nearly 100 years. As a result of their age, the scale of the retrofit has made the initiative the largest of its kind in Canadian history, and one of the largest undertaken in North America.
Named the Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP), the $3.4-billion project aligns with the federal government’s greening strategy aimed at reducing greenhouse gases.
“Updating and modernizing the infrastructure across the ESAP locations will make heating and cooling 80 federal buildings in the downtown core both safer and more reliable,” says Dave Coyle, a construction manager with PCL. “It’s a significant project for both PCL and the federal government because the scope is much larger than any other similar project handled in Canada.”
There are some larger private campus district energy networks in the United States, however the ESAP project is the largest public district energy network in North America, Coyle adds.
The project comprises two energy networks: Confederation Heights and the larger Cliff downtown network. This interconnected network stretches between Cliff, Tunney’s Pasture and the Gatineau Energy Centre. The project will replace the current steam-heating and chilled-water cooling system with more efficient, low-temperature hot-water heating and electric-chilled systems.
This public-private partnership (P3) project is also notable for the fact that it will be maintained for 30 years, so while the plants will belong to the federal government, once construction is completed, the long-term maintenance will be managed by Equans through 2055.
By the end of this stage of construction in fall 2025, four energy centres will remain, while the National Research Council plant will have been decommissioned entirely. The remaining plants, including Cliff, Tunney’s Pasture, National Printing Bureau, and Confederation Heights, will be newly modernized.
“These plants are currently at the end of their life cycles,” Coyle explains. “So it’s the ideal time for the government to take this opportunity to complete the upgrades as a part of their larger goal of reducing greenhouse gases.”
UPGRADING GREEN PUBLIC SPACES
In addition to reducing carbon emissions and greenhouse gas emissions, the project takes into account the public’s ability to enjoy the green spaces surrounding the projects.
“There’s been a lot of focus on incorporating green spaces into these designs,” says Tom Savard, PCL’s general superintendent in charge of field operations on PCL’s portion of the ESAP modernization project. “They’ve really taken into account the areas where we’re trying to give the space back for public use. But that doesn’t just mean park space – it also includes an educational component where visitors can learn more about clean energy and how the plants work.”
By focusing on creating green spaces when designing these plants, the final products will give public spaces that were previously fenced off back to the community, including near the Cliff plant, which has an incredible view of the Ottawa River, Savard adds.
This focus reflects PCL’s general approach to building, which is that projects aren’t just about assembling brick-and-mortar structures, but about contributing in a meaningful way to the betterment of their users.
“We work in the communities we live in,” Savard explains. “So being able to build something that will make a positive impact on the lives of our friends, neighbours, and city is the ultimate goal on every project we take on.”
It’s a significant project for both PCL and the federal government because the scope is much larger than any other similar project handled in Canada.
—Dave Coyle
News + Data = OBJ Insider
Managing through disruption: This year’s top 20 show the way
How we work has changed dramatically in the past couple of years, but Ottawa companies are finding unique ways to keep up. That’s why the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade are recognizing not 10, but 20 businesses for this year’s Best Places to Work awards.
“The workplace has really been disrupted in recent years,” said OBJ publisher Michael Curran. “That’s partially due to the pandemic and the rush to remote and hybrid work, but also because of many other factors: changing skill sets, technology innovation, the desire for diversity, etc.”
The annual program selects recipients after a thorough research project that includes extensive employer surveys and also employee engagement surveys, conducted on behalf of OBJ and OBOT by Workforce Research Group. This year’s top 20 came out of more than 2,500 responses.
Eligible firms are required to be in business for at least a year, as well as maintain an office and have a minimum of 15 employees in the National Capital Region.
“It’s really hard to be a great employer these days,” said Curran. “That’s why OBJ and OBOT are particularly excited to announce the 2024 Best Places to Work recipients. These companies are getting it right for the sake of their employees and the success of their business.”
TPH Plumbing and Heating is leading by example when it comes to prioritizing and supporting its team members. This year, the Ottawa company’s dedication to
that goal has allowed it to take the top spot in the 2024 rankings of Best Places to Work.
“TPH Plumbing and Heating is honoured to be considered for this year’s prestigious award,” the company said in its submission.
“As a company deeply committed to fostering a positive and supportive work environment, we prioritize the well-being and growth of our employees.”
This year’s recipients will be celebrated at an awards brunch on Oct. 17 as part of the Best Places to Work Employer Summit. The brunch will feature a keynote presentation from Sprott School of Business professor Linda Duxbury, entitled “How to Lead and Manage in Times of Disruptive Change.”
- OBJ staff
Emond Harnden: Employers should be proactive in supporting neurodiversity
Emond Harnden partner Sarah Lapointe encourages inclusion and education on neurodiversity
As awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity in the workplace grows, so too does the requirement for employers to educate themselves in order to effectively support and accommodate neurodiverse employees, according to Sarah Lapointe, a partner with Emond Harnden. Given that one in five people can be classified as neurodiverse, it is very likely that there are neurodiverse individuals in the workplace who may benefit from practices that support and promote understanding and inclusivity. There may also be neurodiverse individuals who require accommodation at work.
“There is definitely a need for employers to be more informed about neurodiversity in the workplace, and also in trying to be proactive to be able to encourage employees to reach their full potential,” says Lapointe.
Above all else is the necessity for employers to meet legal obligations and to refrain from discrimination in the workplace. So what does neurodiversity mean exactly, and what does this look like in an employment setting?
What is neurodiversity?
To start with, “neurodiversity” simply refers to the concept that there are differences in ways that people’s brains function, and that those differences are perfectly normal. In addition, Lapointe says, people who are neurodivergent or whose brains function differently should not be stigmatized. Neurodiversity can include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anxiety, to name a few conditions.
It is important to remember that neurodiversity and disability are not the same thing. However, where a neurodivergent employee has a disability that needs accommodation, employers should understand their legal obligations. “The duty to accommodate under human rights has been in place for a long time, and it’s the same concept in terms of legal obligations. The legislation includes a right to be free from discrimination and a duty to accommodate to the point of undue hardship,” Lapointe says.
When there is a request for accommodation, it is incumbent on the employer to seek information about the individual’s limitations and restrictions, which can include medical documentation, to determine appropriate accommodations in the workplace. Employees requiring accommodation are responsible for participating in the accommodation process, including by providing the employer with required information. Each request for accommodation should be assessed on a case-by-case basis while following due process and should not be based on stereotypes or assumptions.
Customize communication styles
Even if there is not a formal need for accommodation, employers can take steps that would support and promote inclusivity for neurodivergent individuals. For example, managers should examine and customize their communication styles to individual needs. “It’s good to have in mind that individuals can function differently and to be
sensitive to adapting your communication to the needs of individual employees,” Lapointe says. For example, an individual with autism may not respond favourably to a lot of analogies or comparisons. They would often prefer direct and clear communication. Some people also communicate better in writing as opposed to a quick conversation in the hallway.
“Things like regular check-ins can be helpful as well as agendas before meetings, or a clear timeline. Instead of simply saying something is urgent, if you have a specific date or timeframe in mind, communicating that can make it a lot easier for the other person to organize their time and avoid any sort of misunderstanding. One way of being more inclusive for neurodivergent individuals is ensuring that clear communication and trying to adapt your approach to what works for each person,” Lapointe explains.
Notably, the types of communication that may be helpful for neurodiverse individuals often fall under best practices anyways, Lapointe says. And they don’t have to involve a cost for employers, she adds.
“It’s not a bad thing to be mindful of these things and to proactively foster an inclusive workplace both for business reasons, obviously because a productive workforce is a good workforce but also for equity and inclusion purposes.”
In addition, neurodiverse individuals can add a lot of value to the workplace, Lapointe says, as their minds may offer very creative strategies no one else thought of, or they may have certain abilities, such as being able to hyperfocus on their tasks.
SarahLapointe, partneratEmondHarnden
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TPH PLUMBING AND HEATING
TPH Plumbing and Heating has a team of more than 25 plumbers and staff. TPH’s technicians are fully certified to design and install both natural gas and oil heating systems and offer specialized services that can save customers money and time.
TPH is committed to fostering a positive and supportive work environment by prioritizing the well-being and growth of its employees, with a strong emphasis on life-work balance. TPH’s dedication to creating a great place to work is evident through its comprehensive benefits package, which includes competitive salaries, flexible scheduling options, and ongoing training opportunities.
It believes in recognizing and rewarding team members by fostering a culture of appreciation and empowerment. Strategies focus on open communication, professional development, and employee feedback, and allow TPH to maintain high levels of retention and engagement within the company.
Its strategy for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce focuses on inclusivity, equal opportunity, and a supportive culture.
“Our strategy for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce starts by actively sourcing candidates from various backgrounds through partnerships with diverse professional organizations, universities, and community groups. Job postings are crafted to be inclusive, emphasizing our commitment to diversity. During the recruitment process, we implement structured interviews and diverse hiring panels to minimize bias. Training on unconscious bias for all hiring managers ensures a fair evaluation of candidates.”
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SNOWED IN STUDIOS
Snowed In Studios is a video game development studio with experience working with top-level titles and independent games such as Forza Motorsport and Horizon 5, Dead by Daylight, and the Fallout franchise. Its people-first philosophy
Our strategy for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce starts by actively sourcing candidates from various backgrounds through partnerships with diverse professional organizations, universities, and community groups.
prioritizes the health and happiness of its team. Company leaders are expected to understand the strengths and goals of each of their team members to challenge them effectively and guide their career growth. Snowed In Studios is dedicated to having transparency and honesty at all levels of the company.
The company wants its team to sign out at the end of the day and focus on life outside of work. However, when the team is in the office, it is a relaxing and fun environment with free snacks, staff tournaments, and a calendar of events.
Snowed In Studios targets diverse populations for recruitment by attending diversity-minded hiring events, such as
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Tech Career Fair; the Women in Games Career and Networking Expo; and the Black Youth Action Plan’s Hiring Fair. It also has recruitment strategies for new immigrants.
“Our entire staff is set up to work remotely. We keep our remote team members engaged by making sure that our events and activities can be done in-person or remotely (when possible). For example, if we have a lunch-and-learn, we always stream the talk through Microsoft Teams and set up the speaker in our multimedia room for in-person viewers. We also take the time to find online activities for people to enjoy, like playing online games together.”
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The organization recognizes that having flexibility to choose where to work may meet a variety of interests, including: enhancing employee productivity and satisfaction, reducing commuting time, addressing space restrictions, and improving the quality of an employee’s professional and personal life. - OTTAWA TOURISM
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OTTAWA TOURISM
Ottawa Tourism highlights Ottawa as the perfect place to experience some of the country’s best attractions, celebrations and flavours in one city with a unique blend of urban and rural beauty, year-round outdoor activities, and vibrant neighbourhoods.
Ottawa Tourism is committed to its employees and community. With a retention rate of 94 per cent in 2023 and 100 per cent in 2024, it has created an environment that promotes work-life balance and provides comprehensive benefits packages and compensation. Its dedication to professional development empowers the organization’s workforce, driving both personal growth and organizational success.
Ottawa Tourism recruits and retains its diverse workforce by incorporating a comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion culture within the organization.
“Ottawa Tourism offers its employees a hybrid workplace where work can be done from home or at the office. The organization recognizes that having flexibility to choose where to work may meet a variety of interests, including: enhancing employee productivity and satisfaction, reducing commuting time, addressing space restrictions, and improving the quality of an employee’s professional and personal life. Ottawa Tourism recognizes that working
from home is completely voluntary and the office is available to anyone wishing to work from the office full time or part time.”
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STONEWORKS TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Stoneworks Technologies has been helping clients tackle IT challenges since 1999 by creating purpose-built IT to maximize efficiency and productivity.
Stoneworks encourages employees to learn and grow. It offers employees the opportunity to job shadow senior leaders to explore the field they are in and grow at their
dedicated to the group’s success as well as their individual accomplishments.
“Throughout the week we have regular email communications, as well as the adoption of Microsoft Teams for quick chats and team meetings. Teams are encouraged to have a regular team meeting once a week in order to stay connected. In addition, we bring the teams together for regular events such as a team lunch, BBQ, after-work drinks, community support or an afternoon activity like golf, bowling, or axe throwing. While working at home, each member is equipped with an equivalent desk setup in order to have the best-of-breed at-home or atwork experience.”
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DILFO MECHANICAL LTD.
Dilfo, a mechanical contractor in Eastern Ontario, is a second-generation family-owned business with more than 40 years of experience. The company delivers mechanical systems for projects of all sizes and complexity through collaborative partnerships.
Dilfo’s strategy to recruit and retain a diverse workforce includes striving for diversity in leadership and acting on feedback from employees. It is proud to have created a strong team culture that emphasizes team member wellness and a supportive atmosphere, with employees’ personal and career milestones celebrated throughout the whole team.
Team members at Dilfo know they can learn and challenge themselves through opportunities for mentorship and development. They can always ask questions or share their skills through the collaborative approach that Dilfo fosters in its highperforming, collaborative teams. Team members enjoy competitive benefits, regular social events, recognition programs, flexible work options, a commitment to safety, and continuous improvement.
own pace. Employees are challenged to set learning and development goals that have an impact on them personally, while also leading to team success.
Every employee is given the freedom to select the work/home balance that best suits their needs and are equipped with the resources needed to perform their jobs well from any location.
