Ottawa Business Journal July 2019

Building a new image Heavy construction industry looks to attract new generation of skilled workers PAGES 20-21 July 2019 Vol. 22, NO. 05

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Ottawa digital agency OPIN driving St. John Ambulance into the digital age New online presence to be powered by open-source Drupal platform

JULY 2019

St. John Ambulance has been helping Canadians improve their health, safety and quality of life for more than a century, but for many years, the charitable organization has struggled to modernize its digital properties.

The organization’s primary website, for example, has been difficult to use, particularly on mobile devices. This has left many prospective customers at a loss as they attempt to find information, make purchases and register for courses. Oftentimes, those customers have ended up turning to competitors as a result, leaving St. John Ambulance with reduced sales and fewer resources to give back to the community.

“It became very obvious that the tool that we were working with (for our online properties), while still functional, didn’t meet the requirements of our customers,” says Philippe Blaine, director of national accounts at St. John Ambulance.

In 2018, Blaine and St. John Ambulance’s chief decision-makers came together to solve the problem. The organization hired Ottawabased agency LeapUX as a consultant to develop a strategy and help select a vendor to undertake a complete overhaul of the St. John Ambulance website.

After a selection process involving 12 vendors, St. John Ambulance and LeapUX landed on OPIN, an Ottawa company specializing in a versatile, open-source content management system (CMS) called Drupal.

This trio of organizations gelled immediately.

“OPIN fit in like a perfect puzzle piece,” LeapUX CEO Nicholas Marengere said. “We were able to hit the ground running.”

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ENTERPRISE WEBSITE PLANNING TIPS Is your enterprise planning to undertake a project like St. John Ambulance’s digital overhaul? Here are a few things to consider:

FIND THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY

Consultant Nicholas Marengere, left, said “OPIN fit in like a perfect puzzle piece” in helping his client, Philippe Blaine – director of national accounts at St. John Ambulance – develop a modern digital presence.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PROJECT MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY

Poor project methodology can end up costing you extra money and time. When selecting an agency to undertake your project, consider its project methodology. Will there be frequent meetings to keep you up to date? Will you be kept apprised of the progress being made? If not, you can anticipate cost overruns and project delays. “Scope creep,” an inevitability on large projects with many stakeholders involved, can cause numerous challenges. Choose an agency well equipped to deal with this issue through collaboration and communication.

SELECT THE RIGHT HOSTING OPTION

There is no such thing as 100 per cent uptime. All systems require maintenance. However, excessive downtime can cost enterprises a fortune. Enterprises should pursue at least 99.95 per cent uptime (4.38 hours of downtime annually). Anything less can hurt your reputation, search engine optimization, and ultimately, your profits. Choose a dedicated hosting provider to combat these risks, and ensure you’re also covered in terms of disaster recovery, data migration and security.

ENSURE YOU’RE COVERED POST-LAUNCH

The project doesn’t end when it launches. Just like any other expensive piece of equipment, you want it to extend its life to maximize its value. Ensure you have the tools and expertise to ensure things run smoothly long after launch. Make sure you’re covered in terms of updates and upgrades, support and maintenance, and the use of analytics tools.

OPIN recently prepared a complete guide to enterprise website planning. Read it for free at https://bit.ly/2XWBx1v

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JULY 2019

OPIN’S UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION From the perspective of St. John Ambulance and Marengere, the appeal of OPIN was manifold.

For one, Marengere explains, OPIN has a proven track record integrating with Microsoft 365, an enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management application. OPIN has also worked with a long list of similar clients in the not-for-profit and healthcare sectors.

Furthermore, as a professional services agency with a unique specialization in Drupal, OPIN was equipped to integrate the robust technology. OPIN is also the only agency in the region offering enterprise-level Drupal support, securing St. John Ambulance’s online presence for years to come.

Finally, Marengere says, he and St. John Ambulance were impressed

by OPIN’s use of the Agile method of project management, which breaks large projects into bite-sized portions and fosters constant feedback and communication throughout execution. Thanks to the Agile methodology, St. John Ambulance will receive regular updates, and as a result, no unwanted surprises.

OPIN has plunged head-first into St. John Ambulance’s digital remodel, enacting a multi-year, four-phase plan for the project. As the first phase nears completion, the company’s Catherine Street office is humming with activity.

“This is extremely exciting,” says Josh Awad, OPIN’s enterprise account executive. “At OPIN, we pride ourselves on multi-year relationships with our clients. We prefer not to build something and send the client on their way. This is an integral client for us over the next two to three year in terms of this build, and hopefully even past that.”

For OPIN, the task ahead is significant. Yet Awad and his colleagues are certain of their ability to conquer it, thereby allowing St. John Ambulance to continue its noble and long-standing mission with far greater efficiency.

“Everybody in Canada knows St. John Ambulance, but this is a huge leap into the modern world in terms of their digital presence,” he says.

While it’s easier than ever to create your own website, many mainstream website builders – while easy to use – unfortunately fail to meet the complex needs of large enterprises. Open-source solutions such as Drupal work better for enterprises, both from a quality and cost perspective.

PROSPECTUS

JULY 2019

Observations on city-building

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In the very appropriate venue of Ottawa’s Horticulture Building, first erected a century ago to house the central exhibition, a hodgepodge of business leaders, government officials, developers and politicians gathered in mid-June to ponder the awesome task of city-building.

Just as it was at that exhibition 105 years ago, the city’s future was laid bare.

Tobi Nussbaum of the National Capital Commission was first to the podium. He told an interested crowd that LeBreton Flats would, in fact, have an overarching design vision, even if the vacant land was developed in parcels. Furthermore, he said, this segmented approach could prove beneficial as it draws on various influences and trends.

And, yes, if you really need to know, LeBreton can still accommodate a major entertainment complex, aka an NHL hockey arena suitable for the Ottawa Senators.

Next came Steve MacKinnon, the Gatineau MP who is heavily implicated in federal government service and procurement. Outlining a veritable laundry list of federal investments in the National Capital Region, MacKinnon checked several boxes ranging from multibillion-dollar investments in the parliamentary district to greener central heating plants. Perhaps more significant, MacKinnon touched on a critical local issue raised in the last federal budget – a commitment to examine a new interprovincial bridge. He pointed out the obvious.

The region has not added even a single lane of traffic across the Ottawa River since the 1970s, despite the population doubling. The situation is completely untenable, he said as heads nodded.

ON THE STREETS Closer to home – and perhaps closer to the hearts of attendees – the uncertain future of the ByWard Market was next on the agenda. An informed panel reported on possible better days for the beleaguered neighbourhood, tapping into the appetite for more authentic tourism experiences. Longtime resident and architect Barry Padolsky issued an impassioned plea to bring actual farmers back to the market through various incentives. (Please tell us brighter days for ByWard include a re-imagined Market Building with something more compelling than fast-food stands. A mix between the cavernous Horticulture Building, ready for special events, and more temporary stalls might be a good starting point.)

So what then of city-building?

All in all, with comments from Mayor Jim Watson and city planning boss Steve Willis, attendees surely left the event with a more informed and optimistic sense. The time is right, the money is allocated, the leadership in place for OttawaGatineau to dream bigger and solve lingering planning issues. The successful delivery of projects such as LeBreton, LRT and Zibi will forever change the city, priming the pump for a wave of businesses and workers who will crave energized urban centres, effortless transportation and elevated quality of life. Decades from now, we could look back and call this the golden age of planning for our city.

@objpublisher Michael Curran

The Ottawa Business Growth Survey is an annual report based on surveys with hundreds of local business leaders that track their attitudes and confidence in the city’s economy.

Now in its fifth year, this report comes as major infrastructure projects are radically reshaping Canada’s capital. The Ottawa Business Growth Survey tracks how these initiatives are changing perceptions of the city, improving commuting patterns and changing how Ottawa grows.

This special publication report also explores the business community’s top priorities, hiring intentions, financial performance and other metrics. Download your free copy at https://www.ottawabusinesssurveyreport.ca.

IN THIS ISSUE The Networker is the official publication of the Kanata North Going above and beyond Business Association and includes news, features and events from Canada’s largest technology park.

This issue focuses on how employers are using workplace culture to attract, engage and retain top talent. It also explores how one Kanata company is developing new technology with the potential to unleash a new range of applications for aerial drones.

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Summer 2019

How Kongsberg Geospatial is enabling drones to fly further than ever before Page 12 Plus

Kanata’s corporate culture WHERE WE WORK

Offices that fuel engagement Page 8

WHERE WE LIVE

The growing popularity of Kanata North’s community hub Page 14

ORDERING FOR OBJ DELIVERY Want this great publication conveniently hand-delivered to your office each month? Well, now that’s a lot easier.

Thanks to a partnership with local tech company Fusebill, you can now guarantee your regular monthly delivery of OBJ through an easy online system. Simply visit www.obj.ca/delivery to place your order. It’s a nominal fee of $8 per month to get 1-25 copies of OBJ hand-delivered.

Pick the number of copies that you need. It’s a flat delivery fee.

Use the promo code PROSPECTUS for 50 per cent off the delivery fee for three months.

SEPT. 23-24 JULY 8

How satisfied and engaged are your employees? The question is top of mind for employers these days. To provide some data, OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade bring you the 2019-20 Employees’ Choice Awards. This program is dedicated to identifying and recognizing the region’s best employers as determined through surveys of staff.

Employers receive employee feedback and benchmark reports. The deadline to apply is July 8. Visit www.employeeschoice.ca for info.

AUG. 28

If you believe summer is the perfect time to put down the smartphone and pick up a three-iron, here is the event for you.

OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade will once again hold their annual golf tournament the last week of August, just in time to tee up the busy fall business season. This year’s event will feature the same networking opportunities, but at a different venue – the Canadian Golf and Country Club. Visit www.ottawabot.ca for full details.

Bewildered by talent recruitment and retention issues? If so, circle these two dates on your business calendar.

OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade are co-organizing a “talent summit” now in its final planning stages that will bring together thought leaders from both the private and public sectors to explore the current HR imperative to upgrade talent. The conference will kick off with HR awards and the next day will feature keynotes and panels. Watch www.ottawabot.ca for more details.

SEPT. 10

Certainly the highlight of the fall social calendar in Kanata, Lumière Charity Gala returns to Brookstreet Hotel to support the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. A perfect blend of food and drink, the event attracts a who’s-who from the west-end technology sector, under the auspices of the Wesley Clover Foundation. For the first time, the gala will couple with the Ottawa Senators Charity Golf Classic. For details, visit www.brookstreethotel.com.

Same Old. JULY 2019

Same Old?

jennifer@silverstarswag.com 613-226-7755 x223

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To Keep Life in Your Brand Contact

EXECUTIVE BRIEFS RETAIL

Farm Boy to replace Metcalfe Street Sobeys The owner of two well-known grocery chains says it’s swapping its downtown Ottawa Sobeys store for a Farm Boy. Empire Co. says the 28,000-squarefoot Sobeys at the base of the Claridge Icon condo tower at 193 Metcalfe St. will close in August for renovations before reopening under the Farm Boy banner in spring 2020. Employees will have the choice to move to nearby Farm Boy and

Sobeys stores in the interim and return to the Metcalfe location when fitups are complete.

Sobeys parent company Empire acquired Farm Boy in an $800-million deal last year. When the acquisition was first announced, Farm Boy co-CEO Jeff York moved to reassure customers that the Ottawa-born brand wouldn’t change under new ownership. Since then, Farm Boy outlets have become some of the company’s best-performing stores, according to Empire CEO Micheal Medline.

The new location will mark Farm Boy’s third “urban concept” store in Ottawa.

There are other Farm Boys in the Rideau Centre and Westboro.

TECH

Veteran marketing exec takes reins at Startup Canada

Every time I think I’m gonna get bored, something happens to change the landscape a little bit.

An Ottawa-based organization that aims to help grow Canada’s next generation of entrepreneurs has tapped a well-known local tech executive to be its new leader.

Startup Canada announced this week that Anastasia Valentine has assumed the newly created role of chief executive director. She takes over the organization’s day-to-day operations from president and co-founder Victoria Lennox, who will continue to assist with fundraising and lobbying.

Valentine says her main objectives include expanding the geographic reach of Startup Canada, which currently has chapters in 50 communities across the country that support entrepreneurs at the grassroots level, and providing more programs and services for startup founders.

Startup Canada, which is funded through government grants and privatesector partnerships, has eight full-time employees in Ottawa. Its services and programs include events such as the Canadian Export Challenge that provide capital to budding enterprises as well as podcasts that offer advice to business owners on topics such as funding and IP strategies.

Valentine most recently served four years as head of marketing at Versature, a local cloud communications startup that was named one of Ottawa’s fastestgrowing companies in 2017 before being acquired by New Jersey-based net2phone last fall.

–​ NEW MITEL CFO VANESSA KANU, ON WHY SHE’S STAYED AT THE COMPANY FOR 15 YEARS (SEE PAGE 40)

REAL ESTATE

Council OKs Claridge project at Lyon Station A pair of 27-storey apartment towers and a nine-storey commercial-use podium set to rise above the Lyon light-rail transit station will include 300 units of affordable housing, city council heard before approving the project in mid-June.

Claridge Homes’ mixed-use development at 383 Albert St. and 340 Queen St. got the all-clear nearly a decade after the project was first proposed. The 41,500-square-foot site sits next to Lyon Station and will replace a vacant lot and a two-storey building that was home to the Glue Pot Pub. Claridge first proposed three mixed-

use towers at heights of 22 storeys, 27 storeys and 28 storeys on the site in November 2010, but had its application for a minor variance denied. The developer successfully appealed the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board the following year.

The final project will instead see 582 dwelling units split between two 27-storey apartment towers, while the 28-storey building that had been proposed for the corner has been reduced to a nine-storey commercial-use podium.

The build will include 359 vehicle parking spaces in a four-storey

underground garage – a point of contention for Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, who argued in city staff’s report on the application that a centrally located development next to an LRT station should not encourage vehicle traffic in the already-congested downtown core.

City staff said Claridge had signed an agreement with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. to provide 300 affordable housing units in the residential buildings at monthly rents of about $1,450 per month, more than the quota of 72 units needed to qualify for subsidies.

Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019

JULY 2019

Ottawa Art Gallery 50 Mackenzie King Bridge

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How accountrain inc makes accounting easy for entrepreneurs, small business and non-profits Ottawa firm offers bookkeeping, training, consulting and tax services

S

andy Tunwell’s journey from bookkeeper to head of Ottawa’s go-to provider of bookkeeping and accounting services for new and small businesses began 25 years ago with a modest request.

After being told she’d be a good teacher, Tunwell approached the Ottawa Board of Education to ask if she could lead an accounting course for small businesses.

With many of her students asking for more oneon-one help, Tunwell quickly saw the demand for a different type of bookkeeping help and opened her own business.

From day one, Tunwell has focused on changing the relationship between clients and accountants.

By combining her vast accounting knowledge with her social skills, she developed a new and unique approach to bookkeeping.

Accountrain’s team works on site at their clients’ offices as needed – biweekly sessions are the most popular – and log extra hours as required, such as when preparing year-end financial statements or working with auditors.

Accountrain also specializes in helping not-forprofit organizations, which face unique challenges stemming from reporting standards that are different than those for private businesses.

“Bookkeeping at these organizations can be complex because of the involvement of multiple funders and the need to have every year-end

Financial tips for startups

says part of the answer lies in how the company plans to use its net profits.

For example, a young entrepreneur leading a company that’s pulling in funds not needed for company expenses may want to use the money for personal items, such as buying a home.

In that case, Tunwell says the entrepreneur may be incorporating for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time. Understanding the reasons to incorporate is important and should be reviewed with a professional.

Visit OBJ.CA/OBJ-DIGITALEDITION to view the digital

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DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

JULY 2019

To mark its 25th anniversary, accountrain underwent a complete rebrand, redesigned its website and held a huge client appreciation party.

Many of those clients have attended various workshops hosted by accountrain that help break down financial issues facing organizations.

Accountrain founder Sandy Tunwell says one of the most common questions she’s asked is whether a company should incorporate and, if so, when. She

reviewed by an outside auditing firm,” Tunwell says. “Our clients have become known for consistently having ‘clean’ books.”

Additionally, it’s critical that the board of directors – which is responsible for the organization’s financials – is confident with the accounting team.

One of accountrain’s longstanding clients is

the Charlotte Birchard Centres for Early Learning (CBCEL). When Cathy Romano-Franzese joined the organization as executive director in February 2013, part of her onboarding process included working with Tunwell on financial strategy. She had one-on-one training sessions to learn about financial reporting, which she concedes was “not one of my strong suits” when she entered the position.

“It’s great to have someone knowledgeable like Sandy working with us,” says Romano-Franzese.

“We see accountrain as part of our team.”

Last year, Tunwell also created new financial reports for CBCEL to help with key decisionmaking. Tunwell and her staff created a report template – based on many years of experience working with project-driven organizations – that can track which programs are the most profitable to help CBCEL decide on future programming.

CBCEL’s provincial and federal funding is tied to specific programs. So Tunwell and her team created a system where the funding could be matched with each program in great detail so that the report clearly shows where the money was spent and which programs were profitable.

It’s one example of how accountrain was able to accommodate a unique financial need.

“It’s great to have someone consistent and competent working alongside us,” says RomanoFranzese.

UP CLOSE

Paul Meek’s craft brewery, Kichesippi, was one of the first in Ottawa when it set up shop in 2010. PHOTO BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS

JULY 2019

‘I get to go to work every day and talk about delicious products’

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Kichesippi Beer co-founder Paul Meek has created one of the capital’s most recognizable local beverage brands – although the ‘original goal’ he set out for the brewery nearly a decade ago remains elusive

BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca

K

ichesippi Beer Co. owner Paul Meek has never forgotten his humble beginnings in the brewery business –​ as a school mascot.

He entertained the masses by volunteering as “the Husky” while a student at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.

He eventually ditched the hot and uncomfortable costume but continued

pumping up the fans and sports teams in his own wacky garb, until he caught the eye of corporate marketers who wanted him to promote their products on campus.

Finally, Alexander Keith’s Brewery came calling, offering him a $500 gift card and 25 cases of beer.

Meek has stuck with the industry ever since, acquiring the knowledge and networks to start his own brewery,

We just want to do a good job in this city. If it makes sense for us to sell more outside of Ottawa later on, then great. I still think we haven’t accomplished the original goal that Kelly and I talked about, of being that ‘Ottawa thing.’ – Kichesippi Beer owner Paul Meek FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT PAUL MEEK

1

He was born in Jamaica, where his father ​– a banker with Scotiabank – had been transferred for work.

2

He was inducted into the Order of Ottawa in 2015, alongside the likes of Bryan Murray and Allan Rock.

3

Surprisingly, Meek is not a Forty Under 40 recipient. He applied once, at age 38, and got turned down.

4

The inspiration for Kichesippi comes from Meek’s childhood summers at his mother’s family farm in Quyon, Que. They’d often go to the Ottawa River to wash up after their chores. They’d also visit The Pop Shoppe, which inspired his Harvey and Vern’s Olde Fashioned Soda venture.

5

His best advice for entrepreneurs: Get a good accountant and get a good lawyer.

“There are just things that they know how to do.”

Meek says he isn’t currently looking to follow in the foamy footsteps of competitor Beau’s by expanding beyond the Ottawa market. He’s working on building a brand that retains a strong local presence.

