Capital OWN YOUR CITY
THE DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE OF HERITAGE, SPORT, TOURISM AND CULTURE THE LAST WORD BY HON. LISA MACLEOD P. 46
BUILDING OTTAWA’S FUTURE
OTTAWA'S BOLD NEW OFFICAL PLAN
A green, dynamic world class city
WHAT THE CITY NEEDS TO DO NEXT Tourism, tech, talent, and transportation
P M 4 3 1 3 6 01 2
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF
WORLD CLASS CITY BUILDING
Opportunity to build back better
SUMMER 2021
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CONTENTS
Capital
SUMMER 2021
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24
34
FEATURES
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24
34
World Class City Building: Aspirations & Best Practices
Bold Ottawa Plan Projects MidCentury Vision of a Green, Dynamic World Class City
City building at its best. Ottawa’s main players in tourism, tech, talent and transportation on what the city needs to do next
BY J EF F BUCKSTEIN
BY J E FF BUCKSTE I N L
BY J E N N I FE R CA M P BE LL
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CONTENTS
Capital
SUMMER 2021
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46
DEPARTMENTS
IN EVERY ISSUE
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10
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Capital Context Ottawa is open for business
C-Suite View The Future of Ottawa: Young leaders optimistic for diversity, entrepreneurship and innovation
Committee Corner A New Plan
The last word
BY JENNIFER CA MP BE L L
On the Cover
Capital
THE DOUBLE BOTTOM LINE OF HERITAGE, SPORT, TOURISM AND CULTURE THE LAST WORD BY HON. LISA MACLEOD P. 46
OWN YOUR BUILDING OTTAWA’S CITY FUTURE
p.24 p.34
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A green, dynamic world class city
WHAT THE CITY NEEDS TO DO NEXT Tourism, tech, talent, and transportation
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE OF P M 4 3 1 3 6 01 2
10
OTTAWA'S BOLD NEW OFFICAL PLAN
WORLD CLASS CITY BUILDING
Opportunity to build back better
SUMMER 2021
VISIT OUR WEBSITE! CAPITALMAG.CA
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THE OBOT PERSPECTIVE
WELCOME TO THE fourteenth edition of
Capital Magazine, a publication designed to tell the diverse story of Ottawa through the eyes of our business and community leaders, to share emerging opportunities and to provide a line of sight to what is next for our Nation’s Capital. This is our third edition published during a global pandemic. It has been a time of change and challenge unknown to most of us. And an opportunity to refocus our attention on the things that matter most. Many lessons have been learned during the last year. The interconnectedness within our community and with communities around the world. The interdependency between our economy and our health. And the power of working together to achieve a goal. The widespread distribution of the vaccines provides hope that we are in the end game.
Now is the time to have candid conversations about how we will leverage what we have learned to build the best Capital City in the world. Recently, we hosted a virtual City Building Summit and invited over 200 local leaders to weigh in on how to move forward. Our aim was to create a community conversation about our future, inspire pride in what Ottawa has to offer and amplify the fact that we all have a part to play in designing the future of our city. We witnessed great enthusiasm for deepening the high level of collaboration we have generated during this crisis and finding more ways to engage all members of our community. City building is the process of creating a thriving city through diversity, equity and inclusion, through the environmental stewardship and sustainability and through economic development. The beautiful part about growing our community prosperity is that everyone has a part to play; individuals, families, businesses, organizations and governments. Moving toward a collective vision can be driven by a variety of actions, collaborative ideation and progressive policies. Our community has endured extreme uncertainty, strain and loss. We have also demonstrated creativity, commitment and resilience. As we enter an era of recovery and rebound, you are invited to consider the part you wish to play in the future of Ottawa. You are invited to own your city.
The magazine about doing business in Ottawa, created by the Ottawa Board of Trade in partnership with gordongroup. OTTAWA BOARD OF TRADE 328 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K2P 0J9 Phone: 613-236-3631 www.ottawabot.ca President & CEO Sueling Ching PUBLISHER gordongroup 55 Murray Street / Suite 108 Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5M3 Phone: 613-234-8468 info@gordongroup.com Managing Editor Terry McMillan Contributors Jeff Buckstein Jenn Campbell Creative Director Louise Casavant SALES For advertising rates and information, please contact: Director of Advertising Sales Stephan Pigeon Phone: 613-234-8468 / 250 spigeon@gordongroup.com OTTAWA BOARD OF TRADE Director of Membership Experience, Ottawa Board of Trade Lynn Ladd Phone: 613-236-3631 / 120 Lynn.Ladd@ottawabot.ca www.capitalmag.ca
ISSN 2371-333X. All rights reserved. Any reproduction of the contents without prior written authorization from the publisher is strictly prohibited. PM 43136012. Capital is published three times a year: winter, spring, and fall. Printed in Canada.
Sueling Ching, President & CEO Ottawa Board of Trade
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here are many visions that come to mind when people think about the City of Ottawa. As the Capital of Canada, we are at the heart of the federal government and home to over 125 international embassies and high commissions. Proudly bilingual, we are minutes away from Quebec. World class medical facilities, including the Ottawa Heart Institute, Royal Ottawa and CHEO, among others, enhance our already strong healthcare system. A high-quality education system powers our leading-edge workforce and entrepreneurs.
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OT TAWA TOURISM
CAPITAL CONTEXT
And we are open for business! Ottawa’s business community excels in so many areas, and is on the map internationally, recognized for being at the leading edge of high tech innovation, and valuable research and development. The creative arts abound in our city, in a diverse culture defined by thriving neighbourhoods, museums, festivals and an eclectic culinary scene. We have four major sports teams to cheer on. And we host international events that bring the world to our front door. The natural beauty of our city animates outdoor activities in all four seasons with hiking trails, water access, skiing and snowboarding. The historic Rideau Canal winding throughout our city offers parks, walking and cycling paths all around it - and every winter the Canal transforms into the world’s longest skating rink. We are a giving community. A vibrant city. Strong in our history and planning for growth.
All of which raises the question, ‘What do you envision for the future of Ottawa?’ We are currently one million people strong, on track to be 1.4 million in the next two decades - and the possibilities are endless. Together, we have many high impact projects in progress that are poised to take us to the next level. But not every growing city realizes its full potential. Growing alone is not enough. We must have a collective vision, smart planning, clear communications and an inclusive culture. In so doing, we have an important role, responsibility and opportunity as citizens of Ottawa representing Canada to the world. The world can see Canada in our city. The great news is that Ottawa is well positioned to be the best Capital city on the planet. We have passionate business and community leaders working together. We are all committed to the
most important issues, including public health, the environment, learning, and diversity. Building on our strengths, optimizing the newest technology and trends, and fostering a culture of creativity will ensure a continuing strong economy and thriving community. We have much to be proud of in Ottawa, and good reason to be excited about what we can create together. The most important element for our success - our secret sauce that provides us with a competitive edge - is the willingness of every community member to be an active and enthusiastic ambassador for our city. We are building one brand – one message – that we can all use in our personal and professional networks to invite our friends, family and colleagues to come to Ottawa. That is how we will win the day – as we rebound from a global pandemic – en route to our rightful place as the best Capital city in the world.
