Ottawa Business Journal Summer 2023

TELEPHONE

Phone: 613-696-9494

News Fax: No faxes, email editor@obj.ca

PUBLISHER

Michael Curran, 613-696-9491 publisher@obj.ca

PUBLISHER

EASTERN ONTARIO BUSINESS JOURNAL

Terry Tyo, 613-696-9581 terry@greatriver.ca

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Anne Howland, 613-696-9480 anne@obj.ca

SENIOR WRITER

David Sali, 613-696-9481 david@obj.ca

REPORTERS

Sarah MacFarlane, 613-696-9492 sarah@obj.ca

Mia Jensen, 613-696-9501 mia@obj.ca

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER

Lisa Thibodeau, 613-696-9482 lisa@obj.ca

CONTENT AND CAMPAIGN COORDINATOR

Paula Clark, 613-696-9495 paula@obj.ca

ADVERTISING SALES

General inquiries, 613-696-9494 sales@obj.ca

Wendy Baily, 613-696-9483 wbaily@obj.ca

Cindy Cutts, 613-696-9580 cindy@obj.ca

Eric Dupuis, 613-696-9485 eric@obj.ca

Victoria Stewart, 613-696-9484 victoria@obj.ca

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tanya Connolly-Holmes, 613-696-9487 creative@greatriver.ca

DESIGN DEPARTMENT

Celine Paquette, 613-696-9486 celine@greatriver.ca

Deborah Ekuma, 613-696-9493 deborah@greatriver.ca

FINANCE

Cheryl Schunk, 613-696-9490 cheryl@greatriver.ca

PRINTED BY Transcontinental Transmag

10807 Rue Mirabeau, Anjou, QC H1J 1T7

All content of Ottawa Business Journal is copyright 2023. Great River Media Inc. and

PROSPECTUS Forty Under 40 well-suited for future challenges

I sometimes get this question: After more than a quarter-century of Forty Under 40, isn’t the well going to run dry at some point?

I can unequivocally tell you the calibre of recipients impresses me as much today as it did 20 years ago. The evidence can be found in the pages of OBJ’s summer newsmagazine.

It’s hard to summarize their accomplishments, but the alphabetical list of recipients starts with a nuclear engineer and ends with the head of research and development for biotherapeutics at the Ottawa Hospital. That should give you a sense of the level of accomplishment.

I want to extend my thanks to our selection panel: Joelle Hall (past recipient); CPA and wealth adviser with Hall O’Brien Wealth Counsel, Jeffrey Johnson (past recipient); a partner at BDO, Robert Rheame, our veteran judge and former managing partner with BDO; and Anne Howland, editor-in-chief of OBJ.

At a time of great uncertainty, our youthful business leaders give me great hope. Their accomplishments, expertise and proven commitment to giving back mean they are well-suited to tackle the challenges ahead.

SPEAKING OF CHALLENGES …

Early June saw the release of the 2023 Welch LLP Business Growth Survey

For me, the headline was a dip in the business confidence index. To be specific, the index fell to 108 points, down from 125 points in 2022 and 122 in pre-pandemic 2019. I’m seeing the same sense of uncertainty in my discussions with business leaders.

In my view, the big concern is downtown Ottawa. There is plenty

of evidence that downtown is at a dangerous tipping point, confronted by many issues at once, most stemming from the onset of hybrid work. On a podcast I hosted in late May, the co-chair of the Downtown Ottawa Revitalization Task Force, Neil Malhotra, quantified the challenge. He estimates there are 40,000 to 50,000 fewer people downtown each weekday than pre-pandemic. Let that number percolate for a moment.

Here is another sobering statistic that Malhotra presented. In a typical year, Ottawa only adds about 1,000 new residential units downtown, so new builds and commercial conversions will not solve this issue.

The board of trade is ringing alarm bells on this issue. In a city built on bureaucracy, we don’t excel at solving complex problems and rapid response. Business leaders need to demand that politicians and bureaucrats come to the table and coordinate an action plan. There is a big role for the private sector, especially for those in real estate, to invest millions to retrofit aging downtown buildings.

There is no time to delay. We need a new vision and incremental steps to reverse the current trend. Let’s hope, 10 years down the road, we don’t look back at this moment in time as a giant missed opportunity.

Nighttime, daytime — how about a 24/7 plan for our city?

Fun fact: I like a good plan. Something with a vision, priorities and goals, budgeted resources, assigned tasks, timelines and performance measures. It makes my heart sing.

So it stresses me out to think of the hodge podge of challenges — and opportunities — facing Ottawa these days. There are so many moving (and non-moving) parts.

When it comes to the future of our city, we have no shortage of smart people (just look at this year’s Forty Under 40), great ideas and goodwill. What we lack is a leader and a plan. What are our priorities? What budget can we put against them? Who does what? What are the next steps? It feels like that moment after you’ve poured all the jigsaw puzzle pieces on the table and try to figure out where to start. We need to find the corner bits.

At OBJ, every day we talk to businesspeople struggling to make sense of their future and to plan for it (as you’ll see in this newsmagazine). I feel for them; the uncertainties they face are astounding, and so many are outside their control. ByWard Market? Lansdowne? Wellington Street? Downtown office conversions? Affordable housing? Hockey arena? Federal workers? All these things and more need to add up to a vision and a plan for Ottawa.

the next 10 years and beyond — and a person to lead that plan. It’s likely a job outside the scope of our “regular mayor” — although, should not the vision come from his office?

Part of the challenge is that we have so many players at the table, all with different timelines and priorities. Thankfully, there is a desire for collaboration (usually). And kudos must go to the Ottawa Board of Trade and others who are coming forward with actionable proposals. But after we’ve all put forward our recommendations, who does the mind-bending job of putting the puzzle together?

I guess it’s nothing new. Welcome to democracy. But one thing’s for sure: uncertainty is the death knell for business. Good or bad, when there’s a decision, at least you can plan.

Like everyone else, I’m waiting for someone to take control. In the meantime, I stand with the businesspeople who need to take concrete steps — even baby steps — instead of remaining mired in uncertainty. Like them, I’m itching for a plan. And I hope I can play a part in it.

Michael Curran Publisher

It’s nice that we could have a nighttime plan and a “night mayor” to ensure we’re all entertained in the wee hours. But I’d like to see a 24/7 plan that will take us into

Anne Howland Editor in Chief

Ottawa airport authority studying potential expansion of YOW terminal

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

The Ottawa International Airport is eyeing a potential expansion as passenger volumes rebound from the pandemic, the facility’s CEO says.

“Right now, (the terminal) is at capacity in the morning and the evening,” Mark Laroche said during the Ottawa International Airport Authority’s recent annual public meeting.

“We have to start preparing for an expansion — we just have to determine when. We have to start thinking about it today.”

In response to a question from Ottawa Coun. Riley Brockington about whether the lingering effects of the pandemic will alter the airport’s long-term master plan, Laroche said the airport authority is launching a study to determine when it will be necessary to expand the current terminal that opened in 2003.

“We do not have any places for aircraft to gate in the morning right now,” he said. “The problem that we have right now is between those (morning and evening) peaks. That’s a possibility that, for example, an airline like Porter may fill in those peaks.”

Laroche’s remarks came near the end of a meeting that generally had an upbeat tone as officials reported that the terminal’s passenger volumes and revenues rose dramatically in 2022.

“The future is bright at YOW,” Laroche said, referring to the airport by its call letters.

Just under three million passengers used the Ottawa airport in 2022, up 155 per cent from the previous year.

That’s still well below the total of 5.1 million travellers who passed through the terminal in 2019, the year before the pandemic, but Laroche said the airport “made good progress” in hitting its goal of achieving 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels of traffic in a year in which COVID-

related travel restrictions weren’t fully lifted until October.

Laroche cited a “revived appetite for travel and YOW’s expanding route map” for the uptick in traffic.

At the same time, the facility is projecting the airport won’t return to pre-pandemic levels of activity until 2025.

The airport is predicting about four million passengers will use the facility this year, a 33 per cent increase from 2022, with traffic expected to increase to 4.75 million in 2024. By 2030, the airport authority is projecting that 5.6 million passengers will fly through YOW.

Part of that projected growth is fuelled by new routes such as Porter’s new flights to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport and Air France’s non-stop trips to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, which are slated to run five times a week starting in late June.

Still, Laroche stressed that there is “no guarantee” that Air France will continue the Ottawa-Paris flights beyond the first year. He said it’s up to Ottawans to prove the route is viable by booking tickets.

“We need to understand that this is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition,” Laroche said. “It will continue as long as it’s making a profit and as long as people are using it. We’re hoping that the pickup in the summer will demonstrate that there is real demand for the fall and winter.”

After losing a total of nearly $90 million in 2020 and 2021 as traffic volumes plummeted amid the pandemic, the airport trimmed its net loss to $4.8 million last year. Its revenues jumped to $111.8 million, nearly double the previous year’s total of $56.6 million.

While leisure travel is bouncing back, business trips have yet to return to preCOVID levels, Laroche noted. With the threat of a recession still looming and the federal government looking to cut back on travel, he said the airport is projecting that business traffic will reach only 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is a lag in the number of business passengers arriving and departing the airport as the National Capital Region adjusts for the use of digital meetings and remote work activities,” the airport authority said in its annual report.

“The composition of the airport’s local market with a large component of the community in ongoing remote work arrangements may cause a lag in the return of business passengers as compared to other large airports in Canada in the near term.”

We have to start preparing for an expansion — we just have to determine when.

– Mark Laroche, CEO, Ottawa International Airport Authority

Sale of buildings on feds’ disposal list ‘several years’ away, PSPC says

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

The sale of aging federal government buildings in Ottawa could still be “several years” away, Public Services and Procurement Canada said, while a Crown corporation that redevelops surplus federal properties says it will look into whether any of the sites on the disposal list could be financially viable as residential conversions.

PSPC released the much-anticipated list of local properties it plans to dispose of recently. The 10 sites include the three buildings that make up the downtown L’Esplanade Laurier complex, the Sir Charles

Tupper Building on Riverside Drive, and the 1500 Bronson Building and Annex, the former headquarters of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

The federal department said the decision to put the buildings on the block was part of its “long-term real estate portfolio plan to optimize the office space under our responsibility, lower operating costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

In an email to OBJ, PSPC spokesperson Alexandre Baillairgé-Charbonneau said the government “continually assesses” its portfolio for factors such as functionality, overall condition, environmental impact and financial performance to identify properties

that might no longer be needed.

Baillairgé-Charbonneau stressed that “it is still early in the process” and no sales are imminent. He added that “multiple stakeholders” must be consulted before decisions are made.

The feds must conduct due diligence on potential buyers, he explained, as well as solicit “expressions of public purpose interest from federal departments, agent Crown corporations, provinces, municipalities and Indigenous groups” — a process that could take “several years” to complete.

Employees in buildings that are still occupied will eventually be relocated, Baillairgé-Charbonneau said.

“PSPC is working with other client departments and agencies to develop longterm accommodation plans to address their needs,” he added. “This will be achieved by consolidating our footprint and making better use of the remaining buildings within the portfolio.”

Meanwhile, the Canada Lands Company — a self-financing, arm’s-length organization that buys surplus federal properties and redevelops them into housing and mixeduse communities — says it will be involved

in determining how to get the best financial return for the properties.

“Canada Lands Company, as the federal government’s development expert, does have a role to play in federal disposals and will be involved with PSPC in assessing the development potential of these sites,” CLC spokesperson Manon Lapensee said in an email to OBJ.

Real estate leaders have been anticipating the move for some months. While some of the buildings on the list, such as the Jackson Building at the corner of Bank and Slater streets, remain fully occupied, others like the Bronson Building are now vacant. They are also in various states of disrepair, meaning their potential to be transformed into alternative uses is in many cases uncertain.

“Office building conversions to residential are very complicated,” Claridge Homes chief financial officer Neil Malhotra said in an interview. “The bigger the building is, the harder it is to get light in. Realistically, probably the most logical way to get anything done effectively on some of these properties is to look at demolishing them to be able to maximize the potential density and opportunity.”

It’s not only the ByWard Market that needs help with safety and security, business leaders say

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

While a new city report aimed at revitalizing the ByWard Market is in the works, local business officials argue that other areas of Ottawa are experiencing similar challenges to those in the Market.

The city’s finance and corporate services committee received recommendations from staff in June that include creating a new entity to manage the ByWard Market and potentially an area-specific tax to help revitalize the area as a top tourist destination.

Under the recommendations, the

ByWard Market BIA and the municipal corporation overseeing the area, Ottawa Markets, would be dissolved in favour of a new municipal corporation called the ByWard Market District Authority (BMDA). Its mandate would include “enhancing the resident and visitor experience” and supporting property and business interests in the ByWard and Parkdale markets.

The recommendations include initiatives to “improve community safety and well-being” in the area, which will “design, resource and implement a sustainable, in-the-field community safety and well-being program for the benefit of the district and its adjoining neighbourhoods.”

The recommendations require approval from committee members, then from city council.

However, the problems being experienced in the Market extend further than that area of the city, said Michelle Groulx, executive director at the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas.

For example, business owners across many communities are seeing the same challenges around homelessness and crime, she said.

“BIAs are seeing needles and feces on the streets and people who are experiencing mental health and addictions that are not safe to themselves or to others,” Groulx said. “They can be abusive verbally, or even physically.

“It has become a challenge for staff safety,” she explained. “Let alone the impact of consumers simply avoiding areas.”

The Chinatown BIA has seen an increase in crime and violence, Groulx continued, and several incidents have occurred in Westboro.

“We just heard from a business on Richmond Road that has had a number of incidents recently, including smashed windows on the door (and) challenging situations when staff appeared to be on their own, culminating in someone exposing themselves to a staff member.”

Encampments are also posing challenges to commercial properties, even in areas as far outside the core as Kanata, said Groulx. People experiencing homelessness have been camping in areas such as loading docks or storefronts, she said.

Programs to support people living with mental health and addiction issues are necessary, she said, but any proposals are “Band-Aid fixes” without affordable and supportive housing, she said.

“Where do people go when they are picked up for any disturbances? The individual who is picked up for any major

issue is back the next day and the next,” she explained. “There is no long-term help and support and it is desperately needed.”

Plans such as those under development for the ByWard Market should be expanded into other communities, though perhaps “not as intense,” Groulx said.

For example, one BIA that could benefit from similar support is Bank Street. Christine Leadman, director of the Bank Street BIA, agrees that a “fulsome” approach to the issues is needed.

“It’s way bigger than any one organization. We have health centres and services and they’re trying, but they’re so understaffed and underfunded,” said Leadman. “There are obviously these little social agencies trying their best, but they’re all scattered around trying to fix a huge problem.

“We need a strategy that deals with where (the issues) stem from. It’s a lack of housing, lack of support for mental health, addiction, a lot of problems with mental health when people are self-medicating with street drugs, which is so dangerous,” she continued.

“It’s a disease and it’s not being treated as such … It’s been a frustrating several years of trying to address it and bring focus to it.”

It has become a challenge for staff safety. Let alone the impact of consumers simply avoiding areas.

– Michelle Groulx, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas

Businesses welcome plan to revitalize city’s nightlife scene

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

Ottawa already has great nightlife, it just needs to be promoted, say supporters of the city’s proposed Nightlife Economy Action Plan.

The three-year plan includes the appointment of a new commissioner — dubbed the “night mayor” by some — as well as the creation of a virtual nightlife resource centre, support for new mid-size venues, and a city-wide nightlife safety and security plan for workers.

Other proposals include simplifying permitting, licensing and zoning processes to encourage night markets and food festivals, incorporating “security by design” principles, and broadening permitted

land uses. Reduced transit fares on low demand evenings and lower parking fees in designated nightlife nodes between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. were also recommended.

Michelle Groulx, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas, has been involved in the consultation and said she “fully endorses’’ the plan.

“Obviously, everyone hears that we’re a 9-5 government town. Now, looking at our downtown, it’s not just dead at night — it’s all day and all night now,” she said.

“But if you have lived in Ottawa for long enough, you know that Ottawa has had quite a vibrant nightlife.”

Crucial to a thriving nighttime economy is live music, said Erin Benjamin, president and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association. She said she’s excited to be a “connector”

between business and the cultural industry.

“Ottawa has a growing live music scene with more venues and talking about even more developing, incredible venue managers, more festivals and events, and so many pieces in place,” she said.

“To think of the live music industry would be a wonderful nod to our artists and community who have been doing their part to create a vibrant city with not much understanding of how they fit into the business aspect.

“Who are we as a city and why do our artists matter? It’s a very important thing, and I’m very excited,” she continued. “Whether it’s supporting those who are out performing, or those who have yet to pick up an instrument but will write the song for our future.”

Heart and Crown Irish Pubs CEO Shauna Bradley said she couldn’t be more excited for the arrival of a “night mayor.”

Bradley said she is already seeing people wanting to “get out and enjoy life” and that it will only get better now that the city is

“finally prioritizing nightlife.”

“We can finally shed the reputation of the city that fun forgot,” she said.

“Why not focus on the nightlife economy? It’s great that we’re looking at other big cities that are doing it well.

“The population here is growing at a rapid pace — we’re becoming a big city and we have to start acting like one.”

Bradley was also consulted for the plan and said that it “can’t come soon enough.” She believes that public safety and security will improve once nightlife receives more attention.

“When a place is busier and more bustling, the trouble stays away. And the focus on safety (in the plan) will encourage a safer environment since it will be a priority,” Bradley said.

Her biggest hope is that the nightlife commissioner is well-chosen — someone who can “speak both languages, the language of the city and one of the businesses” — and is able to capitalize on the nightlife that already exists in Ottawa.

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Check out the 2023 Welch LLP

Business Growth Survey

How are Ottawa’s business leaders feeling about the future?

Results from this year’s Welch LLP Business Growth Survey tell an interesting story about the city. Overall, confidence is trending down amidst economic uncertainty, shifts in the business landscape and, as Welch LLP partner Chris Meyers says “the looming recession that will never quite arrive.” Businesses are feeling the pinch of rising costs, inflationary pressures, labour shortages and more – all topics covered in the 2023 Welch LLP Business Growth Survey.

The anonymized results from the online survey – the largest and most comprehensive study of Ottawa-area businesses – were used to calculate the confidence of the local business community and shed light on the underlying trends that are shaping the

future of the city’s corporate community. The survey received hundreds of responses from the business community that touch on issues such as revenue, labour, real estate needs, the importance of immigrants to our local workforce, and data privacy and security.

The report also takes a closer look at some specific sectors in the city and how they are reacting to times of uncertainty, and features Q&A’s with some notable local leaders including the Business Council of Canada CEO Goldy Hyder and Hugh Gorman of Colonnade Bridgeport. Learn more about the state of Ottawa’s business community and keep your finger on the pulse of where the future is heading by downloading the 2023 Welch LLP Business Growth Survey.

Local business leaders are encouraged to download a copy of the 2023 Welch LLP Business Growth Survey by visiting www.ottawabusinesssurveyreport.ca

OTTAWA

Sex shop owner sounds alarm over homelessness crisis, addiction on Bank Street

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

Wanda Cotie is no stranger to the challenges and darkness of this world. As the owner of Wicked Wanda’s Adult Emporium and an advocate for creating “safe places,” Cotie says she “sees so many people’s stories.”

Now, she’s sounding the alarm over Ottawa’s homelessness and addiction crisis that she says has become all too commonplace.

Wicked Wanda’s moved from the westend community of Britannia in 2009 when a fire destroyed the plaza in which it was located and relocated to a storefront on Bank Street in Centretown.

“I thought I’d look at the future of Bank Street and invest in the early stages because I believed we’d see a turnaround downtown,” Cotie says. While she had to move across the street from her first location, she decided it was worth the cost. “And then we had a pretty good go until COVID.”

Settled in the Barrymore’s Music Hall building at 323 Bank St., between MacLaren and Gilmour streets, Cotie spent the pandemic working non-stop by herself, amping up online sales and delivering in the Ottawa region. But in the past few years, a methadone clinic opened in the pharmacy across the street and many of the social issues facing Ottawa came right to Cotie’s doorstep.

In the time since the clinic opened, Cotie has seen an increase in drug use and homelessness on her block to an extent that has “traumatized” and “saddened” her. She says it is a crisis that was exacerbated by the pandemic.

She sees narcotics and other street drugs used right on the sidewalk and frequently witnesses people collapse from substance use.

“We watch people overdose all day long; there are people camping there. One man, his name is Curtis, is sleeping near us,” Cotie

says. “The ambulances are down in this block over and over again. I’ve had people say, ‘Aren’t you going to do something?’

“I call 911 and they tell me to go over and check for breathing, but I’m scared,” she says. “We stand and talk to them, they’re human beings, and I’m not without sympathy because I know so many people who struggle with addiction, but there’s just no help.”

Cotie has approached some of the people in the past, concerned for their safety, but with increased violence and volatility, she increasingly stays in her store.

“(911) always sends somebody, but by the time you’re talking to 911, most of those people are coming to, confused and sometimes angry and you say, ‘Oh, okay, sorry, I thought you were dead,’” Cotie continues. “It’s pretty traumatizing to watch that. If I wanted to stand outside the door and watch the street, I could see that every day.”

According to data from Ottawa Public Health, opioid overdose-related deaths in Ottawa have risen since the pandemic. The most recent data from the third quarter of 2022 reported 29 deaths, 11 more than the same time in 2017. The City of Ottawa declared a homelessness emergency in 2020 but, according to data from the Ottawa Mission, the number of people living houseless has doubled since then.

Since COVID, Wicked Wanda’s has been robbed and, due to the increased presence of drugs, Cotie’s customers avoid coming to the store in-person.

“It’s just gotten worse and worse. We offer delivery, so I drive it out to the suburbs and sometimes even just to the edge of Centretown because people don’t want to come. It says a lot,” Cotie says. “We used to be open at night so we could catch people who went out to dinner and now we’re closed by 10 o’clock.”

Sales and revenues for Wicked Wanda’s are down 20 per cent from pre-pandemic earnings, Cotie says, largely due to the lack of walk-ins. “People just don’t come to this

area for the Bank Street shopping experience anymore,” she explains.

Before entering the sexual wellness industry 25 years ago, Cotie had a career in real estate. She says she sees a need for “safe spaces” for people to recover in areas of the city that make sense. She suggests using downtown office buildings that are “sitting empty” while people live houseless just outside the doors.

“There are community centres that could be utilized … for people to find a safe place. People live behind my building … We need housing and we need to put it where they live. Don’t send them to Orleans or Kanata, where they’re going to be detoxing in the suburbs,” she says. “These people are still people. They need a safe place, they need a home.”

Christine Leadman, executive director of the Bank Street BIA, says businesses in the area have been closing as a result of the issues and that “this is an alarm I’ve been ringing since 2015.”

During the pandemic, Leadman says the BIA provided portable restrooms to people experiencing homelessness in the area and distributed naloxone kits to help stop overdoses. In the years since, she says she’s made presentations to city council, worked with police, and started initiatives and roundtables in the community. But the pandemic “escalated the issue to all-new levels” and her authority is limited, she says.

“There’s very little that we can do as far as changing big things that happen on the street,” she says. “This is a problem that’s been ignored, it’s an epidemic that’s been brushed aside, and I don’t see anything from any level that is really looking at how to address this problem.

“The Band-Aid approach is not going to

cut it. It needs a fulsome strategy that deals with where it stems from,” Leadman explains. “This is everyone’s problem.”

One of the largest issues is a lack of funding for housing, mental health and addiction resources, Leadman adds.

Cotie would like to see Wicked Wanda’s grow in the future and has high hopes for creating a community around intimate wellness in Ottawa, but she “feels really sad” with the current Bank Street situation.

Cotie’s daughter, a certified sex educator, has joined the business and Cotie wants to explore revamping the iconic Barrymore’s building to create a welcoming, sex-positive community and “change the face of an adult store.”

But the people of Ottawa need help, she says. She’s not shying away, she adds, and the city can’t either.

“I have hope for Bank Street. But unless the city does something really, really helpful, businesses are struggling, people are struggling and I’m struggling to make sense of it,” she says. “Our store is really well-loved by the community. That’s what’s kept me downtown, is the people, and the lack of them is pushing me out.”