Stoneworks also implements a “pay it forward” philosophy by providing an excellent employee benefits package and yearround assistance for numerous community programs. Stoneworks is a team-oriented company, with every member of the team
“To improve communication we hosted our first in-person townhall to share updates on our teams, our work and overall company performance for the year. Topics included health and safety, participation in the Heavy Metal Summer Experience camp for summer 2024, and new personal protective equipment kits for all Dilfo team members. The event was scheduled during the workday to allow all team members the opportunity to attend. We introduced new software and invested in technological advances that made communication between construction sites and offices more efficient and improved project management flows.” 4
GIATEC SCIENTIFIC INC.
Giatec Scientific, an Ottawa-based cleantech firm that makes wireless sensors to measure the quality of concrete during construction projects, is hoping a recent federal technology grant will help it develop foreign markets for its product.
Giatec intentionally recruits from diverse talent pools by working with agencies that support newcomers to Canada, such as Invest Ottawa, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, Talent Lift, and World Skills. It does not
disregard international work experience but considers it an asset. Giatec highlights and celebrates its diversity and international talent on its website. Giatec fosters a creative and collaborative work environment. By bringing diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the table, its team members have been able to develop innovative products that are disrupting the concrete industry. This includes new technologies that allow the industry to operate more safely, efficiently and with a lower carbon footprint.
To improve communication we hosted our first in-person townhall to share updates on our teams, our work and overall company performance for the year. Topics included health and safety, participation in the Heavy Metal Summer Experience camp for summer 2024, and new personal protective equipment kits for all Dilfo team members. -
“Our strategy for recruiting generation Z employees is to partner with Ottawa’s postsecondary institutions in order to engage new grads and current students at the source. Giatec has developed a strong co-op program, welcoming 30-45 students each year. Our co-op program has acted as a strategic talent funnel for filling our entry-level roles (14 per cent of our full-time permanent employee population were once Giatec co-op students). When recruiting/retaining gen Z employees, it’s been very important that we continue to build on our flexible work policies. Learning and development is also something that we invest heavily in and it’s important that our gen Z employees are given growth opportunities throughout the year.”
RELAX MASSAGE GROUP
Over the past two decades, Relax
Massage Group (RMG) has offered clinical and luxury locations, as well as a learning facility for employees. RMG is dedicated to creating a workplace that allows its massage therapists to build flourishing and exciting careers. The vision at RMG is to create therapist-first clinics, where taking proper care of its therapists means they can take proper care of their clients. This philosophy has allowed RMG to expand to become one of the largest employers of registered massage therapists in Ottawa.
When a registered massage therapist is applying or already on staff, RMG works with them to create an accommodation strategy that supports their unique case, for instance, a religious accommodation to only treat female clients. RMG is a welcoming and accommodating workplace that allows it to attract and retain a diverse staff.
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“To attract and retain our generation Z employees we showcase our digital adoption and digital tools, as they tend to like workplaces that use these tools. This includes our clinic management system with online charting, our Slack channels are very popular with the gen Z employees, and our social media presence. We also offer unlimited time off, which is often attractive to the gen Z employee who wishes to travel or set their schedule according to their life.”
8INVEST OTTAWA
Invest Ottawa, the lead economic development agency for the City of Ottawa, has an extensive range of programs and services to assist companies launch, grow and scale-up their businesses. With the promise to all employees, veterans and new hires that they will make a big impact on their community, Invest Ottawa offers an inclusive and flexible work environment that fosters personal and professional growth.
It is an equal opportunity employer that knows diversity, inclusion and a sense of belonging are critical for globally competitive organizations.
Invest Ottawa has established a multiyear diversity, equity and inclusion strategy focused on each sector with clearly defined objectives. It is focused on implementing best practices to mitigate bias and prevent inequities in the hiring and recruitment process and has started to implement strategies to diversify candidate pools and establish a framework for equity in career development and inclusive leadership.
“Invest Ottawa has committed to provide
training to equip our people managers. We also hosted a series of wellness lunch-andlearn sessions for all of our employees with guest speakers. One focused on mental and emotional wellness and specifically outlined the importance of how to balance your life. All people managers additionally have access to our people managers toolkit where they can find resources/training to deal with different situations. The topic of burnout has specifically been spoken about during Women’s Circle and DE&I Talk. This gave a space for employees to share their experiences and also share ways that they have been combating burnout, stress and fatigue.”
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The topic of burnout has specifically been spoken about during Women’s Circle and DE&I Talk. This gave a space for employees to share their experiences and also share ways that they have been combating burnout, stress and fatigue. -
Inside Knak: A marketing software company that combines hard work with fun
Knak fosters a vibrant workplace culture, offers top-tier benefits, and prioritizes employee well-being—all while simplifying marketing for Fortune 500 companies like Google and Amazon.
Knak is a market-leading provider of no-code email and landing page creation software, specifically designed for enterprise companies. The company empowers users to create high-quality marketing assets without the need for coding, saving time and resources while ensuring brand consistency. Knak is trusted by industry giants like Google, Amazon, and Meta, and it turns out it’s also a pretty great place to work.
What is your recruitment philosophy?
“At Knak, we have focused our recruitment philosophy on hiring the best talent for both the role and for Knak,” says Zak Michalyshyn, senior talent acquisition specialist. “We approach every hire the same way: identify what experience, performance indicators and competencies set the ideal candidate apart and match that with the values and behaviours Knak values most. That’s our recipe for success.”
Job openings
Right now the company is hiring a VP of sales, senior events marketing manager, and cloud ops engineer.
Employee recognition
At Knak, they value long-term
commitment and celebrate anniversary milestones through their Knak Rewards program, which includes gifts such as spa cards, Apple watches, and round-trip flights. In their Ottawa office, their “original Knaksters” wall highlights employees’ tenure with a magnetic board that updates and moves head-shots to reflect years of service, honoring their dedication as they grow within Knak.
Wellness initiatives
Knak has a culture committee with wellness as one of its key pillars. “A lot of wellness is employee-driven,” says Sarah Crandlemire, Knak’s director of people and culture. “We’re working to build on this and are planning to introduce new wellness challenges this fall.” The company also offers half-day Fridays before long weekends in the summer and maintains flexibility with work hours. “All of our founders have families,” she adds, ‘and they deeply understand the importance of balancing high performance with prioritizing family time and personal well-being.
Employee
ownership
Every employee at Knak is an owner through their employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), with stock options available to all team members.
Have fun!
As the head of people, I want to foster a place where people love to come to work,” says Sarah Crandlemire, Knak’s director of people and culture. “That’s also being championed from the top. We’ve all worked in places where we’ve dreaded going in, watched the clock, and that’s not a place we want to be.
“We like to do a lot of things as a team,” Crandlemire says, adding that the company sponsors employee teams for basketball, the Hope volleyball tournament and golf tournaments, to name a few. It also holds quarterly socials that might include bowling and skiing or Hallowe’en and holiday parties.
As part of the Knak Gives Back Program, employees manage a fund to support charities and community initiatives. Additionally, the company donates all employee laptops to the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa after three years of use.
Company career page knak.com/careers/
Modern Niagara: Preparing for Ottawa’s construction boom!
Region’s largest trade contractor offers a pension plan, great benefits and three weeks vacation to start.
Modern Niagara Ottawa Inc. is involved in pretty much every large infrastructure project in the city at the moment. As the city’s largest mechanical, electrical and controls contractor, with over 850 local employees, Modern Niagara’s currently involved in the redevelopment of Parliament Hill’s Centre Block, the construction of the new Ottawa Public
Library and the addition and renovation to the Hard Rock Casino in Ottawa’s South end.
In addition to being one of the largest multi-trade construction contractors in
Ottawa, Modern Niagara also employs one of the largest commercial & residential service departments within the city.
VP & area manager Lane Campbell says that even with the large team they currently have, they need to prepare for the future growth anticipated over the next five years.
“My hope is that being profiled through the Ottawa Business Journal
as one of the best employers in Ottawa exposes the benefits of working at Modern Niagara to a whole new group of potential candidates,” Campbell says. “Everybody out there has open job postings, but culture is key to Modern Niagara. It’s what we emphasize, above all else, when trying to recruit potential employees.”
What is your recruiting philosophy?
“Our philosophy is that it’s okay if prospective employees are young or don’t have a lot of experience,” Campbell says. “Targeting the right people and training them on the job is one of the best ways to develop highly successful individuals within the company. There is no course or manual you can read on how to build these complex infrastructure projects. It doesn’t matter if you get the basics from a trade certificate or an engineering degree or a business background. We are looking for professionals with dedication, passion, and a drive for the work we do.”
Job openings
“More than anything else, we need good tradespeople,” Campbell says. “We need to be the employer of choice for plumbers, electricians, sheet metal workers and building technicians. We want them to choose to work at Modern Niagara over our competitors. We want to be the employer of choice for tradespeople.”
Vacation and leave policy
The company offers three weeks or 15 days as starting vacation leave for new hires. They receive four weeks after five years of service and five weeks after 10 years. It provides six sick days a year as well as bereavement leave.
Benefits
The company provides 50 per cent dental, vision, life insurance, travel insurance, flexible spending accounts and supplemental medical coverage for employees and dependents.
Wellness initiatives
Employees can participate in community service during normal business hours and the company hosts food, clothing and toy drives, matches employees’
charitable donations and donates each month to a different charity. Managers are also trained to deal with stress and burnout. They also receive ongoing mental health first aid training and yearly webinars on suicide prevention, fostering a supportive environment.
Retirement savings
Modern Niagara offers a registered pension plan as well as a deferred profit sharing plan. For the pension plan, the company matches employee contributions by a ratio of three to one.
Have fun!
Every July, there’s a summer teambuilding event. This year, it was a whitewater rafting day for the 250 people who chose to participate. The company Christmas party is an annual event at the Westin Hotel. Employees and their spouses are offered a hotel room or a drive home. In addition, teams have their own activities throughout the year.
MP Lundy Construction, which built Ottawa developments such as the Dow’s Lake Pavilion and the Ottawa Little Theatre, has been one of the leading construction companies in Ottawa since 1967. With the company motto “relationships over bricks,” no matter what size the project, Lundy’s teams of professionals prioritize client’s needs.
The company’s purpose is to safeguard and protect its clients during the planning and execution of complex construction projects. The Lundy culture attracts and rewards team members who love learning, taking on challenges, and honouring commitments. It strives to maintain a smallfamily feel where a bond of trust can form. In keeping with the family feel, the birth of future MP Lundy employees is recognized via company-wide emails as well as a special gift for the new parents.
MP Lundy Construction prides itself in being not just a great place to work, but retire from, recognizing employee loyalty with longevity awards.
“To keep our people engaged, we promote a steady, predictable rhythm of communication across all teams. The company CEO leads a quarterly, all-hands meeting to discuss progress on annual company goals, safety statistics, business wins, and overall company financial performance. Once a year, a company town hall brings the entire team together to refresh goals, celebrate wins and share lessons learned. Our social committee organizes at least one fun event each quarter, such as bowling, billiards, escape rooms, or golf. Throughout the work week, we encourage team members to collaborate at the head office. Finally, our senior leadership team regularly visit teams at the various project locations, simply to remain connected with them.”
10 AMSTED DESIGN-BUILD
Amsted Design makes custom home design dreams become reality. For 35 years, being a part of Amsted has meant being a part of a passionate team of people who love to design and build livable spaces and homes. The company strives to be an attractive company to work for, which has allowed it to grow to 50 employees as the company expands to work on projects beyond Ottawa.
Amsted is a workplace that fosters
Throughout the work week, we encourage team members to collaborate at the head office.
- MP LUNDY CONSTRUCTION
cooperation and strong relationships within its staff. A recent internal survey showed that all employees said being part of the team is the best thing about working at Amsted. Amsted offers opportunities to socialize with coworkers by hosting an annual event called Celebrating our Success.
The Amsted team is also committed to helping its community by hosting a Camp Smitty Volunteer Weekend. This annual event fosters a compassionate and collaborative workplace by allowing staff and their families to donate time and skills to improve infrastructure at the Boys and Girls Club Camp.
“Due to the nature of our business, our entire workforce does not ever work from the same location. Therefore, we’ve always been
hyper-focused on breaking down barriers between departments, bringing individual teams and the whole team together for events, and actively promoting a team culture through things such as staff newsletters, email shout-outs, etc. We hold company events at minimum once per month and individual team events are held at minimum every quarter. This allows employees to engage on a personal level, even if they haven’t seen each other in person for some time.”
11 REWIND
Rewind is on a mission to protect all business-critical cloud data. More than 25,000 organizations trust Rewind to safeguard their data from changes, attacks, and compliance faults, and that trust evolves from the diverse skills and perspectives of the Rewind team. Rewind’s company culture values work-life balance while prioritizing career growth by offering career tracks for all roles and $5,000 annually for professional development.
Our flexible work policy includes hybrid work options, flexible hours, every other Friday off in the summer, and an employee favourite: our work abroad program. - REWIND
Rewind also offers employees flexible healthcare plans, three weeks of vacation, a fourweek paid sabbatical, summer Fridays off, and a $1,000 annual wellness allowance.
Rewind is not just a team but a community that loves collaborating in a supportive and engaging work environment. Rewind is committed to acknowledging and celebrating the personal milestones of its employees to make them feel valued and appreciated. A strong company commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and goals that are shared online through annual progress reports make Rewind accountable to its employees and stated values.
“We have a comprehensive strategy to recruit and retain generation Z employees. Career growth is particularly important to this group, so we provide growth plans for managers to understand their team members’ career goals and career paths mapped
out for every role, highlighting the skills and competencies needed to advance. Our flexible work policy includes hybrid work options, flexible hours, every other Friday off in the summer, and an employee favourite: our work abroad program. We also offer generous parental leave top-ups, supporting those wanting to grow their families — a benefit heavily utilized by our gen Z employees.”