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CAPITAL/WSP
COMMITTED TO BUILDING A THRIVING OTTAWA
Centre Block - photo credit: Graham Dunk
s a fixture in Ottawa for over 50 years, WSP has served the city through design and engineering projects that benefit the community. Our company has been involved in building the national capital region we live in today: the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the Canadian Museum of Nature, and the Highway 417 Flora Bridge just to name a few. Creating a community that is accessible, inclusive and forward thinking is what drives us. We’ve played a key role in developing some of the region’s most transformational projects like the Confederation Line LRT and the Centre Block Rehabilitation, contributing to the modernization of this great city. A team of over 500 professionals work here, live here, and play here. We ride on the trains, drive on the streets, play in the parks, and work in the buildings that we helped design and engineer. We are
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Canadian Museum of Nature
your neighbours, your partners, and your clients. And we take pride in our work knowing that the community we help create will be the one we get to enjoy each and every day right alongside you. We want to continue to be your partners in developing the Ottawa we need, one that is resilient to extreme weather and our changing climate, and sustainable for future generations. As we continue to build the strong, resilient, connected city of the future, we’ll tap into the expertise of our global network of subject matter experts applying the best solutions to address our local challenges. We are WSP. And we are proud to be your community partner in building the Ottawa of the future. To learn more about how WSP can help build the future of our community, visit wsp.com/en-CA/ Want to work for WSP? Visit our careers page at wsp.com/ en-CA/careers
Flora Footbridge
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University of Ottawa - photo credit: HDR
CAPITAL/Performance Plus
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION FOR FUTURE TALENT: n April 2020 at the onset of COVID, the Canadian Career Development Foundation identified that our sector had evidence-based strategies and tools to help individuals navigate difficult and complex transitions in their lives. After 25 years, as an approved service provider for supported employment with the Ontario Ministries, Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care Inc. (PPRC) is well positioned to support employers and employees with a quicker economic recovery. In these difficult times of diminished employment, rising mental health challenges and concern for inclusive workplaces, we have the knowledge, experience and awareness tools to assist people to make successful and sustainable transitions to the labour market. A 2018 study from Randstad Canada suggested that the workforce of 2025 will be comprised of agile workers who have up-to-date knowledge, experience and the ability to be flexible and quickly adapt to the job. Deloitte’s 2018 Global Human Capital Trends report describes that in the new environment “21st Century careers can be viewed as a series of developmental experiences, each offering an opportunity to acquire new skills, perspective and judgement”. The shift from thinking about a career or jobs will be towards addressing challenges and problems. We are experiencing this now in the environment of COVID-19. PPRC has been utilizing the Employment Readiness Scale (ERS) with persons with disabilities since 2010. We have gathered evidence during those ten years and the data indicates 75% of job seekers who enter supported employment services are Not Ready. “Embedded in the ERS is an outcome-validated measure of Ongoing Career Management and the data has verified that this is the lead factor with which most individuals seeking employment were not self-sufficient.” Job search interventions were shown to be the most promising to strengthen the ability to manage work life changes. The management of change in one’s work life can be addressed by the principle of lifelong learning. The individual has to be able take ownership and be willing to take some risks as new job tasks are tried. PPRC helps individuals make a significant shift to be successful. Through virtual coaching strategies, our job seekers learn and prepare for their job search, so they can do this independently in the future. Teaching them how to evaluate labour market trends for alignment with their values and identifying the individuals best learning processes are key strategies in helping to make decisions. Assessing their work life and risk-taking appetite is part of the PPRC strengthening values framework. Collaborative supports will be required to build community and framework structures that recognize the need for life skills and broader employability skills, to be able to self-market and work remotely. The collection and dissemination of labour market information on sectors and occupations with growing opportunities will need to be continually
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examined for trends. In 2021, the identified key areas of focus are; worker engagement, retention, mobilization, acquiring new skills and maintaining mental health. Resilience and work life success have never been so important as they are now. According to Dr. Dorothy Riddle’s 2018 article on Resilience and Work Life Success, she describes the research that resulted in the development of the Employment Readiness Scale (ERS). The ERS data verified that individuals strong on Soft Skills were significantly better able to deal successfully with the stress from a range of life challenges. She underscored the importance of strengthening of social networks, and the critical importance of coaching individuals to maintain meaningful personal support networks. In essence, coping with life changes requires resilience along with the interpersonal and self-management skills of On-going Career Management. The Conference Board of Canada identified in their Impact Paper of January 2021, that with emerging technologies in the coming decade, there will be a “premium on soft skills like empathy, communication, personal resilience” (“Responding to Automation”). PPRC job seekers have access to a range of self-directed Soft Skills courses. Combined with our LaunchPad initiative, PPRC can design industry-specific workforce programs that prepare vulnerable unemployed job seekers for specific in-demand skills based on the needs of regional employers, while building resilience, self-efficacy and confidence to support sustainable advancement towards career goals and labour market outcomes. PPRC combines a dual customer (demand driven) approach to engage employers and design a curriculum, coupled with an asset, goal focused and trauma informed delivery method that builds on adult learning best practices. PPRC works with employers to promote awareness of disability inclusion at work and in the community. According to the Ontario Disability Employment Network, “it was projected that over 20% of the population in Canada will have a disability by 2020. Couple that with the Conference Board of Canada’s prediction that by the same year, there will be a one-million worker shortfall, and it is clear that business will need to enhance their understanding of disability to increase market share and meet future labour needs.” Employers will begin to adapt the mindset of social responsibility through disability awareness, training and by engaging with experts for job coaching and accommodations. PPRC is a trusted partner in delivering Disability Awareness and offers virtual employer training for Accessible Recruiting, including a framework for accommodations, onboarding and retention. As we look at what comes after the pandemic, private and public sector employers and other concerned stakeholders must continue to work together in a constructive way to drive inclusion and accessibility. Leveraging the contributions that every individual can make as part of Ontario's labour force is vital to the health of our communities and recovery of our local economies. www.pprc.ca
C-SUITE VIEW
THE FUTURE OF OTTAWA: YOUNG LEADERS OPTIMISTIC FOR DIVERSITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION BY J ENNI F ER CAMPBELL
sk a group of young, ambitious and accomplished technology leaders — all recently named Forty under 40 recipients by the Ottawa Board of Trade and the Ottawa Business Journal — what they see coming for the city over the next 25 years and you’ll hear diverse answers. But as the pandemic seemed to be slowly waning there was one common theme in all the answers: Optimism. These leaders are bullish on Ottawa. Kurtis Funai, chief technology officer at Fullscript, sees Ottawa churning out more technology startups like his own. Fullscript is a wellness platform that focuses on supplement prescribing and e-prescribing as well as diet and exercise. Patients log into the
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platform, access the information they need, purchase products and have them delivered to their door. “We do all of the inventory management as well as fulfillment,” Funai said. And they do it well. Launched in 2012 in Ottawa, Fullscript merged six years later with a U.S. company called Natural Partners. The company, still largely based in Ottawa, now has hundreds of millions in revenue and 500 employees. Funai says Fullscript’s success is indicative of the kinds of technology success stories Ottawa is capable of replicating. “Ottawa was historically recognized as a strong technical city and
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I think it’s well positioned to keep pushing forward that sector,” Funai said. “I predict a continuing trend of [technology] startups, especially as members of well-established companies like Shopify [move on.] I’m hopeful we’ll continue to attract strong [technology] talent to the city. Programs like the [federal government’s] Global Talent Stream have been helpful to us in bringing in global talent.” Funai said the pandemic has increased the appetite for working from home for some, which may decrease the density in the city’s urban core with people opting to buy homes in rural areas. “I think, depending on the trends in distributed workforces, that will dramatically impact how this city evolves,” he said. “I’ve also seen a pretty significant migration of young people from Ottawa in search of affordable housing. I think this trend will continue. You’ll start seeing people migrating to smaller surrounding areas like Carleton Place and Manotick.”
Elnaz Kanani K., Senior Manager of Data and Artificial Intelligence at Deloitte
“The pandemic brought this forced adoption of remote working to many businesses and while there are certainly some benefits to that, there are also significant challenges,” Funai said. “Employees are gaining more time back in their calendars, avoiding commutes; they have generally more flexible working schedules, but the downsides are significant when businesses are not well equipped or thinking strategically about how to create an engaging remote work experience.” Funai said companies are also becoming more and more competitive on recruitment and Ottawa is seeing increased pressure from the U.S. “The U.S. has recognized that there are highly skilled people in Canada,” he said, because new recruits can continue working from Ottawa. “You can enjoy Ottawa and earn from a U.S. organization that’s using their buying power here and providing highly engaging work experiences.”
Kurtis Funai, Chief Technology Officer at Fullscript
Solmaz Shahalizadeh Kalkhoran, vice-president of data science and engineering and head of commerce intelligence at Shopify, said she sees Ottawa “moving towards becoming a cornerstone of innovation and entrepreneurship in Canada.” She expects to see Ottawa transform into an “epicentre of vibrant and diverse companies and communities” with the right investment. “In order to make this a reality, we need to continue to invest in and support our local entrepreneurs,” she said. “Only then will we be able to produce healthy competition that will fuel our city and spur us into a global centre.” She said this vision is why she’s passionate about the work she’s doing with Backbone Angels to fund the next generation of diverse founders in Canada. Elnaz Kanani K., senior manager of data and artificial intelligence at Deloitte, said she is certain of one thing — that Ottawa will be a “multidimensional” city that is home to many different businesses. “I say that the schools we have here are offering [learning in] lots of different and diverse fields,” she said. She doesn’t see Ottawa solely being a tech hub, or a policy hub. Having the federal government here will help to keep the economy broad and diverse, she said. She does see the industry presence in Ottawa growing. “We have a good platform that can be home to many different fields.” The challenges Ottawa’s next 25 years will inevitably see some challenges, but hopefully none of the proportion of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Solmaz Shahalizadeh Kalkhoran, VP of Data Science and Engineering at Shopify
High housing prices also pose a significant risk for brain drain, Funai said, and added that the other big challenge to be faced in the next 25 years is climate change. “There’s an opportunity for investments and growth in the green energy space and hopefully Canada can be an innovator there, but I think it’s on businesses and government to really lead the charge,” he said and added that FullScript is certified carbon neutral. “People can do their part, but we need regulation, policy and businesses to step up.” Kanani K., who teaches at the Telfer School of Management, says the biggest challenge is the limited attention spans of younger people “because of all these distractions we have — and I think that will expand even more.” She said a lack of focus kills the desire to get things done. “I don’t see the patience of ‘let’s focus on something, let’s fail, let’s learn, let’s get up, let’s try again.’ It’s very tough to keep the new generation focused on something. If they put their mind to it, there is no limitation. They will definitely go beyond everything if they want to do it, but that’s a big if.” Shahalizadeh Kalkhoran says for Ottawa to become a truly global city, it will take vision. “One of the ways Shopify was able to do this was by identifying opportunities to use artificial intelligence (AI) to change the commerce industry, enabling us to empower entrepreneurs around the world,” she said. “The future generation of leaders needs to tap into the power of game-changing technologies to challenge and advance other traditional industries.”