Cotie has seen people she loved struggle with addiction and mental health and she is no stranger to trauma.

“There’s always lots of healing to do, so I get these people,” she says. “I understand the only difference between me and them is that I’m not addicted. I’ve had my own trauma and most of us have.

“I could make a heck of a lot more money doing what I used to, but I do this because it matters to me from a personal standpoint. The difference between them and me is just one day, one moment, and it changed everything.”

Lana Poulson, a Wicked Wanda’s employee of nearly four years, says the situation on Bank Street has worsened since the pandemic.

PHOTO BY DAVID SALI

More local businesses could stay open with better succession planning: advocate

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

The House of Cheese, Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s, Nettleton’s Jewellery … most Ottawans were sad to see these wellknown local businesses close in recent months.

But according to Michelle Groulx, executive director of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas (OCOBIA), closures such as these could be prevented with more support for owners considering exiting their business.

“Small businesses should start thinking about a succession plan now. They do it because they love it, but they don’t think about the plan and people who are renting or have a customer base are afraid to talk about it,” she explained.

According to a January 2023 report from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, over $2 trillion in business assets could change hands within the next decade as 76 per cent of small business owners are planning to exit their businesses.

“When you’re thinking about closing your business, usually there’s somebody out there who has the time, resources and energy to pick up the torch,” Groulx said. “I hope that starts to happen in our city, because we’ve had quite a few long-standing businesses close recently.”

Earlier this year, The House of Cheese in the ByWard Market closed its doors after almost 50 years in business. The Feline Café in Westboro also closed this year after only six years, a COVID closure that was particularly sad for Groulx. The shop served café fare and had a separate lounge where visitors could play with cats that had been

rescued by the Feline Café Foundation.

“It shocked me because, a few years ago, I would have loved to have opened that place,” Groulx said.

Retirement was listed by CFIB as the top reason business owners cited for leaving their business (75 per cent), while 22 per cent were burned out and 21 per cent wanted to step back from their responsibilities as owners.

However, the report pointed out, only one in 10 business owners had a formal business succession plan in place.

At the end of 2022, Nettleton’s Jewellery in the Westgate Shopping Centre closed, wrapping up 106 years in business as brothers Geoff and Cameron Nettleton sought retirement.

“We were hoping to keep it going longer, but with the perfect storm hitting — age, health and lease — we have to reconsider,” Cameron told OBJ in October 2022 before the store closed. “The lease is too expensive, our health is still good, and our age is getting up there.”

The brothers said that, while they loved their jobs, it was no longer feasible for them to operate the store as co-owners. However, they might have liked to see it continue under different ownership.

“If someone took over ownership and operation, I’d work here,” said Cameron. “But I always say I want my name at the top of the cheque, not signed on the bottom.”

Taking over an established business can significantly minimize startup and branding costs for a new owner, Groulx explained. She also lamented the loss to the community of well-loved businesses such as Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s, which opened its familiar toy store on Bank Street in 1977 and closed it in 2020 along with its other locations in the city.

– Michelle Groulx, OCOBIA executive director

“I hope we see a transition to new business owners from near and far instead of doors just closing. It would just be sad because we get so connected to them,” said Groulx. “They really do have a longtime following and longtime supporters and consumers, not even just from the neighbourhood, but they’re somewhat of an attraction for tourists.

“Like Mrs. Tiggy Winkle’s. That business helped make up the character of the Glebe, they’re part of it, and a little piece of it is lost. How long does it take to recover that?”

The most common obstacle to succession planning for about half of small business owners is finding a suitable buyer or a successor, the CFIB report found. Nearly 50 per cent of owners struggle to measure the value of their business, while 39 per cent say the business is too reliant on them for day-today operations.

Part of the solution is finding adequate resources and networks for small business owners who are considering buying or selling a business, Groulx said, while also ending the stigma around transferred ownership.

“People might misperceive succession as a failure. It’s more about planning; you want to leave the game with your shirt on and pass the torch. You might not know about a business being for sale,” explained Groulx. “There’s this inaccessibility and people are not talking about it.

“We’re only beginning to start talking about it nationally at this level. Mergers and acquisitions are always talked about for enterprises, but not for small business and the big gap is us talking about succession,” Groulx added. “Honestly, I just don’t want to see another empty store that was awesome.”

Michelle Groulx says too many popular local businesses close because succession is not being talked about. FILE PHOTO

People might misperceive succession as a failure. It’s more about planning

Kal Tire purchases Frisby Tire

BY OBJ STAFF news@obj.ca

Ottawa’s Frisby Tire has been acquired by British Columbia-based Kal Tire, the two companies announced.

Frisby Tire, which has five locations in the Ottawa area, is considered the oldest, independently owned tire dealership in Canada, marking its 100th anniversary in 2020.

Started by James Frisby, the company has been under the leadership of thirdgeneration owner Don Frisby since 1995.

“It’s always been so important to us that our customers are happy with their

experience and we feel very fortunate to know that will only continue with Kal Tire’s culture of service-oriented values,” said Frisby in a news release.

As of May 27, Kal Tire, which has more than 260 stores across Canada, took over operation of Frisby’s five local retail and commercial stores. Those include locations on Industrial Avenue, Somerset Street West, Queensdale Avenue, Clyde Avenue and Hazeldean Road in Ottawa.

In addition, 52 Frisby Tire employees will join Kal Tire as it begins operations.

Meanwhile, Total Tire Distributors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kal Tire, will acquire Frisby’s existing wholesale operation, including its warehouse and distribution facility at Humber Place. Its 26 employees will join Total Tire’s team.

“Since our early days, Kal Tire has looked for opportunities to grow by considering wellrun businesses that have dedicated team members who strive to provide customers with an exceptional level of service,” said Robert Foord, president of Kal Tire.

Jantine Van Kregten retires after 20 years at Ottawa Tourism

BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca

If you live in the nation’s capital long enough, you’ll eventually catch wind of a famous but disparaging comment once made — but never forgotten — about Ottawa.

It bears no repetition, as far as Jantine Van Kregten is concerned.

“It will never pass my lips; I’m never going to say it,” she said in an interview, alluding to the “town that fun forgot” criticism penned by the late legendary journalist Allan Fotheringham at the end of the last century.

It’s a stereotype about Ottawa that, Van Kregten firmly believes, no longer holds true, that disappeared with no-Sunday shopping rules.

“You can’t tell me that there aren’t great, amazing, fun things to do,” said Van Kregten of the city’s summer and winter festivals, galleries and museums, bars and restaurants, and outdoor activities.

Ottawa is full of hidden gems, she argued. “It doesn’t slap you in the face like Vegas would but, if you scratch the surface, you can find the burlesque shows, the spoken-word poetry, fantastic murals around town. The cool stuff is percolating underneath.”

For nearly 20 years now, Van Kregten, 54, has been director of communications for Ottawa Tourism, a destination marketing organization that promotes Ottawa and Canada’s capital region to tourists, tour operators and meeting planners.

Some might call it a dream job. Van Kregten takes travel writers, journalists, bloggers and digital content creators around the region and exposes them to all the best attractions and hotspots.

“They’re passionate and curious and they want to hear the stories, they want to tell the stories — and they tell great stories just by the nature of who they are,” she said of the journalists with whom she’s worked over the years.

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT JANTINE VAN KREGTEN

1She was editor-in-chief of The Fulcrum at the University of Ottawa, where she majored in political science.

2She loves language. Growing up in the south-western Ontario town of Amherstburg, she found ways to supplement her French learning and spent a year in Germany as an exchange student when she was 18.

3She’s close to her mom, Pat. Her dad, who worked 37 years for Chrysler Canada, passed away in 2019. She lost her only sibling, Jimmy, to a motorcycle accident when he was 20.

Seeing Ottawa through the eyes of foreigners is “a blessing,” said Van Kregten, gesturing toward the cobblestone courtyard visible from The Clarendon Tavern in the ByWard Market, where the interview was held. She’s had visitors say it reminds them of Italy.

“The Ottawan in me was like, ‘Yeah, right, dude.’ But, honestly, on a hot summer night in July, with a band playing, twinkling lights and heritage buildings all around, you’re damn right it’s like Italy.”

For somebody as upbeat and positive as Van Kregten, her role with Ottawa Tourism has been a great fit. “There’s an excitement that I genuinely feel. Some people think I’m making it up, like it’s a persona, but I really like talking about Ottawa.”

On June 7, Van Kregten bid adieu to Ottawa Tourism. Up until a few years ago, retirement wasn’t on her radar but, after seeing her long-time partner, Chris “Jerry” St. Jacques, embrace it, she decided to give it a try.

Van Kregten had 12 years of relevant work experience when she joined Ottawa Tourism in November 2003. Her first gig, right out of university, was as a city councillor’s assistant. She first worked for Nancy Mitchell, followed by Stéphane Émard-Chabot.

Van Kregten has always had a soft spot for the ByWard Market. So, when its BIA was hiring, she joined the association as special events coordinator in 1997 before being promoted to executive director.

“I used to joke that I wasn’t really getting paid because I was just spending all the money I earned at ByWard Market businesses,” said Van Kregten, who lived for many years in Lowertown before buying a condo in Hintonburg with St. Jacques.

It was Catherine Lindquist, a vicepresident with Ottawa Tourism at the time, who suggested Van Kregten apply to either of the jobs that had simultaneously opened up in marketing and communications at the tourism organization.

“I thought, ‘Why not broaden my horizons a bit?’” said Van Kregten, who gave it a shot and got hired.

Ottawa Tourism works hard to promote the region and draw visitors, conferences and meetings, said Van Kregten. A healthy tourism sector creates jobs and injects money into the city, she added.

That’s why it frustrates her when residents take to social media to dump on Ottawa.

“By putting your own city down, how does that help? It doesn’t,” said Van Kregten. “I think social media gives us such an opportunity. Everybody who lives in Ottawa,

4She’s holding her retirement party at Ottawa’s oldest tavern, The Château Lafayette (a.k.a. The Laf) in the ByWard Market, and will toast her retirement with a craft beer.

5Her best advice to those entering the tourism industry is to stay curious and informed. “Superlatives need to be backed up. If you claim that something is the oldest or the tallest or whatever, have those facts handy to back it up, because journalists will ask.”

who’s on social media, you’re telling the Ottawa story as much as Ottawa Tourism is, in your realm of influence. What you post about Ottawa matters because it’s going to be seen and shared.”

It’s tempting to be negative, she acknowledged. “I’m not saying I’m never negative, but life’s too short to constantly mire in the dreck.

“I think I’ve been good at being able to find the joy where I can. It’s not about waiting to be amazed, it’s about wanting to be amazed.”

PHOTO BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS

RETAIL Liquidation bin store

Quick Pick expands rapidly

SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

Quick Pick, an overstock and liquidation store, opened new locations in Orleans and Smiths Falls in May and has plans to continue expanding across Eastern Ontario, company officials say.

Quick Pick sells overstock and returned products from online and wholesale retailers, including Amazon. It has four stores in Ottawa-Gatineau and the company has branched out to new territory with a store in Kingston and now Smiths Falls.

“Our mission is to provide the best, affordable deals in town and we believe our innovative bin store concept fills a gap in the Canadian market,” said Quick Pick founder Nidaa Yassin.

Quick Pick sets a fixed price for all freshly

stocked bin items, which are restocked weekly. As the week goes on, prices lower, sometimes to as little as 99 cents.

With an increase in online shopping and proximity to Amazon warehouses in the region, Yassin said Quick Pick has seen rapid growth since opening.

The 19-year-old entrepreneur started the company as a continuation of her father’s dream of opening a bin store, she said, where “every day is your lucky day.”

Ultimately, Quick Pick aims to franchise across Canada, said Yassin.

“We are excited to confirm that we have definite plans to open more locations in Eastern Ontario,” said Yassin. “Cities like Brockville, Petawawa and Cornwall are indeed on our list as we continue to grow and bring our unique shopping experience to new communities.”

Become an OBJ Insider

Ottawa Business Journal is the go-to source for local business news and information.

OBJ keeps leaders informed and connected. It examines key issues, it recognizes success and it inspires entrepreneurs to reach higher.

OBJ Insider is a new subscription program that gives you access to premium online content and other benefits. Plus, because OBJ is locally owned and operated, you’re also supporting independent journalism.

When you become an OBJ Insider, you’ll get:

• Immediate access to all Insider-only content on OBJ website.

• Four issues per year of OBJ mailed to your address, plus digital access.

• Book of Lists mailed to your address, plus digital access.

• Welch Business Growth Survey mailed to your address, plus digital access.

• Discounted registration to special in-person events.

The Bright Side of Business is an editorial feature focused on sharing positive stories of business success. The column is presented by Star Motors, Ottawa’s original Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes Van dealer.

Ottawa BIAs win award for post-pandemic marketing campaign

Ottawa’s business improvement areas (BIAs) have been on the front lines of many challenges, not the least of which were a pandemic and the “Freedom Convoy.”

Recently, their efforts were recognized by a prestigious award from the Ontario BIA Association. Perhaps just as importantly, the often disparate groups learned to work together and are still seeing the fruits of their collective efforts.

“Our teachers in high school were right. Group work can be really productive,” laughs Kevin McHale, executive director of the Sparks Street BIA. While Ottawa’s 19 BIAs worked together before COVID, McHale says the pandemic went a long way toward breaking down any remaining silos.

One result of the collaboration was the Good to Be Back downtown revitalization marketing campaign, which was funded by the City of Ottawa and led by the Downtown Rideau and Sparks Street BIAs, with 11 BIAs participating in total.

Executed by Mediaplus Advertising, Good to Be Back ran from June to August 2022. It included a website that linked to the various BIAs, with the aim of promoting the plethora of activities happening in Ottawa neighbourhoods.

At the 2023 BIA Conference in

London, Ont. in April, the campaign won the Ontario BIA Association (OBIAA) Marketing Award of Merit.

McHale attended the gala along with Andrew Peck, executive director of the Downtown Rideau BIA. He had completely forgotten that Peck had submitted the Good to be Back campaign for an award.

“All of a sudden, I hear (our campaign) mentioned and Andrew just looks at me

and goes, ‘Gotcha,’” McHale recalls. “It was really just a cherry on top.”

Representing over 60,000 businesses, the OBIAA received almost 50 submissions for different award categories.

After the gala, the BIA executive directors from Ottawa got together for dinner — something that, five years ago, wouldn’t have happened, McHale suggests.

“I think, out of crisis, we’ve come together and (built) some really good working relationships,” McHale says. “I think that’s been spectacular.”

Now, there’s a domino effect to running successful campaigns like Good to Be Back that allows BIAs to better support their own neighbourhoods.

For example, Sparks Street BIA runs a program called Sparks Gives, which provides microgrants to different organizations. Recently, the Youth Services Bureau used a micogrant to run an event called Chalk Up The Street.

“We’re talking about that kind of frontyard activity, like my kid in the driveway (drawing with chalk) for three hours,” McHale says. “It’s that same kind of fun thing we can do.”

While the mandate of the Sparks Street BIA is different from that of the Youth Services Bureau, McHale says the BIA can support any organization that’s working to better the neighbourhood.

Also, if an organization is having a problem, “Sometimes our voice is going to be heard by certain people better than their own voice and vice versa,” he says.

McHale hopes that the Good to Be Back campaign will serve as a blueprint for BIAs across Ontario looking to partner with each other. He adds that each BIA is a different size, with different capacity; where some are strong in marketing, others are strong in event planning, membership engagement, or governance.

“Building those relationships, championing each other, supporting each other — everyone will come out amazing,” he says.

— Nickie Shobeiry

Kevin McHale (inset and left) and other representatives from Ottawa’s BIA community celebrate at the awards gala in London, Ont. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Ottawa Jazz Festival to boost local nightlife, tourism and economic impact for the city

It takes a concerted effort by sponsors, government funders, suppliers, volunteers and staff to make the Ottawa Jazz Festival possible –and this year is no exception.

Taking place from June 23-30, the festival has become a significant and consistent contributor to the city’s nightlife, bringing in $448 million by tourists since 2009.

Because of its significant economic impact, several members of the business community have joined forces to support the festival, because as they say, it makes good business sense.

For many years – and even throughout the pandemic – OLG has stood behind the festival as the presenting sponsor. Returning again in 2023, OLG will continue to brand the OLG Stage at Marion Dewar Plaza in front of Ottawa City Hall, as well as all of the series that take place on the stage – most significantly the highly popular OLG After Dark Series at 10:30pm.

This late night programming attracts many, bringing life to the downtown core and business for restaurants, clubs and hotels.

“OLG has a long history of supporting events that bring people together and strengthen communities, like the Ottawa Jazz Festival. It’s all part of OLG’s commitment to giving back as each year, 100 per cent of OLG profits are reinvested in Ontario,” said Catherine Meade, OLG’s vice-president community, sustainability & social responsibility. “We are thrilled to return as

Presenting Sponsor and hope everyone enjoys the great entertainment offered at this year’s festival.”

Since the festival’s inception, the Lord Elgin Hotel has also been a supportive partner – you never know which major artist may show up to jam with the house band at the Late Night Jamming Sessions held at Grill 41!

Conveniently located directly across the street from Confederation Park, the Festival’s principal venue, the venerable hotel provides discounts for out of town festival goers, along with several other downtown hotels.

The business case for festival support

Businesses can also leverage their support of the festival to bring together clients and staff for an evening of entertainment.

In 2022, CAA enjoyed a highly successful evening in the VIP tent – so much so they enhanced their participation this year as a significant new sponsor. A special tent will host, by invitation, CAA members in an advantageous location, because it pays to be a member.

The law firm Kelly Santini has also sponsored Main Stage headlining concerts for many years while hosting VIP evenings for its clients and staff.

While businesses can use the opportunity to connect with their network, the festival is also a great opportunity to support the broader community.

Music students from high schools and

universities across Ottawa are invited by the festival to submit an application with samples of them playing to participate in the Stingray Jazz Youth Summit. This program provides training, workshops and performance opportunities at the Festival for young and hopeful Canadian jazz musicians.

Food, drink & culture galore

Other official partners include several Ontario producers who showcase their locally made products at the festival.

Collective Arts Brewing fuses the creativity of craft beverages with the inspired talents of artists from around the world, while Stream Water provides water in 100 per cent recyclable containers. Ottawa’s renowned Saunders Farm recently became a cider partner; and Pelee Island Winery is the festival’s wine sponsor.

Meanwhile, Steinway Piano Gallery Ottawa, the exclusive representative for STEINWAY & SONS for the Ottawa Area, provides the world’s finest handcrafted pianos for musicians performing at the festival.

If you’re still looking for a reason to get involved, the Ottawa Jazz Festival was named as one of 2023s Top 100 Festivals & Events by Festivals and Events Ontario, and was featured by CNN as one of the many reasons to visit the nation’s capital. For more information visit ottawajazzfestival. com! It’s never too late to join the festival!

Image by Mike Laviolette

A message of gratitude and thanks to Jim Durrell

In July 2013, Jim Durrell became chair of Hydro Ottawa. As Jim approaches the end of his term, I wanted to take this moment, on behalf of the Hydro Ottawa family, to thank him for his incredible leadership and service.

Jim’s influence on Hydro Ottawa can be traced back to an expression of his father’s: leave the campsite better than how you found it. Jim’s influence on Hydro Ottawa and our city has been profound. His legacy as mayor, as a philanthropist, business person and board member at Hydro Ottawa (and elsewhere) can be summed up in two words: community builder. I believe Ottawa would be a much different city without Jim’s leadership vision.

In 1980, Jim was elected alderman of Riverside Ward on Ottawa City Council. In 1985, he was elected mayor of Ottawa – a position he held until 1991. As mayor, Jim believed in the benefits of investing in large community projects. His achievements were transformative. He oversaw the expansion of the Ottawa International Airport and the construction of the Ottawa Convention Centre. He brought the Ottawa Senators, triple-A baseball and three Grey Cup games to the city.

Jim served on numerous boards and his charitable and volunteer contributions have been significant. In 2013, Jim was honoured for his achievements and received the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Order of Ottawa, and was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. And in June, Jim was appointed chair of Hydro Ottawa.

In his 10 years as chair, Jim focused on three main achievements: financial success, large- scale capital projects, and steady leadership. Even though Hydro Ottawa is a regulated company, Jim encouraged us to grow, and we expanded our generation fleet and our energy services company. We acquired the Chaudière Falls generating station, the remaining interest in the Ottawa River ring dam, and refurbished numerous Hydro Quebec assets. These projects, managed in partnership with our Board of Directors, were delivered on time and on budget. In 2017, Hydro Ottawa became the largest municipally-owned green energy fleet of generating stations in Canada and built a corporate commitment to sustainability.

Through the years, we have weathered many challenges and storms – from generational floods, tornados, COVID-19, and the devastating May 2022 Derecho storm. Jim’s steady hand of leadership guided us through all of these events. Hydro Ottawa is a more community-centric, forward thinking and strategic company today because of Jim’s leadership. His vision for Hydro

Ottawa to be the first municipally-owned utility in Canada to reach net-zero operations by 2030, ensures that his legacy of clean, green, forward thinking leadership will continue for generations. Jim has surpassed his father’s expectations and our “campsite” is better because of Jim’s leadership.On behalf of all of us at Hydro Ottawa and in our community, thank you Jim!

BRYCE CONRAD PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER HYDRO OTTAWA HOLDING INC.

‘DEFENCE IS HAVING A MOMENT’ Canada’s industry takes stock at a critical time

Ottawa’s Dymech celebrates 25 years in business

It started in defence and grew from there.

Over the past 25 years, Ottawa-based engineering firm Dymech has become a fixture in the city, working on a wide range of projects for clients in the construction, commercial, industrial, defence and security sectors.

Specializing in metal fabrication and capable of delivering a project from initial concept to in-service support, Dymech has expanded its project offerings over the years, adding some more creative business verticals along the way.

They did it by focusing on two things: being good listeners, and making their clients happy.

“Companies like working with us because we give them what they ask for,” said vice-president Mat Main. “We’re good at communicating. We’re organized. We produce quality work, and we make everything easy for our clients.”

It sounds simple enough, but understanding what clients want down to the last detail has given the company the foundation to shift from working solely with military/ commercial projects, to including creative projects like art installations – starting with the flowers in Ottawa’s Cancer

Survivor Park and continuing with Canada’s monument to the victims of communism which is in fabrication.

UNIQUE SOLUTIONS FOR CANADA’S MILITARY

Canada’s military has been relying on Dymech’s work since the company’s founder kick-started the business in his garage in 1998.

Since then, the company has become synonymous with its unique metal fabrication projects.

With a wide range of metal-working tools and machines at the company’s 26,000 sq.ft. facility, Dymech’s work ranges from welding, machining, CAD modeling, CNC waterjet cutting, to surface finishing and coating, allowing them to create custom solutions for clients.

The JTF(X) unit at CFB Kingston, for example, worked with Dymech when it needed a custom firing range that could be relocated when needed. Dymech designed, engineered, fabricated and installed this modular system as part of a new state-of-the-art facility.

“It was designed so they could tear the whole thing down and rebuild it somewhere else,” said Main, adding that it’s specialized projects like this that help Dymech create such a strong rapport with clients.

Similarly, in 2022, Dymech was awarded a contract to deliver over 50 of the Dymech Container Mobilizer System which allows the Canadian Army to mobilize ISO containers without the need for expensive equipment, showcasing how Dymech’s solutions can be adopted for almost any turn-key project, said Main.

“Whether it’s decorative elements, a maintenance platform for a fighter jet, or just a simple handrail, we treat all our clients with the same care,” he added.

SPECIALIZED AND CUSTOM SOLUTIONS

When it came to expanding the business into art installations, the team knew adding creative projects to their portfolio wouldn’t detract from their work in the defence space — it would make it stronger.

“When working with artists, our job is to bring their concept to life and make sure it will stand the test of time,” said Main, adding that Dymech has created metal art displays at Lansdowne, Lebreton Flats and the Inspiration Village, along with many others, you can’t go to a public space in Ottawa without seeing our products.

Most recently, the Phase 2 OLRT team hired them to fabricate decorative metal covers that hide the mechanics that run the LRT station elevators.