“I’m more focused on selling beer here and taking care of our home front,” he explains. “We just want to do a good job in this city. If it makes sense for us to sell more outside of Ottawa later on, then great. I still think we haven’t accomplished the original goal that Kelly and I talked about, of being that ‘Ottawa thing.’

“She used to say, ‘I want to be ‘the

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Now, for tomorrow

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He remembers years ago listening to the head of a major brewery put it in perspective when he said: “I want you to think about that guy who’s paying his bills and feeding his family while having to sell cottage cheese. You have a really exciting and successful product that people want to talk to you about.”

JULY 2019

Kichesippi, nine years ago.

“When we first opened, the first two questions we got were: What does it mean and why did you spell it wrong?” the 46-year-old entrepreneur and Stittsville resident says during an interview at his new west-end location, which features a brewery, tap room and retail store.

Kichesippi means “Great River” in the Algonquin language of the Kichesipirini people who lived farther up the Ottawa River near Pembroke. The more common English spelling is Kitchissippi, as in the

municipal ward in which Meek’s business was previously located.

Kichesippi has taken over 10,000 square feet of space that used to be a car dealership at 2265 Robertson Rd. He delayed his opening until June due to the paperwork, permit and licensing process.

The business has moved from the Carling Avenue and Queensway area, where it had been located on a dead-end road in an industrial park.

“Even though we were there for years, not a single person ever said, ‘I was walking by and noticed you were here,’” says Meek. “You really had to go out of your way to find us. We were tucked away.”

Until recently, Meek’s business partner was his late wife, Kelly, with whom he proudly ran their family-owned enterprise together with input from their son, Alexander, 19. Their craft brewery was among the first in Ottawa (it sold its inaugural keg to Johnny Farina restaurant on April 29, 2010).

Today, Meek employs about 20 people.

“It’s a fun product. We’re not the getdrunk-and-party beer, we’re ‘good times with good friends.’ That’s what we’re about,” says Meek.

“I get to go to work every day and talk about delicious products with interesting people. It’s never boring. There are stressful days, there are crazy days, but it’s never boring.”

Keith’s of Ottawa,’” recalls Meek. “She was a proud Nova Scotia girl.”

Kelly, whom Meek met at university, died April 8. She had suffered for 20 years from a neuromuscular disorder that caused her muscles and nerves to slowly weaken and waste away. Her diagnosis, made two years into the Meeks’ marriage, motivated the young family to leave the Toronto-area rat race and come to Ottawa.

Even during her illness, she remained Meek’s sounding board for ideas and made some of the business decisions.

Kelly, who spent the last 14 years in a wheelchair, had been very excited when she finally got to visit the Bells Corners location. She passed away two days later.

The family had seen a decline in her health but was not expecting her to die so soon.

“It was like a tank of water with a slow drip on the tap,” says Meek. “It’s dripping, dripping, dripping, and then, one day, there’s one last drop.”

Meek will launch a new beer in honour of Kelly on International Women’s Day next March 8. It will be named after the origin of her Irish Gaelic name: Warrior Woman.

TOURISM I don’t bring people to the standard tourist places. If tourists want to go to Parliament, well, they’ll go to Parliament. I don’t have to bring them there. I like to bring them to places they would never know about. – Paul Proulx, owner of Tours Expedition Ottawa

The road less travelled Buoyed by platforms such as Airbnb Experiences, a new wave of local entrepreneurs is catering to tourists who want to stray from the beaten path and see a different side of the capital

BY DAVID SALI JULY 2019

david@obj.ca

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W

hen Paul Proulx retired from his federal government job a few years ago, he decided to turn one of his favourite hobbies ​– showing visitors around the city he loves –​ into a way of making a little extra money.

“I always had friends that came and

I organized tours,” says the resident of Vanier. “They always said, ‘Wow. I never saw the city like this.’ I don’t bring people to the standard tourist places. If tourists want to go to Parliament, well, they’ll go to Parliament. I don’t have to bring them there. I like to bring them to places they would never know about.”

Proulx runs about 75 excursions a year through his venture, Tours

Expedition Ottawa, taking visitors on day-long canoeing, walking and cycling trips in warmer weather and crosscountry ski adventures in the winter.

He doesn’t do any advertising, relying on travel website TripAdvisor and Google to drive customer traffic to him.

Proulx says he likes to keep his groups small – no more than four people per trip – and tries to tailor the excursions to clients’ individual interests.

“Once I meet them, we talk a bit and we decide how we’re going to proceed,” he says.

Proulx steers clear of touristy spots like the ByWard Market, instead focusing on “little gems” such as the Manx pub, Art Is In and Union Local 613. Rather than soaking in the autumn colours

at Gatineau Park, he prefers to take visitors to the nearby Foret-la-Blanche Ecological Reserve, which he argues is equally spectacular – and far less likely to draw gawking hordes of fall foliage fans.

“I meet people from everywhere,” Proulx says, noting his customers tend to be in the 20-to-35 age range and are more likely to come from Asia, Australia and Europe than Canada or the U.S. “I’ve made lifetime friends.”

An avid traveller himself, he says his clients are constantly “amazed”

by Ottawa’s culinary diversity, not to mention the capital’s proximity to lakes, hills and plenty of trees.

“They always say to me, ‘Damn, we should have stayed another two days.’

Because they’re told there’s not much to do in Ottawa. It’s too bad we have that stigma and it sticks to us. And it’s up to us to change it.”

Proulx is one of dozens of local entrepreneurs operating what he calls “micro-tourism” ventures that visitors discover through TripAdvisor and other platforms such as Airbnb Experiences and Ottawa’s own Wandure, an app launched last year to help travellers find and book customized individual or small-group tours.

Wandure co-founder Ismail Benmbarek says the customized travel space is “blowing up right now,” thanks to millennials and Gen Zers who are thirsting for travel experiences that go where your typical bus tour doesn’t. His company now has seven employees and is a member of MakerLaunch, a new startup accelerator based at the University of Ottawa.

He says many of the travellers who use the app simply love the thrill of taking part in cool activities and posting it on social media for all the world to see.

Continued on page 24

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THINKOTTAWA ENGAGES BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO BRING MORE CONFERENCES TO THE CAPITAL New initiative helps organizers bid on conferences and events Lesley Mackay, Vice-President, Meetings and Major Events, Ottawa Tourism

T

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+ SHARE HOLDERS

+ PARTNERS

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

How to create a winning bid for an international conference Hosting an international conference is a tremendous opportunity for local organizations to showcase Ottawa’s strengths.

When evaluating a city’s conference bid, organizers typically review the number of direct and connecting flights, hotel room inventory and a city’s overall safety, says Lesley Mackay, Vice-President of Meetings and Major Events at Ottawa Tourism.

Ottawa scores well on all counts, she says, adding it’s a matter of telling the city’s story and helping to

Vice-President of Meetings and Major Events at Ottawa Tourism.

One of the groups that’s already benefiting from the initiative is the local committee organizing the 2020 International Society of Oncology Pediatrics annual general meeting.

ThinkOttawa helps source pricing and availability for hotel accommodations and meeting space during the bidding process, allowing organizers to focus on finding speakers and planning interactive sessions.

“We sold them on the city,” says Dr. Donna Johnston, chair of the committee and Division Chief of the Hematology/Oncology Department at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. “ThinkOttawa

put the leading edge work happening in this community on the world stage.

To make your bid stand out, local organizers should get letters of support from key stakeholders, partners and municipal government to show that there’s local interest for the conference.

“Sometimes we’re too humble and don’t speak enough about the great things going on here, but the truth is that Ottawa is a great place to meet with a wide selection of hotels, convention space, and offsite meeting venues,” Mackay says.

created a presentation on how we have this great location on the banks of the Rideau Canal.”

ThinkOttawa also helps support “homegrown” events such as SaaS North, AccelerateOTT and Impact AI conferences in hopes they can grow into even larger conferences one day.

These homegrown events help local businesses connect with others in the region and showcase local expertise.

JULY 2019

hree key Ottawa organizations are joining forces in a new effort to assist local businesses and organizations become industry champions by helping to bring conferences to Canada’s capital.

Welcoming business partners, suppliers and peers to Ottawa for a conference benefits local firms and associations in several ways.

It allows hosts to demonstrate industry leadership, share their knowledge and broaden their networks – all while showcasing their Ottawa pride and making a direct impact on the local economy.

According to Ottawa Tourism’s 2019 economic impact study, visitors to the capital spent $2.2 billion in 2016, supporting more than 30,600 tourism jobs.

ThinkOttawa is looking to boost that even further.

The new program’s support can include assistance in developing a bid, help with marketing and promotional materials as well as providing guidance on selecting venues and accommodations.

The new program is a partnership between Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa and the Shaw Centre.

“Hosting an event here is a great way to network and reach a wide audience,” says Lesley Mackay,

+

11 OBJ.CA

OBJ360 CONTENT STUDIO

REAL ESTATE OBJ: We recently hosted a City-Building Summit, and a major theme that emerged was that Ottawa is poised for a surge in mixed-use developments near light-rail stations. What’s your take on that premise?

JG: I agree with that. There’s definitely a lot of intensification that has happened right in the downtown core of Ottawa. I think what is lacking here is good residential offerings on that outer ring. Where there’s transit nearby, for us this is the perfect set of circumstances where we can provide a place to live, a community, that isn’t necessarily caught up in the downtown hustle and bustle or urban sprawl, but rather you’ve got more open spaces here.

You’ve got the benefits of suburban living with the access to urban living. To us, that’s a great combination.

OBJ: Where are some of the other

Apartment builders ready to ride LRT’s wave RioCan and Killam open development aimed to capitalizing on new generation of transit-using tenants

BY DAVID SALI

david@obj.ca

JULY 2019

R

OBJ.CA

12

ising high above the site of a former retail development, a 23-storey apartment tower just steps from Gloucester’s Blair LRT station at the end of the Confederation Line signals a new era of transit-oriented rental construction in the National Capital Region.

RioCan and Killam Apartment REIT are teaming up on the multi-phase project that could see as many as 1,000 new rental suites built over the next decade. After phase one of the development known as Frontier opened to tenants in June, OBJ sat down with RioCan chief executive Jonathan Gitlin to talk about what

the project means for the future of his company and real estate in Ottawa.

Here is an edited transcript of that conversation:

OBJ: RioCan has a big presence in Ottawa. What in particular do you like about this market?

JG: Let’s talk about two elements. One is retail; our roots are in retail. And one is our mixed-use strategy and the intensification process that we’re undergoing. We’ve got 32 retail properties in Ottawa and close to four and a half million square feet here. For us, it’s one of our larger markets, and we’re very committed to it. It’s a city that’s fairly stable –​ it doesn’t see big ups and

downs in its economy. With respect to the mixed-use projects that we’re now embarking on, including Frontier, for us, it’s some of the same attributes. I think there hasn’t been a lot of new-build rental and so to be first to market is always a good thing. One of the things that lured us to build on the site is the transit that’s right across the street. The Blair LRT station for us is a game-changer. While I know this is a city that’s still a vehicular commuter city, I think it’s going to change. The city’s government has taken a very bold step in intensifying the LRT infrastructure here, which will in my mind prompt a lot more developments like this. There’s nothing more logical than putting density next to transit.

transit nodes where you really see an opportunity for something like this?

JG: We’re always looking at our portfolio.

Typically, a shopping centre will cover 25 per cent of a parcel of land; the rest will be parking lots. We’re often looking at, are there opportunities to take a portion of that parking lot and build multi-unit residential buildings? We’ve got zoning on Elmvale Acres (and) Westgate Shopping Centre, which again doesn’t have an LRT station there, but it’s right on the highway and it’s right next to bus transit.

OBJ: You’re also looking at redeveloping Lincoln Fields Shopping Centre. What are your plans there?

JG: Right now, we’re focused on redoing the retail. We’re building more of a conventional retail outlet there which won’t have an enclosed mall. Then we’re going to explore what to do with the residual land. But to me, the ingredients are there for potential mixed-use development. You’ll have great retail which will serve the residents. To us, that marriage is so critical. To us, it adds value to your retail tenants, and it also adds value to your residential tenants.

Lincoln Fields right now has a very strong grocery component, and we’re going to recreate that grocery component.

The Wal-Mart closed there, but there

are certainly other uses – a pharmacy, restaurant and things of that nature which will form part of that.

OBJ: With the explosion of e-commerce, are you having to rethink the way you structure your retail complexes?

JG: In part, but that’s not the thrust of it.

Whenever we build residential (units), we will typically replace the retail that was there. We’re firm believers in the need for bricks-and-mortar retail. There’s obviously a strong narrative that suggests that there’s no need for it, but if you look at our statistics as a company, we have 97 per cent occupancy (of retail space). Our metrics have really never been better. So we believe that bricks-and-mortar retail is a very important part of the shopping landscape notwithstanding the existence of e-commerce.

I think we’re doing a number of things to ensure that we have relevant retail. One of those is changing the types of tenants that we have in our buildings. Part of it is building mixed-use (developments), where we urbanize, modernize and bring residential (units) to our retail sites.

OBJ: How are changing that mix of retail

OBJ: RioCan now owns most of Shoppers

a Costco there. Is that still in the works?

JG: It’s not public at this point. We are very happy with the future use of that land.

I really do think the community will be pleased about it.

OBJ: What are some of the other longterm trends you see in retail and mixeduse development?

JG: You’ve certainly seen a trend toward urbanization. You’ve seen a lot of retailers strive to be in those built-up city centres. You see now in downtown Ottawa, there’s a lot more vibrant retail offerings in and around that area – not just the ByWard Market, but now you’ve got a large proliferation of retailers all over the place there.

OBJ: How much more rental construction do you expect to launch in Ottawa over the next few years?

JG: In the short term, we’d certainly like to build at least 3,000 units. But I think that beyond that, there will be quite a bit

more. For us, it’s a terrific community. I think there is a need for more newer rental housing with modern technology, with modern security. So I think as long as the city is receptive to that type of product, we’re happy to provide it to them. We have fairly lofty long-term objectives for the city of Ottawa. Again, it’s marketdependent. It’s also dependent on us getting permissions from the city. If it all works out, we’d love to continue to grow here in Ottawa.

OBJ: Finally, Frontier isn’t your father’s apartment building. Twenty years ago, you didn’t see these kinds of amenities.

JG: That’s really true across Canada.

RioCan Living and Killam are looking to provide a different kind of living experience. We’ve got a geothermal heating and cooling system here which is sustainable and environmentally friendly and will be cheaper in the long run for our tenants here. And it’s transit-oriented.

access to “collaboration rooms” where they can open their laptops and relax or do a bit of work in a social environment.

When Killam started building apartments a decade ago, theatre rooms with tiered seating were all the rage in upscale developments, Fraser recalls. Netflix and other TV and movie streaming platforms quickly put an end to that trend.

“That lasted about three or four years. You don’t do that anymore,” he says. “That whole amenity package will continue to evolve. This is what it looks like today.”

The first phase of Frontier is about 60 per cent leased so far, Fraser says, adding that’s a “very good” ratio for a newly opened building. He estimates about 70 per cent of its tenants are “young, urban” residents, with the rest empty-nesters who have sold their homes and decided to downsize.

Phase two of Frontier is already under construction, with at least two more towers and possibly a third coming down the road. Fraser says Killam might look downtown for its next property.

“It’s just a good market, period,” he says of Ottawa.

Those things are all elements that we’re very proud of. Within the building, it’s a totally different kind of offering. There are great collaboration spaces where you can come get your work done. It’s akin to being at a Starbucks, except you don’t have to leave your front door. We’ve got great party spaces, great outdoor spaces and a state-of-the-art gym. We’ve got a parcel delivery service where now you can get courier packages delivered to a unit, you get a text message when it comes, you put in the code and (the door) opens up for you. It’s just little touches like that. It was a bold step by us. There are not a lot of other highrises in this area. I think there were a lot of naysayers who said, ‘Why are you building out in Gloucester?’ We’ve always had the same disciplined approach and the same conviction in the belief that if you build in a site that has key attributes like transit and great retail next door, you will succeed. So far, we’ve seen the fruits of our labour work out.

13 OBJ.CA

City East. People are always asking us what’s happening with the plan that was announced a couple of years ago to build

Despite a rise in transit-oriented development, Ottawa remains a car city.

So while the CEO of Killam Apartment REIT, RioCan’s partner in a new multitower apartment complex being built near Gloucester’s Blair LRT station, says he sees a bright future for the project, he’s not ready to forecast a massive wave of similar developments just yet.

“The pickup will depend on where the car goes for the average Ottawa citizen,” says Philip Fraser, whose company owns a 50 per cent stake in the Frontier development.

“It’s not like Toronto, where you do want to ditch your car because it’s so hard to drive around that city. This city is not much ahead of Calgary or Edmonton in terms of (residents) giving up their cars. Those cities, they’re not giving them up any time soon.”

Halifax-based Killam already had a significant presence in the capital even before the 23-storey, 228-unit first phase

of the Gloucester project opened in June.

Last fall, the REIT bought a new 60-suite apartment building at the corner of Greenbank Road and Craig Henry Drive for $20.7 million, boosting the number of units it owns in Ottawa to about 1,300.

Fraser says he expects Killam to continue expanding its footprint in the capital region, praising its stable, government-driven economy and steady influx of new residents that recently pushed Ottawa past the one-million population milestone.

“In this business, population growth and job growth are the two best ingredients for the multi-family (apartment) business,” he explains.

Frontier is part of a new generation of apartment buildings that feature amenities such as fitness centres, meeting rooms and even small guest suites for visitors ​– offerings that were unheard of just a couple of decades ago.

Noting the industry is in a state of “constant evolution,” Fraser says builders are simply responding to market demands. Today’s tenants, he says, want to live close to transit and have

JULY 2019

tenants?

JG: I think there’s definitely a push to install … a lot of experiential tenancies.

So things like gyms and restaurants and coffee shops and spin studios ​– things that really add to an environment, that draw people to a shopping centre; where you need to actually show up as opposed to ordering things online or not shopping there at all. The other trends that we’re focusing on are moving away from some of the retail segments that have certainly been hurt by not just the internet but rather changing consumer habits. If you look at what we’ve done over the last 10 years, the percentage of revenue that we receive from department stores and from clothing stores has decreased quite substantially. And in its place you’ll see a lot more necessity-based grocery stores and some of those other service-related uses like gyms, dentist and doctor offices, which are still thriving and vital parts of our retail experience.

Halifax-based REIT bullish on Ottawa

2019 Share your creative, clever and inspiring work spaces.

Eye-catching designs, colourful details and innovative layouts are just some of the elements that create an engaging work space. What is your story?

JULY 2019

Contact Wendy Baily 613.238.1818 ext. 244 wbaily@obj.ca | bestofficesottawa.ca

OBJ.CA

14

M&A

Quebec restaurant chain Foodtastic acquires Ottawa’s Big Rig Brewery Region’s No. 2 craft beer producer says move is necessary to help take popular brand to ‘the next level’

INSTANT CREDIBILITY

BY DAVID SALI

david@obj.ca

A

Big Rig co-founder and brewmaster Lon Ladell will retain a stake in the brewery. FILE PHOTO

They’re really well-known because they have great beer. I think it helps us with landlords also because they know the brand in Ontario.