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COMMITTEE CORNER
COMMITTEE CORNER: A NEW PLAN oards of Trade (and Chambers of Commerce) are known throughout the world as the primary representatives of their business community and a key part of their community’s economic eco-system. When the City of Ottawa amalgamated with the surrounding municipalities in 2001, many of the municipalities' Chambers remained active for years. This provided some benefit to the members in those areas but fragmented the message to the key audience, the City. In 2018, the Chambers of Commerce in Ottawa made a legacy move by consolidating into one organization. The purpose was to strengthen the voice of business in the Nation's Capital. In late 2019, the board of the new organization began planning for a new chief executive, the first elected directors, and a strategic plan that would realize the vision of becoming a best-in-class business advocate. The year 2020 challenged our businesses, our communities and our governments as we worked together to keep our citizens safe and our economy alive. At the Board of Trade, our focus was on constant and complex advocacy work at every level of government to ensure businesses had the policies and programs needed to survive and thrive in our COVID world. During this time we engaged a new CEO, elected a new board and we are pleased to share that we will be launching a new strategic plan in early fall 2021. Special thanks to
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our OBoT executive committee led by board chair, Ian Sherman and strategy lead, Brendan McGuinty as well as the team at Stratford Group for your commitment to “getting it right” for the Ottawa business community. This strategic plan will level up our board of trade as an advocate and economic partner focused on the current needs and future opportunities in our community. It has been exciting to contemplate how business and community leaders can work together for the future of Ottawa. It is imperative we create an environment in which our private sector can drive the growth we need for our recovery and rebound. The unexpected and unprecedented challenge of the last year has further amplified the need for a strong voice for business. In many ways it has accelerated our plan and created new opportunities for our community. The level of collaboration we are experiencing at every level of government and among economic partners provides a solid foundation for moving forward together. We intend to hone our focus on the most impactful opportunities for economic growth and we invite every Ottawa business to add their voice and help shape their future.
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We Are
THE VOICE for Business in Ottawa YOUR Ottawa Board of Trade ADVOCATES for government policy changes by uniting business owners and amplifying influence BUILDS support and provides resources for local businesses as they launch, pivot or grow CHAMPIONS our global iconic city as the best place to live, work, invest, and play DRIVES initiatives that remove barriers, save costs and raise the profiles of local businesses
We hear you. Join us. Become an Ottawa Board of Trade member: ottawabot.ca Access tools, resources, savings and discounts: ottawanext.ca
WORLD CLASS CITY BUILDING: ASPIRATIONS & BEST PRACTICES orld class cities in the 21st century must be holistic and deliver wide-ranging benefits, including a healthy, high quality lifestyle, strong economic opportunities, arts and culture, recreational and sporting events, and access to nature through green spaces, among other attributes. Modern city-building aspirations and best practices are also being driven by the need to help solve some of the most urgent problems our planet faces. Topping that list is climate change and the destructive impacts of global warming to both the environment and to human health.
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“The shocks and global crises that we see today will continue to accelerate as a result of climate change. Are we ready?” asks Jennifer Keesmaat, chief executive officer of The Keesmaat Group. Her organization works with cities, regions, organizations, and political leaders to address urban challenges and to advance change. “The place we are today is deeply problematic. How we address our future within our cities must change precisely because the world around us has changed,” adds Keesmaat, a former chief city planner for Toronto, and keynote speaker at Ottawa’s recent virtual CityBuilding Summit: Ottawa Next.
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OT TAWA TOURISM
BY J E FF B U CKST EI N
The recent COVID-19 global pandemic experience, which has forced social distancing, has further highlighted the need to plan for social connectedness and belonging when more normal times return, in order to protect the most vulnerable people - particularly those who are elderly and live alone. “It’s time for us not only to own our cities, but to own our future, which to me is deeply empowering when you think about ourselves as actors in our cities,” say Keesmaat. “The future isn’t something that happens to us. We create the future. And if we really believe, and we work hard to build understanding, then our actions will, in fact, be transformative,” she stresses. Opportunity to build back better “It’s on all of us, and it’s really time for Ottawa…to own our future,” agrees Catherine McKenna, the federal Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, who represents Ottawa Centre. “We are so lucky to live in Ottawa. We have all the natural features, and people who protect it,” says McKenna. The Ottawa River provides drinking water, along with swimming, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. The Experimental Farm and Arboretum are enjoyed by residents. And walking trails and cycling networks abound all over the city, she notes. Moreover there are economic opportunities and willing partners in green technologies, says McKenna, citing the work being done by
Invest Ottawa in Area X.O. with new electric vehicle technology as one example. McKenna’s hope is that “in a few decades people will look back and say ‘COVID was a terrible time. Can you imagine people locked down for a year? But we did build back better, and that means something.’ “Let’s be clear. We’re going to get out of COVID-19, but we still have a climate crisis, and we need to do everything we can to tackle climate change, but also do it in a way that’s going to create great jobs and opportunities for everyone. That means everyone in our community is going to be a winner,” McKenna says. Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, who represents the Nepean riding, is optimistic about Ottawa’s path forward in a post-pandemic world. “I am so excited to talk about the future of Ottawa, and how we can build back even stronger with greater resilience and more creativity in the days, weeks and months ahead,” she says, noting that her Ministry will provide significant investment dollars into Ottawa Tourism for product development and marketing. “We’re also looking at LBGTQ+ tourism, and having a gold standard here in the province of Ontario. Ottawa’s absolutely well positioned for that,” MacLeod adds. There will also be provincial funding for sporting events and the arts and music. Some people believe that when the provincial
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PHOTO CR EDIT TK
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government gives money to a festival like Bluesfest it’s just a handout but that is not true, says MacLeod. “Every dollar I invest from my Ministry into [this] festival yields $21 in return for the City of Ottawa. That’s a key statistic and it’s one that we should be very proud of,” she stresses.
OT TAWA TOURISM
History and culture are also on the funding radar “Ottawa, being the seat of our nation’s capital and our Parliament, has a very important place in the heritage of our country, and I’m committed, as is our government, in continuing to support our small and local museums across the province, and in particular here at home in Ottawa to ensure that they remain vibrant when they’re able to open again,” MacLeod adds. Key aspirations and best practices Keesmaat says three key pillars are required in order for people to be a part of their city’s solution in responding to the urgency of the global climate crisis. First, citizens must believe they can have an impact. Second, they need to build up their knowledge and understanding of the issues to be able to deliver the necessary positive outcomes in city building. Third, they must be willing to take transformative action armed with that knowledge and belief. Keesmaat says that delivering clean land, air and water is a first priority. Accessibility is also crucial to building a sustainable city. “We need everyday amenities within walking distance of home as a means to non carbon-intensive mobility options as a first choice. The way we design our roads [and] the way we plan land will determine whether or not walking and cycling is a real option,” says Keesmaat. “We also know that a comprehensive, high quality affordable transit network that is both convenient and supports transportation choices is essential. It means people can get from everywhere to everywhere on transit,” she says. Furthermore, local food production builds resilient community life and allows for regenerative systems in cities. Currently there is an unsustainability problem with urban waste, so we need to start thinking of solutions that will provide a closed loop, says Keesmaat. Affordable housing is also vital to a healthy community. “Inclusive societies start with access to safe and stable housing that [is] available to all, at all stages of life. Homelessness and emergency shelters are an outcome of a broken housing sector,” she stresses. Access to nature and natural spaces that are properly maintained and used, as well as respected and celebrated also need to be incorporated into neighbourhood design. “You’ve got phenomenal images from Ottawa that convey these ideas. This is another area where I would argue Ottawa is a global leader,” Keesmaat says. “We need access to nature for our mental health. This is a foundation to cities of the future if we are going to address what is an emerging mental health crisis, which I believe is directly linked to a whole variety of things, including a lack of access to nature in the city,” she elaborates. Of course, the ability for cities to deliver economic security remains important as people aspire to a diverse, competitive economy that provides well paid, stable, safe and fulfilling employment opportunities. But such opportunities need to be part of a green economy to ensure sustainability, Keesmaat stresses. Creating livable cities where residents thrive also has a direct and positive impact on tourism. A strong neighbourhood that is sustainable over the long term and provides a quality livable experience for residents will also deliver the same benefits for tourists. Likewise, a great transit system that serves a city’s residents will also be a great transit system for its tourists, she notes.