12
KNAK
Knak is one of Canada’s fastest growing SaaS (software as a service) companies and a leading martech (marketing) platform that allows marketers to build on-brand, no-code, marketing campaigns quickly. Before Knak became an expert in developing no-code email and landing page creation, the company believed that marketers’ natural creative talents should be at the forefront of all that they do. Knak believes in unleashing the creativity of all its employees.
The company has been built around four key pillars: Product, Growth, Customers and Culture. Knak has created a diverse team by promoting an inclusive work environment. It has
created a Women in Tech committee focused on developing a supportive work environment to attract and retain women, along with a Culture Committee. The committees play a vital role in shaping strategies for retaining and attracting employees, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or background.
“Knak utilizes Slack as a primary communication tool, ensuring seamless connectivity among team members. Our Culture Committee, supported by a subset of remote representatives, exemplifies this commitment. Whether orchestrating events or planning initiatives for the in-person team, we prioritize the inclusion of our remote colleagues, bridging the gap and ensuring everyone’s voices are heard.”
Continued on page 16
Creating the best place to work: A goal at Ottawa General Contractors
As a young entrepreneur with a booming general contracting business, Fares Elsabbagh received plenty of accolades as well as financial rewards for the hours he spent building his business. But the one that means most to him came this year, 15 years after he founded Ottawa General Contractors, along with Moe Abbas, Andrew Jabbour, Nick Karrandjas and Bryan Sim.
“I’ve had many accolades — Top 30 Under 30, Top 40 Under 40 — but getting a Best Place to Work designation was the most meaningful,” Elsabbagh says. “What was important to me was building a company that people enjoyed being at and that they were proud to work at, and that delivered a value proposition that clients actually saw the value in.” His company, a design-build firm boasting a team of 15 skilled carpenters and a total of 40 staff members, subcontracts to various trades to complete its award-winning renovations and new construction projects. “It takes daily
care. You’ve got to water those flowers every day.”
What is your recruiting philosophy?
Elsabbagh’s approach to hiring is refreshingly simple: “If you’re smiling during an interview, you’re almost guaranteed the job. It stems from the idea that in construction we deal with so much conflict and so many disputes. I’ve always wanted to build a team of people who are collaborative and pleasant to work with and who will approach conflict with a positive attitude.”
Job openings
“We’re always looking for key talent and we’re always hiring,” Elsabbagh says.
“Generally, it’s project management and sales — we call them project consultants.”
Vacation policy
Employees start with ten days of vacation and get an additional week after three years and another week after
five years. Ottawa General Contractors is also flexible if staff members need to take some extra leave without pay. The company also shuts down for two weeks in December, and those days off don’t count as vacation.
Benefits
Ottawa General Contractors’ employees receive dental coverage, long-term care insurance, life insurance, long-term disability benefits and supplemental medical coverage, for themselves and their dependents.
Wellness initiatives
To promote well-being, the company provides ergonomic furniture, encourages movement through teambuilding events. It also offers flexible hours that allow staff to balance work and life, for example, allowing them to leave for appointments or their dependents’ appointments or events. It offers workshops in stress management, and managers learn how
to support the emotional well-being of their team members.
Retirement savings
The company is looking at developing a profit-sharing program and a comprehensive retirement plan package.
Have fun!
“We do a lot of team-building activities,” Elsabbagh says. One such event was to take the entire team to an obstacle course in the country. Another was an archery day. During each excursion, professional coaching and training are provided to strengthen teamwork. Another highlight was filling two tables at the 40 Under 40 event, where longtime employees joined in to celebrate. The company also hosts healthy catered team lunches every two weeks.
Company career page
https://ottawageneralcontractors.com/ careers
When applicable, we also pay for remote team members to come to the local office from time to time to have the opportunity to bond and work in person with their teammates and other members of the local organization.
Continued from page 13
13
POMERLEAU CONSTRUCTION
Pomerleau Construction has grown from its roots in Quebec to become one of the largest shopping centre designbuild companies in Canada. It prioritizes a culture that promotes well-being and growth. It views itself as not just a company, but a community through its commitment to ensuring employee success and happiness.
Despite its continuous growth, Pomerleau stays true to its foundational family values of a solid work ethic by embedding those values deeply in its daily operations and company ethos.
Pomerleau has implemented flexible work arrangements including hybrid work and flexible hours to ensure it is accommodating its employees’ diverse needs and lifestyles. A planned renovation of its offices will include building a private room for employees to use for prayer, or as a space for nursing mothers.
“As we work in construction, we work hybrid or on-site for the most part. We have implemented a number of initiatives to keep the total workforce (remote and hybrid) engaged through organizing social events outside of work by our designated social committee, we have implemented a flexible work schedule to accommodate individual needs, our managers and team members set up regular one-on-one check-ins, and we include both remote and in-office team members in discussions to ensure everyone has a voice at all times. When applicable, we also pay for remote team members to come to the local office from time to time to have the opportunity to bond and work in person with their teammates and other members of the local organization.”
14
FELLOW INSIGHTS INC.
Fellow Insights is an AI meeting management firm that helps companies with strategies to keep their remote teams connected.
Fellow Insights honours employee loyalty with a special vacation upgrade. Once an employee has five years of service, they are given an
additional one-time bonus of 160 extra hours of vacation (four weeks) called a Shen-cation, in honour of Shen Li, the first employee at Fellow and also the first to reach the five years of service milestone.
The company cares about its employees through the employee assistance program, which provides employees and dependants with access to confidential counselling and information services for issues including: marital/relationships, family (including child care/elder care concerns), personal and emotional, alcohol/drug misuse and/ or abuse, violence, single parenting, bereavement, work and career, stress, smoking cessation, legal issues, information on some financial issues, nutrition information, and health coaching. Fellow also has workplace facilities to promote
exercise and fitness.
“Our organization has weekly all-hands calls which are CEO-led and feature different members of the company presenting on various initiatives and feature developments week to week. Additionally, twice annually we fly all staff to Ottawa for our all-hands hackathon and social events over three days, including our holiday party during the winter all-hands session.”
OTTAWA GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Ottawa General Contractors (OGC) offers homeowners affordable and successful renovation projects within the Greater Ottawa region.
on page 22
Supercharge your career on October 17th
You’re invited to the biggest and best career and training expo in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario
The Best Places To Work Career and Training Expo is a one-stop resource to take your career to the next level. Meet dozens of the region’s ‘best places to work’ employers and hear from experts about hiring trends, the local job market, the future of work and what makes Ottawa and Eastern Ontario the best region in Canada to work, live and play.
About the event:
• Thursday, October 17, 2024 at the Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, 3rd floor, Canada Hall 2
• Doors open at 1130 am
• Doors close at 600 pm
• 75+ exhibitors
• Professional headshots (free, but limited)
Why you should attend:
• Meet face-to-face with employers from technology, homebuilding, manufacturing, professional services, public sector and more!
• Explore education and training opportunities with all of Ottawa’s universities and colleges
• Main stage presentations on career trends and the future of work
Sponsored by
Meet with 75+ exhibitors, employers, educators and trainers.
Relax Massage Group: Fostering a healthy work-life balance
Relax Massage Group: a therapist-first clinic supporting work-life balance and professional growth.
F
or over two decades, Relax Massage Group has been a leader in advancing the career paths of the next generation of registered massage therapists. Owner Melissa Gardner acquired her massage therapy license in 2000, and four years later, opened her first stand-alone, two-room treatment clinic. After practicing for 17 great years, Gardner switched her focus to the business side of operating.
“I started seeing common themes in
terms of many challenges that massage therapists faced in the industry, and it really inspired me to change my focus to be a problem-solver for massage therapists. They tend to struggle a lot with tax planning, marketing and advertising, and they were finding all of the extra time-consuming work took away from what they actually enjoyed, and of course, also what was earning them money,” says Gardner.
Today the group has over 50
employees and seven locations all over Ottawa and the Valley. Gardner has focused on making the company an appealing place for those who want to start a family, or travel the world. She has done that by adding better benefits and flexible work hours.
What is your recruiting philosophy?
Compared to other massage clinics, Relax Massage Group is not multidisciplinary, meaning it does not
have various professions under one roof. Relax Massage Group emphasizes who they hire, ensuring staff are heard, since they know the industry and the therapists’ needs better than anyone.
“The vision at Relax Massage Group is a therapist-first clinic. By taking great care of our therapists, they can take great care of their clients,” says Gardner. “This philosophy has grown the company to become one of the largest employers of RMTs in Ottawa.”
Vacation and leave policy
Unpaid unlimited time off is offered to staff, which gives them the flexibility to work when they wish and vacation for as long as they want. Gardner said
many of its staff work just enough to travel several times each year, and make money to travel. Varied needs of the therapists are accommodated as much as possible and time away is encouraged by management to promote longevity and satisfaction in their profession.
Benefits
Staff at Relax Massage Group have the option of becoming a full-time employee or a part-time contractor. Either way, they receive 100 per cent support from management.
They also promote diversity and inclusivity with a body-positive environment, and have a strict dress code to ‘be comfortable’. “We like to see our RMT’s personalities shine through at work, so you won’t see uniforms here,” says Gardner.
Wellness initiatives
Relax Massage Group has recently launched relax.University, a program that offers free or discounted courses, workshops, mentorship and “lunch and learns”. Gardner said when she started the company, one of her goals was to create an education space that would
uplift their employees and provide them with the tools to alleviate unnecessary stress, promote longevity and fulfillment in their career. Every year, massage therapists must take part in a program called STRIVE in order to keep their license.
“We provide as much free support to our staff as possible to help support them through this task. It’s an important requirement to ensure you are up to date with all your skills and legal obligations as a regulated health professional,” says Gardner. “It’s an opportunity to talk through different opinions and debate different scenarios. When you have a mix of experienced and brand new massage therapists, it’s a wonderful opportunity to share wisdom and group support.”
Have fun!
Every summer, Relax Massage Group hosts an annual summer cottage party for its staff, and a much-anticipated holiday party with employee recognition awards. Individual clinics also offer team-building outings and social events.
Company career page https://www.relaxmassagegroup.com/
Relax Massage Group prioritizes registered massage therapists by offering flexible work hours, unlimited unpaid time off, and a therapist-first approach. With seven locations in Ottawa, Relax Massage Group provides career advancement, wellness programs, and a supportive, inclusive work environment. Explore how Relax Massage Group fosters professional growth and work-life balance for its team.
Recognizing gen Z’s reliance on digital channels, we prioritize recruitment efforts on platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and niche job boards frequented by this demographic. - OTTAWA GENERAL CONTRACTORS
Continued from page 16
OGC takes pride in an organizational culture centred around teamwork and collaboration. The company prioritizes team bonding and staff development by enlisting corporate trainers to enhance employee skills monthly and by arranging team-building outings.
OGC attracts and retains a diverse workforce by investing in cutting-edge technology and digital tools to enhance employee productivity, communication and collaboration.
The company recognizes that the gen Z cohort seeks continuous learning and growth opportunities, so it provides access to online courses, mentorship programs, and personalized development plans to support their employees’ professional advancement.
OGC also promotes a supportive work environment by celebrating the achievements
and milestones of its team members, including an end of year annual recognition party.
“Recognizing gen Z’s reliance on digital channels, we prioritize recruitment efforts on platforms such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and niche job boards frequented by this demographic. We also leverage social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase our company culture and opportunities. Gen Z seeks continuous learning and growth opportunities. We provide access to online courses, mentorship programs, and personalized development plans to support their professional advancement. Gen Z is tech-savvy and expects modern tools and technology in the workplace. We invest in cutting-edge technology and digital tools to enhance productivity, communication, and collaboration.”
16 KRP PROPERTIES
KRP Properties owns and manages 33 buildings in the Kanata Research Park and Kanata North Technology Park.
KRP Properties puts a “human approach” at the core of its operations with its tenants and staff. The company retains high-calibre individuals and professionals by providing employees with the tools needed to succeed through a constant cycle of training.
KRP recognizes diversity brings innovation, drives creativity, and fuels collaboration. It offers training on diversity
and equity and inclusion for employees, ensuring a healthy work environment.
KRP has a comprehensive external health and wellness service that covers all mental health issues. The company promotes exercise and fitness by providing a fitness and wellness program within the workplace, flexible work hours and ergonomic furniture.
It also creates opportunities for its employees to socialize and support one another through quarterly team get-togethers, where top performers and milestone employees are recognized. As well as offers a wide range of engagement
activities such as axe throwing, musical performances and games to encourage team spirit in the company.
“We actively look for and seek talent regardless of age. From an outright mention in each and every job posting that clearly states KRP is an organization that searches for and seeks talent based on the right combination of experience and education or skill sets. We also ensure that all our job postings are placed on prominent social media channels, which are predominantly being consumed by the gen Z age group. Add to that, we also look at hiring co-op students from universities across Canada.”
17
J.L. RICHARDS & ASSOCIATES LIMITED
The story of J.L. Richards & Associates (JLR) unfolds in 1955 with three young entrepreneurs and some rented space in downtown Ottawa. These three engineers had a vision to provide consulting engineering services. Almost 70 years later, they are an employee-owned multidisciplinary firm of more than 400 employees, spanning seven offices across Ontario, with completed projects in more than 75 countries.
JLR prioritizes work-life balance with flexible work hours and remote working options. JLR is committed to cultivating a culture where all employees are included, treated with dignity and respect, and placed in positions to contribute to collective future successes. JLR’s leadership team believes
fostering diversity, equity and inclusion leads to better decision-making and stronger teams.