– Foodtastic CEO Peter Mammas, on acquiring Ottawa’s Big Rig Kitchen & Brewery

annually. Its products are sold in more than 1,000 locations across Ontario, including LCBO outlets, the Beer Store and grocery stores, and it serves more than 5,000 customers a week at its eateries.

15 OBJ.CA

Ottawa in addition to a 16,000-squarefoot production facility in Kanata.

Big Rig is now the region’s No. 2 craft brewer, employing 160 people and churning out four million litres of beer

Foodtastic CEO Peter Mammas said Monday the chain plans to open at least five restaurants in Ottawa and Toronto over the next 12 months under the La Belle et La Boeuf, Monza and Souvlaki Bar banners. The company also hopes to double the number of Big Rig restaurant locations by next year, he said, with the goal of tripling the brand’s sales over the next 18 months.

Mammas said bringing Big Rig into the fold gives the Quebec-based operation instant credibility as it prepares to make a splash in the country’s most populous province.

“They’re really well-known because they have great beer,” he said. “I think it helps us with landlords also because they know the brand in Ontario.

Sometimes when you tell them ‘La Belle et La Boeuf,’ they go, ‘What?’”

Mammas said the Ontario government’s plan to allow convenience stores to sell beer could be the springboard to massive growth for small brewers, and he believes Foodtastic’s connections to alcohol distributors will give Big Rig a leg up in the competition for shelf space.

“We’re pretty confident that once the law goes into effect that you’re allowed to sell at convenience stores that we’re going to secure quite a few of them,” he said, adding he expects Big Rig’s beer output to increase by 25 per cent annually over the next few years.

JULY 2019

Quebec-based restaurant chain has bought a majority stake in the Ottawa region’s second-largest craft brewery in a bid to tap into the Ontario food and beer market.

Foodtastic, which operates 55 restaurants under seven different banners, mostly in Quebec, announced June 10 it has acquired Big Rig Kitchen & Brewery. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Big Rig brewmaster and co-founder Lon Ladell is boosting his equity stake in the brewery and will continue to oversee its brewing operations.

“We’ve gotten the business to a point where it was time to look at what the next steps are, the next level,” he told OBJ. “We thought the best thing to do would be to bring in a new partner who could help us get there.”

Launched in 2012 by a group of backers that included former Senators defenceman Chris Phillips ​– who lent his nickname to the venture –​ Big Rig quickly gained a devoted local following, opening restaurants in Gloucester and west-end

The craft brewer’s signature Big Rig Gold brand and other varieties can also be found on shelves in Alberta, Newfoundland and New Brunswick.

Ladell says joining forces with Foodtastic will give it more marketing clout in those provinces and open doors to distribution opportunities at restaurants and other locations in Quebec.

“Having these guys as partners with their contacts will definitely help get us into those markets in a stronger footing,” he said.

Founded in 2016, Foodtastic operates restaurants under the Au Coq, Bacaro, Carlos & Pepe’s, La Belle et La Boeuf, Monza, Nickels and Souvlaki Bar brands. The chain has more than 2,500 employees and annual sales of $125 million, but currently owns just one restaurant outside of its home province.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP Study spotlights barriers to exporting for women

Inspire Us

The Order of Ottawa

BY DAVID SALI

david@obj.ca

A 2018 Recipients

Recognizing outstanding service and excellence in our community Visit ottawa.ca/orderofottawa This advertisement is gratefully provided compliments of the Ottawa Business Journal.

2019-055_04

Nominate a deserving resident by September 13, 2019.

pair of Ottawa researchers who have authored two landmark studies on women entrepreneurs are now looking at the barriers female business owners encounter when trying to grow their sales beyond Canada’s borders.

Clare Beckton and Janice McDonald plan to interview more than 100 female entrepreneurs across Canada.

McDonald, a longtime entrepreneur who now runs her own consulting agency, says women-led businesses produce only about 15 per cent of Canada’s total exports. She calls the lack of women doing business in foreign countries a “lost opportunity” for the

Canadian economy.

“We’ve got to identify the challenges that women entrepreneurs are facing,” she told OBJ recently.

McDonald and Beckton, the executive in residence at Carleton University’s Centre for Research and Education on Women and Work, plan to talk to women in a range of industries and demographic groups.

Their research is being backed by the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, a federal government-funded initiative based at Toronto’s Ryerson University. The Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada are also helping to finance the study, which is expected to be released in February 2020.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

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JULY 2019

As an integral member of MNP’s Ottawa team, Gordon works closely with clients as an active project manager for all their audit needs. Backed by a passion for audit and strong understanding of Canadian Auditing Standards, International Financial Reporting Standards and Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises, Gordon delivers customized solutions to businesses of all sizes allowing stakeholders to make business decisions with confidence.

OBJ.CA

16

As one of the largest national accounting and business consulting firms in Canada, MNP continues to lead by example by delivering the people and the results you need to be successful.

Contact Gordon Wright, CPA, CA, Partner, at 613.691.4243 or gordon.wright@mnp.ca

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Ottawa’s Portage Power boosts renewable energy generation capacity A

s it continues expanding in the U.S. and eastern Canada, a local renewable power generation company is adopting a new name as it works to build a more sustainable energy future. Portage Power – formerly known as Energy Ottawa – is a growing community asset, with hydroelectric, solar and landfill gasto-energy generating facilities.

As one of the business lines of Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc., Portage Power is the largest municipallyowned producer of green power in Ontario. The company has grown rapidly, increasing its renewable generation capacity by nearly 500 per cent, from 22 megawatts in 2012 to 128 megawatts in 2019 – enough to

power 107,000 homes.

Portage Power owns and operates all six hydroelectric generating stations at Chaudière Falls in the downtown core. Refurbishments at the company’s two Quebec-based plants are underway now, and will be completed next year.

Now, with generating facilities in Ontario, Quebec and New York state, Portage Power recently rebranded to support its growth objectives. The company entered the U.S. market in 2015 when it bested 33 other bidders to purchase four generating stations in New York state.

“This is a good strategic fit for us,” says Greg Clarke, Portage Power’s Chief Electricity Generation Officer.

“Moose River, one of our biggest plants, is only three hours from here.

We needed to diversify, and this brought us into a new market.”

Innovation is also a major focus in finding new business opportunities.

Portage Power utilized new technology that converts methane gas from landfills into a renewable energy source. The first landfill gas-toenergy plant was built in 2007 at the City of Ottawa landfill on Trail Road and in 2013 the company opened its second plant at the Laflèche landfill east of Ottawa. The two plants collectively produce 10.2 megawatts, enough to power 10,000 homes.

The next push is into solar power.

Through a 2016 partnership with

the City of Ottawa, Portage Power installed 8,861 solar panels at eight municipal buildings including Ottawa City Hall. Clarke predicts a growing demand for solar energy as prices for solar panels drops.

“Because of innovation, the cost per kilowatt for solar is now becoming competitive with oil and natural gas,” he says. “Solar panels are destined to be incorporated into designs for homes and businesses.”

OBJ360 CONTENT STUDIO

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HOW THE MLS® SYSTEM GIVES COMMERCIAL REALTORS® A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

R

eal estate brokers and salespeople are not the same. Only those registrants who are members of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) can be properly called Realtors, which gives them a boost in serving commercial clients. Realtors are required to follow a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a high level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) members are members of CREA. “A Realtor is a brand that says you have a code of conduct beyond the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act that you adhere to,” says Ralph Shaw, real estate broker at Century 21 Explorer and pastpresident of OREB. “It raises the bar. And once

you’re a member, there are rules of engagement that require you to cooperate and participate in a high level of moral and ethical functionality.”

To help clients buy and sell property, Realtors use the MLS System, which in Ottawa can only be accessed by OREB members.

The MLS System holds complete historical and current data on thousands of residential and commercial real estate transactions dating back to the 1990s. Last year, OREB commercial Realtors sold more than $246 million of commercial real estate in Ottawa.

“The amount of information that is being shared amongst commercial Realtors is immense,” says Chris Tremblay, sales representative at Royal LePage

Aside from access to the MLS System and REALTOR.ca, what are other benefits of working with a member of OREB’s Commercial Services Network?

JULY 2019

Ottawa’s commercial Realtors are part of one of Canada’s largest single-industry trade Association and are represented locally, provincially and at the national level.

• CREA represents the interests of its members to the federal government and its agencies on existing or proposed legislation that will affect those members, and/or impact property ownership.

• CREA assists its Realtor members to better serve their clients by providing quality technology products through Data Distribution Facility, the program that distributes a real estate listing across multiple channels including

the MLS System and real estate advertising websites.

• CREA enhances member professionalism and ethics by providing national standards, including establishment of symbols of quality associated with using CREA brands and trademarks.

• CREA produces accurate, up-todate information and analysis on economic issues.

CREA’s efforts also allow Realtor members to better serve their clients. The economic statistics and analysis CREA provides enhances its members’ knowledge.

This in turn can improve the quality of advice given to clients.

OBJ.CA

18 OBJ360 CONTENT STUDIO

Team Realty. He adds that the data is growing every day. “How else could you access data from more than 3,000 real estate brokers and salespeople in one place?”

THE MARKETING REACH OF REALTOR.CA Portions of all MLS Listings are uploaded to the global marketing site REALTOR.ca. Visits to REALTOR.ca on desktop and mobile web over the past six months totalled more than 9.9 million views.

“If a national or international buyer wants to expand their business venture to Ottawa, they can easily find a member of OREB’s Commercial Services Network on REALTOR.ca because of their affiliation with CREA,” says Geoff Godding, vicepresident and sales representative at Decathlon Commercial Realty and chair of the Commercial Services Network.

To find a commercial Realtor, search the commercial services network at oreb.ca. You can search by their area of concentration, which includes business brokerage, industrial, investment, leasing, office, retail and multi-family properties with more than five units.

1

WSP Canada 2611 Queensview Dr. Ottawa, ON K2B 8K2 613-829-2800 wsp.com

170

2

Stantec Consulting 400-1331 Clyde Ave. Ottawa, ON K2C 3G4 613-722-4420 stantec.com

111

111

J.L. Richards & Associates 864 Lady Ellen Pl. Ottawa, ON K1Z 5M2 613-728-3571 jlrichards.ca

55

78

No. of licensed (P.48 Eng) engineers in local offices

Total No. of engineering staff in local offices WND (include P. Eng and non-P.Eng)

388

3 THE LIST 4 51 6 2 7 3 8 4 9 5 6 10 7 10 8 10 13 9 14 10 15 10 10 15 13 17

WSP Canada Golder Associates 2611 Queensview Dr. 1931 Robertson Rd. K2B 8K2 Ottawa, ON K2H 5B7 613-829-2800 613-592-9600 golder.com wsp.com Parsons* Stantec Consulting 100-1223 Michael St. 400-1331 Clyde Ottawa, ON K1JAve. 7T2 Ottawa, ON K2C 3G4 613-738-4160 parsons.com 613-722-4420 McIntosh Perry stantec.com 115 Walgreen Road, R.R.3 J.L. Richards & Carp ON, K0A 1L0 Associates 613-836-2184 864 Lady Ellen Pl. mcintoshperry.com Ottawa, ON K1Z 5M2 EXP 613-728-3571 jlrichards.ca 100-2650 Queensview Dr. MorrisonON Hershfield* Ottawa, K2B 8H6 2440 Don Reid Dr. 613-688-1899 Ottawa, ON K1H 1E1 exp.com 613-739-2910 Novatech Engineering morrisonhershfield.com Consultants Golder Associates 200-240 Michael Cowpland 1931 Robertson Dr. Kanata, ON Rd. K2M 1P6 Ottawa, ON K2H 5B7 613-254-9643 613-592-9600 golder.com novatech-eng.com Parsons* IBI Group 100-1223 Preston Michael St. 400-333 St. Ottawa,ON ON K1S K1J5N4 7T2 Ottawa, 613-738-4160 parsons.com 613-225-1311 / 613-225-9868 ibigroup.com McIntosh Perry 115 Walgreen Road, R.R.3 CH2M (Jacobs)* Carp ON,Prince K0A 1L0 330-1101 of Wales Dr. 613-836-2184 Ottawa, ON K2C 3W7 mcintoshperry.com 613-723-0233 ch2mhill.com EXP GHD 100-2650 Queensview 400-179 Colonnade Rd.Dr. Ottawa, Ottawa, ON ON K2B K2E8H6 7J4 613-688-1899 ghd.com 613-727-0510 exp.com DEW Engineering and Novatech Engineering Development ULC Consultants 3429 Hawthorne Rd. 200-240ON Michael Cowpland Ottawa, K1G 4G2 Dr. Kanata, ON K2M 1P6 613-736-5100 613-254-9643 dewengineering.com novatech-eng.com CIMA+ IBI Group 110-240 Catherine St. 400-333ON Preston St. Ottawa, K2P 2G8 Ottawa, ON K1Scima.ca 5N4 613-860-2462 613-225-1311 / 613-225-9868 Cleland Jardine Engineering ibigroup.com Ltd. CH2M (Jacobs)* Suite 200, 580 Terry Fox 330-1101 PrinceOntario, of Wales Dr. Drive, Kanata, Ottawa, ON K2C 3W7 K2L 4B9 613-591-1533 613-723-0233 ch2mhill.com clelandjardine.com GHD Jp2g Consultants 400-179 Colonnade 410-1150 Morrison Dr.Rd. Ottawa, Ottawa, ON ON K2E K2H 7J4 8S9 613-727-0510 613-828-7800 ghd.com jp2g.com

Cleland Jardine Engineering Robinson Consultants Ltd. 210-350 Palladium Dr. Suite 200, Ottawa, ON580 K2VTerry 1A8 Fox Drive, Kanata, Ontario, 613-592-6060 rcii.com K2L 4B9 613-591-1533 Syntronic Research & clelandjardine.com Development Canada Jp2g Consultants 200-340 Terry Fox Dr. 410-1150 Morrison Dr. Kanata, ON, K2K 3A2 Ottawa, ON syntronic.com K2H 8S9 613-383-1111 613-828-7800 jp2g.com

1959

170

1 69

1975

Goodkey Weedmark 1688 Woodward Drive Ottawa ON, Canada K2C 3R8 613-727-5111

Buildings; municipal infrastructure; industrial and power; transportation; environmental; project management; sustainable development; energy analysis and modeling

Professional services firm working with government, businesses, developers, architects and planners to provide solutions that transform the built environment and restore the natural environment.

Maurice Leger senior vice-president, Canada Central and Atlantic

Professional consulting services for the planning, engineering and design for: water/ wastewater; transportation; mechanical/ electrical/structural/civil

Assists clients from initial conceptual development, project planning and community engagement through to design, construction, commissioning and maintenance

LARGEST ENGINEERING FIRMS

Guy A. Cormier Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical president and CEO and industrial engineering; architecture; 1 85 1955 planning; GIS; project management; energy (RANKED BY6NUMBER OF LOCAL LICENSED ENGINEERS) systems

No. of135 Ottawa support staff (all other staff)

No. of 1 local/ 10 national offices

Year 1985 established locally

43 170

63 388

17 52

41 37 150

1960 1959

40 111

WND 111

110 170

1 14 1 69

1956 1975

35

40

150

55

78

85

29

36

75

48

WND

135

3 9 1 6 2 88 1 10

1990 1955

1957 1985

Kevin L. Chouinard senior vice-president Key local executive(s) Michael Dusen Andrew van Benson Dominque Quesnel office manager vice-presidents Sylvain Montminy Maurice Leger André Proulx senior vice-president, vice-presidents Canada Central and Atlantic Todd Perry vice-chairman Guy A. Cormier president and CEO Graham Lancaster Dan McNicoll Kevin L.managers Chouinard senior senior vice-president John G. Riddell president Andrew Benson office manager

26 43

65 63

106 17

1 01 37

1982 1960

40 22

WND 48

110 76

1 1 14 13

1956 1971

Sylvain Montminy Demetrius André Proulx Yannoulopoulos vice-presidents Peter Spal

1990

Todd Perry vice-chairman Peter Mallory senior vice-president

1992 1957

Graham ChristineLancaster Skirth Dan McNicoll vice-president senior managers

35 22

40 WND

150 38

3 91 13

22 29

37 36

7 75

21 0 88

1978 1982

1990 1971

Andre Chaumont Demetrius vice-president and Yannoulopoulos regional general Peter Spal manager Michael Cleland Robert Jardine Peter Mallory principals senior vice-president

21 26

26 65

106 106

1 11 0

20 22

60 48

5 76

2 40 1 13

1993

1992 2000

17 22

55 WND

6 38

1 11 13

22 17

37 39

7 3

11 0 2

1955 1978

16 21

24 26

11 106

1 1

16 20

54 60

WND 5

21 N/A 40

1956 1990

15 17

23 55

44 6

1 01 1

1977 1993

10 3

2 01 2

10 17

180 39

Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Albert St., Ottawa, *These firms did 1005-75 not reply to the survey in time for publication. This information is from previous years. WND = Would not disclose. 1 ON K1P 5E7 16 24 11 1 613-232-5786 aar.ca

17

Michael van Dusen Dominque Quesnel vice-presidents

16

54

WND

1 N/A

2014 2000

1955

1956

Ian Marsh John G. Riddell president president

Christine Skirth Neil Caldwell vice-president CEO

David Nguyen principal Ian Marsh Garry Vopni president Carrière Jean-Michel

Integrated multidisciplinary engineering and speciality services in buildings, energy and industrial, environment, land development, technology and telecom, transportation, Areas of practice water and wastewater. transit, structures, Buildings; municipal infrastructure; Air and noise; archaeology; biology; EAs; industrial and power;management transportation; EHS; environmental systems; environmental; project management; ESAs; geophysics; geotechnical; GIS/IM; sustainable development; energy analysis and modeling Multidisciplinary engineering, planning, Professional consulting services for the project management and technology firm planning, and for: water/ providing engineering a broad range ofdesign integrated wastewater; mechanical/ systems andtransportation; infrastructure solutions. electrical/structural/civil Multidisciplinary engineering firm that specializes in civil, contract administration, Civil, structural, mechanical, electrical structural, environmental, geotechnical, and industrial engineering; architecture; planning; GIS; project management; energy systems Building engineering (structural, mechanical, electrical); environmental (air quality, ESA, Integrated multidisciplinary engineering and risk assessment); geotechnical (investigation, speciality testing servicesand in buildings, energy and materials inspection); industrial, environment, land development, infrastructure (civil, transportation) technology and telecom, transportation, Municipal, land/sitewater development; transit, structures, and wastewater. transportation, aquatics, environmental Air and noise; archaeology; biology; EAs; engineering; planning and project EHS; environmental management systems; management; landscape architecture ESAs; geophysics; geotechnical; GIS/IM;

Single-source multidisciplinary design and project management services including architecture, planning and all engineering disciplines.

Planning; design; construction administration; construction management; investigation; assessment; field testing; research Description of activities Professional services working with Consulting, design andfirm construction services in government, businesses, developers, architects the areas of earth, environment and related areas and planners to provide solutions that transform of energy. the built environment and restore the natural environment.

Transportation planning and traffic operations Assists from initial development, studies;clients EAs; planning andconceptual design of roads, transit, project and community engagementurban bridges planning and municipal (water) infrastructure; through design, construction, commissioning planningto and complete street design and maintenance Provides a full range of consulting engineering and technical solutions.

Single-source multidisciplinary design and project management services including architecture, planning and all engineering disciplines.

Engineering and consulting services.