“We need access to nature for our mental health. This is a foundation to cities of the future if we are going to address what is an emerging mental health crisis, which I believe is directly linked to a whole variety of things, including a lack of access to nature in the city” Many ways to build Keesmaat says that best practices for world class city building do not require starting from scratch. “We’ve got so much underutilized land in built up areas where we already have water, where we already have parks, where we already have roads. There’s an opportunity to fundamentally transform how we deliver communities and housing by regenerating places where we already have built,” she says. The City of Ottawa’s New Official Plan notes that the City aspires to achieve a target whereby 60 per cent of development by 2046 consists of new dwelling units being built in existing neighbourhoods, with the remaining 40 per cent comprising the development of new neighbourhoods on undeveloped greenfield lands. The development of LeBreton Flats, which has remained largely untouched since the land was expropriated more than a half century ago, will build new public and private spaces for Ottawa residents to live and work. This is a key project that will be undertaken over the next 25 years, and it will provide a significant addition to the western downtown core. Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson says he is particularly proud of the new Ottawa Public Library which will be built on LeBreton Flats and act as the catalyst for further development on that site. “The Library and Archives Canada project is the first joint federal-municipal project of its kind,” he says. Watson also notes that the provincial government has made a significant investment in the new Civic Campus of the Ottawa Hospital. It is, he says, a “billion dollar facility that will define the future of health care in our city.” Watson adds, “I’m very proud of the fact that the City has worked with partners of the other two levels of government to create an environment that ensures Ottawa has a very prosperous future.” Plan carefully for a sustainable future With Ottawa now at the one million mark in population, it has reached a pivotal point – but one which also offers opportunity, says Keesmaat. “Given the scale at which Ottawa is today, and is about to embark on, being over one million people, that means the future is going to need to look different than the past. “You’re at that tipping point,” she adds, noting that if Ottawa’s population eventually soars to two or three million people, new strategies will be required to prevent gridlock on the roads. This is an excellent opportunity for the local community, says federal Cabinet Minister McKenna. “We have the natural attributes. We have the investments of the federal government, and we have partners who care so much about this.” She notes that financial commitments must be made with care because they will be so impactful on fulfilling Ottawa’s future as the world class city its planners and citizens envision it to be. “Every investment we make, and the vision we have, will create jobs, economic growth, attract tourism, attract businesses. It will bring more inclusive communities for everyone so that everyone benefits from these investments. And it will do the most important thing – it will drive us to net zero [carbon emissions] and ensure that we have a sustainable future for our kids and grandkids,” McKenna says. “Greenest capital ever; that’s my vision for the future,” she adds.
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‘OWN YOUR CITY’
EFFORTS PROMOTE OTTAWA TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE BY J E FF BUCKSTE I N
he virtues of living and working in Ottawa are being championed by Ottawa Ambassadors, a sub-committee of the Ottawa Board of Trade’s Economic Growth Committee. Their mission is “to create a dynamic story….to share with the world, to invite them to live, to work, to play, to invest, and to study in Ottawa,” says group leader Karen Brownrigg. The group commenced its work in 2020, comprised of representatives from the local business community. The Board of Trade’s partners in this endeavour are the City of Ottawa, Invest Ottawa and Ottawa Tourism. The Ottawa Ambassadors are helping to bring awareness of Ottawa’s Place DNA ‘Canada in One City’ initiative to more people around the world. “With the place DNA branding that’s been done and all of the information that’s available through Invest Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism and the City of Ottawa, we felt it was really important to bring all of that information into one place and provide that access to anyone who wanted to be an Ambassador of Ottawa,” explains Brownrigg, who is also the founder and CEO of IHR Advisory Services, a human resources advisory and executive coaching company.
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City experiences evoke emotions A city needs to actively develop what it promotes, says Frank Cuypers, a Switzerland-based senior strategic consultant for Destination Think. Cuypers, a city and destination marketing expert who has worked with numerous global clients, including the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Tourism, was a keynote speaker at Ottawa’s recent virtual City-Building Summit: Ottawa Next. A city’s brand consists of “the sum of all stories somebody hears, and the sum of all experiences somebody has with a place. This is about uploading your place with an emotion. The more emotional the more memorable. And the more memorable, the better your experience. And the better your experience, the better word of mouth of your city,” he elaborates. Cuypers sees four major brand themes emanating from Ottawa’s ‘Canada in One City’ Place DNA initiative. First is the city’s connection with Canada – with the country’s past, present and future, as well as its connection to both urban areas and to nature, and the city’s ability to connect people, geography, politics, provinces and languages. Second is the theme of ‘Canada’s Village,’ with its unity in diversity, acceptance and freedom of individuality, and perception of being a caring community. “It’s about unity. This is about the mosaic, the diversity in
your place. That’s really something that struck me,” says Cuypers. Brownrigg also emphasizes the importance of diversity. “Inviting more perspectives into the dialogue is always a strength, and so inviting diversity into our city makes us stronger. It allows us to think innovatively, to go in directions that we wouldn’t otherwise go into, and brings a really nice harmony to the city,” she says. The third brand theme that Cuypers associates with Ottawa is the city’s ‘Joie de Vivre.’ Ottawa is favourably viewed for its quality of life, and for being a personal and intimate city which takes the time and effort for celebrations and vibrant events, making for a lively urban experience. The fourth theme is ‘Ottawa’s Legacy,’ with the future being gifted from the present, as Parliament shapes policy and life for all Canadians, and the city opens new frontiers in academics and technology. The world needs to know more about Ottawa But Cuypers’ research also revealed that Ottawa’s Place DNA initiative needed to fill certain gaps involving external perceptions of Ottawa’s identity. Many people do not know enough about Canada’s capital and do not see it as being unique, he says. Another gap is that while Ottawans are proud of their city, the outside world does not view Ottawa as being vibrant. And even though Ottawa is well known within Canada for its bilingualism, there is a lack of global awareness of that fact in the French-speaking world. Cuypers also notes that size is not a factor in place branding, and that smaller cities like Ottawa offer certain advantages. For example, a Tier II city can be very attractive for young people to start in technology – and that is an area where Ottawa excels as one of North America’s principal advanced technology centres. Smaller cities also have a multi-helix governance structure and they collaborate with other governments at various levels. This can appeal to a wide segment of people in business, academia and the arts, among other sectors, he says. “There was saturation of the number one cities. [It’s] looking like the Tier 2 cities are really going to grow. That will be sped up by the COVID-19 pandemic,” predicts Cuypers. But, he warns, senior city officials everywhere should not just assume that when the pandemic is over, people will have a pent up desire to travel and will automatically return to enjoy something their city was famous for in the past. Consequently now is the time more than ever for cities, including Ottawa, to put a renewed effort into shining a light on who they really are. “Promotion is out. Meaningful messaging is in,” stresses Cuypers. That is exactly what Ottawa Ambassadors plan to continue doing. A new campaign will be launched early this summer to celebrate Ottawa online, with a one-stop shop of information that people can access, discuss and share about remarkable projects such as Zibi, new LRT routes, and innovation in high tech and other sectors, says Brownrigg. “It’s going to be a visual representation of Ottawa’s dynamic story, along with an invitation to our Ottawa Ambassadors to share that story,” she adds.
2021 RECIPIENTS For two decades the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal have been shining a light on young and rising stars in the Ottawa Business Community. Now more than 20 years old, Forty Under 40 is one of the most distinguished and sought-after awards for young business leaders in the National Capital Region.