Employees enjoy competitive salaries and annual reviews, including a merit-and-profit bonus program. As well, social events such as galas, golf tournaments, sports teams, and BBQs help build a fun and rewarding work environment.
“One hundred per cent of our staff are eligible to work remotely up to 15 hours (two days) per week. Our employees work in a hybrid environment, so coming to the office occasionally is helpful to foster an engaged workforce. We also employ communications technology and a digital employee hub to ensure that staff can stay in touch and work
effectively. A stipend is provided to help with home-related expenses for remote work.”
18 COLONNADE BRIDGEPORT
Colonnade BridgePort is a real estate investment and management company that maximizes its clients’ real estate asset potential beyond the balance sheet because of a commitment to creativity and fresh thinking.
One of its core values is to have a positive impact on the communities in which the company operates throughout Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Its commitment to enhancing the communities it serves helps
to make its properties places where people want to be and makes Colonnade BridgePort a place where people want to work.
Colonnade BridgePort’s approach to cultivating and retaining a diverse workforce is comprehensive, including a flexible work policy aimed at assisting employees in achieving harmony between work and personal responsibilities. The company believes that employees that have integrity and are accountable to their clients and the business should have flexibility in how and where work is done. This promotes mutual respect, employee autonomy and a healthy work-life balance.
Continued on page 26
Giatec breaks down barriers in the concrete industry
Hiring boom leads to improved employee benefits and culture.
When Giatec founders Pouria Ghods and Aali Alizadeh came to Canada from Iran in 2005 to pursue PhDs in science and engineering, they could never have imagined running a 150-person company.
Giatec was founded in 2010 by the two friends, who identified a significant gap in
infrastructure and the concrete industry.
“There are three components and pillars that are part of our culture. The first is safety: you need to feel comfortable making mistakes so you can try new things,” says Ghods. “The second is sharing vulnerability. None of us always has the answers, but we have a
culture where everyone feels comfortable sharing weaknesses and asking for help. That helps people be the best version of themselves. The third is purpose. It’s about working hard to make the planet a better place for the next generation. We want to reduce the carbon footprint of the concrete industry.”
What is your recruiting philosophy?
When Giatec started, its founders focused on hiring the best talent they could find. Today, the company’s leadership team is comprised of 50 per cent men and 50 per cent women. The team is also diverse, representing numerous cultural backgrounds and
diversities of age and gender. In fact, the team is made up of staff from over 20 countries.
“Giatec has been recognized multiple times for its commitment to leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices,” says Alizadeh. “By bringing diverse perspectives and backgrounds to the table, our team members are able to develop innovative products that are disrupting the concrete industry. We have developed new technologies that allow the industry to operate more safely, efficiently, and with a lower carbon footprint. The concrete industry is one of the world’s largest contributors to CO2 emissions.”
Job openings
Over the past 18 months, Giatec has added 50 new staff to its growing team. The focus is now on maintaining the strong culture with an expanded workforce.
Vacation and leave policy
Giatec offers 10 employer-paid statutory
holidays each year, along with 15 vacation days for entry-level employees. All staff are also entitled to five paid life days per year which allows flexibility for employees to have paid time off to attend to a variety of life events and commitments (including child care, moving, study, etc.).
Benefits
The company provides a flexible benefits program, including spending accounts for health and wellness related expenses. The benefits were customized by the company to provide ultimate flexibility and meet the diverse needs of the team. In addition, the company provides an RRSP matching program.
Wellness initiatives
Giatec has a budget to recognize significant achievements with gift cards, flowers, lunches, and other benefits at the manager’s discretion. During monthly all-staff meetings, professional achievements such as promotions and role changes are highlighted.
Have fun!
The annual Giatec holiday party in December features dinner, dancing, and games. In the summer, the company hosts an annual backyard anniversary party with music and food trucks. There is also an annual family winter event
for employees and their families, with activities such as skating or snowtubing.
Company career page https://www.giatecscientific.com/ careers/
Continued from page 23
“We have made significant investments in resources geared toward career development and fostering transparency of career trajectories within our organization. This ensures that all employees have equal access and feel empowered to navigate their professional paths. We conduct training programs for both remote and on-site employees to ensure that everyone enjoys equal opportunities for growth and access to training initiatives. Within our ESG Strategy, equitable learning opportunities is
a top priority, alongside the overarching goal of embracing diverse perspectives.”
19 SEOPLUS+
Seoplus+ is a digital marketing partner for companies that want to utilize data to grow and expand their businesses. It helps companies set marketing goals and achieve those goals. Its culture, encapsulated by its PACT values — Play, Accountability, Collaboration, Transparency — fosters a
supportive and enjoyable work environment.
Employees thrive through clear career progression paths, regular feedback, and an annual training credit.
The company prioritizes mental health and maintains high engagement through team-building activities. Seoplus+ offers a generous compensation package, with extended health benefits, mental health support, and a flexible work policy.
Seoplus+ celebrates individual employee milestones through a variety of formal
recognition programs. Employees who contribute exceptional work receive tangible rewards such as spot bonuses and gift cards. The company also provides certificates and awards during company-wide meetings to honour achievements and promote a culture of appreciation and recognition.
“seoplus+ attracts and retains generation Z employees by offering flexibility through our Work from Anywhere policy, stateof-the-art technology, and clear career development paths with an annual training credit. Additionally, we partner with local colleges and universities like Algonquin College, University of Ottawa, and Carleton University to recruit emerging talent, ensuring meaningful and growth-oriented career opportunities.”
20 MODERN NIAGARA OTTAWA INC.
Modern Niagara helps building owners and managers by meeting all the needs of their properties across six major centres in Canada: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Southwestern Ontario, and Ottawa. Modern Niagara combines capacity and agility to successfully complete the biggest and most complex jobs. Leading the way in the construction of health-care facilities and the decarbonization of buildings, Modern Niagara’s people push the norms and develop new and important advancements.
It prioritizes diversity and inclusion by collaborating with organizations such as the World Skills Employment Centre and participating in Indigenous-focused career fairs and by forming partnerships with industry counterparts on reserves.
Modern Niagara also has a Career
We understand the importance of early engagement, so we visit high schools to showcase the trades, igniting interest from a young age. Furthermore, we offer comprehensive co-op programs for university and college students, with an average of 30 participants annually. -
MODERN
NIAGARA
Path Planning Program. Through this program, individuals identify their strengths, interests and career aspirations. By aligning personal goals with available opportunities, employees can pursue educational, training and advancement paths that resonate with their passions and ambitions. This approach fosters growth, development and fulfillment within the organization, contributing to the success of employees and the company.
“Modern Niagara actively pursues a recruitment and retention strategy tailored to generation Z employees. We understand the importance of early engagement, so we visit high schools to showcase the trades, igniting interest from a young age. Furthermore, we offer comprehensive co-op programs for university and college students, with an average of 30 participants annually. Many of these participants seamlessly transition into full-time roles upon graduation. At Modern Niagara we consistently attempt to keep up with trends, such as recruiting on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.”
A trusted name in plumbing since 1986 that fosters employee growth
With a commitment to a supportive work environment, diverse recruitment, and a wide range of certified services, TPH Plumbing & Heating ensures quality and care for both employees and customers alike.
Since 1986, TPH Plumbing & Heating Inc has been deeply committed to fostering a positive and supportive work environment while prioritizing the well-being and growth of its employees.
To save their customers time and
money, TPH offers a wide variety of regular and specialized services such as: steam trap testing, boiler replacement, coils repair, medical gases and all of your regular commercial plumbing needs. All technicians are certified to design and install natural gas and oil systems,
as well as test and repair backflow preventers (BFP).
“We believe in recognizing and rewarding the hard work and dedication of our team members, fostering a culture of appreciation and empowerment. By implementing
strategies focused on open communication, professional development, and employee feedback, we strive to maintain high levels of retention and engagement within our organization. At TPH Plumbing and Heating, we are a team of highly passionate and knowledgeable individuals committed to raising the bar in the skilled trades industry,” says Patrick Taillefer, who took over from his father, who started the business.
What is your recruiting philosophy? TPH prides itself on having a diverse and inclusive workforce. Many of its candidates are selected through
partnerships with professional organizations, universities, and community groups. Structured interviews and diverse hiring panels are in place to minimize bias.
“We offer mentorship programs and professional development opportunities, to support individuals. This holistic approach ensures we not only attract but also retain a diverse and talented workforce, fostering innovation and growth,” says Taillefer.
On the first day of work, employees are told to come in at 10 a.m. to help ease any stress and anxiety. They will meet with human resources for the first half of the day in order to reinforce that they will be supported in the workplace, as well as to go over rules and procedures.
“I was not as nervous as a result the night before. You don't have to worry about getting a good night's sleep or getting up on time. You can slow down, have a shower, eat breakfast, and take your dog for a walk. Morning traffic is usually gone by then,” said Alana Parr, an executive assistant at TPH Plumbing & Heating for the last six months.
Vacation and leave policy
Employees are given nine employer-paid statutory holidays off each year, and also have paid sick leave. Each new hire is also given four weeks paid holidays in their first year. Staff are able to finish at 2 p.m. on Fridays during the year and 12 p.m. on Fridays during the summer.
Benefits
The company provides 50 per cent dental, vision, life insurance, travel insurance, and supplemental medical coverage for employees and dependents.
Have fun!
There is no shortage of events at TPH Plumbing & Heating. The list includes: barbeques, golf days, axe throwing, go-karting, holiday parties and ski days. There are also Friday afternoon socials for new hires and an exercise in initiative for everyone to win prizes.
Company career page https://tphinc.ca/careers/
seoplus+ rises as a top employer with focus on employee growth
Digital marketing agency sets the standard for workplace culture with extensive training, wellness programs and a commitment to work-life balance.
Seoplus+ is a 48-employee digital marketing agency with clients throughout Canada, as well as in the U.S. and Europe. Founded in 2012, and headquartered at Ottawa’s trendy Lansdowne Park, its target clients are multi-location businesses that need
marketing management across different spaces.
“For us, our mission is to make life better for our team, our clients and the community,” says co-founder Brock Murray, who adds that’s why the “Best Places to Work” designation is
important. “We take a lot of pride and spend a lot of time making sure our employees are growing. We want to help them develop their careers and enjoy what they do, even if they eventually go on to work somewhere else.”
Murray says the company spends
$500 per year per employee on training and has a kudos program through which staff members can give each other public pats on the back that end up accumulating through a point system and can be monetized.
What is your recruiting philosophy? “We make sure the people we hire are a fit culture-wise,” Murray says. “We look at whether they align with our values, more than what their tech know-how or experience is. We’ve had people start as interns who are now leading teams.”
Job openings
seoplus+ currently has roles for an SEO specialist role and a bilingual content writer and an account co-ordinator.
Vacation policy and leave policy
The standard starting vacation for all employees is two weeks. It goes up to three weeks after three years. The company also offers five sick days and two personal days.
Benefits
For employees and dependents, the company provides dental, vision, long-term care insurance, and supplemental medical coverage, all at 50 per cent. For employees only, it also provides long and short-term disability benefits.
Wellness initiatives
The team volunteers at the Ottawa Food Bank’s Harvest Farm every year and employees are also allowed to do their own volunteering on company time. There’s a virtual yoga class once a month and seoplus+ hires a trainer to do virtual HIIT classes for the team as well. Employees can access a subscription to
Fitbod, an app that helps track workouts and builds custom workout plans for subscribers. Monthly team meetings also include a catered or restaurant lunch for employees. Finally, there’s a budget for mental health wellness and managers are trained to watch for and address signs of mental stress, fatigue and burnout and they hold regular oneon-one meetings with team members to check in on these issues.
Retirement savings
Murray says the company is working on getting a retirement savings plan up and running and, in the meantime, there’s a company profit-sharing plan.
Have fun!
“We do a monthly social event, which might be virtual trivia or bingo,” Murray says. “We also do in-person events such as archery tag or mini-putt or a golf tournament or Redblacks game. We have seoplus+ socials, too, where we invite people from the community to join us.”
Company career page seoplus.com/careers/
JLR celebrates employee engagement
Multidisciplinary firm reinforces its “Best Places to Work” reputation through creative benefits and wellness initiatives.
J.L. Richards & Associates Limited (JLR), an engineering, architecture, and planning firm, provides multidisciplinary consulting services to its clients. Vice-president René Lambert says that all the efforts and resources that go into being a “Best Place to Work” are important for the firm, and they drive positive outcomes like engagement and retention. “It is validating to see our efforts recognized in such a big way through this award,” says Lambert.
What is your recruitment philosophy?
“We are looking for the top tier of talent in the engineering, architectural, and planning worlds,” Lambert says.
“Employees stay here for a long time and enjoy what they do, where they work, and the relationships they forge.”
Job creation
“In all of our disciplines, we have openings for new talent,” Lambert says.
“We’re in a good growth cycle and every new hire is an opportunity to explore new and exciting work.”
Mentorship, training, and development
JLR has a strong focus on career mentorship and technical development, with programs and initiatives that support both. “Our career mentorship program pairs a senior leader with an employee in an entirely different
discipline,” says Kristin McCartney, human resources manager. “This program helps diffuse and propagate our culture, and teaches both parties about another perspective,” she adds.
Paid time off
JLR has a strong focus on work-life balance. Employees have access to ample paid time-off banks, including vacation, sick time, medical appointment leave, and even banked time—a policy whereby anything worked over and above 37.5 hours in a week can be banked and either paid out or used for extra time off.
“Employees who want to immerse themselves in a project will accumulate banked time if they work more than a
regular work week,” says Lambert.