Planning; design; construction administration; construction management; investigation; assessment; field testing; research Feasibility studies; site plan and subdivision development engineering; municipal preliminary Consulting, designenvironmental and construction services in and detail design; studies; project the areas of earth, environment and related areas management; construction administration of energy.

Multidisciplinary engineering, planning, Land development engineering; project management and technology firm transportation engineering; water resources providing a broad range of integrated engineering; municipal engineering; systems and infrastructure solutions. structural engineering Multidisciplinary engineering firm that specializes in civil, administration, Drinking water andcontract reuse; wastewater; water structural,and environmental, geotechnical, resources ecosystem management; industrial water; intelligent water solutions; conveyance and storage Building engineering (structural, mechanical, Water; environment; buildings; geotechnical; electrical); environmental transportation; solid waste(air quality, ESA, risk assessment); geotechnical (investigation, materials testing and inspection); infrastructure (civil, transportation) Military design and manufacturing Municipal, land/site development; transportation, aquatics, environmental engineering; planning and project management; landscape architecture

Transportation anddevelopment; traffic operations Residential andplanning commercial road studies; EAs;planning planningand anddesign; designstormwater of roads, transit, and transit bridges and municipal (water) infrastructure; urban management design; utilities, sewer and watermain planning and complete street design design; bridge design; building inspections Provides a full range of consulting engineering and technical Partneringsolutions. with governments, communities, businesses and organizations globally to meet clients’ infrastructure and natural resource challenges.

Engineering andassessments consulting services.

Environmental and remediation; solid waste management design and construction; hydrogeology; geotechnical engineering; civil infrastructure design and implementation

Mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, Land development engineering; transportation engineering; project transportationurban engineering; water resources management; planning; engineering; municipal engineering; environmental; sustainability; energy structural engineering Structural engineering

Engineering; project management; urban planning; Residential and commercialservices development; road environmental/sustainable and transit planning and design; stormwater management design; utilities, sewer and watermain design; bridge design; building inspections Commercial; education; health care; residential, retirement homes and long-term care; community Partnering governments, centres andwith religious facilities; communities, industrial and businesses and organizations globally to meetpublic manufacturing; office buildings; government clients’ infrastructure and natural resource facilities; police, fire, military facilities challenges.

Drinking water and reuse; wastewater; water resources and ecosystem management; industrial water; intelligent water solutions; conveyance and storage Water; environment; buildings; geotechnical; Consulting services: mechanical, electrical, transportation; wastewater resources; structural, civil, solid municipal, environmental services; hydrogeology; GIS; land use and asset management planning.

Military design and manufacturing Structural engineering consultant providing services in all areas of structural planning and design.

Designs, develops, prototypes, tests, modifies and Feasibility studies; site plan andforsubdivision certifies engineered solutions civil and defense development engineering; municipal preliminary markets. and detail design; environmental studies; project management; construction administration

Environmental assessments Multi-disciplinary consulting and firmremediation; providing service solid waste management design and construction; to municipalities, private developers, school boards, hydrogeology; geotechnical engineering; First Nations, post-secondary institutions,civil and infrastructure design and implementation federal and provincial organizations.

Designs, develops, modifies and Structural analysis prototypes, and design;tests, seismic evaluation certifies engineered solutions civil and defense and retrofit; feasibility studies;for building markets. condition surveys; heritage restoration; design and assessment to resist blast loads; arctic construction

Andre Bogdanowicz Andre Chaumont Marc Carriere vice-president Ross McIntyre and regional general manager

Mechanical and electrical building Mechanical, electrical, civil, structural, engineering transportation engineering; project management; urban planning; environmental; sustainability; energy

Heating/ventilation; plumbing; fire protection; Engineering; project management; planning; lighting; power distribution; securityurban systems; environmental/sustainable services energy conservation; studies

Michael Cleland Derek Potvin Robert Jardine president principals

Structural engineering land development; Municipal infrastructure; environmental engineering; stormwater management; transportation

Darrell Wellington vice-president Neil Caldwell CEO David Nguyen principal

Research and development; software innovations; test systems; production Consulting services: mechanical, electrical, services; aftermarket services. Markets structural, civil, municipal, water resources; include defence, telecom, med-tech, environmental services; hydrogeology; GIS; industrial and transportation. land use and asset management planning.

Commercial; education; health and care;detail residential, Feasibility studies; preliminary design; retirement and long-term care; community sustainablehomes infrastructure; rehabilitation; contract centres and religious facilities; industrial and administration; construction inspection manufacturing; office buildings; government public facilities; police, fire, military facilities Engineering design house specializing in the design and development of products/solutions and test Multi-disciplinary firm providing service systems, includingconsulting electronics, electro-mechanics to developers, school boards, andmunicipalities, technical andprivate administrative software.

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Garry Vopni Jean-Michel Carrière

Structural engineering consultant providing services in all areas of structural planning and design.

Structural analysis and design; seismic evaluation and retrofit; feasibility studies; building condition surveys; heritage restoration; design and assessment to resist blast loads; arctic construction

OBJ.CA

DEW Engineering and Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Development 1005-75 AlbertULC St., Ottawa, 3429 Hawthorne Rd. ON K1P 5E7 Ottawa, ON K1Gaar.ca 4G2 613-232-5786 613-736-5100 dewengineering.com Goodkey Weedmark CIMA+ 1688 Woodward Drive 110-240 Catherine Ottawa ON, CanadaSt. Ottawa, K2P 2G8 K2C 3R8ON 613-727-5111 613-860-2462 cima.ca gwal.com

4 150

JULY 2019

17 14 15 19 20 15 17

Morrison Hershfield* 2440 Don Reid Dr. Ottawa, ON K1H 1E1 Company/Address/ 613-739-2910 Phone/Fax/Web morrisonhershfield.com

52

Andre Bogdanowicz Marc Carriere Ross McIntyre

Mechanical and electrical building engineering

Heating/ventilation; plumbing; fire protection; lighting; power distribution; security systems; energy conservation; studies

19

CONSTRUCTION

Building for the future With major projects such as light rail on the go, the outlook for Ottawa’s heavy construction industry looks bright – but experts warn a labour shortage looms

BY DAVID SALI

david@obj.ca

JULY 2019

W

OBJ.CA

20

ith work on Confederation LRT Line coming down to the wire, major arteries such as Elgin Street currently in the midst of being torn up and other projects such as construction of the combined sewage storage tunnel in full swing, Steven MacKinnon pretty much summed up the state of Ottawa in one sentence at the recent CityBuilding Summit.

“It really is the golden age for infrastructure investment in this city,” the Liberal MP for Gatineau told the audience at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building, no doubt prompting nods from many in the crowd of business leaders and politicians.

Steve Goodman certainly doesn’t need any convincing.

The president of the National Capital Heavy Construction Association says his industry, which employs more

Sean Lundy, CEO of M.P. Lundy Construction, says he’s concerned a lack of skilled labour could become a trend. FILE PHOTO

than 9,000 people in the region, is booming. And with the City of Ottawa preparing to draft a new master plan for its roads, rail lines and other key infrastructure – not to mention projects such as phase two of light rail and the eventual redevelopment of LeBreton Flats waiting in the wings – it’s a trend he expects to continue.

“Certainly, there’s going to be a lot of spinoff from LRT on the development side,” said Goodman, an engineer with GEMTEC Consulting. “People want to live and work near light rail, so there’s going to be infill and things like that.”

Noting last winter was “not kind” to Ottawa’s roadways, he says the city is going to have to invest significantly in repairing potholes at some point ​– even though it remains far behind schedule on other key projects such as widening the Airport Parkway to four lanes.

That all adds up to one thing, he says: more work for the 230-plus companies that are members of his organization.

“I would say all things are pointing in a positive direction,” he said. “I think our members are optimistic. We’re excited with the opportunities in front of us.”

The results of a major survey of businesses in Ottawa would appear to support Goodman’s sunny outlook.

In the results of the Ottawa Business Growth Survey released in June, firms in the construction sector were more bullish than any other industry except tech.

The business confidence index for construction – a composite mark based on responses to a wide range of survey questions – sat at a robust 131.6, up nearly three points from a year earlier.

(A score higher than 100 is considered positive, while a score lower than 100 is negative.) Only the hospitality industry had a bigger uptick in confidence year over year.

Still, there are a few clouds on the horizon.

While the industry is certainly not

suffering from a lack of work, it could soon be facing a shortage of labourers to finish all the city-building projects on the docket.

It’s a common refrain among local businesses across all sectors – seven in 10 respondents in the recent growth survey said attracting and retaining skilled workers was one of the biggest issues facing their companies.

According to NCHCA executive director Kathy Sutherland, the heavy construction industry is no exception.

“Recruitment to our industry is an ongoing challenge,” she said. “It has been in the past few years, we’re seeing it again this year and we expect that it’s going to continue a little bit longer into the future.”

MASS RETIREMENTS With industry research suggesting that one in five construction workers plan to retire in the next decade, she said, the search for skilled labour isn’t about to get any easier.

We’re already struggling to find people to work in our industry, and it’s only going to get worse.

– Kathy Sutherland, executive director of the National Capital Heavy Construction Association

“We’re already struggling to find people to work in our industry,” Sutherland said, “and it’s only going to get worse.”

Sean Lundy, CEO of Ottawa-based M.P. Lundy Construction, agreed.

“We all feel that trend being quite entrenched now, and going in the direction of, there’s just not enough people,” he said.

While Goodman conceded that many firms are “concerned” about a looming labour shortage, he believes the industry will adapt through a

combination of technology and programs aimed at turning a new generation of workers on to careers in construction.

Goodman, Lundy and others note that technology such as drones and 3D imaging software is becoming a much bigger part of the building process, opening up the sector to talent with cutting-edge skills that simply weren’t needed in the past.

Goodman says his industry has to do a better job of getting that message out to people such as high school students

and tech-savvy individuals who might be considering a career change.

“The (idea) of just a crew with some shovels and maybe a bulldozer – that’s still very important and I don’t want to minimize that because at the end of the day we’ve got to move a lot of dirt,” he said. “But (the industry is) not without opportunities for those that are technically minded.”

Cheryl Jensen, who retired as president of Algonquin College in late June, told the crowd at the CityBuilding Summit that post-secondary

institutions need to work with industry and government on a strategy to promote the benefits of pursuing careers in skilled trades.

“I’m a firm believer that we have to be careful not just to train for today’s skills,” she added. “We have the capacity at Algonquin to increase the trades.”

Noting that her association offers a number of bursaries to post-secondary students – including one specifically for women – Sutherland said the construction sector is working to shed its image as a “dirty industry” in an effort to lure talent that might otherwise gravitate toward sectors such as software development and information technology.

“One of the things that we recognize is that we need a societal change to make the construction industry look more appealing to everybody and anybody,” she said.

“It’s not just about hammering nails and digging trenches,” Lundy added.

“There’s just so much more to the industry than that.”

Build a stronger association The Ottawa Association Exchange is a new forum created to help associations succeed through strategies for overcoming common challenges.

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CITY-BUILDING SUMMIT

The NCC recently held the first public consultation in its latest attempt to redevelop LeBreton Flats. FILE PHOTO

Watson calls for ‘grander’ vision for LeBreton Flats

JULY 2019

Mayor urges NCC not to adopt ‘piecemeal’ approach to redeveloping prime parcel of land

OBJ.CA

22

BY DAVID SALI

david@obj.ca

M

ayor Jim Watson has renewed his call for a “grander, bigger” vision for LeBreton Flats, telling a gathering of business leaders at Lansdowne Park in mid-June that the next proposal to

redevelop the prime 21-hectare parcel of land west of downtown must leave room for an NHL arena and should be based on a single, cohesive long-term plan.

“We can’t do it piecemeal,” Watson told broadcaster Mark Sutcliffe during a Q&A session at the City-Building Summit hosted by OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade on June 12.

“It has to be done on a grander, bigger scale than just a little parcel here or there, because there are a lot of common elements in the proposal that are going to need to get funded. That makes the most sense.”

Noting that NHL commissioner

Gary Bettman is “very committed” to putting his weight behind a downtown stadium for the Senators, the mayor said moving the team to LeBreton Flats would accelerate momentum for a light-rail transit link between Ottawa and Gatineau and breathe new life into the city’s central business district.

“This will take away the need for another (interprovincial) bridge if we can get people on transit across the river,” Watson said.

Earlier in the day, new National Capital Commission boss Tobi Nussbaum told the crowd at the Horticulture Building “there is nothing piecemeal” about the agency’s

redevelopment strategy for the NCCowned land. A phased-in approach makes sense, he said, because the NCC can’t rely on a “single actor” to spearhead such a massive project.

The NCC’s recent attempt to revitalize the long-vacant lands fell apart earlier this year when preferred proponent RendezVous LeBreton – a consortium led by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and Trinity Development Group’s John Ruddy – failed to come to terms on the massive project, which included visions of condo towers and a new downtown arena for the Sens.

Ruddy and Melnyk’s partnership dissolved into litigation at the end of 2018 over unresolved issues concerning Trinity’s nearby residential development at 900 Albert St. Watson told Sutcliffe he anticipates Ruddy will be part of the next tendering process but expects the Sens owner to stay on the sidelines.

“I don’t think Eugene Melnyk will put in a bid, but who knows?” he said, adding the NCC must ensure the winning proponents in the new LeBreton process have “the financial capacity” to build world-class amenities at the site.

Reiterating his disbelief at Melnyk’s suggestion during the Winter Classic festivities in 2017 that he might consider relocating the team if the market conditions in Ottawa didn’t improve, Watson took another dig at the Sens owner on Wednesday.

“I have great confidence in John Ruddy, not so much in Eugene,” Watson said.

GROWING PAINS Watson conceded the city –​ which recently surpassed the one-million mark in population –​ is facing its share of growing pains.

Traffic congestion has become a headache for everyone, the mayor admitted. He said the city scheduled major road construction projects on downtown arteries such as Elgin Street and Bronson Avenue to happen this year in the belief that the Confederation

LRT line would already be up and running.

Instead, the trains are more than a year late and are not expected to start rolling until the fall.

“We have a lot of projects on the go that normally would not have to compete with the construction of LRT,” Watson said.

Noting that the 12.5-kilometre Confederation Line is just the first step in a multi-phased process that’s expected to see light rail eventually extended to Kanata, the airport, Orleans and perhaps across the river to Gatineau, the mayor said he believes the short-term construction grief Ottawans are now facing will be worth it in the long run.

“My vision of Ottawa is one where we don’t have constant traffic jams … and we do that by investing heavily in infrastructure for transit,” he said. “Really, the biggest impact we can have in making our city more livable for the next two, three, four generations is to get the transit system right.”

TRANSPORTATION HEADACHES TRANSPORTATION IN OTTAWA/GATINEAU

14%

< 2%

36% 48%

Have the following issues improved, worsened or stayed about the same over the past year?

IMPROVED WORSENED

ABOUT THE SAME DON’T KNOW

Outside of rush hour, Ottawa’s perceived lack of traffic congestion relative to other gridlocked cities has traditionally been a competitive advantage that gave residents a higher quality of life and improved business productivity.

That appears to be changing.

The number of respondents in this year’s Ottawa Business Growth Survey who say transportation and public transit service is worsening jumped significantly in 2019.

“There’s a sense that getting around has gotten harder,” said Abacus Data CEO David Coletto, adding that the sharp uptick “really sticks out” amoung this year’s findings.

He noted that an especially harsh winter that wreaked havoc on roads, as well as multiple delays in opening Ottawa’s light-rail line, may be contributing to negative perceptions of the city’s transportation and transit networks.

BUILDING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE AN EXCLUSIVE REPORT ON THE OUTLOOK AND ATTITUDES OF OTTAWA’S BUSINESS LEADERS

2019 RS

OK AND ATTITUDES

T ON THE OUTLO AN EXCLUSIVE REPOR

ESS LEADE OF OTTAWA’S BUSIN

BUILDING BUSINESS E CONFIDENC

ASTRUCTURE HOW MAJOR INFR RADICALLY PROJECTS ARE CAPITAL CHANGING THE

FEDS HAVE ‘DUTY’ TO STUDY POTENTIAL SIXTH BRIDGE, MP SAYS Building Summit the feds are determined to press forward with the bridge study.

“The need is unmistakable – it’s just math,” he said. “We’re going to make sure that the decision in that regard is based on facts and evidence.”

In an email, an NCC spokesman told OBJ the agency is currently in the process of “initiating work with all relevant partners” to look at existing studies and develop “a long-term integrated interprovincial crossing plan” for the region.

The NCC said public consultations will be held “at various stages” of planning, adding it’s “premature” to provide a timeline.

MacKinnon said he doesn’t expect the process of reviewing previous studies will take more than a year.

“It’s not meant to be a long process,” he said.

BROUGHT TO YOU

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RVEYREPORT.CA

INESSSU WWW.OTTAWABUS

PM 2019-05-22 1:02

E 2019.indd 1

OBGS MAGAZIN

2019 ACCESS THE REPORT

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www.ottawabusinesssurveyreport.ca

OBJ.CA

interprovincial bridge hasn’t been built in more than 45 years, during which time the region’s population has more than doubled.

“We have a duty to act.”

The federal government reignited the bridge debate in its most recent budget, announcing it was handing the National Capital Commission the task of “refreshing existing studies” and developing a long-term plan for a potential sixth crossing.

That sparked immediate backlash from the mayors of both Ottawa and Gatineau. Jim Watson and Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said they had no desire to wade back into the bridge debate, preferring instead to look at alternatives such as a light-rail link between the two cities.

Undaunted, MacKinnon told OBJ after his keynote address at the City-

JULY 2019

As a resident of Gatineau, Steven MacKinnon knows what a headache it can be trying to cross a bridge on the Ottawa River in rush hour.

And as the Liberal MP for the city and the Parliamentary secretary to minister of public services and procurement Carla Qualtrough, MacKinnon made it clear at the recent City-Building Summit he wants to see another crossing that links Ottawa and Gatineau.

Noting that five bridges currently span the Ottawa River and carry more than 150,000 vehicles a day, MacKinnon said the city of Saskatoon, with less than one-fifth of Ottawa-Gatineau’s population, has seven bridges that cross the South Saskatchewan River.

“I think we can do better for Canada’s capital,” he told the business crowd at Lansdowne Park’s Horticulture Building on June 12, noting a new

TOURISM

Wes Scheer-Hennings operates Steel Pigeon Bike Experiences. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

Mingling with alpacas

CYCLING TOURS WITH A TWIST Wes Scheer-Hennings, the owner of Steel Pigeon Bike Experiences, launched his website on Canada Day last year. He says he was inspired by a bike tour he took in Barcelona three years ago that gave him a chance to sample local drink specialities such as sangria.

Scheer-Hennings, a high school

SUMMER STREET PARTY!

JULY 2019

Continued from page 10 “It’s essentially people showing off – people trying to show that they’re doing the most unique thing out there,” says Benmbarek, who estimates his app now has links to about 500 such travel experiences around the world, including more than 30 in the Ottawa region. “Those are the people that we’re targeting.”

Among the local entrepreneurs using Wandure to promote their ventures is Richmond teenager Ben Rabb, who charges curious customers $35 each to mingle with the dozens of alpacas and llamas he helps raise on his grandfather’s 60-acre farm.

Rabb, 17, has been leading small groups on walks along the Jock River with the exotic animals for several years.

