Ottawa Business Journal Fall 2022

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PROSPECTUS

Braatz changegenerationalsignalsishere

Kyle Braatz’s CEO of the Year award represents something bigger than his personal success as chief executive and the rapid ascent of Fullscript. It marks a generational change.

Awarded 22 times over as many years, the CEO of the Year honour typically goes to leaders in the 50-plus age range. Kyle is only 38 years old. He joins Tobi Lütke of Shopify as the only under-40 recipient. (It should be noted that both were also Forty Under 40 recipients. Their trajectories were obvious years before.)

The local business community and tech sector can take pride in Kyle, a true made-in-Ottawa entrepreneur. While born in London, Ont., Kyle got his business foundation at the Telfer School of Management and maintains a tight local network of entrepreneurs, such as longtime associate Brad Dyment.

Why is his age relevant?

Kyle’s passion entrepreneurshipformixed with social goals from the outset. On page 6, OBJ senior writer David Sali recounts Kyle’s first foray into business, which blended marketing, finance and logistics with a cross-Canada bike trip to raise money for cancer research. The same “altruistic impulse” can be seen in Fullscript, which aims to evolve the philosophy of medicine into something that is more preventative. So his age reflects this next generation of young CEOs who are most fulfilled when their corporate goals accomplish some socialThegood.second age consideration is Kyle’s career runway, meaning

the number of years ahead in his entrepreneurial journey. Seeing local tech entrepreneurs such as Kyle — and there are others — achieve such dizzying success at an early age makes you seriously consider their trajectory. The merger with Natural Partners to gain access to the U.S. market, the US$240-million equity financing and the ambitious goal to reach $1 billion in revenue demonstrate that Kyle is visionary and bold. It’s exciting to consider what Kyle might achieve and the positive impact it will bring to the place he calls home.

BEST PLACES TO WORK

Besides corporate leadership, the other key ingredient in business success is an engaged workforce. Look to this issue’s HR Update section starting on page 33 to read the recipient profiles of Best Places to Work 2022. With economic storm clouds on the horizon, these companies are doubling down on getting things right with employees. This includes having a compelling mission, creating flexibility around work and building a strong culture. Hats off to these companies for recognizing that.

To those entering the political fray, we salute you

I think it was Sir Winston Churchill who famously said, “Democracy is the worst form of government –except for all the others that have beenHetried.”hada point. And it’s one of the reasons I so admire the various candidates who throw their hats into the political ring. It’s certainly not an easy life nor an obvious one.

I sometimes think this is especially so for candidates who come from a business background, many of whom genuinely want to contribute their expertise for the betterment of their community. Typically, these folks expect sound policy, logical decision-making, informed rhetoric — maybe even collaboration and teamwork. Sound like politics to you?

gave a good stump speech, but I think he was always mildly baffled at the partisan folderole going on around him. Not to mention the abrasive heckling he would get from his own constituents in recognition of his efforts.

As we look ahead to a new mayor and council being elected this fall in Ottawa, it’s hard to predict how it will all unfold, at the ballot box and for many months afterward.Willwe benefit from a clean slate? Or will we have lost “corporate memory”? Will our shiny new representatives be eaten alive by the very machine they are trying to run?

Michael Curran Publisher

I have to say, my own experiences in the high reaches of federal politics left me with a certain sense of dismay and disbelief. As I walked the tony halls of the Langevin Block, it was hard not to wonder, “These are the people running my country? Based on these half-baked sentiments?” My overwhelming sense was that my business lens and my Spockian logic had little place at theIttable.was eye-opening, for sure, but not a total surprise. The Minister for whom I had worked before arriving at PMO was a prominent businessperson. He truly wanted to contribute his time and skills to his country.Hemade some impressive progress in his portfolio and he

One thing’s for sure, anyone who tries to please everyone will ultimately please no-one.

I think Sir Winston also had this to say: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” So wonderful in its pure cynicism!Iguess the best we can promise our fledgling municipal politicians is to do our part to keep up with them in this ungainly dance we call democracy.

Anne Howland Editor in Chief

OCTOBER 4

With many companies stating that talent is their biggest issue, it’s time to examine some solutions. That’s the purpose of the Ottawa Talent Summit. OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade are bringing back this annual conference at Brookstreet Hotel. Keynote speaker Steve Harrington of Deloitte will help attendees take stock of labour disruptions and recommend how employers can win in this new reality. Many other topics will be discussed, including conference.markets.andengagement,recruitment,immigrationuntappedlabourDon’tmissthisVisit www.ottawabot.ca.

OCTOBER 19

To help celebrate Small Business Week, OBJ and the Board of Trade are organizing a breakfast with BDC. The theme will be “Dare to do things differently: Power up your growth.” Pierre Cleroux, chief economist of BDC, will explain how more productive ways of working can help business owners drive the Canadian economy to create a more inclusive and sustainable future. Join this breakfast event to celebrate the passion, audacity and impact of Canada’s dreamers and doers. Visit www.ottawabot.ca

OCTOBER 19

Ever wanted to peek inside the mind of a highly successful CEO to learn an important business lesson? Then this event is for you. CEO Talk is a biannual speaker series that sees local CEOs share lessons learned

and insights in leadership.businessThis fall, the CEO of the Year for 2021, Kathryn Tremblay of Altis Recruitment, will take the podium. This evening event at Lago (Dow’s Lake) will feature great networking, cocktails and canapes. Visit www.ottawabot.ca.

NOVEMBER 24

The region’s largest annual celebration of business is back with a lavish in-person gala at the Westin Ottawa. Major awards will include the CEO of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, CFO of the Year, Newsmaker of the Year and dozens of other company awards, ranging from Best Business to Best Performance in categories such as sales, human resources and marketing. Get your tickets early. Visit www.ottawabot.ca.

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Kyle Braatz is not only steering health-care technology firm Fullscript toward one billion dollars in annual revenue, he is on a mission to help people live better lives BY DAVID SALI

Kyle Braatz’s trek to the summit of the health-care technology field began when he realized that, instead of trying to follow in the footsteps of one of Canada’s greatest heroes, he needed to forge his own path.

Back in 2008, the native of London, Ont., was a commerce student at the University of Ottawa. His first couple of years in university were notable mainly for the fact they were so undistinguished.

“I probably spent more time at Father and Sons, the local bar there, than I did in any of my classes,” Braatz says with a chuckle.

By his own admission, Braatz had yet to figure out his true purpose in life. School was a “stopgap,” a fallback in case his Plan A – becoming a firefighter like his dad Al –didn’t pan out.

But when his maternal grandfather, Frank Moores, died of liver cancer, his career trajectory changed in an instant.

Braatz, who had been a fixture at his grandfather’s side over the previous 18 months following the cancer diagnosis, suddenly found the inspiration he had been“Whenlacking.(Moores) passed away, I decided I wanted to do something to honour his life,” Braatz says. “I wanted to share his legacy and tell his story.”

Knowing the disease had also affected the lives of several of his friends, he suggested that a group of them cycle across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research. But after some sober second thought, Braatz concluded his plan was anything but bold and original.

“I might have been in a hot tub drinking some vodka when I had that idea,” he recounts with a hearty laugh. “Terry Fox was inspiring. We are not. But what it reminded me, though, was I still wanted to do something.”Braatzandhis pals ended up putting their own spin on the cross-Canada cancer fundraiser concept, dedicating the 8,600-kilometre journey to average Canadians whose courage in the face of the deadly disease could give hope to others.

With the university’s blessing, Braatz took a year off school to pursue his ambitious project, building a website and securing sponsors that included mountain bike manufacturer Norco and wellness retailer Nutrition House. Meanwhile, his father’s fellow firefighters agreed to cover off his shifts so Al could drive the RV that served as the “Typically Canadian” tour’s mobile

headquarters for the next 12 months.

The trip was a rousing success, raising $150,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society. Perhaps more importantly, it awakened a sleeping entrepreneurial giant.

“It was just an amazing ride,” Braatz recalls. “After that, I was like, ‘Now I know what I want to do when I grow up.’ It was like every day I woke up and I was so pumped to create this thing, to build the next strategy, to find a way to make it more successful.”

Since then, there has been no stopping Braatz.The Typically Canadian tour was the catalyst for a career that’s seen the 38-yearold business leader orchestrate one of Ottawa’s most remarkable tech growth stories of the past two decades, earning him OBJ and the Ottawa Board of Trade’s

Just a few months later, Fullscript took a huge step toward achieving Braatz’s ambitious target of a billion dollars in annual revenue when it acquired a major competitor, New Hampshire-based Emerson Ecologics, in a deal that doubled its annual sales overnight.

Indeed, Braatz and Fullscript have come a long way in the past 11 years. It’s a place he probably never imagined ending up when he and longtime collaborator Brad Dyment – who designed the Typically Canadian tour’s website and was so impressed with his pal’s mercurial work ethic that he vowed, ‘If you ever want to start a business, I’d do it in a second with you’ – launched a web development firm as a side hustle while Braatz was still finishing his commerce degree.

of Dyment’s wife Alanna, a naturopathic doctor who had set up her own clinic. Frustrated with the hassles of stocking and dispensing supplements, she told her husband she wished she could spend more time treating her patients and less time ordering products for them.

Just like that, Braatz and Dyment found theirAlongmission.with co-founder Chris Wise, they created an online platform called MD Storefront to help naturopaths, doctors and other practitioners dispense name-brand vitamins, minerals and other supplements to patients.Afterquickly gaining traction in Canada, the firm entered the U.S. market with high hopes. But instead of being a springboard to exponential growth, the southern expansion push was, in Braatz’s words, a “complete failure, but probably the most important failure we’ve ever had.”

It soon dawned on Braatz and his team that they weren’t following the No. 1 rule of any successful business: listen to your customers.Theybegan talking to practitioners, watching them at work, getting a feel for their day-to-day routines. Eventually, they realized health-care professionals were looking for more than just an easier way to get wellness products into patients’ hands.

“That failure allowed us to broaden our vision, because it gave me enough time to really understand where medicine was going – how important lifestyle medicine was going to be, not just for naturopathic medicine … but across health care,” explains Braatz, who lives in Arnprior with his wife of almost nine years, Rachel, and daughters Brooklyn, 3, and one-year-old Blair.

2022 CEO of the Year award.

Braatz’s desire to do good has driven Fullscript, the health-care software firm he helped launch in 2011, to greatness. The business that began in his guest bedroom has blossomed into a multinational enterprise with more than 900 employees across North America and annual revenues exceeding US$600 million.

The past 10 months alone have seen Fullscript pull off more audacious strategic moves than most software companies accomplish in their entire existence.

Last November, the firm – which then had a headcount of about 500 – landed US$240 million in equity financing, the biggest such funding haul in the nation’s capital since the dot-com boom in the early 2000s.

That venture morphed into Simple Story Videos, a company that produced short, animated “explainer” videos for corporate clients.Before long, the startup was generating seven-figure annual sales. But deep down, Braatz knew it wasn’t a business that was going to satisfy his more altruistic impulses.“Icouldn’t see building a service company into something big,” he explains. “Seeing other people’s happiness makes me tick. Brad and I said, ‘Whatever we do next has to be something we can do for the rest of our lives – something that we wake up every single day and we just love what we’reThatdoing.’”something came in 2011 courtesy

“Doctors didn’t need an e-commerce store – they needed a care delivery platform. So we rebuilt the software from the ground up and we’ve been on this ride everWithsince.”that shift, the firm, by then renamed HealthWave, finally found its footing.

Under Braatz’s guidance, Fullscript transformed its platform into a comprehensive system to not only help doctors, nurses and other wellness practitioners treat patients, but give them the tools to prevent disease and other health issues by creating personalized plans that emphasize the role of diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes in maintaining a person’s well-being.

Doctors didn’t need an e-commerce store –they needed a care delivery platform. So we rebuilt the software from the ground up and we’ve been on this ride ever since.

– KYLE BRAATZ, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF FULLSCRIPT AND OTTAWA’S 2022 CEO OF THE YEAR

CEO OF THE YEAR

Continued from previous page

“We recalibrated our vision, our mission,” Braatz explains. “Everything got bigger and more impactful.”

Still, it wasn’t always a smooth ride.

Braatz recalls Kurt Funai – who joined the fledgling firm in 2013 as a software developer and is now Fullscript’s chief technology officer – questioning early on whether the company’s coffers were sufficiently flush to cover his paycheque. At that point, the bootstrapped enterprise had about $7,000 in the bank.

“He said, ‘Should I cash these?’” Braatz recalls with a grin. “He was starting to catch on. I think it was me or (then-chief financial officer) Taylor (Fantin) said, ‘If you don’t need to, don’t.’”

The firm eventually secured $2 million in angel funding, giving it the financial runway to bolster its offerings with new tools that monitored patients’ usage of supplements and automatically sent refill reminders to practitioners. Later, point-of-sale technology allowing doctors to order products and have them delivered right to their patients’ doors was added to the platform.

Early in 2016, the company rebranded from HealthWave to Fullscript, in part to reflect this more holistic approach to product delivery and patient care. That same year, its steady ascent landed it atop OBJ’s list of Ottawa’s fastest-growing companies, a feat it duplicated in 2017.

But Braatz and his executive team weren’t content to grow organically. In 2018, Fullscript’s agreement with Emerson – then its U.S. distribution agent – was coming up for renewal and the two companies found themselves in the awkward position of being both business partners and competitors.

Surveying the industry landscape, Fullscript zeroed in on another competitor: Arizona-based Natural Partners, which was similar in size but had something the Ottawa company lacked: major distribution channels south of the border. The two organizations merged, creating a new industry powerhouse with more than 200 employees.

“We just figured getting that (distribution) leverage, getting that margin really was the right decision and it played out to be the right decision,” says Braatz, who ceded the role of CEO of the

combined company to Natural Partners boss Fran Towey so he could focus on areas like product development and sales as president and chief revenue officer.

Braatz held the dual role for the next three years before moving back into the chief executive suite last summer, a transition he and Towey had been planning for some time.

He says stepping away from the top job made him a more well-rounded executive, affording him the time and energy to really dig under Fullscript’s hood and learn how the company operates from top to bottom.

“I was able to dive in and really

wrong. I think that’s a pretty rare thing.”

At the same time, Braatz’s colleagues say the man they describe as “humble” and “a regular guy” also has a rare talent to sense opportunities where others don’t.

“He’s always been a big visionary –somebody who I think a lot of people would have underestimated just by his lack of corporate pedigree,” says medical director Alex Keller, who joined Fullscript five and a half years ago when it was still a “scrappy little startup” with about 40 employees.

“He’s never made an effort to try to quote-unquote fit in. He’s his own person, does his own things. And he’s always had

the intricacies of all aspects of the industry.

“To not come from a medical background but yet to understand the integrative medicine journey from both the practitioner lens and the patient lens and to just be so passionate about advancing this type of health care, it really is incredibly impressive,” Gladd says.

Now, backed by a well-padded funding warchest and a distribution network that spans the U.S. and Canada, Fullscript is cementing its status as the go-to platform for North American practitioners in the burgeoning integrative medicine space.

But Braatz is far from satisfied.

While more than 70,000 practitioners now use the platform to serve upwards of five million patients, the CEO says his “big, audacious goal” is to help push Fullscript’s patient roster past 25 million.

Meanwhile, the company’s suite of services continues to expand. The Emerson deal added new capabilities to the platform, including lab tests and technology that tracks personal eating habits – giving practitioners access to more data that will help them prescribe nutrition regimes and supplements that better suit each patient’s individual needs, Braatz says.

All that means a magical milestone for any tech firm – the billion-dollar revenue mark – is tantalizingly within reach for Fullscript.Braatzis anxious to get there, but for reasons that go well beyond typical business factors and instead reflect his social entrepreneurial leanings.

become a student rather than having that full responsibility (of being CEO of the combined firm) overnight,” he explains.

Not all founders would be willing to set their pride aside and take a step down from the penthouse suite. But Funai says Braatz – whom he calls a “big-picture thinker who has a bias to action” – has never felt like he’s the smartest guy in the room.

“Even from the earliest days, he tried to run the business without ego,” Funai says. “He invited people to debate. It didn’t matter if someone was an intern or if they were coming in as a seasoned engineer, he wanted to hear their thoughts and he wanted to debate ideas on their merits. That takes a leader that isn’t afraid to be

this ability to envision something that is years ahead of most people around him.”

Keller recalls a day in the late summer of 2017 when he arrived at the firm’s new office on Cooper Street to find a memo from his boss. The “flimsy” vision statement declared that Fullscript’s platform would be handling $1 billion in annual transactions within three years.

“It just seemed so ridiculously ambitious,” Keller says now. “We all kind of laughed and said, ‘Yeah, that will be great if we do’ – mostly believing it, though. He had a way of convincing us that we were going to getFullscript’sthere.” chief medical officer, Dr. Jeff Gladd, marvels at Braatz’s ability to grasp

“I want to get to a billion dollars in revenue,” he says. “We have to have profits to reinvest. We have to have the revenue growth to create value. But we use that value to create more value for our ecosystem. I think that’s part of why our culture has been successful over time, is staying true to that.”

Profitable and an undisputed leader in its field, Fullscript has the goods to become a global software juggernaut – and Braatz is determined to see it get there.

“I think we’ve done a lot of the foundational work that we need to do to build upon,” he says. “If we drive that innovative mindset to stay ahead of where the market is going and to solve our customers’ needs, I think that we can be the next big business not only in Canada but across North America and further.

“My goal is to grow as fast as I can alongside this business. I’ve never had more fun in my life than I am right now.”

To not come from a medical background but yet to understand the integrative medicine journey from both the practitioner lens and the patient lens and to just be so passionate about advancing this type of health care, it really is incredibly impressive.

– DR. JEFF GLADD, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, FULLSCRIPT

As we head towards the end of my term as Mayor, I wanted to thank you, the residents of Ottawa, for the kindness you have shown me over the years. It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve the nation’s capital for almost fifteen years. gratitude,

The preventativeOttawa’sHARLEY:hubformedicine

Sanjeev Kumar, president and chief visionary officer of the Harley Street Healthcare Group (HSHG or the HARLEY), may not be a clinician, but when he decided to open a state-of-theart wellness clinic in Ottawa he performed an examination of the city’s healthcare system. What he saw was an overburdened acute-care system that could be helped by introducing preventative medicine and follow-up care to the“Thecommunity.healthcare system in Canada has reached a crossroads,“ said Kumar. “It’s become a victim of its own success.”Whathe means is modern healthcare is so good at saving lives, patients who survive may not be getting enough follow-up care.“There is a serious strain on the public health system around the world, not just in Canada,” said Kumar. “We see it as a tremendous opportunity to be that helping hand by developing capacity for the public health system.”TheHARLEY’s business model complements the public system by acting as a buffer. By focusing on preventative medicine, wellness and follow-up care, their goal is to keep people out of the hospital and the city’s overburdened emergency units.

The benefits of preventative medicine

One key area of interest for the new care centre will be mental health.Dr.Balu Pitchiah is a psychiatrist based in the Harley’s London clinic in the United Kingdom, and is very keen to bring the HARLEY’s model for preventive mental health care to Ottawa.

The HARLEY believes prevention is the best approach because it helps patients while protecting our overburdened health system.

The goal of preventative medicine is to help people become aware of their personal health risks before they become big problems. For example, if you know addiction runs in your family, you can develop stress management skills through interventions like meditation and mindfulness rather than selfmedicating with alcohol.

Part of the plan is raising awareness with the public about the three levels of mental health prevention. The first level of prevention is mental health hygiene or mind maintenance. The second is noticing when you feel a bit off and should get screened, and the third is when you have a clear problem and need specialized care.

The HARLEY’s services focus on the first and second stages. They use their “burnout cheat

sheet” to help people identify the warning signs and causes of burnout, and to help workplaces prevent burnout in their employees.They’llalso be using wearable devices to monitor people’s health. “We can take your pulse, ECG, temperature, and skin conductance. The device can also double as a phone, whether you need an SOS button or we need to call the patient,” said Pitchiah. “With data we can make a very informed judgment without you having to tell me all the details of your private life.”

Amita Kochar, the CEO of HSHG Canada, is especially passionate about how these tools can help parents, as well as those struggling to find work-life balance.

A focus on Ottawa’s front-line staff

The HARLEY’s services can’t come soon enough for Ottawa’s health care professionals.

This is another area where Kochar is investing a good deal of the centre’s resources. “Supporting health care workers is a priority for us,” she said. “We need to care for the carers.”

“The pandemic has stretched

healthcare workers to their maximum,” said Pitchiah. “Without a healthy workforce, you can’t get healthy outcomes forThat’spatients.”why the HARLEY is initially prioritizing their services with first responders like nurses, firefighters and EMTs while also partnering with SELC College, a post-secondary institution in Vancouver, BC., to educate local healthcare workers in preventative medicine.

Pitchiah’s hope is that once healthcare professionals experience preventative medicine, they’ll see the value and share their knowledge with the community, encouraging people to come forward earlier.

Their partnership with SELC is a critical piece of the puzzle. The goal is to create a workforce that identifies mental health issues easily, while teaching them how to address them.

“We’re all susceptible to mental health issues, because we all have a mind,” said Pitchiah. “But how do we prevent complications so that we live a quality life?

“You have a beautiful mind,” he added. “Are you looking after it?”

Their clinical team wants to manage issues like burnout before they begin

Full steam ahead for downtown Ottawa task force

SARAHLOCALMACFARLANE

sarah@obj.ca

The Downtown Ottawa Revitalization

Task Force is diving headfirst into its three-month plan for bringing life back to the downtown core.

The task force is currently “focused on understanding (the) breadth and scope of issues we want to discuss as part of the revitalization of downtown,” Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi told OBJ recently.

As Ottawa continues to adjust to life after the pandemic, Statistics Canada estimates that 46 per cent of the city’s workforce is still working from home. Elsewhere in the country, that rate is roughly 28 per cent. This has had a significant impact on businesses in the core that rely on daily foot traffic.

The task force members met for the first time in August, in person, to discuss shortand long-term plans and goals for the task force.

‘VERY COMMITTED’

“I can’t tell you how encouraged I was by the tone and kind of ideas and the depth of knowledge by all the members of the committee,” said Naqvi. “Everybody to me felt very committed to the process and shared the common desire of things that we have to do to revitalize the downtown.

“The main focus was around what kind of data we need to understand the depth of the issues and the potential solutions,” explained Naqvi. “There is a strong desire to ensure we’ve got good, research-based data and practical ideas so we can start advancing.”

Naqvi said there is also a goal to “engage the broader community to get their perspective.”Thenextstep is already in the works with plans for a “walking meeting” so the task force can visualize the issues

Ottawa faces, especially from a housing perspective.Attheannouncement in July, Naqvi said the task force will study challenges to affordable, accessible housing in the area, reinvigorate local businesses, and provide ideas for a more sustainable environment and more inclusive community spaces that promote Indigenous reconciliation.

The committee members include social housing advocates, not-for-profit and for-profit housing developers, Indigenous leaders, sustainability advocates, local business improvement area representatives, and tourism stakeholders.

The task force members are:

• Graeme Hussey, President of Cahdco (Co-Chair)

• Neil Malhotra, Vice-President, Claridge Homes (Co-Chair)

• A representative from the Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition

• Mary Huang, President, Centretown Community Association

• Sueling Ching, President and CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade

• Christine Leadman, Executive Director, Bank Street BIA

• Kevin McHale, Executive Director, Sparks Street BIA

• Catherine Callary, Vice-President of Destination Development, Ottawa Tourism

• John Thomas, Founder, Azure Urban Developments

• Christophe Rivet, Director - Strategies, EVOQ Strategies

• Catherine McKenney, Councillor, Somerset Ward (Observer)

• Mathieu Fleury, Councillor, RideauVanier Ward (Observer)

• A representative from the City of Ottawa Mayor’s Office (Observer)

SMALL BUSINESS

Uptick in business bankruptcies the tip of the iceberg, data suggests

BY SARAH MACFARLANE sarah@obj.ca

At least one Ottawa accounting firm says that small businesses that took advantage of government programs through the pandemic are now in survival mode as costs rise and the threat of recession

Iskandarincreases.AlexNasrallah, an accountant at Ottawa’s Lekadir LLP, has worked closely with businesses throughout the pandemic and says that small businesses that “took what they could to stay afloat” through government loans are now in “sink or swim mode.”

His views are backed up by a report released recently by the Canadian

Federation of Independent Business, which shows that commercial bankruptcies are rising in Canada and

even more small businesses are at risk of closure.The group said more than one in six Canadian small business owners say they are currently considering going out of business.Statistics Canada data shows small business insolvencies have been on an upward trend since May 2021. However, in its report, CFIB says survey data indicates only 10 per cent of Canada’s small business owners would file for bankruptcy if their business was no longer solvent.

According to the report, 46 per cent of business owners say they would simply stop operating rather than go through the bankruptcy process.

“Official Canadian data on small business bankruptcies doesn’t account

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for zombie companies or businesses that would rather wind down than file for bankruptcy,” CFIB chief economist Simon Gaudreault said.

“Our research provides a broader perspective on business insolvencies in Canada and shows that the rising number of small business bankruptcies is just the tip of the iceberg.”CFIB data indicates 54 per cent of business owners are yet to return to normal, pre-pandemic revenue levels and 62 per cent are still carrying pandemic debt.

“We sometimes think we’re in la la land when we’re going up,” Nasrallah explained. “Eventually, it must go down. That’s okay and healthy. We just need to make an analysis around it. Embrace it, see it and make a plan for it. This is a learning experience for anyone in business.”

“Small firms are in for a rough recovery, but governments can step in and help by taking concrete measures,” said Dan Kelly, president of CFIB.

— with files from Canadian Press

MUNICIPAL ELECTION 2022

Mayoral candidates weigh in on business priorities

BOB CHIARELLI: Community has strength and leadership to pull together

The past several years have been difficult ones for Ottawa residents and businesses. It’s no wonder that wherever I go around the city, I hear that everyone is working hard to make every dollar count. Not surprisingly, they ask me what I think the City should do to help them.