“It is one of the big reasons that people feel valued for their time here,” adds McCartney.
Wellness initiatives
JLR has a full calendar of wellness initiatives, focusing on mental, financial, and social well-being. In January, for example, the focus is on mental health to align with Bell Let’s Talk Day. In August, employees received a 20-minute massage in the office, on office time. Employees also enjoy a reduced rate with GoodLife Fitness and a virtual tele-medicine service for quick prescriptions and referrals.
Employee ownership
The cornerstone of JLR’s culture is its broad-based employee-ownership model. Approximately two-thirds of its 470+ employees are shareholders, and none of its shares are held by external
parties. “Every policy, every program, every step we take corporately is defined by the fact that we are proudly employee owned,” says Lambert.
Have fun!
“JLR allots ‘fun funds’ each year, discretionary team building budgets for managers to use however they see fit,” says McCartney. “We started this practice in the pandemic and never stopped.”
The firm also organizes company-wide and department social events, which are a long-standing tradition and always generate a lot of energy and excitement. Employees are also empowered to lead their own events, including dragon-boating, volleyball, and hockey tournaments along with philanthropic initiatives that give back to the communities employees live in.
Company career page jlrichards.ca/careers/
KRP Properties has a “human approach” for employee well-being
From cutting-edge real estate to exceptional employee benefits, see how KRP Properties blends a high-tech environment with a “human approach”, solidifying they are more than just space.
KRP Properties is a foundational real estate company in Ottawa’s high-tech scene and business community at large. KRP Properties owns and manages 31 buildings spanning over three million sq. ft. of space in Kanata North. KRP Properties is affiliated with the philanthropic organization Wesley Clover International, founded by high tech pioneer Sir Terrence Matthews. The company, which has over 60 employees, prides itself on bringing a “human-approach” that is at the core of the company’s value system. Martin Vandewouw, President of KRP Properties, says that the company has worked hard to ensure employees are happy. “It has been reinforced certainly from the people that we have hired in the last five years. It is interesting, in the comments that they make about how much they appreciate it here. They are so happy to be here based on where they were before,” he says.
Vandewouw says that the company often underestimates just what a positive workplace it has created. “We are really hard on ourselves in terms of creating what we think is the right environment for our people and we always question whether it is enough, right? So, I think this confirms that we are doing the right things,” he says.
What is your recruiting philosophy?
Vandewouw says that there is no formal philosophy, rather it is a vibe from a potential recruit that seals the deal. “We’re always looking for people who have a sense of humor, who are team players. It is important that people fit in here and appreciate our culture and values,” he says.
Job
openings
Frontline security workers are needed right now, as is a building operator, Vandewouw says.
Vacation policy and leave policy
The company pays all statutory holidays, six sick days per year with flexibility when uncontrollable circumstances arise. There are three weeks of vacation in the first year of employment with extended weeks as you progress throughout employment. Ten personal days per year are also made available.
Benefits
KRP’s coverage is extensive with a policy with Canada Life Insurance. All full time employees are enrolled from the first day of employment. With company paid premiums, everything is covered: from health, dental, and vision for employees and dependents; accidental care insurance; life insurance; disability benefits and mental health.
Wellness initiatives
KRP provides a range of initiatives that support employee wellness, including: fitness and wellness programs; ergonomically correct furniture; financial planning workshops, mental health options, marriage and family counseling; daycare options; tickets to sporting or other entertainment events, museums, or amusement parks.
Retirement savings
The company provides an RRSP matching program.
Have fun!
KRP plans several events every year for employees to enjoy. These include an annual company BBQ, and a holiday party at the Brookstreet Hotel or Marshes Golf Course. There are quarterly get-togethers where KRP
recognizes top performers with our KRP KUDOS program and celebrates milestone employees along with health and safety recognition. The company also invests and attends community golf tournaments and other year-round events.
Explore how KRP Properties stands out in Ottawa’s real estate and tech scene by fostering a positive workplace culture. Learn about their extensive benefits, wellness initiatives, and commitment to creating a supportive and diverse environment for their team.
Calling all employers: Get ready to tackle workplace challenges at Best Places to Work event on Oct. 17
Being an employer is tough and getting tougher.
When the pandemic accelerated remote and hybrid work, it added to a complex workplace already full of challenges for employers.
Keeping employees engaged, dealing with generational change, controlling inflationary wage pressures and promoting diversity rank among those challenges.
This complexity compels employers to think carefully and act proactively to create a happy and productive workplace.
To support local employers, the Ottawa Business Journal is working with local economic development partners to create an entire day dedicated to identifying and developing talent.
EMPLOYER SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS
Thursday, Oct. 17th @ Shaw Centre, Canada Hall 1
9:00-11:00 am: Awards Brunch and keynote from Dr. Linda Duxbury of Sprott School of Business
12:00-12:45 pm: How AI is Set to Transform HR (free session)
1:00-1:45 pm: Recruiting Reimagined ~ How to Attract and Recruit Top Talent (free session)
2:00-2:45 pm: Building Tomorrow’s Leaders (free session)
3:00-3:45 pm: Employment Law Updates ~ What You Need to Know Now (free session)
4:00-6:30 pm: DisruptHR cocktail and presentations
To view detailed agenda and register, visit www. eventbrite.ca/e/best-places-to-work-employersummit-future-proof-your-workforce-tickets
CAREER EXPO HIGHLIGHTS
Thursday, Oct. 17th @ Shaw Centre, Canada Hall 2
Doors open at 11:30 am and close at 6:00 pm
EMPLOYER SUMMIT
Free to attend with advance registration
75+ employers from technology, real estate, homebuilding, manufacturing, professional services, health care, public sector and more www.bestplacestoworkexpo.ca
Businesses looking to exhibit can email cindy@obj.ca
already online, but Parsons said he’s in the middle of creating a new version with updated user interface, new features, and some premium elements that users can pay to unlock. Parsons will also be receiving a grant to support the project, which he said will go toward covering the costs of running the program, as well as targeted advertising and other marketing efforts.
NEXT GENERATION HONING IN ON AI
Grade 11 entrepreneur tackles the perils and possibilities of AI with new startup, LetterLabsAI
BY MIA JENSEN mia@obj.ca
Major companies aren’t the only ones jumping on the artificial intelligence bandwagon. Local high schooler Dean Parsons is launching an AI business of his own, and he says we can expect many of his generation to do the same.
Parsons, a grade 11 student at Colonel By Secondary School, has long had a passion for technology and software. He starting coding his own video games in middle school using the free programming language Scratch, eventually moving on to game engine Unity and learning C#.
“C# is decently close to the languages I use now, so it transferred really well,” he told OBJ in an interview. “From there, from these communities, I learned about software. I learned that video games are for entertainment, but I realized that the software I make can be for entertainment or to help people, and that seemed to be a much more rewarding thing to get into.”
Most recently, for Parsons and his peers, artificial intelligence has emerged as a new, and potentially valuable, frontier.
“I’ve made a lot of friends in the (software) space and a lot of them are always saying, listen, if you want to get into SaaS (software as a service), what you really have to do is get into AI,” he said. “It’s a huge thing. The wave is now and you might as well get in on it now. I started learning from there.”
An extensive job search last summer led him to come up with the idea for his
first AI business, LetterLabsAI, which he’s since launched with the help of Invest Ottawa’s Summer Company Program, which provides mentorship and grants for entrepreneurs in their teens and twenties.
“I realized that the cover letter was kind of the hardest part for me personally,” he said of applying for jobs. “The cover letter actually has some personality to it. So I thought, maybe AI could help.”
The platform allows job seekers to upload a PDF of their cover letter, which is then analyzed by AI on structure, grammar, and other strengths and weaknesses. The app then returns a handful of feedback points for each category, so users can learn more about potential issues and how to fix them. Users can then make the changes themselves, or ask AI to do it for them.
Parsons said the result is a higher-
quality cover letter that stands out to recruiters, while retaining the user’s voice.
It’s a unique approach compared to the AI programs already available to job seekers, like cover letter generators, and one Parsons believes better utilizes the strengths of ChatGPT.
“AI is really good at understanding and explaining, but it’s really bad at producing,” he said. “When you ask it to write something, it’s very robotic and emotionless because it’s a robot. That’s where I realized maybe writing the cover letter isn’t what I needed from it. I needed someone to go over the cover letter, like an audit.”
It’s a concept that received support from his mentor at Invest Ottawa, who encouraged and helped streamline the idea and how to turn it into a business.
An early version of the program is
Artificial intelligence and ChatGPT has really opened up the field for tech-minded teens, said Parsons.
“Everybody’s always talking about their next AI ideas, because it’s very, very simple,” he said. “So many big companies are leaning towards adding AI and it’s just really taking over the software space. A lot of features you used to have to spend a ton of time coding. Now you can just tell AI what you want it to do and it’ll handle it in the back end.”
While the importance of AI as a tool for the next tech generation has become undeniable, Parsons said there is still apprehension from some in his age group hoping to pursue a career in tech.
“It’s really split into two groups,” he said. “There’s the people who like it and the people who are scared.”
On the one hand, AI lowers the barriers for entry, simplifying the process and making it easier to afford making software. That means more young people see opportunities to create their own unique AI businesses and find success as startup founders.
But Parsons said that accessibility could be a double-edged sword.
“People are worried that things will get very, very saturated. With AI, you can make an app in three, four hours because ChatGPT is pretty decent at coding,” he said.
“I am kind of in the group that is a little bit scared of AI because of how simple it is to make anything in tech. People are a little bit scared that they will start losing their jobs because any app that you make, someone else can always build better – someone with less experience, less knowledge, they can always build it better with these AI tools.”
Still, Parsons can see himself finding new ways to utilize AI in the future. He said he plans to study either software or computer science in university, before going the startup route.
“I’m very interested in machine learning and how it can be used to help,” he said.
Local teenager Dean Parsons is the founder of LetterLabsAI. PHOTO SUPPLIED
How can AI generate the confidence to reach its potential?
Find out how you can face the future with EY.ai to help build confidence, create exponential value and augment people’s potential.
AI at YOW: New tech from Nepean company has potential to improve operations at airport
BY MIA JENSEN mia@obj.ca
Anew artificial intelligence program coming to the Ottawa International Airport (YOW) could help airport officials more accurately predict delays and pinpoint safety concerns.
Ottawa’s airport is partnering with Nepean-based Searidge Technologies to conduct a nine-month demonstration of Smart Stand, a program that uses cameras and sensors to monitor airport gates and ground activity in real-time, then runs visual artificial intelligence algorithms to predict potential delays, according to Josha Bharadwa, head of platform and products at Searidge.
The goal of the program, Bharadwa told OBJ, is to make the turnaround process between flights more efficient and improve safety on the ground.
“I’m sure you’ve experienced something similar … when you’re at the gate every 15 minutes you get another message: delayed,” said Bharadwa. “With (Smart Stand), we can see the predicted turnaround time and departure time, so that we get real-time insights into the process. Then passengers can enjoy the airport’s services, rather than waiting around the gate for continuous updates.”
The system monitors hundreds of individual tasks during the turnaround
process, according to Bharadwa, including fuelling, aircraft arriving and departing, baggage handling and passengers disembarking the aircraft. All of these steps have the potential to lead to delays and, with so many factors at play, it can be hard to keep track.
In addition to increasing efficiency, Bharadwa said the program helps to improve safety for passengers and crew, as well as ground personnel.
“We can detect, using our AI and cameras, if a human is getting too close to the engine ingestion zone,” he said. “Or, we can make sure that they are doing the required safety checks for each flight.”
The program also returns data and generates key performance indicators that allow the airport to evaluate its operations.
This isn’t the first time Searidge has worked with YOW. In a press release, Ottawa International Airport Authority CEO Mark Laroche said he was excited to continue the collaboration.
“We are thrilled to build on several successful collaborations with Searidge Technologies that have improved our airside situational awareness and safety posture,” he said. “Smart Stand’s data and analysis capabilities, coupled with operational efficiencies, will ultimately mean improved performance for all airside players and better service for our passengers.”
For passengers, the tech will most likely be invisible, but Bharadwa said the difference will be in the experience.
“It depends on how the airport wants to integrate it into their system,” he said.
“I think from the passenger perspective, they’re really going to notice it if the airport integrates it with live updates, giving them a more accurate depiction of when a pushback is going to happen. As a passenger, you’re still going to get that delay, it’s still going to be annoying, but you’re going to be able to spend it in the lounge and not locked to the gate.”
This is not Searidge’s first experience with artificial intelligence. Bharadwa said the company started integrating AI into its products as far back as 2015.
Smart Stand and its AI algorithm have been in progress since about 2019 and, while parts of it have been tested at other airports, this is the first time the program is being demonstrated in full.
“It’s something new,” Bharadwa said. “There are competitors in the space, but it’s brand new for many, many airports. This is a brand new technique with camera technology to create actionable insights and deeper-level information. It isn’t replacing any existing technology. A lot of the procedure that currently happens (is done by) humans, setting predicted onboard and departure times. We’re just automating it.”
After the nine-month demonstration, Bharadwa said the plan is to roll out the program to a number of airports across North America and Europe, likely by late 2025.
He added that the tech won’t necessarily create an incentive for more airlines to come to Ottawa, but it could solidify YOW’s reputation as a leader in tech integration across the aviation industry.
“If we can increase the utilization of each individual stand, we can handle the flow of more passengers and more aircrafts,” he said. “For Ottawa’s partners, they’ll see that it has the latest and greatest technologies available in the APM (automated people mover) and aviation space. It’s working with partners like Searidge to develop these solutions to stay on the forefront of the technology market.”