“It pays the feed bill and the hay in the winter,” says the recent graduate of South Carleton High School, who plans to make carpentry his full-time occupation but doesn’t sound like he’s planning to give up his side project any time soon.

“I’ll probably do it for the rest of my life, I imagine.”

AUGUST • AOÛT

24 OBJ.CA

English teacher, runs tours during the summer and on weekends during the school year. He and his business partner, local artist Tricia Enns, show groups of about half a dozen riders “the classic parts of Ottawa,” such as Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier and the Canadian War Museum.

But the avid cyclist also enjoys putting his own twist on things.

He’ll serve up “maple mojitos” infused with local maple syrup and mint grown in his backyard in Hintonburg. The itinerary might include stops at legendary Little Italy sandwich shop DiRienzo’s or watering holes such as Irene’s, depending on the time of day.

He’ll incorporate a bit of local trivia into the tour, enthralling visitors with tales about the exploits of Ottawa’s notorious bank-robbing “Stopwatch Gang,” for example, and likes to show visitors examples of local graffiti and the work of other artists he admires such as painter and sculptor Christopher Griffin.

Scheer-Hennings, who hosted 18 tours last summer, says he hopes to nearly double that total this July and August. He promotes his venture on Airbnb Experiences, which takes a cut of his revenues, and says the number of clients funnelled to him through the site is constantly rising.

“People are looking for unique experiences, and they’re looking for something that’s boutique like what we’re offering,” he explains, adding 90 per cent of his customers are from out of town and have come from every continent except Africa. “I think it’s going to become

@westborovillage

@westborobia #WestboroFUSE

17/18

a platform that’s able to diversify even more.”

University of Ottawa student Mohammed Al-Ameen recently started offering walking tours through Airbnb Experiences. Within a couple of days, he had booked six people for his first excursion – a group that included a visitor from Mexico, two travellers from Nigeria and a pair of Malaysians.

Born and raised in Yemen, Al-Ameen moved to Ottawa about five years ago.

The third-year electrical engineering major actually developed an app similar to Wandure in his spare time but decided not to pursue it after discovering Airbnb Experiences already existed.

Instead, he decided to use Airbnb’s platform to earn a little extra cash. He typically shows visitors around the ByWard Market, which is close to his Lowertown residence, and sometimes ventures farther afield to other attractions clients want to see, such as Rideau Hall.

“I try to cater to my customers, basically,” he says. “Even though I’m in engineering and we deal a lot with technical things, I really love the dealing-with-people aspect. It’s an awesome side gig.”

Proulx agrees, noting he’s actually getting paid to show off his beloved Ottawa to interesting people from all over the world. What could be better than that?

“I’m not doing this for money,” says the soon-to-be-60-year-old. “Your hobby should always be a passion. If you lose that passion, then it’s time to move on. I was thinking of selling it, but I don’t think so. It’s fun.”

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LANDLORDS PIVOT TO CAPITALIZE ON CHANGING DEMANDS OF OTTAWA-AREA TENANTS Demand growing for high-end units, particularly in communities outside central Ottawa

A

growing population, rapidly rising home prices and shifting demographics are radically reshaping the rental market in Ottawa and eastern Ontario – opening up new opportunities for property owners who can cater to this new cohort of tenants.

Several studies have shown home ownership rates slipping among young people who are struggling to enter a hot real estate market in the face of rising interest rates and stricter mortgage rules.

At the other end of the spectrum, many Baby Boomers are looking to downsize and are no longer interested in the headaches that often come with home maintenance.

“There’s a trend to more high-end rentals in Ottawa and in outlying communities like Kanata, Richmond, Stittsville, Pembroke, and Kemptville.”

The project, Samara Square, illustrates the changing demands of tenants. With the region’s purpose-built rental stock rapidly aging, Sleepwell is able to assist builders and investors to position their properties to capture the growing demand and investors tap into this new, affluent pool of tenants from tenants who are willing to pay more for wellmaintained homes with premium finishes. while maximizing returns for property owners.

With its large portfolio of managed properties, In recent years, Sleepwell has expanded its Pool says he’s seen this shift in tenant preferences portfolio to include more properties in the rapidly first-hand and has been able to advise landlords on growing communities on Ottawa’s outskirts as how to capitalize on the opportunity. residents look for opportunities to move into more “What we have been seeing is landlords investing spacious properties at reasonable prices. Many of more into appliances and services for their tenants, these neighbourhoods have traditionally lacked highwho have come to expect a higher standard of quality rental properties, creating new opportunities living,” says Pool. “So there may be higher up-front to upgrade the existing stock as well as build new costs for the landlords, but on the flipside, they’re purpose-built communities geared towards this new getting a lot more rent.” wave of tenants.

For a full list of services In Richmond, for that Sleepwell offers example, Sleepwell was Samara Square, Richmond, ON property owners, and what tasked with marketing neighbourhoods they a newly constructed 35reach, visit them at https:// unit senior’s lifestyle sleepwellmanagement.com/. development.

– Conrad Pool, president, Sleepwell Property Management

JULY 2019

But in both cases, much of the current stock of rental housing is ill-suited to meet the demands of these growing pools of tenants, particularly in highgrowth secondary markets outside central Ottawa.

Savvy investors are quickly appreciating this dynamic and are moving in to meet the demand.

“There’s a trend to more high-end rentals in Ottawa and in outlying communities like Kanata, Richmond, Stittsville, Pembroke, and Kemptville,” says Conrad Pool, the president of Sleepwell Property Management. “Renting has become a desirable and deliberate lifestyle and economic choice for many people.”

HIGHER EXPECTATIONS

25 OBJ360 CONTENT STUDIO

OBJ.CA

As one of the largest third-party property managers in the region, Sleepwell is helping real estate developers

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Consider compliance and tax implications on U.S. residences Renting and selling can trigger financial obligations

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s many Canadian snowbirds have discovered, owning property in the United States might offer relief from winter, but it can also produce unexpected financial and compliance headaches for those who don’t take the time to figure out the tax implications.

In short, it’s complicated and involves dealing with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

But first, the no-frills example: If you own a Florida condo exclusively for your own use, stay there for just a few months of the year and lock the place up until your next visit, the IRS is unlikely to be interested.

But once you decide to sell or rent, taxation rules and compliance obligations kick in.

Ottawa accounting firm GGFL has many clients with U.S. properties – mostly in Florida – and the firm’s U.S. and cross-border tax principal, Monica Martinez, knows the potential pitfalls.

“Canadians buy U.S. condos because they see this as a better investment than stocks,” she says. “But with the Canadian dollar low, and U.S. property values rising, some are now considering selling.”

Whatever the real estate transaction, navigating

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the complex U.S. tax system isn’t easy, adds Martinez. But it is essential.

A U.S. non-resident who sells U.S. real estate will encounter upfront withholding taxes. The buyer must generally withhold 15 per cent of the gross sales price at the time of sale – and remit that to the IRS on behalf of the seller.

The withholding taxes can be reduced or eliminated if the seller applies for a “withholding certificate” from the IRS. This allows the withholding tax to be based on an estimate of the maximum tax on the net gain, rather than on the gross sales price.

The seller has to file a U.S. tax return to report the capital gain or loss on the sale, and can claim a refund if taxes previously withheld exceed the final tax liability.

Canadians who rent out their U.S. properties can also be hit with withholding tax - at a rate of 30 per cent of gross rents. The tenant, or property manager, must withhold this tax from each rental payment and remit it to the IRS. The 30 per cent can also be reduced if the owner elects to be taxed on net rental income instead; by claiming expenses, their tax burden can be reduced but they will have to file a U.S. tax return annually.

Each state also has its own tax regime, although the situation in Florida is less complex because the state has no personal income tax.

As residents of Canada, they must also report the income from the sale or rental of their U.S. property to the CRA. On the brighter side, taxes paid to the U.S. can be credited against Canadian taxes, to avoid double tax.

U.S. real estate investments can be profitable, and certainly

U.S. real estate investments can be profitable, and certainly offer an escape from Canadian winters, but with the positives comes this complex, specialized area of taxation. offer an escape from Canadian winters, but with the positives comes this complex, specialized area of taxation.

According to GGFL’s Martinez, some Canadians buying, selling and renting U.S. property don’t realize there are tax implications – unfortunately, non-compliance can result in significant tax liabilities and potential penalties.

Her best advice: “Come and see us at GGFL. We can walk you through the tax issues and your compliance obligations, to ensure you are not faced with any unexpected financial consequences. It is well worth it for the peace of mind.”

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EVENT

JULY 2019

‘A truly authentic leader’: Algonquin College bids fond farewell to retiring president Jensen

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It became a running joke at the retirement party for Algonquin College president and CEO Cheryl Jensen that she couldn’t possibly leave, not when the City of Ottawa had finally reached its one-million milestone population.

Her departure would result in the number dropping back down to 999,999.

Humour aside, nobody wanted Jensen to go. She has earned the love, respect and admiration of her students, colleagues and the broader community during her five

years as head of Algonquin College and its Ottawa, Perth and Pembroke campuses. She was the first woman to hold the top position at the college, which was founded in 1967.

Her many achievements and contributions were recognized and celebrated at a gathering held in one of the beautiful new Indigenous spaces, the Nawapon Learning Commons located on the first floor of the state-of-the-art DARE (Discovery, Applied Research and Entrepreneurship) District that opened

under her leadership. It’s full of Indigenous themes and influences.

The party was planned with Jensen in mind, from the choice of venue –​ which reflects Jensen’s commitment to the goals of truth and reconciliation – to the forget-me-not flowers to the Beatles-themed music.

The formal part of the reception, sponsored by Colliers International and PCL, was emceed by the affable Doug Wotherspoon, the college’s vicepresident of innovation and strategy.

An endowed bursary has

While in Ottawa, she’s maintained a long-distance marriage with her retired husband, Tom Jensen. They have three adult children and two young grandchildren.

Mayor Jim Watson, Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod, who’s the minister of children, community and social services, as well as the minister responsible for women’s issues, Liberal Ottawa-West Nepean MP Anita Vandenbeld and Conservative OttawaWest Nepean MPP Jeremy Roberts were among those who spoke highly and sincerely of Jensen on both a personal and professional level.

Algonquin College board of governors chair Peter Nadeau described her as “one of the most decisive leaders” he’s ever worked with.

“I believe this has made Cheryl a truly authentic leader, and one we all know and love,” he said. “She put the best people in their best places and then she let them run.”

‘SUCH A GREAT CONTRIBUTOR’

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The mayor spoke about his time with Jensen on the board of Invest Ottawa.

“Cheryl was such a great contributor,” said Watson. “She understood the connection between the college system and universities and economic development and employee retention and attraction.

She did some great work.”

“I look forward to my next phase and to spending more time with my family,” Jensen said at the podium.

“At the same time, I’m incredibly sad to be leaving this wonderful college and all of my colleagues here in Ottawa, Perth and Pembroke.

“I have the best executive and leadership team I’ve ever worked with.

To all of you here, I thank all of you for this privilege.

“I will miss all of you very much,” she added before delivering her final thank-you in three languages ​– English, Algonquin and French.

Jensen’s contributions have also included forging partnerships with other post-secondary institutions, local businesses and institutions, and expanding the college’s academic offerings with several new programs.

JULY 2019

been created in Jensen’s name to acknowledge her exemplary leadership, her dedication to the students and the substantial growth of the college during her tenure.

It’s for full-time students who face financial challenges. The bursary total had passed $66,000 in donations by Friday.

For many, the party was bittersweet. There were some tears and many hugs.

“You are leaving Algonquin College more beautiful, diverse and accepting than you found it,” Deijanelle Simon, president of the college’s students’ association, said during her heartfelt remarks at the podium.

She spoke of Jensen’s bond with the students, and of how the president would regularly stop and talk with them in the hallways, always insisting that they call her by her first name.

Gifts included a traditional wampum belt presented to Jensen by Ron McLester, a 2019 Forty Under 40 recipient and the college’s vicepresident of truth, reconciliation and indigenization.

Among the business and community leaders in the crowd were Invest Ottawa CEO Michael Tremblay, MindBridge Ai CEO Eli Fathi and Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group president and CEO Mark Goudie, along with the head of OSEG’s charitable foundation, Janice Barresi.

Jensen has been a member of the OSEG Foundation board.

Also spotted were college alumna Christina Tessier, CEO of Ingenium, the organization that oversees the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum and the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum; Robert Gillett, president of Algonquin College from 1996 to 2012; and angel investor Carman Joynt, a former member of Algonquin’s board of governors.

Jensen plans to return to the Hamilton area to be closer to her family, all of whom live in southwestern Ontario. She moved to Ottawa in 2014 to take up the top position at Algonquin following a 31year career at Mohawk College, where she was a professor, dean and vicepresident.

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RINGSIDE FOR YOUTH GOES OUT A WINNER

JULY 2019

Ringside for Youth has officially retired as the undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion, earning its title after helping so many kids in our community.

Over the course of its 25 years, the popular boxing gala has cumulatively raised more than $3.5 million for the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.

It returned for its final time to the Shaw Centre on June 6, filling

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the place with business leaders and creating a memorable ‘fight night’ full of philanthropy and fun. The evening featured “Sugar” Shane Mosley, a former American professional boxer, as this year’s celebrity guest.

Some 1,200 guests dined in the centre’s Canada Hall while surrounded by banners with the names of all the celebrity boxers from years past. It’s no wonder the evening

took some nostalgic turns; a quarter of a century is a long time. We’re talking about an era when Jean Chrétien was in his first term as prime minister and when the Ottawa Senators were still a new team, with Alexei Yashin as their top scorer.

“Tonight, we wrap up Ringside after 25 incredible, incredible years,” event founder Steve Gallant, first vice-president and investment adviser with CIBC

Wood Gundy, said while addressing the crowd from the boxing ring. “There’s not one Canadian city that’s had this many boxing celebrities in their town. It’s been beautiful.”

The Ringside Celebrity Guests have been world champions of the boxing world. Andre Ward, Joe Calzaghe, Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, Roy Jones Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard, Michael Spinks, Evander

Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Buster Douglas, Irish Mickey Ward, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Angelo Dundee, Sean O’Grady, Larry Holmes, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Roberto Duran, Jake LaMotta, Ernie Shavers, Gerry Cooney, Ken Norton, Aaron Pryor, Scotty “Bulldog” Olson and five-time Canadian heavyweight champion George Chuvalo have all been part of Ringside.

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Ex-PGA pro Leggatt opens up about mental health issues at Royal Ottawa fundraiser Retired Canadian golfer Ian Leggatt could have been at the NBA Finals game in Toronto on June 10 as a Raptors season-ticket holder.

Instead, he chose to fly up to Ottawa to speak to a crowd of mostly men about erasing the stigma surrounding suicide. They were having dinner after golfing that day at the Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health’s 29th annual The Open, held at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club.

Some 140 business and community leaders helped to raise the bar even higher at this year’s tournament by

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netting $268,000 for patient care and research at The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. They successfully beat last year’s total of $250,000.

The fundraiser also enjoyed its best year yet for corporate sponsorship with the backing of 70 businesses, including top sponsor Canadian Tire.

Guests bid on such live auction items as dinner for 16 people at North & Navy and a three-course, winepaired dinner for 20 at Fraser Café’s Table 40, a Château Montebello threeday get-away and a three-night Mont Tremblant stay.

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New pedestrian plazas a boon for downtown Ottawa employers Access to outdoor space on Nicholas Street and in ByWard Market boosts productivity, tenants say

N

ew pedestrian spaces off Rideau Street and in the ByWard Market area are giving downtown office workers a chance to step away from their desks and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine – something that researchers and employers alike say leads to greater productivity and employee satisfaction.

Following the success of Ogilvy Square, a pedestrian plaza lined with shops and patios on Nicholas Street between Rideau and Besserer streets, the city officially opened the new William Street Pedestrian Plaza in the ByWard Market in June.

The William Street initiative is one of two new pilot projects set to help improve public spaces in the heart of the Market.

The chair of Ottawa Markets, Peter Hume, called the new pedestrian-friendly space a “place for the people” and says it’s somewhere to walk, sit and enjoy the heart of the city. The second pedestrian-friendly space will be opened on Clarence Street, between Parent Avenue and Dalhousie Street.

The new downtown pedestrian streets are being greeted with enthusiasm from downtown office workers.

“One of my favourite things to do on my lunch break is to walk around the ByWard Market,” says Janice Burke, director of finance and administration at BIOTECanada, a biotechnology industry association headquartered at 1 Nicholas St., at the corner of Rideau Street. “In the summer especially, it’s so nice to be able to get out of the office and enjoy the outdoors.”

– Janice Burke, 1 Nicholas St. tenant and director of finance and administration at BIOTECanada

to more focused activity once an employee returns to their desk.

Burke agrees.

“Being able to take a break outside absolutely increases productivity for everyone in the office,” she says. “I think it’s also really important for your mental health.”

The 2016 opening of Ogilvy Square, located on the doorstep of BIOTECanada’s home on 1 Nicholas St., has embraced by tenants in the building, says its landlord.

“It adds to the experience of the building,” says Michael Morin, a commercial property manager at District Realty. “Nobody wants to be corralled to their office all day without getting some fresh air. It’s beneficial to the tenants and really adds to the appeal of the building.”

Morin notes that the new pedestrian-friendly space

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is a welcome improvement over the buses that used to idle at the intersection and has completely changed the experience of entering the building’s lobby, which is located next to the recently expanded Rideau Centre.

BIOTECanada recently renewed its lease at 1 Nicholas St. to continue to take advantage of the building’s prime location and amenities.

“Inside (the building) we have this beautiful boardroom with views of the Gatineau Hills,” says Burke, noting that this feature is great when hosting meetings. “And outside, we have the ByWard Market close by, the pedestrian pathway and really accessible transportation options. It’s the best of both worlds.”

There are currently several blocks of space available for lease inside 1 Nicholas St. Companies and organizations interested in office space options in the heart of downtown Ottawa can explore their options at http://bit.ly/District-1-Nicholas.

JULY 2019

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY Burke’s comments reinforce some of the key findings in a recent survey conducted by Gensler – a design, planning and consulting firm – that found many of the top performers in various industries have access to outdoor spaces.

“Innovators are at least two times more likely to have access to, and use, cafeterias, coffee shops, and outdoor spaces,” says the study. Gensler goes on to say that access to outdoor and social spaces can translate

“Being able to take a break outside absolutely increases productivity for everyone in the office.”

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TALENT RECRUITMENT: HOW OTTAWA COMPANIES CAN HIRE ENTREPRENEURS La Cité overhauls curriculum to emphasize competency based learning

JULY 2019

W

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hen La Cité surveyed the needs of Ottawa employers several years ago, a distinct trend became clear: No longer is it sufficient to send graduates into the workforce armed solely with one specific skill set.

Businesses and organizations need their staff to be able to collaborate, adapt to new situations and troubleshoot challenges.

In response, La Cité began experimenting with its curriculum and transforming its programs, becoming the first Ontario college to operate all its programs on a competency-based model.

Regardless of their program, every La Cité graduate is also equipped with four essential competencies: entrepreneurship and initiative, engagement, creativity and bilingualism.

With so much information currently available at the click of a mouse, “knowledge is easily accessible,” says Lynn Casimiro, La Cité’s academic vice-president. While course content remains important, Casimiro says she sees a unique opportunity for La Cité to move beyond the transmission of knowledge from professors to students and better equip graduates for the modern labour market.