“We’re building curved, perforated aluminum metal screens that go from the platform to the roof, but also have a cool, curved shape,” said Michael Bravo, the lead engineer on that project. “Our clients really appreciate the fact that we are technically savvy. We’re engineers, but we’re also very practical — we build stuff every day.”

Whether it’s a new art installation in the city, or a major defence contract, Dymech has built a network of happy customers – often recruiting new business through word of mouth.

This has helped the company land contracts with major players such as Marshall, Lockheed Martin and DND – but the team isn’t looking to slow down anytime soon, said Main.

“Our clients like our attitude,” he added. “They know we get it done and they can trust us with that scope of work without having to hold our hand.”

Michael Bravo (left) and Mat Main outside Dymech’s office in Greely.

This year’s CANSEC comes at a pivotal time for our industry

BY CHRISTYN CIANFARANI

Anyone watching the news over the past 18 months will have noticed that national and international security are having a moment. For decades, Canadians have gone about their daily lives, comfortable in the knowledge that our country’s geographical size, protective ring of three oceans and mighty neighbour to the south mean we face few direct military threats.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and alleged interference from China, we are waking up to a harsh reality. Global geopolitical instability has brought the security challenges we all face into sharp focus, leading to reflection around investments linked to our Canadian Armed Forces, to the cybersecurity domain, to Ukraine, and in support of the defence of North America.

Canada’s defence and security industries – a significant portion of which are based right here in the National Capital Region – can and should play a pivotal role in our responses to these challenges. Defence is a constantly evolving sector that contributes nearly $10 billion to Canada’s annual GDP. The cybersecurity industry, whose revenues and employment ballooned by 30 per cent between 2018 and 2020, brings in an additional $3.2 billion to GDP. These industries are rich in STEM and R&D, dominated by SMEs and home to companies engaged in everything from shipbuilding to advanced simulation to artificial intelligence. You’d probably be surprised by the sheer breadth of what we do.

National security is also a unique business environment, subject to vigilant government regulatory oversight at home and a highly managed and protectionist

market abroad. Government is the main customer, but many products and services have commercial variants that we find, at times, in our own homes. Layer on top of this the challenges associated with domestic military procurement and you’ve got a steep learning curve for new entrants, especially if the expectation is to just deliver commercial-off-the-shelf.

But many companies have recognized –and continue to recognize – the incredible opportunities that exist in this domain and have answered the call to become part of something much bigger than their individual shop floors and balance sheets.

Each spring, Ottawa rolls out the red carpet for Canada’s largest trade show devoted to defence, security and emerging technologies: CANSEC. Hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), which I lead, the show attracts thousands of delegates from Canada and abroad representing

industry, the military and government. The show provides an annual boost to our local economy to the tune of $15 million, plus the opportunity to forge and strengthen the connections within Canada’s defence and national security communities. And let’s be honest: it also gives industry a chance to show off some cool stuff.

The theme for this year’s CANSEC – “Together on Every Front” – is both a call to action and a reminder that the protection of our nation is a collective responsibility. Over the past year, allied governments in countries large and small have recognized that they need to bolster their domestic defence industries to meet the challenges of an increasingly unstable world order. At this pivotal moment, Canada must make a strategic choice to do the same; favouring, supporting and actively promoting homegrown businesses like the 300-plus companies exhibiting at CANSEC. Done right, this will ensure a healthy and sustainable defence industrial base that’s nimble, globally competitive and contributes even more to our local and national economies.

So, yes, defence is having a moment. If we’re smart, we will rise up to meet it.

Christyn Cianfarani is president and CEO of CADSI.

What makes TerraNova the perfect partner for Canadian defence contracts

When Len Anderson founded his telecommunications company Renaissance in 2010, he didn’t know it would one day lead to solving a big problem for the Canadian military.

But, after finding success in the aftermarket repair business – helping companies maintain the functionality of their outdated telecom equipment – the opportunity to translate those skills to a new market presented itself.

“Initially we saw the opportunity to work with military companies to upkeep their aged technology, but it very quickly became clear that we could do so much more,” said Anderson.

In 2016, he purchased TerraNova, enabling the company to develop an aftermarket repair team dedicated to growing its presence in the military space.

Taking the skills the team developed by servicing telecom equipment, TerraNova has bridged its expertise in circuit cards, electronics, cables, and interconnect to the defence sector. With the ability to adapt modern technology to fit an older machine, TerraNova is helping keep customers on land, sea and air moving.

After spinning TerraNova off into its own entity in 2022, the team has continued to grow as a trusted partner to military and defence companies.

“The functionality of mission-critical assets is a lot like telecom,” says Doug Kerwin, general manager of TerraNova. “Every drone, ship, armored vehicle, helicopter and fighter jet has technology running throughout it, and our team helps keep that technology functional and up to date – even after the manufacturer deems it obsolete.”

The TerraNova difference

Not only can TerraNova help military giants like Curtiss-Wright, Babcock, GeneralDynamics and the Canadian military maintain its machinery, but it can do it in record time.

As a certified military vendor, TerraNova has cut down machine servicing time from over two years in some cases to as little as 20 days. And with the extensive civilian engineering knowledge the team has, they are capable of working on all electronics, no matter the military vertical.

“We are an intersection between new

technology solutions and old technology equipment,” says Kerwin. “We are able to be that horizontal provider for electronic and cable repair for planes, ships, tanks, you name it. That didn’t exist before.”

Kerwin also prides TerraNova on having “20/20 foresight” when it comes to predicting potential problems for the military.

“We understand the technology backwards and forwards, so we know how things will function, and also how they may falter over time,” he adds.

The company has also risen in prominence as a go-to partner for other companies looking to secure an RFP contract. As an Ottawa-based, Canadian owned company, TerraNova checks many of the boxes when it comes to compliance with government contractual requirements.

On top of being a locally-owned company, TerraNova is also a Certified Aboriginal Business by the CCAB due to Anderson’s Indigenous heritage.

Given that the government of Canada has committed to supplying five per cent of all contracts to businesses led by Indigenous executives, it’s a win-win situation for companies who partner with TerraNova, says Anderson.

“We’re in a growth period, we are open for business and looking for more opportunities,” he adds. “We have a highly skilled team of engineers on our side and we are ready to be a one-stop-shop for defense solutions.”

To learn more see www.terranovasol.com

This crack team of after-market support and manufacturing experts spans all military branches and is uniquely connected to Canadian history

Doug Kerwin, general manager of TerraNova

Current global security environment prompts important questions for Canada’s defence industry

An interview with CADSI vice-president of business development Steven Hillier

Q: Defence and national security seem to be hot political topics right now. There’s much discussion around new investments, military capabilities and how Canada engages in international alliances. What does that translate into, on the ground, from a business perspective?

The global security environment has deteriorated in the past 18 months and a big reason for that has been Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The

discussions that’s prompted are important ones. Are we ready to defend Canada in the modern era? What do we need to do that effectively? There’s a defence policy update happening right now that, in theory, could start providing a view into the government’s thinking on these questions. But, on the ground, business cycles in defence are often measured in years — even decades. Companies will position themselves well in advance so they’re ready to jump when an RFP finally hits the street on a large

summer, some new NORAD modernization and continental defence projects were added to the list and there have been some recent, one-off acquisitions linked to the war in Ukraine. But, as always, companies will position themselves in response to the customer’s stated needs and those needs must be clearly articulated before we begin making changes to lines of business or ramping up production.

Q: Defence companies in the National Capital Region are quite bullish. But they often cite government red tape and regulations, talent shortages and challenges with accessing global markets as obstacles. Is there anything more the government can do to support local industry players?

Defence is not like other markets. It’s tightly regulated and governments worldwide often favour their defence industrial bases, so the market can be quite protectionist. Canada’s government could do more to smooth the path for homegrown companies and champion them abroad. Likewise, we could look at more partnerships between government and industry — like talent exchanges — to help address talent shortages. This need is particularly true in the cyber domain. And finally, the industry understands that export regulations exist for a reason. But the government must ensure that it meets its service standards when issuing export permits and security clearances. These are tough challenges, but the solutions are there. And CADSI, as the voice of the Canadian defence industry, has been pushing hard for them in recent years.

Q: How would you describe CANSEC to someone who has never heard of it?

project like the Future Fighter or the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Long-term planning and visibility are important. In 2017, the government unveiled its overarching defence plan – Strong, Secure, Engaged, or “SSE” for short – and since then it’s been steadily implementing that roadmap, along with advancing its defence investment plan. Last

Officially, we describe CANSEC as North America’s premier defence, security and emerging technologies trade show. But I think, at its core, it’s a connection point; for industry, for government and for the military. It’s an opportunity for 300-plus companies to show off their latest and greatest capabilities directly to the customer. There are massive defence trade shows in Europe and the Middle East and we consider CANSEC to be a boutique version of that — distilling the best parts of those events and condensing them into two high-value, networking-packed days.

Continued on page 25

A conference attendee checks out some of the tech on display at CANSEC 2022. PHOTO COURTESY OF CADSI

Going virtual: How CAE is revolutionizing military training around the world

When it comes to training the next generation of military personnel, CAE has always had its finger on the pulse of how to prepare defence forces.

Founded shortly after the second world war by a former member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian company has played a critical role in developing training solutions and technologies for defence and military customers for more than 75 years.

Today, the company is continuing to revolutionize training and support solutions, by adopting and developing leading edge technologies to transform how students learn.

Focusing on personalized training and integrating state-of-the-art virtual simulators into the classroom, CAE is helping address the needs of defence and security organizations across the

air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.

“We transform training to be centered around the students,” said Phillippe Perey, head of technology, defence and security at CAE.

CAE’s customized, turnkey training programs and systems are designed to help forces and crews acquire the critical skills and knowledge they need to do their job safely and effectively.

Using a mix of applications, digital courseware, virtual, augmented and mixed reality as well as high-fidelity simulators that mimic what it’s like to be on board a naval ship or engaged in air combat, students not only gain direct experience, but instructors also receive immediate performance data.

“Instructors can see how each student is performing and decide whether they need to intervene,” said Perey, adding that simulators

can also recreate high-pressure situations to help students build confidence. “This often creates a faster learning process, which can save organizations both time and money.”

Revolutionizing fighter pilot training

One of CAE’s modern technological innovations is “Sprint”, an Immersive Training Device — or ITD — that provides aviation students with a realistic learning experience as well as immediate feedback on individual and accumulated class performance.

Built around a helmet-mounted virtual reality display, CAE Sprint includes a seat equipped with the primary flight controls, the stick, the throttle, and rudder pedals that replicate what students will find in an aircraft.

“It simulates every aspect of flying a military plane,” says Perey.

In fact the experience is so real that the student is exposed to the same stress they might feel in the actual (live) situation. By monitoring biometric readings like heart rate and eyetracking, instructors can assess individual student’s stress, engagement and cognitive workload levels, and adjust training to moderate, or increase complexity, either slowing or accelerating training as appropriate.

The VR headset also gives students a 360 view of the terrain, the airport, and the landing area, ensuring an as close to real-world experience as possible.

“The students can look back and see the tail of the aircraft,” said Perey. “They can move the rudders and they can see that the tail sections are moving. They can look at their wing tips to assess if they’re coming in correctly. They can check the weather and see how much fuel they have left.”

While this technology may seem like a major shift from the traditional method of teaching, it isn’t meant to replace instructors, who Perey says “are worth their weight in gold”, but to meet the learning needs of the tech-driven, next generation.

“It’s really about acquiring the knowledge and skills,” added Perey. “To create a great pilot you need to help them acquire the right knowledge, skills, and attitudes, and technology like this does just that, efficiently and effectively.”

Continued from page 23

Q: What are some of the benefits of the show for the local economy?

CANSEC is actually Ottawa’s biggest annual business event. Although not open to the public, its global reach makes booking a hotel in the city for the last week of May impossible. Once they’re here, those delegates are spending corporate dollars, hosting networking events all over the city, taking clients out for dinner, shopping, and more. We estimate the economic impact to be around $15 million. But many of our members bring local economic benefits to Ottawa year-round.

Q: That’s interesting. In what ways?

Well, many defence and cybersecurity-focused companies have their Canadian headquarters in Ottawa or work closely with Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards. The industry has always been a big driver of innovation and growth and we have government statistics to back that up. Ottawa, of course, is Canada’s government and military hub and that

attracts world-class companies like Calian, Lockheed Martin and many other advanced technology firms that call Kanata home. That type of tech cluster becomes a business ecosystem of its own, where like-minded companies will set up shop and grow their networks. Bayview Yards is another perfect example of how defence and security companies can come together and act as economic drivers.

Q: You’ve been personally involved with the show for 15 years. How has it changed?

It’s been a privilege watching CANSEC grow into the event it is today. It used to be a small, annual Ottawa trade show where you would know everyone on the floor. Today, it’s tripled in size, attracts over 50 international delegations and top executives, and features ministers making strategic announcements on stage. As it’s grown, it’s also moved — from the Ottawa Congress Centre, to Lansdowne, to its home today at the EY Centre. And we’re bursting at the seams even now due to demand, which has become one of our selling features.

Q: So how do you think CANSEC will evolve moving forward? Could it ever outgrow Ottawa?

As we all know, the technological revolution is here and it’s happening fast. The defence industry is not immune, especially when it comes to advancements in AI, communication systems, autonomous systems, cyber systems, and blockchains. As the demands of a modern military evolve, the industry is evolving, too. As the

association representing that marketplace, we recently established the CANSEC Labs to showcase emerging technology companies not traditionally involved in the defence sector and that will keep growing.

We know how lucky we are to be in a strategic city like Ottawa and have exceptional partners in Invest Ottawa, Tourism Ottawa and multiple government entities. So for the foreseeable future we’re proud to call Ottawa CANSEC’s home.

(Above and below) CANSEC provides networking opportunities with industry players. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CADSI

Fortifying Canada’s Cyber Defences: Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Empowering Organizations

BY JOHN HEWIE, NATIONAL SECURITY OFFICER, MICROSOFT CANADA

Two years into Russia’s war on Ukraine, governments and analysts are still uncovering new information about the sophistication, scope and severity of the widespread cyber operations aimed at devastating the Ukrainian government, military, economy and critical infrastructure. In April of this year, the Canadian Minister of National Defence issued a stark warning for Canadian organizations – cyber threat activity by Russian-aligned actors targeting Ukraine’s partners is on the rise, and Canada is no exception. Cybersecurity remains a top priority for the defence industry.

Recognizing the significance of safeguarding critical infrastructure and protecting national security, the defense industry plays a crucial role in developing advanced military technologies and capabilities to combat these evolving cyber threats.

These threats are not part of a distant, hypothetical future. In April, the head of the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity indicated that a cyber threat actor had the potential to cause physical damage to critical infrastructure. While no physical damage occurred, the threat to critical infrastructure is very real. Critical infrastructure refers to networks and systems that Canadians rely on for essential services, such as energy, water and utility systems, financial services and healthcare. Nation states see critical infrastructure as a desirable target to help them gather information, develop a foothold in anticipation of future hostilities and to intimidate governments.

In an advanced, interconnected economy like Canada’s, cyber threats pose an important risk. Rapid technology and digital transformation across all sectors has created new challenges. For a critical service like healthcare, security vulnerability has increased due to the evolution of medical technology and rapid transition to electronic health records (EHRs). But in many cases, breaches are caused by outdated systems and a lack of cybersecurity awareness. In recent years, the Ottawa Hospital has adopted a robust security posture following ransomware attacks that affected other healthcare

organizations across the province and country. Using cloud scale defences to quickly contain attacks and the sharing of threat intelligence with partner institutions has been a key component of their digital transformation.

While critical infrastructure is a key target for threat actors, Canadian organizations of all sizes across all industries are at risk of cyber attacks. The majority of attacks exploit gaps in the implementation of cyber security best practices. Microsoft’s latest Digital Defense Report shared that ninety-eight per cent of cyber attacks can be thwarted by basic hygiene, including these foundational best practices:

· Adopt a modern Zero Trust security framework - the traditional perimeter-focused defenses are no longer alone sufficient to protect internal networks and data. Zero Trust is a model to address the modern challenges of securing remote workers, protecting hybrid cloud environments, and defending against advanced cybersecurity threats.

· Enable “phish resistant” multifactor authentication – Cybercriminals don’t “break in”, they “log in” and weak login credentials can provide attackers with easy entry to gain unchallenged access to corporate resources.

· Keep up to date – Mitigate the risk of software vulnerabilities by ensuring your organization’s devices, infrastructure and applications are kept up to date and correctly configured. Utilizing cloud services reduces your burden on applying software updates.

· Install and enable a modern security endpoint solution - Detect and block malware and malicious activity at a key point of entry using AI and cloud scale threat intelligence.

· Protect your data – Implement information protection best practices such as applying sensitivity labels and enforcing data loss prevention policies. Protect the confidentiality

of your information by limiting access to files or emails. Set “do not forward” or “do not print” restrictions where appropriate and classify documents to prevent employees from accessing them when they leave the organization. Back up your important data with cloud storage and maintain an offline copy to avoid data loss.

· Empower your employees with cybersecurity awareness trainingEmployees are your first line of defense and boosting or enhancing end user knowledge on security threats can go a long way to help reduce the risk of data exposure to phishing and other cyber attacks.

Reporting cybercrimes plays a vital role in combating the ever-evolving threat landscape. Shockingly, only a small fraction of cybercrimes or frauds are reported to the police in Canada, presenting significant challenges for law enforcement. If you suspect you or your organization have fallen victim of a scam, fraud or cybercrime, contact your local police immediately. The Canadian Center for Cybersecurity provides detailed instructions and what to expect at www.cyber.gc.ca

From the highest levels of government, to any one of Canada’s millions of small businesses, cyber attacks aren’t just likely, they’re inevitable. Today’s threats demand a heightened level of awareness and vigilance at every level to protect organizations and everyday Canadians from bad actors. Adopting good cyber hygiene and modern cloud solutions is our best defence and a critical step in preparing for a modern threat landscape that continues to evolve. Learn more on how to protect yourself and your organization at www.microsoft.com/en-ca/security/business/ security-101.

How John King helped luxury brokerage Engel & Völkers find a home in Ottawa

John King is on his way to see some clients in a few hours – clients he first worked with more than two decades ago.

“I’m seeing them tonight,” he grins. “I helped them buy their current house maybe around 2001 or so, and we can’t wait to see each other.”

It’s these kinds of long-term relationships –many of his clients have become friends – that King says makes the real estate business worthwhile. It’s also, he explains, a big part of what drove him to launch the Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central real estate brokerage in 2016.

“The relationships you build when you’re in our industry really are second to none, because it’s such a big purchase. As an agent you’re helping people navigate the biggest purchase of their lives.”

Bringing a premium real estate brand to Ottawa

The brokerage’s owner and broker of record got his start in local real estate more than a quarter-century ago, not long after he and his partner bought their first house. “And I remember saying at the time, ‘I think I could do that,’” he says with a laugh.

“I really enjoyed the experience of buying a home. And that’s really what launched me into the business.”

After working as a Realtor while receiving mentorship from Bill Renaud, a successful local real estate agent-turned-coach, King achieved broker status in 2004 – all while consistently achieving toptier sales results.

His combination of top results and commitment to building and maintaining relationships eventually led him to Engel & Völkers, a globally recognized luxury real estate brand, less than a decade ago.

“I was really inspired by the brand,” he explains. “It was distinct and a differentiation in the Ottawa marketplace. Ottawa didn’t have a luxury real estate brand in the past.”

“And so to work under that brand in Ottawa, it was really a matter of opening up the company myself.”

Starting a business and building a brand

Since then, King has watched his once-fledgling business grow and become a major player in the Ottawa real estate market, particularly the local luxury market.

Not that it was easy, mind you – starting and operating a business rarely is. Along with educating the marketplace about the brand, King also needed to learn how to run a company from the ground up, something he’d never done before.

The first couple of years were difficult, he says. “I was the only employee,” he recalls, “and I had to convince other Realtors that it was the right brand and fit.

“But once we got a few agents that bought in, a lot of other real estate agents took note that we were something special,” says King, who handselects his real estate agents and often turns agents down if they’re not a good fit.

King’s emphasis on top-quality service meshed well with the Engel & Völkers brand, and after just a few years, he’s now grown the

business into one with more than a dozen staff and 100-plus real estate agents – each with a relentless focus on providing the best service possible.

“It’s all about those relationships, and providing an above-average level of service. I want agents who have huge hearts, who are kind, that care about their clients, and that put their clients’ needs in front of theirs – because if they do that, then the service part comes easy.”

Ottawa real estate market turns a corner King says he’s looking forward to an improved local real estate climate in the summer of 2023, with early spring signs already pointing to a turnaround from the market’s post-pandemic depths when prices dropped 23 percent between April and December of 2022.

He says prices are now up around eight percent from that December low, with a burst of spring activity reflecting a renewed optimism among sellers and buyers. “This is the first time in almost a year that we’ve felt really good momentum,” says King, who predicts a more traditional real estate year in the city for 2023.

“Properties are selling fairly quickly, and we’re often seeing multiple offers – although at a lower price than we would’ve seen a year ago.”

Top Engel & Völkers office in North America

That bodes well for anyone in real estate in the Ottawa area, but especially so for clients of Engel & Völkers Ottawa Central – whose commitment to good service won the brokerage the company’s top honor, the Engel & Völkers Cup, in 2021.

The local office beat out several other North American offices – including Park City, Utah; Atlanta, Georgia; and West Vancouver – to claim the prize.

King says he and his colleagues held a large event at the Westin, in downtown Ottawa, to celebrate. “And when I looked out at everybody in attendance, I said that we all have one thing in common: That we all really care about our clients.”

Younger workers have different priorities when it comes to benefits, report finds

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

The needs and priorities that employees look for in a health-care package vary greatly based on which generation they belong to and have changed significantly over the years, according to a recent study.

The study, conducted by Canadian insurance company Medavie Blue Cross, found that the modern workplace employs generation Z, millennials, generation X, baby boomers and some traditionalists (born between 1928 and 1945), meaning age gaps of more than 50 years.

“Today’s workforce is one of the most multi-generational on record,” said Shane Reid, director of drug, product and provider management at Medavie. “It’s great for diversity but poses a unique challenge to appeal to the varying needs of those generations.”

While gen-Z employees, the most recent age group to enter the full-time workforce, listed ADD/ADHD medication, contraceptives and antidepressants among their top five drug benefits, boomers and traditionalists typically seek drugs for cardiac health and diabetes.

Mental health supports are among the top utilized benefits for younger employees but weren’t even listed by boomers or traditionalists, the report found. Bridging the gap, generation X, born between 1965 and 1980, want mental health care but also require access to drugs for diabetes.

“Employers will have to be proactive to ensure employees can have access to different types of care,” Reid said. “And it really speaks to the importance of accessibility and inclusivity.”

Beyond the desire to keep employees happy is the need to avoid workplace

conflict, a unique aspect of a multigenerational workforce, said Ottawa human resources expert Helen Ofosu.

Increased diversity creates “more opportunity for conflict” in the workplace, said Ofosu, an issue that is amplified when employees are not at their best — particularly in terms of mental health.

“My suspicion is that the traditionalists and boomers are more accustomed to toughing things out. Things could be hard, but they white-knuckle it,” Ofosu explained. “But millennials and gen-Zers were raised another way. When you’re allowed to talk about your feelings, process them, and encouraged to work on your mental health, it is a very different way of interacting.”

Ofosu, author of “How to be Resilient in Your Career: Facing Up to Barriers at Work,” said the “workplace now is more complicated and more difficult” than she

has ever experienced due to the unique combination of multiple generations, remote work, diversity and inclusion and quickly evolving technology.

She said it “makes sense” to invest in the wellness of all employees, regardless of their generation, particularly when it comes to mental health.

“You’ll have people who, if they can’t afford it, they’ll try to tough it out. They’re going to be at work, maybe demonstrating presenteeism, they’re there and present but not engaged and can’t contribute what they normally would,” she said. Then there’s regular absenteeism, she added, which can end up costing companies both in money and productivity.

“It might actually be cheaper to give people access to flexible benefits than have them skip or be in office but not as productive as they could be,” Ofosu said. “I’m sure that goes along with ADD or ADHD as well; if someone has medical support and strategies, it allows them to be more productive.”