Let wisdom lead the way. Perlaw.ca
uOttawa’s Faculty of Engineering is filling skill gaps in the tech industry
Innovative curriculums are meeting people where they’re at and focusing on a hands-on approach
UOttawa’s Faculty of Engineering has been preparing for this moment for years, proactively adapting its curriculum to meet the evolving demands of the technology sector and the Ottawa community.
“The times are changing, and academia has to change with it,” said Dr. Hanan Anis, professor and director of the School of Engineering Design and Innovation.
Anis emphasizes the importance of staying ahead of rapid technological advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, digital transformations, and data analytics.
Initiatives kicked off years ago have come to fruition, arriving just in time to deliver the skills tech companies need today. A new undergrad program in technology will train the next generation. Microprograms and online part time master’s have been designed to help grad students and professionals upskill in critical areas.
Underpinning each program is more opportunities for experiential learning, whether it’s a paid co-op, internship or class project that solves a real-world problem.
Training the next generation
The Faculty of Engineering has introduced a three-year Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Design program to equip students with the critical skills required for the future: creative thinking and adaptability.
This undergraduate degree offers customizable streams that enable students to collaborate with industry and community partners to address societal challenges.
Right now, students can choose from pre-set streams including cybersecurity, project management, STEM education, technology and public policy, responsible artificial intelligence innovation, UX design and sustainable design.
However, they’re also encouraging students to
customize a stream based on their own passions and goals, and local tech businesses are being offered the chance to do the same.
“A student can choose a path based on their interests and career aspirations, but a company can also work with us to customize a stream that fills a skill gap,” said Anis. “We’re definitely interested in offering industry an opportunity to customizing the program further.”
Picture this: students graduating with required knowledge and skills in a specific field. Last year, the Faculty of Engineering worked with Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network to allow students to explore various careers in the mobility sector.
Upskilling or reskilling professionals
Since filling the skills gap can’t always wait the duration of an undergrad degree, the faculty started offering microprograms several years ago.
Grad students can add a microprogram to their area of study, and eligible undergraduate students can take them as a part of their degree. Any professional with the right background can also take these courses to acquire specialized skills and knowledge in Interdisciplinary AI and Cybersecurity.
To further support the growing demand for technology skills, the Faculty has launched two new online master’s
programs: Digital Transformation and Innovation and Interdisciplinary Artificial Intelligence. These evening courses are designed to accommodate working professionals, enabling them to enhance their expertise while balancing their careers.
“Technology is moving so fast, so we’re offering these courses in the evening when it’s easier for people working full-time to attend,” said Anis. “We’re meeting people where they’re at.”
Fostering a culture of lifelong learning
The Faculty of Engineering recognizes that the rapid pace of technological change necessitates a mindset of continuous learning and adaptability. By equipping students and professionals with the skills to learn quickly, adopt a design mindset, and solve problems, the University of Ottawa is positioning its graduates and the Ottawa community for success in the ever-evolving technological landscape.
Nick Quain on why Ottawa is a ‘bootstrap city’ seeing a resurgence in early-stage founders
BY MIA JENSEN mia@obj.ca
When you think of the best places in Canada to start a business, does Ottawa come to mind? Invest Ottawa’s Nick Quain says it probably should.
Quain is the vice-president of venture development for the local economic development agency, leading programming and helping early-stage startups hit the ground and scale to new heights. In 2018, he led the development of the organization’s IO Accelerator, a threemonth training program for entrepreneurs ready to launch a new business. Before joining Invest Ottawa, Quain was cofounder and CEO of CellWand, which pioneered the #TAXI dialing system to connect North American mobile users to cab companies through their phones.
In this instalment of OBJ’s Top of Mind in Tech, Quain breaks down the startup boom, the city’s unique bootstrapping culture, and the emergence of founders hoping to tackle issues in health care.
MORE STARTUPS THAN EVER IN OTTAWA
“I would say something that’s really happened over the last year is that there are more startups being started and more founders starting early-stage tech businesses than ever before. In the last six years since I’ve been with Invest Ottawa and probably in our city’s history, (I’ve never seen) the sheer number of players coming in and founders looking for support. I don’t believe it’s just because now they’re coming to us more, though maybe that’s a part of it. But I think it’s really more about more people starting tech startups now than ever before and that makes sense because it’s
easier now than ever. There’s all the tools out there; you’re got low-code and no-code tools that allow non-tech founders to build a prototype. You’ve got generative AI that allows you to do all sorts of things in terms of creating content. (AI is) opening the eyes of innovative people who are saying, holy cow, I could start a business that utilizes these tools to do something more efficiently or much easier than it’s been done before.
“From Invest Ottawa’s perspective, it’s exciting and overwhelming to see the sheer number of founders coming in. We’ve been scrambling a little bit to reset our programming and we’ve added resources and people. Our Ignition program, which is for early-stage programs, has been running quarterly but typically had 30 or 40 applications. Now I see 70 or 80, so we need to triage some of those folks that can’t get into that program and support them in other ways. It’s interesting because I talk to other innovation leaders across Ontario and the country and they’re not feeling that same thing. I think part of that might be ecosystems not set up to support very
early-stage programming. So I think it’s really exciting and it’s something that does seem to be somewhat unique to Ottawa.”
OTTAWA AS A CENTRE FOR BOOTSTRAPPING
“There’s been a real transformation of Ottawa over the last 15 years. There was the telecom tech hub we had back in the ‘90s and early 2000s and now today the biggest companies are in software. It starts with something like Shopify, or you look at other anchors that we have, like Kinaxis or Fullscript. These are massive anchor software companies that we have, which have a lot of executives and add a lot of different talent into our ecosystem to support startups and to support company scaling. I think Ottawa, we don’t see how good we really are. Having Shopify and Kinaxis, those are two top-10 tech companies in Canada. We punch way above our weight class when it comes to producing top anchor firms. Frankly, other cities don’t have the same level of big-tech software companies that have established themselves as global powerhouses.
“It’s become very clear to me that Ottawa is a bootstrap city. It’s unreal, the number of companies that have scaled to a million, two million, some to five million with zero outside equity. That doesn’t happen in other ecosystems. We’ve had founders come back from visits to California where an investor says, ‘You scale to a million dollars with no capital? We’ve never heard of this.’ And we’re like, are you kidding? I can name six companies that have scaled to that stage. We’re a top-five city in every category for tech, except capital. We’re beaten by Calgary and Vancouver consistently when it comes to raising capital, but those cities have nowhere near the tech anchors that Ottawa
does. So I think it’s really interesting that we’ve been able to build these companies.
“Ottawa has always received less capital, so you bootstrap partially by necessity and partly by wanting to build it that way. That has put Ottawa in a unique position, that we just have this whole foundation of bootstrappers in our city.You should have product and you should have a cost-effective scaling strategy before you raise significant capital. Ottawa companies are able to get to that stage, which allows them to raise more capital at a better valuation and it’s super founder-friendly. They control the terms. They’re not under pressure. They’re going to control the board. They’re going to control who’s going to be the CEO. That is a bit of the culture within the Ottawa startup ecosystem.”
GROWTH IN DIGITAL HEALTH AND CLEANTECH
“I think it’s really interesting to see the number of digital health companies that are coming up in our ecosystem. We have this huge percentage of founders looking to solve problems in our health-care system and not all of them come from the health-care space. Some of them have been impacted by family members or through their lives have experienced our health-care system and said this is crazy. We’re seeing all of this talent, all these amazing people trying to solve issues, without a major health-care anchor in our ecosystem. It’s not like we have these billion-dollar health-care companies that are solving these issues that are spinning off these founders. These are people that are coming out without experience in that space, that are solving issues and many of them very successfully.
“(We’re seeing that) in cleantech as well. Cleantech covers a bunch of things. It can be carbon capture, efficient use of energy, sustainable food storage – we just see this huge wave of the next generation. It shouldn’t be surprising that the next generation is passionate about solving some of the world’s major issues, and health care and things like sustainability are two major things that are important to the current population. Again in cleantech, it’s not one where we have these big firms in our city, with all these experts on carbon capture and these things, but it doesn’t matter. These are talented people and that includes some repeat founders who have taken another swing at this.”
Nick Quain, vice-president of venture development, Invest Ottawa
Kinaxis parts ways with CEO John Sicard in ‘unexpected’ move
BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca
Kanata-based software firm Kinaxis announced that CEO John Sicard and chief sales officer Claire Rychlewski will leave the company later this year in a move one analyst called “unexpected.”
Sicard, 61, will retire at the end of 2024 after a three-decade career at Kinaxis, the company said in late August. The board has launched a search for his successor and Sicard will continue as a consultant with the firm until the end of 2025.
After starting as a software developer with the organization then known as Enterprise Planning Systems in 1994, Sicard gradually worked his way up the firm’s command chain. He served in various C-suite roles before taking over as chief executive in 2016.
Since then, Kinaxis’s annual revenues have quadrupled to more than US$400 million, while the company’s headcount has grown more than 400 per cent and its market valuation has tripled as demand for
its supply-chain management software has skyrocketed.
But the firm’s share price has stagnated over the past year amid economic headwinds that have slowed sales cycles.
In May, Kinaxis announced it was laying off six per cent of its workforce in a restructuring aimed at funnelling more money into R&D, marketing and other areas.
Earlier this month, the company said its
momentum, and I’m looking forward to witnessing the inevitable successes ahead for Kinaxis.”
Meanwhile, Rychlewski, who joined the company more than five years ago and was promoted to her current role in April, is departing at the end of November “to take advantage of an opportunity that better suits her current goals,” Kinaxis said.
The company said Rychlewski, who is based in France, was “instrumental” in growing the business in Europe, Asia and North America and “in preparing the global sales team for scale.”
In a note to clients, BMO Capital Markets analyst Thanos Moschopoulos said both executive moves were “unexpected,” adding they may create “some incremental execution risk” for Kinaxis.
Moschopoulos said while Sicard’s retirement “is perhaps unsurprising given the length of his tenure,” the decision “hadn’t been previously telegraphed.”
The veteran tech analyst said he would have preferred that Sicard remain at the helm given the company’s “sustained competitive momentum” during his tenure. He said he believes the recent slowdown in Kinaxis’s growth “has primarily stemmed from a tougher enterprise software spending environment, rather than execution issues.”
revenues for fiscal 2024 would likely come in at the lower end of its projections. In August, Kinaxis reaffirmed its most recent revenue predictions and said it is “shifting its focus from building to scaling.”
“As we accelerate towards our ambitious goal of becoming a ($1-billion)revenue company, we agreed that now is the right time for a CEO transition, and John will play an important role in that process,” board chair Robert Courteau said in a news release in August, adding the company “wouldn’t be in this position without the foundation that (Sicard) has created over the years.”
Sicard, who was named Ottawa’s CEO of the Year by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade in 2020, said he was “extraordinarily proud” of what Kinaxis has accomplished.
“We’ve built a globally respected leader in supply chain orchestration with unlimited potential, a loyal customer base that represents the best of supply chain excellence, and an incredible global team,” Sicard said in the release.
“It’s the right time to pass the baton to the next leader who will accelerate this
National Bank of Canada Financial Markets analyst Richard Tse said in a research note that Rychlewski’s departure was “perhaps more troubling” for investors than Sicard’s.
“Without question — the optics are bad,” he wrote, adding the veteran sales executive’s decision to leave the firm likely points to “some material challenges” within Kinaxis’s sales organization.
“Our read of the departure is that not only do those challenges remain, but they are likely not easy fixes” given Rychlewski’s short stay in the position, Tse added.
Meanwhile, Tse said that while the optics of Sicard’s pending exit are also bad, the reasons for his departure “are less clear at this point.” He noted the decision comes just a couple of months after Courteau replaced John Giffen as chair of the Kinaxis board of directors.
“In our view, (Sicard’s departure) likely has something to do with a heavier focus on improving sales and marketing performance which we believe to be disconnected from the quality of the product portfolio,” Tse added.
John Sicard, outgoing CEO, Kinaxis
City of Cornwall has stunning riverside
bicycle
paths, exciting events and low cost of living
We’re growing
Officials urge people to visit Cornwall to take in scenery, culture and recreational activities
Imagineenjoying 17 kilometres of traffic-free bicycle paths alongside the sparkling St. Lawrence River on a sunny, breezy summer day. As the summer sun dips below the horizon, you pop into a locally owned restaurant for a delicious, fresh dinner with friends. You then retire to a nearby hotel or inn after an evening at a lively festival. The next morning, savour brunch before the picturesque drive back to Ottawa. This is the reality if you take a trip just an hour east of Ottawa to the City of Cornwall, which has a lot more to offer than many people know.
Businesses are investing in Cornwall, and together with the public sector are helping to transform the city by creating new housing, new employment opportunities and stronger community organizations.
Cornwall.
activities that are here,” says Bob Peters, manager of Cornwall Economic Development.
Come join us as we create a sustainable community, where the only limit is your imagination. Cornwall_OBJ ad.indd 1
The City of Cornwall features many kilometres of uninterrupted bike paths, whether for a family of four on a leisurely ride, seniors on e-bikes or serious riders training for a triathlon. The paths feature unbeatable views of the St. Lawrence as well as the historic Cornwall Canal. For those seeking more of a challenge, you can tackle the Long Sault Parkway, which hops from island to island.
“Enjoying nature is really at the heart of Cornwall and at the heart of a lot of the recreational cultural
In addition to an active lifestyle that incorporates the city’s nature and water features, there are more reasons to consider Cornwall, whether it is to relocate or simply for a day or weekend trip with family and friends.