The journey to revamp the curriculum began more than three years ago. Shortly after Casimiro joined La Cité in 2016, the college administration surveyed its industry partners and found their curriculum’s primary emphasis on technical skills was leaving certain employer needs unfilled.

In response, Casimiro and her colleagues adopted a competency-based model that emphasized a holistic approach to learning where technical skills and soft skills were more balanced and anchored in workplace reality. Administrators are halfway through the seven-year project,

Lynn Casimiro is La Cité’s academic vice-president. in which every program is being completely redesigned.

INNOVATION IN THE CLASSROOM

project-based learning. Instead of traditional classroom lectures, students complete real-world projects from industry partners. A pilot program in the graphic arts department will soon begin.

To keep up with market demands, faculty undertake an annual curriculum review and receive feedback from employers about the job market. Using employer data, faculty members create five to eight competencies for each program.

For example, agrifood employers told La Cité that many people entering the industry needed more entrepreneurial skills as well as the ability to develop partnerships. Through the curriculum review, agricultural students are now learning how to enter into partnerships, run a business, manage human resources and upskill to keep up with market changes. In the future, students will work on projects for local businesses in eastern Ontario and have classes at local farms.

“Employers are moving away from hiring people that only have one specific technical skill,” says Casimiro. “It’s about flexibility and adaptability as well as developing critical thinking skills, learning how to solve issues and achieving better results.”

BY THE NUMBERS La Cité is the largest francophone applied arts and technology college in Ontario with 18,000 students. Because students learn technical terms in English and French, students are able to work in a bilingual environment.

“Our mission is to prepare and graduate Ottawa’s largest bilingual workforce,” says Casimiro. “This is what we believe to be most powerful in today’s economy.”

Teaching students more complete workplace skills required a rethink of the classroom experience. La Cité is running a pilot program called Mobilicité in its satellite Toronto campus in which groups of six to eight students are placed in an employers’ office to gain hands-on experience for the duration of their program.

Students also complete online or condensed short duration courses.

For example, journalism students could be placed with CBC to learn how to work in a newsroom while taking online courses about the fundamentals of journalism.

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It’s Patio Time

Charge an electric vehicle’s battery in the time it takes to fill up a tank of gas?

Now that’ll make a non-believer out of any seasoned engineer.

“Skepticism is just through the roof,” Khomutov, the CEO of Ottawa-based GBatteries, tells Techopia.

GBatteries’ technology purports to overcome a particular barrier to electric vehicle adoption; but it’s also an issue that affects smartphones, power tools and any tech that relies on battery power: the time it takes to recharge.

In Khomutov’s dream, the company’s unique combination of software algorithms and hardware adapters could revolutionize the emerging electric vehicle industry and other adjacent sectors.

CONNECTING TECH IN OTTAWA

FAST AND STEADY

JULY 2019

GBatteries CEO Kotya Khomutov among the startup’s test fuel cells. Photo by Mark Holleron

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GBatteries overhauling the way we recharge Does the road to K faster-charging electric vehicles run through Ottawa?

BY CRAIG LORD craig@obj.ca

ostya Khomutov’s biggest problem is non-believers.

It’s a common obstacle for startup founders that only gets bigger the more impossible the problem they’re looking to solve.

Connect your alarm clock to your coffee pot for an automatic fresh cup first thing in the morning? Easy enough to imagine.

It’s not actually challenging to charge a battery quickly – engineers have had that covered for quite a while now.

The issue is fast charging without prematurely killing the battery. The faster energy flows into a battery, the more quickly that fuel cell will degrade and lose capacity, shortening its overall life.

“Let’s say if you would fill up a tank of gas in your vehicle, with each and every fuel-up, the tank would shrink in size,” Khomutov says. “When you try to fast charge, you actually reach the end of life much sooner.”

Not only that, but traditional fast charging can be dangerous. The faster energy is flowing into a battery, the more it piles up and damages the fuel cell, generating heat and – if left unchecked – eventually leading to catastrophe.

GBatteries solves this problem through pulse charging. Rather than force all of the energy into the battery at once, a self-learning algorithm monitors the process and sends pulses of energy through in batches.

Think of it like a bouncer at a bar: the algorithm lines up individual pulses and monitors the flow of traffic into the fuel cell – or club, in this instance. It sends a few through at a time so as not to overwhelm the battery, and keeps the charging process running smoothly.

“You make it more organized, more efficient,” Khomutov says. “You’re able to push more people through without damaging anybody, or anything around.”

GBatteries is working with Carleton University to recharge the company’s electric vehicle program.

Photo by Mark Holleron

of competition, however – in addition to the years of in-house testing GBatteries conducts from its Ottawa offices, a competitor is proof positive that there’s something to the technology.

“We’re not the only crazy people out there,” he says.

GBatteries has secured pilot projects with automotive companies and smartphone manufacturers, but its best chance to test its tech on the track might be at Khomutov’s alma mater, Carleton University. The startup announced a partnership with the local post-secondary institution in June to revive the Ravens Racing electric vehicle program.

GBatteries is providing paid internships to automotive engineering students at the university to get an electric vehicle competition-ready; while Carleton’s program has placed well in global competitions for combustion engines, the team hasn’t entered an EV contest since 2015.

“This may potentially be one of the first test beds for us to demonstrate super-fast charge on an electrical vehicle,” Khomutov says.

THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG

“One of the biggest barriers for us to commercialize our technology is people don’t believe their own eyes.”

– Kotya Khomutov, CEO, GBatteries

MAKING BELIEVERS

Investor confidence may come down to the calibre of GBatteries’ 20-person team. The startup has Bart Riley, battery market expert and founder of A123 Systems, as its chairman and counts former vice-presidents of Qualcomm and Synopsys among its advisory board members. The firm was co-founded by father-son team Nick and Tim Sherstyuk.

NOT THE ONLY ‘CRAZY PEOPLE’ Khomutov says there’s another company in the Valley, Qnovo, that’s looking to compete in the fast-charging space. He’s not bothered in the slightest to have a bit

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to be convinced.

“When people that spend years working on … how to solve the problem, they see somebody solving it, they just don’t want to believe,” he says.

“One of the biggest barriers for us to commercialize our technology is people don’t believe their own eyes.”

Despite the skepticism, GBatteries has been able to make believers out of a few pilot customers and major funds: Airbus Ventures, Y Combinator and some well-heeled Silicon Valley angels are all on board for the ride, though GBatteries doesn’t disclose how much total financing it has raised.

JULY 2019

In addition to making it faster, GBatteries’ fast-charging protocol reduces the overall resistance and heat generated in the transfer. The company demoed its technology on a battery pack at the Consumer Electronics Show this past January and was startled when a man ran up to GBatteries’ station and ripped the pack from its port, accusing the company of gross incompetence.

It was only when he held the battery in his hands and realized it wasn’t overheating that he started to listen.

Even then, Khomutov says, potential clients require years of testing and data

Even with fast charging, experts argue numerous barriers to electric vehicle adoption still remain.

Available charging stations are a big one, but Khomutov believes the GBatteries approach will encourage developers around the world to build more infrastructure.

Technology that could position a charging station as an equal to a petroleum pump would be a major differentiator for an operator hoping to stand out, Khomutov argues. Selling the company’s adapters to charging stations could even lead to a “premium lane” for electric vehicle drivers willing to pay for the privilege of filling up their fuel cell in record time.

Khomutov believes GBatteries’ technology could open up opportunities not only for his company, but for an entire market of fast-charging applications. All he has to do is make one believer at a time.

“It’s really chicken and egg right now.

As we demonstrate our technology, we strongly believe that we’ll accelerate the whole infrastructure.”

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MindBridge AI lands $29.6M series-B

MindBridge AI CEO Eli Fathi. File photo

BY CRAIG LORD craig@obj.ca

O

ne of Ottawa’s leading artificial intelligence firms has secured $29.6 million in series-B financing, matching a multimilliondollar contribution from the federal government with venture capital from a crop of private investors.

MindBridge AI announced Wednesday it will receive $14.5 million over the next seven years through the feds’ Strategic Innovation Fund to help finance a $140.8-million project that will broaden the company’s AI auditor tool to harvest data insights for companies beyond the accounting field. In a release, the company gave the example that the improved platform could eventually help an energy utility company analyze its usage patterns to improve efficiency in delivery.

The federal government cash is augmented by $15.1 million in financing from a group of venture capital funds.

MindBridge CEO Eli Fathi confirmed to Techopia that New York-based PeakSpan Capital led the round with participation from Real Ventures, Reciprocal Ventures, The Group Ventures and the National Bank of Canada.

Fathi said the federal government’s investment helps to bridge the financing

gap between Canadian AI developers and venture capital-rich companies in the United States. U.S. investors are pouring money into Silicon Valley’s AI startups at rates two to three times more than firms north of the border are receiving, he said, so the federal government must step in if it wants to position Canada as a leader in the

burgeoning AI industry.

“It gives us a position to play in a little bit more level playing field,” Fathi said.

MindBridge now employs roughly 100 people in Ottawa with plans to triple in size over the next decade. The firm counts the Bank of England, Payments Canada and a major North American bank among its 240 customers.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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Vanessa Kanu distinctly recalls feeling “nervous” about leaving her job as a manager at accounting giant PriceWaterhouseCoopers to work in Mitel’s finance department in the early 2000s.

Then in her mid-20s, Kanu was a rising star at PwC. But instead of sticking to a path that likely would have seen her eventually make partner at the prestigious “Big Four” accounting firm, she chose to take an entirely different kind of role at a different kind of company: an Ottawabased telecom outfit that was struggling to break even.

She wasn’t gripped by a fear of failure or losing her job. Instead, she was worried she might lose interest in her work.

“I remember specifically when I joined Mitel, I said to my husband, ‘You know, I’ll probably be here for two years. After two years, I’ll get bored and I’ll go somewhere else,’” says Kanu, 41, who was recently named Mitel’s chief financial officer.

“It’s the joke in our family.

They say, ‘How did those two years work out?’”

She laughs. Two years has turned into 15, and Kanu is now of one of Ottawa’s most powerful tech executives. She has climbed the corporate ladder with aplomb, charting a trajectory that has mirrored the rise of the Kanata firm itself during her tenure.

Starting as a financial reporting manager in 2004, Kanu quickly rose through Mitel’s ranks, eventually becoming vicepresident of business finance and later senior vice-president of finance under Steve Spooner,

Vanessa Kanu/Mitel who retired earlier this year after more than 15 years in the CFO’s chair.

Kanu has nothing but praise for her former boss and mentor. What really struck her about Spooner –​ the recipient of OBJ’s first CFO of the Year award in 2018 and one of Ottawa’s most respected and well-liked C-suite execs ​ – wasn’t his grasp of numbers, she says, but his understanding of people.

“As you get to increasingly senior leadership roles, relationships become critical – particularly in the finance leadership role where you’re the CFO, the ability to reach across the aisle and work with the other executives around the table is critical,” Kanu explains.

“Your partnership with the CEO is really, really critical. Essentially, the two

of you are kind of driving the ship. The finance skills obviously are required, but that ability to think strategically and to reach across the aisle at various groups – be it sales, be it service, be it R&D – is really what’s required to get your success to the next level.

“I’ve had kind of a front-row seat, if you will, to that.”

As part of Mitel’s senior leadership team, Kanu has also been on the front lines of the company’s transformation from a producer of traditional analog telecommunications equipment focused on the North American market to a maker of cutting-edge, cloud-based digital technology that sells its products around the world.

There have been plenty of other

changes along the way. A privately held company when Kanu came on board in 2004, Mitel went public six years later in one of the city’s biggest-ever IPOs. After a spate of high-profile acquisitions, the company grew into the No. 1 firm in the unified cloud communications space before being acquired itself by a California-based private equity firm in a blockbuster $2-billion deal that reverted Mitel to a private company last summer.

Now a multibillion-dollar enterprise with more than 4,000 employees, Mitel is in the midst of a sometimes bumpy shift from a licensing-based revenue model – in which it earns its money upfront from one-time sales – to a subscription-based software-as-a-service approach that holds the promise of steady incoming

Get your OBJ at Hillary’s Cleaners OBJ’s monthly newsmagazine can be conveniently picked up at select Hillary’s locations, including World Exchange Plaza, Constitution Square, Place Bell, Minto Place and 1235 Bank St. in Old Ottawa South.

revenue each month.

“That transformation has an impact,” Kanu concedes. “The lifetime value of a customer is much, much higher when you’ve got a recurring model with that customer and it’s a multi-year contract.

Economically, it’s a much better model, but while you’re transitioning … it does have a short-term impact as you’re going through that transition.

We’ve managed it well so far.”

Needless to say, her fears of being bored at Mitel have been put to rest.

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“The company has gone through such an evolution,” she says. “It has been such a fantastic learning opportunity. Every time you do one thing and you think, ‘Yep, I’ve got that under my belt,’ something else new comes along. Every time I think I’m gonna get bored, something happens to change the landscape a little bit.”

A need for a change in scenery of a different kind is what compelled Kanu, who grew up in Edmonton, to leave Canada at 18 and head across the pond to London, where she studied international economics at the University of Hull. She graduated third in her class and, more importantly, met her husband.

“It turned out pretty well for me,” she says with a grin.

After earning her degree, Kanu faced a tough decision. Her mother Yatta, a professor of education at the University of Manitoba, wanted her to pursue her master’s degree in economics at Cambridge, where she had a spot waiting for her.

Meanwhile, her late father Vincent, who was then the CEO of an oil company in his native Sierra Leone, was pushing her to pursue her entrepreneurial instincts.

“He said, ‘Cambridge is great, but if you do your master’s in economics, you may not be as fulfilled as you think you will be because you like business, you like practicality.’

“I kind of had the angel and the devil on my shoulders. Like, which one do I do? In the end, my dad’s wisdom won over. I really haven’t looked back. It really was the right choice for me.”

Kanu decided to move back to Edmonton to work at PwC while her husband completed his master’s degree in engineering at Hamilton’s McMaster University. When he took a job at Nortel, which was then in its heyday, Kanu transferred to PwC’s Ottawa office.

Nearly two decades later, she’s become a fixture of the capital’s business community.

As a woman of colour in an industry in which few females of any race occupy senior leadership roles, she says she has a responsibility to be a role model. It’s a job she takes as seriously as being a mother to two young girls and the No. 2 executive at one of Ottawa’s largest tech companies.

“I want to make sure that all women, when they see a minority woman in any position of leadership, be it myself or others, I want them to think, ‘I can do that too,’” says Kanu. “You don’t want to put people in positions just so they’re there. You want to make sure you’re getting the best candidate for the role regardless of gender or ethnicity or sexual orientation. But when you do have those candidates, it speaks volumes to the rest of the population, because it really shows them what’s possible.

“When you see something often enough, it becomes normal to you and it’s not unusual any more.”

– David Sali

LAST WORD

What Ottawa can learn from Europe’s best In part two of a three-part series, OBJ columnist Bruce Firestone looks at what Vienna and Rotterdam are doing to win the increasingly competitive race for talent BRUCE FIRESTONE

JULY 2019

bruce.firestone@ century21.ca

OBJ.CA

42

Now that Ottawa’s population has surpassed the one-million milestone, it seems like an appropriate time to see how we stack up against some of our bigcity counterparts from around the world when it comes to living conditions.

I decided to use data from HR consulting firm Mercer, which evaluates local conditions in more than 450 cities worldwide each year based on dozens of factors.

After taking a closer look at the numbers, I’ve concluded that a city’s economic well-being, as well as its social harmony and environmental sustainability, appear to derive from a single source: workforce talent. After all, it’s not assets that produce income, jobs, economic growth or the funds needed for social programs and sustainability initiatives, it’s people – and Ottawa is now in a worldwide competition for the best and brightest.

So how attractive a destination for that world-class talent is Ottawa right now, based on Mercer’s research?

In 2018, Vienna topped its survey, followed by Zurich, Munich and Auckland, with Vancouver coming in at No. 5. Toronto ranked 16th, Ottawa 19th and Montreal 21st.

While being ranked among the top 20

cities in the world is nothing to sneeze at, should Ottawa be aiming higher? What does Vienna have, for example, that Ottawa doesn’t?

Let’s take a closer look at the Austrian capital and fellow European city Rotterdam to see what they’re doing to set themselves apart in the race to build better urban communities.

VIENNA When I talk to technology companies headquartered in Ottawa – or, for that matter, almost any other type of enterprise in the city – I hear this over and over: We can attract talent to Ottawa or retain the talent we have, but we can’t find anywhere affordable for them to live.

Sixty per cent of Viennese live in social housing. Vienna has almost 220,000 subsidized units; by contrast, Ottawa Community Housing operates 15,000.

Tall towers filled with office space and few shops or other services and no residential units must become a thing of the past. And those units need to be affordable for the average household.

ROTTERDAM A city can be viewed as a platform upon which creative people can experiment, as the Dutch city of Rotterdam has proven.

Rotterdam fell on hard times after its near-total economic dependence on its port became an albatross rather than an engine of growth. Crime rates soared.

What did the city’s leaders do to reverse such troubling trends? Simply

put, they rolled out the red carpet to folks who wanted to try different ways to live and work.

Here’s how Fast Company described Rotterdam in a 2016 article: “The city is becoming a sustainable design capital, home to dozens of experimental projects.” The city opened the world’s first floating dairy farm, which was followed a few years later by a giant floating highrise. Its port began filtering plastic waste from the harbour. Local entrepreneurs started experimenting with ideas such as turning food waste into fake leather.

When Rotterdam resident Helly Scholten makes dinner, the magazine wrote, “if she needs a tomato or squash or an onion, she heads upstairs – the top floor of her house is a 440-square-foot indoor vegetable garden.”

If you tried that in Ottawa, it’s likely you’d run afoul of a raft of zoning ordinances and bylaws, plus innumerable health, safety and fire rules and regulations. And what will your neighbours say? What will your friendly local realtor or appraiser think? The shock and awe they will rain down on you for falling outside property norms are only to be imagined.

Ottawa could do worse than follow Rotterdam’s lead. Why not co-opt entire neighbourhoods where creative tech minds can find new solutions to off-grid energy issues, for example? Or encourage more mixed-use communities that are economically and environmentally sustainable, walkable and livable?

This will do more to reduce traffic congestion and revive lifeless office and industrial districts than anything else.

Bruce M. Firestone is a co-founder of the Ottawa Senators, a broker with Century 21 Explorer Realty and a real estate investment and business coach.

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THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Summer 2019

Going above and beyond How Kongsberg Geospatial is enabling drones to fly further than ever before Page 12

Plus

Kanata’s corporate culture WHERE WE WORK Offices that fuel engagement Page 8

WHERE WE LIVE The growing popularity of Kanata North’s community hub Page 14

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welcome

WHY CULTURE MATTERS K

Veronica Farmer Director of Operations Kanata North Business Association

SUMMER 2019 KANATA NETWORKER 3

nowing I would be writing an introduction on the hugely important topic of culture for our Kanata North community initially caused me to sweat profusely. I agonized about how little I knew – which then prompted me to engage in my own anecdotal research.