Thanks to better health care, increased remote options and flexibility in the workplace, Ofosu said older generations can more comfortably work far longer than they used to.

According to Reid, a multigenerational workplace will be the norm “for the foreseeable future.”

“Employers can consider offering personal protection and the ability for generations to plan for the long term and employers can encourage the advantage of digital care and streamlined ways for employees to access care,” he said. “With a curated digital health platform, there is greater flexibility with virtual health services and multiple options that different people may pick and choose.

“But the employer must engage in the conversations and understand the lived experiences of the various generations in the workplace.”

Why pandemic temporary layoffs could still cause business headaches

While the pandemic is seemingly in the rearview mirror, many businesses are still grappling with the fallout.

One example is a recent case that revealed some confusion around the rules concerning temporary layoffs and the Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (IDEL). The IDEL was the leave introduced by the Government of Ontario to deal specifically with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kyle Shimon, an associate with employment law firm Emond Harnden, says these different leaves and various intersecting areas of employment law have created an understandable amount of confusion for employers. “The Employment Standards Act, 2000 explicitly states that you can lay off employees on a temporary basis; however, that isn’t always the case and it can have expensive consequences for employers,” said Shimon.

Where statute law and common law collide

The Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”) outlines minimum employment standards. However, the common law may provide greater protection in some areas, such as temporary layoffs. Unless employers specify in an employment contract that the lesser ESA protections apply exclusively, employees may be entitled to the protection of both sources of law.

“These two parallel sources of employment law usually work hand-in-hand. But where they conflict, as in the case with temporary layoffs, it becomes easy for employers to look at just one source of law,” said Shimon.

Employers may not be aware of this gray area and look only to the ESA for guidance. “Most employers don’t realize that despite the ESA saying temporary layoffs are allowed, common law courts may take it upon themselves to call that temporary layoff a constructive dismissal and order damages against the employer,” said Shimon. It creates an odd situation where courts can effectively require employers to repeat a

provision of the ESA in a written employment contract to protect themselves against a future claim.

How the pandemic muddied the waters

When COVID-19 hit, many employers were forced to temporarily lay off some or all of their employees.

The Ontario government introduced the IDEL by regulation. The regulation provided that employees whose hours were temporarily reduced or eliminated due to COVID were deemed to be on IDEL instead of being on a temporary layoff. Additionally, under the regulation, COVID-related reduction or elimination of hours was deemed not to be constructive dismissal under the ESA.

However, the question remained whether a COVID-related temporary layoff constituted constructive dismissal at common law. In spite of the pandemic being largely behind us, court decisions that address issues around these temporary layoffs and IDEL leaves are still only coming out now.

The Pham vs. Qualified Metal Fabricators Ltd. case is a notable one. Pham was a 20-year employee who was temporarily laid off in March 2020. Pham claimed that he was constructively dismissed, as he had not consented to the layoff.

“The company’s initial defense was that Pham had been laid off for so long without saying anything, that he had condoned the layoff and relinquished his right to sue the company for constructive dismissal,” said Shimon.

The Superior Court judge agreed and dismissed Pham’s claim, but the Ontario Court of Appeal clarified two points of the law when they overturned the initial decision.

The Court said that condonation is expressed by positive action. Employers can’t infer from silence that an employee acquiesced to being laid off. The Court also stated that employees are entitled to reasonable time to assess their situation before claiming constructive dismissal.

Secondly, the Court of Appeal found that there was no express or implied term in Pham’s contract allowing him to be temporarily laid off. The fact that other employees had been laid off was not enough to constitute an implied term in his contract allowing a layoff.

“The employer couldn’t assume there was a common understanding about the possibility of a temporary layoff,” said Shimon.

The bottom line is that employers need to be aware that while the ESA may allow for temporary layoffs, the common law may provide greater protection. Employers can address this issue by putting in place an enforceable written employment contract which stipulates that a temporary layoff may occur and will not constitute constructive dismissal.

If you want to learn more about this or any other gray area in employment law, get in touch with Kyle Shimon or any other lawyer at Emond Harnden.

How two sources of law intersected in a recent and notable case

More working moms want greater flexibility from employers: survey

SARAH MACFARLANE

sarah@obj.ca

Arecent survey found that 36 per cent of Canadian working women were willing to accept a salary reduction in exchange for a remote work model.

Results of the Robert Half Canada survey of 1,100 employees also showed that 57 per cent of working moms plan to look or are already looking for a new job in the first half of 2023. Of those, 82 per cent were looking for hybrid or fully remote roles and 26 per cent cited more flexibility as the reason they planned to pursue other employment.

Priya Bhaloo, chief operating officer at TAG HR, said, in light of these types of workplace trends, employers should look at their team members as “whole people.”

“When you’re engaging humans, you want to be able to fit their role to the person filling it,” said Bhaloo. “I think that, pre-pandemic, there were more barriers and people weren’t used to thinking outside the box. Now we know that the rules are out the window.”

During the pandemic, “we had a Zoom window to everyone else’s life and you see all these things that are pulling at them,” she added.

Employers should discuss what

“concessions” and flexible options they are able to offer, Bhaloo continued. And it’s not just about remote work, Bhaloo explained.

“Whether that’s concessions towards daycare costs, flexible hours, without it negatively impacting work, that’s huge,” she said. “We’re all in for health and wellness benefits, but maybe, as opposed to that, it goes towards parents’ activities, tutoring for children and lending an allowance towards that. It’s about ways you can lend compensation to something more flexible.

“The employee needs to be vocal about what constraints are on them that have them looking at potential other employment, because I’ve seen people turn down growth because of the constraints on them,” Bhaloo added. “But if we discuss this openly, there are ways around it.”

Women aren’t the only parents seeking options. Bhaloo said fathers also are looking for flexibility.

“I think that’s just the narrative,” she explained. “Every time there’s a women’s panel, they ask how she balances family and work, but they don’t ask men. Once parental options become part of your company’s benefit list, you shouldn’t be keeping it a secret. Then when you see male employees ask, we should be willing to provide that.”

An “abundance” of evidence supports the benefits of having mothers participate in the workforce, said Renée Fullerton, chief operating officer at iHR Advisory Services. “And yet, organizations still struggle to create work environments that provide the kind of flexibility and support needed to keep mothers working,” she said.

Fullerton said she often hears from clients and colleagues who are not willing to sacrifice family life for work and are looking for jobs that will “respect the value their role as a working mother brings to their professional life and the work that they do.”

In addition to the ability to work from home, Fullerton said she sees requests for a gradual return to work from paternal leave and flexibility in start and end times for shifts.

Fullerton would like to see employers being more “proactive” in ensuring the working parents on their team feel supported.

“We all know that the world of work

was not designed with the working mother in mind,” Fullerton explained. “Therefore, the burden has historically been on working mothers to ask for specific accommodations, when needed.

“Even now, article after article talks about how the past few years have shown quite clearly that working mothers need to communicate their needs and set boundaries. However, we have to recognize that this is not easily done in an employment setting where there is a clear power differential.”

Instead, employers should “reconsider” where, when and how work needs to be done.

“It involves asking questions, listening and trying new things to find what works best,” said Fullerton. “Adjusting the work environment, policies and practices where it makes sense to do so can relieve some of the burden of working mothers from having to ‘ask’ and ‘plead their case’, saving accommodation requests for truly unique situations.”

As children and families change, so must the options for parents, said Bhaloo.

“We don’t have that village anymore with a neighbourhood daycare. It’s hard to find childcare and it’s exceedingly more expensive, so remote work is still a huge thing,” explained Bhaloo, remembering times she missed conferences to stay home with her children. “If you’re a parent, you have different needs at different parts of your child’s life.

“The scary thing for me is the women who are backing out because they probably don’t see another option,” she said. “If we lose the old mentality of ‘shoulds’ and focus on what we could be doing, it’s allowing the person to grow and having a huge impact. We are changing the mould and changing the status quo by looking at employees as whole people.”

Priya Bhaloo, chief operating officer at TAG HR

ACCELERATE YOUR CAREER

without leaving your job

Sprott’s Professional MBA Program is designed specifically for busy professionals, with a convenient schedule and a focus on the knowledge, skills and vision needed to lead with purpose. Learn in a dynamic and active environment from world-class faculty and classmates who bring multidisciplinary perspectives to discussions - all while balancing your work-life demands.

Make your next career move. sprott.carleton.ca/pmba

Partners in Ottawa’s prosperity

At Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business, we work in partnership with business, government and community organizations to cultivate talent and share knowledge that positively impacts the economic development of Ottawa and the National Capital Region. Learn more by visiting sprott.carleton.ca/ partners-in-ottawas-prosperity.

Experiential learning benefits organizations and students

As organizations seek to find new ways to attract top talent in today’s competitive job market, experiential learning serves as a powerful talent development and recruitment tool. Not only do students gain insights to career pathways, industries and organizations,

but also employers are able to witness students’ leadership, teamwork and other skills in action.

Business education today takes place in a variety of learning environments. Experiential learning provides postsecondary students with the opportunity to work collaboratively with business and community organizations on strategic projects and challenges. Students apply their knowledge and creativity to deliver innovative solutions that positively impact organizations and communities.

For example, the Sprott Student Consulting Group (SSCG) helps organizations address a wide array of challenges through no-cost consulting services provided by faculty-guided student teams. The composition of

the student team is tailored to the organization’s specific needs.

Sprott student consultants have worked on a diverse range of projects, including business continuity and recovery planning, event management, strategies for growth, fund development strategy, market research, among others.

Andrew Webb, assistant professor of International Business and SSCG academic director at the Sprott School of Business, calls the model a “win-winwin” for the value it provides to students, organizations and the community.

The Sprott School of Business and EY Canada work in collaboration to foster talent and leadership development within the SSCG. EY professionals, in providing mentorship and coaching to Sprott student consultants, gain early

access to their future workforce and valuable insights on their motivations and way of thinking to inform their practice.

In addition, experiential learning provides opportunities to tap into the collective classroom knowledge to test thinking for your organization.

For example, the Sprott School of Business works with businesses and organizations to develop cases for use in courses and case competitions. Case-based learning trains students to find creative solutions that can spark innovation in the workplace.

Organizations can also benefit from new perspectives and fresh approaches to address current challenges and opportunities by working with Sprott faculty to develop project-based learning opportunities for their courses.

Work-integrated learning helps keep talent in the region

As more workplaces move to adopt

The Nicol Building, home to Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business

virtual work as a permanent option for workers, job opportunities for students and graduates are no longer limited by distance.

“We are working to ensure that students know how to network as far and wide as possible, because their next opportunity can come from anywhere around the world,” said Lisa Lawrence, team lead of Sprott’s Business Career Management Centre.

This trend is increasing pressure on organizations’ recruitment strategies as workers are not bound by location. They can live near their families or opt to live in more affordable locations without sacrificing their careers.

Many students, including international students, wish to remain in Ottawa after they graduate. Workintegrated learning opportunities –such as co-operative education and internships – enable companies in the Ottawa region to introduce students to all they have to offer and to start building relationships with prospective talent early on, while they are living and studying in the region.

For instance, MBA students possess a variety of academic and technical backgrounds. This offers local companies access to a diverse pool of multidisciplinary and multilingual talent.

In addition to MBA internships,

students in Sprott’s Master of Accounting, Master of Finance and Bachelor of International Business programs also complete internships as part of their programs, while Bachelor of Commerce students can participate in co-op.

Carleton University offers a variety of convenient opportunities to recruit students and alumni for co-op placements, internships, part-time, fulltime and new graduate positions.

Talent retention and succession planning through lifelong learning

The disruption of recent years has seen the world of business become exponentially complex. Organizations and businesses require people with the knowledge, skills and vision to lead them through this period of transformative change and into the future.

• Innovative leadership and management education

Sprott’s Professional MBA (PMBA) is designed intentionally for busy professionals. To enable students to continue working and balance life’s many demands, courses are delivered in an intensive, executive format with classes on Fridays and Saturdays of alternating weeks.

Sprott’s expert faculty delivers an

integrated management curriculum with a focus on strategic leadership concepts and complex decision making. Courses reflect the current needs of organizations and market trends.

Students in the PMBA have access to a professional coach in Sprott’s coaching community for personalized and focused professional development support.

PMBA graduates often identify the diverse, cross-disciplinary perspectives of class discussions as one of the most valued aspects of the program.

“Whether it’s engineering, science, healthcare, environmental and social governance – you’re learning from people who are subject matter experts in their fields,” said Mohammad Al Jarrah, PMBA/21. “The points raised are very different from what you’d get in a room of like-minded individuals. The discussions are richer and more robust.”

• Next generation financial education

As technology continues to grow its influence on business, so does the need for professionals who bring functional expertise in combination with skills in technology and analytics.

Starting this fall, the Sprott School of Business will offer its new Master of Finance (MFin) program to develop

the next generation of financial professionals.

“Students interested in careers in Finance now have the opportunity to learn the most up-to-date financial knowledge and data analysis skills required by the industry,” said Yuriy Zabolotnyuk, MFin program director and associate professor of Finance at the Sprott School of Business.

“Our faculty are excited. Employers have been asking for this and we’re ready to deliver.”

The curriculum focuses heavily on the CFA® Institute Body of Knowledge, equipping students with deep knowledge of investment analysis, investment management, risk management, sustainable finance and ESG.

This is bolstered by skills in applied data analysis and proficiency in the latest industry tools and technology to prepare graduates for success in a highly competitive job market.

MFin students will gain practical experience through an internship and the opportunity to participate in the Sprott Student Investment Fund, a student managed, real investment portfolio currently valued over $2 million.

Reach out to the Sprott School of Business to learn more about opportunities for lifelong learning and talent development.

CARLETON UINVERSITY

CARLETON UINVERSITY

LAUNCH YOUR FINANCE CAREER INTO THE FUTURE

Sprott’s Master of Finance will equip you with a deep understanding of advanced financial concepts and the skills for complex data analysis, putting you at the forefront of the next generation of financial professionals. Upon completion of the program, you’ll be able to pursue the globally-recognized CFA® designation and a wide range of career opportunities in finance and investment management.

Make your next career move. sprott.carleton.ca/mfin

We’re pleased to showcase this year’s recipients of our annual Forty Under 40 award.

Hani Al Anid 38, SENIOR DIRECTOR, NUCLEAR AND ENVIRONMENT CALIAN

Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau

30, FOUNDER AND CEO WELBI

Jessica Barrow 36, PARTNER PERLEY-ROBERTSON, HILL & MCDOUGALL LLP

Ginger Bertrand 39, PRESIDENT GAB GROUP INC.

Jacqueline Bonisteel 38, PARTNER CORPORATE IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM

Pavel Bogdanov 38, CEO OTTAWA FLOWERS INC.

Jesse Card 39, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR YOUTH OTTAWA

Michèle Corriveau 37, CHIROPRACTOR AND TECHNICAL LEAD CURAVITA HEALTH GROUP

Derick Cotnam 36, CEO MY CATERING GROUP

Bradley Crepeau 35, CEO FOOD CYCLE SCIENCE

Brendan Du Vall

39, SENIOR DIRECTOR TICKET SALES AND SERVICE OTTAWA SENATORS HOCKEY CLUB

Andre Fernandez 37, CO-CEO INVERT

Dave Hale 34, FOUNDER AND CEO CRAFT&CREW

Julia Heintzman

39, SENIOR ASSOCIATE LAWYER SOLOWAY WRIGHT LLP

Matthew Henley 38, COO AI TALOS

Natasha Hope Morano 37, PRESIDENT NHM CONNECT

Adel Jawhary 30, CEO RYDEL ROOFING & SIDING

Victoria La Valle 32, VICE-PRESIDENT CITYSCAPE

Gregory Macdonald 32, FOUNDER AND CEO BATHORIUM

Connor McGarry 36, DIRECTOR WELCH CAPITAL PARTNERS INC.

Jessie McAllister 39, DENTIST AND OWNER MCALLISTER DENTISTRY

Nitin Mehra 38, CHEF AND CO-OWNER EAST INDIA COMPANY

Emma Mohns 34, SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, CORPORATE KINAXIS

Michael Nelson 35, FOUNDER AND CEO TACTIQL INC.

Joseph Pamic 34, VICE-PRESIDENT CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT POWER-TEK GROUP

Devan Pennell 37, PRINCIPAL LKC CONSULTING

Ryan Peatt 39, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER PROXI.ID

Kelly Rusk 39, PRESIDENT KELLY RUSK CONSULTING INC.

Marc Sauvé 39, MANAGING PARTNER DAVID | SAUVÉ LLP

Todd Shannon 38, PARTNER AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER HUMANCONTACT INC.

Mahima Sharma

36, VICE-PRESIDENT INNOVATION, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE POLICY FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

Candice Shaw

37, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE OTTAWA RAPE CRISIS CENTRE (ORCC)

Kyle Soutar

36, FOUNDER AND CFO BETTER GROUP

Tristan Smyth

31, CHIEF IMPACT AND STRATEGY OFFICER WARSHIELD

Patrick Taillefer

34, PRESIDENT TAILLEFER PLUMBING & HEATING INC.

Rohan Thakar

39, MANAGING PARTNER BRASH INC.

Thomas Triplet

39, HEAD OF AI AND ENGINEERING BLUWAVE.AI

Adam Van Cleeff

37, VICE-PRESIDENT CUSTOMER SUCCESS FULLSCRIPT

Mary Yazdani

38, FOUNDER AND CEO GENESISLINK CONSULTING SERVICES

Piriya Yoganathan

33, HEAD, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL’S BIOTHERAPEUTICS MANUFACTURING CENTRE

Hani Al Anid

38,

SENIOR DIRECTOR, NUCLEAR AND ENVIRONMENT CALIAN

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Establishing the Calian nuclear team as a leader in the emerging small modular reactor industry, and supporting new nuclear build projects across Canada to meet net-zero 2050 emission targets.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Managing a rapidly growing team while implementing remote and flexible work arrangements.

Elizabeth AudetteBourdeau

30, FOUNDER AND CEO WELBI

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Founded three companies by the age of 23. My latest venture, Welbi, is impacting the lives of over 60,000 seniors in North America every day.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My family. They have always been there for me, supporting me through the ups and downs and constantly encouraging me to push my limits.

Jessica Barrow

36, PARTNER PERLEY-ROBERTSON, HILL & MCDOUGALL LLP

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: The biggest challenge has been making space for motherhood and a busy practice. My tenacity and dedication allowed me to create that space.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My biggest influence has been the women in law who have mentored me, championed me, shaped the nature of my practice and demonstrated that anything is possible.

Ginger Bertrand

39, PRESIDENT GAB GROUP INC.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT:

Founded a boutique entertainment PR firm that transitioned into one of Canada’s leading entertainment agencies and talent management firms. Accomplishing this with an all-female team.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

My parents, who taught me how to achieve success by treating employees and the people in your life with respect, dignity, kindness and loyalty.

Jacqueline Bonisteel

38, PARTNER CORPORATE IMMIGRATION LAW FIRM

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT

Founded the Ottawa office and grew it into a profitable business helping clients navigate immigration issues for their employees and families.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My parents (both high school teachers) gave me the resources to succeed and the space to allow me to figure out what success meant to me.

Pavel Bogdanov

38, CEO OTTAWA FLOWERS INC.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT

Scaled to become the largest retail florist in Ontario.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Building a large team.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My parents, who came to Canada with zero and built the North American dream.

Congratulations, Emma!

Forty Under 40 Award Recipient

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Emma Mohns for her outstanding achievement as one of the Forty Under 40 awardees. As senior legal counsel at Kinaxis, Emma’s contributions to the company’s growth and success are truly commendable.

We applaud Emma for her remarkable accomplishments and celebrate her tireless commitment. Congratulations, Emma, on this well-deserved honour. Your business and legal brilliance shine bright.

Jesse Card

39, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR YOUTH OTTAWA

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: I have been able to navigate out of COVID and increase revenue and grow headcount.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

My late mother, Susan, taught me to show compassion and I observed her glide through life without stressing over the small stuff. My father lit my passion for business and is still a mentor. My wife, Jessica, can always steer me back to a balanced approach.

Michèle Corriveau

37, CHIROPRACTOR AND TECHNICAL LEAD, CURAVITA HEALTH GROUP

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: During the pandemic, I helped to pivot our patient files to digital files as we implemented our new electronic health record system, Aspire.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: I had a great chiropractor growing up. How he cared for others and his role in health care made a lot of sense to me. I continue to be inspired by my team and colleagues every day.

Derick Cotnam

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Coming out of COVID in a staffing crisis, getting several contracts and growing the business to over $4 million in annual revenue within a sixmonth period, which was four times our annual revenue pre-pandemic.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My family, which has many entrepreneurs and several mentors.

I continue to be inspired by my team and colleagues every day.

36, CEO MY CATERING GROUP

Andre Fernandez

37, CO-CEO INVERT

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Raised over $35 million in a poor macroeconomic environment, doubled revenue over the last year, and hired over 30 employees.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Raising capital in the period where the largest destruction of value took place.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My father taught me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

Bradley Crepeau

35, CEO FOOD CYCLE SCIENCE

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Founded Food Cycle Science at $0 in revenue and grew the business to employ nearly 50 FTE with tens of millions of dollars in profitable revenue. We have innovated new products that hold international patents and are sold in over 20 countries.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My business partner Murray Arthur inspired me to push forward despite any obstacles.

Brendan Du Vall

39, SENIOR DIRECTOR TICKET SALES AND SERVICE

OTTAWA SENATORS HOCKEY CLUB

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Leading our team to the highest attendance increase in the NHL this past season and celebrating 15 sold-out games. Seeing the building packed again was electric.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Navigating the global pandemic. We were able to retain our fans and partners through extensive internal collaboration and creative problemsolving.

Dave Hale

34, FOUNDER AND CEO CRAFT&CREW

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT:

In 2010, I took a school project from Algonquin College and turned it into a $12-million, 50-plus person global agency network with a near-perfect employee net promoter score.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: The thing that keeps me up at night is whether or not I am growing as an entrepreneur.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My daughters have grounded me, filled my life with purpose and motivated me.

Julia Heintzman

Matthew Henley

BIGGEST OBSTACLE:

To continue growing my practice while also being a mother of two young children, I have become more efficient and intentional with my time.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My colleague and mentor Iwona Albrecht. She has championed

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Co-founded a passion project focused on identifying early-stage cancer and built a global sales pipeline.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Bootstrapped the company for two years, regulatory hurdles forced a pivot that led to identifying a new target market.

“We are thrilled to recognize our Algonquin College graduates and their amazing achievement as Forty Under 40 honorees. They all embody our mission of transforming hopes and dreams into lifelong success.”

38, COO AI TALOS

39, SENIOR ASSOCIATE LAWYER SOLOWAY WRIGHT LLP

Mark Savenko , Vice-President, Advancement & Strategy, Algonquin College

Derick Cotnam Culinary Management 2007 Owner, My Catering Group

Dave Hale Business Marketing 2010 CEO, Craft&Crew Corp.

Nitkin K. Mehra Culinary Management 2005 Executive Chef & COO, East India Company Restaurants

Kelly Rusk General Arts and Science 2004 President, Kelly Rusk Consulting Inc.

Adam D. Van Clee Business Administration –Marketing 2008 VP Customer Success, Fullscript

Natasha Hope Morano

BIGGEST OBSTACLE:

During the pandemic, I had to keep the lights on at NHM Connect but also care and advocate for my parents who were in a different city and undergoing treatment for cancer.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My mother, who taught me the importance of adhering to your own internal compass and never compromising your integrity.

Adel Jawhary

30, CEO RYDEL

ROOFING & SIDING

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Initially, launching the company with limited experience and financial backing. As we expanded, our challenges shifted to scalability, compounded by labour shortages and financial pressures. Our most significant challenge was the decision to franchise.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My first mentor was Chris Thomson, head coach of Student Works Painting.

CONGRATS TO THIS YEAR’S WINNERS!

KRC

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Growing Cityscape with my family and evolving the industry.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Learning the industry when I started.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My late husband supported me through my education and encouraged my professional aspirations.