To address this community demand, I’m committing to a tax freeze in 2023 by way of a spending cap on the budget at 2022 levels. If residents and businesses have to dig deep to survive this transitional period, then so too should the City. We should be shoulder to shoulder with residents and businesses at this difficult time.

How do I know that I can achieve a tax freeze for next year? Well, I’ve done it before — six times. None of those freezes was easy. Knowing the process and the short timeframe, I can’t imagine a neophyte being able to do this or a politician whose inclination is to spend.

Compounding our problems is that the City is broke. I will start over the first 100 days of the term with a lineby-line review of the City’s budget. This review is not to find the platitude of “efficiencies” mouthed by some candidates, which are an attempt at wishful thinking so that they won’t need to make difficult decisions, much as a good business has to do.

The underlying objective is to identify the top priorities of the City and fund them properly, while eliminating or postponing lower priorities.

I’ve already announced I will ask council for a modest deferral of Lansdowne 2.0 and will be announcing a series of no’s or deferrals during the course of the campaign (and some yesses).

The denial of their pet projects will displease a number of people and may even cost me the election, but it’s the right thing to do if the city I love is to grow and prosper socially, environmentally and financially.

Despite the challenges confronting our municipal government, a positive sign is the recent Welch LLP Ottawa Business Growth Survey, which shows some significant confidence on the part of businesses for the future of Ottawa’s economy.

I know our community has the strength and leadership to pull together for a great recovery and much future success.

As mayor, I will be champion-in-chief,Ottawa’sincluding for our local business community. I will make the City work for small businesses by easing red tape and regulations to let businesses thrive.

From Kanata to Cumberland and from Stittsville to Sandy Hill, we need vibrant neighbourhoods and mainstreets. As mayor, I will ensure City policy supports these spines of our communities as integral commercial hubs.

I will work with Invest Ottawa to attract quality employers to the Ottawa region over the next four years. They will be drawn to my vision of Ottawa as the healthiest, greenest and best-connected city.

I commit to service delivery timelines for permits and inspections. I will also create a culture of transparency around these services within the City, including posting them publicly and reporting annually on whether these targets are met. We need to use data to better understand how small and medium-sized enterprises use City services and how they can be better supported.

I will maintain the cancellation of patio fees and work with BIAs to allow for expanded patios throughout the city. I will maintain or further reduce the property tax subclass on smaller businesses.

I will involve BIAs in pilot projects, planning and consultation in the development of mainstreets. And I will ensure BIAs have proper and timely access to City staff and resources, including through consultation on all key initiatives.Bytapping

into BIAs’ “eyes on the street” view, the business community will benefit. The Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas, which brings a city-wide perspective, will meet regularly with the mayor’s office.

A vibrant, thriving downtown is critical. Some 65 per cent of the tenant base in Ottawa is leased by public service entities that are more inclined to permit employees to work from home or a hybrid model. Ottawa faces a situation where some downtown office vacancy rates are high. I commit to working to revitalize the downtown core by encouraging commercial space to be converted to housing, arts spaces and restaurants, among other attractions.

I am running for mayor to make Ottawa the greenest, healthiest and most connected city in Canada.

To read the views of all of Ottawa’s visitcandidates,mayoral obj.ca

Ottawa is my hometown. And building Ottawa’s economy has always been my passion.

For more than 25 years, I’ve invested much of my time and energy in promoting economic development and helping business owners.

I’ve done that because I have always believed that Ottawa is so much more than a government town. We have always been fortunate to have a strong public sector employment base. But we have so much potential beyondDespitethat.all of our potential, however, this is a critical juncture for our city. I know many business owners who are worried about our future. It’s still not clear whether federal government employees will return to the office full-time. Remote work could lead to an increase in public sector employees who live outside the National Capital Region, dramatically impacting Ottawa’s economy.

Ottawa’s visitor economy is, unfortunately, not recovering as quickly as those of other cities. Crime and safety issues, like recent events in the ByWard Market, are impacting our ability to attract tourists and conventions.

It’s not an overstatement to say that the future of our economy is at stake. The decisions we make in the next few years will have a huge impact on our city.

And that’s why I decided to run for mayor. I’m not a career politician like the other main candidates in this race. I’ve spent my career working with small businesses, while also volunteering for organizations like the United Way.

If I’m elected mayor, I will make Ottawa’s economy a top priority. We can’t afford huge tax increases or a risky ideological agenda that will ignore the need to make Ottawa open to growing businesses. We need to revitalize downtown Ottawa, facilitate the growth of technology companies, leverage our post-secondary institutions, capitalize on our enormous opportunities in tourism, address some of the talent issues we’ve been facing, and create more jobs.

This is a defining moment in our city, one that calls for fresh new leadership at city hall. I hope the people of our great city give me a chance to do what I’ve always done: work hard to make Ottawa better and stronger.

CATHERINE MCKENNEY: I will be forchampionOttawa’s—includingoursmallbusinesses

MARK SUTCLIFFE:

A vibrant, growing Ottawa needs vibrant, growing businesses

Ottawa accounting firm Baker Tilly marks 60 years in business values from a bygone era are even more relevant today

It’s not every day that two friends sharing a coffee after Sunday mass leads to a business partnership like the one Joe Bones shared with Brian Mulvihill.

But that fateful meeting in 1962 marked the beginning of the Ottawa accounting firm now known as Baker Tilly.

“It was the best move I made in my entire career,” said Bones on his decision to join forces with Mulvihill, a partnership that lasted more than 20 years. “We were inseparable from the start.”

Together, Bones and Mulvihill made their firm a key part of the city’s small business ecosystem. They may have started with a different name in an office with slanted floors Bones describes as “the crummiest office I ever stepped into,” but the foundation they laid stood the test of time.

By hiring the right people and doing the best work possible, Bones and Mulvihill created a firm that continues to support Ottawa’s economy with sound financial advice and impeccable accounting in our nation’s capital.

That was then Their knack for knowing what needs to change and what needs to stay the same has served them well.Back in 1962, Bones and Mulvihill were 10 years away from buying their first pocket calculator.

“It was a different world,” said Bones. “We didn’t have a word processor or a Xerox machine. We had old-fashioned IBM electric typewriters.”Butastechnology advanced and Ottawa changed, they adapted and grew, doubling their

growth yearly by being a fullservice firm that never turned a client away. “We did it all and I think we did it very well,” said Bones. From the start they made it a habit to hire good people and create a team who never fought over who owned a client.

Even the banks came to value Bones and Mulvihill’s firm as a business leader due to the thorough financial statements they prepared. “One bank manager told me, ‘With your financial statement, we don’t have a single question for our client.’”

That said, they also knew a good relationship doesn’t mean being a pushover. “If we ever had doubts about the honesty of a client, they didn’t stay,” said Bones. “Even then we knew that great conversations led to great relationships.”

This is now

Today, Baker Tilly is more than just an accounting firm. It’s a network of independently owned and operated firms that share common resources while retaining autonomy at the local level, meaning they can hire who they want and choose their own clients.

Baker Tilly’s current managing partner Michael Hayward says focusing on relationships is why the firm continues to be a success.

“It’s all about people, whether it’s our clients, whether it’s our employees or whether it’s the community,” he said.

Weathering the pandemic was no exception. “When work slowed down, we looked around the table and said, ‘We’re hearing of other places laying off, but we’re not going to do that,’” said Hayward.

“‘We’ll bear the cost to keep this going and our employees will be the last people to suffer.’”

In the end, the firm’s well-earned reputation as a trusted advisor paid off — their clients needed them during the pandemic more than ever.

What’s next?

Hayward’s outlook for the future of Baker Tilly is bright.

“It comes back to the core principles that got us here for 60 years. We need to be a reliable, fun, energetic place for employees to work,” he said. “I see that being no different 30 or 60 years from now.Bones may be retired, but he knows Baker Tilly will continue delivering on their commitment to serving family businesses. “The big thing is to help clients meet their goals,” he said.

With partners like Bones passing down the same tried and true values to leaders like Hayward, Baker Tilly will no doubt be doing just that for years to come.

Baker Tilly’s managing partner Michael Hayward toasts the company’s success alongside colleagues at a recent anniversary party at the NAC.

UP CLOSE

‘Leader of execCommunityleaders’:housingkeepsitreal

BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca

There’s a framed list that hangs on the wall of Stéphane Giguère’s office.

It’s a compilation of advice from dozens of tenants of Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), given to Giguère when he first took over as CEO of the not-for-profit community and affordable housing provider in 2014.

Tips include: Be a good listener. Be patient. Get to know your tenants and communities. Understand what it’s like to be

poor.“That’s my reminder of why I’m doing this job,” the 53-year-old executive said during an interview at OCH headquarters, located in a business park near Hunt Club Road and Prince of Wales Drive. “It’s about being a voice for our tenants.

“It’s important to recognize that they are amazing people. Our clients deserve to be known, deserve to be included in the broader conversations of our communities. It’s important we make sure the public understands that Ottawa Community Housing is a great neighbour.”

There are more than 32,000 tenants of OCH. “Each and every day, I’m learning about myself through them,” said Giguère. “It’s important that you reflect back on where you’re from, how you’ve grown and where you’re going. That’s what they bring to you.”

Giguère knows what it means to struggle financially and the strong sense of resilience and determination that this can foster. His early childhood in Quebec City was spent living in a lower-income community, similar to OCH neighbourhoods. Money was tight while his father helped to support his many siblings after their own father had diedGiguèreyoung. always saw higher education as his path to success. He was the first

member from the paternal side of his family to attend university, earning a degree from Laval University and a master’s from ENAP (Quebec’s National School of Public Administration), before starting on his doctoral in business administration at Laval. He put himself through school working as a janitor. Among the buildings that he cleaned was Sûreté du Québec’s cell block.

Giguère is not ashamed of his modest roots and, in fact, believes they’ve helped to shape who he is. “Being humble is a key element of leadership, no doubt in my mind.”

By the time Giguère was in his early 20s, he’d already founded and sold an IT company and was serving as vice-president at a publicly traded company, Cognicase. The Montreal-based consulting and technology service company opened an office in Ottawa, which is what brought Giguère here. Cognicase has since been acquired by CGI.

A MEANINGFUL SOCIAL CAUSE

Giguère went on to work at Telesat, Scotiabank and CBC/Radio-Canada. When he joined OCH, he brought 20 years’ experience in the technology, financial and broadcasting sectors, helping to manage and lead strategic business, financial and technology transformations.

Giguère says he was at a point where he wanted to work on behalf of a meaningful social cause. “That sense of purpose, or making a difference in someone’s life, was still there somewhere in the back of my mind. Now, I have it each and every day when I wake up in the morning, knowing I’m going to be helping someone.”

OCH is an arm’s-length organization owned by the City of Ottawa. It remains the largest social housing provider in Ottawa and the second largest in the province. It

has 15,000 housing units located in more than 160 OCH communities across the city.

And while Giguère is the boss, he takes a collaborative leadership style. “I don’t see myself as a CEO but more as a leader of leaders.“I’m always curious. I think that, for me, that’s what leadership is about. It’s about really listening, learning and growing. It’s important to take a step back and listen to individuals and seize opportunities to learn.”This year, OCH celebrates 20 years of building better communities. It’s a $3-billion organization that has invested $700 million in new construction and capital repair investments under Giguère’s leadership.OCHemploys over 500 people and provides contract work to over 600 more. The organization also has a network of 1,200 volunteers who take on projects to enhance and beautify OCH communities. “We do that with the participation and inclusion of the tenants.”

One of the challenges OCH has been facing in recent years is climate change and, in particular, severe weather patterns that bring disruption and destruction.

Three thousand tenants were left without power following the major storm this past spring. A large number of employees turned out to lend a hand, Giguère noted. “They just rolled up their sleeves and helped, most of the time without even being asked.”

Giguère remains immensely proud of the staff at OCH. “They are all driven by one common denominator, which is mine as well, and it’s the impact you can make in someone’s life.”

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW 1STÉPHANEABOUTGIGUÈRE

His words to live by: “It’s not about what you did, it’s about what you do with what you did that builds where you’re going.”

2In 2021, he was recognized by the Regroupement des gens d’affaires de la capitale nationale (RGA) with the public sector executive award.

3He’s a governor of the University of Ottawa and chair of its finance and treasury committee.

4While he’s had many mentors and role models, his former university professor Dr. Pierre-Gerlier Forest stands out. “He saw potential in me that I was maybe not seeing in myself at the time and he leaned me toward a direction that I thought might make sense.”

5He’s a team player who participates in all kinds of sports and also loves to coach.

“It’s about pushing myself to be my best and, when I’m coaching, pushing others to be the best of themselves, as well.”

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

Ross Video recognized for its compassionate approach

Chris Stone has had an exciting career, from being a paramedic to a commercial diver to a construction safety specialist. Today, he’s a health, safety and disability specialist at Ross Video — a company he says he’ll retire with.

It’s not hard to see why: recently, Ross Video became the first Canadian Com passionate Company (CCC), certified by Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Associa tion, recognizing the support and care the company gives its employees.

“Throughout COVID-19, our primary focus has been on ensuring the health and well-being of our employees,” said CEO David Ross in a news release upon receiving the“Whenrecognition.theyneed time off work to care for a loved one who is terminally ill, the right thing to do is to offer them understanding, empathy and job protection. An official CCC designation humanizes that mindset and demonstrates our commitment to our people and their families.”

This award-winning care is something that Stone experienced firsthand at Ross Video, which provides solutions and ser vices to the live production industry. Last year, he was busy setting up a COVID-19

vaccine clinic at work that would serve staff and community members alike. Just as he was preparing to accept the first few visitors, Stone received a call from his mother, who told him that his father, who had terminal cancer, was at the hospital.

“I immediately ran home,” Stone recalls. “I called my director on the way and I said, ‘I need to go to the hospital; (my dad) is probably not coming out.’”

Stone was able to say goodbye to his fa ther. “It proved to me that I’ve landed in the right place,” he says. “This is the company I want to stay with until I retire. Building a healthy team culture takes hard work. “It’s possibly some of the most important documents I ever wrote,” Ross says of the policies he initiated.

When Ross moved to Ottawa to start the Ross Ottawa Lab for Research and Devel

opment, there were only five employees at the facility. Now, 25 years later, it’s grown to a 600-person operation across a multi-cam pus“Youbuilding.care about people and then they will care about the company, they’ll care about your customers. It’s a virtuous circle — to me, this is good business.”

Private- and public-sector employers qualify as a CCC if they have formal human resource policies that accommodate em ployees who are unpaid caregivers with paid leave options, a supportive work culture and jobSinceprotection.theCCC designation, Ross himself has experienced loss when his stepmother passed away. She had been unknowing ly living with stage-three cancer and her health declined rapidly. Ross and his family put his stepmother on life support.

“We didn’t know whether she was going to pass away in an hour, in a minute or in two weeks,” Ross remembers. During those days, Ross thought a lot about compassion ate

“I’mcare.living it personally, with the founder of the company, my father,” he explains. “The thought of (having to say), as I’m beside my 87-year-old father in the hospital, watching his grief, ‘Well, I’m sorry, but if I don’t go back to work tomorrow, I’m going to lose my job.’ I would not think much of my company at that moment.”

Ross’ stepmother passed away after five days on life support. “It makes it very real,” Ross adds. “It’s not just a policy. It’s not just something that we happen to qualify for; it’s nice to be able to take care of people in moments like that.”

The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association strives for all Canadians to have equal access to quality hospice palliative care for themselves and their family.

— by Nickie Shobeiry

Ross Video has become the first Canadian Compassionate Company. PHOTO SUPPLIED.

Hybrid work may permanently reshape downtown Ottawa

The prolonged work-from-home experiment, and questions about where employees will want to work, post-pandemic, is leaving many businesses unsure of their future office needs – as well as what the future of the city’s downtown core will look like.

“Welch as an organization continues to be cautious with our office planning, in light of uncertainty, with respect to the amount of space that we will need over the next few years,” says Jim McConnery, managing partner at Welch LLP. “We know that staff appreciate the enhanced work-life balance that comes from a hybrid model, but it is clear that a similar approach by other employers, including the federal government, is having a major impact on the downtown core.”

A reduced need for office space may also be the result of employers switching to hybrid

models of work; 46 per cent of respondents say they expect to have such an arrangement with staff.“Partners and staff have adapted effectively to a hybrid work environment with a view that we would likely not return to our legacy operating model even if there were no longer COVID challenges,” adds McConnery. “A hybrid model has allowed us to add staff without expanding our office footprint based on the opportunity to implement a hoteling model for staff who do not work in the office on a full-time basis.”

At the same time, 77 per cent expect their organization’s commercial real estate footprint to either stay the same or grow.

“The return to work is interesting,” says Tim Thomas, a partner at Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall, who specializes in real estate law. He anticipates that class A space will become more

Read the report

Visit www.ottawabusinesssurveyreport.ca to download your copy.

affordable for clients who might otherwise have viewed it as out of reach. By the same token, class B and C properties will see changes in use, possibly by being converted from commercial to residential.

COMMERCIAL ESTATE

Ottawa insidersinvestors:for‘beacon’aoffice

‘Dangerously low’ supply of space threatens Ottawa’s status as distribution hub: brokerage

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

Ottawa’s inventory of vacant industrial space is “dangerously low,” a recent report from Colliers says –prompting the head of the firm’s local office to warn that large-scale tenants could start looking at properties elsewhere to address rising demand for warehousing and storage facilities.

The capital’s industrial availability rate – that is, the total amount of space available directly from landlords and via sublease – ticked up slightly from 1.2 per cent to 1.3 per cent in the second quarter, Colliers said in its latest Ottawa industrial market report.

But that’s still more than a full percentage point below the rate from a year

ago and just off the city’s record-low level from the first quarter.

The space crunch has pushed rents ever higher as prospective tenants have few options but to pay what landlords are asking in an overheated market.

After decades of relative stability, demand for space in Ottawa’s industrial real estate market skyrocketed during the pandemic as the National Capital Region suddenly became the place to be for e-commerce distributors such as Amazon that were looking for easy access to 400-series highways to quickly and cheaply transport goods to online buyers in Toronto, Montreal and other large hubs.

But while Broccolini built two mammoth fulfilment centres for Amazon in Barrhaven and on Boundary Road,

soaring construction costs and a lack of industrial-zoned development land, as well as rising development fees and other roadblocks, have hamstrung efforts to further add to the region’s supply, says Warren Wilkinson, the managing director of Colliers’ Ottawa office.

And he worries that might force other e-commerce companies that have been eyeing the Ottawa market to look south to markets such as Cornwall and other communities along the St. Lawrence Seaway to meet their growing need for warehouse space.

“If we don’t have the size in order to accommodate large industrial users, they’re going to look elsewhere,” Wilkinson says. “If we don’t start adding supply and builders don’t start building in relatively short order … that’s the threat. That could happen.”

Mike Church, the managing director of brokerage firm Avison Young’s Ottawa office, agrees a lack of major warehouses is a definite stumbling block

Two downtown office towers sold recently for a combined $60 million – a signal that the capital remains a “beacon” for investors looking for a safe haven.Toronto-based True North Commercial REIT has agreed to purchase an 11-storey office building at 400 Cumberland St. from fellow Toronto firm KingSett Capital for $40.5 million.OBJalso learned that BentallGreenOak sold a 12-storey building at 77 Metcalfe St. to Montreal’s Groupe Mach for $19.1 million.

The 400 Cumberland St. deal adds a 174,000-squarefoot property that’s almost fully leased to the Department of National Defence to True North’s growing portfolio of properties.Meanwhile, 77 Metcalfe St. –a 12-storey, 147,000-square-foot building at the corner of Albert Street – changed hands.

CBRE senior vice-president of capital markets Nico Zentil, whose firm helped broker the deal, said the property could attract a variety of tenants

While certain deals have been “repriced” as interest rates rise and the threat of a recession looms, Zentil said Ottawa remains a highly sought-after market“It’s sort of like the beacon in a way,” Zentil said. “I think that will serve Ottawa well.”

— by David Sali

Warren Wilkinson, managing director, Colliers. FILE PHOTO.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

A senior Morguard executive says the real estate giant is “bullish” on the Ottawa market and hopes to keep expanding its Kanata footprint after acquiring the newly constructed head office of one of the west-end tech hub’s highest-profile companies.

one of the few bright lights in a grim year for most tech stocks.

The bulk of Morguard’s Ottawa holdings – nearly 3.5 million square feet – consists of office space, with about 2.7 million square feet of it located in the downtown core.

About 53 per cent of the firm’s office portfolio is leased to the federal

“We are excited about it because it is a brand-new, state-of-the-art building,” Morguard senior vice-president Tullio Capulli said of 3199 Palladium Dr., which officially opened in June and is fully leased to supply-chain software darling Kinaxis – a publicly traded firm that’s emerged as Morguard ‘bullish’ on Ottawa market, including downtown core

government. While the feds have been coy about their long-term plans for bringing employees back to the office full-time, Capulli said Morguard remains confident that office space in the nation’s capital –particularly in the downtown core – will continue to be a solid investment for decades to “Nobodycome.knows exactly what they need or what’s going on in the office,” he told OBJ. “You just don’t know how it’s going to shake out. But we’re here for the long run.

“It might take a few years, but I am bullish on the office. Most companies are going to try the hybrid (approach) and everything else, but not everybody can work from home. I’m not sure it’s going to work.”

Among Morguard’s best-known Ottawa properties is Performance Court at 150 Elgin St. The distinctive 21-storey, 360,000-square-

foot office tower opened in 2013 and gained instant cachet when rising e-commerce star Shopify signed on as the lead tenant.

But the software giant stunned many in the business community in 2020 when it announced it was going “digital by default” and vacating the 170,000 square feet of space it rented at Performance Court, even though its lease doesn’t expire until the end of Capulli2026.said about three-quarters of Shopify’s former footprint has been subleased to other tenants, adding he fully expects the rest of the space to be backfilled in the near future.

“There’s no doubt in my mind,” he said. “Everything in that building is top-notch. I don’t think we have a problem there.”

Capulli said there’s a lot to like about the Ottawa market, whether it’s downtown or in the suburbs. While the central business district “will always have its place,” he sees big upside in sites near transit hubs and along the Queensway such as 3199 Palladium Dr.

– Tullio Capulli, senior vice-president, Morguard

“We’re here for the long run,” he reiterated. “The economy is going to go up and down, but we plan on being here for another hundred years.”

We’re here for the long run. The economy is going to go up and down, but we plan on being here for another hundred years.

How Casino du Lac-Leamy is bringing Ottawa back together

When you’re a casino who’s known for putting their clients first, how can a pandemic help you up your game?

At the Casino du LacLeamy Complex, it was about embracing togetherness for both guests and employees. And it seems to be working.

Lise Sarazin, director of sales and marketing, says the phone has been ringing off the hook to book events at the Hilton Lac-Leamy. “Clients are coming back,” she said. “People really needed to see each other and connect.”

Whether you’re planning a business conference, a wedding or a birthday bash, the Hilton Lac-Leamy is the perfect place to host friends, colleagues and clients alike.

A winning team means a winning experience

While all of these changes are contributing to an elevated guest experience for clients, one of the major factors that sets the Casino du Lac-Leamy Complex apart is the staff, said Sarazin, adding that the team would have been remiss not to take a closer look at their employee’s experience as well.

“After two years of lockdowns and closures, our staff need more support than ever. That’s why we’re giving them tools like enhanced training and benefits,” said Sarazin. “The more we take care of our team, the better the experience will be for our guests.”Fortunately, strong leadership from hotel manager Mark Labrie is providing an example to follow.

“He’ll be in the lobby when it’s busy opening doors and making sure that people are happy,” said Sarazin. “Customer service is in his DNA. He’s leading the way.”

And now, both the Casino and Hilton Lac-Leamy are introducing fresh ways to create premiere guest experiences by reimagining what quality, enhanced service looks like.

On top of the usual entertainment, food and amenity offerings, at the hotel, for example, the team will be investing in hi-tech tools that give guests full control of their guest experience, such as smartphone check-in, texting the front desk when you need a new towel, and the ability to order personal spa care and room service at the touch of a button.Thetechnology isn’t about replacing staff — it’s about giving them time to focus their

full attention on guests, so it truly feels like the Hilton LacLeamy is a home away from home, said Sarazin.

The company is also taking a closer look at its sustainability practices, especially when it comes to hosting large events. Four eco-responsible event packages have been designed for clients looking for a greener touch, while the broader organization is implementing IT-waste partnerships.programsmanagementandfoodrecycling

By focusing on creating tailored guest experiences, the Casino du Lac-Leamy Complex is hoping more groups will take the opportunity to gather and reconnect in a way that suits them.

Learning from Labrie has influenced how Sarazin manages her own team. “Since caring for our staff is just as important as caring for our guests, I check in regularly with my team and make sure they have what they need,” she said.

Like many in the hospitality industry, Sarazin said they are still looking to recruit more staff, especially now that business is picking up. But, with a top-notch team and the opportunity to create lasting relationships and experiences for clients, she is confident that they will thrive in this new era of events.

“Our staff truly wear their hearts on their sleeves,” she said. “It’s definitely an exciting time to be working with guests and to be the place where OttawaGatineau comes back together.” events employees means happy guests

Ottawa’s tourism sector ‘not out of the woods,’ industry leaders say

BYTOURISMIREMKOCA

news@obj.ca

The return of events like Bluesfest and in-person Canada Day celebrations triggered a mini-renaissance for Ottawa tourism businesses this summer, but industry leaders caution the local sector isn’t out of the woods yet.

After a devastating two-year stretch in which visits to the city virtually ground to a halt during the pandemic, Ottawa saw the tourism industry slowly come back to life in the summer of 2022.

Thanks to the revival of events like Bluesfest as well as measures such as Ontario’s “staycation” tax credit and Ottawa Tourism’s “third night on us” promotion, those who promote the nation’s capital to outside visitors say they’re beginning to see some light at the end of what’s been a long, dark“Summertunnel. has been good for leisure travel, and we’re headed in the right direction,” says Jantine Van Kregten, director of communications for Ottawa Tourism.