I spoke with a handful of tech and business leaders from our community to gather their perspectives on the importance and impact of culture and community. I wanted to validate my hypothesis that culture does play a key role in the overall success of a non-tech business or tech company. From employee to CEO, I got a resounding “YES!” Culture matters. However, culture is not about being cool or even being a “best place to work.” I learned it’s about being successful. Successful companies

directly connect their culture to what drives their success. Check it out – there are multiple studies that indicate culture is strongly tied to financial performance and business results. We intuitively know this. But what’s the secret sauce?

Determining what culture was informed my next steps. The description that most resonated with me described corporate culture as the beliefs and behaviours that determine how a company’s employees and management interact.

More specifically, your company culture defines for you and for all others how your organization does business, how your organization interacts with one another and how the team interacts with the outside world – specifically your customers, employees, partners, suppliers, media and all other stakeholders.

Other experts have said culture is the DNA or the soul of a company that provides guidelines, boundaries and expectations for teams and their stakeholders. Another perspective is that culture is the primary platform to inspire and motivate employees, and that is the most powerful resource we have to attract, recruit, hire and retain the highest level of talent. It makes sense that the best talent wants to work with the best companies, and that the best people are the catalyst for creating ongoing business success.

Companies in our Kanata North tech community deal with a variety of pressures, from global competition to rapid tech changes to a persistent need for talent and a means to retain that talent. Companies with strong business models and innovative tech or services often succeed. Those with strong cultures, however, soar.

Fostering a unique or robust corporate culture is a vital component to business success. Kanata North business and HR leaders tell me culture starts at the very beginning of the employment cycle, but really gets engaged at the onboarding stage. Talking candidly, they felt that in between the on-the-job training and “meet the CEO and the management team,” there’s a critical knowledge transfer of the company’s history, values, traditions and direction. Companies and businesses need to make culture real, permanent and clear to all.

My take? Culture matters, and those companies or business that make culture a priority and invest in it, can make a big difference to productivity, performance and success.

what’s inside

CONTENTS “We’re a little bit ahead of the game.”

– Paige Cutland, IRIS program director at Kongsberg Geospatial, on how the company hopes its technology will allow drones to be used in new applications ranging from inspecting remote pipelines to delivering pizzas. Read the full story on page 12.

6

WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S NEXT Upcoming events and key dates

7

AN ‘INSTANT ADDICTION’ KNBA’s Deborah Lovegrove breaks world records, thousands of feet above the ground

8

WHERE WE WORK Kanata North’s corporate culture

10 SHARING KANATA NORTH’S STORY

MPP presents vision for raising tech sector’s profile 14 WHERE WE LIVE

Musical performances, lunchtime yoga become

summertime staples at Kanata’s community hub 16 BUSINESS BRIEFING

News from Canada’s largest tech park 19 GIVING BACK

Nokia Ride raises $184,000 for Candlelighters

4 KANATA NETWORKER SUMMER 2019

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE KANATA NORTH BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

Summer 2019

Going above and beyond How Kongsberg Geospatial is enabling drones to fly further than ever before Page 12 Plus

Kanata’s corporate culture WHERE WE WORK Offices that fuel engagement Page 8

WHERE WE LIVE The growing popularity of Kanata North’s community hub Page 14

The Kanata Networker is the official publication of the Kanata North Business Association.

Learn more at kanatanorthba.ca All reporting by Lisa Thibodeau.

SPONSORED CONTENT

How Sens fans, local business and grassroots community activities send kids to camp More than 2,000 children in 2018, including new Canadians and children dealing with health challenges, participated in the SENS Campership Program.

S

un-soaked days at camp are a summer highlight for countless kids in Ottawa and Gatineau. But for many youth in the region, these programs are simply out of reach.

Since 2015, the Ottawa Senators Foundation has been striving to change that through its SENS Campership Program.

“We recognized there is a need in the community to assist families in overcoming financial barriers to giving their children summer camp experiences,” says Danielle Robinson, president and CEO at the Ottawa Senators Foundation.

The Ottawa Senators Foundation anticipates that once it allocates its 2019 SENS Campership Program funding that it will have invested more than $1.5 million since launching the program. That translates into nearly 250,000 days at camp for 6,800 kids from 36 different communities in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

“We’ve helped thousands of kids in those critical hours when they’re not at school,” says Robinson. “A week in a summer camp can be both life-enriching and life-altering.”

GROWING NUMBERS

Bell/Ottawa Senators Charity Golf Classic partners with the Lumière Gala Organizers behind two of the most popular events on the fall social calendar are teaming up to create a memorable day of networking, fun and fundraising.

The Bell/Ottawa Senators Charity Golf Classic, which offers participants the opportunity to hit the links with members of the local NHL team, was recently merged with the Brookstreet Hotel Lumière Gala.

After playing in the afternoon nine-hole tournament at The Marshes, participants will ride shuttles to the Brookstreet Hotel for an intimate evening of food, wine and fireworks at the Lumière Gala.

Registration information for the event, which takes place Sept. 10, can be found at http://bit.ly/Sens-Golf

OBJ360 CONTENT STUDIO

SUMMER 2019 KANATA NETWORKER 5

Stephen Pearson, program manager at the Lowertown Community Resource Centre, has experienced the benefits of the SENS Campership Program first-hand. His organization has received funding through the program since 2016.

“Without the support of the Ottawa Senators Foundation and the SENS Campership Program, we wouldn’t be able to offer the

summer camp that we do,” he says.

With the aid of the SENS Campership Program, Pearson has been able to increase the number of children his camp serves and enhance camp programming.

Last year, his campers enjoyed day trips to destinations such as Laflèche Caves, Mont Cascades and Parc Omega as well as experiences with the Ottawa Suzuki Strings

music school. He’s hoping for a similarly funfilled summer this year.

“In the neighbourhood that we serve, a high percentage of the families are challenged financially and most live in subsidized housing.

It’s important for the kids in this community to have positive activities for the summer; things that keep them active, things that keep them moving and get them out of their apartments,” Pearson says. “The SENS Campership Program is a great opportunity for local business and grassroot community events to partner with the Ottawa Senators Foundation to make an important difference in the lives of children and youth.”

Ottawa residents and business leaders can support the initiative in several ways.

This includes making a direct donation through the website of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, buying a 50-50 ticket online or at one of the Senators’ home games, by attending one of the signature events of the Foundation or by hosting a community fundraising event of your own to support the Foundation and its SENS Campership Program.

“In our community there are thousands of kids who need our help and the Ottawa Senators Foundation is responding to some of those needs in a deep and meaningful way,” Robinson says. “Join us in being Game Changers for Youth.”

what’s new - what’s next?

SAVE THE DATES!

WHAT’S NEW…

LATIN DAY AT THE COMMUNITY HUB takes

The Kanata North Business Association has refreshed our brand and introduced a new logo and colour palette.

Read more about it in our blog at https://www.kanatanorthba.com/blog.

Schedules changes often check kanatanorthba.com events calendar for updates.

FOOD TRUCKS MUSIC & GAMES 11:30 am to 1:30 pm

place July 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Community Hub and features salsa dance lessons by a certified salsa dance instructor – Jose Sandoval from You.i TV. Enjoy an exciting afternoon outside with Latin fusion food trucks, Latin music and salsa dance lessons! For details, visit https://www.kanatanorthba.com/events.

down the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata.

All money raised by Make-A-Wish Rope for Hope Ottawa rappellers goes to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions in Eastern Ontario.

Participants can take part in a variety of ways: as individuals, in teams or as part of a colleague group. Form a corporate team and GO FOR IT! See our events calendar for details.

WHAT’S NEXT…

400 March rd. across the street from QNX

INNOVATION CANADA ASSISTANCE WEDNESDAY LUNCH PARTIES ARE BACK! Join us every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for a well-deserved afternoon break. Enjoy lunch outdoors on the picnic tables at the Community Hub, listen to live music, play some lawn games and grab a bite from the food trucks. For more details, visit https:// www.kanatanorthba.com/events.

LOOKING TO RIDE SHARE?

The Kanata North tech park now has its own ride match portal. You and your friends can log in by visiting https:// KanataNorth.OttawaRideMatch.com and find other employees and workers from the area to carpool with. A greener way to travel, it’s also an opportunity to meet others from the area.

Smash-iT Ping-Pong Tournament on Sept. 5 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. to help raise funds and awareness for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. They are inviting all Kanata North business members to sign up for the singles or doubles tournaments. For details, visit https://www.kanatanorthba.com/events.

Every Friday at select locations from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm chech kanatanorthba.com for times and locations.

WISE 50 OVER 50 AWARDS Celebrating Canadian entrepreneurs over the age of 50. Nominations are open until June 30. Visit https:// www.50over50awards.ca for details.

Every Friday at select locations from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm chech kanatanorthba.com for times and locations.

FROZEN FRIDAYS ICE CREAM PATROL is back every Friday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Our pals at Cool Treats will be rolling through the tech park to deliver the scoop(s). Join us every Friday throughout the summer at select locations for our ever-popular Frozen Fridays. For details and schedule, visit https://www.kanatanorthba.com/events/.

6 KANATA NETWORKER SUMMER 2019

CROWE BGK FOUNDATION is hosting a

YOGA AT THE HUB returns this summer from noon to 1 p.m. every Tuesday until the end of September. Thanks to our partner Inner Revolution Yoga and instructor Brenna for providing these sessions. For more details, visit https:// www.kanatanorthba.com/events.

The federal government has launched Innovation Canada to offer a custom list of programs and services that can help you reach short and long-term business goals.

There are more than 1,000 supports offered by the federal and provincial governments, including funding, loans, tax credits, interns, wage subsidies, collaboration and expert advice. Visit http://innovation.canada.ca, answer a few questions and get the tailored list of the programs and services relevant to your business.

CANADA DAY IN KANATA

July 1 from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Canada Day in Kanata is Kanata’s premier Canada Day event and one of the largest community events in the Ottawa region. Admission to this family friendly event – which features activities for all ages – is free. Check our events calendar for more details.

MAKE-A-WISH ROPE FOR HOPE

Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Make-A-Wish Rope for Hope is a unique challenge that calls on participants to raise pledges in exchange for a once-in-alifetime exhilarating experience to rappel

NSERC ALLIANCE GRANTS Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Alliance Grants is now open for applications. You could be eligible for funding as NSERC looks to improve its research partnerships programs to encourage greater collaboration in Canada’s R&D system. For details, visit https://www.kanatanorthba.com/nsercalliance-grants.

L-SPARK ACCEPTING APPLICANTS Applications for L-Spark’s 2019 accelerator program are now open. Want to join the best in SaaS? Visit http://l-spark.com/ accelerator and apply before Aug. 21.

“IT’S ONE WAY TO GET YOUR MIND OFF WORK – PUT YOURSELF INTO A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE TO THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE, LIKE ‘OPEN YOUR PARACHUTE AND SAVE YOUR LIFE.’” – Deborah Lovegrove, marketing and events lead, Kanata North Business Association

profile TOP LEFT: In 2009, Lovegrove was one of a record-breaking 181 women skydiving in formation.

Gaining work-life balance at 13,000 feet B

that took Lovegrove to provincial and national championships, winning gold, silver and bronze medals and enshrined her name in the world record books.

“It’s a sport where you have to be very sure of yourself, and Deb is that type of person,” says Tom McCarthy, a longtime friend and owner of Skydive Gananoque, where Lovegrove has been a weekend fixture for more than two decades. “She’s very strong willed and a no-nonsense type of woman. I don’t know what Deb would do if she ever stopped.”

RECORD-BREAKING JUMP

One of the highlights of Lovegrove’s skydiving career came in 2009.

The Jump for the Cause in California is a skydiving event that raised close to $1 million for breast cancer research. As part of the challenge, 181 women from more than 31 countries joined together in a group formation dive, breaking the

ABOVE: Deborah Lovegrove has competed both provincially and nationally in skydiving, bringing home a bronze, silver and gold medal. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

previous record of 151 participants.

They spent nearly an entire week together trying to nail the formation, which required all 181 jumpers to be connected hand-to-hand or hand-to-leg.

“We finally got it on the final day just before sunset,” she says. “When we found out we erupted into a cheer … it was a really sentimental moment.”

While the adrenaline rush is always exciting, she says it’s the camaraderie of the sport that keeps her coming back.

Over the years, she’s met many other skydiving enthusiasts who share her passion for the sport and have become like family, she says.

Lovegrove also credits skydiving with keeping her mind and body healthy.

Having worked in technology and marketing in the Kanata tech park for more than a decade, she says having an outlet where she can forget all of her stress is extremely beneficial.

“It’s one way to get your mind off work – put yourself into a situation where you have to think of something else, like ‘open your parachute and save your life,’” she says. “I feel an incredible sense of freedom out there.”

Former KNBA executive director Jenna Sudds says it was easy to tell when her colleague was returning from a weekend of skydiving.

“She works really hard, but then she plays really hard,” jokes Sudds. “She always came back energized and ready to take on whatever that week had in store.”

After more than two decades of skydiving, Lovegrove says she has no plans of quitting.

“It’s taught me so much about the importance of friendship, staying focused and remaining calm under pressure,” she says. “I’m just not quite ready to pull the final parachute.”

SUMMER 2019 KANATA NETWORKER 7

y day, Deborah Lovegrove is typically found inside the Kanata North Business Association’s offices on Legget Drive where she works as the organization’s marketing and events lead.

But come the weekend, Lovegrove has a habit of hurling herself out of airplanes 13,000 feet above the ground – a pastime that’s led to a slew of awards and accolades for her skydiving feats.

The first of Lovegrove’s more than 2,600 jumps took place approximately 25 years ago following a divorce. Lovegrove’s sister made the out-of-the-blue suggestion that she give skydiving a shot as a way of shaking things up.

“I told her that was the craziest thing I had ever heard,” Lovegrove recalls, noting she was already experienced in rock climbing and whitewater rafting and was not in need of a new thrill.

But she went along with the idea.

Skydiving became an “instant addiction”

PHOTO SUPPLIED

where we work

Kanata’s one-of-a-kind workplaces How Kanata North tech companies are creating distinct corporate cultures to engage top talent

8 KANATA NETWORKER SUMMER 2019

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s tech firms the world over try to create unique workplace cultures to help attract and retain skilled workers, several Kanata North companies are finding success connecting their staff to something bigger than their day-to-day tasks.

Across the tech park, employees are forging closer ties to their community by leading technology classes for seniors, becoming directly invested in their company’s future through ownership stakes and understanding the impact of their work by travelling to the other side of the world.

These are just some of the examples of how Kanata North companies are increasing employee engagement by tackling the admittedly abstract challenge of crafting a positive workplace culture.

“A lot of people have a hard time

defining (workplace culture), but it’s how it feels to go into work every day,” says Louise Reid, a senior consultant, facilitator and coach at Kanata-based Stratford Managers.

“How you get your job done, the vibe, how a company lives their values and what they do to make employees want to show up to work every day – that’s the culture,” she adds.

WORKPLACE INCLUSIVITY

Addressing tech’s gender imbalance is becoming an increasingly urgent priority for many tech firms. In Kanata North, Trend Micro is among the companies opening its doors to share some of its strategies to tackling the challenge.

Some 30 per cent of the firm’s 250 local employees are women, compared to 11 per cent in the global cybersecurity

Trend Micro Canada’s country manager Marcia Sequeira says diversity and inclusion are top priorities for the company.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

industry, says Marcia Sequeira, Trend Micro’s Canada country manager.

To recognize the importance of women in tech, the Ottawa company hosted its first-ever women’s forum earlier this year, inviting employees to talk about diversity and inclusion at work.

The company also promotes community outreach through charity

fundraisers. Having employees connect outside of work is extremely important to ensuring everyone feels like they belong, says Sequeira. On one occasion, she recalls a rather shy employee coming out of their shell after their brownies turned out to be the surprise star of a charitable bake sale.

“From then on, believe it or not, I saw such a different, more open attitude,” she says. “It took a brownie to let that person open up … the littlest things can make such an impact.”

The company has also made an effort to inject fun into the office to break up the workday. Every Friday, employees are invited to the lunch room for pingpong, video games, specialty coffee and beer on tap.

BRAND LOYALTY

The idea of working in an inclusive

Qlik employees spent their weekend engaging with local seniors, teaching them computer skills such as email and social media. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Benbria CEO Jordan Parsons says small and mid-sized companies such as his can offer employees greater opportunities to grow in their roles. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

level of the company, and it’s hugely meaningful to people,” he explains. “You want employees to care about every level of business from who the next hire is to client happiness.”

GIVING BACK

Qlik, a data analytics company, takes a different approach to creating a positive workplace culture. Staff are encouraged to see the direct impact of their products through a slew of community outreach opportunities.

The company partners with international not-for-profits to bring its technology to businesses in developing countries. Employees recently traveled to Malawi where they met children at an orphanage run entirely by local women.

Qlik instills a sense of purpose by showing its workers the good they are doing by working with the company, explains software engineer Thomas Devisscher.

Earlier this year, the company invited

employees to an event to teach seniors computer skills such as email and social media.

Attendees were able to interact with the older participants, sparking smiles on the faces of many Qlik staff and bringing coworkers closer together, says Tamimi Ahmad, a developer advocate engineer.

Qlik also holds seasonal events for staff such as pie day at Thanksgiving and summer barbecues to give employees from different departments

the chance to catch up and connect with one another.

Officials at Qlik say they’ve found a direct connection between creating a positive and supportive workplace and the company’s overall success.

“We’re here to build a great product but you can’t do that without people who feel like they have a good support system to rely on,” says R&D manager Jim Reed. “Culture is critical to trust, which is critical to getting people to work together on a common cause.”

f l o ra l d e s i g n s

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office that cares about its staff is a way of maintaining employee loyalty, says Reid.

“There’s a growing trend of being able to bring your whole self to work,” she explains. “Where we used to talk about work-life balance, I think we’re now looking more at a work-life blend.”

Being flexible and giving employees a sense of freedom is one way Benbria tries to maintain an edge over larger companies with which it competes for talent, says Jordan Parsons, CEO of the customer engagement platform company.

“We have a lot of bright people who come in here and want autonomy and to grow into their individual roles, whether it’s product management, engineering or whatever else,” he says.

The company’s open concept office helps forge strong employee connections and brings a sense of collaboration to the space, says Parsons.

Employees also have the option to work from home, and Parsons says it’s important to communicate the trust he has in his team to get their job done from any location.

Benbria also offers employees shares in the company, which adds another dimension to their role in shaping the firm’s future while building additional loyalty to the company’s brand.

“We hand out ownership at every

Kanata, Fullerton says she wants to see more capital flowing to local early stage startups by attracting more venture capitalists to the area.

Part of that mission is working with an Ontario-wide intellectual property panel that will look at how to assist startups, support creativity and create opportunities for jobs and investments.

The panel will be led by Jim Balsillie, former co-CEO of Research In Motion (now Blackberry).

politics

Kanata MPP’s plan to help tech firms grow

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rowing up, Merrilee Fullerton watched as Kanata North firmly cemented its status as Canada’s largest tech park.

After being elected as the MPP for Kanata-Carleton in last fall’s election, her focus quickly turned to ways she could support the business community from Queen’s Park.

“It’s critical to understand the importance of tech, both for Ottawa and the province,” the Progressive Conservative politician says.

Earlier this year, Fullerton released a report titled Kanata-Carleton’s High Tech and Business Initiative in which she

outlines several ideas to help support and grow the local tech sector:

RAISING KANATA NORTH’S PROFILE As other Canadian cities such as Toronto or Vancouver make waves in the tech industry, Fullerton says she wants a similar buzz around Kanata North.