Victoria La Valle

32, VICE-PRESIDENT CITYSCAPE

37, PRESIDENT NHM CONNECT

KELLY RUSK CONSULTING INC. Marketing strategy, training and fractional CMO services

Gregory Macdonald

32,

FOUNDER AND CEO BATHORIUM

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Created a movement in the industry highlighting the importance of clean ingredients and decadent bath rituals. Averaging $4 million in annual revenue, employing 30 team members and expanding to a national rollout.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

My mom. She’s my number 1 fan and has believed in me since day one.

Ottawa’s biggest and best celebration of entrepreneurship

My late husband supported me through my education and encouraged my professional aspirations.

Prepare yourself for the challenges of senior leadership

Combine theory with application to:

Foster your strategic mindset

Enhance your ability to lead and manage high-performing teams

Build your practical skills and experience through six consulting projects

Register for an information session: telfer.uOttawa.ca/emba

Telfer Executive MBA advantage: Powerful learning experiences precisely tuned to industry needs

Thecontext of the workplace has significantly evolved in recent years. Between advances in technology and the impact of the pandemic, the how, when, and where work happens is undergoing a significant restructuring. The system in which people work has become vastly more complicated than the traditional nine-to-five office and today’s diverse teams are often scattered across many time zones.

Yet what hasn’t changed – and is perhaps more relevant than ever – is the ability of leaders to strategically and effectively build collaboration and a culture of engagement where employees feel connected to the vision of their organization.

With a focus on cultivating strategic leadership and industry-ready skills, the Telfer School of Management’s Executive Master of Business (EMBA) program at the University of Ottawa is the only program of its kind in Canada offering candidates ample opportunities to apply what they have learned and showcase their abilities to deliver results in an increasingly complex work environment.

PROJECT AND TEAM-BASED LEARNING

Opportunities for applying knowledge are wrapped into six team-based consulting projects. The projects leverage the principles of action-based learning by requiring Executive MBA teams to work on real projects for real client organizations. Each team comprises 5-6 candidates from a cohort of 30 to 40. Each team member contributes a unique perspective based on their diverse range of personal and professional experiences. In fact, the bimodal learning environment of Telfer’s Executive MBA encourages maximum cognitive diversity by welcoming candidates from outside of Ottawa. While many choose to attend classes in-person, the bimodal option provides flexibility to join the program online from anywhere.

“We’re keen on demonstrating that, as they go through this program, our Executive MBA candidates can deliver tangible results. Since the program is

designed to enable candidates to continue to work full time as they study, they conduct projects for external clients, but many also work on projects in their own organizations,” explains Gregory Richards, vice-dean of Graduate Professional Programs at the Telfer School. “By the time our candidates complete the program, they have a really good sense of what works and what doesn’t.”

A significant advantage offered by the projectbased approach is the opportunity for graduates to create a portfolio of projects and referenceable clients who can attest to their abilities. These projects vary significantly from digital marketing to market expansion, including two opportunities to complete work internationally.

The team-based nature of the program encourages Executive MBA candidates to think deeply about team dynamics. Each team is intentionally diverse, bringing together people from distinct fields including engineering, human resources, and finance.

“Candidates learn to speak each other’s languages, which gives them practice on how to engage people who think differently and how to build a level of respect for each other even though they may approach problems very differently,” says Richards.

INDUSTRY RELEVANT CURRICULUM

Telfer Executive MBA program administrators seek out conversations with senior leaders in top Canadian organizations to learn about their hiring practices, succession planning, and how they select highpotential applicants to move into C-level positions. These crucial insights provide concrete direction on how to evolve the Executive MBA’s curriculum, equipping graduates with the skills they will need to be those future senior leaders.

“The leaders of tomorrow need to be responsible managers who are both human-centric and data

savvy. They need to build collaborative environments, a strong focus on results and respect for our planet. They also need to understand how to use information to make decisions related to orchestrating resources and getting things done,” Richards explains. “The more complex your environment becomes, the more you have to rely on data-driven decision-making processes.”

In response, the Telfer School has modified a few courses to focus on digital organizations and on managerial analytics. But it is also introducing content on equity, diversity, and inclusiveness, as well as environmental and social responsibility.

“Overall, in this highly complex environment where leaders need to deal with competing priorities, we are seeing the emergence of manager scientists focusing on framing problems correctly and using quantitative and qualitative data to analyze the situation. That’s the approach our Executive MBA candidates learn and apply going through the program,” Richards explains.

INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED, INTENTIONALLY SMALL

The Telfer School of Management’s international accreditations ensure that the Executive MBA curriculum maintains the highest standard of quality and is primed for innovation, with insights continually integrated from university leaders across the globe. Thanks to the smaller class size, there is dedicated attention to support each individual and connect them with a growing alumni base of approximately 1,350 graduates worldwide. This high-touch service permits candidates to focus on learning. The connection to alumni provides a vast network that candidates can leverage to take the next step in their careers.

For more on the Telfer Executive MBA program, visit telfer.uottawa.ca/emba.

The more complex your environment becomes, the more you have to rely on data-driven decision-making processes.

Connor McGarry

36, DIRECTOR WELCH CAPITAL PARTNERS INC.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Managing two young kids with two working parents at home during COVID.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My dad showed me what it means to balance work and family. In addition, he has 100 per cent supported every life decision I have made. Knowing that I have that support behind me has given me the confidence to make difficult decisions.

Jessie McAllister

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: When the clinic was forced to close during the pandemic, I turned my focus to online booking and virtual consultations to convert potential patients into active clients.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My grandfather was a surgeon at the Civic Hospital for almost 50 years. He inspired me to pursue my passion for health care and give back to my community.

Nitin Mehra

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Successfully launching a line of home cooking sauces across Canada.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Expanding our businesses in a way that maintains our vision, attention to our people and standards for our customers.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My brother, Anish, provided guidance and support tempered with understanding one’s own limitations and the strengths in working as a team.

38, CHEF AND CO-OWNER EAST INDIA COMPANY

My mom and aunts showed me what it was to love what you do and take pride in your career.

39, DENTIST AND OWNER MCALLISTER DENTISTRY

Emma Mohns

34, SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL, CORPORATE KINAXIS

BIGGEST OBSTACLE:

Leading contract negotiations with some of the world’s largest brands as a “small” company in comparison.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

Growing up, I had no shortage of smart, driven, and hardworking women around me. My mom and aunts showed me what it was to love what you do and take pride in your career.

Michael Nelson

35, FOUNDER AND CEO TACTIQL INC.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE:

Bootstrapped from day one, TACTIQL has commercialized a product, achieved its first sales and become cash-flow positive.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

My dad, Rob Nelson, a veteran, led by example with his character, work ethic and passion for having an impact on his community.

FÉLICITATIONS PATRICK TAILLEFER

Toutes nos félicitations à Patrick Taillefer, fier diplômé du Collège La Cité, qui s’inscrit dans le top Forty Under 40 de la Ville d’Ottawa.

Patrick est un exemple pour son milieu, partageant sa passion pour les métiers spécialisés. Grâce à ses initiatives en matière de diversité, à son style de leadership transparent, à sa vision stratégique et à l’importance qu’il accorde à l’environnement, la taille de son entreprise a triplé au cours de la pandémie.

Congratulations, Patrick !

Ottawa’s biggest and best celebration of entrepreneurship

Patrick Taillefer, président de TPH Plumbing & Heating

Joseph Pamic

34, VICE-PRESIDENT CORPORATE DEVELOPMENT

POWER-TEK GROUP

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Grew the business threefold, organically and through three strategic acquisitions over the past three years.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

One of my previous employers, Brad Nathan, taught me how to source, structure and negotiate private equity acquisitions.

Devan Pennell

37, PRINCIPAL LKC CONSULTING

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT:

Taking a company public on the TSX as CFO. Raising $99 million in equity financing to support operational growth and expansion as part of the go-public transaction.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE

Adjusting to the market conditions during and following the COVID pandemic and working to rightsize operations and production infrastructure.

Ryan Peatt

39, CEO AND CO-FOUNDER PROXI.ID

BIGGEST OBSTACLE:

Founding and bootstrapping Proxi.id early in the pandemic with two young children at home (and doing online learning!), building the company and selling to some large brands without the product even being launched.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

Ram Raju, the founder of Kivuto, and Brad Brohman, my mentor, both saw potential in me and invested heavily in my own success.

Kelly Rusk

39, PRESIDENT KELLY RUSK CONSULTING INC.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE

Six months into starting my business, I learned I was pregnant — the day before a global pandemic was declared. My two largest clients went on hold. I was able to maintain my business and, days before my due date, I won a government contract.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

Claudine Wilson, my college professor who became my mentor, my colleague and continues to be a good friend.

Entrepreneur and army vet Michael Nelson wins Forty Under 40 award

ACanadian Armed Forces veteran has made the Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 this year.

Michael Nelson is the founder and CEO of TACTIQL Inc., an innovative dual-use software engineering company focused on automating the standardization of metadata from disparate decision-support systems to enable platform-agnostic interconnectivity, interchangeability, and interoperability.

Nelson said that he was honoured, and surprised, to have not just been nominated for a Forty Under 40 Award, but selected.

“When I received the phone call from the selection committee, I was a bit stunned. I love what I do and care deeply about having an impact in my community,” said Nelson. “I am grateful for the recognition; it strengthens my belief that my team and I are doing all the right things to deliver competitive advantage from the tactical edge to the boardroom.”

TACTIQL – founded on the belief that the military can better keep pace with the evolution of technology by adapting already available commercial technologies to its needs – is now well into its second year of business. Bootstrapped from day one, TACTIQL has already commercialized a product, achieved its first sales, and become cash-flow positive.

“We have been operating in stealth mode for the past year and are not quite ready to let the cat out of the bag, but we are on the verge of some very exciting things, so stay tuned,” said Nelson.

Before founding TACTIQL, Nelson served 13 years as an officer with the Canadian military, including two overseas deployments. He also completed his Executive MBA at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management and has worked as an advisor to the Department of National Defence on emerging technologies and innovation.

“My military experience grounded me in the needs of the customer. It also ignited my passion for emerging technologies,

innovative Canadian businesses, and bridging the gap between Canada’s military and defence industry,” he said. “My education gave me the tools, and the confidence, I needed to chart my own path. And my private sector experience – working with so many great businesses –has definitely shown me what it takes to be successful.”

Nelson has also worked to help dozens of CAF veterans successfully transition into the private sector, providing many of them their first jobs out of uniform allowing them to leverage their military expertise while developing their business aptitude. He is also active in the community, organizing military-industry socials, raising funds for Soldier On, and speaking at events. He has served on a variety of boards, including the Canadian Military Intelligence Association, and the Education Foundation of Ottawa.

A joint initiative of the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade, Forty Under 40 has become widely recognized as the region’s most soughtafter business award for people under the age of 40. Nominees are assessed and ranked on business accomplishments, professional experience, and community involvement.

I am grateful for the recognition; it strengthens my belief that my team and I are doing all the right things to deliver competitive advantage from the tactical edge to the boardroom.”

Marc Sauvé

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Since becoming a lawyer, I’ve never lost a trial.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My father dropped out of high school at 16 to help his family financially. My mother couldn’t afford to go to college. We came from a humble community but my parents showed me that anything is possible if you work hard, you’re honest and you try your best every single day.

Todd Shannon

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Being a company with a stake in the live event business during the COVID pandemic. Pivoted to virtual and 3D production, which led to an immersive content platform called Merjj.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Ultrarunner Ray Zahab, who taught me about breaking seemingly impossible goals into achievable milestones.

Mahima Sharma

Power-Tek

Forty

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: As a female in a male-dominated industry, I have worked hard to gain the trust of senior-level executives and technical experts. I have to be assertive, confident and demonstrate a solid technical understanding.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My parents taught me the importance of having a strong mindset. This has allowed me to keep going even at the toughest times, to recognize the importance of learning more, and to pursue the best version of myself every day.

38, PARTNER AND CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER HUMANCONTACT INC.

39, MANAGING PARTNER DAVID | SAUVÉ LLP

36, VICE-PRESIDENT INNOVATION, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE POLICY FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

would like to congratulate JOSEPH PAMIC on being named on of Ottawa’s top

under 40

Candice Shaw

37, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

THE OTTAWA RAPE CRISIS CENTRE (ORCC)

BIGGEST OBSTACLE:

Taking on the ED role during the pandemic, an economic downturn and funding stagnation in the Violence Against Women sector, all while leading a organizational renewal process.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

The women, elders, survivors and families who have pressed forward in pursuit of justice for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people and my parents who taught me the art of seeing challenges as untapped opportunity.

Tristan Smyth

31, CHIEF IMPACT AND STRATEGY OFFICER WARSHIELD

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT:

Creating a happy, healthy workplace that encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, which allows us to serve dozens of clients across three continents.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

My colleague Max FineDay and I have run several companies together. Our business partnership has helped me identify and hone my skills and created room for big hairy ideas to grow.

Kyle Soutar

36, FOUNDER AND CFO BETTER GROUP

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Bootstrapping Better Group during its early stages, persevering through financial constraints to develop a minimal viable product, and ultimately securing a major client.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE:

A combination of naysayers and my supportive family and friends. While the naysayers’ doubts fuel my determination to excel, my family and friends provide unwavering support.

Patrick Taillefer

34, PRESIDENT

TAILLEFER PLUMBING & HEATING INC.

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: The launch of a fabrication shop with modern technologies that permit us to extend our services.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Managing through COVID and overcoming shortages of raw material and labour.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My coach and partner always help push in areas where we could be leaders and change the way construction is made.

Rohan Thakar

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Helped over 60 different clients bootstrap their companies and bring their products and software to market while also developing our own in-house technologies.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My team, they make me look good and inspire me to be the best leader I can be.

Thomas Triplet

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Directed the development of the BluePlanet analytics and enterprise product lines at Ciena, leading a global team focused on delivering AI-based solutions for intelligent management telecommunication networks. Joined BluWave-ai as head of engineering, leveraging AI to accelerate the transition to renewable energies worldwide and build a more sustainable future.

39, HEAD OF AI AND ENGINEERING BLUWAVE.AI

My husband has been my superhero and biggest supporter, inspiring me to pursue my career goals.

39, MANAGING PARTNER BRASH INC.

Adam Van Cleeff

37, VICE-PRESIDENT CUSTOMER SUCCESS FULLSCRIPT

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Helped navigate Fullscript from 35 people and millions in revenue to now over 700 people and hundreds of millions in revenue.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Taking a decades-old distribution company and merging it with a fast-growing tech company.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: Toby Shannon, who instilled the value of being a human leader in everything you do.

Mary Yazdani

38, FOUNDER AND CEO GENESISLINK CONSULTING SERVICES

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Balancing the demands of establishing and growing Genesislink Consulting with my family and personal responsibilities. In addition, navigating government regulations and delays in processing applications presented challenges.

BIGGEST INFLUENCE: My father, who taught me the value of hard work and being a good person. My husband has been my superhero and biggest supporter, inspiring me to pursue my career goals.

Piriya Yoganathan

33, HEAD, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL’S BIOTHERAPEUTICS MANUFACTURING CENTRE

BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Working alongside a team to support the first made-in-Canada CAR-T therapy trial.

BIGGEST OBSTACLE: Innovative communication and supply chain approaches helped us overcome COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges.

Ottawa’s biggest and best celebration of entrepreneurship

VOICE OF BUSINESS Unite | Influence | Grow

DOWNTOWN OTTAWA

OnJune 9, 2023, the Ottawa Board of Trade issued a call to action to the Federal Government, the province of Ontario and the City of Ottawa, to join the Ottawa Board of Trade as we declared Downtown Ottawa our top priority. We committed to working with key stakeholders to build a roadmap for transformation. The heartbeat of our region, the city core, demands our immediate attention and collaborative efforts.

Downtown Ottawa serves as a significant influence on businesses, residents, and visitors alike. Our current trajectory, without a focused plan, will negatively impact our property tax base and essential services like police and transit. Every resident in our region has a stake in the vibrancy of our city core.

The transformation of downtown Ottawa requires a whole-ofcommunity approach, and now is the time to act. Businesses, citizens

Save the Date!

Maximize Your Membership

Mondays at 1:30 pm | Virtual Members and Future Members

and in particular every Member of Parliament, MPP, our Mayor and City Councillors must be united in our commitment to transform Downtown Ottawa. It needs our focus and support to keep it vibrant, safe and an economic engine for every part of the National Capital Region. Together, we have the resources, the expertise, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact. Let us be collaborative, determined, and innovative, as we learned to be during the pandemic. By revitalizing our city core, we will drive economic growth, ensure a higher quality of life, and build a prosperous future for generations to come.

ottawabot.ca

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

• Align Mortgage Corporation

• Architecture 49

• ASB Resources Inc

• Barton Computing Inc.

• BeaverTails Ottawa Incorporated

• Better Group

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

• Children’s Aid Foundation of Ottawa

• Cityscape

• Crossroads Truck & Career Academy

• CSQ Ottawa Management Services Inc. (Canderel)

• David | Sauvé LLP

• E.O.S. Holdings Inc

• EVOQ Strategies

• Extend Pharmacy

• Financial solutions Adija M. Kapu Inc.

• Five Star Painting of Ottawa

• Gab Group Inc

• GDI Integrated Facility Services

• GenesisLink Consulting Services

• Kelly Rusk Consulting Inc.

• McAllister Dentistry

• National Capital Heavy Construction Association

• NewFound Recruiting

• Nordion (Canada) Inc.

Mark your calendars for events designed to connect, celebrate, and contribute to the success of your business and the growth of our city. Many sell out, so check in often for the latest!

Talent Summit

October

Ottawa’s Best Networking Golf Tournament

August 22

Mayor’s Breakfast Series

February to November

Downtown Summit

Fall 2023

Check for details and registration at ottawabot.ca

Women Wine & Wisdom

November

Best Ottawa Business Awards

November

Ottawa’s Economic Outlook

December

• NORR Architects & Engineers Limited

• Ottawa Art Gallery

• Ottawa Climate Action Fund

• Ottawa Titans Baseball Club

• Phi Motion Inc

• Proxi.id Corp.

• RBC Dominion Securities

• Richardson Wealth Limited

• Sidi.io

• Spiderwort Inc

• The Apparel Shop

• The Orangeblowfish

• The Ottawa Education Group

• Thermal Systems Mechanical Insulation Services Ltd

• WCG Services

• Westboro Mortgage Investment Corp

• Youth Ottawa

Sueling Ching, President and CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade

Global Reach, Local Return

Building on teamwork and sustainability, YOW safely connects people moves goods, and creates economic prosperity for our community.

Ross Video’s quest for sustainability has unexpected benefits close to home

BY HEDDY SOROUR news@obj.ca

Ross Video’s drive toward sustainability with its new facility in Iroquois has already had an unexpected benefit: a home for an employee in need.

Five years ago, Ross Video purchased a bungalow that sat on land adjacent to its new facility. The idea was that the bungalow would eventually be demolished, creating more room for parking if needed, says Jeff Poapst, chief manufacturing and services officer with Ross Video.

However, when a fire in nearby Morrisburg left a family homeless, Ross Video offered to rent the house to them. When they moved out earlier this year and with the factory expansion nearing completion, it became clear that the space would be needed for parking and the house would have to be demolished.

Enter Megan Casselman, a Ross Video employee who had been searching for a

home to purchase for three years but was not able to find anything she could afford.

“Ross Video is very open and sharing with their plans and goals for the business and they had shared that they would be demolishing the current house,” says Casselman, who works in computer system assembly.

“I was at Sunday dinner with my family and my father and I had been joking around about moving the Ross house and I thought, you know what, I am going ask Jeff Poapst and, to my surprise, he not only responded with excitement but with full support from himself and the company,” Casselman says.

All she has to do is move the house off Ross property and onto a nearby plot of land that she owns.

“We’ve gifted that house to Megan and that ensures it doesn’t go to the landfill,” says Poapst. “She gets her first house, we keep it out of the landfill and we save about $20,000 in demolition fees.”

The story is just one aspect of the

approach that the video technology company is taking toward its new facility and overall operations.

“In 2018, we started designing the factory expansion that we’ve just finished. I didn’t want to close any doors that would prevent us getting to net-zero carbon. To get a better handle on what we were doing at the time with the current building and what we should be doing on the design side, we brought in a firm from Kingston called Red Squirrel Conservation Services,” says Poapst.

Red Squirrel, a non-profit environmental organization, provides energy and water conservation services and programs in Eastern Ontario. It did an energy audit to measure power use and heat loss on the old 65,000-squarefoot Ross Video factory and provided recommendations based on the understanding that the objective was to get to net-zero emissions with the expansion.

The result is that the new 120,000-square-foot facility emits 130 tonnes of carbon per year, up slightly from 113 tonnes at the old facility.

“What we have to do is replace the rest of the gas-fired rooftop units from the old building, then we should be close enough to net-zero that I think if we buy gold standard offsets … for about $10,000 a year, we can be net-zero in this factory,” says Poapst.

The Iroquois factory performs all of Ross Video’s manufacturing, including final assembly and testing for products that are shipped around the world. The

factory employs 330 of the company’s 1,500 employees globally.

Ross Video is also developing products that reduce energy consumption. “What we’re doing is amalgamating multiple products into one, so that our customers are reducing the power consumption that’s required to operate our equipment,” says Cathy McCallion, stakeholder and community relations director at Ross Video.

For example, the Ultrix FR12 router uses a fraction of the power, space and cabling of its predecessors. It uses 14 rack units compared to 549 on previous iterations, reduces power consumption from 52,300 watts to 2,400 watts, requires 576 cables versus 11,294 cables, and is 6,156 lbs lighter.

The push to go green at Ross Video started in 2006 with one employee concerned about the environment. Peter Breedyk, a Brockville resident who has since retired, was the first to seek sustainable practices and was instrumental in eliminating lead solder from the company’s manufacturing and identifying greener packaging and lighting solutions.

It was the beginning of the company’s current philosophy of diversity and sustainability.

“We have diversity in our client segment, diversity in our products, in the technology we use internally, and diversity geographically in 100 different countries and the diversity of our staff that can provide different perspectives and ideas. And if we didn’t have that, I don’t think we could do what we do,” says McCallion.

Tulmar Security Systems taps retired Maj.-Gen. David Fraser for advisory board

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

As it prepares for increased spending in the military industry and the launch of new products, a Hawkesbury defence and security manufacturer has added retired Maj.-Gen. David Fraser to its advisory board.

Tulmar designs, manufactures and distributes engineered protective textiles, survivability and safety solutions for the aerospace, defence and public security industries.

Fraser served as a major-general in Land Force Command and led more than 2,000 NATO coalition troops during Operation Medusa in the Afghan province of Kandahar in 2006. He is the co-author of a book outlining Operation Medusa and served over 31 years with the Canadian Forces. He was the first Canadian general to

lead American soldiers in combat since the Second World War.

Tulmar CEO Patrick Tallon said the company was seeking someone like Fraser for the advisory board.

“We felt that we wanted a member of our advisory board to be someone who had served in uniform,” Tallon said. “David (Fraser) is more than a military leader, so we’re delighted. He will help us so much.”

When Fraser heard from a colleague about the opportunity at Tulmar, he said he immediately looked at the website to get an idea of what the company was all about.

“I saw they have these defence product lines and I went through all the stuff and it’s really, really important products and

services they offer,” said Fraser. “They’re things I’ve used in the past that are absolutely necessary that we have in our military and other militaries around the world.

“But they’re also the private sector, giving great hightech jobs, and it’s a local Canadian company. It all just appealed to me.”

Fraser said he was “honoured” to be chosen, but that it was ultimately the team at the manufacturing plant that “sold” the opportunity for him.

“It’s really all about the people, and they’re absolutely passionate and amazing people making sure that when we get on an airplane, the seatbelt works. If you have to slide from the plane into the water, the slide

works. They’re products everyone needs.

“With my military experience, I can contribute to building another great Canadian company and I just was honoured they would ask,” Fraser said. “We’re providing products and services that are so important and I think we’ll make a good team.”

Fraser’s contacts in both Canada and the U.S., as well as his knowledge of procurement cycles, will be invaluable for Tulmar, Tallon explained. His insight will also be instrumental in product development.

“As we create products, he will really be helping to protect the lives of the men and women in service,” said Tallon. “(Fraser) will not just help sell the products we have, but help develop products for the future.”