For example, the city-funded agency’s “third night on us” deal – which offers travellers a free night’s stay when they book two consecutive nights at participating hotels and runs until Oct. 10 – has been a hit, Van Kregten says.

She says the Ontario government’s staycation tax credit, a $270-million initiative that allows provincial residents to claim up to 20 per cent of their accommodation expenses on trips within the province in 2022, has also helped boost visitor traffic and provided a much-needed shot in the arm to retailers and other tourism-related businesses.

Still, Van Kregten cautions that the industry still has a long road ahead before it’s back at full strength.

For example, while the city’s hotel occupancy rate in July was 42 per cent higher than in 2021 and 130 per cent higher than two years ago, it remained below pre-pandemic levels of 2019, Ottawa Tourism says.

“It would be false to say that we’re out of the woods,” Van Kregten notes.

Ottawa Gatineau Hotel Association president Steve Ball, whose organization represents 65 properties with a total of about 10,000 rooms, agrees.

“Does the fall look strong? No. Was the first quarter a disaster? Yes,” he says flatly.

Ball says there is widespread concern across the industry about the long-term impact to tourism businesses if federal government workers don’t return to the office

Toursoon.groups, conventions and business

travellers constitute a significant chunk of tourism-related spending in Ottawa, the veteran industry executive notes.

Yet those groups haven’t resumed pre-pandemic levels of activity to the same extent as leisure travellers, he explains, mainly because the federal government, the largest driver of tourism in the city, still has most of its employees working remotely.

Rising inflation that has driven up costs of everything from gas to eating out in restaurants has also deterred domestic travellers, observers say.

VISITORS TURNED OFF

Meanwhile, international visitors are being turned off by random COVID testing at airports, the much-maligned ArriveCAN app, flight delays and noncompensated cancellations, they argue. According to Ball, Ottawa is particularly “lagging behind” markets like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver that have more international flights.

Local real estate executive Ashley Hopkins, who is a member of the Byward Market BIA’s board of directors, says economic activity in the bustling downtown entertainment hub is “by no means” back to pre-pandemic levels.

For BIAs, business travellers and conference-goers often provide a mid-

week boost for retailers, services and restaurants in hot spots like the ByWard Market, and Hopkins says businesses are hoping those groups return sooner rather thanIndeed,later. the pandemic has dealt a massive financial blow to the tourism industry. Pre-pandemic, visitor spending contributed $1.2 billion per year to the local economy. Ottawa Tourism estimates that from the beginning of the pandemic to the end of 2022, the nation’s capital will have lost $3 billion in visitor spending.

Meanwhile, the accumulated debt that tourism businesses have racked up over the past two-plus years is also taking its toll on the industry, insiders say. The trucker convoy protests earlier this year did not help the situation either.

“The early months of 2022 were brutal, with lockdowns and the convoy occupation,” says Van Kregten.

Ball says his organization calculated that at least $18 million worth of hotel bookings were cancelled due to the convoy protests alone.

And even once the industry does start firing on all cylinders, tourism leaders say, another big stumbling block looms – a severe labour shortage.

Ball estimates Ottawa’s hotel industry currently has about 400 vacant positions.

Taggart sells Kinaxis HQ to Morguard

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

Just weeks after officially opening with a headline-grabbing celebration that featured live performances from the likes of Blue Rodeo and Serena Ryder, software giant Kinaxis’s new headquarters has changed hands in a deal valued at more than $60 Ottawa’smillion.Taggart Group of Companies recently sold the 163,000-square-foot office complex at 3199 Palladium Dr. in Kanata to Mississauga-based Morguard for $64.5 million.Taggart designed and constructed the five-storey building, which is fully leased

to Kinaxis. The publicly traded tech firm, which has seen demand for its supplychain management software soar during the pandemic, moved in during the first quarter and christened the new office in style with a private party for more than 1,000 employees and their guests.

Derek Howe, vice-president of development at Taggart Realty Management, said the Taggart Group decided to put the property on the market after a “strategic review” of its assets.

Howe said Taggart typically focuses on developing and leasing retail and residential-class buildings, adding class-A office space like the Kinaxis complex in the Kanata West Business Park is not a “core

asset class” for the company.

“This was a bit of an anomaly for us, so it went to market and we were very fortunate to have a wonderful partner in Morguard Corporation that transacted with us,” he told OBJ.

The acquisition adds to Morguard’s growing stable of properties in the National CapitalCushmanRegion.&

Wakefield associate vicepresident Scott Brooker, who brokered the deal along with the firm’s senior Ottawa vice-president Nathan Smith, said the property attracted “lots of interest from a

TCC Canada opens co-working space in Kanata North

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

An Ottawa-based co-working company that made headlines for taking over a chunk of Shopify’s former downtown headquarters is expanding its footprint with a new location in Kanata.

TCC Canada recently opened a 30,000-square-foot facility on the fifth floor of 1000 Innovation Dr. in the heart of the Kanata North tech park. The new location replaces TCC’s previous Kanata digs, which were located in a smaller space at 555 Legget Dr.

TCC owns and operates five coworking spaces in Ottawa and two in Vancouver. The company made a splash last year when it subleased several floors

in Performance Court at 150 Elgin St. from e-commerce giant Shopify after the software firm vacated the downtown office tower following its shift to a remotefirst work model during the pandemic.

TCC president Sean Cochrane said he’s seeing a surge in demand for his company’s services from tenants who’ve scaled back or completely ditched their own real estate footprints but still require meeting and collaboration space from time to time.

“We really seem to be in our age now, because I think what we offer has become more and more prevalent and appealing to pretty much anyone,” he told“WhereasOBJ. before, we were more in the smaller category with satellite

offices and things like that, we’ve got big corporations now looking at us seriously because they don’t have a clue what to do with their space. They’ve either given it up or mandated that everybody work fromTCChome.”signed a 10-year lease at the building, which Montreal-based Mach purchased last year from Cominar REIT as part of a $1.5-billion acquisition of a portion of Cominar’s office and retail properties.Tenants began moving into the space about a month ago and about 60 per cent of its desks are now leased, Cochrane said. The client list includes heavy corporate hitters such as Dell and Westinghouse, and Cochrane said TCC is in the midst of finalizing a deal to lease

variety of capital sources.”

Calling the office complex “a showpiece building,” Brooker said the presence of a marquee tenant in Kinaxis plus its close proximity to Highway 417 and retail amenities such as the Tanger Outlets mall made it a relatively easy sell. The Palladium Drive property also includes enough space for another large-scale office should Morguard opt to develop it.

“It’s a brand-new building; it’s best in class,” Brooker said. “So it’s really no surprise that we got the level of interest that we did.”

up to 85 desks to one of the world’s biggest tech

Meanwhile,firms.TCC is also talking with Mach about taking over another floor in the 150,000-square-foot office complex, which was once home to software firm Entrust.

“We’re seeing a really big spike in activity,” Cochrane said. “It’s a great building (with) great infrastructure. It was very well-purposed for what we were looking for.”

About 40 per cent of the facility is devoted to conference, collaboration and events space. The firm is bringing in guest speakers and live entertainers in a bid to entice workers to leave the comfort of their homes and return to the office – at least some of the time.

“The idea of forcing people into the office is not a good look, and it’s not effective,” Cochrane said. “We need to create reasons to go to the office instead of it being just a place you have to go to.”

CLV Group Developments transforms Albert Street building into new luxury apartments SPONSORED CONTENT

Mention the address 473 Albert St. to anyone familiar with Ottawa’s downtown core and they’ll likely know the building: a large, beige, grid-style office tower near Bronson Avenue. At least, it was.

The decades-old building was recently purchased by InterRent REIT and is currently being reimagined as a one-of-akind crafted living space thanks to local developer CLV Group Developments.Inaneffortto boost Ottawa’s central apartment supply, CLV Group and InterRent are transforming the traditional office tower into The Slayte, a luxury apartment development that will be home to over 150 elevated rental suites.

“When this dated office building came up for sale, we

saw a unique opportunity to repurpose its use by adapting it into much needed housing,” says Brad Cutsey, InterRent REIT’s CEO. “We are very excited about the transformation taking place and the way we will be adding much needed rental supply to the market in a low impact way.”

With help from local consultants including Linebox Studios and Bassi Construction, both the interior and exterior of 473 Albert St. will be reconstructed, with sustainability and adaptive reuse in mind – not an easy task given the building’s previous life as an office building. “It would have been much easier to demolish the building and start over, but we saw the importance in repurposing the building and how much waste is diverted from landfills when reutilizing the structural elements and other

infrastructure of the building,” says Oz Drewniak, president of CLV Group Developments. When completed, the Slayte will feature bright and spacious suites outfitted with modern finishings, providing an array of living options suited to any lifestyle, including beautiful bachelor suites and spacious two-bedroom plus dens. Sleek black fixtures, under-cabinet lighting, quartz countertops, stylish light fixtures and ceramic tiles in the bathrooms are carried throughout the building’s suites, along with Juliette balconies on selectResidentssuites.will also have access to central air-conditioning, an in-suite washer dryer as well as six appliances for all their cooking needs. Combining functionality, quality and style, all suites are being designed with what residents are looking for. “We even went back to the drawing board during the pandemic to redesign some suites and amenities in order to create work-at-home spaces to ensure The Slayte would be relevant well into the future,” says Drewniak.“Wewanted to ensure this wasn’t just any other rental apartment building,” he adds. Inspiring amenities in a top-tier locationLeasing a suite at The Slayte opens the door to a carefree style of living where everything you need is at your fingertips – both inside and outside of the building.

Inside, The Slayte is fully equipped with a stunning twostorey lobby, a state-of-the art fitness center – including a yoga studio – a large business center

with flexible workspace options, underground parking and a smart hi-tech mailroom.

The building also includes a Sky lounge, equipped with a kitchen, theater area, games and floor-toceiling sliding windows creating an indoor-outdoor oasis.

Outside, on the rooftop terrace, the building boasts panoramic views of the city along with a hot tub, BBQs, seating areas and fire pits for residents to enjoy.

The development’s central location is also a key selling feature.“Thedowntown core is rapidly evolving from what used to be predominantly office buildings, into a more mixed-use environment where residential uses are playing an important role in the vitality of the area,” says Drewniak.

Located just steps away from the LRT Lyon station, The Slayte – which is also a pet-friendly building – connects its residents with not only the downtown core, but with some of the greatest neighbourhoods in the city, along with green spaces, vibrant shops, bike paths, restaurants and cafés.

With the building expecting to welcome residents this September, there’s no better time to think about what downtown living could mean for you.

“The attention to detail and programming can be seen everywhere in the building,” says Drewniak. “We’re super proud of our team and partners who have been working tirelessly to make this a reality. We can’t wait to open our doors!”

To find out more about The Slayte, visit theslayte.com.

‘Trailblazer’ Assent hits milestone1,000-employee

DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

If Shopify was Ottawa’s tech rocket ship in the early days of the pandemic, supplychain software maker Assent was, in the words of chief executive Andrew Waitman, “Steady Eddy.”

As e-commerce boomed in a work-fromhome world, Shopify’s valuation soared. Meanwhile, Assent kept plugging away, backed by $160 million in venture capital it raised in 2018 that helped it weather the prevailing economic uncertainty as COVID-19 swept across the globe.

Two-plus years later, Assent is stronger than ever. Recently, the local firm previously known as Assent Compliance reached a major milestone: it hit the 1,000-employee mark, up from 800 at the start of the year.

For chief executive Andrew Waitman, Assent’s rapid growth over the past couple of years is more proof that his company’s platform is perfectly positioned for a world in which supply-chain issues are on seemingly every C-suite leader’s mind.

“We’re a trailblazer,” he says.

But in the spring of 2020, Assent’s prospects weren’t nearly as certain. Unsure how things would play out in the early going of the pandemic, the company cut 10 per cent of its 500-person workforce, including a few senior executives.

But what could have been a catastrophic disruption to Assent’s business ended up being a temporary blip.

The firm began hiring again, and by early 2021 it had 600 employees. In January, Assent – which helps some of the world’s largest manufacturers ensure

their suppliers are complying with an ever-growing list of government laws and regulations on everything from human rights to health and safety standards –landed US$350 million in fresh capital in a deal that valued the company at more than US$1

“Onebillion.ofthe insights is, don’t overreact,” Waitman now says.

Today, Assent’s ascent is showing no signs of slowing down. Waitman says the company is on track to reach annualized revenues of US$100 million in the next few

quarters.Theveteran CEO acknowledges that some of his fellow tech leaders have playfully suggested the company was fortunate to grab a huge chunk of additional capital before the bottom fell out of the VC funding pool earlier this year.

Waitman, however, says luck had little to do with it.

“My view is serendipity is the residue of design and decisions,” he says. “I didn’t just sit outside on St. Laurent Boulevard hoping gold would fall on my shoulders.”

Waitman says Assent’s leadership team sensed years ago that environmental, social and ethical concerns were moving to the forefront of corporate decision-making and would play a bigger role in shaping consumer buying habits.

No longer was supply-chain analysis simply about procuring goods at the lowest cost. Where those materials came from would be just as important.

“You ignored how you got that mower for $89 at Wal-Mart,” he says. “You ignored how they achieved that. That world is over. From the western world’s perspective,

knowing what is going on in your supply chain matters.”

As someone whose career spans the dotcom bust of the early 2000s and the Great Recession of nearly a decade later, Waitman has kept a wise and steady hand on the tiller during his eight years at Assent.

Amid topsy-turvy economic conditions that have prompted Assent to start revising its budget every quarter – rather than once a year as it did in the past – Waitman lives by a credo that’s served him well throughout his career: be quick to adapt, and be ready for anything.

“There are always these mean-reversion times,” he says, referring to the pounding that many blue-chip tech stocks have taken over the past six months. “The mean

reversion I expected, so we planned for it. Now we’re using our scale and size to enhance our resilience.”

As Assent continues to expand its global sales and marketing footprint – fewer than half of its employees today live in Ottawa – Waitman says the company must work harder than ever to stay ahead of the curve.

He says global economic turbulence is causing more customers to think twice before pulling the trigger on major purchases.“Inavolatile situation, things can get very jumpy,” Waitman says. “I would say the biggest challenge for a CEO today is we just don’t have the positive visibility we once did. We have to be more nimble and agile to adapt.”

Andrew Waitman, CEO of Assent, is carefully piloting his firm forward in a choppy market. FILE PHOTO

VC funding falls back to levels,pre-pandemicstudiesshow

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

After a flurry of deals that saw Ottawa firms land hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital in the closing months of 2021, the funding pipeline slowed to a trickle last spring – as a pair of studies released recently indicate.

The nation’s capital failed to make the list of top-10 Canadian cities for VC investment in the first half of 2022, according to a report from Toronto-based CPEToronto,Analytics.Montreal and Vancouver were the top three centres for attracting capital in the first six months of the year, the study said.

But data from those and other Canadian cities suggests that venture capital firms are no longer pulling out their chequebooks as readily as they were a year ago.

Funding has dried up amid an overall slowdown in the tech sector triggered by macroeconomic events such as the lingering effects of the pandemic, ongoing supply-chain disruptions, rising inflation and the war in Ukraine.

CPE Analytics said Canadian companies secured $4.72 billion in fresh venture capital in the first half of 2022, a 40 per cent decline from the previous year. The drop was even more pronounced in the second quarter, which saw a total of $1.17 billion invested in Canadian firms, 76 per cent less than in the same period in 2021.

Those findings were echoed in a report released by the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

The CVCA said Canadian firms attracted $1.65 billion worth of venture capital in the second quarter – down from $5.1 billion the previous year and the lowest level since before the pandemic.

The organization said $6.2 billion in investments were announced in the first half, compared with $7.7 billion in the first six months of 2022.

The CVCA called 2021 “an outlier in terms of Canadian VC investment,” adding the first half of this year is seeing “a normalizing of Canadian VC activities, more consistent with pre-pandemic levels.”

OTTAWA SHUT OUT

While Ottawa was shut out of CPE’s list, it did manage to squeak in to the No. 8 spot in the CVCA’s list of top 10 Canadian VC cities, with local firms landing a total of $23 million across eight deals in the first half of 2022.

CVCA chief executive Kim Furlong said investors are taking “a cautious approach, deploying dollars more slowly and

rethinking strategy” as a result of factors such as rising interest rates that are driving up the cost of capital after a sustained stretch of historically low rates.

“The fundraising environment has shifted slightly,” she wrote in the report. “While institutional investors are staying the course, family offices, high net worth individuals, who have seen their public portfolio value decrease, are treading lightly.

“We’re seeing the same trend lines around the world as market volatility, inflation and interest rate pressures are impacting the investment landscape.”

Yet while both reports offer a compelling snapshot of the country’s VC scene, they don’t tell the whole story.

CPE Analytics tracks equity and debt financing from a range of sources, while the CVCA relies on data submitted by venture capital and private equity firms to determine its rankings – meaning not all deals are necessarily included in the reports’ tallies.

In addition, CPE does not factor funding it deems to be “growth equity” into its calculations.

Who’s getting VC in Ottawa?

Evidence Partners lands $20M VC round

A Kanata software firm that’s streamlining the research process for scientists racing to learn more about COVID-19 and other diseases has raised millions of dollars in a bid to “double down” on its position as the market leader in a rapidly growing field. Evidence Partners has closed a $20-million financing round led by San Francisco-based Thomvest Ventures with participation from Vancouver’s Pender Ventures and Export Development Canada. Co-founder and chief executive Peter O’Blenis told Techopia the firm plans to use the fresh capital to expand its product engineering, sales and marketing, operations and customer service teams.

Fieldless Farms raises $17.5M for expansion

Backed by millions of dollars in fresh funding, Fieldless Farms sees fertile ground for expansion as it strives to get its hydroponically grown produce into grocery stores across the country. Launched three years ago, the Ottawa-based startup is already selling leafy greens in more than 40 Farm Boy stores in Ontario, as well as Massine’s Your Independent Grocer and McKeen Metro Glebe in the capital. But founder and CEO Jon Lomow says Fieldless is poised to cultivate a bountiful crop of new market opportunities after finalizing a $17.5-million series-A funding round led by Forage Capital Partners, a Calgary-based VC that primarily invests in agri-tech ventures. Farm Credit Canada and the Business Development Bank of Canada also contributed debt financing to the round.

Lytica gets lucky with $13M raise

The chief executive of software maker Lytica is more than happy to concede that Lady Luck has been smiling on the enterprise a lot lately. “We’re in the right place at the right time,” Martin Sendyk told Techopia after the Kanata-based firm announced its latest round of equity financing, a $13-million investment led by Baltimore’s Resolve Growth Partners. The firm’s subscription software platform uses

artificial intelligence to compare prices of thousands of components that go into electronic devices such as computers and smartphones, helping manufacturers find the best deals and alerting them when they’re paying more than the going market rate for staples such as resistors and capacitors.

Welbi eyes U.S. market after $6M funding round

Welbi’s bid to conquer the North American market has received a massive boost in the form of a multimillion-dollar funding infusion the Ottawa-based health-tech firm says will help it expand its platform across the U.S. The six-yearold software company has finalized a $6-million seed round led by Toronto’s Graphite Ventures with participation from MaRS IAF, SoGal Ventures, Roach Capital and a number of angel investors. Co-founder and CEO Elizabeth Audette-

Bourdeau told Techopia the firm’s fundraising efforts attracted so much interest that the company eventually decided to limit contributors to those investors it felt “could really move the dial to the next level.”

Spiderwort lands US$13M

An Ottawa biotech startup that’s caught the eye of leading North American investors for its technology that can regrow spinal cord tissue and other body parts says it’s aiming to start human trials next year after raising millions of dollars in fresh capital. Spiderwort said it’s closed a US$13.2-million series-A round led by Horizons Ventures, a Hong Kong-based venture capital fund that has previously invested in Facebook and Shopify and led Spiderwort’s seed round two years ago. The latest raise brings the firm’s total funding haul to more than US$15 million as it seeks to continue its pioneering

research. The new round included participation from K5 Global, BoxOne Ventures and Break Off Capital.

Tetra Bio-Pharma secures $6M raise

An Orléans-based company that’s spent years developing drugs designed to mimic the pain-killing and anti-inflammatory benefits of cannabis without major side effects is hoping its latest fundraising effort will give it enough working capital to see its research efforts through to market. Tetra Bio-Pharma said it’s agreed to issue up to $6 million worth of unsecured debentures and stock purchase warrants to London-based investment firm Alpha Blue Ocean Group. Chief commercial officer Steeve Neron said the deal should provide enough cash to keep the company afloat for the next 14 to 15 months as it awaits the green light from Health Canada to sell one of its key products.

Knak celebrates move into new HQ

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

As a young marketing specialist fresh out of university in 2007, Pierce Ujjainwalla was working a plum job at Cognos. He’d occasionally cast a glance at the building across the river, never imagining in his wildest dreams that one day he’d be running his own company whose sign would adorn that very office. But that’s exactly what happened.Theco-founder and CEO of email marketing software startup Knak was on the scene recently when the company’s logo was installed atop the six-storey building on Gurdwara Road in Ottawa’s south end.

Physically and metaphorically, it’s a sign of the times at Knak – and times are good.

“It’s amazing that the Knak sign is up there,” Ujjainwalla said. “I think we’ve been in stealth mode for a long time, and we’re coming out of it now.”

The firm’s pending move into its new 17,000-square-foot headquarters, slated for early November, is just one more milestone in what’s been a dizzying 12-month stretch.

After seven years of steady, selffunded growth, Knak made its first big splash last November when it raised US$25 million in financing in a round led by New York-based venture capital firm Insight Partners, the same company that led Shopify’s $100-million round in 2013.Earlier this year, Ujjainwalla was rewarded for his perseverance with a Forty Under 40 nod. Knak earned time in the spotlight again when it made OBJ’s list of Best Places to Work for the

second year in a row.

Not bad for a venture that Ujjainwalla hatched in his basement with business partners Brendan Farnand and Patrick Proulx.

“Now that we have the money and the funding behind us, we’re really stepping on the gas and we’re still seeing a lot of opportunity and growth in the market,” Ujjainwalla said. “We just keep on rolling.”

Knak’s secret sauce is a dragand-drop platform that drastically simplifies the process of creating custom marketing emails and landing pages.It’s a value proposition that deeply resonated with a growing number of companies during the pandemic and it’s even more enticing now that enterprises the world over are tightening their belts amid fears of a looming recession.

Latest SheBoot cohort includes four women-ownedlocalcompanies

OBJ STAFF news@obj.ca

Four women-owned or led companies from Ottawa have been selected to participate in the third cohort of SheBoot, a bootcamp that prepares women entrepreneurs to secure investment.

has expanded the application process nationally. More than 100 applications were received, according to the Capital Angel Network (CAN) and Invest Ottawa, which operate SheBoot.

The four local founders are Tamey McIntosh, co-founder and COO of Braiyt AI Inc.; Varsha Chaugai, co-founder of Evoke Health; Shruti Singh, co-founder of Otterby Inc.; and Alina Li Zhang, founder

“The 15 women-owned and led companies selected are developing innovative solutions with application in a wide array of sectors,” said Julia Elvidge, co-founder of SheBoot and a director with CAN, in a news release. “These include e-commerce to software, medtech, hardware, agtech, robotics, cleantech and energy.”

SheBoot addresses the systemic challenges facing women entrepreneurs in the investment landscape. Despite

a banner year in investment, women founders received less than two per cent of VC funding in 2021, the lowest percentage in five“Theyears.investment allocated to sole women-founded companies has hovered at, or below, two per cent for years,” commented Jennifer Francis, chair of CAN, director of the Invest Ottawa board and a co-founder of SheBoot. “This is simply unacceptable. Together with these founders and dozens of champions we aim to drive long-term, sustainable change across our ecosystem.”

The 15 founders will participate in a six-week bootcamp this fall that will equip them with fundamental business skills, with a focus on investment-readiness, and facilitate peer networking and introductions to investors and investor networks. It will conclude with a pitch competition at AccelerateOTT, hosted by Invest Ottawa, where participating founders will vie for a total of $300,000 in investment from 30 women angels. This year, the total funding available to entrepreneurs through SheBoot is $450,000.“Thisprogram builds on the Women Founders and Owners Strategy we created at Invest Ottawa in 2018 and addresses key goals established with our community,” said Sonya Shorey, vice-president of strategy, marketing and communications with Invest Ottawa and a SheBoot co-founder. “Together with the Capital Angel Network, our valued investors and partners, we aim to help fuel the growth of more women founders and support the first $100 million woman-owned and led firm in Canada’s capital and many more across the SheBootcountry.”issupported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program.

FROM LEFT: Erin Seegmiller, Invest Ottawa; Sonya Shorey, Invest Ottawa; Tamey McIntosh, Braiyt.AI; Jennifer Francis, co-founder of SheBoot; and Julia Elvidge, co-founder of SheBoot. PHOTO SUPPLIED.

Better together: Collaboration between industry and universities is Ottawa’s key to success

As students make their return to campus for another academic year, the University of Ottawa is also gearing up to welcome new industry partners thanks to a growing number of spaces purposefully built for collaboration at the local post-secondary university.Theuniversity has several opportunities for industry and communities to work closely with faculty to develop the next generation of talent in Ottawa and find solutions for industry challenges through research partnerships, design spaces and professional development courses.Asbusiness needs continue to evolve, so do the university’s partnership offerings.

The pandemic created many new logistical, operational and technical challenges for businesses which the next generation of talent are actively working to solve – sparking new partnership opportunities focusing on themes such as cybersecurity and 5G connectivity.It’sataskthe university cannot achieve without the cooperation of local Throughindustry.hands-on learning opportunities for students as well as its commitment to driving innovation within the Ottawa business community, the university is looking to further strengthen the partnership between academia and industry

in our city by providing exciting collaboration opportunities throughout the year ahead.