She plans to advocate for the area in government and help strengthen the sense of community within the tech park by meeting with businesses.

“Sometimes you can keep putting forward a narrative, but it has to get traction,” Fullerton says. “When we start to expand voices – that’s when we will

Merrilee Fullerton is the MPP for Kanata-Carleton. get traction. It’s about multiple levels of government working together to expand that message.”

Fullerton recently hosted Todd Smith, the province’s minister of economic development, job creation and trade, in Kanata North so he could see how the area creates jobs and attracts outside capital first-hand.

ATTRACTING VENTURE CAPITAL As more companies set up shop in

STRENGTHENING TIES WITH THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

The University of Ottawa recently opened its own facility in Kanata North for students and researchers to better engage with the tech sector. Fullerton says building and maintaining those relationships are key, especially as employers look to local universities and colleges to meet their talent needs.

“I see tremendous potential to create a better interface with industry so that we can understand what their needs are and make sure students are receiving experiential learning,” she says.

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what we’re geeking out on

Taking drones to new heights Drones that can fly beyond the operator’s visual line of sight can be used for surveillance in natural disasters, such as this illustrated photo of a forest fire. COMPOSITE IMAGE COURTESY OF KONGSBERG GEOSPATIAL

By letting pilots ‘see’ more of their surroundings, Kongsberg Geospatial looks to help operators capitalize on UAV’s true capabilities

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team of Kanata software developers is helping drone pilots fly further than ever before, opening new opportunities ranging from inspecting remote oil pipelines to delivering pizzas through the sky.

Canadian and U.S. laws currently require pilots to be able to see their airborne drones at all times, preventing them from flying beyond their visual line of sight.

Many argue that this safety regulation is preventing drone technology from

reaching its full potential, limiting the ability to use unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor far-flung infrastructure or assist with search-and-rescue operations, for example.

A team of Kanata North software developers is hoping to change that.

Kongsberg Geospatial, which specializes in developing mapping engines for air traffic controllers and military missions, recently branched out into the growing field of drone technology. One of its flagship software systems in the

unmanned aerial vehicle sector is dubbed IRIS and equips drone operators with an abundance of information that makes navigating the skies safer.

That includes giving operators 2D and 3D terrain maps that highlight hazards such as trees, mountain ranges and restricted airspace such as airport zones.

Sensors, cameras and GPS technology can also identify other drones and aircraft in the area and relay all that information back to the operator in a customizable real-time visual display screen.

Paige Cutland, IRIS program director at Kongsberg Geospatial, says he hopes the technology leads to regulatory changes for drone operators.

Specifically, he’s looking for new rules that allow pilots to fly beyond their

visual line of sight if they use a situational awareness display such as the one developed by his firm.

“We’re a little bit ahead of the game in terms of influencing regulation,” he says.

TESTING THE TECH

Formerly Gallium Visual Systems Inc., the company opened its doors in Kanata North in 1992 and remained in the tech park following a 2006 acquisition.

Although a large portion of its clients are in the U.S., being located in Kanata gives Kongsberg Geospatial a strategic advantage as the area is home to the top talent it needs to work on projects like IRIS. The software was conceived roughly four years ago by repurposing and

Paige Cutland is the IRIS program director at Kongsberg Geospatial. PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

“THERE ARE SO MANY SCENARIOS WHERE WE CAN DO USEFUL THINGS WITH DRONES. IRIS IS REALLY THE CENTREPIECE OF THESE CAPABILITIES.” – Mark Espenant, R&D project manager, DRDC Centre for Security Science opportunity for first responders to use drones in emergency situations, says Mark Espenant, R&D project manager at the DRDC Centre for Security Science, a government agency.

UAV operators can use the IRIS system to search for missing children or lost hikers, deliver medical supplies to regions cut off by floods or landslides and provide

critical information to police monitoring a crime scene.

“Let’s say you have a situation with bad guys and guns and the police want to take a closer look with less risk to them … with IRIS you can,” explains Espenant. “If only we had this technology five years ago during the Moncton shooting where four RCMP officers were killed. Imagine how

different that would have been if they sent a drone in first to determine where the bad guy was.”

Kongsberg Geospatial teamed up with the DRDC Centre for Security Science, the RCMP and the County of Renfrew Paramedic Service in a project dubbed the Emergency Operations Airspace Management System.

The initiative is testing a variety of technologies, including the ability of IRIS to detect recreational drones that could impair the ability of medical helicopters or firefighting water bombers from responding to an emergency.

“There are so many scenarios where we can do useful things with drones,” says Espenant. “IRIS is really the centrepiece of these capabilities.”

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adding more GPS capabilities to existing technology used in missile systems that target aircraft.

Since then, IRIS has undergone multiple updates to integrate new data sources and drone technology into the display.

To help build its case for regulators, Kongsberg Geospatial is working closely with operators in various industries to demonstrate the value of flying beyond the visual line of sight.

As users gain permission to experiment with the company’s technology, IRIS has helped energy workers in Nigeria monitor pipelines, hydro workers survey power lines and companies experiment with aerial pizza delivery.

More significantly, however, is the

where we live LEFT: Lawn checkers is one of the activities held at the community hub. BELOW: Dave Leroux’s tech career has included stints at Bell Canada and Halogen Software.

He has been performing at the Kanata North community hub during lunch hours for roughly four years. SUBMITTED PHOTOS.

A lunch hour like no other

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Yoga, live music and plenty of food are summertime staples at Kanata North’s community hub

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n the heart of Kanata North’s evergrowing tech community, there’s a unique space for staff, managers and executives alike to press pause on their busy days.

Kanata’s community hub is a plot of green space near Legget Drive and Farrar Road that’s become synonymous with lunchtime recreation, networking and fun.

On any given week, weather permitting, Kanata North’s tech community enjoys a variety of attractions and events on different days including live music, food trucks, lawn games and yoga, free of charge.

The Kanata North Business Association spearheaded the initiative slightly less than five years ago to help

bring the community closer together and offer individuals working in the tech park an alternative to simply eating inside their own staff lunchrooms.

Since launching, the events – which typically attract several dozen attendees – have grown in popularity.

“We’ve surveyed our members and the feedback was that the hub needs to

happen, and happen often,” says Alycia Douglass, digital media and community coordinator at the KNBA. “People love it.”

HITTING A CHORD

Live music is a staple of the community hub’s programming that frequently reveals the hidden talents of Kanata North’s tech workers.

By day, Fred Gillette is a software designer and applications engineer at Nokia. Outside the office, he’s an avid musician and longtime participant at open mic nights in Ottawa who jumped at

“IN TECH, IT’S VERY EASY TO GET STUCK, WHERE YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM AND YOU CAN’T QUICKLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK AROUND IT. ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO DO IS ... GET OUT AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.” – Fred Gillette, Nokia software designer and applications engineer, on one of the benefits of Kanata’s community hub

Leroux was introduced to the hub by a fellow tech park worker around four years ago and has been performing during lunch hours ever since. It’s helped Leroux foster a deeper relationship with the KNBA and build connections with his peers across the park. Seeing employees from different offices come out and meet one another in a relaxed environment, cracking jokes and networking, illustrates the importance of the initiative, he says.

“That makes a huge difference in people’s lives, especially in the tech world,” says Leroux. “It’s not my company versus your company, it’s about hanging out and being on common ground.”

STRIKING A POSE

Inner Revolution Yoga launched in Kanata North around the same time as the hub, which created an opportunity for the organization to collaborate with the KNBA. The hub hosts yoga sessions every Tuesday, which always draw a large crowd.

“It’s a beautiful synergy of connecting tech workers and us, a small local business,” says Brenna Bellhouse, head of Inner Revolution Yoga.

Yoga at the community hub gives participants an opportunity to meet other tech workers while improving their mental and physical health. The outdoor lunchtime sessions have proven so popular that Bellhouse says several attendees have launched indoor corporate yoga classes at their offices.

Jungwhan Cho, Loli Morales, Loralie Ness and Kris Lloyd take a break from their work at CENGN to enjoy the sun and food at the hub. SUBMITTED PHOTO. “Yoga is really needed in this environment where (workers) are always sitting at a screen,” she says. “It literally means a connection between the body, mind and spirit. It’s bringing the three parts of what make us whole together in a community where we can connect.”

Bellhouse says she loves seeing tech workers walking out of their office buildings over the summer with their yoga mats tucked under their arms.

“I know exactly where they’re going (at lunch),” she says, adding that she enjoys

seeing how it helps strengthen community bonds.

As the hub opens for another season of fun and food, organizers are looking to the future for more ways to expand and grow the initiative.

“It’s amazing to see how much the community gets involved when you tell them you have something going on,” says the KNBA’s Douglass. “It’s very different from any other place I have worked. The spirit of collaboration is definitely alive and well in Kanata North.”

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the opportunity roughly four years ago to perform at the community hub.

Gillette has become the man behind the music, helping to organize, recruit and run the talent portion of the hub’s programs.

“It’s nice to get outside on a sunny day, listen to some live music and eat your lunch at the picnic tables with some friends,” he says. “It’s a great thing.”

With some 30 years of experience working in Kanata North’s tech park, Gillette says he’s seen the hub’s impact on the Kanata North community.

It’s created an opportunity for tech workers to share their talents with peers, as well as given employees the ability to step away from the office, clear their heads and return ready to work, he says.

“When you’re in tech, it’s very easy to get stuck, where you’ve got a problem and you can’t quickly figure out how to work around it,” Gillette says. “All you really need to do is remove yourself from the restrictive environment, get out and do something different.”

Gillette is not alone in using the hub as a platform to express his love of music.

Dave Leroux started his career at Bell Canada prior to stints at Halogen Software and Shopify as an instructional designer before becoming a freelancer so he could put more focus on his music career.

“The joke is most people in tech are reject musicians,” he says with a laugh.

“People really do need music as an outlet.”

Kanata North companies among Ottawa’s fastestgrowing firms

Syntronic surpasses growth expectations Syntronic recently marked its fifth anniversary in Kanata North with a reception to celebrate its rapid local growth.

The Sweden-based product design house opened its doors in Ottawa in 2014 and has now reached nearly 300 employees, more than double its forecast.

Syntronic Canada president Hans Molin shared some of the company’s strategies for managing growth and stressed that successful businesses must look to hire younger employees, rather than relying on the “Nortel generation.”

Two Kanata North firms were recognized by the Ottawa Business Journal as being among Ottawa’s fastest growing companies.

Video analytics developer Solink and Newfound Recruiting both cracked the top-10 list, based on their recent revenue growth.

Over the past three years, revenues at Solink have climbed 287 per cent, while NewFound Recruiting’s revenues grew 109 per cent. That ranked the firms fifth and ninth, respectively.

Both companies have appeared on the fastest growing companies list in previous years and were honoured along with other recipients at an awards reception in May at Head Office Ottawa.

SYNTRONIC CANADA PRESIDENT HANS MOLIN

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BlackBerry QNX renews L-Spark accelerator partnership BlackBerry QNX says it will be teaming up with L-SPARK to support a second cohort of early stage companies developing autonomous and connected vehicle technologies.

The initial round included seven Canadian companies working closely with the tech giant and concluded in May when the companies unveiled their latest innovations. “(BlackBerry) has recognized that there is an ecosystem in Canada that is useful and worthwhile for them to engage with and it shows that they see a benefit in helping this ecosystem integrate their capabilities,” says Leo Lax, L-SPARK’s executive managing director.

The new automotive tech software developed by the first cohort was trialed at the L5 test track in Kanata, where the Canadian companies took the stage with BlackBerry QNX. The group had the chance to work one-on-one with BlackBerry and its system for six months to create a product that could build off QNX technology.

“We were extremely pleased with the success we were able to help these companies achieve,” Lax

LEO LAX IS L-SPARK’S EXECUTIVE MANAGING DIRECTOR. says. “This was not a make-believe activity – this was real software working in a real operational vehicle. It was truly a testament to the commitment of both QNX to the program as well as the early stage companies themselves.”

Three of the seven companies that participated in the first L-SPARK-BlackBerry incubator hailed from Ottawa. That included Kanata North’s Martello, which introduced its proof of concept that focused on maintaining reliable cellular connectivity in selfdriving cars.

Applications for the second round will open in the coming months, with the program set to take place next year.

Strengthening the community, one can at a time Staff from several Kanata North tech companies revealed their hidden architectural talents this spring at the second annual Community Build Event, in support of the Kanata Food Cupboard.

The fundraiser, which challenges teams to design and build a structure completely out of canned goods, took over the lobby inside 555 Legget Dr., with corporate teams bringing travel-themed food creations to life.

Six teams participated in this year’s competition, including staff from Epiphan Video, Crowe BGK, CAE, Magnet Forensics, Brookstreet, The Marshes and Payment Source.

“We really want people to be creative and have fun with it because this is a really good team-building event,” says Natasha Plotnikov, marketing and client services manager at KRP. “It is a lot of work to design something...source the food and get everyone on the same page.”

Teams must solicit donations of all the food items they use during the build. This year, some 4,600 pounds of food was collected and then donated to the Kanata Food Cupboard, a local charity that serves families in the area.

“Events like this bring down the walls a little bit, and (give tech workers) the chance to talk to their neighbours,” says Plotnikov. “The fact that we can do that and support a local charity in the process (is) even better.”

Purecolo University of Ottawa recognized for officially startup success opens doors in Kanata North Kanata North data centre Purecolo was among the recipients at the 2019 Bootstrap Awards, which honours the National Capital Region’s best selffinanced firms.

Purecolo – a no-frills, carrier neutral, wholesale-priced colocation facility – made news earlier in the year when it secured a deal with Ottawa-Gatineau Internet Exchange (OGIX) to build an Internet Exchange Point (IXP) in the city, which would help boost internet speeds for companies using the service.

The company was also previously honoured at the 2018 Best Ottawa Business Awards, recognizing it as one of the best new businesses in Ottawa.

All of the firms honoured at the Bootstrap Awards, hosted at the Marshes Golf Club, have been in operation for less than seven years and received less than $500,000 in external funding.

The University of Ottawa formally unveiled its collaborative classroom space in the Kanata North tech park this spring as it works to connect students, researchers and tech firms and make Ottawa an “epicentre of innovation.”

Officials hope it will also lead to more talent coming to Kanata North through additional co-op placements and internships.

The University of Ottawa is starting with an office and classroom space, but Sylvain Charbonneau, the school’s vicepresident of research, says he hopes to eventually expand the space into a full Kanata North campus.

WannLynx unveils new pay-at-the-pump tech features to create a more personalized experience. Adhering to PA-DSS involves safeguards that prevent the tracking of customers’ personal information as well as the use of safe and reliable support systems.

The clearance of this project is timely as payments giant Visa introduces new liability rules for retailers that mandate the use of chip-card readers.

Organizers of Kanata’s autonomous vehicle summit are putting a decidedly national twist on this year’s edition of the annual event, helping to firmly entrench Ottawa’s reputation as a hotbed of AV technology.

CAVCanada, previously known as the Ottawa AV Summit, is a two-day event scheduled for Sept. 9-10 at the Brookstreet Hotel featuring an expanded lineup of programming aimed at innovators, companies and organizations that are driving the development, commercialization and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles.

“We are really trying to position this as the premiere national event as opposed to solely an Ottawa focus,” says Veronica Farmer, director of operations at the Kanata North Business Association. “We have such a rich ecosystem here that it is really important to be seen as Canada’s AV capital.”

As autonomous vehicle technology continues to mature, organizers broke down the summit’s programming into two distinct streams: AV technology and AV deployment.

The technology stream will feature sessions with businesses working on connected and autonomous vehicles as well as how they are testing and piloting those systems, including tours at the new L5 test tracks.

For participants who are more

interested in how AV systems are being rolled out, the deployment stream will feature presentations on government policies around AV technology, how it will affect businesses as well as the socioeconomic impacts of the technology on the city.

“The tech side is going to be really exciting because it’s one area where Canada is doing very well – a lot of our technology companies are worldclass,” says Barrie Kirk, executive director at Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence, a consultancy. “On the other hand, we need to get Canada ready for the AV era. Governments and businesses need to understand and plan for the AV era, take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the down sides.”

For example, representatives from the insurance industry are expected to attend as the sector explores how rules will change to accommodate driverless vehicles, Kirk says.

There will also be a notable presence from academia as Ottawa’s major post-secondary institutions showcase programs for students and connect researchers with industry leaders.

“We need the post-secondary schools to help bring talent to these companies,” Farmer says. “Talent really is the fuel for the AV industry.”

With organizers expecting more than 500 attendees, Kirk says he hopes CAVCanada will bring more jobs to Ottawa and further raise the profile of the city’s AV hub.

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WannLynx, a Kanata North payments technology company, says it has received the green light from the PCI Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) on its new gas station system.

FuelLynx was designed to protect consumers at the pump by providing a secure card transaction system while also engineering custom tailored ads, surveys and other

Reimagining autonomous tech: CAVCanada conference preview

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“THE CAMARADERIE AND THE SPIRIT IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE TO BELIEVE.” – Jocelyn Lamont, executive director, Candlelighters Ottawa

LEFT: The Wave Spinners pause for a quick team photo before kicking it into high gear. RIGHT: Team VCL Construction came dressed for the occasion, raising just under $38,000 for Candlelighters. SUBMITTED PHOTOS.

Nokia Ride raises $184K for Candlelighters, builds bonds in Kanata North M

party like atmosphere that includes awards for the best team spirit and top costumes.

“It’s really a celebration of the end of a couple of months of hard work raising money,” says Tom Brewer, cocoordinator of the Inside Ride. “It’s really special.”

Now in its 12th year of partnership with Coast to Coast Against Cancer, the 2019 edition attracted 64 teams that spent months fundraising prior to the event. With more than 70 childhood cancer diagnosis last year in Ottawa alone, the money will be used for initiatives that support patients, survivors and their families.

These include parent support groups,

a suite at the Canadian Tire Centre used for family outings as well as the purchase of iPads that help young patients stay connected with friends and family while they are receiving treatment.

“When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it impacts the whole family,” says Jocelyn Lamont, executive director of Candlelighters Ottawa. “This event has really brought our level of programming to the next stage.”

With local mascots on hand from the Ottawa Redblacks, Fury and Senators helping to pump up the crowd alongside families that have benefitted from the Candlelighters’ support, it wasn’t just the charity that benefited from the May event.

The atmosphere under the tent is always alive with spirit and friendly competition, says Adam Nadeau, site engagement coordinator at Nokia and co-coordinator of the Inside Ride.

Organizers note the event gives employees a chance to get out of the office, exercise and support one another and have a good time, which helps create a more positive work environment.

“The event itself is extremely fun and it’s been great to see it evolve over the years and become a more inclusive community event,” says Lamont. “The camaraderie and the spirit is something you have to experience to believe.”

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ore than 400 tech workers and their supporters donned workout clothes – and, in some cases, feathered costumes – before climbing aboard stationary bicycles in Nokia’s Kanata North parking lot en route to raising more than $184,000 to support children with cancer.

The annual Nokia Powering the Inside Ride is a partnership between the telecom giant and the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation. Teams of six raise money and cheer each other on as each member takes their turn pedaling up a storm.

With music blasting and beach balls flying through the air, the event takes on a

Spirits were high as riders pushed through the final minutes of their cycle. SUBMITTED PHOTO.

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