The city boasts a healthy stock of affordable housing, as well as a wealth of job opportunities and a lower cost of living. And if you are living there, Cornwall never fails to offer up something to do every weekend.
This includes the four-day Cornwall Ribfest at Lamoureux Park (July 25-28), Poutine Feast (August 1-4) also at Lamoureux Park, the Cornwall Waterfest (August 10) on the historic Cornwall Canal and the always popular Cornwall Night Market (August 16), which is one of the largest of its kind in Eastern Ontario. The Night Market features a live DJ and more than 50 vendors selling local goods and services.
Cornwall Chaos (August 17-18) is an all-ages musical event that features live music. There are too many other events to list, but perhaps among the most popular that must be mentioned is the Pitt Street Beer Garden on Saturday afternoons and Cornwall Motor Speedway racing on Sunday nights.
“We have a really strong offering with festivals and events,” says Kevin Lajoie, tourism officer with the City of Cornwall. “For people in the Ottawa region who are looking for a quick day trip or even an overnight trip, I think we’re a great option. You could match some of these festivals and events with a bit of cycling.”
When you are attending all these events, another perk of enjoying downtown Cornwall is free weekend parking in the core area, making for a stress-free experience. If you take a trip to Cornwall, whether it is for a bike ride, a festival or the beer garden, it is an experience you will not forget anytime soon.
2024-07-15 2:52 PM
For additional information or to plan a visit to Cornwall, make sure to check out www.CornwallTourism.com or text the Cornwall Tourism team anytime at 613-938-4748.
Storytelling, romance and generational value: La Maison d’Or celebrates two anniversaries
BY SARAH MACFARLANE news@obj.ca
The story of La Maison d’Or Jewellers is one of family and immigration, poverty and wealth, and lots and lots of diamonds. It’s a story that company president Brent Harden loves to tell and why he says he’s in the business of telling love stories through diamonds, gemstones, platinum and gold.
The Harden family settled in Hawkesbury, Ont. in 1944 and embarked on a long journey that would eventually lead their family to success, security and multi-generational wealth.
Now, in the glittering La Maison d’Or store in Place d’Orléans, a photo of the Harden family and the Astoria Grill hangs above a coffee bar, serving as a reminder that the family’s roots run deep.
The jewelry store specializes in diamonds and engagement rings — with the slogan “Where Ottawa gets engaged” — and produces about 400 custom-made items each year.
The store was founded in 1949 in Hawkesbury and expanded to a total of six stores after sons Bill and Brent became partners in 1975 — Lachute, Que. (opened in 1976), Orléans (1979), Harden’s Jewelers in Kanata (1979) and Harden’s in Orleans (1985).
The Place d’Orléans store opened when the mall had only 15 stores, said Harden, and some days passed without a single customer. But the family “stuck at it” and soon the store became a pillar of the shopping centre. In 1989, it moved to a new location within the mall.
For 25 years, La Maison d’Or operated six stores, until Harden decided to close all but the Place d’Orléans location in 1997.
“They were all great stores, but I wanted to have one high-quality one rather than divide my attention,” he said.
Investing in quality is a pillar of the business. Harden himself is a gemologist
and feels strongly about the natural-versussynthetic diamond debate. If you ask him, it isn’t a debate at all.
“We’re in the business of storytelling, of romance and generational value,” Harden explained. “The issue with synthetic diamonds is that, over time, they’re becoming fashion jewelry … It just doesn’t hold its value.”
Over the years, Harden has visited some of the world’s largest diamond hubs, including the cutting centres in Antwerp, Tel Aviv and Mumbai. He sources diamonds and gems from around the world, searching for the perfect stone for each design.
“We’re telling stories that can go on and on, to new generations, from the engagement ring to wedding bands to anniversary gifts to being passed down.”
In March 2024, Harden flew to the Ekati diamond mine in Yellowknife, N.W.T. Together with two other diamond mines in the territories, the Ekati mine has positioned Canada as the third-largest diamond producer in the world.
The diamonds were formed somewhere between 900 million and 3.2 billion
Yellowknife whose companies focus on developing education, opportunity and wealth for the Indigenous people in this area,” said Harden. “It’s amazing to see how they take the benefits of the diamond mines and create even more from it.”
Almost 50 per cent of the employees of the Diavik Mine, which opened in 1998, are Indigenous. Since the mine opened in 1998, the mines have realized $26 billion in revenue. Of that, $18 billion went towards N.W.T and $8 billion went toward bolstering Indigenous-owned businesses.
years ago, created between 150 and 200 kilometres below the Earth’s surface and Harden was one of only 25 jewellers worldwide who toured both the Ekati diamond mine and its sorting facility.
To him, the rarity and beauty of the diamonds, as well as the revenue that the industry brings into the local communities, is why natural Canadian diamonds are the gold standard.
“I got to speak with business leaders in
“People think synthetic diamonds are more ethical. They’re not. Look at what this industry is doing for the local economy, creating an income and supporting Indigenous communities outside of just government reliance and mitigating environmental impacts,” said Harden. “There’s no comparison.”
In honour of the 75/45 anniversary, La Maison d’Or has been celebrating with family, friends and clients.
Photos of the Harden family decorate the store, which was renovated in 2015 and designed by Harden’s daughter, Jessica. Framed posters of Ottawa couples wearing engagement rings and wedding bands designed by La Maison d’Or adorn the walls and the diamonds and gems are nearly blinding under the shining lights.
“We’re in the business of telling stories — love stories — for others. And our own story is an entrepreneurial story, an immigration story, a Canadian success story and now a story of family and of women in business,” explained Harden.
His daughter is positioned to run the company, along with team manager Rita Elias, and the family has invested in local charities, organizations and commercial real estate, all in the pursuit of building and securing a future.
“It means everything. Look at what my mom and my dad built in a little store in Hawkesbury,” said Harden. “And look what we have now.”
ABOVE: Julie Harden with sons Brent, from left, Bill and Reg. PROVIDED PHOTO BELOW: Brent Harden in Yellowknife in March 2024. PROVIDED PHOTO. LEFT: The shopfront at Place D’Orléans.
PHOTO BY SARAH MACFARLANE
EASTERN ONTARIO
Umicore pauses spending for Kingston EV battery plant pending review of EV market
BY SARAH MACFARLANE news@obj.ca
Citing uncertainty in the EV market, global materials technology and recycling group Umicore is putting the construction of its new plant planned near Kingston on hold, the company announced in August.
The plant, which is slated to open in Loyalist Township west of Kingston, will manufacture cathode active materials (CAM) and precursor cathode active materials (pCAM), critical components for producing electric vehicle batteries.
Last October, Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials Canada Inc. announced it will invest $2.1 billion in the first stage of
the project, of which $1.8 billion is capital expenditures, for a battery materials production capacity of 35 gigawatt hours annually. Based on the full scope of the project, which will be carried out in stages, the federal government is providing $551.3 million, while the province is investing up to $424.6 million.
Initial projections for the plant estimated that in the first stage, the company would create 600 direct jobs plus an additional 700 co-op positions, making Umicore one of the largest private employers in Eastern Ontario.
But the EV market has “worsened,” an Umicore spokesperson told EOBJ, prompting the company to delay
construction until it has completed a review of its battery materials business.
“This delayed spending on our plant in Loyalist is part of a thorough review of our Battery Materials business group, following the significant worsening of the EV market context and the impacts this has on the entire supply chain,” spokesperson Caroline Jacobs said in an email, adding that customer demand projections for the firm’s battery materials “have steeply declined recently.”
The company announced on June 12 that a contract with a Chinese original equipment manufacturer would not materialize, that legacy contracts were “tailing off faster than anticipated” and that
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the company was experiencing a delay in “the ramp-up of contracts” in Europe.
Umicore has launched a strategic review, with a conclusion expected to be presented to stakeholders in the first fiscal quarter next year.
“In recent months, short- and mediumterm growth projections for the electric vehicles market have been scaled back substantially, significantly affecting Umicore’s Battery Materials business. Today, we share the elements of how we are adjusting to this new reality,” Umicore CEO Bart Sap said in a news release.
“The large impairment of our Battery Materials assets is painful and reflects the changed situation as we see it today.”
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North Grenville mayor wants federal civil servants to stay in her community
BY SARAH MACFARLANE news@obj.ca
With the focus on returning federal civil servants and other professionals to Ottawa’s downtown core, the mayor of North Grenville says her community is suffering. She says she has a plan that would keep federal government employees close to home in a bid to bolster the local economy.
In an announcement in May, the Treasury Board Secretariat said public servants in the core public administration who are eligible for a hybrid work arrangement would be required to work on-site a minimum of three days per week. The new directive was to take effect by Sept. 9, 2024. Previously, public servants were required to be in the office a minimum of two to three days a week, or 40 to 60 per cent of the time.
But south of Ottawa, North Grenville has seen the benefits of residents, many of whom are federal civil servants, working from home, and Mayor Nancy Peckford isn’t willing to give it up easily.
“Coming out of the pandemic restrictions, we noticed right away that a lot of residents were telling us they had forged relationships with local businesses, whether they were professional services, grocery stores, boutiques, gas stations,” said Peckford. “They created all these local relationships and discovered them and in ways that previously they hadn’t.
“By having to stay closer to home, they had the opportunity to discover how much is here and found themselves actively supporting the local economy.”
When the government announced the most recent return-to-office mandate, Peckford said she immediately began hearing concerns from residents and business owners about the impact on the local economy.
“Almost immediately we knew we were likely going to confront the fact that more
of our residents who are active contributors to the community and our local economy would find themselves back in Ottawa and Gatineau,” she explained.
“By virtue of having to be on the road so many more days of the week — and the commute from North Grenville can be up to an hour-and-a-half each way — it would impact how those residents spend their time, energy and money in our community.”
Kemptville, one of the central towns in North Grenville, has seen a boom in the local economy among hair salons, coffee shops, retail and professional services since residents have been working closer to home, she said.
Kemptville is also home to the Kemptville Campus, a 630-acre property that currently houses a community centre and multi-use facility. The campus serves as headquarters for many local organizations, including minor sports teams, the North Grenville Historical Society, Habitat for Humanity and local businesses.
However, Peckford said the campus and its 17 main buildings and additional facilities are largely underutilized. Now, she’s advocating it be used as a co-working space for government employees.
“It has so much to offer,” she explained. “A lot of people are coming to me who have said how much it would impact their lives to be able to work here and how it would allow them to be very productive if they weren’t forced to take on a three-hour commute several times a week.”
There is existing office space on the property and substantial parking, Peckford explained, as well as “vastly underutilized” buildings that could transition into coworking space.
“That’s not to say there wouldn’t be costs, but I believe with such a large parcel of land and its existing buildings, there is opportunity here,” she said. “We’re willing to invest in it.”
From labyrinths to haunted cabins, seven reasons to visit Carleton Place
BY LAURA BYRNE PAQUET news@obj.ca
When you don’t have the time and budget for a long road trip but still want to escape the city, Carleton Place could be just the ticket. In fact, if you live in the west end, it’s probably quicker to drive to Carleton Place than to downtown Ottawa!
Here are seven great reasons to take a road trip to this charming Lanark County community:
1. Discover local artists. Not only are there several new art galleries, including the Carleton Place Gallery (210 Bridge St.) and the Arts Carleton Place Art Hub (50 Bennett St., unit 1), but the town is
3 5
currently hosting Art Expedition, with works by 50 local artists on banners throughout downtown.
2. Relax on the Mississippi River. No, not that Mississippi River. However, Lanark County’s Mississippi River is also scenic and it flows right through downtown Carleton Place. Launch your boat or hit the beach at Riverside Park (175 John St.), or just settle onto the pretty deck at the Waterfront Gastropub (12 Bell St.) with a beer and a burger.
3. Pop into a coffee shop. Even though I don’t drink coffee, the existence of a good coffee shop is one of my criteria for a great road trip destination. As long as it serves tea and pastries, I’m
good. Downtown Carleton Place has several nice coffee shops, including Foundry Collective and Coffee Bar (122 Bridge St.). With big windows and free wi-fi, it’s a pleasant place to linger with friends or even catch up on your email (if you must).
4. Stop by a memorable visitor centre. How many visitor centres are located in an 1850s log cabin that’s rumoured to be haunted? The one in Carleton Place (170 Bridge St.) is the only one I can think of. Bonus: it rents out bicycles by the hour and is also home to a museum focusing on the life of A. Roy Brown, arguably the town’s most famous son. Which brings me to …
5. Learn some local history. Brown was a First World War flying ace credited with shooting down none other than the
Red Baron. After you’ve learned about him at the visitor centre, drop into the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum (267 Edmund St.) to delve into some other local stories. Admission is free. And nearby, you’ll discover one of the town’s most unusual attractions …
6. Walk a labyrinth. Right behind the museum is the pretty (and also free) Carleton Place Labyrinth. Quiet your busy mind with a slow stroll around its curving path, then relax on a bench under the welcome shade of the surrounding trees. Trust me, it really is calming.
7. Have a delicious dinner. Carleton Place has lots of nice restaurants, but my favourite is Black Tartan Kitchen (132 Bridge St.). Here’s why. I used to think I didn’t like venison or carpaccio, but chef Ian Carswell’s venison carpaccio changed my mind on both counts. Tender, flavourful and not at all gamey, it made me a believer. And I’ve never been disappointed by the other dishes I’ve tried on the regularly changing menu, either.
Award-winning Ottawa travel writer Laura Byrne Paquet shares her sightseeing tips for Eastern Ontario and beyond on her website, Ottawa Road Trips.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 SPONSORS A COMMUNITY OF CARING BUSINESSES
Every night, up to 165 women find safety, shelter, and hope at Cornerstone Housing for Women. Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, the Purple Tie Gala funds essential services and programs that change lives. But the need is greater than ever. Your donation can help ensure that no woman is turned away when she needs shelter the most.