Most recently, Tulmar released a tactical lifejacket. Other products include inflatable shelter systems, the LifeRamp water and ice rescue system and aviation safety equipment.

Fraser joins Peter Andrews and Kevin Fitzgerald on the Tulmar advisory board. Andrews is a serial tech entrepreneur and executive, while Fitzgerald is a philanthropist and former CEO of MDS Aero.

SET YOUR SIGHTS SITES ON SDG COUNTIES

Kingston city council moves forward with plan for downtown conference centre

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

Aproposal for a 52,000-square-foot downtown conference centre in Kingston is moving forward as city council seeks developers for the new facility.

While a downtown conference centre has been discussed for a decade, the idea is gaining momentum and support from the community as Kingston looks for more opportunities for revenue and economic growth, officials say.

At a recent council meeting, the city’s conference centre working group presented a feasibility study that supported the development of a mid-size conference centre of 52,000 square feet that can accommodate up to 1,000 delegates.

The conference and meeting centre would be built in a space that is currently a parking lot on The Tragically Hip Way, across from the Leon’s Centre stadium and arena. As the report outlined, the central location is within one kilometre of five hotels.

Ted Robinson, business events specialist for Tourism Kingston and a member of the working group, said that while Kingston may not have been ready for such a facility before, there’s no better time than the present.

“It’s become quite apparent in the last number of years that, if we’re going to expand our position in the business events industry, we need more facilities than we have now,” Robinson said. “We’re losing out on a lot of business and I’ve tracked back and looked back at business we know we’ve lost out on, conferences we’ve bid on that have come back and said we don’t have what they need, but also businesses that aren’t even considering Kingston.”

One example of lost revenue for Kingston lies in the health-care industry. With Queen’s University’s Faculty of Health Sciences and the hospital system, Kingston is an “important centre in medical research,” Robinson said.

“There’s a ton of research being done here, but we can’t attract those conferences.”

The walkability and attractions of Kingston’s downtown core make it an ideal home for the centre, Robinson explained.

“We have a beautiful downtown core that’s compact and walkable, so from a sustainability aspect, we could attract people here and, once they’re at the hotel and conference centre, they don’t need anything to move around but their feet.

“We see this as a huge possibility for us with sustainability and attracting business and we can position Kingston as an alternative to other big centres. We feel we have broad community support and now it’s a question of, ‘Can we get this done?’ and ‘Will the pieces come together?’”

The cost of construction for the conference centre is estimated between $33 million and $41 million. The conference centre is projected to operate at a deficit of about $175,000 in its first year and approximately $110,000 annually in following years.

The municipal accommodation tax (MAT) development fund committee recently approved a yearly contribution of up to $110,000 per year for five years to help reduce the operating deficits of the centre.

City council has issued a request for information to engage local developers and is seeking more “fact-finding” with a return date for early in the fall, Robinson said.

Donna Gillespie, CEO of the Kingston Economic Development Corporation, said “the time is now” for Kingston to invest in business tourism and events.

“(The report) shows a strong space for a centre with the tourism potential and economic impact,” she said. “Business travellers typically spend more per day than leisure travellers, so main street businesses would benefit directly from increased traffic.

“We need to look at the broader business because the ability to host conferences is an opportunity we are missing right now.”

SPEAKingston, an organization dedicated to “Smart Growth” for the city, is also in “full support” of the development, co-chair Wanda Williams told the council meeting.

ICT provider Acronym Solutions to bring more choice to the Ottawa market

There’s a new information and communications technology (ICT) provider on the scene in Ottawa that has a network like no other.

After honing a diverse fibre-optic network over the past 23 years as Hydro One Telecom, CEO John Papadakis was brought in four years ago to kick-start the company’s transformation from a connectivity provider, to a full-service ICT solutions provider. The key to this transformation was expanding into new markets and developing services to include offerings for small and medium-sized businesses.

This company-wide effort led to rebranding the company as Acronym Solutions.

“Our core business is our connectivity network, but we wanted to provide a more complete service portfolio and become a onestop shop for IT solutions,” said Papadakis. “We chose ‘Acronym Solutions’ because, like an acronym, we simplify things for our clients by removing the complexity throughout their digital transformation.”

How the past is supporting Acronym’s expansion

The first thing that sets Acronym apart from other ICT solutions providers is its reliable and resilient utility-grade network which was built to support Ontario’s electrical grid.

We all know that telecom networks can go down, but for utility networks like Acronym’s, outages are rare — ensuring the electrical grid is up requires a higher standard.

So what does it take to build a network that will keep the lights on?

Not unlike real estate, it’s all about location. For this reason, a significant part of Acronym’s fiber optic network uniquely follows the paths of the province’s electrical tower routes, even in more remote regions. This approach diverges from the conventional practices of most telecom networks, which typically install their infrastructures adjacent to major rail corridors. It can serve more remote areas and is less

susceptible to damage, vandalism or outages.

The next component is the design. Acronym’s network is connected to more than 40 data centres and extends throughout Ontario with interconnections to Montreal and the US.

That means it’s low latency: fast enough to deliver information to hospitals, financial institutions and other services that can’t afford delays. And its fully redundant design allows data to move in both directions, providing uninterrupted communications connectivity even in the event of an unlikely fibre cut.

A full suite of ICT services with a personal touch

Papakadis was brought on to lead the charge to fill a gap in the market: medium-sized businesses with 100-500 employees are the sweet spot for managed services — companies big enough to feel the pain but too small to have their own IT team.

“As soon as you hit 50 or more employees, things start to get real,” said Jeff Farley, director of product development. “It’s when they realize it’s time to professionally backup their data.”

Serving those clients meant developing and refining those services to create a robust

offering that was flexible enough for a variety of businesses with a variety of needs.

In addition to the core Internet & Connectivity services, Acronym has added Voice & Collaboration, Managed IT, Managed Security and Cloud services to its list of offerings. Acronym can be a company’s sole network provider or complement their existing network setup to keep data flowing in the event of a failure.

In addition to their network and services, Acronym prides itself on taking the time to understand your business’s specific needs.

“Since we’re still relatively small, we’re very agile,” said Papadakis. “It allows us to build a very personalized and customized relationship with our clients.”

That personalized service will be as secure as their network. Being backed by a utility means they’re not going to go out of business.

“We are partially owned by the provincial government, so there’s that level of trust,” said Papadakis. “We’re not going anywhere.”

To learn more contact:

kevin.mccartney@acronymsolutions.com 613-519-5700

Leeds Grenville Entrepreneurs Loving their Lifestyles

Work-life balance is attracting newly inspired small businesses to villages and towns south-west of Ottawa. The key attractors are affordability and lifestyle, along with the 1000 Islands and Rideau Canal Waterways and easy access to major highways.

Ridgway Confections Inc. Chocolatier Derek Ouellet and partner/co-owner Cindy Healy began their adventure into chocolate and candy quite unexpectedly in 2012 after Derek retired from retail sales. They made fudge to help a shop owner and neighbour in their village of Seeley’s Bay. The response was so great; they decided to start their own candy shop and installed a professional kitchen in their Victorian-era home. “I think there’s a trend with people searching out places like ours as a destination point,” says Cindy. People look for uniqueness, quality and local food connections. Their shop has all of the above. Their creations are made with only fresh ingredients, like butter and cream, and are locally sourced when possible. Visiting the candy shop is an experience in itself with its interesting antique display cases, lights and cash register.

Maison Maitland Cooking School & Villas overlook the St. Lawrence River. Owner Cynthia Peters relocated to the area after building a popular business in Prince Edward County’s culinary and tourism sector. In late 2021, she and her husband bought an 1820’s Georgian Manor in Maitland and renovated the kitchen for her cooking school. Chef Cynthia’s signature style is approachable international dishes with seasonal local ingredients, set in unique heritage surroundings. “I want to create a more personal, cultural experience that highlights local producers and their stories behind the place and region,” says Cynthia, a farm-to-table trailblazer, food tour curator and author.  Her new, two-storey holiday villas are in a refurbished former stone carriage house on their 5-acre property and will expand her offerings. “They will offer our guests an idyllic European countryside escape, unique to South Eastern Ontario,” says Cynthia.

Almonte distillery secures multimillion-dollar contract to supply hand sanitizer to hospitals

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

What started as an effort to stay afloat during the pandemic has opened doors for a local distillery that could see millions of dollars in revenue over the next decade.

Dairy Distillery, an Almonte-based company, has been approved by HealthPRO, a buying group for Canadian hospitals and health-care facilities, as a licensed supplier of hand sanitizer. The contract will allow the distillery to sell sanitizer to more than 1,300 facilities across Canada.

Dairy Distillery CEO and founder Omid McDonald said he expects the contract will bring in about $5 million per year over the 10-year span.

HealthPRO renews its contracts with suppliers every decade. Once approved, suppliers can sell to hospitals individually. In Ontario, HealthPRO supplies 180 health-care

facilities, including The Ottawa Hospital, CHEO, the Children’s Aid Society and local hospitals such as the Almonte General Hospital, Cornwall Community Hospital and Kemptville District Hospital.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the team at Dairy Distillery turned their expertise in making vodka cream liqueurs from milk sugar into manufacturing hand sanitizer to supply Ottawa hospitals within temporary pandemic guidelines. Now that hospitals have returned to their previous suppliers, McDonald said The Ottawa Hospital encouraged him to apply as a supplier through HealthPRO.

“I thought, ‘How are we ever going to compete with Purell and these billion-dollar companies?’” McDonald said. “And it was a huge process, but we just kept pushing and a week ago we got the notice that we were selected, which is pretty cool for a small company.”

The temporary licensing from Health Canada that Dairy Distillery had relied on for manufacturing sanitizer during the pandemic had “collapsed,” McDonald said, so the distillery had to be re-licensed permanently.

“There was lots of Investment to work to get the qualifications,” McDonald explained. “We had to prove the shelf life of sanitizer and test all that, and then there were hundreds of pages of questionnaires.”

Once applicants pass the initial round of qualifications, select suppliers are invited to submit a detailed proposal and are scored according to “rigorous criteria” established by HealthPRO’s team of professionals, as well as by practising clinicians, business professionals and subject matter experts from across the country, a spokesperson for HealthPRO told OBJ

Dairy Distillery’s Alexandra Amodeo has taken on the new role of director of

STUFF Made and Built In Eastern Ontario

sanitizer and ethanol sales and formed two partnerships to help with the “100-per-cent, made-in-Ontario solution” that McDonald wanted to offer.

One partnership is with Ophardt Hygiene Technologies, a German manufacturer that built a dispenser factory in Beamsville, Ont. in response to the pandemic. The other is with The Stevens Company, a Canadian supplier of hospitals, physicians and longterm care facilities for over 145 years.

As for continuing with the distillery’s traditional products, McDonald said it’s a perfect fit.

“Sanitizer is totally related to alcohol, the same people who produce alcohol will just be making more of it,” he said. “One day we’ll bottle vodka and the next day sanitizer. It’s a good fit and gives us more resiliency.”

McDonald hopes to add four to five new employees to the 12-person team in Almonte to assist with the new contract, he said.

The contract was slated to begin June 1, and McDonald said he’s excited that health facilities will be able to purchase options that are made locally.

“The timing worked really well. We did all this work during the pandemic and wondered about where it all ends up.”

EASTERN ONTARIO Staycation Guide

TOP TENS

and hidden gems for travellers, foodies and adventurers

‘Strong queer community’ makes this rural town a ‘destination experience’

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

At least one rural town in Eastern Ontario is showing its true colours — and it’s a full rainbow.

Scott Godwin and Luc Vincent, owners of Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar in downtown Kemptville, grew up in rural communities before moving to Toronto, where they met. When they decided to relocate to Kemptville and open a coffee shop in early 2020, Godwin says they “made a deal with each other.”

“We wouldn’t put one foot back in

the closet just because we were in a rural area,” says Godwin, who’s originally from Kemptville. “Visibility-wise, that’s something that’s remained important to us. The best you can do is lead by example, so we try to be as open as we can to prove we aren’t just talking the talk.”

Godwin (Bugs) and Vincent (Bubba) say they decided to not only live their own authentic lives, but to encourage others to do the same, creating a cultural hub and hosting events based around LGBTQ2S+ Pride.

They say the most popular event they’ve introduced is the drag brunch, which fills

Bubba & Bugs with baked goods, lattes, breakfast food, customers, and, of course, drag queens.

Aside from creating safe spaces for queer folks, Godwin says the events help to “establish territory” that has zero tolerance for hatred, prejudice or judgment.

“Don’t come just because of the drag brunch — understand the place you’re coming to and the space you’re sharing in,” he explains. “We want to nurture that community here together.”

The drag brunches have sold out, with at least one having a waitlist.

“People bring kids who are starting to selfidentify and the parents want to demonstrate their support,” Godwin says. “It’s to bring people together.”

In combination with the Kemptville Pride Parade and various nonprofits, the Bubba & Bugs events are having community-wide benefits. North Grenville Mayor Nancy Peckford says the events are “contributing to the vibrancy” of the community and encouraging residents to stay in town on

Nonna’s Gelato

Trouvez vos saveurs

Visitez le Réseau agroalimentaire de l’Est ontarien pour trouver des fermes, des saveurs locales, des artisans culinaires, des marchés champêtres, des festivals culinaires et bien plus encore.

Find Your Flavours

weekends and holidays.

“It’s enabling our own residents and residents from neighbouring communities to have more options, certainly in our downtown, so it’s fabulous that they’re creating this destination experience,” Peckford says.

While a “strong queer community” has always existed in Kemptville, Peckford says, “it wasn’t as visible.”

The Bubba & Bugs events have “had a contagious effect in a positive way,” she adds.

Vivez une expérience gustative à l’italienne à chaque bouchée. Live an Italian taste experience with every bite. cafesurlarive.com 253 rue Water St., Plantagenet, ON

Les Vergers Villeneuve & Blueberry Farm

U-Pick or We Pick. Fruits wines available all year.

Auto-cueillette ou déjà cueillis. Vins de fruits offerts à l’année. vergersvilleneuve.com · 1341 Rollin, St-Pascal-Baylon, ON K0A 3N0

Boucherie L’Orignal Packing

Quality meats and other local products. Les viandes de qualité et d’autres produits locaux. lorignalpacking.ca · 2567, route 17, L’Orignal ON K0B 1K0

Les Fruits du Poirier

U-pick of super berries, the new face of health. Auto-cueillette de supers fruits, le nouveau visage de la santé. lesfruitsdupoirier.com · 2535, concession 3, St-Eugène, ON K0B 1P0

Fairgrounds, 2821 8th Line Rd, Metcalfe ON

Bubba & Bugs Coffee Bar hosts drag brunches. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Plan the perfect road trip to Lennox & Addington

Greater Napanee, Addington Highlands, Loyalist and Stone Mills make up the County of Lennox & Addington. Two hours west of Ottawa between Kingston and Prince Edward County, the area combines a perfect mix of historic, rural charm and big-city amenities. With an abundance of outdoor adventures, culinary experiences and boutique shops in bustling downtowns, you’ll never run out of things to do and see.

UNIQUE SHOPPING FINDS

Trinkets and treasures

Book Shop, Tamworth

Get swept away by two floors of quality second hand books in a Victorian coach house. With a hand-picked selection of books from every genre, you could spend hours browsing the shelves.

Lansing Gifts & Gallery, Napanee

Find one-of-a-kind items from local artists and artisans including unique home accent decor, kitchenware, fashion accessories, toys, contemporary jewelry and so much more.

AGRI-TOURISM

Barnyard Adventures

Topsy Farms, Amherst Island

A fully-functioning sheep farm, Topsy Farms has something for everyone. Explore the surrounding hiking trails, see the impressive

Irish dry-stone walls, tour the farm, snuggle the lambs and check out the gift shop filled with wool blankets and other natural products right from the farm.

Hickory Lane Alpacas, Napanee

This unique little farm will have you all smiles! Of course the star attraction are the alpacas that you can feed right out of your hand. But, there are a lot of other barnyard friends that will be vying for your attention including chickens, roosters, ducks, pigs, goats and horses.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Mother nature at its finest

Lennox & Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area, Erinsville

The most southerly dark sky site in Ontario, the L&A Dark Sky Viewing Area offers visitors a night sky experience similar to 100 years ago. Take in the bright constellations and sweeping stars from dusk until dawn, no telescope required. Just look up and enjoy.

Bon Echo Provincial Park, Cloyne

Celebrated as one of the most beautiful Provincial Parks in Ontario, Bon Echo is a camper’s dream. With over 40km of hiking trails, three natural sand beaches and 260 Indigenous pictographs found on the majestic Mazinaw rock, you’ll have plenty to see and do within the park and in the surrounding communities.

FOOD & DRINK

Feast after feast

Bergeron Estate Winery & Cider Co., Adolphustown

Test out some of their award-winning wines, or if cider is more your thing, try Cole Point – their delicious hard apple cider sourced from local orchards. Did we mention there’s also an on-site pizzeria?

MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Company, Bath

This local brewery sits on a family farm with over 200 years of heritage. With a lively taproom serving the brewery’s flagship beers, this is the perfect place to stop for a drink. It’s also a short drive from the village of Bath which features a variety of great dining options.

WHERE TO STAY

Hang your hat here

Escape Goat Hideaway, Centreville

Tucked away on Barking Goat Farms, this private all-season cabin is a delight. Enjoy walking trails on the property, a fire pit, outdoor shower and take a guided tour of the farm while visiting the goats, donkeys and chickens.

Our Yurt – Your Getaway, Yarker

A bit of rustic luxury, this terrific yurt experience will bring you closer to nature with the coziness of home. Adjacent to a lake, and outfitted with a stone patio, garden and access to outdoor activities, this unique spot is one to visit.

Looking for even more fun things to do in Lennox & Addington? Visit www.NaturallyLA.ca for more ideas on things to do or see in the region!

ARNPRIOR Ottawa Valley home goods store attracts customers looking for urban aesthetic

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

Ahome goods store and cafe in Arnprior is bringing the minimalist aesthetic of Finnish life to the Ottawa Valley.

When Angie MacCrae, an educator with the Renfrew County District School Board, retired early, she embarked on a journey to bring her lifelong passion for Finnish design to her hometown of Arnprior with KOTi 28, named for the Finnish word for “home.”

“I am not Finnish, but as a young teacher I taught in Finland and I completely fell in love with the design,” she said. “I truly live by that in my own home and I wanted a word that was specific to my design.”

In September, MacCrae bought the former Gallery Gift Shop on John Street and rebranded it as KOTi 28 by October. The “28” is a nod to the number of years the gallery had been in business when MacCrae bought it.

“I have had a passion for decor and design for many years — you could have called me a hobbyist — and, after retirement, I wanted to use my creativity,” MacCrae said. “The learning curve has been fun because I have a full background in education and leadership skills I can transfer, but not retail or business. The context of everything is so new for me.”

KOTi 28 is a “standalone,” MacCrae explained, for shoppers seeking products

and aesthetics outside of farmhouse chic or country styles. Finnish interior design features simple, minimalist styles with nature-based materials and neutral colours for what MacCrae describes as “organic modern.”

“It’s a little different, a bit urban, and we’re drawing a lot of interest and a lot of people come in,” she said.

MacCrae is embracing the concept of a shopping experience that “feels like home” by opening Oh-el-la Cafe inside the store.

“I wanted to capture the essence of the

experience; people come here and feel the experience of having a coffee, feeling relaxed, browsing, picking up a gift for someone or something for their home,” MacCrae explained. “It’s a sip-and-shop experience.”

Arnprior is the second location for Ohel-la, which also has a cafe in Calabogie, and owner Ella Guckes, 26, said she has been “welcomed” by the community.

“We’re learning together,” Guckes said of her experience opening the store with MacCrae. “It’s great to have each other for this and good to have each other to lean on.”

KOTi has a website but has yet to open an online store. In addition to possible online shoppers in the future, there’s another market that MacCrae has her eye on: stagers and realtors.

“I want to not just access but collaborate more with stagers, realtors and designers that I can target in the Valley area. There aren’t many (design) choices, to my knowledge,” she explained. “I’d like to be that exclusive business that can offer realtors or stagers the home goods and design for homes.”

With the return of warm weather and the tourist season, MacCrae and Guckes hope to see an increase in traffic. Oh-el-la will introduce a seasonal menu and Guckes said she hopes to get a liquor licence.

KOTi 28’s social media pages have also expanded the customer base outside of Arnprior.

“The successful campaign doubled our Instagram followers and a new clientele started visiting the store in-person. Despite the economic lull, we are pleased with the business volume in recent months,” MacCrae said. “This winter season, the economy took a bit of a dip so the first quarter was difficult for retail, but we’re seeing an uptick now … I have a lot of support from customers when they come in and they see new things, so business has been great.

“It happened for a reason, I opened a door to this opportunity and now I’m absolutely having a blast.”

Angie MacCrae (left) and Ella Guckes have joined forces at KOTi 28.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

KINGSTON Edwardian-era luxury liner adds to list of seaway tourist attractions

BY HEDDY SOROUR news@obj.ca

One of the world’s last grand Edwardian passenger steamships will make a triumphant arrival at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes at Kingston later this year and become a boon to the local tourism scene, officials hope.

The SS Keewatin, launched in 1907, just five years before the RMS Titanic, was built for the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Great Lakes steamship service as a luxury liner and features a grand staircase, scrolled balustrade, women’s tea lounge, ballroom and more.

“It’s like a movie set,” says Chris West, chair of the marine museum board. “The dining salon is absolutely magnificent; it has all its original china and silverware and glassware. It’s kind of astonishing that so much could have lasted that long and been preserved that long.”

Many of the ship’s 100-plus state rooms have been staged with donated period costumes and pieces of furniture under the stewardship of the R.J. Peterson Foundation in Port McNicoll, Ont.

Commemorated on a Royal Canadian Mint coin in 2020, the 116-year-old ship has a wealth of stories to tell.

Built in Scotland, the Keewatin sailed across the North Atlantic to Canada. When she arrived in Quebec, it became clear that the approximately 350-foot ship was too long to fit through the Welland Canal connecting Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. So, the ship, which was built with overlapping steel plates held by rivets, was dismantled into two halves so it could pass one piece at a time through the locks. It was then reassembled before continuing its journey.

The Kee, as the ship is affectionately known, plied the Upper Great Lakes for 57 years from Port Arthur/Fort William (now Thunder Bay) on Lake Superior to Port McNicoll on Georgian Bay, ferrying people and goods.

The ship, one of just six built for Canadian

Pacific, was retired in 1965 as one of the last turn-of-the-century overnight passenger ships of the Great Lakes. Its sister ship was scrapped in 1970 following a fire.

In January 1967, Keewatin was bought by Michigan entrepreneur Roland J. Peterson Sr. The ship was known as the Keewatin Maritime Museum from 1968 until its relocation in 2012 to Port McNicoll.

Earlier this year, the marine museum in Kingston announced it had acquired the ship from Skyline Investments in Toronto.

“We’re pleased to donate this historic and treasured passenger ship to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes to ensure its continued long-term preservation,” says Blake Lyon, CEO of Skyline.

Skyline purchased the ship for $1 million in 2011, Lyon says.

“Then (we) spent a few million dollars more getting it out of the mud, dredging the Kalamazoo River where it was docked, to get it back to Lake Michigan, and then towed it all the way up and around to Port McNicoll,” he adds.

The purchase started as a marketing ploy

for Skyline, he explains. The company had acquired a large tract of land for development in Port McNicoll and thought to create a story around it with the acquisition of the Keewatin.

In 2016, when Lyon joined Skyline, a shift in the company’s mandate led to the sale of the land to another developer who had no interest in the Keewatin.

Skyline immediately started looking for a suitable home but wanted to ensure the historic ship’s legacy.

“So, Skyline worked with the R.J. Peterson Foundation in Port McNicoll and we spent about $150,000 on legal (fees) with the lawyers here in Toronto to help them work through the process of getting approvals through (Canadian Heritage),” says Lyon.

The effort ultimately failed as the foundation’s application was rejected by the federal government and so Skyline began looking elsewhere.

Eventually, they identified the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes. This was just before the pandemic, says Lyon, and, three years later, with all the Canadian Heritage approvals now in place, the ship is set to grace the museum’s dry dock for posterity.