Congratulations to this year’s Forty Under 40 recipients:
Roberto Aburto, Gowling WLG Canada LLP Darryl Arvai, Shopify Jonathan Atwill-Morin, Atwill-Morin Ontario Cynthia Benoit, CB Linguistic Services Bradley Bezan, Spark Lifecare Kevin Brennan, Cavanagh Concrete Matthew Carr, Gifford Carr Insurance Group Michelle Coates-Mather, Syntax Strategic Sean Cochrane, TCC Canada Sarah D'Angelo, You.i TV Dr. Tracy Dalgleish, Integrated Wellness Gareth Davies, Maker House Kurtis Funai, Fullscript Shawn Gandhi, Amazon Web Services Meseret Haileyesus, Canadian Center for Women's Empowerment Ottawa Kelly Haussler, Tourism Dr. Samuel Hetz, Concept Medical Sarah Howard, WSP Canada Ken Jennings, Jennings Real Estate Taylor Johansen, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario
Elnaz Kanani Kuchesfehani, Deloitte Jason Kealey, FranConnect Ashleigh Kennedy, Neurovine Jordan Latimer, PCL Construction Benjamin Leikin, Ottawa Public Health Diego Matute, Cyphercor Dave McCann, IBM Canada Nick McRae, Roxborough Bus Lines Chris Murray, Wake Network James Nguyen, Quantropi Kailin Noivo, Noibu Sergey Poltev, CAPITALTEK Christopher Redmond, Distant Red Pictures Allan Reesor-McDowell, Matthew House Ottawa Sandro Ricci, ASL Agrodrain Ronald Richardson, Benbria Solmaz Shahalizadeh Kalkhoran, Shopify Connor Shea, Colonnade BridgePort Trevor Szutu, Descartes Systems Group Emilie Wilcox, Baiame Consulting
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CAPITAL/Ottawa Tourism
TALKING TOURISM s pandemic restrictions begin to lift and Ottawans start contemplating expanding their horizons for the first time in 15+ months, the city’s tourism businesses are cautiously optimistic that they will be able to extend their hospitality to visitors as the year continues. As the agency tasked with promoting Ottawa to vacationers, meeting planners, tour operators, travel media, and organizers of major events, Ottawa Tourism has used the time of the pandemic to rethink its approach to reflect the new reality. “We worked to secure resources to help our business members make it through the pandemic, while also spending time building the foundation for tourism’s recovery,” says Michael Crockatt, Ottawa Tourism’s President and CEO. “We are a data-driven organization with a skilled and engaged board and creative member businesses. Our team is ready to implement the strategies we’ve developed over the past months.” Observant followers on social media will have seen a gradual shift in Ottawa Tourism’s approach, reflecting a brand crafted through real-world data on how Ottawa is perceived by locals and outsiders. As Canada’s capital, Ottawa plays a unique role in sharing Canada’s stories: from its role as a traditional meeting and trading place for First Nations peoples, its wealth of national museums
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and institutions, and its bilingual nature to its four-season outdoor activities, thriving foodie and craft beer scenes, and welcoming and inclusive values. Ottawa truly is Canada in one city. In its research, Ottawa Tourism found that Ottawans are incredibly proud of their city but don’t always express that pride in a public way. Through its promotions and social media activities, especially its use of the #MyOttawa hashtag, the agency encourages people to share their pride. Before the pandemic, 43,000 people were employed by the tourism industry in Ottawa and visitors to the region contributed $2.2 billion in spending to the local economy. In 2020, $1.4 billion of that spending was lost; with the same amount of loss predicted for 2021. While that is a dire situation, there are steps that can be taken to improve conditions. In fact, if each household in Ottawa were to invite just two people to spend three nights in Ottawa sometime in 2021, that would inject half a billion dollars into the local economy and support the equivalent of 1,500 jobs. Small individual actions can generate huge cumulative results. Local Ottawans can keep informed on what’s happening by subscribing to Ottawa Tourism’s weekly emailer—What’s Happening
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Before the pandemic, 43,000 people were employed by the tourism industry in Ottawa and visitors to the region contributed $2.2 billion in spending to the local economy. In 2020, $1.4 billion of that spending was lost; with the same amount of loss predicted for 2021
in the Ottawa Area—that highlights a dozen or so available activities over the next seven days. Ottawa Tourism also launched—originally in April 2021— the Room Service Concert Series: An Ottawa Hotel Exclusive at 20 participating hotels. Ontario’s stay-at-home order meant the promotion had to be postponed until now. RBC Ottawa Bluesfest curated eight nights of music and comedy programming over four weekends between June 18 and July 10, 2021 that is exclusively
available through the televisions in the rooms of those hotels. Residents are encouraged to book a getaway in a different part of town, order in some food, and enjoy performances by Lennon Stella, Colin James, Walk Off The Earth, and more! The beauty of Room Service is its flexibility: with 20 hotels to choose from, people can splurge or save, or hang out in a new-tothem part of the city. Those who want to have a meal on a patio can do so, while others may prefer to order in. Guests can bring their bikes and explore a new pathway, or stay downtown and explore the ByWard Market neighbourhood, or Elgin Street, or Sparks Street. Their reward is an exclusive concert! And while leisure visits may rebound somewhat in 2021, as vaccinations continue and restrictions are lifted, the meetings and conventions and major events fields will be slower to recover. Ottawa Tourism encourages those who are active in professional associations, or who regularly attend training sessions or other conventions, to contemplate hosting those events here in Ottawa and showcasing their own expertise. People don’t need to be a professional meeting planner either to make it happen: Ottawa Tourism can help prepare a successful bid and provide resources to make the journey easier. The same goes for sporting events across the spectrum: from children’s tournaments to prestigious international competitions, Ottawa has the resources and the expertise to host the world and Ottawa Tourism and its partners can help make it happen. The festivals industry is another aspect of tourism that will be a bit slower to recover, though many Ottawa festivals have made successful pivots to virtual editions, including the Canadian Tulip Festival and the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival to just name two. So as Ottawans contemplate travelling again, they are also encouraged to invite friends, relatives, and business associates to visit Ottawa, where the tourism industry is waiting with open arms to share amazing experiences in a safe and sustainable way.
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CAPITAL/Hydro Ottawa
or most of today’s utilities, powering homes and businesses is more than just supplying safe, reliable and cost-effective energy. It requires a vision for environmental sustainability and investing in the production of clean, renewable and sustainable energy. That vision — to support a vibrant and sustainable capital — is
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a guiding principle at Hydro Ottawa, the third-largest municipally owned electrical utility in Ontario. Simply put, says President and CEO Bryce Conrad “it extends to our own operations and means making decisions that prioritize the environment and our city’s future as a major factor in how we define success.”
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HYDRO OT TAWA
POWERING OUR NATION’S CAPITAL TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FUTURE
Hydro Ottawa owns and operates three subsidiaries: Hydro Ottawa Limited, which distributes electricity across the nation’s capital; Portage Power, which generates 128 megawatts of clean renewable energy powering 107,000 homes and businesses annually; and Envari Energy Solutions, which offers large-scale sustainable energy solutions for businesses, governments and utilities.
The utility company has adopted an end-to-end approach to sustainability – transitioning to cleaner energy production, helping customers conserve energy and lead energy-efficient lifestyles, designing its head office facility to LEED Gold standards, implementing green technology, improving waste management, mitigating its environmental impact and creating a thriving ecosystem for pollinators species. These measures have earned them the title of Canada’s Greenest Employers for a tenth year and positioned them as a community partner of the City of Ottawa’s Energy Evolution project, with Envari lending their expertise in energy solutions to help the City meet its net-zero operations target by 2040. For the utility, it’s satisfying taking an active role in reducing the carbon footprint in Ottawa for generations to come. Even more satisfying are collaborations with the City that are charging the way forward: • The installation of solar panels on eight municipal buildings (with plans for additional installations); • The electrification of the City's transportation fleet and the installment of electric vehicle charging stations across Ottawa; • Upgrading the systems at the City’s wastewater treatment plant, including replacing the plant’s three cogeneration engines, and adding a fourth, will eliminate 1,565 tonnes of CO2 per year; and • Converting the City's streetlights with LEDs, which, with its adaptive dimming and asset management control system, has decreased the city’s carbon dioxide emissions by a remarkable 1,200 metric tonnes every year, and translates into a 55 per cent reduction in energy consumption. Combatting climate change and transforming Ottawa into a thriving city is among the most important challenges of our time. It also represents one of the greatest opportunities for collaboration across all sectors. Perhaps one of the most compelling collaborations is the Zibi, Hydro Ottawa and Kruger Products partnership. A first in North America, this innovative system using district energy for heating and cooling will create the first zero-carbon-emission community in the region helping both the City of Ottawa and la Ville de Gatineau meet their climate goals. “Zibi's district energy system is a testament to the power of connection - through partnership, innovation, and a desire to create a future far more sustainable than the past,” says Conrad. Next to Zibi, is Chaudière Falls - a true community asset and home to Canada’s oldest hydroelectric station still in operation. Once responsible for lighting Ottawa’s streets with electricity and fuelling the industrial explosion of the mid-1800s, it is now a subsidiary of Hydro Ottawa, operated by Portage Power. The expanded operation includes a new below-grade 29-megawatt hydroelectric facility that feeds into the provincial grid and powers 20,000 homes with clean, renewable energy; reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 115,000 metric tons of CO2 every year. The new site serves as a tourist attraction - offering safe viewing platforms and a new bridge across the intake canal. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Chaudière Falls has remained closed to school and general public tours that would otherwise be experienced on the expanded grounds but launching this summer, it will now be possible to take a virtual tour of one of Ottawa’s most stunning natural landmarks. Hydro Ottawa continues to expand its hydroelectric capacity as well as look for opportunities to further invest in alternative energy solutions for the future. “We believe it’s our responsibility to be the change-makers necessary to help build a smart energy future for our Nation’s Capital,” says Conrad.
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BOLD OTTAWA PLAN PROJECTS MID-CENTURY VISION OF A GREEN, DYNAMIC WORLD CLASS CITY BY J E F F B U C KST E IN
ttawa will be a thriving, green-friendly city that will continue to balance prosperous economic growth and pleasant neighbourhood livability, earning increased world recognition by 2046, according to the City’s New Official Plan. “We are thinking of the city in a very different way than in the 20th century,” says Alain Miguelez, the City’s Manager of Planning Policy & Resiliency. “The needs of families in the 21st century are different, and we have to think in terms of ‘what do we need to make sure the city is making very desirable neighbourhoods as available as possible to people who want to live in them?’ “That’s the whole point of this Official Plan. It’s about generating the excitement of new ideas for the city,” he explains. By 2046, Ottawa is projected to have a population of 1.4 million. When Gatineau and the surrounding municipalities in Ontario and Quebec are added, that increases to approximately two million people. The National Capital Region will also be a major economic force in the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal megaregion, the largest megaregion in Canada and one of the largest in North America with about 18 million people living and working there. “We have the central position in this megaregion, and that means a number of things. It is a major strategic and economic advantage. It means a bigger role for our airport. A way to diversify our economy, and to collaborate with Toronto and Montreal in terms of the business opportunities and areas of specialization that we have,” says Miguelez. The Official Plan also contains reserved corridors for high speed rail in the megaregion, part of the network of enhanced transportation options that will become available to residents of Ottawa over the next quarter century.