Here are a few of the partnership opportunities businesses should know about:

1. The uOttawa-IBM Cyber Range

The newest collaboration centre at uOttawa, the Cyber Range is a one-stop-shop for cybersecurity and cybersafety training for local businesses and executives. As more companies become susceptible to cyber threats, the Cyber Range can teach staff how to spot and react to any malicious cyber-event. Using state-of-the-art software and technology, the Cyber Range can simulate a cyber attack, giving users the opportunity to test their responsiveness and learn how to plan for, respond to, manage, contain and remediate a cyber

incident.TheCyber Range is part of a larger Cyber Hub at uOttawa, a cybersecurity centre designed

for research, training and professional development. By bringing world-class leaders and experts together under one roof, the Hub will serve as a bridge between academia, industry and government to help arm all sectors with the tools and knowledge they need to protect their digital assets and position Canada as a leader in cyber safety.

2. Engineering design spaces

Looking for an innovative way to tackle your next business project?

Through uOttawa’s Faculty of Engineering, companies can work with students to imagine, design, build and test solutions for even the most complex projects. With over half a dozen engineering design spaces available for students – several of which are equipped with mechanical equipment and

sophisticated technology, such as the Brunsfield Centre or the Manufacturing Training Centre –students, faculty and staff from all disciplines can collaborate on projects and encourage new ways of thinking. This, in turn, enables experiential learning, and promotes entrepreneurship, all while developing new products for local companies.

3. Kanata North campus and Hub350

While uOttawa has a robust presence in the downtown core, the university has also expanded its reach by opening a satellite campus in the heart of Canada’s largest technology park. Being at the heart of this diverse and thriving tech ecosystem allows for industry and academia to more easily connect, collaborate and innovate – with ground-breaking research into autonomous vehicle technology and 5G taking place every day through co-op opportunities and partnerships.

Businesses in the area can directly reach the next generation of talent and ensure they are acquiring the skills needed to be successful in their field.

The University of Ottawa is also an Academic Anchor and Partner of Hub350, which offers access to industry and finance leaders. This newest location in Hub350 will further support collaboration on talent, research and innovation.

For more information about the various collaboration opportunities at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering, visit uottawa.ca/faculty-engineering/partnerships. Your next business success story could be a click away!

The University of Ottawa is bringing fresh opportunities to the table for businesses in the capital

Somewhere in the clouds, en route from one hospital to another, is a kidney that’s about to save a life. And the recipient can thank a 5G drone for safely and reliably bringing them their new lease on life.Technological wonders like this may soon become commonplace due to the new Ericsson-Carleton Mobile Wireless 5G research lab opening at Carleton University this fall. Due to Carleton’s strategic

partnership with Swedish tech giant Ericsson, the lab will enable in-depth research into 5G-driven technology.Thelabis located in the 71,000 square foot ARISE building — which stands for advanced research and innovation in smart environments — and is unique in Canada. “The lab has its own 5G network,” said Dr. Ioannis Lambadaris, the Carleton University veteran who was

appointed research chair in 5G wireless research earlier this year.

“It’s not just theory. We have all the equipment, the interfaces and the bay stations,” said Lambadaris. “Everything has been installed to make it an independent network system where 5G technology can be tested in the real world.”

A high-tech environment like this 5G lab isn’t something you can just throw together. “You have to develop something like this over time to set up the programming and background behind it,” said John Luszczek, Ericsson’s business opportunities leader here in Ottawa. “The lab is showing the fruits of this strategic partnership.”

With the launch of the lab, Ericsson and Carleton can check off the final of the five pillars they set out to accomplish, which included the Ericsson chair in 5G wireless research, 5G research projects, educational courses in 5G networks, Ericsson 5G fellowships and the Ericsson-Carleton mobile wireless lab.

In addition to supporting

research and solving real-world problems, these pillars contribute to solving the tech industry’s talent crisis by putting Carleton students into Ericsson internships.

How 5G technology will change the world

The average person may be wondering if it’s time to buy a next generation 5G smartphone (go right ahead, they’ll still work with the old and new networks).

But the Carleton-Ericsson team is thinking much bigger than that. Current research projects in the B2B space include machine learning, drone navigation, robotics, AI, and CAVs (connected autonomous vehicles, or selfdrivingArooshcars).Elahi, digital hardware design manager at Ericsson, is working on a tool that tells businesses how to optimize their 5G network installation.

The Ericsson Indoor Planner knows how many 5G nodes you’ll need and where to put them, providing the most cost and energy efficient approach.

But let’s not forget the part where it can save a life. A 5G network in a large building maps the layout — it’s basically an indoor GPS that enables first responders to “see” into stadiums, airports, malls and hospitals so they can quickly find people who need their help.As exciting as this is, Carleton and Ericsson are just scratching the surface of 5G’s potential capabilities. Lambadaris says with 5G-driven robotic technology, “Surgeries that are very detailed and demanding, that must be done with utmost precision, can be done by a specialist in another location.”

It would seem that connecting organizations like Carleton and Ericsson in real life will also connect us to a future where the sky really is the limit.

The Ericsson-Carleton mobile wireless lab offers a vital space for strategic collaboration University and Ericsson are launching a futuristic 5G lab this fall

Fueling the Tech-Enabled Broker

Fifteen of the nation’s top super-regional brokerage firms and 14 premiere insurance carriers and wholesalers are collaborating with BTV’s cohort of technology innovators from across the globe. Working in collaboration with the sheer drive to elevate the industry to help our clients identify risks sooner and drive down costs, faster. Learn how the industry’s first broker-led convening platform is lighting the way to maximize technology solutions and amplify innovation within the insurance industry as we know it: BrokerTechVentures.com

Finding signs of optimism in times of unease and change

Over the last year, we’ve been using this column to have a conversation about the positive opportunities that exist in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario to change and grow our organizations as we emerge from the pandemic.Still,while we’re learning to live with the health-related risks of COVID, the economic hangover of the past few years – from supply chain disruptions, to labour shortages, to pressures caused by inflation – continues to fuel a sense of Perhapsdisruption.I’m an optimist, but I’d like to make the case that we’re prepared to handle these storm clouds in Canada, and even better positioned here in ThereOttawa.arethree areas where I believe Ottawa and the National Capital Region have an opportunity to lead in ways that will drive longterm growth for our community.

1. Digital government

It is impossible to overlook the impactful and stabilizing force government has on our local economy. It is also reasonable to recognize federal spending and hiring in the decade ahead will not match what we’ve seen over the past 10 years, and through the pandemic. What is encouraging however, is the leadership and focus we are seeing in shifting the way government works, and how it delivers services by harnessing technology.It’sashift that aligns nicely with where Ottawa leads outside of government, in our technology sector.

Last month, Treasury Board president Mona Fortier, and chief information officer Catherine Luelo released a forward-looking document called “Canada’sDigital Ambition2022”.It’savisionary re-think of government service delivery and operations with digital transformation and adoption placed squarely in front.

I’m keen on the contents of this plan as it seeks to address some of the “red-tape” roadblocks that have long been identified as holding back private sector growth and innovation.AsourBDO team advises our clients on everything from taxes to technology transformation, this “digital-first” vision for government reflects what Canadian businesses need to be both efficient and competitive.It’sabold vision and welcome undertaking that stands to help make both government, and Canadian enterprise, more efficient, agile and innovative.

2. Leadership in data, analytics and business optimization

We’re also encouraged that the downstream impact of this digital ambition plan will dovetail with leadership we’re already seeing from Ottawa-based technology organizations in areas as diverse as supply chain management and clean energy technology.

This practical know-how and capacity will help serve as a foundation for government and industry to align on common economic objectives where

technology and innovation are key drivers.Climate change and clean energy are great examples where government priorities – including the need to measure, report and regulate outputs and outcomes –will rely on technology solutions to achieve business goals. Concurrently, large enterprise, including natural resources and energy firms, are focused on practices that optimize operations to reduce environmental impacts.

It’s a win for government and industry when innovative solutions can be applied that meet mutual objectives, while serving as critical tools for the government as they seek to achieve ambitious and complex industrial policy objectives in areas such as battery construction for electric Kanata-basedvehicles.Kinaxis is a

fantastic example of a firm harnessing data to manage complex organizational supply chain challenges. By extension, this local leadership is helping to incubate knowledge around data, analytics and business optimization.

We’re also proud of the work our BDO Lixar team has been doing with clients in the renewable energy sector to optimize operations, including the use of weather and climate data, to support planning and investment decision-making.

Where we saw government play a formative role in Ottawa’s telecommunications industry 65 years ago, an ambitious digital agenda has the potential to stimulate our regional technology sector in the same way.

3. Wealth transfer and private equity

There’s one other trend we’re seeing that will help to benefit our local technology sector. It’s the resurgence and growth of Private Equity (PE) and Venture Capital (VC) investment.

The trendlines are encouraging. In 2021, there were 771 private equity deals worth $18B completed in Canada in 2021 (Source: CVCA). Every indication suggests we’re on track to surpass this number in 2022.

Despite inflationary challenges, we continue to see investment in Canada from PE sources domestically as well as from the United States and overseas. It’s a vote of confidence in the direction Canada is headed.

More importantly, with many of these investments aimed at technology firms, it’s recognition of the capability and expertise of what we have to offer in Ottawa’s technology sector.

This access to PE and VC funding is further helping to drive and commercialize innovation. Combined with accumulated knowledge locally, this capital is supporting a platform from which local technology leaders can pursue an idea or vision.

As I started off the column, we’re hardly at ease.

But (and perhaps it’s the resurgence of our Ottawa Senators that has me feeling upbeat) I’m encouraged by the direction we’re headed in the city.

We’re seeing positive signs of alignment with government and our technology sector. At the same time, local technology enterprises and entrepreneurs have the ability to access capital to pursue new ideas that can feed into this collective digital transformation.

It’s this converging path that will help us through the bumps in the road we may encounter in the days ahead.

Mike Abbott is the Ottawa and Eastern BDOPartnerManagingOntarioforCanada.

Don’t make these mistakesemploymentcommonlaw

If I demote an employee but pay them the same, is that constructive dismissal?

Firing an employee due to poor job performance is fine, right?

Jessica Barrow from PerleyRobertson, Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l. dispels these common employment law myths, and more.

MYTH: An employee can sign an employment contract – even after they start working

For a contract to be enforceable, one of the key ingredients is “consideration.” That’s the quid pro quo of a contract – it’s an exchange of value.

In the employment context, this means I will hire you at X salary and in exchange you’ll do Y job pursuant to the terms of Z employment contract. If you hire someone, they start a job and you then try to get them to sign an employment contract later, the quid pro quo is already done. Now you’re asking them to agree to additional terms and conditions without receiving anything additional in return.

While consideration is generally commensuratesomewhatwiththe thing that’s being exchanged, it doesn’t necessarily have to be money. You should consult an employment lawyer to determine appropriate consideration.

MYTH: I can fire an employee because of poor job performance

We often hear of employers working toward termination with employees they deem to be poorly performing but this will likely not provide an opportunity to terminate without proper notice under the Employment Standards Act (ESA).

A determination of just cause is needed, and the test for just cause is onerous and intended to address willful conduct – which means an element of intent.

An employee who is simply performing their job poorly, even when they are doing so persistently, will generally not meet the definition for willful misconduct under the ESA.

There is pursuantseveranceandterminationbeemployeeshowever,notRightstheeffectivelywhoeye-to-eyewhoterminatingpreventingnothingyoufromanemployeeyouaren’tseeingwithorisnotperforming(assumingHumanCodeisengaged);thosewillentitledtopaypossiblytothe

ESA. Where there is no legally enforceable termination provision limiting liability, termination pay beyond ESA minimums may also be owed.

MYTH: No managers are eligible for overtime

Under the ESA, managers and supervisors do not qualify for overtime if the work they do is managerial or supervisory. The title of manager, however, is frequently overused and will not be determinative. An employee with true managerial responsibilities will manage employees and will have the authority to hire, fire and/or terminate employees under their

purview. It’s again going back to the quid pro quo. True managers are typically already being compensated for the elevated responsibilities associated with manager work.

MYTH: Constructive dismissal only applies when there is a reduction in pay

When making any significant changes to the terms or conditions of employment, employers should consider whether the change may be significant enough to constitute constructive dismissal.

While pay is one of the most obvious indicators of constructive dismissal, there are many others including loss of supervisory authority, being required to report to a previous subordinate or equal, toxic work environment, relocation without consent, significant shift changes or decreases in hours of work, substantial increase of workload, refusal to accommodate, and unjustified suspensions.Bearinmind that outside of the legal risk, is the emotional reaction an employee might have and the resultant risk to relationships in the workplace. In assessing next steps, employers should consider the value of the employee to the organization and the legal risks, and consider taking steps to remediate the relationship and limit the wider impact on the organization.

Looking for an employment

The team at Perley are committed to providing you with the best legal minds for your needs. Contact them today: perlaw.ca/contact-us/

Ottawa’s Best Places to Work are serious about work and play

Even more than a foosball table and daily free lunches, an inclusive workplace that puts a priority on team diversity, respect, open communication and transparency is the common thread among the top 10 in the Ottawa Business Journal’s Best Places to Work 2022.

After an extensive survey and analysis of dozens of metrics to determine what makes a great place to work, it became apparent that all of the top workplaces have committed to the philosophy that their people are their power.

What is the secret to success? The top 10 reveal some of their best practices to create a workplace where people want to stay and perform.

By Melanie Coulson

THE ATTAIN GROUP

— It all starts in the kitchen

A “triple-threat team” of consultants, engineers and project managers that strikes the balance between what owners or tenants need for their buildings and the plethora of technological choices on the market.

Why they’re one of the best: “We don’t have a foosball table, but we do have a great kitchen where, like all great parties, our work seems to start and end.”

Why employees stay: Benefits, compensation and work-life balance are key, as is being future-focused to ensure employees stay and that Attain attracts new talent.

Workplace culture: Attainers are fun, hungry, humble and smart. They champion each other.

Work/life balance: Flexible work hours, telecommuting, hybrid return to work post-COVID.

Core values: Heart-centred leadership with a focus on kindness, caring, family, inclusiveness and community. The company believes in fairness, values, fun and positivity and encourages boldness, honesty, straight-talking and creative thinking.

Professional development:

Time and funding to keep certifications current, continuing education budgets, job shadowing and cross-training.

What fun means here: The heart of Attain is the kitchen. Team BBQs and pizza are served up and ice cream might just show up in the office.

How employees are recognized: Achievements and certifications are factored into performance bonuses of up to 2.5 per cent.

Celebrations: Birthdays are chill at Attain — employees will find an ice cream cake sent to their home. Attain hosts a “legendary” Christmas party, with a kids holiday party with bowling, snacks and fun for all ages.

Giving back to the community: Donates to food banks and participates in charity events, sponsors charities.

OTTAWA TOURISM

— Lift a pint with the ‘Pres’ Founded in 1970, Ottawa Tourism brings visitors, tours, media and conventions to the nation’s capital. This not-for-profit, membership-based organization works with more than 450 tourism-related businesses to profile Ottawa and the region as a great place to visit.

Why they’re one of the best: An inclusive work environment in a fun and vibrant industry makes Ottawa Tourism a great place to work.

Why employees stay: The organization approaches all its work with positivity, in a culture of encouraged opinions and diverse perspectives, challenging the status quo and embracing new ways of doing things.

Workplace culture: Dynamic and motivated professionals who love working on creative projects while having fun and growing their skill sets.

Work/life balance: Vacation, sick and personal days; flexible work hours.

Core values: Employees act with integrity and accountability, supporting each other and working hard to make an impact.

The organization is renewing its five-year strategic plan, with core values at the centre.

Professional development: Annual budget for staff to invest in themselves and their education as it relates to their work.

What fun means here: Pintz with the Pres – one Thursday a month, the organization holds staff socials with food and drink, music and giveaways; each

summer, the organization hosts a BBQ. How employees are recognized: Professional achievements and industry awards are celebrated at an evening social.

Celebrations: Major work milestones are celebrated with monetary gifts and a bump in vacation days.

Women in senior level positions: Seventy-five per cent of senior level positions are held by women.

NOIBU

— You don’t have to ‘fit in’ Noibu monitors e-commerce sites to find errors that could lead to lost revenue and poor customer experience.

Why they’re one of the best: Culture has been important at Noibu from day one, with unlimited paid time off, professional growth options, virtual and in-person social events, team volunteering.

Why employees stay: “There is not a single person who would not stand up to support their colleagues here, we all want the best for each other.” Diversity is celebrated and new teammates are sought to add to a culture, not “fit in.”

Workplace culture: A creative, challenging and celebratory environment.

Noibu employees celebrate each other, support each other and grow together. Multiple employee resource groups, including a wellness committee, culture committee and a women in tech committee. Work/life balance: Unlimited paid time off; additional summer days off are “Noibu Bonus Days”; fitness and wellness programs; flexible work hours.

Core values: One of the company’s core values is “people first,” which also means supporting employees outside of the workplace.

What fun means here: Game on! Noibu has soccer and volleyball teams; employees also go to Lansdowne to watch games; each month there is a Noibu social, which can include a meal, board games; heading to Calypso to enjoy the water park together.

How employees are recognized: Achievements are recognized at monthly town halls.

Celebrations: Birthdays are recognized on the team Slack channel.

Giving back to community: Noibu employees take part in regular donations to Canadian Blood Services and recently supported four families over Christmas, buying them food, gifts, winter gear and other items.

FELLOW INSIGHTS INC.

— Millennials work here

Fellow is a millennial-fueled software company that makes workplaces better by driving engagement and productivity with software that enables collaboration around meeting agendas, recording decisions, tracking goals and accountability.

Why they’re one of the best: The company enjoys a retention rate of 95 per cent and an employee satisfaction rate of 90 per cent. Maintaining an exceptional and inclusive culture is one of the company’s top priorities.

Why employees stay: Fully remote or flexible work schedule, strong compensation and benefits package, social events and growth and development.

Workplace culture: Fellow shines because of the brilliant employees and inclusive teams that allow everyone to grow and develop.

Work/life balance: Vacation, sick and personal days; 80 per cent top-up for parental leave for 12 weeks; four extra weeks vacation at five years of employment; time management workshops, seminars and classes.

Core values: Hiring an extremely diverse set of employees is important, as is working as a team, growing as a person,

experimenting and taking calculated risks.

Professional development: All employees at Fellow are given a $1,000 learning budget per calendar year to invest in opportunities that are related to their career or role. Fellow also offers leadership workshops.

What fun means here: Monthly

virtual social events, team-building activities including dinners, game nights.

How employees are recognized: Promotions and successes are announced at company-wide meetings.

Celebrations: Three major events a year that include drinks, food, get-togethers to celebrate sales milestones and holidays.

Work anniversaries are celebrated with dinners, gifts and extra vacation time, work anniversaries announced on company-wide chat.

Giving back to community: Fellow will match employee charitable donations. Millennials work here: Almost all of the company’s employees are millennials (94 per cent).

ARCHITECTUREROSSMAN INC.

— ‘Rossmannauts’ are a close-knit team

One of the city’s younger architecture firms, Rossman strives to stay ahead of the curve in the industry. Architectural services can be divided into three broad categories: highdensity buildings, building restoration, and commercial and industrial buildings.

Why they’re one of the best: In the past 18 months, Rossman has grown from 14 employees to 40. The company is made up of a diverse team with a passion for individual and organizational growth. There is a company-wide bonus of 20 per cent for all employees; sales and profitability results are communicated openly.

Why employees stay: An inclusive culture supports all employees with their passions and career goals. Transparency is important; employees always know what is going on and the reasons why corporate decisions are made.

Workplace culture: Appreciating unique qualities and diversity, promoting opportunities for learning and growth, providing open and honest communication. Work/life balance: Results are valued more than a strict 9-5 schedule, the company is an early adopter of flexible work hours. Core values: Rossman wins are celebrated as a team; the company believes in collaborative solutions and a growth mindset; employees are continuously driven to learn and improve; open and transparent communication is vital; Rossman celebrates its diversity and unique skill sets to enrich the atmosphere at work.

Professional development: LinkedIn learning licenses for all staff, with a curated list for training geared to specific roles; any charges required for relevant professional organizations are covered by Rossman. What fun means here: Rossmannauts are a close-knit team who enjoy spending time together in and out of the office. That

Co-operative Education

There’s a new Ontario law that employers need to know

“The lines between home and work have blurred due to the pandemic, so the Ontario government is mandating that employers be transparent about whether and how they electronically monitor their employees,” said Negeen Yazdani, a labour and employment lawyer with Emond Harnden LLP.

Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, 2022, amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (the “ESA”) to require employers to implement a written policy about their electronic monitoring practices with respect to employees.

“The law’s purpose is to enhance protections for workers’ privacy by requiring employers to be transparent,” said Yazdani.

“Electronic monitoring isn’t just limited to the employer’s devices,” added Yazdani. “An employee who works remotely or who does work using their own personal computer would also be captured by the requirement.”

While employees aren’t getting any new privacy rights and employers won’t need to stop or change what they’re doing,

employees can now expect their employer to be transparent about how they’re electronically monitoring their employees.

What is electronic monitoring?

While there’s no definition of electronic monitoring in the ESA, the Ministry of Labour has published a guide to help employers interpret the new requirements. It’sabroaddefinition that goes far beyond text messages and surfing the web.

“Electronic monitoring can include GPS to track movement of an employee delivery vehicle or when an employer uses an electronic sensor to track how quickly employees scan items at a grocery store,” said Yazdani.

What do employers need to know?

On January 1, 2022, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must have a written policy in place by October 11, 2022 and make it accessible to their employees 30 days after that. After 2022, employers who meet the threshold on January 1 of a given year must have a policy in place before March 1 of thatTheyear.policy must include complete information about how employees are monitored and the purpose for which the information is used.

If you’re an employer who doesn’t electronically monitor employees, you’ll still need a policy that states that.

When it comes to crafting the policy, one size may not fit all.

“There can be different policies in place for different groups of employees,” said Yazdani.

“What might be applicable to a cashier might not be applicable to someone in the head office.”

Yazdani advises that while the policy does not need to be lengthy or complicated, consulting with an employment lawyer will help employers be sure they’re in compliance with the law.

What are Other Requirements?

“This policy will need to be updated as practices change and new technology becomes available,“ said Yazdani.

“Employers can’t just draft the policy and let it sit on a shelf for years.”

While the ministry won’t be checking up on employers, employees can file a complaint if they do not receive a copy of the policy within 30 days of the policy deadline that will then be investigated. Depending on the situation, employers may be issued a warning before being fined.

Employers will need to retain a copy of every written electronic monitoring policy for a period of three years after the policy is no longer in effect.

If you’d like some initial information, the Ministry of Labour has created a guide for employers.

Still have questions about your company’s electronic monitoring policy? Reach out to Negeen Yazdani or any other lawyer at Emond Harnden today to ensure your team understands the requirements: ehlaw.ca

The pandemic has led many employers to embrace them.meanemployees,arrangementswork-from-homewiththeirbutthatdoesn’ttheycan’tcheckupon

Bill 88 requires more transparency about how employees are monitored electronically

LABOUCANADA’SRSHORTAGE:

BY THE NUMBERS

• Record-low unemployment rate of 4.9 per cent (Sept 2022)

• Record-high 1 million job vacancies

• More vacancies than unemployed workers for the first time since 2015 (BMO)

• Smallest working-age cohort since the 1960s

• Over 50 per cent of Canadian businesses say labour shortages limit the ability to increase production

10 TIPS TO UP YOUR HIRING GAME

How can employers compete for Canada’s best and brightest?

Here are 10 tips from experienced recruiters at Altis Recruitment:

1. Step up your job advert game

The first step in attracting the right candidates is the job ad itself. Try to include a values statement highlighting the guiding principles of your company, so you attract candidates who share the same beliefs. For example, “Come join our collaborative, creative, passionate team. We bring our A Game to work every day, supporting each other to deliver our best for our clients,

How can you hire better, faster?

10 tips to up your hiring game

“Where are all the workers?”

It’s a common question from employers looking to hire these days, and it’s no wonder. Canada has record-low unemployment, record-high job vacancies (over 1 million) and a persistent labour shortage spanning nearly every industry and province.

All of these factors add up to one thing: Fierce competition for talent.

What about the looming recession?

Many employers ask if a possible recession will cool the hot job market. Not likely. Despite recent layoffs in the IT sector and indications of a slowdown, the shortage of talent is so severe, experts predict continued high demand for skilled workers in key sectors like IT, finance, accounting, construction and healthcare.

“We’ve seen a growing need for experienced IT workers over the past quarter,” says Irfan Ahmed, VP, IT Growth & Strategy, Altis Technology Recruitment. “We have many public and private sector clients looking for IT Directors, Software Developers, Business Analysts and more, so my advice to employers is to move fast when hiring, as candidates have many options to choose from in this market.”

celebrating our successes and learning every step of the way.”

2. Be boastful

Make sure you clearly highlight what makes your company a great place to work. Beyond compensation, what’s in your Total Rewards package? For example, your benefits plan, bonus structure, hybrid/ remote work options, parental leave, vacation and paid time off options, career growth opportunities, and more. Be sure to strut your stuff as an employer from the very first interview.

3. Offer radical transparency

Share the pain points; don’t oversell the role. New hires will promptly leave if the job

isn’t what they expected, so be sure to tell candidates exactly what the job entails. Are the deadlines tight? Will the candidate have to deal with irate customers? Say so in the interview.

4. Redefine your must-haves

Rather than aiming for that perfect bullseye candidate with every possible skill, consider what it will take to make a successful hire. Are all the requirements truly ‘’must-have skills’’? Could you hire someone with 60 per cent of the skills and train for the remainder?

5. Get organized

If your hiring turnaround time is currently 60 days, try to get it down to 30. Map out

the recruitment process and schedule all interviews before the interview process kicks off. Try to get senior decisionmakers involved early on instead of waiting for the second or third round—they can create a lasting impression with the interviewee. Strong talent moves quickly and the longer you wait, the higher the chance they’ve accepted another offer or even a counteroffer from their current employer.

6. Avoid unwanted surprises

Candidates ghosting potential employers or refusing to provide references are more common these days. The best way to avoid these surprises at the offer stage is to be prepared.

Ask pointed questions about salary, benefits and vacation expectations during the

interview stage, shortlist sufficiently, and keep the candidates engaged throughout the entire process.

7. Communicate early and often

Follow up with candidates in a timely manner before, during and after the interview process, keeping them engaged and ensuring they’re aware of how excited you are to have them join your team.

8. Make your first offer your best

Rather than holding your cards closely and holding out for a possible negotiation on a bit of extra salary, a better job title or an additional week of vacation, dazzle the candidate with everything you’ve got and go in with a strong offer off the bat.

9. Prepare for counteroffers

To eliminate the possibility of a counteroffer, ask pointed questions to determine what’s motivating the candidate to consider switching jobs. It’s not always about more money—it could be about time off, better benefits, etc. And don’t be shy about asking direct questions like: “If your employer offers you $10,000 more, would you accept it?”

10. Help the candidate resign

It might sound harsh, but sometimes a candidate needs a bit of coaching to resign from their current role. Help them write a letter of resignation with a clear last day and suggest they resign on a Monday morning (so the employer doesn’t have a weekend to think about a counteroffer).

And remember, it’s always a good idea to make the candidate experience as positive as possible, even for candidates you don’t hire. Word of mouth is crucial for attracting new hires and you want to get the word out about how great your workplace is.

LOOKING TO HIRE TOP TALENT?

We can help. Our team of recruiters at Altis Recruitment, Altis Technology Recruitment, excelHR and excelITR has deep expertise across a range of sectors and places over 8,500 candidates in meaningful roles across Canada every year.

See looking-to-hirealtisrecruitment.com/ for details.

A s o n e o f C a n a d a ’ s l a r g e s t i n d e p e n d e n t s t a f f i n g f i r m s , w e c o n n e c t t h o u s a n d s o f c a n d i d a t e s w i t h m e a n i n g f u l w o r k e v e r y y e a r W e ' r e a c t i v e l y r e c r u i t i n g f o r h u n d r e d s o f i n t e r e s t i n g j o b s , i n c l u d i n g :

E x e c u t i v e S t r a t e g i c A d v i s o r , I T R e m o t e , p a r t t i m e C o n s t r u c t i o n P r o j e c t M a n a g e r O n s i t e ( O t t a w a ) , $ 1 7 0 K A c c o u n t i n g M a n a g e r ( C P A d e s i g n a t i o n ) H y b r i d ( O t t a w a ) , $ 1 1 5 1 2 5 K + 1 5 % b o n u s L e a d B u s i n e s s A n a l y s t , I T R e m o t e , 1 2 m o n t h c o n t r a c t

A p p l y N o w : a l t i s r e c r u i t m e n t . c o m / j o b s

may mean unwinding with games of Catan or Chinese checkers in the lunchroom, yoga classes, video gaming, participating in a soccer tournament and the HOPE volleyball tournament or a hike in Gatineau Park. Upon learning several members of the Rossman team have pizza ovens, the company organized a homemade pizza day.

How employees are recognized: All achievements are on social media pages. Celebrations: Birthdays and work anniversaries are celebrated on social media channels.

Giving back to the community:

Employees may participate in community service during normal business hours; matching employee charitable donations. Millennials work here: At Rossman, 88 per cent of employees are millennials.

KNAK

— An awesome culture builds an awesome team

Knak is an SaaS company that has created a platform for emails and landing pages that integrates seamlessly into marketing automation platforms.

Why they’re one of the best: With a Glassdoor rating of 88 per cent, one reviewer said, “The co-founders have been exacting in creating the culture and they all walk the walk. It’s a great example of what can happen when smart people come together to work hard and achieve results.”

Why employees stay: From a recent

survey, one current employee wrote, “Great culture, a great push on work-life balance and the company treats you like a person vs. an asset. In the time I’ve been here, they’ve added more life-leave days, a stipend for home office, a health spending account, half days off in the summer and two company-wide vacation shutdown times. I’m attempting to get some of the people I like to work here too. Life is good.”

Workplace culture: Impactful work, fun and inviting culture and employees still have time to enjoy their lives.

Work/life balance: One week of summer shutdown and a three-day holiday closure to give everyone a full week off; half-day Fridays in the summer, mandatory summer vacation and fun team building activities; flexible work hours.

Core values: Culture is first and foremost because you need an awesome culture to build an awesome team.

Professional development: Employees are awarded $5,000 for professional development per year. What fun means here: Product testing is done with food and drinks; lunch and learns including dance lessons, virtual tours, stretching, board games; three-day offsites with team-building events.

How employees are recognized: With a Knakolade! This peer-nominated award recognizes an individual who best exemplifies Knak core values; #highfive Slack channel for shout outs.

Celebrations: Employees receive gifts for reaching work anniversaries; birthdays and work anniversaries are also shared over a Slack channel.

Giving back to the community: Implemented an employee volunteer program, allows employees to participate in community service during normal business hours.

Millennials work here: About 80 per cent of employees are millennials.

DECISIVE GROUP INC.

— Getting that ‘family feeling’ Decisive provides certainty to customers on their journey to digital transformation by designing, building and maintaining enterprise IT infrastructure and hybrid cloud, as well as managing and protecting data.

Why they’re one of the best: Employee culture is a huge focus for Decisive, which tries to create “a family feeling” at work. Why employees stay: Decisive is a

thought leader in its space but the company places importance on the company being not all about work. There is community involvement, team building and familyincluded activities. “From Day 1, you are welcomed and feel like you are part of something bigger.”

Workplace culture: Home to a compassionate team with a shared vision that they are here to do something great and have a blast doing it.

Work/life balance: There is flexibility regarding work hours, assuming performance standards are met. Fridays are off in July and August. There are also fitness and/or wellness programs within the workplace and telecommuting; $1,000 per employee health care spending allowance.

Core values: Doing the right thing for customers, employees, shareholders and partners; helping customers achieve success; enabling talent to shine and thrive; having pride in who we are and what we do while celebrating successes; making integrity, privacy and security top priorities.

Professional development: A formal leadership program.

What fun means here: Office BBQs, games, golf events are in-person fun. During COVID, Zoom fun included magicians, wine tasting and cooking classes.

How employees are recognized: Decisive shines a spotlight on employee achievements at all-hands meetings, posts on the intranet site and on the company daily chat. Giving back to the community: Hosts food, clothing and toy drives.

DILFO MECHANICAL

— ‘Small enough to care’ but able to deliver

Family-owned and operated mechanical contractor Dilfo has more than 40 years of experience in designing, installing and maintaining heating, cooling, refrigeration and plumbing systems for institutional, commercial, industrial and high-rise residential customers.

Why they’re one of the best: Dilfo cultivates a culture of “small enough to care, big enough to deliver” and has a reputation for having employees who deeply care about the quality and integrity of their work.

Why employees stay: The company believes in building a team that brings together people with diverse experiences. Dilfo considers employees to be family and has provided support to the local community for the past 40 years.

Workplace culture: Motivated to excellence through ongoing learning and collaboration.

Work/life balance: Regular vacation days, plus a condensed work week (half-day Fridays), no mandatory overtime, family members invited to workplace and holiday events.

Core values: Integrity is a guiding principle. Dilfo creates teamwork through open, honest communication and including people with different backgrounds, ideas and experiences to create an environment where every team member knows their value.

Professional development: Upcoming and new project managers and foremen are encouraged to complete the construction supervisor training program through the Ottawa Construction Association.

What fun means here: Annual golf days, dressing up with co-workers at the annual holiday party, monthly social nights. In-office events include popcorn days and trivia days.

How employees are recognized: There’s a team lunch after 50 days without a safety incident.

Celebrations: Birthdays are announced in a company-wide email, work anniversaries are celebrated at the annual holiday party. Giving back to the community: Hosts food, clothing, toy drives and matches employees’ charitable donations.

SOLINK CORPORATION

— Be part of a ‘Solinkian ecosystem’ Solink links video security surveillance to data to improve loss prevention and business

operations. This one-stop shop platform is geared to any size business.

Why they’re one of the best: The company is a people-first business that fosters growth, flexibility and community. Solink has grown exponentially in a few short years and strongly believes in promoting from within to allow employees to follow their passions while paving their own career paths.

Why employees stay: Referred to as a “Solinkian ecosystem,” the company fosters an environment that is team-focused, inspiring and trustworthy. Solink gives employees greater autonomy and trusts them to solve problems and trailblaze.

Workplace culture: A diverse group of passionate professionals who recognize each other’s contributions.

Work/life balance: Ten additional days for life events; time in lieu if required to offer customer support during holidays; flexible work hours.

Core values: Team – stronger together; Impact – creating significant positive change; Excellence – bringing our best; Trusted –trusting one another; Growth – growing and improving every day; Service – placing the successes of our customers first.

Professional development: Leadership and management training; tuition reimbursement for any employee who wants to improve skills.

What fun means here: Yearly holiday parties for employees and a guest, a party to celebrate the past fiscal year; in-person all-hands events each month with teambuilding events and lunch; tickets to sporting

and entertainment events; museums and amusement parks.

How employees are recognized: Solinkian Shoutouts to recognize other employees for outstanding work, achievements and acts of kindness. Giving back to the community: Employees can participate in community service during normal business hours.

AMSTED DESIGN-BUILD — Supporting mental health

For more than 30 years, Amsted has been changing residential architecture in Ottawa. With an in-house team that includes architects, interior designers, project managers and carpenters, they design, build and renovate custom homes.

Why they’re one of the best: Part of Amsted’s company vision is to “be the most sought-after company in the industry,” creating a fun, passionate team that loves to design and build livable spaces the way clients want.

Why employees stay: Employees have a voice, they’re appreciated and encouraged to grow. Amsted focuses on fun – celebrating success, rallying behind coworkers’ accomplishments.

Work/life balance: Employees are not permitted to work while on vacation, and encouraged to limit checking email and voicemail outside of work hours. No mandatory overtime.

Professional development: Mentoring, job training and cross-training, professional development. During mental support training, staff were taught how to identify signs of anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

What fun means here: Going to camp! Staff and their families donate time and skills to improve infrastructure at Boys and Girls Club Camp. Fun also means Christmas parties with raffles and casino games and an annual after-hours event.

How employees are recognized: Milestone anniversaries recognized by gifts, including engraved paver stones at every five-year anniversary; monthly recognition through employee suggestion; personal emails from the owner recognizing employee birthdays.

Giving back to the community: Amsted has implemented an employee volunteer program where staff can participate in community service during normal business hours.

How can I provide critical feedback to employees and not have it come across as criticism?

When trying to build a team, it is critical to provide feedback that is going to allow your team to build on their skills and excel at their day-to-day tasks. Unfortunately, sometimes when we receive feedback that is intended to be helpful it ends up coming across as criticism. While that may not be the intention of the person providing the feedback, if the person receiving the feedback thinks of it as criticism it may in fact have the opposite impact from what it was intended to achieve.

Feedback is focused on communication observations pertaining to how work was performed. We want feedback to be as objective as possible and directly related to how work was performed. Criticism is directed towards the person who did the work rather than the work itself. If the work was good this can be helpful, but when the work isn’t great, it will likely land poorly. Feedback is objective and impassionate; it’s focused on the outcome of a situation. As a contrast criticism is subjective, exemplified by a manager or supervisor inserting their personal opinions into a work context.

Feedback can create an opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas. It can lead to discussion around how things can be done better in the future. Criticism elicits defensiveness and may lead to a loss of opportunity for learning and self-correction. Emotions can become intensified and arguments leading to a breakdown in trust between the provider and recipient of the criticism could result.

When you want to communicate a message to an employee, make sure to step back and think about what you’re saying. Is it future focused objective feedback or just

Jason

From life-long employees to newcomers

– Attain is just one big family

Derrick Hanson is the co-founder and president of building tech company, Attain — and, as it’s his second company, it’s also technically the second job Hanson has ever had.

Hanson launched the company 17 years ago, when his kids were five and nine years old. “I’d been in another business that needed a lot of travel, and I didn’t want to be away from the kids anymore,” he says.

So, Hanson decided to create a work place “where I wanted to go to work every day,” he says. And Hanson made it happen not just for him, but for his colleagues, too; in 2022, Attain won an Ottawa’s Best Places to Work award.

Hanson says that family is probably Attain’s number one value. “There’s a very flat, non-hierarchical structure, such that everybody feels like they’re welcome, and that they have a voice,” he says.

Even more like a family, Attain is made up of a mix of generations, from people who have worked at Attain since its inception, to those who are just starting out their careers.

“We take a chance on people who say, ‘I have no experience’,” Hanson says. “We’ll hire people who have some level of education and are cre ative, but what we see is something in their style of working, or in their atti tude, that fits well with our culture.”

The same goes for its clients; At tain is very intentional about who it works with, with Hanson often turn ing away work if he knows another company is better suited for the gig. “It’s more important for us to get to know our clients as human beings, and hopefully someday our paths cross again,” Hanson says.

Amanda Vick, technologist at Attain, has been with the company for just over a year. While she studied

architectural technology at school, she says that Smart buildings (IT, AV, Security) was completely new to her. Despite this, the team at Attain en couraged her to tap into her existing expertise, and to grow from there.

“No matter what you’re doing, or what you’re learning, everyone’s always encouraging you to try something new, or to just do it your own way,” she says. “We want to see your thoughts and your opinions.”

When Vick joined the team, Hanson says, managers had to draw straws to decide which team Vick would end up in — that’s how in-demand her skills were. “It’s a genuinely enjoy able place to be with really good peo ple who are all smarter than I am,” Hanson says. “It makes it really easy to be a leader of this organization because [my team] brings all these amazing, terrific ideas.”

Hanson is very up-front about his

goals: he wants his employees to stay at Attain for life, and he puts in the work to make it happen. “[It takes] constant challenge, constant encouragement, making sure that the benefits, wellness packages and flexibility are there,” he says. An example of this is that six months before the pandemic even hit, Attain had already moved to a hybrid work model.Plus, there’s a clear-cut path to career growth at Attain. “I often say, ‘if you want my job, here are

the things you need to do’,” Hanson says. “Everybody we hire, I actually promise that — ‘if you want my job, I’m encouraging you to do it’.” It’s working out well so far for Vick. “Throughout my life, if I’m learning something new, I’m happy,” she says. “There’s so much to learn here, because it’s also an industry that’s constantly changing and evolv ing.”And on the note of Attain being a big family? “I definitely feel like an adopted child,” Vick jokes.

No matter what you’re doing, or what you’re learning, everyone’s always encouraging you to try something new, or to just do it your own way.

Derrick Hanson, co-founder and president of Attain, and director of operations, Ashley Lawrence

Ask the Expert

Julie Potvin MMB Canada, SME National Leader

Recession will drive employees back to the office, HR exec argues

Geneviève Lemieux QuebecPartner, & Ottawa Health Business Leader BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca

employees’ needs over and above business needs at times and I think that pendulum will need to swing back slightly.”

Attractingtoday.and

retaining talent during the inflation squeeze

Inflation is biting hard across the board – creating a real Human Resources headache. Inflation (plus pandemic fallout) is making employees re-think what they want out of a job – both in terms of compensation and quality of life.

As a result, the competition for talent in Ottawa, especially for those with digital skills, is intense. Attracting and retaining key talent, combined with record inflation, creates difficult challenges for employers. The Mercer Marsh Benefits™ 2022 People Risk Report shows that 43% of employers say their Employee Value Propositions (EVP) need improving Employers must act today to retain their employees and attract the talent they need to win.

The good news is that a compelling EVP is about more than just pay. Think about what keeps employees up at night: healthy families, work-life balance, fulfilling work and retirement readiness. A compelling EVP addresses all of these, and gives you a competitive advantage in a hot labour market.

One action you can take is investing strategically in what matters most to your people. This may mean paying above market for critical jobs, or enhancing benefit and recognition programs. You can ‘make it personal’, by offering employees savings programs and flex-working options that meet their needs. ‘Make it easy’, by modernizing your total rewards offering through digital solutions, giving instant access to providers that enhance employees’ mental, financial and physical wellbeing.Ofcourse, businesses need to manage costs. We partner with local businesses in Ottawa to develop costeffective solutions for all aspects of the total rewards offering, tailored to their specific business strategy.

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The rising risk of a recession could give bosses the leverage they need to get their remote workforce back into the office, especially if employees want to hold onto their jobs, says the head of an Ottawabased executive search firm.

“I think that’s going to push people back to the office more regularly,” said Keynote Search CEO and co-founder James Baker. “Based on the ongoing conversations we have with employers of all sizes, the general sentiment is that organizations are looking for better output and engagement from their teams.”

Baker said that many companies are facing cash constraints that are affecting all areas of their business and that’s got employers questioning how they’re going to deal with the potential impact of an economic downturn.

“This recession isn’t going to be a surprise to anyone; we’ve had well over 10 years of economic growth and the signs are all there. The majority of small and medium businesses are already feeling the pressure of inflation and it’s having a knock-on effect on staffing budgets. Fortunately, not many in our business community that I’ve spoken to believe it’s going to be like the 2008 recession, though, which was devastating to so many.”

As a result, businesses across all sectors are looking at ways to become more streamlined and efficient and identify productivity gaps, said Baker of a process that usually involves trimming some fat.

“In many organizations, if the employer has a choice between two people: one who they can see, can interact directly with, and another who works completely remote, I think we’re going to see a lot of businesses start to say, ‘I want people who are going to be part of our culture and alongside us through what is coming.’ I think that’s going to cause a real ripple in the market.”

During layoffs, bosses typically target unproductive and underperforming workers first, the so-called “quiet quitters.” They also look to save salary costs by

James Baker, CEO and co-founder, Keynote Search

identifying the duplication of managerial roles and subsequently consolidating positions, Baker “Organizationsadded.willstill have to hire, but they’re going to be far more deliberate and make what we call ‘strategic hires,’” said Baker of a tactical process that involves recruiting, hiring and organizational planning decisions that are aligned with business needs and objectives. “For me, this means we will see more and more businesses adding knowledge and expertise that can help immediately over developing less experienced talent.”

‘TWO OPPOSITE WORLDS’ Canada’s unemployment rate continues to remain low while workplace trends such as the Great Resignation and “quiet quitting” are seeing employees put their lifestyle first. At the same time, several large technology companies have been laying off people, including Shopify and Hootsuite.

“Honestly, there are two opposite worlds existing at the same time,” Baker said. “This is all happening while companies are still feeling like there’s an ongoing shortage of affordable talent. So this is a really confusing time for business leaders.”

The Ottawa business community has not had an easy time, said Baker of the ongoing pandemic, not to mention the Freedom Convoy protests that shut down the downtown core for weeks last winter.

“I do worry for local businesses. I think they’ve had a tough run of it. Business owners have not been particularly vocal about their problems because they’ve been so scared about losing people during the labour shortages. They had to accommodate

Keynote Search, which has offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Mississauga, works predominantly with private businesses and non-profit organizations to help them with critical hiring needs from the management to executive level. Baker has been hearing from employers that productivity in the workplace has decreased and they feel that the fatigue of remote work has been a contributing factor.

“The biggest complaint I’m getting from business leaders is, ‘I’m not getting the same value from my employees for what I’m spending as I was before.’ Salaries have gone up but productivity has gone down. Employers are saying, ‘I’m spending more, gettingOttawaless.’”needs to stay productive if it wants to compete on a higher level, Baker stressed. “I think you’ll see Toronto, which is a bigger corporate city, promote larger wide-scale HR policies that will almost push people back to the office. We have to keep pace because our competitors are no longer just Ottawa businesses. We compete nationally and internationally.”

Returning to the office, at least to a hybrid model, is also important for training and developing the emerging workforce, he added.Bakerbelieves the federal government will play a key role in the future of the local economy. “I think the federal government is overextended financially, which means they’re going to have to be prudent and show some fiscal restraint,” he said.

Baker remains concerned that if public servants don’t return to the office, there may then be a push to decentralize service delivery and possibly move those federal government jobs elsewhere in Canada.

“I have some nervousness about the local economy and what we’re going to do, how the feds are going to ensure their employees return to the office.

“That economic engine drives the downtown, it supports the small businesses, it sustains the barbers, the coffee shops and everything else.”

Ottawa falls out of top 10 in ranking of tech talent hubs

BY DAVID SALI david@obj.ca

Ottawa has dropped out of the top 10 in an annual ranking of Canadian and U.S. tech hubs compiled by a global real estate firm. This was due in part to rising labour costs that caused the capital to fall slightly in the affordability category.

CBRE’s 2022 Scoring Tech Talent report ranks 50 North American markets according to each city’s ability to attract and grow tech talent. The survey measures more than a dozen metrics, including tech graduation rates, tech job concentration and tech labour pool size, as well as labour and real estate costs.

After cracking the top 10 for the first time in 2021, Ottawa fell to 13th in this year’s rankings. It was the third-highestranking Canadian city after Toronto (No. 3) and Vancouver (No. 8).

As in 2021, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle claimed the top two spots in theAccordingrankings. to CBRE, tech employment in Ottawa grew by 22.3 per cent between 2016 and 2021.

It says the city now has 81,200 workers in its tech talent labour pool, which the real estate firm defines as more than 20 key tech professions including software developers, systems and data managers across all industries. That’s up from 74,000 workers a year earlier.

By contrast, data from Statistics Canada – which defines tech employment

more narrowly around information and communication technology firms – says about 55,000 local residents are employed in techOverall,fields.Ottawa scored 55.51 points this year, down from 57.34 in 2021.

The city continues to score high marks for having the highest concentration of tech talent relative to its overall workforce of any city in the top 50, with 11.6 per cent of all workers employed in tech – just ahead of San Francisco’s rate of 11.4 per cent. Ottawa has held that distinction for three years running.

But the capital dropped one position in the ranking of annual operating costs –which combine average annual wage and office expenses in each market – due to a bump in labour costs.

The average tech worker in Ottawa earned $93,579 last year, CBRE said, up about two per cent from $91,666 in 2020.

Ottawa still fared well in terms of overall affordability, placing 44th in the total amount of money a 500-employee tech firm leasing 75,000 square feet of office space shelled out last year for labour and office expenses.

CBRE said those costs added up to US$36 million last year, making Ottawa the second-most expensive Canadian city on the list behind the Waterloo region. According to the firm’s calculations, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City were all more affordable places in which to do business in 2021.

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Ottawa Tourism knows to

Once a year, the team at Ottawa Tourism gathers at president and CEO Michael Crockatt’s home for their ‘family barbecue’.

“Everyone brings their children, their partners, their spouses,” says Roslyn Smith, director of Governance and People. Two staff members are currently on parental leave, and “they both came with their newborn babies that were three, four weeks old.”As one of the winners of the Ottawa Best Places to Work 2022 award, Ottawa Tourism takes great care to ensure it is supportive of its

employees’ professional and personal lives, Smith says.

Being a tourism agency, it’s no surprise that Ottawa Tourism attracts creative employees. Smith shares that one staff member is also a Pilates teacher, while another has a consulting company helping job seekers with their resumes and interview preparation. Another staff member, Andy Akangah, is an artist, whose work was featured in a recent exhibition at the Ottawa Art Gallery.

For one of Ottawa Tourism’s social events, Smith and the team went to Akangah’s exhibit. “I think it showed

him that this is something that he worked really hard on outside of Ottawa Tourism, and we support him as his ‘corporate family’,” Smith says.

Of Ottawa Tourism’s current complement of 44 employees, 34 are women. Smith shares that it’s a parent-friendly, flexible workplace, with a best-in-class benefits package, as well as generous learning and development opportunities.AsCEOofthe company, Crockatt takes great pride in ensuring the team feels heard in all aspects of the job.

The Ottawa Tourism team celebrating Andy Akangah’s art at the How I Love You exhibit at the Ottawa Art Gallery.

– Michael Crockatt, CEO of Ottawa Tourism

“We’ve learned that we need to be flexible, and that everything around us will change, meaning the workplace needs to change too,” he says. “Every new person who joins us brings with them a new perspective, and that helps us broaden our own views as a company, and foster a workplace where everyone hopefully feels like they belong.”

Ottawa Tourism also recently formed its first diversity and inclusion committee – and its work continues.

“We track diversity on our board of directors and hiring at any level,” Smith says. “Our people represent a rich variety of cultural backgrounds with employees that speak Canada’s official languages, as well as many others that are relevant for our community and geographic target markets. We recognize that we represent the entire community and we want all Ottawans to see themselves reflected in our work.”

In 2021, alongside 20 other Canadian CEOs, Crockatt signed Destinations International’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Pledge, committing to nurturing a tourism industry that represents its staff and community at every level.

But Ottawa Tourism doesn’t just stop there — every quarter, it issues employee surveys, ensuring its staff can anonymously share feedback about the organization and management.“Ifthere’sanything that I pride myself on, it’s being open, listening

to colleagues, doing my best to understand why an issue is important to them, showing trust, and not being afraid to try new things,” adds Crockatt. “A surprising number of our policies don’t come from me or our HR team. They were either suggested or completely developed by individuals with an idea and some passion.”

The agency also offers self-

assessments, where employees meet with their managers to discuss what they need in their jobs, if they feel supported, and to dive further into how their roles fit into the organization’s strategic plan.

Since shifting to a hybrid work model, surveys like this have become more important than ever for Ottawa Tourism. “[The surveys’] results often

show us that the culture is one of the main reasons that people stay with Ottawa Tourism,” Smith says. “It’s not like, ‘here’s your cubicle, here’s your laptop, best of luck’ — it’s somewhere very welcoming, loving and exciting.”

For Smith, these characteristics are part of the reasons that Ottawa Tourism won the Best Place to Work award. “We want people to be excited and be themselves, to have ideas and walk into our president’s office and share those ideas,” Smith says.

Looking to the future, Smith says her team is excited to get back to inperson events. “Tourism was the first hit, hardest hit and will be the last industry to recover [from COVID-19],” she says, adding that the agency went from a “really bubbly, exciting place” to questioning how it might survive.

However, Smith says, Crockatt and the senior team kept everyone together through the darker days: “We’ve come out of it stronger, and with great plans for 2023 and beyond.”

As an organization, we have won a number of awards and honours. However, this one holds a special place for me, because it’s about the people and the team that we get to work with every day.

The team gathers at CEO Michael Crockatt’s home for their annual family BBQ.

WITHRECONNECTYOURTEAM

Virtual work has adverse effects on young employees, HR expert suggests

BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS caroline@obj.ca

When 23-year-old Micheal Lemire was hired to work at Canada Revenue Agency, he was told he’d be answering about 25 calls a day from the public.

But as tax-filing deadlines loomed, the questions came flooding in. Lemire found himself fielding as many as 108 calls daily from Canadian residents who were angry, upset and anxious.

“It was an endless queue of calls. We had people waiting for an hour and a half (to speak to Throughoutus).”this time, Lemire never met a single co-worker, supervisor or manager in person. Instead, he worked from his bedroom.

“It was definitely hard to do those 40 hours a week from home.”

He ended up leaving his job after a few months, frustrated by the relentless workload and, more importantly, unable to properly communicate his concerns to management in the remote work environment in which he found himself.

“I definitely think it had a huge impact on why I left,” said Lemire. “I feel like, if I was in an office setting, I could easily go to the person in charge. A little message on Microsoft Teams doesn’t work.”

For better or worse, the workforce is now in a digital age where many young workers have never experienced life in the officeWhile some employees may prefer the convenience, human resources consultant Karen Brownrigg argues that the lack of in-person contact may end up harming a young person’s career if not properly managed.“Thehybrid and virtual model is something people are offering as a key component of their total compensation strategy because people are demanding it, but there is a cost to offering that and I don’t think employers are factoring that in enough,” said Brownrigg, CEO of Ottawa-

based iHR Advisory Services, whose clients include small and medium-sized companies.Thetraditional work experience is a “critical” time that helps young employees establish their professional relationships and networks, shaping them in a way that will have a lasting impact, said Brownrigg. “You are gathering as much knowledge as humanly possible. You’re building the tools in your toolkit that will serve you throughout the rest of your career.”

‘AN UPHILL ROAD’

The transition from post-secondary education to the adult workforce has been “an uphill road to travel” for many new graduates, added Brownrigg.

“They didn’t even get to experience the relationship-building while they were in school; they were robbed of that,” she said of the online education that many postsecondary students were stuck with.

“Now, they’re coming from that experience into another potentially virtual experience in the workplace and I think that’s going to take a long time to recover from. In many cases, it continues to be verySheisolating.”suggests employers add a needs assessment for new candidates joining the organization.Shealsobelieves that having mentors and professional networks are key to helping young employees navigate remote or hybrid work environments.

Karen Brownrigg, certified HR expert, founder and CEO, iHR Advisory Services

The etiquette of inclusion

There’s a welcomingenvironmentsandcorporateconsciousnessgrowingaroundsocialresponsibilityestablishinginclusivethataretoall.

But what does it mean to create a truly accessible workplace, one where persons living with disabilities are valued and able to contribute effectively with the right support?

A key ingredient to success is a shared awareness of the many types of visible and invisible disabilities, and appropriate etiquette when interacting with those who have lived disability experiences, says Linda Simpson, Director of Rehabilitation Services at Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care Inc.

“Employers(PPRC).fear they will say or do the wrong thing when interacting with persons who live with a disability,” says Simpson. “We offer credible and proven training based

on lived experiences that can help businesses create an environment for the future, driving inclusion to align with business goals.”

Tailored training builds up teams, breaks down barriers and myths

PPRC’s disability awareness and etiquette training includes four modules and can be tailored by their curriculum designers to meet your unique needs. The spectrum of disabilities covered is comprehensive, including mobility, hearing, vision, mental illness, learning and autism.

“We are not just hitting the surface with this training. We offer employers effective tools and strategies to bring people on board,” explains Simpson.

“There is a talent pool to tap into – hiring people with lived disability experiences is good for business.”Duringtraining, participants work through a variety of real-

life scenarios that include how to assist a person living with a disability navigate the workplace.

“People are struck by how simple it is,” says Simpson. “For example, to help a person with low vision, don’t say the meeting room is on the right – ask and offer to guide them instead.”

The training also focuses on societal perceptions and breaking down

“Mythsstereotypes.andstigmas abound, and employers might perceive that someone living with a disability can’t do a job,” says Simpson. “The truth is that many people with disabilities are well-educated, holding multiple degrees. If employers don’t tap into this talent pool, they will miss out on exceptional talent.”

Disability etiquette and awareness training for the entire team ensures a more successful onboarding and improves retention of all employees, along with enhancing workplace culture and teambuilding.

Simpson shares an example of a Holiday Inn that hired someone with a hearing loss. With PPRC’s support and etiquette training, Simpson says there was a positive culture shift.

“The bar gets elevated. Staff were willing to help their new colleague with hearing loss,” says Simpson. “It goes beyond the workplace. You do business in your community. Someone living with a disability, their family and friends would choose to give business to a company that lives and breathes inclusivity.”ThatHoliday Inn went on to hire a second person with a hearing loss, creating a ripple effect that started with a little awareness and education on proper etiquette.

Etiquette with expertise

For more than 28 years, PPRC has established a track record of assisting persons living with disabilities in securing sustainable work, as well as helping employers be more inclusive in their culture and recruiting practices.

PPRC’s disability awareness and etiquette training first launched in 2017 and moved online in 2020 in response to the pandemic. At present, training is offered in person and online, with a roster of clients including government departments, business owners, media companies, and nonprofit organizations in Ontario and across Canada.

Simpson notes that while the training is fee-based, there is no charge for employers to access an array of other support services offered by PPRC, when they recruit from their talent pool. For more information and to get started, visit www.pprc.ca or call 613-748-3220.

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‘A rocket ship’: How the perfect combination of carbon fibre and batteries is creating a better boat

BY HEDDY SOROUR news@obj.ca

If you wanted to build a revolutionary “Tesla of the water,” where would you set up shop? Montreal? Toronto? Merrickville?

For business partners Cam Heaps and Tim Markou, the sleepy village of Merrickville on the shores of the Rideau River was just the place to put their dream into motion. The duo bought the former Aylings Marina, perfectly located on the river, close to important suppliers and near the U.S. border.

And it’s there that they’re building their new manufacturing operation, Voltari Electric Boats, with the intent of revolutionizing the boating industry.

Using carbon fibre for the body of the boat and an electric motor with seven battery packs, the two men have created a vessel that’s designed to be fast, silent, nonpolluting and nearly maintenance-free.

“Our passion is not just to make an electric boat, it’s to make a better boat and, in doing so, to cleanse the waterways of the world and restore tranquility to our

beautiful waters,” Heaps told EOBJ.

The electric speed boats are equipped with a 160kWh lithium-ion battery pack system capable of speeds of approximately 110 kilometres per hour. Carefully engineered for the marine industry, the high-output system is water-cooled and backed by a 10-year warranty. The price tag of $397,000 is steep, but no expense has been spared on this luxurious water ride.

“Merrickville is our final assembly and testing facility and we put everything together here,” explained Heaps. “We have our upholstery shop downstairs and we add in the (Rockford-Fosgate) stereo system, the wiring and all the 12-volt stuff.”

Not wasting any time, Heaps and Markou have built and tested a prototype. According to the two men, they are ready to take orders and start production of the Voltari Electric Boat.

Not surprisingly, local officials are pretty keen on the venture, too.

“It’s exciting for Merrickville with its historic industrial base and shows that we’re well placed for this type of niche industry to thrive and open other

possibilities for unique environmental industries,” said Merrickville-Wolford Mayor Doug Struthers.

The Voltari prototype had its first launch at Ivy Lea, near the Thousand Islands Bridge. The City of Kingston agreed to install an EV charging station at Confederation Basin in anticipation of the first Voltari boats.

The carbon fibre body of the boats is manufactured at Competition Composites Inc. (CCI), a fibreglass and carbon fibre fabrication service in Arnprior. The hull, the top deck, the consul, the swim platform and the T-top of the boats are all fabricated in Arnprior before being trucked down to Merrickville, where they meet up with the motor and batteries designed and manufactured by LTS Marine in Montreal.

At the Merrickville boat yard, the components are fitted together with the addition of the Garmin-powered “brains” and a touch screen. Finally, the boat is outfitted with a hand-crafted custom interior finish and upholstery.

Right now, Heaps and Markou are building one boat at a time as they clear

and renovate their new boat yard. Then, they’ll ramp up production and expect to hire up to 200 employees locally over the next five years.

The venture began with Heaps, who started Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto in 1998. By 2008, Heaps, a boating enthusiast, and a friend saw an opportunity to purchase high-end boats in Miami for very little money. At about the same time, they came across carbon fibre.

Meanwhile, Markou, an executive manager in the tech sector, heard about Heaps’ efforts to use carbon fibre and electric motors for marine applications.

“So I thought, wow, look at what Tesla has done on land. If we could do a Tesla of the water, how great would that be? But you can’t just grab those systems and put them in marine, for the same reason I can’t just grab the motor out of my Volkswagen and just drop it into a boat,” said Markou.

The Voltari boats, built entirely out of carbon fibre, are light – a 26-foot boat weighs about 1,100 pounds. That means they can fit seven 440-pound batteries into one boat and get both speed and range.

Besides their profile, speed and absolute silence, the Voltari boats have no fluids in their systems, so there’s nothing to discharge into the water. Plus, they’re virtually maintenance-free.

“If you think of a cordless power drill, people just chuck them in the shed and, whether you use it every day or once a year, you just plug it in and use it. It’s the same with these boats,” said Markou.

Linton’s labour of love opens its (discreet) doors in Smiths Falls

BY HEDDY SOROUR news@obj.ca

It used to be an after-hours speakeasy called The Dugout. Then it became home to the local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous.Ultimately, the irony was too much for Bruce Linton to ignore. “I didn’t know who or how, but I knew I was going to put a bar in that basement,” says the well-known entrepreneur.Sureenough,

The Post Office Cocktail Bar in Smiths Falls opened recently, tucked into the basement of the old post office, circa 1894, designed by Parliamentary architect Thomas Fuller and a designated

heritageLintonbuilding.firstnoticed the structure in 2013, when he was scouting a suitable location for his cannabis startup. Five years

later, he purchased the run-down building with the express purpose of restoring it to its original glory.

He describes the project as not only a labour of love for the building itself, but also a tribute to the town that welcomed his team into the old Hershey Factory, which became home to Canopy Growth Corp., the company Linton founded.

Linton began restoration of the post office in February 2019 and spared no expense in the project, which was completed about eight months later, after Linton had left his post as CEO of Canopy.

With the restoration complete and the building occupied, the last piece of the project became the bar. It, too, has kept its

mystique. It’s accessed from Russell Street through a discreet door with gold lettering, down a flight of stairs and through another door that opens into an elegant, cozy space overseen by one of Ottawa’s first female bar leads, Jillian Dagenais.

It’s one of five establishments that have opened on Russell Street in the past three years, offering food and drink. It’s a development the town is welcoming.

In fact, there already was a bar next door to the post office that had opened just before COVID, had weathered the pandemic and was becoming something of a music

“(Linton)destination.didn’twant to compete and so he offered me the bar and of course I said yes, though I had no idea how I was going to do it,” chuckles Pat Maloney, owner of the neighbouring establishment, Bowie’s. “The first person that popped into my head wasTheJillian.”look and feel of The Post Office Cocktail Bar and its offerings are very different from other establishments along Russell’s food row. There’s a warm, muted elegance built into the space, which offers a range of classic cocktails alongside an eclectic menu of small plates.

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Bruce Linton opens new pub. FILE PHOTO.

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EASTERN ONTARIO BUSINESS JOURNAL

money flowing through the travel industry. I was probably one of 10 of my friends that still had a job during COVID.”

As a marketing strategy, it was a complete about face for Le Boat, which, when it first set up shop in Smiths Falls in 2018, had focused its marketing almost exclusively on its existing 18,000 customers from Europe, the U.S., Australia and South Africa.

Le Boat changes tack and taps into whole new base of Canadian consumers

BY HEDDY SOROUR news@obj.ca

The owners of Le Boat didn’t just pivot during COVID-19, they managed a full pirouette.Theluxury canal houseboat purveyor, one of the largest in Europe, responded to the pandemic in a way that not only preserved but also expanded its market while much of the travel and tourism industry floundered.

A global company based in France, Le Boat launched its Canadian operations in 2018 out of Smiths Falls, offering a variety of cruises on the Rideau Canal where travellers rent a houseboat and captain it themselves.

Because its operations in Europe were affected by the global pandemic before COVID reached North American shores, Le Boat had already experienced the disruptions and knew that the product was ideally suited to pandemic restrictions.

“We did a lot to try to drive awareness that Le Boat is in your own backyard and that this

is a very safe type of holiday where you could literally explore Ontario’s great outdoors from a luxury perspective,” explains Lisa McLean, marketing manager with Le Boat.

“That was one of the keys for our type of product. We’re not a group tour, we’re not at a campground with other people, you’re floating on your own cottage and in your own social bubble.”

So, just as the pandemic reached Canadian shores, Le Boat was already soliciting coverage from mainstream media outlets that could reach a high-end market of Canadian consumers wishing to explore different aspects of the Rideau Canal.

“Le Boat is a great example of a business that pivoted their marketing efforts to capture a new demographic of customers during COVID,” says Julia Crowder, manager of economic development in Smiths Falls. “I also believe that by offering shorter vacations — three days instead of their usual seven days — it put the vacation into a price point and timeframe which was more appealing to the domestic market.”

Le Boat targeted its marketing geographically in Canada, McLean explains. “When I plotted where our customers came from, I could see that the clusters were all around (Hwy.) 401, so we really targeted our marketing to people living along the 401 corridor, all the way from Windsor to Quebec and within anywhere from a one- to five-hour drive time.”

DOUBLING DOWN

Given the turbulence caused by the pandemic, the company doubled-down on efforts to build confidence in the Le Boat brand in both customers and staff, including a full refund policy during the pandemic and now a flight cancellation guarantee.

“So, if your flight is delayed by two days, we’ll hold your boat for you and we’ll only bill you for the days you’re on the boat or give you a refund,” says Mclean. “One of the things I’m proud of is that Le Boat didn’t lay off staff. They did everything possible to make sure all our staff still had jobs. They were even quick to refinance to keep the

The company, which marked 50 years in business in 2019, can be traced back to English entrepreneur Michael Streat, who in 1969 founded Blue Line with eight boats. Le Boat today is a combination of three companies: Crown Blue Line (originally Blue Line), Connoisseur, and Emerald Star in Ireland. It offers houseboat rentals that cruise the waterways in France, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Germany, as well as in Canada.Inthe company’s first two years of operations pre-COVID in Smiths Falls, 60 per cent of bookings were from Europe, 30 per cent from the U.S., and 10 per cent from Canada, according to McLean. Most were from past Le Boat customers interested in seeing more of Canada by boat, especially since the Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The change in tack brought about by the pandemic did not go unnoticed by local municipal officials.

“Their pivot brought new tourists from the region, who discovered not only Smiths Falls, but also all the towns along the Rideau Canal,” comments Crowder. “The town is working with Le Boat to help expand their fleet and provide more opportunities for both domestic and international visitors.”

As a result, Le Boat is expanding not only on the Rideau, but potentially beyond.

“We now have 30 boats and because demand from the domestic market has been so strong, we are getting four additional boats next year, so we’re exceeding our original business plan of only 32 boats on the Rideau,” says McLean. “We’ll have 34 boats on the canal in 2023 and we’re currently looking for a second base somewhere along the canal –hopefully in Ottawa.”

But growth has not been all smooth sailing. “With the demands of COVID, boat sales in Canada are actually up 20 to 25 per cent so it looks like people from Ontario turned to boating during COVID and a lot of people bought their own boats, so dockage space is actually a challenge,” says Mclean.

Former cosmetics exec finds comfort in simpler pleasures in mystical Northcote

BY TOM VAN DUSEN news@obj.ca

There isn’t much left to identify the Northcote area of Renfrew County, originally made famous by author, broadcaster and storyteller Mary Cook. Cook grew up there in the 1930s and built a massive audience with her cheery reminiscences and down-home tales of adventure on the farm.

By all accounts, Northcote, just outside of Renfrew, was once a vibrant farming community with all the basic services and home to several tight-knit families. Cook even guided crowded bus tours to Northcote to see first-hand some of the locations described in her books.

Today, though, there is little that remains of the community. “We haven’t been able to find any evidence that it still exists,” says the Roadside Thoughts Gazetteer, an online encyclopedia of communities and places.

Fortunately, another entrepreneur is now trying to put Northcote back on the map. Andi Marcus, who identifies as a “gourmetologist,” certainly doesn’t come from a farm, but instead is a true city girl and former cosmetics exec who grew up in Europe. Marcus once pitched her company, Mistura Beauty Solutions, to CBC’s Dragon’s Den and is a former OBJ Forty Under 40 recipient.

Her current venture is trying to make an impact as sizable as Mary Cook’s from what was once a battered stone farmhouse on Northcote Rink Road. Marcus has already made her getaway a destination for many people and wants to increase the draw.

And Marcus isn’t just telling tales. She’s offering “farm, fresh and fancy” dining and overnight stay experiences under the banner The Babbling Gourmet.

Why babbling, she’s asked? Pretty simple, she says: “I tend to talk a lot.”

She then launches into a long description of her dinner parties, sleepovers

and private chef services.

In fact, Marcus has trademarked a new concept she calls DineOver, which takes the bed and breakfast concept and reverses it. Under the concept, overnight stays are an extension of lavish dinners that bring in food lovers and oenophiles (wine connoisseurs, for the rest of us) from far

and wide for all-inclusive stays. Marcus says her food selections take “farm-to-table gastronomy to the next level.”

She feels the concept will soon become a growing trend. “I see the overnight stay, or DineOver as I have affectionately named it, as an extension of the dinner parties we host here … not the main objective,” she says.

The move six years ago from Ottawa’s posh Rockcliffe neighbourhood to the Briscoe farm in Northcote was predominantly for financial reasons, Marcus explains. After experiencing the ups and downs of running Mistura, she sold the business to a Kingston-based company. It became the catalyst for a “lifelong dream come true.” Prior to the move, rampant big business stress had begun to take a toll on her mental and physical health.

She heard through contacts that Bob Briscoe planned to demolish a 3,000-square-foot house he no longer had use for that sat on 350 acres of cropland he had plenty of use for. It’s not uncommon for farmers to remove empty homes when they expand their land holdings.

‘RUSTICALLY ELEGANT VIBE’

Marcus went to see the heritage stone gem and cut a handshake deal to transform the house for guests in return for paying the hydro, renovations and upkeep. Briscoe installed a new furnace and Marcus estimates she invested $100,000 to inject a “rustically elegant vibe.”

Meal ingredients are sourced locally with the establishment’s kitchen garden providing organic vegetables throughout theCostsummer.ofan overnighter in one of three guest suites, including multi-course dinner and breakfast, is $150 per person. Weekly rates can be arranged.

Now comfortably ensconced in their new gig, Marcus and husband Hayden have become active locally, sitting on the board of the community centre and participating in the Renfrew Victoria Hospital fundraising drive.

To accommodate more diners, they are renovating to create a 12- to 16-seat bistro and commercial kitchen at the farm. The Babbling Gourmet also offers food stations, buffets and cocktail party catering for up to 100 guests, both on- and off-site.

Dunrobin Distilleries inks $5.5M deal with Swiss company Seven Seals Innovation

The potato peeler is just one of the many inventions that Switzerland can take credit for. While the classic kitchen staple made a humorous but very brief appearance at a reception hosted recently by Swiss Ambassador Salome Meyer, the real focus of the night was on how her country and Canada are innovatively putting whisky on theThemap.gathering was held to celebrate a new $5.5-million investment being made by Swiss-based whisky distillery Seven Seals Innovation into Dunrobin Distilleries, a local distillery founded in 2017 by longtime friends Adrian Spitzer

and Mark Watson

“Canada is known to be a good place to do business,” said Meyer as she spoke about their handleDunrobincollaborationentrepreneurship.innovationwhensharedcountries’valuesitcomestoandThenewwillseeDistilleriesthelocalproduction of

Seven Seals’ spirits, in addition to its own

award-winning products. The agreement is expected to help the two companies grow their brands by allowing Seven Seals to break into

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA

the North American market while at the same time providing a path for Dunrobin Distilleries to expand its distribution into Europe.

DISTINCTIVELY ITALIAN. INFINITELY THRILLING.

Lush,

LEFT TO RIGHT: Dunrobin Distilleries co-owner Adrian Spitzer, Swiss Ambassador Salome Meyer and Dunrobin Distilleries co-owner Mark Watson.

Look who’s back in business: Coconut Lagoon

More than two years after watching his business go up in smoke, award-winning Ottawa chef Joe Thottungal celebrated the grand reopening of Coconut Lagoon recently.Heinvited guests to check out his

brand new digs and to taste his popular South Indian dishes, inspired by his native Keralan cuisine.

“Wow,” United Way East Ontario president and CEO Michael Allen was heard saying after first stepping into

the new restaurant at 853 St. Laurent Blvd, near McArthur Avenue. “What a difference.”Thottungal told OBJ.social he was sorry he couldn’t invite even more people for some drinks and bites but

that he plans to make it up to them. “When they come in, I will take care of them, no problem.”

The new Coconut Lagoon has a few new features, including a wine room and fully accessible washroom. It now spans two floors, allowing it to accommodate some 90 customers. “Everything is a little bit bigger, nicer,” he said.

OBJ.SOCIAL GRAND OPENING

LEFT TO RIGHT: Joe Thottungal, owner of Coconut Lagoon; Rideau-Rockcliffe Councillor Rawlson King with Thottungal, Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier, and Victoria Henry, former director of the Canada Council Art Bank; marketing consultant Tahera Mufti with wine consultant Marie-France Champagne.

BYPROFILEKEVINBOURNE

How Fawwaz Ibrahim went from ‘scrawny kid’ to Flawless Athlete

news@obj.ca

When Fawwaz Ibrahim moved to Canada from his native Nigeria at 15 years old, it was a bit of a culture shock, which included racism and stereotypes he had never faced back home.

“Leaving my family and friends behind to start a new life has been the most challenging thing I’ve faced,” he recalls. “I experienced a ton of cultural shock and was exposed to numerous stereotypes as an African/black man and Nigerian, to be exact.”

One of the things that helped him adjust to his new life in Canada was getting in good physical shape. Moving to Canada

afforded him an active lifestyle he couldn’t have imagined back home.

“I used to be that scrawny kid, but one day I went to the gym and decided to embrace my underdog mentality and made a commitment to go to the gym every day,” says Ibrahim. “Coming from my background, I never really had the opportunity to be as physically active as I did when I moved here.”

After a few years of committing to his physical health and taking his life into his own hands, Ibrahim transformed himself into a new man. This would serve him again in April 2020, in early days of the pandemic.Atthattime, after graduating from the

University of Ottawa with a degree in civil engineering, specializing in structural and geotechnical design and analysis, Ibrahim found himself in a dark place, unable to do the very thing that helped him to adjust to life in Canada work out. With gyms closed due to the pandemic and his job search yielding few results, Ibrahim once again took life into his own hands, blending his love of fitness with his education in design to launch his own athleticwear company, Flawless Athlete.

A PASSION PROJECT

The company started as a passion project, but Ibrahim was prepared to go all in on his new venture.

“The brand started as a social media page before we officially launched our online store,” says Ibrahim. “I needed to start somewhere — I did a ton of research, made a bunch of mistakes and spent a lot of my savings, but at the end of the day the work needed to be done one way or another.”When looking for a logo for his new venture, he drew inspiration from Canada while also looking back home.

“Each part of the Flawless Athlete branding was designed to convey a message, from the red colour representing Canada as a symbol of hope and prosperity, to the African rhino showing stamina, strength and resilience,” he explains.

The company’s motto, Beyond Your Limits, captures the effort, discipline and dedication required to perfect a craft. Founded with the goal of helping people

achieve their ultimate potential in sports and fitness, Flawless Athlete now offers various items, ranging from activewear shorts for women, to muscle shirts for men.

As an athlete himself, Ibrahim knows exactly what athletes need when it comes to the clothes they wear while working out and is hands on in the design process of every product. Behind every design is a belief that everyone has the potential, as long as they put in the work to improve themselves every day.

In just a few years, Ibrahim has already racked up some big wins, including his first runway show and seeing his apparel being sold at Anytime Fitness on George Street, all with the goal of getting Flawless Athlete clothing into more local gyms in Ottawa and Lagos, Nigeria this year.

Ibrahim’s ultimate goal is to be one of Canada’s premier sports brands, as well as becoming a community for professional and casual athletes and also for immigrants like himself that need help adjusting to life in Canada.“Mygoal is to build a brand that caters to national and local teams in major sports events. The brand name should be synonymous with athleticism, performance and quality. To get to that stage, I have been working diligently with designers, manufacturers, athletes and local gyms in Canada and Lagos, Nigeria to increase awareness and revenue. I believe my efforts will pay off eventually and, even if it doesn’t, then the knowledge and connections I’ve acquired over the years will serve me in other ways,” he explains.

That’s the first question Khatia Karolina Odzelashvili, founder and president of Bold Move Marketing, asks herself to generate extraordinary ideas for your“Manybusiness.companies make the mistake of being modest when developing marketing ideas. Aiming for low-key activities won’t accomplish much in the short or long term. You need to create stories that will impress and inspire people today, tomorrow, and in the years to come,” said Odzelashvili. “It’s not about how much money you spend, it’s about maximizing the ROI of your marketing.”

Being bold means welcoming challenges and transformation

Being bold, adapting to change, doing more with less, these traits are second nature to Odzelashvili, which she credits to growing up in Georgia, a country that had to reinvent itself after the fall of the Soviet“BeingUnion.bold means stepping into the unknown, welcoming challenges and transformation,” saidReinventingOdzelashviliherself after immigrating to Canada in 2007 was not easy. As a Germantrained lawyer, she had to rethink her career and found her feet in the beginning in the nonprofit sector. That’s where she discovered her love of marketing

and communications, which led her to enrol in Algonquin College’s PR program. She graduated on the dean’s honour list in After2014.college, she took her newfound knowledge and experience back to Georgia. Success came quickly and she was soon running the marketing department at a big corporation.

But it didn’t take long for her to start thinking about a more significant step. “Once I got into a routine, I realized I could handle a few more companies.

Within a year, I had a few clients with ongoing contracts,” said Odzelashvili.Itwasabold move, and it paid off.

How Khatia brings the bold

After finding success at home, which also included lecturing at two universities, Odzelashvili decided it was time to go back to “the source of her growth” — Canada. “I gave all that I could, so to grow I needed to return to my new home and develop myself further,” she said.

Soon after returning in 2018, Odzelashvili founded her own marketing and advertising agency: Bold Move Marketing. Along with her team of trusted freelancers, Bold Move works with small or medium sized businesses — both B2B and B2C — to develop unique branding and implementation strategies that pack a punch.

“When I see a company

thinking it’s impossible or too daunting to change their brand or marketing, it makes me want to jump in and help,” she said.

The Bold Move Marketing method

Every strategy is customdesigned for how a client operates, and the Bold Move team prides itself on finding the most efficient and effective marketing opportunities.

“We like to be a little daring,” says Odzelashvili. “Don’t limit yourself to what everyone else is doing. To change your outcomes, you must evolve.”

After conducting copious research into a client’s goals, her team looks at the data to inform their strategy and plan their next step.“I’m very data-driven,” she adds. “The data tells a story and

gives me confidence to talk about the solutions I’m offering.”

As a business owner herself, Odzelashvili knows how to connect with other business owners in the community, what matters to them (ROI) and understands the challenges they face when branding and communicating their message.

When working with Bold Move Marketing, you can be sure the team will never settle for second best.“Ialways make sure the strategy I give my clients is a game changer,” said Odzelashvili. “My aim is not just to help, but to help companies reinvent how they market themselves.”

Book a meeting at www.boldmove.ca to learn more about how Bold Move Marketing can help you grow your business.

What’s the greatest thing that could happen to your company?

Marketing agency founder Khatia Karolina Odzelashvili has a bold vision for Ottawa businesses

Bold Move Marketing has big ideas for your business

Life after lockdowns in combination with a series of aggressive interest rate hikes is causing quick shifts in Ottawa’s real estate market. It’s in tumultuous times like these that Ottawa home buyers and sellers know they can trust a professional REALTOR® to assist them with their purchase or sale.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board, known as OREB, is an association of over 3,900 registered real estate brokers and salespeople in the National Capital Region.

For more than a hundred years now, OREB’s role has been to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism in Ottawa’s real estate industry. OREB embraces a range of business models that operate within the framework

of regulatory requirements for buying and selling real estate.

In short, OREB provides the confidence behind the sign.

The association fulfills its mission by providing professionally licensed REALTORS® with leading-edge technology, tools, and resources.

One example of OREB’s advanced technology is Ottawa’s MLS® system, the most popular and trusted real estate platform, and it gives the best possible exposure to a property listing. The MLS® System includes an inventory of listings of participating REALTOR® members, and ensures a certain level of accuracy of information, professionalism, and cooperation amongst REALTOR® members to affect the purchase and sale of real estate. OREB

manages the system database and ensures compliance with rules to keep it reliable and accurate. OREB also sends residential and commercial listings to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) for display on realtor.ca, the nation’s most powerful consumer facing website for real estate.

Today’s real estate market

Today’s real estate market is drastically different than even just a few months ago and buyers and sellers must adjust their expectations of both the process and the results. While there’s a lot more choice as the volume of new listings rises, the sales cycles are longer and many properties are now being sold at, or a little under, the asking price. Although some homes are still being sold above asking and under multiple offers, for the most part it’s a return to Ottawa real estate’s normal stability.Butno matter whether someone is buying, selling or renting, property transactions mean making some of life’s biggest financial decisions. To get the best possible outcome, a smart choice is to depend on a professional and licensed REALTOR® in navigating the process.Didyou know that not all real estate salespeople are REALTORS®? To be able to call themselves a REALTOR®, a registered broker or salesperson must be a member of OREB and adhere to a Canada-wide code of ethics which in many cases is a higher standard than what is set out in provincial regulation. By virtue of their membership in OREB, they are also members of CREA and the Ontario Real Estate Association. These are

all professional associations working to support REALTORS® in their service to consumers.

Along with localized knowledge and expertise, a REALTOR® is a skilled and experienced negotiator and is required by law to act in the best interest of their clients. To efficiently support the home buying and selling process, they utilize legally vetted contracts and standardized forms. While clients can get caught up in the excitement, a REALTOR® is there to make sure the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed so offers are legally binding and to ensure the appropriate due diligence is taken.During these volatile times, buyers and sellers alike can depend upon a REALTOR® to help navigate the shifting resale market. These property experts have access to minuteby-minute sales data and local neighbourhood insights to support the best decisions for eachDoesn’tclient.it make sense to have on your side a real expert on the local market who understands life in your particular neighbourhood? A REALTOR® has the knowledge and experience to support you through your property’s purchase or sale from start to finish.

Ottawa real estate starts here Buying or selling a property in the National Capital Area? Our new, free eBook, Ottawa Real Estate Starts Here, is designed to help you understand the process and support you in successfully navigating one of North America’s most highly regulated real estate markets. You can download it at oreb.ca/confidence/

The help you need to navigate today’s real estate market

ottawabot.ca

VOICE OF BUSINESS

Weall have importantanrole and responsibility to fulfill as we contemplate who will lead our city for the next four years. The results of the next municipal election will impact business and community success and set the direction for our collective future. To that end, the Ottawa Board of Trade, as an independent, nonpartisan and member driven organization has launched #BuildUpOttawatheinitiative;

setting a pro-growth agenda that will create an affordable, inclusive, and sustainable city.

The last two years of change and challenge has revealed many lessons that can be leveraged as we grow forward. Business success drives community prosperity. And vice versa. Health drives the economy. And vice versa. And we can overprioritizemuchaccomplishwhenweprogressperfection.We

have an opportunity as individuals, as businesses and as a community to grow, learn, and plan for a better future. One that requires the highest level of collaboration, innovation, and strategic investments.

We are seeking leaders committed to economic growth who will create an environment that leverages the ingenuity and success of business to drive community prosperity. A thriving world class business community = a strong and vibrant city for all.

Events Programs&

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Kyle Turk tomarketingbringsmagicAltis

There’s a good chance this isn’t the first time you’re learning that Kyle Turk has joined Ottawa-based Altis Recruitment as its new vice-president of marketing.HisLinkedIn announcement, posted during the first day on his new job, quickly attracted 600 reactions, along with a couple hundred comments of a congratulatory nature.

You see, the opportunity to work for a national firm such as Altis was just too good for Turk to pass up.

“I’m hoping to make a big impact,” said the 2018 Forty Under 40 award recipient.Turkis a well-known face in Ottawa business circles, both from his years of working as head of marketing for Welch LLP and Welch Capital Partners and, more recently, as vice-president of marketing for executive search firm Keynote Search.Don’t let Turk’s social and affable demeanour fool you. He proved himself a champion fighter in 2019 during the annual white-collar boxing gala for the Ottawa Regional Cancer“FightFoundation.fortheCure is probably the fundraiser I’m most proud of,” said the 37-year-old married father of two. “That was a lot of fun.”

In his new role at Altis, Turk will be building out strategic plans, implementing new marketing technologies, running marketing campaigns and helping with content.

“It’s somewhat of a similar role to what I was doing at Keynote but it’s

on a bit of a larger scale because the company is quite a bit bigger.”

Altis, which employs more than 200 people, does recruiting for both contract and permanent positions, as well as technology recruitment. Just into his new job, Turk was feeling very positive about his new employer.

“Everyone’s been very, very welcoming and going out of their way to make time to help onboard me and help me get integrated into the business,” he said. “I’ve been super impressed with them, so far.”

With hybrid work environments all the rage these days, Turk expects to be at the office about 50 per cent of the time. He’s working with a marketing team now, which is a change that he very much welcomes.

“It’s a lot more collaboration,” he said of his new position.

Turk, who was born and raised in Peterborough, has been working in his field since graduating 15 years

ago from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., where he studied business administration with a major in marketing.Itwashisrole as co-founder and director of marketing for Faces Magazine that brought him to Ottawa from Halifax in 2010. He successfully launched the publication in the nation’s capital before selling it several years later.

Turk said he loves being exposed to the different facets of marketing, along with figuring out the analytics behind the buyers’ journey. “I find it really interesting to evaluate how different things work and resonate with one target market versus another.”

CREATIVE WAYS

He also enjoys finding creative ways to engage new audiences and to attract new clients using social media. “I love that social media gets to be part of my job. It’s fun, and it’s a great way to connect with people and stay in touch with everyone.”

Turk acknowledged that it wasn’t easy to leave Keynote. “Honestly, I loved Keynote. I still love Keynote. I had a really great relationship with the entire team there. I loved the people and getting to see everybody every day. It was a good spot to make an impact and grow the company.”

Turk said he’s excited to be joining Altis, which he believes will offer him further career growth. He’s also looking forward to working with Kathryn Tremblay, CEO and co-founder of Altis Recruitment, excelHR, excellTR and Altis Technology, as well as Ottawa’s 2021 CEO of the Year.

“I feel like I’ve found my career home with such a high-performing team that will motivate me to bring my A-game and best version of myself to work every day,” said Turk.

— by Caroline Phillips

ALSO ON THE MOVE

Veteran construction executive Kevin Cinq-Mars has joined Bellai Alliance Civil as its new president. Cinq-Mars was most recently working at Thomas Cavanagh Construction as its president following a 10-year career with Tomlinson Group of Companies, where he held the position of president for four years. He also worked for years at Waste Management, holding various executive roles.

Canada’s largest RV Dealership has announced the promotion of Darcy Beckstead to president of the group. Beckstead worked with Leisure Days RV Group from 2006 until 2009 and, before rejoining the group in March 2021, worked for Mierins Automotive Group. He will oversee a portfolio of 32 RV dealerships in Canada. “Darcy brings a tremendous amount of business and financial experience to the role,” said Leisure Days RV Group CEO Pat Butler in a press release. “I look forward to Darcy providing the leadership to our group to help us as we continue to grow our business.”

Public and government relations professional Danielle McGee has joined Ottawa Community Housing Corporation as its new manager of public and stakeholder relations. She had worked for more than 10 years as director of community relations for Mayor Jim Watson, who has decided not to run again in this fall’s municipal election.

Carrie Irvine has been hired as the new senior director of marketing, membership and communications for the Rideau Club, a private social club in Ottawa that’s been around since 1865. She brings to the role nearly 20 years’ experience in marketing, including a combined 10 years as director of marketing for St. Laurent Shopping Centre.

Lydia Blanchard has joined the Ottawa Art Gallery as its new chief development officer after working for the past three years as director of community engagement for the CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern

Ontario) Foundation. Blanchard started her career in the hospitality industry working in sales for The Minto Group’s Minto Suite Hotel, Fairmont Château Laurier and other local hotels.

The Dovercourt Recreation Association board of directors has announced its hiring of Sureen Gosal as its new executive director. Gosal, who started last month, was formerly the executive director of the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre. He replaced John Rapp, who retired last month.

Similarly, the Glebe Neighbourhood Activities Group has announced that it has hired Sarah Routliffe to fill the big shoes left by Mary Tsai, the long-time executive director prior to her recent retirement. Routliffe spent more than 14 years at the Jack Purcell community centre in Centretown, working her way up to general manager, followed by executive director.

Shopify Inc. named Jeff Hoffmeister as its next chief financial officer, replacing Amy Shapero, who is stepping down following the company’s third-quarter earnings to be released on Oct. 27. Hoffmeister is a managing director at Morgan Stanley in their technology investment banking group. Shopify founder and chief executive Tobi Lutke says the company will benefit from Hoffmeister’s more than 20 years of investment banking experience in the technology sector. The company also announced that Kaz Nejatian, vicepresident of product, has been promoted to chief operating officer, effective immediately. Nejatian succeeds Toby Shannan, who is retiring and is expected to join Shopify’s board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

HATS OFF

Several Ottawa entrepreneurs and professionals made the latest list of appointees to our country’s highest civilian honour, the Order of Canada. The

list includes longtime tech entrepreneur Eli Fathi, who retired last year as CEO of MindBridge Ai; award-winning Canadian wildlife photographer Michelle Valberg, who also founded the Project North charity; and Gowling WLG partner Jacques Shore, who is board chair of the Library and Archives Canada Foundation.

After more than 20 years of service for Ottawa’s animals, Bruce Roney, Ottawa Humane Society president and CEO, will retire in November. “It has been an incredible journey and honour,” said Roney. “The OHS has made leaps and bounds to provide more and more support for the animals and our community. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this team’s work.” Roney has been the CEO of the OHS since 2000 and spearheaded the construction of the OHS’s new shelter at 245 West Hunt Club Rd. In 2020, Roney was awarded the Order of Ottawa in recognition of his work for the community.

IN REMEMBRANCE

Ottawa’s professional fundraising community lost a great friend and ally this year with the passing of Shirley Greenberg, a remarkable philanthropist who for years gave quietly and generously to a number of local charities that she believed in. Greenberg, 90, was particularly supportive of causes that improved the well-being of women and furthered gender equality and social justice. She didn’t give in order to gain fame or recognition, said her good friend Peggy Taillon at healthcare organization Bruyère. Greenberg’s latest gifts to Bruyère Foundation helped expand palliative care, strengthen services for families living with dementia and to enhance services and supports to seniors.

John Ouellette, executive director of strategic philanthropy at the University of Ottawa, said he respected the way Greenberg was always an engaged and informed donor.

Tech pioneer John Kelly left legacy of trailblazing ventures

OBJ STAFF news@obj.ca

John Kelly died peacefully in his sleep on June 28 at the age of 82 due to complications from a heart attack he suffered in December.

The transplanted Newfoundlander who moved to the nation’s capital in 1967 became one of the true giants of a sector that transformed the city’s economy.“Johnwas all about helping others succeed,” said tech veteran Garry Brownrigg, Kelly’s cousin once removed, who worked with his relative at a number of companies, including JetForm. “He was just somebody who truly wanted to see everyone achieve.”

Kelly’s achievements at JetForm earned him CEO of the Year honours from OBJ in 1998. By the time he retired in 2000, the electronic form software producer employed 600

people and was racking up annual sales of $120 million.

Kelly was a visionary who left a legacy of trailblazing ventures that includes SHL Systemhouse and NABUKellyNetwork.ledOttawa’s United Way campaign in 2000 and served as chair of the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, now known as the Centre for Health Innovation. He received the outstanding volunteer fundraising award from the Ottawa chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives in 2000 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. In 1998, the University of Ottawa awarded him an honorary doctorate.

But friends say it was another unpaid role – that of devoted husband to Hanna, his wife of 37 years, and father to children Meredith, John, Andrew, Matthew and Bobby –that gave a life brimming with accomplishments its ultimate purpose.

Community builder John Kelly, seated to the left, with the Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre, during his time as chair. PHOTO SUPPLIED.

CHAMPIONS OF HOPE

The Royal is so fortunate to have champions across our community and around the world who volunteer their time to support the incredible mental health care and research that helps provide hope and transform lives.

HOWKEVINTHEROYAL

TOUCHED MY LIFE: Three years ago I started my journey as a volunteer, contributing to The Royal’s Strategic Plan following my experience as an inpatient. With the other hospitals, I survived; while at The Royal I was able to thrive as I was infused with hope. This is what inspires me, in turn, to infuse hope in Royal staff, clients, families, and community

MYpartners.GREATEST

HOPE IS THAT WE: Expand and enable greater access for both client and family peer support at The Royal.

I’M SO PROUD THAT TODAY I CAN: Work again! Over four years ago, I was an inpatient at The Royal and, when discharged, thought I would never work again. Years later, I am now on contract with The Royal as Supervisor, Client and Family Resource Hub with Peer Support.

HOWLAUREANTHEROYALTOUCHED

MY LIFE: After suffering

from various mental illnesses since childhood –and not having a name for them until I was a senior –The Royal has enabled me to speak about my abusive childhood to better understand my mental illnesses. Although my time on this earth is limited, I’m happy to have met the people at The Royal who have made it better for me.

MY GREATEST HOPE IS THAT WE: Continue to bring mental illness to the forefront to show that it is nothing to be ashamed of and that most people will have it affect them either personally or being in contact with someone who suffers from a mental

I’Millness.SOPROUD

THAT TODAY I CAN: Pay it forward by volunteering at The Royal.

JODY AND CAITLIN

I always made sure to be home before the school bus dropped the kids off. I needed time to check every room, one by one. I didn’t know what I might find.

Would today be the day he couldn’t fight anymore and take his own life?

From the outside looking in, we had the seemingly picture-perfect life. My husband, Jody and I both had successful jobs. We were involved in our community. We had kids that were active in sports. We travelled all over the world. According to the outside world, life couldn’t get any better for us…

HOWJOHNTHEROYAL

TOUCHED MY LIFE: The Royal was there when I was lost. Now I’m able to give back. Volunteering your time to help someone in need makes it all worthwhile.

MY GREATEST HOPE IS THAT WE: Can stand together without judgment and focus on a path of healing. It takes so much strength to come forward for help when it should just be an act of kindness.

I’M SO PROUD THAT TODAY I CAN: Speak to you about my journey without apprehension. It’s been five years and I have changed my life. I know that there will be bad days when I will want to avoid people and stay in bed. But, I won’t sink like a rock. I can see land and I can get there for me.

COVERTHEON

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

STEVEN WEST creates Brain BioArt imagery by using photographic processing techniques combined with software programming of data from fMRI brain scans, developed at The Royal’s Brain Imaging Centre. The resulting images visualize the physical dimensionality of the brain with emotive representation of the mind and connectome in a neural form.

Hope Adepressionto-treatwithpeopleforlivingdifficult-

fter decades of fighting a debilitating depression, Sam was on the brink.

“I was just holding on. Literally talking myself out of taking my life every hour,” said Sam. “My depression was debilitating. I was going to die.”

Over the years, Sam sat through hours of talk therapy and tried numerous medications, but nothing worked.

Depression is the world’s leading cause of disability, with one-in-six Canadians diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, and up to one third of them not responding to existing

Unfortuately,treatments.many

also choose not to seek treatment because of the weight of stigma and discrimination. When left untreated, depression can lead to suicide.

Three years ago, Sam’s psychiatrist urged her to enroll in a study at The Royal designed for people with treatment-resistant depression. Every day for six weeks, Sam sat in a chair for five minutes while a magnetic field stimulated her brain.

At the end of the first day, Sam already felt a lift in her mood.

BRINGING HOPE THROUGH RESEARCH

The remedy was a new shorter form of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), is a type of neuromodulation method that directly stimulates the specific brain circuits known to be dysfunctional in people with major depression. This is done by producing a brief, painless magnetic field delivered via a coil placed against the scalp. This approach is approved by Health Canada to treat depression in adults, and research expands this scope.

Dr. Sara Tremblay, a neuropsychologist and scientist at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) at The Royal, Dr. Lisa McMurray and their teams, worked tirelessly for the past four years to bring an rTMS research

clinic to The Royal. Her goal: to help those who have failed to respond to one or more different antidepressant medications.

“Across the mental health landscape, clinicians, researchers, and clients are all becoming increasingly aware that there is an urgent need for new, alternative therapies for mental health disorders,” says Dr. Tremblay. “Neuromodulation offers us a whole new way of looking at mental health treatment, where we can identify malfunctioning circuits in the brain and effectively treat them in a non-drug, non-invasive way.”

This dream of Dr. Tremblay’s became a reality in January 2020 when she began enrolling research participants in the study. The Royal’s Neuromodulation Research Clinic is the first

of its kind in the Ottawa region and is quickly becoming a much sought-after, preferred treatment for depression as it has few sideAdditionally,effects.

having rTMS as an alternative to drug interventions is useful for many people. Options are often quite limited when treating young adults with depression, and many elderly patients are also limited in using antidepressant drugs because of poor kidney or liver function.

Those who live in large urban areas with private clinics can pay out of pocket for treatment, but for many, the only other way to access rTMS is through research.

Through this research clinic at The Royal, Dr. Tremblay is offering treatment to as many people as possible while collecting research data to help better predict and refine rTMS treatment.“Research in this area is leading to a better, more personalized standard of care for patients with depression and related mental health disorders, for whom traditional treatments haven’t worked,” says Dr. Tremblay.

The future of research at The Royal is about research-informed care and vice-versa. Our inter-professional teams composed of clients and families, clinicians, program leaders, and scientists are designing studies that are clinically impactful and provide access to care through research.

– Dr. Florence Dzierszinski, IMHR president and VP research, The Royal

rTMS saved my life — Sam

Drs. Tremblay and McMurray demonstrating rTMS.

Improving access: Connecting people to services quickly through technology

Technology has fundamentally changed access to mental health and substance use health services, especially for individuals in underserved areas or experiencing other barriers to accessing care.

Thanks to the teamwork between clients, families, service providers, clinicians, scientists, researchers, administrators, technology experts and donors throughout our region, this past year saw continued growth in virtual service delivery.

These innovative virtual health solutions are easing access and bringing new possibilities to people in the Ottawa region, and“Thebeyond.encouraging news is that there’s more hope as the door is opening wider with the emergence of innovative care and related services and supports,” says lived experience transformative leader and former chair of The Royal’s Family Advisory Council, Michèle Langlois. “We’re committed to busting those barriers. We’re approaching them and tackling them one at a time with a goal to achieve more equitable, innovative ways to connect with, engage, and deliver care, services and support that meet people’s needs.”

emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths.

Transitioning the RAAM clinic to a virtual environment helped address the growing need for substance use health and mental health treatment. Before the pandemic, The Royal’s RAAM clinic followed a traditional walk-in model. Services at the clinic include assessment and triage to the appropriate level of care, substance use and mental health treatment, withdrawal management, harm reduction, connection to primary care and navigation to community services (navigation services provided in partnership with AccessMHA; www.accessmha.ca).

Due to pandemic restrictions, clients were not able to walk-in to the RAAM clinic. “The processes we put in place due to COVID created delays and barriers to access, which is not ideal when someone is ready to do to something about their substance use health,” says Dr. Melanie Willows, addiction medicine physician, clinical director with the substance use and concurrent disorders

program at The Royal and co-creator of the RAAM clinic.

“We knew we had to find a solution.”

The answer came from a new “digital front door” to improve rapid access to care and expand reach.

Developed by a team of clients, service providers, clinicians, scientists, researchers, and administrators, this new virtual model enhances care delivery and essentially replicates the experience of an in-person visit, but virtually, from wherever the person is at.

All that’s needed is an internet connection and a device with a camera. Community partnerships provide connectivity and support for clients without internet access.

“This is now one of the most accessible health solutions in the region,” says Dr. Kim Corace, vice-president, innovation and transformation, and co-creator of the RAAM clinic at The Royal’s substance use and concurrent disorders (SUCD) program.

Individuals connect with the RAAM clinic by “checking in” at theroyal.accessRAAM.ca during clinic hours (if it’s after hours, they’re redirected to other resources). After “entering” the digital front door, they meet by video with a clinician who assesses their needs and goals. Individuals may also be connected virtually with other members of the health care team such as an addictions counsellor, social worker, nurse, or physician, among others.

The RAAM digital front door also allows the individual’s loved one or support worker to attend the appointment. With a catchment area that includes Ottawa and surrounding areas, the virtual RAAM clinic casts a wider net and can help more people.

With more than 50 RAAM clinics across the province, it’s an idea that is also scalable. The digital front door solution has been shared with 15+ other RAAM clinics in Ontario, and more clinics across the country want it.

For individuals seeking support for substance use health, getting help is as easy as walking through the “digital front door.” And, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Recent findings show Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) clinics improve outcomes and reduce opioid- and alcohol-related

“Digital health is about thinking outside the box and using technology to improve the overall care experience. It’s about access, care and outcomes, rather than just a single session,” adds Dr. Corace.

For more information about RAAM go to: substance-use-and-concurrent-disorderspatient-care-information/clinics-services-programs/theroyal.ca/

THE ROYAL’S RAAM CLINIC HAS A ‘DIGITAL FRONT DOOR’ – AND IT’S WIDE OPEN

We have a huge crisis in this country. Demand for addiction treatment is skyrocketing. The Royal is a gem that a lot of people don’t know about. Not only was I treated there with compassion and expert care, but they are leading important research into the ‘why.’

– Former SUCD patient at The Royal

Meet part of the Digital Front Door to RAAM Clinics team (left to right): Melissa Webb, Dr. Kim Corace and Dr. Melanie

Artificial intelligence on the frontlines of suicide prevention

What if we knew who was at high risk for suicide long before they were in danger?

If it sounds like the premise of a sci-fi novel, you’re not far off – but neither is the technology.

In fact, Dr. Zachary Kaminsky says it’s here now. He has built an algorithm using artificial intelligence to identify Twitter users at high risk of suicide.

Public posts on the popular social media platform can hold clues about who might be at risk for suicide long before they reach a crisis point. The algorithm doesn’t just use word recognition or identify suicidal ideas – it analyzes speech patterns and pinpoints the psychological concepts related to suicide. It then scores and matches these patterns alongside all the public data linked to a Twitter user.

“This isn’t identifying only people saying, ‘I’m going to kill myself.’ It’s identifying a risk pattern for people who are moving towards that point,” says Dr. Kaminsky, DIFD Mach-Gaensslen chair in suicide prevention research at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR).

He says he built the algorithm using Twitter data because it’s public. It is also a social media platform used by more than a third of Canadians between age 18 and 34 – a population amongst whom suicide is the second leading cause of death.

The algorithm can effectively comb through years’ worth of tweets in minutes and, through machine learning – part of artificial intelligence – link together all of the data to identify at-risk users.

In the years since the original paper was published in Nature’s

NPJ Digital Medicine, Dr. Kaminsky has collaborated with other scientists at The Royal and at Carleton University to validate the algorithm’s performance in two online studies during the pandemic – finding that the algorithm correctly identified those with the highest levels of suicidal ideation with around 80 per centImportantly,accuracy. suicidality in these Twitter users was determined with depression scales, meaning that the method isn’t just identifying those who are comfortable sharing their suicidality on socialHavingmedia.atool that identifies those at risk for developing suicidal thoughts opens up the possibility of developing novel interventions based on this data.