LumberJaxe takes a new approach to corporate holiday parties
Book your holiday party or corporate event at Lumberjaxe today to take team-building to the next level
I
f you are looking to throw a work function or Christmas party, look no further than LumberJaxe, Ottawa’s hottest hangout spot in town.
LumberJaxe first opened five years ago, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the business down. It quickly bounced back, becoming a destination for leagues, groups — bachelor and bachelorette parties are hugely popular — teambuilders, and perhaps surprisingly, first dates. Its success has been so noticeable, they have recently doubled their capacity to fit even more axe- throwers.
“We took occupancy of additional space last summer and at the time we doubled our space. We went from four to eight lanes and the ability to host 100 guests compared to 50 or 60 before,” said LumberJaxe founder and owner Kerry Moher. ”We can take on bigger groups. We’ve now got leagues four nights a week. The footprints are in a bigger space and we were able to add a new feature called ‘big axe.’ You need a lot of space to throw that. It’s like a fireman’s axe.”
LumberJaxe sees its professional clientele increase after the summer break as companies look to bridge their teams through bonding exercises. The opportunity to reconnect fosters better relationships in the workplace and leads to increased productivity.
Axe-throwing is a sport that has gained popularity in recent years as people try new ways to relieve stress. But it’s not just for those who have an axe to grind; Moher said it’s a safe venture for people from all walks of life. People as old as 80 have walked through its West Wellington doors.
“It’s a really engaging activity. Anyone can throw an axe but sometimes it’s hard to figure out on your own,” he said. “Coaches help you pick it up faster. The sooner you start sticking it in the wood the more fun you have. You can’t overpower. It’s more like darts. everyone leaves feeling pretty good about their results.”
Can axe-throwing be considered exercise?
“I think that’s a bit of a stretch,” explained Moher. “Our best, most consistent throwers are really good athletes and excel at many other sports. But axe-throwing is more about precision and motor skills. If anything – it’s great exercise for your mind.”
Want to join a league? LumberJaxe has leagues most nights of the week. Most leagues run 8 weeks. So, every 2 months – there’s a chance to join a League. Simply email ottawa@lumberjaxe.com and ask them when the next league is scheduled to start.
They serve a ‘light bites menu’ along with a fully stocked bar. Plus, they allow outside catering.
The atmosphere is always lively at LumberJaxe. Even casual or first-time throwers will get their competitive juices flowing.
Throw the night away — it’s the ultimate stress reliever! Best of all, LumberJaxe is close to downtown, the LRT, with plenty of free parking on site.
Last year Holiday parties were up 50 per cent and demand is only expected to grow this year. While walk-ins are available, call today to secure your spot. While food can be purchased on site, outside catering is also permitted.
Axe-throwing is more about precision and motor skills. If anything – it’s great exercise for your mind.
OBJ.social is supported by the
Ottawa Corporate Cup delivers a hole-in-one day for one golfer — and 26 charities
There’s only one champion of the Ottawa Corporate Cup but, since players get to choose which causes they support, the reach from this quickly growing golf tournament is felt far and wide across the charity community.
“It’s the only one like it in Ottawa,” One Life Wealth Management president and managing partner Chris Bockstael told OBJ.social after spending the afternoon playing 18 holes at the Loch March Golf and Country Club in Kanata in support of the Perley Health Foundation, where he serves as a board member.
The 64 golfers played on behalf of 26 charities, ranging from small volunteer-run groups to larger organizations. The top team won $2,000 for its charity of choice, with prize amounts gradually decreasing to the lowest amount of $1,090. The total collected by all the charities added up to $50,000.
This year’s Ottawa Corporate Cup was won by Thomas Cavanagh Construction, with a score of 60. In second place was WasteMind Building Solutions (63), followed by private real estate investment firm TCU Development Group (64).
generous patronage of Mark Motors and Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties Inc. STORIES AND PHOTOS BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS
CHARITY GOLF
From left, Eden Hailemariam, manager of events and community engagement at The Ottawa Cancer Foundation, Joanne Livingston of RBC Wealth Management, event committee member Suzanne Pellerin of RBC Dominion Securities and Ottawa Cancer Foundation board member, and Tricia Ross, director of special events and community engagement for the foundation.
From left, Perley Health Foundation’s board chair, consultant Sheila Venman, with fellow board member Chris Bockstael of OneLife Wealth Management, Perley Health Foundation executive director and chief development officer Delphine Haslé, and Adam Skube, partner at OneLife Benefits.
From left, Joshua Moon and Martin St-Onge from Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall. managing principal at Cresa.
From left, Josh Raganold, business development manager at Welch LLP, and Colin Noble, associate portfolio manager at TD Wealth and board vicechair of Ronald McDonald House Ottawa.
From left, Ottawa Corporate Cup co-organizer Elliott Bourgeois, WCPD Inc. vice-president of marketing and communications Jeff Todd, and marketing and business development associate Kurt Alexander.
From left, Gabriel Gauthier, vice-president of finance for TCU, with colleague Brendan Kuffner.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Meet the young faces behind YSB Foundation’s new volunteer leadership
It’s been more than a decade since Patrick Twagirayezu, along with hundreds of others, slept outside in the bitter cold to raise money and awareness for the Youth Services Bureau.
All these years later, the community champion continues to support the non-profit organization in a big way. He’s taken on the role of chair of its new Young Professionals Network
(YPN), which recently hosted an afterwork launch event involving some 50 attendees.
The nine-member volunteer group held the gathering at the Charlotte, a second-storey cocktail and wine lounge on Elgin Street. They and their invited guests spent a couple of hours enjoying food, drinks, conversation and silent auction bidding while also learning
more about the work YSB does in the community to help youth in the areas of mental health, employment, youth justice, and emergency shelter and housing services.
YPN is laying the foundation for a younger cohort of professionals to eventually take on key volunteer leadership roles at the non-profit organization.
From left, Bryan Detchou, senior director of natural resources, environment and sustainability at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Gowling WLG associate Phedely Ariste and Greenshield’s Rob Rosenfeld.
From left, YSB Foundation’s events and community engagement specialist Rachel Lessard with Outer Health wardrobe consultant Michelle LeBlanc.
From left, Jesika Arseneau, a member of YSB’s Young Professionals Network and director of marketing and culture at TAG HR, with CEO Priya Bhaloo.
From left, Andrew DiCapua, senior economist with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Alex Nasrallah, president of Goldstan Accounting.
Youth Services Bureau Foundation executive director Patti Murphy (bottom left) with YPN members, top left, Josh Wex of Accenture, Patrick Twagirayezu of Emond Harnden LLP, Tom McComb of BMO Nesbitt Burns, Devin Brazeau of Twenty Seven + Five, (front row) Leah Jamieson, legal counself at the Department of Justice, Jesika Arseneau of TAG HR and Maddy Eisenberg of Blackbird Strategies.
Emond Harnden LLP associates Marianne Abou-Hamad and Patrick Twagirayezu, chair of YSB’s Young Professionals Network, as well as Emond Harnden’s IT operations specialist, Corey Holmes.
NETWORKING EVENT
What’s the rush? It’s Redblacks Summer Rush with 400 networkers
Ottawa financial adviser Hanna Jackson felt a little nervous — overwhelmed, even — upon arriving at the Redblacks Summer Rush held at the Infinity Convention Centre.
For someone who doesn’t regularly attend business networking events, she suddenly found herself at the largest one in Ottawa. “I’m eager to see what it’s like,” she said while attendees began to congregate in the spacious lobby.
The diverse crowd of nearly 400 was getting ready to step into the grand hall, where they’d spend the next couple of
hours connecting with others while also raising funds for OSEG Foundation’s Redblacks Back to School Initiative. The fundraising arm of OSEG (Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group) is working with community organizations and schools to distribute backpacks and school supplies to where they’re needed most as kids prepare to return to classrooms.
Summer Rush featured a series of 20-minute speed networking sessions that introduced attendees to new people — including Ottawa Redblacks players.
Social media manager Candace Knights participated in speed networking during the Redblacks Summer Rush event for young business professionals and entrepreneurs.
Queensway Carleton Hospital physician
Christina Romulus, who also runs her own aesthetic medical clinic, and Ottawa chartered professional accountant Sarwar Qureshi, founder of the Beyond Networking interactive
From left, Bruce Raganold of Welch LLP alongside Ottawa Board of Trade board members Melissa Reeves of Linebox Studio, Yasser Ghazi of the Meridian Credit Union and Devinder Chaudhary of Aiāna Restaurant Collective.
Lisa Nicholson, senior manager of special events and sponsorship for the OSEG Foundation, surrounded by members of the Ottawa Redblacks team for its Summer Rush networking event and fundraiser.
From left, Jonathan Gilman of Ottawa Interlock Repair, Keaton Ambrose of Chandos Construction, Josh Raganold of Welch LLP and Talia Silvestri of TD Bank co-chaired the Redblacks Summer Rush networking event and fundraiser for the OSEG Foundation.
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Ex-Farm Boy CEO Jeff York takes helm at health and wellness chain Altea Active
Jeff York is wasting no time getting to know his clients as he tackles his latest business challenge.
At the outset of his conversation with an OBJ reporter, the new CEO of premium fitness and wellness chain Altea Active made a point of mentioning he’d just finished a workout at the company’s Vancouver gym.
“I used to eat the Farm Boy food, come on,” the 61-year-old Ottawa native said with a chuckle, referring to the grocery retailer that grew into a powerhouse under his leadership. “It’s like every business — you’ve got to be with the customers, right?”
The man best known for spearheading the expansion of Farm Boy and another revered Ottawa brand — discount chain Giant Tiger — will have plenty of opportunities to keep flexing his entrepreneurial muscles in
his latest role.
Altea Active was launched in 2017 by a pair of former senior partners at Movati Athletic, Ottawa native David Wu and Mike Nolan. The company opened its first location in Winnipeg in late 2019 before expanding to Toronto in 2022 and Vancouver last year.
But the jewel in the fledgling fitness firm’s crown is slated to open later this year right here in York’s hometown.
At 129,000 square feet, the new facility in the former Canadian Tire store at 1660 Carling Ave. will be Altea’s largest location yet.
In addition to the latest in cardio and fitness equipment, its list of amenities includes nine group fitness studios with activities ranging from hot yoga to boxing, an aquatic centre with a three-lane, 25-metre pool and — capitalizing on the hottest trend in sports — six indoor pickleball courts.
York said the state-of-the-art fitness centre, which will also feature a 100seat restaurant run in collaboration with acclaimed local chefs Ross and Simon Fraser, will offer something for just about everyone.
“My priority is to make (the Ottawa facility) the best fitness concept anybody has seen in Canada,” he explained, adding Altea is aiming to enrol a minimum of 10,000 members in the nation’s capital.
“We want to wow the customer. We want them to want to go to the gym.”
York, who was already a shareholder and a member of the company’s board before taking the reins as chief executive, scoffed at the notion that the fitness and wellness industry — a space dominated by firmly entrenched brands such as GoodLife — is a tough nut to crack.
People say the same thing about the grocery business, he pointed out. “The thinnest margins of any industry are in grocery,” he noted.
But under York’s watch, Farm Boy expanded rapidly across the province before being sold to supermarket giant Empire Co. in 2019 for $800 million.
“We went from nine stores at Farm Boy to 49 in a ‘crowded’ grocery market in Ontario,” he said. “I see the same opportunity (at Altea). You go to where the demographics are right, where there’s demand for your offering and you just bring the right brand to the right customers and deliver on your promises. That’s hard to do for most people, but this is all I’ve ever done. It’s just another challenge.”
At Farm Boy, York explained, his team focused on providing a premium product while delivering top-notch service to consumers. He believes the same principles apply to the fitness industry, which he describes as “ripe for disruption.”
“Ottawa people are going to walk in and they’re going to say, ‘This is the
best thing I’ve ever seen in fitness,’” York said. “That’s what I want people to say when they walk in.
“The key to competing is, don’t be like your competitors. You’ve got all these (low-cost gyms) where they want you not to use the club — you just get a cheap membership and you keep paying. We actually want the members to use the club.
“There’s really nobody putting all the modalities … into one (facility) and offering a premium member experience with all the boutiques inside. When you put all that together, it’s actually extremely good value for offering a premium product.”
The chain’s next location — a smaller, boutique-style facility at a former Nordstrom Rack outlet in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood — is scheduled to open in early 2025. From there, York is setting his sights on further expansion in the Greater Toronto Area and Western Canada.
“I love the brand; I love the team we have. We have tremendous white space to grow it across Canada. And it’s not just a Canadian thing — this could be international as well. Brands can go international if there’s demand. Our job is to create the demand, create the brand, create the concept and see where it goes.”
York said Altea, whose other financial backers include former Farm Boy CFO Marc Santerre, Smart Living Properties CEO Tamer Abaza and VCL Construction president Mark Dalton, is primed for success as long as it sticks to the formula that allowed his past businesses to thrive: focus on what you’re good at, build a dedicated team and execute your vision.
“Business hasn’t changed. Sure, technology has gotten better, but at the end of the day, you have to deliver on your promise to your customer. That’s going to be the challenge.”
— David Sali
From left, Ottawa businessmen David Little, David Wu and Jeff York from Altea Active are collaborating with local chefs Ross Fraser and Simon Fraser, who have been running Fraser restaurant, located in New Edinburgh, for 15 years. PHOTO BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS