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Expanded downtown core The Official Plan doubles the size of Ottawa’s downtown core to reflect the reality that with more than 150,000 people currently living and working in the greater downtown core, the old “central area” designation that has existed in city planning since 1969 has long been outgrown. In 2021, for the first time, the Plan’s downtown core puts Ottawa’s downtown within a larger metropolitan core that includes Gatineau’s downtown. It also contains a newly developed LeBreton Flats, an expanding Bayview Yards innovation district and growing Innovation Centre, and the Zibi project, a new community planned on 14 hectares of land on both sides of, as well as crossing the Ottawa River, bridging Ottawa and Gatineau. It will also be home to 5,000 residents and 6,000 jobs. The development of LeBreton Flats, which has remained largely untouched since the land was expropriated during the 1960s, is a key goal for the City over the next quarter century. LeBreton will feature a whole array of new public and private spaces in which to live and work. This new community will reflect how “we have built a downtown where one block leads to the next, and it’s a pleasure to keep walking because there’s always something that gives you another point of interest that you want to discover,” says Miguelez. “The NCC is driving that process as the principal land owner. Our Official Plan will make it very easy, very speedy, and as red tape free as possible to do it. We are also hopeful that the Ottawa Senators will eventually play their home games at LeBreton, so we have removed all barriers for all that to happen,” explains Miguelez. Also located at LeBreton will be the new Ottawa Public Library. “The Library and Archives Canada project is the first joint federalmunicipal project of its kind. It is going to act as the spark or catalyst for the rest of LeBreton Flats,” says Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. The Official Plan promotes the growth and success of local
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businesses in various sectors, including manufacturing, high tech, and the service economy, among others. Several special opportunity economic districts have been designated in the City, including the high tech district in Kanata North. “Kanata North has sustained growth since its inception, but in order to maintain its competitiveness, a number of planning-related challenges require solutions,” the Official Plan states. “Enhancing mobility options, mixed-use development and urban design will contribute to the quality of life for those who live, work, learn and play in Kanata North and boost its ability to compete for talent.” Designating Kanata North as a special district through land use planning will provide it with the opportunity to maintain itself as an economic generator over the next 25 years, the Plan notes. Other special opportunity districts include Bayview Yards, the Orleans corridor along the O-train, and the Ottawa International Airport. “These were strategic moves to balance opportunity across the city and position lands strategically across corridors,” explains Miguelez. Other local venues also figure prominently in future economic plans. “The ByWard Market Plan will revitalize our most cherished tourism district, to help us attract business from around the world. The Market is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2027, and we look forward to a great event, modelled on the success of Ottawa 2017,” says Watson. Area X.O will play a key role in defining the future of autonomous vehicles and the growth of Ottawa’s high tech community, Watson adds. Ottawa will continue to cultivate the strong, solid partnerships it enjoys with both the federal and provincial governments in areas such as transit funding and housing. Larger cities such as Ottawa have very serious challenges with respect to growth and affordability and require these healthy relationships to stay successful, explains Miguelez. New and revitalized neighbourhoods The Official Plan contains an agenda for both the development of new communities and the regeneration of existing ones. The new neighbourhoods will offer a much more diverse blend of homes, rather than just single homes or townhouses. They will be arranged in street grids that are very highly connected and walkable. In addition to residences, these neighbourhoods will contain small businesses, including stores, along with schools, day care facilities, and parks for recreation and play. One planned new community is the Tewin community in southeastern Ottawa, at the 417 interchange, just next to where the Amazon distribution facility is located. Tewin will be “a livable community where people can function on foot, where the feeling is neighbourly. It will feel like it’s own real mini-city, with its own collection of neighbourhoods that feel both urban and walkable, and at the same time will have close contact with nature and green space, which is so important,” says Miguelez. For the regeneration efforts that are undertaken in older, existing neighbourhoods “we have to think of how we are allowing them to continue to welcome new generations. We want them to be recognizable to the way they are today, green, leafy, low rise neighbourhoods,” he notes. The Official Plan refers to “15 minute neighbourhoods” whereby the majority of residents are located within a 15 minute walk to a designated Hub or Corridor that will provide “diverse concentrations of commercial, community, and transportation services.” The Official Plan notes that the City would like to reach a target whereby 60 per cent of development by 2046 consists of new dwelling units being built in existing neighbourhoods, with the remaining 40 per cent comprising the development of new neighbourhoods on undeveloped greenfield lands. “Right now, we’ve got about 60 per cent growth in green-fields and 40 per cent through intensification. It’s going to take the next 25
years to gradually shift that over,” says Miguelez. It is anticipated that the next quarter century will also deliver a thriving local arts, sports, and cultural scene, including music festivals for which Ottawa will be known world-wide. “To support local artists, and cultural development more broadly, barriers will be reduced to enable artistic, music and culture events and expression. This includes allocating space in the public realm for cultural expression and ensuring an effective approach to zoning that nurtures cultural development,” says the Official Plan. Expanded transportation network will anchor growth The National Capital Region’s expanded public transit system will include five LRT lines, including one line into Gatineau, and a direct spur line to the airport, as well as six lines of transitway, including new lines extending to Orleans, Kanata, Stittsville, Barrhaven and Riverside South. There will also be multiple bus routes emanating from the O-Train and transitway, several of which will comprise 24-hour routes on key runs across the city. “We consider those lines to be the skeletons of the city, by and large. We want to start to think in terms of the stations being a point of reference for mobility in each neighbourhood. We want more opportunities for people to avail themselves of walking distance proximity to be able to live close to those stations in a variety of different house types,” explains Miguelez. For example, he says there will be a new town centre in Riverside South that will feel like a new mini-downtown serving that area, as a result of the extension of Line 2 to Limebank Station. This town centre will be built as a walkable area and become a new activity district and meeting place for residents living in that neighbourhood, anchored by the O-Train. In spite of having more public transit options, it is anticipated that some people will still rely on cars in 2046, albeit vehicles that are electric and less harmful to the environment, for both in-city and out of town excursions. They are a reality because of how spread out Ottawa has become. However, we all know that the days when most people can drive anywhere in five or ten minutes have long been gone, says Miguelez. “We can’t grow livably as a city by assuming that everyone will drive single-occupant vehicles for everything they need to do. The whole point of intensification and 15-minute neighbourhoods is to grow as a city of proximities, rather than a city of distances, so that people will have more real choices on how to get around. Less people driving around helps everyone, including those who need to drive,” he elaborates. Miguelez notes that fewer people are expected to commute to work five days a week, which will likely translate into the need for owning fewer cars. Moreover, many trips within the city are of a shorter length, so the Official Plan takes into account the need to “build our neighbourhoods in a way that would allow for some of those trips not to be motorized,” he says. Moreover in a population that continues to age, there will be a significant number of residents who cannot drive, so city officials need to ensure “that we’re not isolating people by the way that we’ve built our transportation system. The car has a place, but going forward, we want to build the city in a way that’s a lot better balanced between the modes of transportation. That means restoring transit, walking, and biking to a more legitimate place in many of the options that people have,” Miguelez elaborates. The Official Plan was released in November 2020 as a first draft. A revision is due early in the summer, which residents and business leaders are advised to keep a lookout for. Consultations will remain open until the Official Plan is finalized in the fall of 2021. The Plan is available online at http://ottawa.ca.
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Ottawa 2046 Projected Population, Households and Employment 2021 - 2046
Population
Households
Employment
2021
1,064,000
429,000
662,000
2026
1,142,000
468,000
698,000
2031
1,219,000
505,000
732,000
2036
1,292,000
537,000
764,000
2041
1,355,000
565,000
797,000
2046
1,410,000
591,000
827,000
15-Minute Neighbourhoods Walkable, 15-minute neighbourhoods reduce our dependency on cars, promote equity, social connections and a greater sense of community, foster physical and mental health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
New Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Targets
Ottawa Community 43%
City of Ottawa Corporate 2025
30%
68%
2030
50%
96%
2040
100%
100%
2050
60%
by 2046, 60% of all new dwelling units will be built in existing neighbourhoods as opposed to undeveloped ‘greenfield’ lands.
walk to get to the grocery store, easily walk to frequent transit, children can safely walk to school
Visit engage.ottawa.ca/the-new-official-plan and ncc-ccn.gc 2 6 C A P I TAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
- Growing and Green By the 2050s, under a high-emission scenario, we can expect to see many changes in the National Capital Region.
Earlier springs Spring will start 2 weeks earlier.
Hotter summers There will be 4 times as many days over 30°C.
Annual precipitation (spring, fall, winter) will increase by 8%. The maximum daily precipitation will increase by 14%.
Urban forest canopy cover target
40%
Later autumns Fall will start 3 weeks later.
The annual average temperature will increase by 3.2°C. Warming will create favourable conditions for storms, tornadoes and wildfires.
Shorter winters with less snow and fewer cold days Winter will be shorter by 5 weeks. Annual snowfall will decrease by 20%. There will be 35% fewer days below -10°C. There may be more freezing rain.