“A key value-add of this technology is the ability to predict who is at risk before they reach a point of crisis. This means that we can hopefully pair this with fairly non-invasive interventions, like encouraging a timely connection to the people and supports that already exist in someone’s life,” he says. “Critically, if we do this early enough before someone is in distress, we may be able to avert periods of crisis entirely.”

Dr. Kaminsky is working alongside commercial partners at Dionysus Digital Health INC – a start-up company he helped to cofound – to develop such a digitally augmented intervention and hopes to evaluate its efficacy in future years.

He is also working to develop a new algorithm that uses personalized Twitter data to suggest the best way to intervene for someone who is in suicidal crisis.

“If we build a personalized model based on someone’s data, we may be able to generate a tool that gives crisis responders or peer supporters suggestions on how to tailor their responses in a personalized way,” he says.

Based on his preliminary analysis of over 200 people, those that received high scoring responses to their suicidal mentions had a significant decrease in their suicidality over the following days and weeks compared to those that received poorly scored responses.

Intuitively, this means when people received personalized responses from people that knew them and knew what was important to them, they were more likely to get better. Dr. Kaminsky hopes that in the future, anonymous crisis response lines may be able to use this sort of method to give their responders an inside track and boost the ability of their staff and volunteers to help those in need.

In reflecting on his work, Dr. Kaminsky adds, “At the end of the day, we want to move from just identifying those at risk of suicide to developing novel tools to help – tools that will enable interventions delivered at the right time and in a personalized manner that can be scaled and allow for improved access to care.”

The Future of Mental Health Research and Care

The Clinical Brain Research Centre (CBRC) at the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health (IMHR) at The Royal, provides a path to address big questions in mental health while improving care. With more than 150 ongoing research studies utilizing our various state-of the-art facilities, our inquiries and collaborations are answering some of the most important

questions facing scientists, clinicians and clients and families today.

The Clinical Brain Research Centre builds on the successes of The Royal’s Brain Imaging centre, which celebrates its sixth year in operation this fall.

The continued success and growth of The Royal’s Clinical Brain Research Centre would not be possible without community support and partnership.

Dr. Zachary Kaminsky, DIFD Mach-Gaensslen chair in suicide prevention research at The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR) has developed an AI algortithm that can spot suicidal ideation in social media posts. PHOTO BY MATTHEW STEWART

Life-changing science beyond the lab: Providing real-time treatment alternatives through depression research

The Royal believes in a future where everyone living with a mental illness or substance use disorder can get the personalized help they need, where, when, and how they needTheit. brain is more complex than any other known structure in the universe. It defines our humanity. Yet we still know so little about it.

In the nation’s capital, more than 5,000 individuals suffer from difficult-to-treat depression, meaning it will not improve despite multiple rounds of treatment.

Medication can be a blunt instrument. With few scientific advances in treating mental illness over the past fifty years, we need medications that work faster, with more rapid-acting antidepressant effects as traditional medications to treat depression can take 4-6 weeks to begin to work. Second, we need medications that are effective for more people, medications with improved treatment response and remission rates. Ketamine, a novel treatment strategy for depression, appears poised to meet both these needs.

Recent research has shown that ketamine, a medication in use for over 60 years to provide general anaesthesia and pain relief, has rapid antidepressant effects. When administered in small doses by nasal spray (esketamine), patients show a rapid decrease in depression and suicidal ideation, often within

a few hours to a few days. This discovery has proven to be a life-changing – even life-saving – treatment and is considered the biggest breakthrough in the field of depression over the past 50 Supportyears.to

The Royal will help advance innovative treatments such as this. Here, research and clinical excellence co-exist seamlessly, together with our patients, as the research bench moves, quite literally, closer to the bedside.

The Royal has been a national leader in research on the antidepressant effects of ketamine and is ideally positioned to not only implement delivery of this innovative new treatment, but also to translate new knowledge into clinical practice throughout Canada. The first clinical trial of ketamine for depression in Canada was conducted at The Royal’s IMHR by a team led by Dr. Pierre Blier. The resulting paper describing the team’s findings was published by lead author Dr. Jennifer Phillips in the American Journal of Psychiatry, the most widely read psychiatry journal in the world.

While The Royal is a leader in this novel treatment, demand far outpaces supply. With new investments, we can scale this service nationally breaking down barriers to access this lifesaving treatment.

SEEMINGLY PERFECT LIFE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

What people didn’t see were the days and weeks that Jody couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. The days where he’d come home after work and cry himself to sleep. The days we’d come home from a nice dinner out with friends and he’d have a meltdown for no obvious reason.

I watched somebody that I thought I knew, turn into somebody that I didn’t know.There

were times where I would lie beside him all day, just because I was terrified that if I left, he would take his own life.

But I never gave up hope. We found a physician who referred Jody to The Royal, where we met Dr. David Bakish and a whole team of mental health experts. They saved my husband’s life –they saved our family.

For years, Jody lived in a state of mania…elevated mood, hyperactivity and disorganized behaviour. He was extremely high-functioning, successful, enthusiastic, incredibly outgoing and unstoppable. But he was also overcome by darkness and extreme despair.

For a long time, we minimized the severity and repercussions of Jody’s behaviours. We made excuses for his

impulsivity, sudden outbursts and changes in mood. At the time, we didn’t know that what Jody was experiencing were symptoms of bipolar disorder.

I know for a fact that without The Royal, Jody would not be here today. And our family would have been ripped apart.

It’s hard to put into words how beyond grateful we are for The Royal and for generous donors like you. Together, you helped spare two children a lifetime of pain and insufferable grief by not having to grow up without their dad – and for that my family will be forever

Sincerely,grateful.

Caitlin Burton, wife of grateful patient, Jody Burton

New hope for depressionresistant

In 2021, The Royal successfully launched a pilot esketamine clinic – a non-invasive nasal spray form of ketamine that is used together with oral medication to help clients with treatment-resistant depression.

The service is modeled on best practices in integrating patient care, research, education, and collaboration. Interdisciplinary expertise offers innovative, measurement-based, evidence-informed care fully integrated with research.

The goal is to expand capacity and offer increased access to the clinic, develop additional research opportunities, and link the clinic to other available treatments and services at The Royal to maximize therapeutic outcomes and client satisfaction.

“Rapid-acting treatment strategies like esketamine offer clients access to specialized care,” says Dr. Jennifer Phillips, Scientist at the IMHR. “We hope to offer esketamine as part of a comprehensive treatment plan and give clients the opportunity to harness the rapid improvement in symptoms seen with esketamine to support their longer-term recovery from depression.”

Dr. Jennifer Phillips, Scientist at the IMHR.

More personalized treatment for people with a post-traumatic stress disorder

The University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal has received more than $1M from the DND (IDEaS program) to find biomarkers that could lead to better diagnosis and more personalized treatment for people with PTSD.

The research study, called Multi-Dimensional Assessment of PTSD Subtypes (MAPS), aims to improve understanding of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in particular the dissociative subtype of PTSD, so that it can be more easily diagnosed and more effectively treated.

People experiencing the dissociative subtype of PTSD (PTSDDS) feel detached from themselves and the world around them, making the world seem unreal or dreamlike. They may also experience emotional detachment. These dissociative symptoms can come in addition to other symptoms of PTSD.

MAPS takes a comprehensive approach to exploring PTSD-DS, using various techniques and technology to look at PTSD-DS from a whole body perspective. The research team behind the study includes scientists with varying areas of expertise from the Institute of Mental Health Research (IMHR), in collaboration with The Royal Operational Stress Injury Clinic to reach out to veterans willing to share their experiences.

“This is really leveraging the strength of the IMHR when it comes to taking a bunch of experts, having them each do their thing and then putting it all together,” says Dr. Zachary Kaminsky, the DIFD-Mach-Gaensslen chair in suicide prevention research and the principal investigator for MAPS. “It’s everyone’s expertise coming together that makes this such an impactful project.”

The results so far are promising. The team initially studied information from 32 former Canadian military personnel, looking at a multitude of factors, including brain function and activity, heart rate, sleep patterns, genetics and inflammation. The team then generated an algorithm that can predict PTSD-DS with 91 per cent accuracy.

Over the past two years, the team also followed approximately 60 Canadian veterans over a more extended period of time to replicate their initial model and to understand what biological factors change with improving or worsening symptoms.

The first major result was that the team’s initial model, which predicts PTSD-DS, worked in the newly recruited participants with 85 per cent accuracy.

“This means the biomarkers we identified in the first part of the project truly represent some of the underlying biology distinguishing the dissociative subtype of PTSD,” explains Dr. Kaminsky. “Importantly, the results only really gel when multiple biomarkers are considered at once, demonstrating the power and promise of this whole body approach.”

The second major finding was that epigenetic data and brain imaging data implicated a possible dysregulation of a system responsible for making one of the major neurotransmitters in

the brain, glutamate. Interestingly, this brain signalling chemical has been involved in PTSD and other stress-related conditions, suggesting the change identified may be important for understanding the disease.

“These sorts of results act as signposts, pointing us in the direction of what to investigate further,” says Dr. Kaminsky.

The team notes that while there is more work and analysis to be done, they are on their way to achieving their two goals. First, to better understand the biological underpinnings of PTSD and its dissociative subtype, and second, to create predictive diagnostics and enable personalized medicine to improve the chances of recovery for people with PTSD-DS.

The brain is more complex than any other known structure in the universe. It defines our humanity. Yet we still know so little about it. Underinvestment and complexities in mental health research has meant that there are fewer new treatments and preventions for mental illness, which leads to lost potential, lost hope, and for many, lost lives.

At The Royal’s Clinical Brain Research Centre, research and clinical excellence co-exist seamlessly, in a patient-centered manner. Here, research is integrated into the patient journey from diagnosis through to treatment and meaningful recovery.

“By bringing research and care closer together, we have a unique opportunity to actually accelerate mental health research to ultimately transform the future of mental health care,” says Dr. Florence Dzierszinski, president of the IMHR and vice president of research at The Royal.

Dr. Jakov Shlik, Dr. Robyn McQuaid, Dr. Zachary Kaminsky, Dr. Cliff Cassidy, missing is Dr. Rebecca Robillard, Dr. Natalia Jaworska.

Prompt Care Clinic helping fill mental health care gap in Ottawa region

The Royal’s Prompt Care Clinic began as a short-term response to a mounting mental health crisis early in the COVID-19 pandemic, but has since evolved into much more. Today, the clinic is helping fill a significant gap in mental health and substance use services for the Ottawa region.

Years before she managed the Prompt Care Clinic, Haley Ashe worked as a mental health nurse in Ottawa emergency rooms.

“I saw the gaps firsthand. Patients would come in with serious mental health concerns that didn’t qualify for acute care – but there wasn’t anywhere else for them to go,” she recalls.

“By the time people seek mental health support, they’re already in a state of distress. We know early intervention makes an enormous difference, but trying to find services available in a reasonable timeframe often felt impossible.”

Motivated by those experiences, Ashe became a key player in a new plan to fill this gap in mental health care.

A SILVER LINING IN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many services closed their doors. Life stressors skyrocketed while access to mental health resources dwindled.

The Royal, in collaboration with The Ottawa Hospital, stepped in to improve access to care. It began with a temporary endeavour called C-PROMPT, which grew from idea to reality in two weeks, bolstered by emergency funding from the philanthropic community.

In just over three months, it received more than 850 referrals. “It was clear to us that this service was desperately needed in our region,” says Ashe.

In January 2021, the Prompt Care Clinic opened as a service funded by philanthropy for adults 18-65 experiencing mild to moderate mental health challenges. It received financial support from The Royal’s donors and corporate sponsors, including an

ongoing partnership with the LOVE YOU by Shoppers Drug Mart Run for Women. More than half of the clinic’s clients are women, with anxiety and depression being the most common diagnoses. And while the Prompt Care Clinic serves all constituents of this region’s population, youth are disproportionately represented as its clients. Since January 2021, close to 500 youth aged 18 to 24 years old were referred to this temporary Prompt Care Clinic.

“Patients are referred to us by their physician or nurse practitioner, and usually they’re experiencing symptoms that are beyond what their primary health care provider is able to support them with, but not so severe that they require acute or emergency care,” says Ashe.

Until recently, the clinic has been completely virtual, but later this fall will move to 250 City Centre and begin offering in-person appointments as well. The location is easily accessible by public transit, just a short walk from Bayview Station.

“FINALLY, I FELT THAT THERE WAS A CHANCE FOR ME”

Whether someone has been struggling long-term with mental health challenges or developed new challenges due to the stressors of the pandemic, the Prompt Care Clinic is making a meaningful difference in the lives of those across the region.

“I’ve lost all my friends. I fought my depression for so long.

I don’t want to give up, but there are days… I’ve been on sick leave since 2011,” says one client who had been trying to access services for a long time. “My doctor referred me to The Royal’s Prompt Care Clinic. Finally, I felt that there was a chance for me.”

Another client, Jessica, had been living with depression and anxiety before the pandemic. As a teacher and mom of two, it became more than she could manage as the stressors piled up.

“My family doctor was out of ideas for treatment and I needed urgent help. I had tried to get ongoing treatment from a psychologist but after more than a year on a waitlist, had yet to receive care.”

Her doctor referred her to the Prompt Care Clinic, and within several weeks she met with a psychiatrist who helped her set up a care

Theplan.clinic has already seen more than 2,500 clients, most of whom have never before accessed mental health care. On average, clients of the Prompt Care Clinic wait less than two weeks to see a specialist.

“Prompt access to care means better outcomes,” says Ashe. “This clinic is an investment in our future. It’s the embodiment of hope.”

Carleton Ravens for Mental Health team with captains Shannon Noonan and Jennifer Gray.

How The Royal amplified the need for housing with mental health supports

Communities nationwide are facing a housing and homelessness crisis, and Ottawa is no exception. For people living with a mental health issue, there’s an extra hurdle to jump because there isn’t enough housing with mental health support. This means many people stay in the hospital longer than they would need to if they had supportive housing or leave the hospital only to see their mental health decline in the absence of Meanwhile,support.roughly half of unhoused people in Canada are living with mental illness.“We can’t separate conversations about mental health from those about housing,” says Joanne Bezzubetz, president and CEO of The Royal.

“We felt the need to raise the profile of this issue and advocate for greater awareness of the issue and meaningful investments in supportive housing for people living with mental illness.”

Within these advocacy efforts, The Royal underscored the issue to elected officials, published a statement on the need for supportive housing, amplified the work of our community partners, and facilitated an important public conversation about evidence-based supportive housing.

THE CASE FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

Housing with mental health support is an evidence-based investment that changes lives. At Home/Chez Soi – a four-year study in five Canadian cities –clearly demonstrated that housing with mental health supports works to end homelessness and transform lives. It also showed that it’s a sound investment – over a period of two years, the study found that every $10 spent on housing saved taxpayers $21.72. It also improves outcomes for people living with mental illness in numerous domains, including their symptoms, community involvement, and overall quality of life.

The Royal partnered with Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa in endorsing and amplifying their #StartsWithHome campaign to advocate for increased access to affordable housing in Ottawa.

Through social media content that garnered 19,000 impressions, we drove traffic to the campaign and highlighted the issues of supportive housing through storytelling. This included sharing a video and article featuring Anita Manley, a mental health advocate, volunteer, and member of The Royal’s board of trustees. Her lived expertise lent a powerful voice to the need for supportive housing.

“It’s significant to have the weight of The Royal’s leadership focused on advocacy in this way,” says Kaite Burkholder Harris, executive director of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa. “We look forward to partnering together more.”

MAKING SPACE FOR A PUBLIC DISCUSSION

The Royal’s Under the Lens conversation series is a space for an in-depth look at critical issues that aren’t discussed enough. On March 9, 2022, the event focused on mental health and housing. Bezzubetz facilitated a virtual conversation between community partners and experts, including representatives from the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, The Royal, the Youth Services Bureau, Anita Manley, and Dr. Tim Aubry, a researcher at the University of Ottawa.

The discussion was collaborative and invigorating, with 116 individuals representing numerous organizations and areas of expertise participating.

“The need for supportive housing is ongoing, and we will continue our efforts to advocate for it at every level,” says Bezzubetz. “We will continue to work with our community partners and use our voice and reputation to make it loud and clear that housing with mental health supports saves and improves lives.”

MAKING DIFFERENCEA TOGETHER Private Wealth consists of services provided by CIBC and certain of its subsidiaries, including CIBC Wood Gundy, a division of World Markets Inc. The logo and Private Wealth” are trademarks of used under license. is a registered trademark of World Markets CIBC Private Wealth we’re committed to advancing health and wellness in our local communities. various sponsorships and community involvement, we want to help reduce the stigma around mental health in Canada. That’s why we’re proud to support The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE:

‘When you know better, you do better’

In December 2020, The Royal announced its new operational strategy: Access, Hope and New Possibilities. President and CEO Joanne Bezzubetz referred to it as the beginning of a five-year conversation. It’s a conversation that opens the door to greater and more meaningful engagement, and reinforces collaboration with clients and families.

What many may not fully understand is how far-reaching the impact of this collaboration can be. When clients and families have meaningful input into the decisions that affect them, play

an active role in their own care, and help shape actual research questions, it can transform mental health and substance use health.“Our clients are the experts,” says Tammy Beaudoin, director of clinical research administration at The Royal. “While we have physicians, researchers, and scientists who study mental health and want to improve mental health outcomes, what they deem as important might not be the same thing that is deemed important to the clients or families we’re working with.”

It’s an essential collaboration, especially given how many people are affected by mental health and substance use health, says Michèle Langlois, chair of The Royal’s Family Advisory Council. “If one person suffers, a constellation of people suffer as well, whether it be in a family, in a workplace or in a community,” she says.

There are many ways people with lived expertise can be involved in research, whether it’s helping develop research questions, being involved in the studies themselves, interpreting the results or disseminating the outcomes. Sometimes it’s as simple as redesigning consent forms, says Peter Winfield, a former client of The Royal and co-chair of a working group dedicated to client and family-oriented research.

Winfield says clients having a voice in the topics that are being researched and the way research studies are structured must be key considerations now, and moving forward. What’s more, “translating research into care is absolutely critical,” he adds. “A lot of good research has been done and we need to work on that and get it into doctors’ and clinicians’ offices.”

Langlois shares the wise words of Maya Angelou: When you know better, you do better. “I think research gives us clues into the knowing better,” says Langlois. “Everyone has a different perspective, but by bringing all the people together you get a more holistic view. I think from a research perspective, when it’s done purposefully by design, you achieve a more balanced view and ultimately, better outcomes.”

Proud to support The Royal’s efforts to highlight the importance of mental health & well-being

Joanne Bezzubetz, Glenda O’Hara, Michèle Langlois, Anne Graham.

TechInsights proudly supports The Royal to help promote mental health and wellness. We are the authoritative information platform for the semiconductor and microelectronics industry. Through our platform, we enable a marketplace which supports innovation to advance the world we live in. Through our relationship with The Royal, we help to inspire hope within our community. techinsights.com

A transformational gift for families impacted by schizophrenia

Written by David Attwood

No one thinks schizophrenia is their problem, until it is.   The numbers are difficult to read. One out of every 100 people live with schizophrenia. In Ottawa alone, 200-300 people will develop this brain disease this year. Schizophrenia is a disorder of psychosis and cognition that can dramatically impact how a person perceives themselves and the world around them, yet despite that, most struggle to recognize the need for assistance.Thegood news is that the first episode of psychosis is very treatable, and about 90 per cent of people who have experienced the first episode of psychosis will achieve remission within one year of treatment.

The bad news is that 85 per cent will have a serious relapse within five years.

When I was a younger doctor, I imagined genetics would become the key to diagnosing and treating schizophrenia, but over the last 20 years, we have discovered more than 100 genes involved in this illness – all of them contributing a little bit, but not a single one of them diagnostic, or offering clear treatment directions.

The most remarkable thing about the genetics of schizophrenia is that we know family history is the largest factor in developing the illness, yet about 90 per cent of individuals do not have a parent with schizophrenia and over 60 per cent not even a first degree relative.

Allow that to sink in. For many families, this illness comes completely out of the blue.

Usually, by the time a person gets to The Royal’s Integrated Schizophrenia Recovery Program, they have seen several psychiatrists, acquired several diagnoses, and had a few efforts at treatment, perhaps even several hospitalizations. So when I see someone new, they are not new to this at all.

I often feel like I’m joining their family, but frankly, most do not want me to join. They want me to know what I am doing and to tell them everything is going to be ok so they can get on with their lives. I have never really been able to say that yet.

The statistics are sobering.

Around 20 per cent of our clients will get stable jobs, about 30 per cent will live independently, 35 per cent will get married, and only about 14 per cent will maintain a meaningful recovery. Yet, we remain devoted to creating that possibility.

It’s estimated that over 50 per cent of people who are unhoused have schizophrenia. Sadly, most people who have schizophrenia die about 20 years earlier than their peers, and often from treatable medical illnesses. Most tragically, while one per cent of people with schizophrenia die by suicide each year, this group accounts for 12 per cent of the annual total suicides in Ontario, with a lifetime risk of suicide just under 10 per cent – yet it is a constant struggle to access long term assistance.

As schizophrenia is a stigmatized, yet highly treatable, severe

psychiatric disorder, it requires a robust and highly integrated continuum of care.

The Royal’s newly established Ozerdinc Grimes Family Regional Psychosis Clinic is a community-based model designed to bridge this gap in the continuum of care for clients and families experiencing severe and persistent psychotic disorders. The clinic will provide effective long-term therapies, including early and easy access to long-acting injections and clozapine, and can be integrated into existing community based services, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapy, recovery and rehabilitation services. It is also exciting to note that all patients can volunteer to participate in cutting edge research, including fascinating studies in neuroimaging, electrophysiology, sleep, and cognition at The Royal.

Thanks to a transformational $2.5 million philanthropic gift from the Ozerdinc Grimes family, we are able to retain a team of experts supporting the newly established The Royal’s Ozerdinc Grimes Family Regional Psychosis Clinic through 2025.

This gift will help an additional 1,000 people living with schizophrenia and their families to access quality standard based care while connecting them to ground-breaking research. With rigorous education and evaluation embedded in the clinic, we will make the case for sustainable ongoing funding from the government.Schizophrenia is a life-long illness. We are committed to providing our patients with the diagnostic and treatment tools they need, while also connecting them to a quality-based system of care, and staying with them for as long as they need us.  We also know we need to focus on families, because this is a

Peace of mind is something we often take for granted and, as a result, mental health is often overlooked when it comes to philanthropic support. Having said that, the community in Ottawa has stepped up to contribute to the improvement of quality of care and research in mental health. However, there is a critical need for improved access to care, particularly for those suffering from psychosis without a diagnosis. By providing a novel form of access to care, the new clinic will not only give hope to those suffering from psychosis, but it will also give hope to their families. Moreover, in the community at large, the Ozerdinc Grimes family believes that there will be a collective “sigh of relief” amongst those in the medical field, as well as educators and caregivers.

– Kathleen Grimes and Ersin Ozerdinc

family illness, and we want to reassure parents and loved ones that their person is getting the best care they can get, anywhere.

David Attwood, MD, FRCPC Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa

Clinical Director, Integrated Schizophrenia Recovery Program, The Royal

Left: David Attwood. Above: Kathleen Grimes and Ersin Ozerdinc.

Turning grief into hope

Melissa Kruyne and Jennie James grew up together in Ottawa. They met when they were six years old and stayed friends throughout elementary school, high school and university. Jennie’s incredible mind earned her scholarships to universities around the world. But that same mind kept letting her down.

“Jennie could light up a room,” remembers Melissa. “But she was also a troubled soul.”

Early in their careers, life brought them both to Toronto and Melissa and Jennie moved into the same neighbourhood. Soon after, Jennie began to experience back problems. She underwent surgery and unfortunately continued to suffer from chronic pain, which impacted her ability to lead a normal life. Depression settled upon her and later went away, only to return again.

Alongside Jennie’s family and friends, Melissa tried to help her friend through the ups and downs. Melissa drove to Jennie’s many times in the middle of the night to support her friend as best as possible. On July 3, 2005, Jennie died by suicide. She was 33. An encouragement card posted the day she died, yet never received, still haunts Melissa.

“Not a week goes by without speaking of her,” says Jennie’s sister Margaret. “Her life and death continue to impact my family. Suicide is something that I hope fewer families and friends will need to face with the help of destigmatization, research and

mental health Depressionprograms.”profoundly impacts individuals and their friends and family, who often feel helpless. In 2006, Jennie’s father, Ben, started the Jennie James Depression Research Fund. The fund promotes awareness, understanding, research, and treatment of depression and seeks to end the silence surrounding suicide.

Jennie’s death prompted Melissa to learn more about mental health, a cause she has grown to care deeply about.

“Jennie is why I got involved with The Royal. She was cared for by The Royal –- and her story is how I got started –- but it’s grown into so much more.”

Melissa’s family firm, Kott Inc., has since been a significant

supporter of The Royal. It has led to some important conversations. The more people at the firm talked about mental health, the more people came forward with their own stories. Now led by Melissa’s brother, Ryan, mental health continues to be emphasized and supported in his dialogue with the employees. Members of Melissa’s own family have been through their own mental health challenges. Melissa says that despite her family’s vocal support over the years since Jennie’s death, mental health challenges remain difficult to discuss and address.

“It’s easier to be involved when it’s not about you. When it is you, then real life sets in. That’s where we have to be both brave and vulnerable.”

LEFT: Jennie James (far right) with sister, Margaret (left) and father, Ben (centre). RIGHT: Laura Hammond who also raised money in support of Jennie’s fund, Ben James, Jennie’s father and Melissa Kruyne.

Allison

But, not only did she feel lost and overwhelmed as she began her journey to she felt shame did thanks to caring monthly everything she mental health a monthly Allison and other people her experiencing a mental health crisis with the and help they