“Our museum manager is a former marine surveyor, which is a big advantage for us, so he spent days and days surveying the ship and wrote a report that went into

the hundreds of pages on every aspect of the ship,” says West.

The venerable ship will be towed out of Port McNicoll to Heddle Shipyards in Hamilton for much-needed repairs.

“There has been some deferred maintenance over the past 12 years and a lot of volunteer labour has gone into maintaining and staging the ship and some dollars mainly from Skyline. We have to make up for all that deferred maintenance and that’s why it’s going into the shipyard,” explains West.

The museum has already raised the estimated $2 million required to complete the repairs and is looking forward to welcoming the Keewatin to Kingston by the fall.

“We haven’t mapped out the details of this yet, but I envisage a small armada of big boats and small boats and everything in between will be invited to come out on that day and welcome the SS Keewatin to Kingston,” West says.

Taking on a ship of that age and size is not for the faint of heart. While the museum is confident that it has the expertise and that the ship will attract a lot of visitors, it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain on an annual basis, estimates West.

“With a ship like that you just start painting at one end of it in a season and then, as soon as you get to the other end, you turn around and go the other way. There’s no end to that kind of thing, but the revenue potential is significant,” says West.

The ship will go on display in 2024 as the museum’s main attraction and the only ship in its 350-foot drydock.

According to West, there is still a lot of work to be done before the ship can be displayed to the public.

“One of the things that we’re very keen to get our hands on are the ship’s logs and the archives associated with the ship, which we’re hoping are still with (Canadian Pacific),” says West.

“We don’t know where the SS Keewatin was in 1913 during the ‘Big Blow’ (the Great Lakes storm of 1913). It would be really fun and insightful to find out where she found her way during that storm or was she caught in it,” he adds.

The ship has served as a floating set for maritime-related documentaries and TV shows, including CBC’s Murdoch Mysteries.

The SS Keewatin was launched in 1907. Upon arrival in Canada, the ship had to be dismantled to get through the Welland Canal (left).

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

FOOD & CULTURE

New brand promotes agritourism in Eastern Ontario

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

Anew brand that promotes the region’s food producers has been introduced in Eastern Ontario. Savour East Ontario, or SavourEastON, promotes food that reflects the culture and values of the region, organizers say.

“A lot of these communities and cultures have something that defines them,” said Louis Béland, executive director of the Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network, the driving force behind the new brand.

Stickers and packaging promote the products as “something the community can be proud of,” Béland said.

“The goal is to bring all that richness that

we have forth, whether it’s a product that sits on the grocery shelf or working directly with restaurants to include the brand on menus,” said Béland.

The website for SavourEastON connects consumers to producers through online mapping, digital platforms and video profiles. It’s also a one-stop shop advertising farmers’ markets, special agri-food events, and agritourism.

Part of the aim of SavourEastON is to unite the region and kickstart agritourism.

“We’re trying to grow the region … we’re building attraction and tourism in a larger community sense. Agrifood is our biggest industry and (SavourEastON) can help consumers to get to know the producers and build relationships,” Béland said.

Locally owned and operated, The Best Western Plus Perth Parkside Inn & Spa is your next destination hotel. Located in beautiful downtown Perth Ontario and within walking distance to many great shops and restaurants.

This high end, full service hotel serves both the corporate and leisure traveller with their board room, conference space and onsite catering. For our leisure guests we have our amazing spa and golf packages.

Our onsite amenities include a full service spa, salon, heated salt water pool, hot tub, steam room, fitness centre, and onsite restaurant.

Check out our website at www.perthparksideinnandspa.com or follow us on social

Discover Ottawa’s other museums

Looking to take a journey back in Ottawa’s history to learn about the cool people, places and things that make the capital special? Then it’s time to discover Ottawa’s other museums. Through the Ottawa Museum Network, you can explore 11 local community museums, each with a unique story to tell. From an underground adventure at the Diefenbunker, to afternoon tea at the Billings Estate, immerse yourself in everything these special locations have to offer.

Billings Estate National Historic Site

It’s Tea Time at Billings Estate

This National Historic Site is home to the oldest timber frame building in Ottawa as well as one of Ottawa’s oldest community cemeteries. Tour the family home, learn about the Billings Family and their contributions to Ottawa’s history or join the community for high tea on the estate grounds. (A)

Bytown Museum

The evolution of Ottawa

Explore the stories of an evolving city and its residents from the early days of Bytown to present-day Ottawa, while being uniquely situated on a spectacular UNESCO World Heritage site! From artifacts and photographs, to paintings and written histories, experience Ottawa’s past just steps away from Parliament hill. (B)

Cumberland Heritage Village Museum

Village life from the Roaring 20s to the Great Depression

An immersive and educational experience that showcases life in the 1920s and 30s with dozens of heritage and true-to-the-era reproduction buildings. Explore the sawmill, shingle mill, fire hall, church, general store and more! (C)

Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum

Descend into history, 75 feet underground

A once-top secret, four-storey underground bunker during the Cold War, The Diefenbunker offers visitors a unique experiential learning environment inside Canada’s most significant Cold War artifact. Take a guided tour, or try your hand at the on-site escape room, all while immersing yourself in the era. (D)

Fairfields Heritage House

Go back in time to the 19th century

Originally built on 660 acres of farmland, the museum tells the story of almost 200 years of rich, local history and the people who so actively helped shape the evolution of the area. Explore the 19th century Gothic Revival farmhouse, and take a stroll through the beautiful gardens and greenspace.

Goulbourn Museum

Take the kids to another era and teach them how to haggle

Goulbourn Museum preserves and interprets material significant to the Goulbourn Township area before, during, and after its incorporation. The Museum houses a diverse collection of artifacts and many interactive exhibitions, including the popular Village General Store where children can dress in costume to barter or shop for supplies.

(A) (G) (B)

Nepean Museum

Nepean: The whole story

Using dozens of photos, artifacts, and interactive elements, the permanent exhibition spans the history of Nepean from its use by Algonquin peoples, up until Nepean’s amalgamation with Ottawa at the turn of the 21st Century. With many fun hands-on events, programs and exhibitions, you’ll find lots to discover. (E)

Osgoode Township Museum

Research your roots and discover farming in the olden days

Learn the story of how Indigenous people and the first European settlers paved a path for current day rural community members, and how these residents are cultivating their connections with the past! During your visit, tour the heritage garden and orchard and get a closer look at some antique farming equipment.

Pinhey’s Point Historic Site

Ruins by the Ottawa River, and so much more Scenic views, historic buildings, stone ruins, and rolling green hills come together to create one of the most spectacular places in Ottawa to relax, learn, and explore. Tour the 200-year old historic manor and travel back in time with artifacts and furniture that tell a centuries-old story. (F)

Vanier Museopark

The only French-language museum in Ottawa, and it has a sugar shack! Learn about maple syrup production right in the heart of Vanier at the North America’s only urban sugar shack! Visitors can immerse themselves in the history of Ottawa’s francophone community while enjoying a sweet treat.

Watson’s Mill and Dickinson House

This old mill is still grinding away

Enjoy a guided tour of the 19th-century mill, which remains active – and learn how flour is made during milling demonstrations every Sunday from May to October. Or, discover Dickinson House where guests can enjoy daily life demonstrations, offering guests a deeper look at life during the Victorian Era. (G)

(D)

New whiskey distillery designed as ‘destination store’, restaurant and lounge

BY HEDDY SOROUR news@obj.ca

Pierre Mantha really gets a rush from his work — but not the kind you might imagine for a purveyor of craft spirits.

Instead, Mantha is motivated by his plans to grow his business. He’s currently building a 160,000-square-foot distillery in Hawkesbury in a bid to help quench a growing thirst among consumers for spirits.

“My goal is to be up and running by August 2023 or maybe September,” he says.

The construction of the Artiste in Residence Distillerie will be the first phase of an eight-phase project that Mantha hopes will culminate in a destination store, restaurant and lounge in the next five years.

“It was certainly wonderful news to hear,” says Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Alain Lefebvre in reference to Mantha’s plans. “It’s something different, which is great, and when something is different like that it becomes an attraction at the same time. It has multi-functions in terms of economic development across the board.”

The Hawkesbury location is Mantha’s second distillery. His first was a 40,000-square-foot operation in Gatineau tucked in between Autoroute 50 and Gatineau’s executive airport. The name Artiste in Residence Distillerie, which abbreviates to AiR Distillerie, is a play

on the proximity to the airport and the distillery’s craft identity.

Launched in 2016, AiR Gatineau’s products quickly became one of the top sellers in Quebec’s crowded craft gin market.

“I have 50 brands in Quebec,” says Mantha. “The problem is our gin in Quebec is going down in sales a little, but I believe I’m going to bring Quebecers to drinking whiskey!”

He could have his work cut out for him. Quebec is not a whiskey-drinking province. In 2021, whiskey held a 16-percent market share of liquor sales in Quebec, compared to 34 per cent in Ontario, according to Statistics Canada.

Mantha intends to change that, starting in Hawkesbury. He is counting on his fellow Quebecers’ desire to support their own.

“They supported me with the gin and so I think they will support me again,” says Mantha, who says he wants to become the “Jack Daniels of Canada,” but more craft.

Paramount to his plan is keeping prices reasonable. “I want to sell volume,” Mantha says.

He’s already bought 500,000 empty bottles for his spirits, partly to secure the best price, and says the new Hawkesbury AiR’s bottling line could produce one million bottles a year with just four or five employees.

“We are an urban community of 10,000 population that services a large

agricultural community. Mr. Mantha will be able to buy a lot of his raw materials locally because it’s always cheaper when it doesn’t have to travel far,” says Mayor Lefebvre.

Still, it will be a while before his whiskey hits the market since it has to age for three years, explains Mantha. The Hawkesbury facility will get started on the whiskey right away, but will also produce the tried and tested gin and vodka to bring in immediate revenue, assuming that AiR Distillerie breaks into the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

Meanwhile, Mantha has plans for another eight distilleries: one in Vancouver; five in the U.S., starting in Erie, Pa.; one in Colombia to produce rum; and one in Mexico to distill tequila. He’s already bought the land in Pennsylvania and is working on site plan approvals, even as the Hawkesbury facility is under construction.

“Every three years I’m building a distillery. But a shovel won’t go in the ground in Pennsylvania until Hawkesbury becomes profitable,” says Mantha, who admits that he’s not much of a drinker and knew nothing about alcohol production until about five years ago.

He says he’ll keep the Gatineau distillery partly out of sentiment — it was his first and where he says he made all the mistakes that taught him how to solve the “tough, tough business” of liquor sales. It may eventually become his research

and development hub, he adds, while the Hawkesbury location offers significantly more storage and production space.

It all adds up to a lot of pressure, but it fits with this high energy, fast-talking, expressive, self-proclaimed workaholic.

“He is a visionary with no limits and is always positive. He will make everything work. He is a spontaneous person but very organized at the same time. He doesn’t have an office, he has his schedule on his phone and is always working on something,” says Genevieve Parent Berriault, who’s in charge of development and commercialization at AiR Distillerie.

Half French and half English, Mantha identifies strongly as a bilingual Quebecer, making Hawkesbury a natural fit.

“In Hawkesbury, we never made language an issue; English, French, bilingual, it’s never been an issue,” says Mayor Lefebvre.

A truck mechanic by trade, Mantha started out by creating Mantha Corp., which includes three Hino truck dealerships, a leasing company and a holding company, all within the Ottawa area.

The distribution potential of using his trucking resources to benefit his distilleries is very much on his radar. “Distribution is easy, I have the trucks,” he shrugs.

So far, Mantha has financed his expansions with loans and his own money, but says that he will start seeking investors once the Hawkesbury facility becomes profitable. With investors, he says he’ll be able to realize the full potential of the Hawkesbury site and expand more quickly.

“I love the adrenaline rush. It’s not work, I enjoy this too much to call it work. I’m here at five in the morning.”

No better time to ‘Experience Smiths Falls’

Enjoy historic beauty in a lively, natural setting

Smiths Falls is the friendliest town, and one that serves up big adventures as well. Tucked between Ottawa and Kingston, this fast-growing waterfront community offers historic architecture, a vibrant downtown and welcoming small-town charm. From one-of-a-kind accommodations and experiences, to delicious food and unique shops, to waterfront events and recreation, the town’s focus on hospitality makes it easy to enjoy a day, a weekend or an even longer stay in Smiths Falls.

All aboard!

Smiths Falls’ illustrious railway heritage comes to life at the Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario, a National Historic Site. Visitors can climb up into the cupola of a caboose or inspect the track in a Speeder Car. New exhibits, events and programs take place all season.

History comes to life

The Heritage House Museum is an elegant Victorian dwelling offering a look into the lifestyle of a wealthy mill owner. The museum offers changing exhibitions, art shows, day camps, educational programs, gift shop, gardens, picnic area and

Hidden Gems

• Post Office Cocktail Bar for signature cocktails and small plates

• Sleep in a caboose at the Railway Museum AirBnB

• Russell Street parkette featuring stunning mural by Dominic Laporte

Fun Facts

special events throughout the year. You can also step back in time on a self-guided heritage walking tour showcasing the town’s rich architectural history.

Waterways and trails

Soak up the sights and sounds of the bustling Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Launch your own boat, or rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboard at Pedal & Paddle, where you’ll also find rental bikes if you’d rather stay on dry land. If exploring on foot is more your style, Smiths Falls boasts a network of pathways; outside town you can check out the Rideau Trail, the Cataraqui Trail and the Ottawa Valley Rail Trail.

Parks and playgrounds

Scenic Centennial Park – home to the town’s iconic water tower – is ideal for a picnic and a walk along the waterside trail. In summer, enjoy movies under the stars on Thursday evenings. You’ll find a beach here as well as one at Murphy Park. Lower Reach Park offers ball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer pitches, beach volleyball, a splash pad and more. If a golf course is your perfect playground, visit the Smiths Falls Golf and Country Club, home course for LPGA major champion Brooke Henderson.

• In 1912 the Smiths Falls Bascule Bridge was built to carry the CN Railway mainline over the Rideau Canal. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1983.

• In 1963, the first Beatles album for the North American market was pressed by RCA in Smiths Falls.

• 18th Century Loyalist Thomas Smythe - for whom Smiths Falls was named - never actually set foot in the area.

Arts and culture

The former CPR Railway depot is now home to the Station Theatre which offers live shows, musical events and movies throughout the year. In the summer and early fall, don’t miss the Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries, featuring world-class illusionists who never fail to amaze audiences. Meet makers and craftspeople at the new Artisan’s hub in downtown Smiths Falls.

Luxury options

Gather with friends in the Old Post Office AirBnB penthouse suite. Pop into Sip Bistro in the delightful Davidson Courtyard for a snack and a glass of wine or craft beer then head out to collect provisions before spending four days on a luxury Le Boat houseboat cruising the historic Rideau waterway.

Events galore

In the small town that thinks big, summer is packed with events. In June, savour all the fun of Ribfest at Lower Reach Park. The Rise at the Falls Car Show is an annual favourite, as is Rideau Paddle Fest, a day-long celebration of the UNESCO Heritage waterway. Check out all the special programming for Canada Day and don’t miss the Spirit of the Drum Pow Wow, another annual tradition.

Sample itinerary – girls’ getaway day

• Indulge in some pampering at the Blue Door Spa

• Pick up a picnic lunch at C’est Tout Bakery

• Check out The Artisan Village at the Falls

• Visit 4 Degrees Brewing for a pint on their dog-friendly patio

• Enjoy live music at Bowie’s Café Bar www.smithsfalls.ca/visit

Your go-to list of 2023 events, festivals and activities in Ottawa

Whether you’re a local resident looking for some adventure or a first-time visitor to the capital, there is plenty to see and do in Ottawa this year. From good food and extreme adventures to music festivals and monumental anniversaries, 2023 is set to be a year of fun for the city. For even more information on events and activities in the capital visit ottawatourism.ca!

Foodies

• Explore Ottawa’s history through beer and brewing with BrewDonkey’s new after-work craft brewery tour

• Visit Alice, a vegetable and fermentation-focused tasting menu restaurant run by Briana Kim, winner of the 2023 Canadian Culinary Championship

• Prefer drinks on the water? Check out Palapa Tours, Ottawa’s 12-person floating cocktail bar!

• Voted #4 on the Canada’s Best New Restaurants list, Perch is an intimate fine dining restaurant focused on sourcing Canadian ingredients

Adventurers

• Ahoy Captain! Starting this May, rent a luxury Le Boat rental right from Dows Lake! Fully equipped with cabins, bathrooms and a kitchen/ BBQ you can explore the Rideau Canal this summer in style

• Catch disco fever at Ottawa’s new indoor roller skating rink 4Wheelies! With a live DJ, food, bar, arcade, and party rooms you can roll the night away

• Camp Fortune is unveiling three new zip lines –totalling 4,478 feet of peak to peak travel. If that’s not enough, check out their 50-foot freefall jump!

• Take a ride on Ottawa’s first “beer bike”—aka the Thursty Pedaler. Seating up to 14 people, pedal your way through the Glebe or Wellington West while stopping at craft beer bars along the way

Fans of culture

• A local classic, RBC Ottawa Bluesfest is back in a big way. From July 6-16 checkout a chock-full line up of performers including headliners Shania Twain, Weezer, Foo Fighters, Pitbull and more!

• More than 1,500 Indigenous athletes will visit Ottawa in August to compete in the Masters Indigenous Games – a competition of 10 contemporary and traditional sport categories. Check out the free cultural festival at Lansdowne Park while you’re there!

• Nature Nocturne is back at the Canadian Museum of Nature! The popular after-hours event that includes music, dancing, food, and drink hosts four events from May through January

• Celebrate 100 Years of the Canadian Forces Naval Reserve at the Canadian Tulip Festival from May 12-22. A new Mother’s Day Flower Fun Run will also take place May 14 in support of the Canadian Tulip Legacy

Anniversaries

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police celebrate their 150th anniversary in 2023, including at the RCMP Musical Ride Stables which reopen Monday to Friday, May 8-August 31!

• It’s a big year for the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, an annual ride from Ottawa to Kingston and back. The 200 km-each-way event, which attracts close to 1,500 cyclists every year, is celebrating its 50th year from June 10-11

• House of PainT – Ottawa’s festival of hip-hop culture –celebrates its 20th anniversary August 11-13, 2023!

Enablence plans $150M chip fabrication plant in Ottawa-Gatineau

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

AKanata-based photonics company that has struggled to gain traction for nearly two decades says it is on the verge of a market breakthrough and is scouting potential sites in the National Capital Region to build a $150-million chip fabrication plant that would employ more than 100 people.

Enablence Technologies, which trades on the TSX Venture Exchange, says it is in the process of raising capital to finance a 50,000-square-foot facility that would produce up to 7,500 optical chip wafers a month — more than 10 times the capacity of its current production plant in Fremont, Calif.

The firm now has about 50 employees, including seven at its head office and research and development hub on March Road.

But company officials say its head count is poised to grow dramatically in the years ahead as new applications in the medical technology and automotive sectors drive demand for its optical photonics components.

“The optics industry is on the verge of exploding,” CEO Todd Haugen, a longtime Microsoft executive who took over the top job at Enablence 14 months ago, told Techopia. “There are so many new use cases for it.”

Enablence chief financial officer Paul Rowland says the Ottawa region is a natural choice for a new facility as the company, which now assembles its chips in China,

looks to consolidate design, production and assembly on this side of the Pacific.

“When we started looking at where in North America it would make sense for us to build a plant, we felt strongly that Ottawa was one of our top choices — primarily because of the access to (engineering) talent, which is absolutely critical in our line of work.”

Rowland says the firm is checking out existing industrial properties in the region as well as projects that are under construction, particularly in the west end. But he said it’s “tricky” to find a building that could be readily converted into a “clean room” suitable for chip production and assembly.

Enablence is also looking at buying vacant land where it could potentially build its own facility, Rowland said, including sites on both sides of the Ottawa River.

He said the firm is still “several months away” from making any announcements, but is “very encouraged about our ability to be able to do something” in Ottawa-Gatineau.

“There are a lot of moving parts,” Rowland said. “It’s a bit early to say, ‘This is where we’re going to put our stake in the ground.’”

If Enablence does go ahead with a project here, the federal government will likely be a major partner.

The feds, like their counterparts in the United States, have made no secret of their desire to kickstart a domestic semiconductor industry.

In 2022, the Canadian government announced it was setting aside $150 million for targeted investments in the sector and earmarked $90 million for the Canadian

Photonics Fabrication Centre on Montreal Road,

which provides engineering, prototyping and manufacturing of circuits and other electronics.

Enablence is now in talks with Canadian officials about securing tens of millions of dollars in federal funding for a new chip fabrication plant. Rowland said the firm is aiming to have a deal finalized within the next 12 months and hopes to launch construction of the facility — which would likely take at least three years to build and certify — by next summer.

“They’re very interested in the project, but they need it de-risked a little bit,” Haugen said of officials from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.

A new production facility would mark a huge leap forward for Enablence, which has failed to capture a broad market after nearly two decades in business.

Founded in 2006, Enablence produces optical chip components used in data centres that serve tech giants such as Apple, Google and Meta, the parent company of Facebook.

Over the years, the company has cycled through a series of C-suite leaders in the hope of hitting on a formula for success, but to little avail.

Enablence, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, generated revenues of about $2 million in 2022, down from $2.5 million the year before.

In the first three months of 2023, sales of its optical chips fell 16 per cent year-overyear, with the company citing “economic headwinds experienced by the end users” of its products for the decline.

In the same period, however, revenues from new R&D contracts for customers rose 158 per cent — giving officials a reason to believe the seeds of future success are already being planted.

Haugen argues that Enablence was late to

the party when it came to carving out a niche in data centres and never really had a chance to become a dominant player in that space.

“If we had started this company in 1993, we would have caught the datacoms wave and we would have been a leader in datacoms,” he said. “But we were a

Now, however, the CEO says Enablence is on the cutting edge of technology that will fuel the coming autonomous vehicle revolution and power nextgeneration medical devices that will be small enough to hold in your hand while scanning for conditions such as macular degeneration.

The firm is poised to go all in on the “advanced vision” market — for example, focusing on chips that will help manufacturers produce faster, more accurate Lidar systems that use lasers and reflected light to allow self-driving vehicles to detect cars, pedestrians and other objects.

Haugen says its optical circuits used in fibre-optics systems bleed less energy in the form of light than other similar products. The firm has ramped up its R&D spending in recent years, and the CEO says its engineers have “discovered some new properties of glass and light” that have resulted in chips that are one-third smaller than those of their closest competitors and just as powerful.

“We’re able to miniaturize to a much higher level than the competition and deliver the same kind of performance,” Haugen explained.

“We’re in front of the market. We’re narrowly focused on exactly what we’re great at. We are the leader in terms of design in the automotive Lidar space for optical chips today, and I don’t plan on relinquishing that advantage.”

Haugen says automotive industry experts predict that up to 90 per cent of all new vehicles will include some form of Lidar by 2032. If Enablence holds on to its early advantage, it should be in the driver’s seat when that time comes, he adds.

The firm is currently exploring deals to provide its chips to six of the eight largest automotive equipment manufacturers and hopes to open talks with the other two soon, Haugen said. Since he joined the company last spring, Enablence’s sales pipeline has ballooned from $4 million to more than $80 million.

1VALET eyes Middle East expansion as revenues soar

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

AGatineau startup whose smart building technology is installed in apartments and condos across Canada and the United States is eyeing its next big move after raising millions of dollars in fresh capital.

Proptech venture 1Valet says it’s poised to expand into markets such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia over the next 12 months as its platform — which uses AI facial recognition technology to unlock doors and allows couriers to enter apartment lobbies by scanning a package’s barcode — gains momentum.

The firm, which previously raised more than $16 million in venture capital, announced recently it closed an oversubscribed $7-million round of convertible debentures. The company says it will use the funding to accelerate its move into other markets and add new features to its platform.

“It’s very exciting times,” said CEO JeanPierre Poulin, adding that 1Valet hopes to set up an office in the Middle East in the next few months.

Founded in 2016, 1Valet specializes in subscription-based software that provides condo and apartment dwellers with features

such as keyless entry, remote thermostat control and automatic package delivery alerts.

The company has been riding a wave of growth during the pandemic as demand for touchless technology in public places such as apartment lobbies skyrocketed. Its revenues have been growing at more than 150 per cent annually for the past five years and its platform is now used in more than 75,000 residential units in Canada and about 10 U.S. states, with an additional 200,000 units in its sales pipeline.

Its 135 clients include major landlords such as Ottawa-based InterRent REIT and Minto Apartment REIT, while telecommunications giant Rogers offers 1Valet’s software to Rogers and Shaw internet customers across the country.

Poulin says more deals are in the works. Meanwhile, the firm, which has 60 employees, keeps adding more residential units to its inventory as new buildings are completed amid a multi-residential construction boom that’s seeing thousands of new apartment suites built each year across Canada.

The Gatineau company is also looking to tap into new revenue streams by incorporating pay-per-use features into the platform.

They include an app that will allow

apartment and condo dwellers to rent vehicles in a similar manner to car-sharing services such as Communauto. Synced to 1Valet’s platform, the app would permit only registered tenants to unlock the vehicles.

After investing more than $30 million in the technology since its inception, 1Valet is on track to start turning a profit within the next 12 months, Poulin said.

Two of the firm’s U.S.-based competitors, SmartRent and Latch, went public a few years ago via mergers with special-purpose acquisition companies created specifically to raise capital through

a public listing.

In 2021, Poulin told OBJ such a move seemed like a “natural path” for 1Valet. But he now says the company — which he describes as having “zero churn” as it heads toward millions of dollars in monthly recurring revenues — likely won’t follow its fellow proptech ventures from south of the border in testing in public markets.

“We don’t foresee requiring lots of money before we reach profit,” Poulin explained, although he didn’t rule out seeking a “significant equity partner” to help finance 1Valet’s continued expansion drive.

“We don’t foresee requiring lots of money before we reach profit.”

– CEO Jean-Pierre Poulin

Ottawa well-equipped to weather storm as VCs adjust to new normal, BDC exec says

BY OBJ STAFF news@obj.ca

Anew report says Canada’s venture capitalists are being more cautious with their investments after a historically frothy year in 2021, but activity at Ottawa-based VCs should remain steady thanks to a focus on seed and early-stage deals, an expert says.

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) said recently that venture capital lending, which tends to focus on early-stage companies with significant growth potential, dropped in 2022 and is expected to remain slow as companies grapple with higher interest rates, a wave of tech layoffs and fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.

The research found the number of venture capital deals done in 2022 shrank by 12 per cent from the year before to 706, while the total amount invested declined 34 per cent to $10 billion. The average deal size pulled back 24 per cent to $14.2 million over the same period.

“We’ve entered into a more challenging time,” said Jerome Nycz, executive vicepresident at BDC Capital.

“We’ve gone a long way in the last 10 years in creating a more mature, resilient, diversified and a bit more sophisticated VC class, and now we’re at risk of losing a lot of that momentum because of the economic environment.”

He noted that geopolitical uncertainty and the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, which was used by a slew of tech startups, have “notably shaken” investor confidence.

BDC is predicting that total VC lending in Canada could fall to between $6 billion and $8 billion in 2023, “and Ottawa will not be spared of that reality,” Nycz said in an interview with OBJ

But he also noted that the city has some advantages that could keep it from experiencing a significant downturn.

Ottawa is home to a “good pool of angel investors”, as well as VCs such as Mistral Venture Partners and Celtic House Venture Partners, that channel their capital into seed and early-stage investments, Nycz noted.

That should bode well for the city’s VC community, he said, because seed-stage investment activity has remained fairly consistent over the past 18 months.

The total amount of funding for seed deals in Canada fell just one per cent in 2022 compared with the previous year, BDC’s report said, while the total number of deals declined eight per cent.

By contrast, the total amount invested in late-stage deals shrank 12 per cent and the deal tally declined 21 per cent. The drop was even more dramatic for growth equity investments, in which the total amount of capital invested plummeted 73 per cent and deal volumes dropped 33 per cent.

“The significant reduction in later-stage (investment) will affect your market to a

lesser extent,” Nycz explained. “The fact that you’ve got more early-stage investment, you’re seeing less of a contraction.”

Between 2014 and 2022, Ottawa-based VCs invested about $2.7 billion, he said. Nearly $1 billion of that funding occurred in 2021, but investment totals “came back down rapidly” last year to around the 10year average of between $270 million and $300 million, Nycz said.

While that was a major drop, he said local investors continue to see “a steady (stream) of opportunities” to deploy capital to young companies.

“We’re seeing a good activity level (in Ottawa), despite the challenges that we’re describing in the report,” Nycz said. “I think angel investors, working with accelerators, working with early-stage investors, will make a tremendous difference in the Ottawa market.”

The new outlook comes after a bull market produced more than 100 Canadian unicorns — startups with $1-billion valuations — in the past 25 years.

However, companies big and small are now eschewing the “growth-at-all-cost” mentality they were once known for and instead focusing on cost reduction.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, even went so far as to name 2023 the “year of efficiency” when it embarked on a 10,000-person layoff earlier this year.

Ottawa-based tech darling Shopify cut 20

per cent of its workforce in May, following a 2022 cut that saw 10 per cent of staff depart.

Google, Netflix, Oracle, Wealthsimple and Twitter have all made staffing reductions, too.

Nycz believes the pressure to be prudent with cash and efficient with operations will continue as management teams weigh the cost and benefit of growth against the need to preserve capital should the downturn become more severe.

Half of Canadian companies and up to 70 per cent of American businesses will need to raise capital over the next year, BDC anticipates. Several companies across its portfolio have less than 12 months of runway.

Wrangling further investments will prove trickier than during the pandemic, when interest rates were low and investors were keen to put money behind ventures that were soaring amid remote work.

“People realize that we don’t need money for the next six months,” said Nycz. “They need money for the next 24 months or 36 months, because people expect the market not to get back very rapidly.”

Canadian VCs hold an estimated $13.2 billion in cash, but BDC expects it to be handed out more slowly, leaving capital deployment figures below those of last year.

Those that do offer money will seek lower valuations or more investor-friendly terms, BDC said.

– with files from The Canadian Press

“We’ve gone a long way in the last 10 years in creating a more mature, resilient, diversified and a bit more sophisticated VC class, and now we’re at risk of losing a lot of that momentum because of the economic environment.”

– Jerome Nycz, executive vice-president at BDC Capital

Food Cycle Science lands funding to augment ‘table-to-farm’ tech

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

An Ottawa biotech company whose portable device quickly turns food scraps into fertilizer is now applying similar technology to plastic waste in a bid to fend off well-heeled U.S. competitors that include a startup backed by Bill Gates.

Food Cycle Science recently received more than $1.65 million from the Canadian Food Innovation Network — a federally funded organization that helps finance commercial research in Canada’s food sector — to develop a system that will break down plastics made from natural substances such as vegetable oils and convert them into a nutrient-rich byproduct that can be mixed with garden soil.

The Westboro-based firm is working on the technology with biochemistry researchers at Carleton University. Food Cycle chief executive Bradley Crepeau said early evidence suggests the concept has promise, but it will likely be at least three years before a product is ready to hit store shelves.

“If we can make it easier than the status quo, adoption will occur naturally,” he said of the push to find a convenient way to recycle bioplastic waste, which typically gets shipped to landfills.

The funding boost comes as the 12-yearold Ottawa firm rides a wave of momentum that saw it release a new version of its flagship FoodCycler product earlier this month.

The device, which is about the size of a couple of large crock pots, grinds up food waste such as fruit and vegetable peelings, meat, bones, pits and shells and converts it into an odourless fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphate and potassium.

The FoodCycler can hold up to five litres of food scraps, using heat, air and agitation to reduce the weight and volume of the contents by up to 90 per cent in a matter of hours – as opposed to the weeks or months it takes a traditional green bin to do the same job.

biggest contributors to landfills, constituting more than 20 per cent of all household waste in that country. Crepeau said as more and more garbage piles up in dumps across the continent, the FoodCycler is becoming a must-have item for a growing number of municipalities that are buying the device in bulk and distributing it to households as an alternative to green bins.

Today, nearly 90 Canadian cities and towns — including Carleton Place, Smiths Falls and Nelson, B.C. — rely on the FoodCycler to compost food waste. Municipal contracts now make up a quarter of the company’s sales.

“When I started this business 11 years ago, nobody talked about food waste,” Crepeau, a 2023 OBJ Forty Under 40 recipient, said in a recent interview. “When I told them I had this device, they’d look at me a little funny. Now, people are talking to me about food waste before I even tell them what I do.”

Direct-to-consumer sales still make up the bulk of Food Cycle’s revenues.

Food appliance giant Vita-Mix Corp. has the exclusive North American rights to sell the FoodCycler, which retails for about $820 in Canada. Meanwhile, Crepeau says sales are growing rapidly in overseas markets such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, which now account for 35 per cent of the firm’s sales.

Food Cycle’s head count has risen from 17 two years ago to 44 today as it ramps up hiring to meet surging demand, and the company expects to be at 60 employees by this time next year. Crepeau says the bootstrapped enterprise is flourishing thanks to its first-mover advantage and the pressing need for its solution.

“Death, taxes and garbage — I like to say those things will always be there,” he said.

Still, Crepeau knows he’s not alone in sensing the pent-up demand for foodto-fertilizer technology. “Noteworthy competitors” are emerging, he explained — perhaps none more notable than California-based Mill Industries.

Co-founded by Matt Rogers, whose smart thermostat startup Nest Labs was acquired by Google for more than US$3 billion in 2014, Mill was launched three years ago and came out of stealth mode in January.

The 100-employee firm says its device converts food waste into a coffee-groundlike substance overnight. Users pay a monthly fee to rent a digitally connected waste bin and the dried byproduct is shipped to a processing plant where it is turned into animal feed.

In Crepeau’s words, the FoodCycler is “like composting, but on fast forward.” With cities across the world, including Ottawa, grappling with the thorny issue of how to reduce garbage output and extend the life of landfills, Crepeau believes his company can play a major role in municipal waste reduction

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food is one of the

It all adds up to big business for Food Cycle, which placed fifth on OBJ’s list of fastest-growing companies earlier this year with three-year revenue growth of 426 per cent. More than 100,000 FoodCyclers have been sold, but Crepeau said he expects the floodgates to really open once the company gains a foothold in larger apartment and condo developments where green bins are far less convenient to use.

Cracking the multi-residential market and expanding the company’s footprint south of the border are the CEO’s top priorities — along with continuing to develop new innovations like bioplasticdegrading technology.

“That one-million-unit mark is something that we’re looking at in the notso-distant future,” he said.

While the company won’t say how much capital it’s raised, its high-profile backers include Google Ventures and Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Crepeau concedes that “to this point, we have enjoyed a blue ocean.” Suddenly, however, the sharks are swirling.

“We’ve got all of Silicon Valley now, with unlimited money … looking at us and saying, ‘How can we do it better?’” he said. “We have a right to win, and it’s ours to lose. But if we’re not really careful and if we’re not really strategic, there’s a lot of capable people that are ready to take this over and be winners in what will be a really exciting space.”

Still, Crepeau likes his company’s odds of emerging victorious.

“What we’re doing is really, really hard,” he said. “But we say, that’s good. Because if it’s hard for us, it’s going to be hard for the next guy.”

“Now, people are talking to me about food waste before I even tell them what I do”

– Food Cycle chief executive Bradley Crepeau

RECOGNITION

National Arts Centre Foundation CEO Jayne Watson takes final bow

Jayne Watson earned a standing ovation and rave reviews in recognition of her sensational 22-year run at the National Arts Centre, where she has risen to star status as a top arts fundraiser in Canada.

As outgoing CEO of the NAC Foundation, she was honoured at a special dinner attended by NAC trustees, foundation board members, along with family and guests, in the Rossy Pavilion overlooking Confederation Square and Parliament.

In honour of Watson’s “remarkable career as a leader and mentor,” the NAC has created a Jayne Watson Performing Arts Fellowship. Each year, emerging artists and arts professionals will be selected for the prestigious fellowship, and will receive a paid professional development opportunity, through the NAC.

At the dinner, journalist and author Sarah Jennings received the Arnie Vered Award for Voluntarism in recognition of her 25-plus years of loyal support toward the NAC.

In attendance were members of the Vered family. Arnie was a well-known Ottawa businessman, community leader and married father of six.

Under Watson’s leadership, the NAC Foundation raised millions from donors to establish the National Creation Fund. It invests in performing arts projects across the country, allowing artists the time, space and resources to make inspiring and impactful work.

In 2019, the NAC announced the transformational gift of $10 million — the largest single gift to the NAC — from Earle and Janice O’Born. Among the highlights mentioned to OBJ.social by Watson were the Algonquin-led flotilla on the Rideau Canal in 2019 (it included members of

the local Indigenous arts community and representatives from the Indigenous Theatre department) and the 2018 retirement dinner for Peter Herrndorf that netted $1 million for the NAC’s Indigenous Theatre. She has fond memories of the NAC Galas, particularly the one featuring Ottawa-born headliner Paul Anka in 2013. There was also the surprise musical performance by then-prime minister Stephen Harper accompanied by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, at the 2009 gala.

Watson said she’s enjoyed watching the NAC return to life in the postpandemic world. “It’s much more ‘the living room of the city’ that Peter [Herrndorf] had envisioned.”

In her remarks last night, Watson, 63, acknowledged an array of people, from artists to colleagues to donors to volunteers to family. She spoke of how Julia Foster, Gail O’Brien, Gail Asper, Adrian Burns, Janice O’Born and Susan Glass, through their leadership roles on the NAC and NAC Foundation boards, “taught me how women lead in the boardroom with smarts, compassion and a deep commitment to arts in Canada,” said Watson. “These women set the bar high when it comes to volunteerism and philanthropy.”

OBJ.social is supported by the generous patronage of Mark Motors and Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties Inc. STORIES AND PHOTOS BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS

Christopher Deacon, president and CEO of the National Arts Centre, with journalist and author Sarah Jennings, this year’s recipient of the Arnie Vered Award for Voluntarism.

KPMG Law partner Gregory Sanders with fellow NAC Foundation board member Carol Devenny, CFO of Equality Fund.

From left, Susan Glass, chair of the NAC Foundation, with Guy Pratte, chair of the NAC board of trustees, and Jayne Watson, retiring CEO of the NAC Foundation, at a dinner held in Watson’s honour at the NAC on May 25.

LEFT: Liza Mrak, executive vice-president of Mark Motors Group and board member with the NAC Foundation, and her husband, Gary Zed, CEO of Canada’s Forest Trust. RIGHT: Watson with her brother, Jim Watson, Ottawa’s longest-serving mayor.

FUNDRAISER

Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala raises $345K at new aquatic abode

As far as housewarming parties go, it doesn’t get much better than the one hosted by Ottawa Riverkeeper.

More than 400 folks showed their support for the non-profit organization during the 10th anniversary of its signature fundraiser, hosted at its stunning new headquarters at

the newly restored NCC River House.

The Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala raised $345,000. The evening offered up everything, from food and drink stations, to live music and dancing, to auction bidding, conversation and stylish decor.

Only at the Riverkeeper Gala are you

served fresh food in a well-iced canoe.

The new-and-improved River House was described as “the jewel of the Ottawa River,” by well-known journalist Evan Solomon, who recently became publisher of New Yorkbased GZERO Media. He’s hosted the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala every year since it launched

in 2013 with inaugural Honorary Riverkeeper Mark Carney, current UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, and former governor of the Bank of Canada.

This year, the gala fêted Algonquin Elder Claudette Commanda, who’s also chancellor of the University of Ottawa. She expressed “deep gratitude” for her new honorary title.

On stage for the presentation were Carney and his wife, Diana Carney, who does a lot of work in the area of climate change; 2022 Honorary Riverkeeper Daniel Alfredsson, former captain of the Ottawa Senators; 2015 Honorary Riverkeeper Kevin Vickers (who can forget his heroic efforts on Parliament Hill when a gunman attacked in 2014?); along with Ottawa Riverkeeper and CEO Laura Reinsborough and visionary board chair Geoff Green, founder and president of Students on Ice Foundation.

Earlier in the evening, the Chair’s Reception was held in the top-floor office area. The room heard from Melissa Cotton from reception sponsor CN and from Justin Schurman from RBC, which was also a major sponsor. The reception featured a live auction led by retired Gatineau businessman and community leader Michel Drouin. He’s co-chairing a $5-million campaign to help with the expansion of the educational programming at Ottawa Riverkeeper’s new site.

The campaign is almost half-way done.

OBJ.social is supported by the generous patronage of Mark Motors and Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties Inc. STORIES

Attendees of the Ottawa Riverkeeper Gala could help themselves to fresh food catered by Thyme & Again and served from a canoe.

From left, former Honorary Riverkeeper Kevin Vickers, Diana Carney and former Honorary Riverkeeper Mark Carney, Ottawa Riverkeeper Laura Reinsborough, former Honorary Riverkeeper Daniel Alfredsson, 2023 Honorary Riverkeeper Claudette Commanda and Ottawa Riverkeeper board chair Geoff Green.

Daniel Alfredsson helped to raise $8,000 for Ottawa Riverkeeper by offering a group lesson of the new racquet sport of padel to the highest bidder.

Jason Clark, national director of climate change advocacy for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, snapped a crowd selfie with Ottawa Riverkeeper/CEO Laura Reinsborough, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault.

PROUD TO BE ME 2023

GALA

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor BMO

W e w o u l d l i k e t o e x t e n d o u r d e e p e s t a p p r e c i a t i o n a n d g r a t i t u d e t o B M O f o r y o u r g e n e r o u s s u p p o r t a s p r e s e n t i n g s p o n s o r a t o u r

g a l a Y o u r c o m m i t m e n t t o o u r c a u s e h a s b e e n i n t e g r a l t o t h e s u c c e s s o f t h e e v e n t a n d w e c o u l d n o t h a v e d o n e i t w i t h o u t y o u r c o n t r i b u t i o n Y o u r u n w a v e r i n g s u p p o r t a n d f i n a n c i a l c o m m i t m e n t h a s g i v e n u s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o m a k e a p o s i t i v e i m p a c t o n t h e l i v e s o f y o u t h i n o u r c o m m u n i t y W e a r e g r a t e f u l f o r y o u r p a r t n e r s h i p a n d l o o k f o r w a r d t o c o n t i n u i n g o u r w o r k t o g e t h e r

W e w o u l d a l s o l i k e t o e x t e n d a h e a r t f e l t t h a n k y o u t o a l l o f o u r s p o n s o r s a n d v o l u n t e e r s f o r t h e i r d e d i c a t i o n , g e n e r o s i t y a n d h a r d w o r k t o w a r d s m a k i n g t h i s e v e n t o u r m o s t s u c c e s s f u l y e t Y o u r c o n t r i b u t i o n s n o t o n l y h e l p e d u s t o e x c e e d o u r 2 0 2 3 g o a l s b u t a r e t h e b a ck b o n e o f o u r s u c c e s s

T h a n k y o u a l l f o r y o u r s u p p o r t . T o l e a r n m o r e a b o u t P T B M a n d h o w t o g e t i n v o l v e d w i t h o u r

P T B M . C A

2 0 2 4 G a l a v i s i t o u r w e b s i t e a t

Colonnade BridgePort taps real estate veteran Jim Taggart receives honorary degree

As it embarks on a series of high-profile residential and industrial construction projects, Ottawa’s Colonnade BridgePort has hired veteran real estate executive Andrew Blair to attract well-heeled investors that can help finance its ambitious agenda.

The firm has tapped Blair — who spent decades in senior management at enterprises ranging from multinational developers to one of Canada’s biggest pension funds — to become managing partner of its investment and fund management business.

In his new role, the Ottawa native will be in charge of securing partnership deals with the kind of deep-pocketed backers — including high-net-worth individuals, family offices and institutional investors — that can help fund Colonnade BridgePort’s next wave of multi-residential and industrial development proposals.

It’s another step in the evolution of the firm’s investment business, which has been working with institutional investors on a “transaction-bytransaction basis” up to now, Colonnade BridgePort chief executive Hugh Gorman told OBJ.

With a spate of major projects in the firm’s pipeline, management felt it was time to “formalize” its private equity and fund management business by creating a fund and putting the “right team in place,” Gorman explained.

The CEO said his new colleague brings “an entrepreneurial approach to real estate” and a thorough understanding of capital markets.

“We just felt like Andrew was the right combination,” he said.

Indeed, Blair brings an eclectic background to his new post.

After earning law degrees from

Queen’s University and the University of Cambridge, he spent more than a decade practising law in Toronto before shifting his attention to real estate. Blair served as senior vice-president and chief operating officer at publicly traded real estate colossus TrizecHahn for nearly six years before leaving the firm in 2002.

He held the same roles at real estate firm MI Developments before taking the helm of Toronto-based StorageNow Holdings, a private equity-backed selfstorage company he helped build into a national enterprise over the next two years. In 2007, he joined the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, as head of real estate investments for the Americas.

From 2011-18, Blair was president and CEO of Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities, one of Canada’s largest owners and operators of land-lease communities. Since 2019, he has led his own real estate consulting firm, GSD Consulting.

Now “a bit north of 60,” Blair said the opportunity to work with a growing real estate development firm in his hometown was too good to pass up.

“I think Ottawa is clearly an underrecognized market as a destination for real estate investment capital,” he said, pointing to the “long-term stability” of the local market and the capital’s high quality of life as key attributes for investors.

“The opportunity to do something this interesting in my hometown at this stage of my career is very gratifying.”

Ottawa’s largest privately owned landlord, Colonnade BridgePort manages more than 9.3 million square feet of property. The firm has been making headlines lately for high-profile deals such as its recent acquisition of

an office complex at City Park Drive and its proposal for a 900,000-squarefoot industrial park in Barrhaven in conjunction with Toronto’s CanFirst Capital.

But Blair and Gorman say the prime focus of the new fund will be large-scale multi-residential development. With rental vacancy rates hovering around two per cent, they say demand for goodquality rental housing has never been higher — even last year’s spike in apartment starts wasn’t enough to satisfy growing need.

“That demand curve is continuing to steepen,” Gorman said. “Our view is, in the not-too-distant future we’re going to see both equity and debt start flowing back into the market.”

Colonnade BridgePort has a number of residential developments in the works, including a rental tower at the site of the former Granite Curling Club on Scott Street in Westboro and mixed-use highrises at Pickering Place, east of the Ottawa train station and the Tremblay LRT terminal.

Blair agreed that Ottawa is currently suffering a “significant imbalance between supply and demand” in rental housing. He said the new fund will help trigger new investment in the sector by offering backers a diversified mix of projects, generating a “multiplier effect” for their equity.

“The investment dynamics in multifamily right now are just extraordinary,” Blair said.

“Hugh and his colleagues put together a pipeline of development projects on an incredible scale and calibre that frankly the Ottawa market hasn’t seen in the past. That allows our investors to have a meaningful interest in multiple projects and benefit from the larger-scale equity that an institution can (invest) alongside us.”

— by David Sali

Jim Taggart, chairman of the Taggart Group of Companies, is among six community leaders who received honorary degrees from Algonquin College this spring.

“We are proud to acknowledge and honour this group of community leaders for their achievements and contributions,” Algonquin College president Claude Brulé said in a news release. “Their leadership in their individual fields have touched the lives of many.”

It’s the second major community honour for Taggart in the past 18 months. The second-generation entrepreneur received the Lifetime Achievement Award from OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade at the Best Ottawa Business Awards in November 2021.

Taggart has been chairman of the Taggart Group, founded by his father Harold in 1948 and originally specialized in sewer and road construction, since 1995. He started at the company fulltime after earning his engineering degree from Carleton University and, along with his brother Ian and brother-in-law Dave Parkes, bought the business from his father in 1974.

Since then, the organization — which consists of Taggart Construction, Doran Contractors, Taggart Realty Management, Tamarack Homes and Tartan Homes — has grown into a major force in construction and real estate throughout Eastern Ontario.

The family-owned business, which now employs more than 600 people, is one of the region’s largest homebuilders and manages two million square feet of commercial real estate across the city.

— by David Sali