Greenspace and the Urban Forest Public greenspace providing space for passive or active recreation within a 5-minute safe walking distance two green public spaces within a 10-minute safe walking distance publicly owned Urban Natural Feature or Natural Environment Area within a 15-minute trip by transit
c.ca/our-plans/climate-change-adaptation-initiative TH E BUS I N E S S M AG A Z I N E OF TH E OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E | S UM M E R 2 02 1 C A P I TA L 27
CAPITAL/Ottawa Cultural Alliance
CULTURE COUNTS
AS OTTAWA REBUILDS POSTPANDEMIC, CULTURE NEEDS TO BE FRONT AND CENTRE IN THE PLAN.
n city building — especially in a world capital — culture counts. That’s the message representatives from Ottawa Cultural Alliance organizations (Arts Network Ottawa, Capital Heritage Connexion, Heritage Ottawa, Ottawa Arts Council, Ottawa Festival Network, Ottawa Museum Network) would impart in the context of Ottawa’s exciting future. And count, culture clearly does. Be it arts, cuisine, festivals, film, music or our tangible and intangible heritage and histories — our cultural offerings are what make us unique from any other metropolitan area. They also make a positive impact in our economy. In 2018, Heritage Canada reported that cultural contributions to Ottawa's GDP were approximately $3 billion, not including indirect and induced economic impacts. In per capita terms, Ottawa’s 2018 culture GDP was $2,983 - 53 per cent higher than Ontario’s $1,947. "We've come a long way in recognizing that together with federal government and high tech, tourism is a key economic generator, and we need to realize that culture is a significant contributor here too,” says Catherine Lindquist, executive director of Capital Heritage Connexion. “Together, culture and tourism count for more than 50,000 jobs or almost a tenth of our workforce. Culture counts when it comes to our highly ranked and enviable quality of life." This has been emphasized in Ottawa's new Place DNA® rebranding work done by Destination Think! and by Ottawa Board of Trade, Ottawa Tourism and Shopify executives. And further underscored throughout the pandemic, with cultural venues closed or their offerings curtailed, cultural workers and volunteers laid off and clients unable to participate in cultural activities, book venues for events, register for programs, purchase merchandise and tickets, pay admissions or make onsite donations. "Our cultural sector was hit hard and fast by the novel coronavirus," Lindquist says, "and support for this vulnerable sector has been limited." Ottawa Festival Network executive director Carole Anne Piccinin notes that "Ottawa's festival sector was projecting a loss of more than $32 million in anticipated revenues in 2020 alone." “Across the arts community, those in music, film and the performing arts have been the most vulnerable,” says Nicole Milne, executive Director of the Ottawa Arts Council, which, with the City of Ottawa, undertook an income-loss projection modelling project from the onset of the pandemic. “In the first six months, more than $220.6 million in revenues were projected to be lost, yet despite this, the cultural community was one of the first sectors to shift digitally.”
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The Alliance has been heartened and impressed by the resiliency and creativity its members have shown in what Lindquist calls 'pivoting through the pandemic paradigm shift'. Piccinin and Lindquist point to the impressive shift of the 2020 Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival to a multi-faceted online experience, which included culinary workshops, a socially distanced Powwow, education days and a virtual Indigenous marketplace. The change in format led to the festival’s audience jumping from 50,000 in-person attendees in 2019 to 500,000 across Canada connecting online. This year, the festival has added an Indigenous Music Awards and a drive-in experience.
Resiliency – Our Stories. Image by Capital Heritage Connexion
Cassandra Olsthoorn, executive director of Arts Network Ottawa (ANO), points to the work of Uzbekistan native Kseniya Tsoy. Tsoy produced her From a Parking Lot to a Vibrant Community Hub, one of ANO's Neighbourhood Arts Ottawa community-engaged arts residency projects, with the Vanier Community Service Association and Quartier Vanier BIA and funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Ottawa Community Foundation. "This is an example of how culture can contribute to the concept of 15-minute neighbourhoods being proposed in the city’s new draft official plan,” says Olsthoorn. “Picture dynamic popup and permanent places to create and share cultural experiences in neighbourhoods that
2 8 C A P ITAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival. Photo by Emily Hsueh
engage and reflect our evolving, diverse population. How incredible would that be?" To understand how their members rallied and adapted through the pandemic, Capital Heritage Connexion asked how their organizations showed strength in these unprecedented times. “We were overwhelmed with the response,” Lindquist says. “From developing new virtual experiences to take-home education kits, their stories show strength and ingenuity. We created a living archive on Ottawagraphy, where you can discover the tenacity and true grit of our resilient members through their stories, and
deliver edu-taining social media vlogs, entertainment performances and a Beyond Bytown lecture series. The Connexion is also bringing members together through ConneX zoom sessions to discuss pandemic solutions on topics from crisis communications to re-tooling for re-opening. And, Heritage Ottawa representative David Jeanes notes that the pandemic hasn't halted their advocacy work to protect landmark historic sites such as the Château Laurier and now Alexandra Bridge. Alliance members also say the pandemic has increased public awareness of how critical culture is to our well-being and joie de vivre, and that cultural experiences will be at the top of the list for many, as we return to a new normal. People want to interact at festivals, arts performances, galas, galleries, diverse ethno-cultural community gatherings, culinary events, historic sites and museums, natural heritage areas and guided tours and walks. The cultural sector will therefore play a pivotal role in restarting the economy. This could be further supported by mobilizing work on a new cultural plan and supporting investments to succeed the City's 2013-18 cultural plan. Work on a new plan has not yet begun. With City support, the alliance recently undertook extensive work and consultations in developing A Liveable City for All: A New Cultural Roadmap for Ottawa 2019-22 that maps out the path that allows all citizens to take part in Ottawa’s culture scene. Key findings included the need for aggregating consolidated information, marketing and ticketing for cultural offerings; providing greater access to more popup and permanent community cultural spaces city-wide; and appointing cultural champions on City Council to mobilize this work in a position akin to that of the sports commissioner.
Image Courtesy of the Bytown Museum and Kimberly Sunstrum
Kseniya Tsoy and her artful hub in a box. Photo by Apt 613
featured them on Heritage Day and a continuing social media campaign." Lindquist and Ottawa Museum Network executive director Diana Carter highlight the initiative of mutual member, the Bytown Museum. Though shuttered, it worked quickly to
New pandemic needs are for stimulus and cost recovery programs for cultural venues and programming, such as for HVAC and PPE equipment, rapid virus testing and increased digital capacities. The Alliance notes that, for the most part, city and provincial cultural funding has not increased in many years and investment is required now more than ever. The Ottawa Cultural Alliance can be counted on to work with other economic organizations and leaders, all levels of government, NGOs and the business community to advance culture as a focus of city building in the capital.
TH E BUS I N E S S M AG A Z I N E OF TH E OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E | S UM M E R 2 02 1 C A P I TA L 2 9
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30 C A P I TAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
CAPITAL/TCC Canada
TCC Clients enjoy so much more than just well-appointed, professional space: • Climate-Controlled • Fully-Equipped Comfort Kitchenette • State-of-the-art Furniture and • Coffee and Refreshments Networking • Administrative Support • Professionally-Staffed Services Reception & Lobby • Document Imaging • Meeting and Conference • Lobby directory listing Rooms • Professional Cleaning
he days of 9-5 office work are all but gone. Corporate office space, work from home or other remote working— no single strategy or solution works in every environment or for every team. More and more companies are looking at hybrid models of workplaces which allow their employees a greater work life balance and overall happiness in their place of employment. It’s becoming more apparent that leveraging the third workspace is the way of the future. Business leaders are looking for spaces where their employees can choose their work environment and find their productivity stride each and every day, in a way that fits their individual work needs. TCC Canada is a pioneer and leader in the flexible space and co-working market and we’re here to provide your business with whatever workplace set-up you’re looking for. From Virtual Identity services to small businesses to large enterprises and Independent Team Headquarters, the opportunities to create a dynamic workspace environment are almost endless.
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Some of the things TCC Clients no longer need to worry about or provide for: • Required Space for: • Furniture, Office Equipment − Reception & Tech − Lobby • Audio Visual Systems − Common Space • Internet and Cabling − Meeting Space • Infrastructure − Kitchenette • Utilities − Washrooms • Insurance (premises & − Showers Liability) − Lockers • Reception Staff • Fit-up/Renovations • Cleaning, Maintenance & Repair All you have to do is simply select the location and environment that suits your needs and then leave all the small stuff to us. Join the TCC Community. More than just workspace.
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CAPITAL/NCC
NATIONAL CAPITAL COMMISSION: CREATING INSPIRING CAPITAL DESTINATIONS National Capital River Pavilion
s the steward and long-term planner of Canada’s Capital Region, the National Capital Commission (NCC) works to ensure that the Capital remains a legacy and a source of national pride for current and future generations of Canadians. Here are a few placemaking projects that the NCC is currently working on.
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Revitalization of the National Capital River Pavilion Ongoing work at the National Capital River Pavilion will repair and upgrade this heritage building and historic landmark to make it universally accessible year-round. It will also offer new and unique experiences along the Ottawa River, by providing enhanced public access and shoreline animation. Previously known as the Ottawa River Boathouse, the National Capital River Pavilion is a remarkable structure designed by architect C.P. Meredith, and constructed between 1914 and 1925 for the Ottawa New Edinburgh Canoe (ONEC) Club. It has been the site of canoeing, boating and recreational activities for nearly a century. The project will be complete this coming winter. Ottawa River South Shore Park Plan Did you know that the NCC is creating a continuous ninekilometre riverfront park that reconnects people to the Ottawa River? The Ottawa River South Shore Riverfront Park Plan covers the riverfront between LeBreton Flats and the mouth of the Pinecrest
Creek corridor. It also includes Mud Lake-Britannia conservation area, for a total of over 200 hectares of land. The plan contributes to environmental sustainability, and enhances the recreational experience along the river. The overall plan is divided into sector plans, and the NCC will develop an action plan for each area in the coming years. Work already under way includes the revitalization of Westboro Beach to create a more vibrant, active space that will improve both the quality of life of residents and the experience of visitors. At the Champlain node, flood resiliency was increased, with the relocation of the parking lot above the 100-year flood plain. This will allow for more programmable space, and improve shoreline amenities and habitat. Building LeBreton The transformation of LeBreton Flats into a place of national and civic pride is moving forward. The Master Concept Plan currently being implemented will guide the redevelopment of this important 29-hectare site into a complete urban community and Capital destination. The plan details how the four unique districts (Aqueduct District, Flats District, Albert District and Park District) will work together to make LeBreton Flats a thriving cultural hub and diverse community. Currently, three proponents are developing detailed proposals to build a mixed-used development on the Library Parcel adjacent to the Pimisi O-Train station and the soon-to-be-built joint
32 C A P I TAL S UMMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
Building LeBreton
federal–municipal public library and archives. The Library Parcel is within close walking distance to destinations such as the Canadian War Museum and the Capital Pathway along the shore of the Ottawa River.
Working with the NCC The NCC welcomes the opportunity to work with new suppliers and contractors. If you are interested in offering your services, please visit https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/business/contracting-with-the-ncc.
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CITY BUILDING AT ITS BEST.
OTTAWA’S MAIN PLAYERS IN TOURISM, TECH, TALENT AND TRANSPORTATION ON WHAT THE CITY NEEDS TO DO NEXT BY J E N N IF ER CAMPB EL L
hat makes a good city? Jane Jacobs, an AmericanCanadian author and activist who wrote extensively on the subject, rejected the idea of urban renewal and slumclearing in favour of lively streets — streets that are as busy by night as they are by day. She described her vision as “a sidewalk ballet” of people interacting and depending on each other. Jacobs also fought highway development that took commuters out of the core through highway bypasses. And now, planners are heeding her call and removing highways to rejuvenate downtown cores. In a Zoom seminar as part of the Board of Trade’s City Building Summit, some of Ottawa’s best minds banded together in Jane Jacobs fashion to tackle the question of “the Ripple Effect: How do tech, transportation, talent and tourism tie together?” Together, they identified gaps and noted achievements on which the city can build. James Baker, the CEO and co-founder of Keynote Search, serves on the OBOT's Board of Directors, and leads the organization's Talent Development Committee. Baker says that talented local people are the one critical resource common to all of the ambitious work the City is undertaking, including massive revitalization projects at LeBreton Flats and in the ByWard Market, hospital rebuilding and the LRT. “And the reality is we simply don’t have the talent in our city today to meet those plans for growth and expansion,” Baker said. “We have to attract them and once they get here, we have to keep them here.” He says organizations are doing great work — he named what Invest Ottawa and Kanata North have done for the knowledge-based sector, but he said some much of it is being done in isolation. “In post-secondary education, we have a great collective of students coming through, but we need to do a better job of keeping them here and we have a major gap in our market right now for mid-career professionals,” he said. “So whether I’m looking for a project manager for the trades, a fundraiser for a non-profit or a technical lead to come into one of our high-tech companies, we have a fundamental skill gap that can only be solved by attracting people here.” He recommended a collective talent strategy that meets the Board of Trade’s ambitious city-building agenda. “We talked about building these wonderful places in our city, but right now, we have a major housing crisis,” he said. “The talent we
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need is mid-career, they’re looking for single-family homes, but the price has doubled in just five years. We have senior professionals we’re trying to move to the city, who are declining opportunities because they can’t find a place to live.” He said in the 16 years he’s been here, this is the first time it’s been easier to hire someone in Toronto than Ottawa. Ottawa’s average compensation — at $90,000 — now exceeds Toronto’s, which is $82,000. “For me, that should be a selling feature, but when we can’t get people to live here, they can’t take those opportunities that have high pay connected to them.” On the technology side, he said Ottawa’s done a great job of branding itself a tech hub, but the rest of Canada is catching up. Tech as a sector has grown by 20 per cent nationally in the last five years and yet Ottawa has only seen two per cent growth in its tech employment numbers. To solve these problems, Baker says the city needs alignment and collaboration. “It’s time that we have an organization that is responsible for talent,” he said. “We have it for the tourism sector, they do an incredible job, we have it for the tech sector, they do an incredible job. But I do ask that we come together to start forming a group that can support this agenda.” Sonya Shorey, vice-president of strategy, marketing and communications at Invest Ottawa, was more bullish about the city’s prospects. “Ottawa has so many amazing strengths,” Shorey said. “The true power as we come through his pandemic is how we harness those strengths.” Shorey said Ottawa’s tech sector is “second to none” and spoke about the city’s technology test track known as Area X.O as well as the fact that Ottawa has the highest concentration of tech talent in all of North America. “[There are] 1,750 technology companies in this region, employing 78,000 people across a multitude of sectors. We boast the highest educated workforce in all of Canada; 61 per cent of our labour force holds a post-secondary degree. For a city of 1 million, we certainly punch far above our weight,” she said. Ottawa’s potential to create disruptive technologies is vast, Shorey
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said, and the city has strengths in seval sectors, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, connected and autonomous vehicles, smart mobility, virtual reality and augmented reality. “We’re a hotbed of disruptive capability, talent and opportunity and that creates very unique competitive advantages for us, particularly when we look at those global market opportunities,” she said and added that Invest Ottawa plays a role by helping startups launch and then scale. Speaking about the sector most devastated by the pandemic, Catherine Callary, vice-president of destination development at Ottawa Tourism, took a more positive approach in telling the audience how they can help this sector — so crucial for the city’s economy — bounce back. “The economic engine that tourism offers is impressive,” Callary said. “$2.2 billion in annual visitor spending is an economic injection of more than $6 million into our city every single day. Without tourism, taxes would be higher for every tax payer because the funds that tourism generates relieve some of the burden that residents would otherwise shoulder directly. In a normal year, on an average day, there are 40,000 visitors through Ottawa. Ottawa’s tourism industry employs over 43,000 people under normal circumstances.” She offered a tip list for Ottawans about how they can help its tourism industry rebuild, to everyone’s benefit. She recommended encouraging business associations and professional groups to meet in Ottawa. “You’re likely part of an association [that has] an annual conference and you have pull within your organizations,” she said, also adding sporting events into the mix. “Meetings are booked years in advance and if you set your mind on hosting your next meeting here, Ottawa Tourism helps with every step of that process.” She encouraged residents to invite friends and family to come and visit Ottawa. “If every household in the city invited two guests to visit for a long weekend, the economic impact would be a powerful restart to our visitor economy, generating $500,000 in the city to kickstart tourism again.” Finally, she recommended “promoting, shopping and staying local” and being an ambassador for Ottawa on social media by sharing experiences in the city.
“If everyone commits to these five things, or even a couple of them, the impact on our destination would be huge,” she said. Tourism — like technology and talent — relies on good transportation systems and John Manconi, general manager of transportation services for the City of Ottawa, knows that all too well. “For cities in the 21st century to be competitive, [they] need an integrated mobility system and at all levels, the key word is integration,” he said. “[They need] public transit, biking, walking, goods movement, cars.” With big city-building projects, he said, it’s important to have OC Transpo at the table. It has been involved in discussions with Invest Ottawa about the test tracks since Day 1, Manconi said, and also with the Zibi development on the Ottawa River. Manconi said OC Transpo didn’t cut service during the pandemic because those who still needed the service would have been deeply affected by its termination. “As difficult as that was, it was absolutely the right thing to do,” he said. Stage 2 of the LRT system is another good news story, he said. “It is taking 11,000 tons of GHG and reducing it,” he said, and added that it’ll cut out 900,000 bus trips. The cost of the project is $5.6 billion and half a billion has gone to local vendors already. So far, with just Stage 1, Ottawa has the busiest LRT line in North America and Stage 2 will include a dedicated line to the Ottawa airport. His department is also investing $20 million in cycle tracks and multi-use pathways. “During the pandemic, we didn’t stick our head in the sand and worry about the doom and gloom, behind the scenes, we changed and we’re changing dramatically and that’s thanks to the investment of our city council and the support not to cut services,” he said, and added that the transportation system will soon accommodate open payment systems. “When you enter into our LRT systems and buses, you can pay any way you want,” he said. “Apple pay, credit card — and debit is coming.” Bringing all four areas — tech, talent, tourism and transportation — together, Manconi ended his remarks by saying the Board of Trade has it right. “It’s about connection, the things that come together, and relationships.”
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CAPITAL/PERLEY ROBERTSON
A THRIVING BUSINESS CONTRIBUTES TO A THRIVING CITY f city building is the process Martin, who has been with Perleyof creating a thriving city – as Robertson, Hill & McDougall for 18 years, attendees were told at an Ottawa credits an increase in public-private summit on the subject this partnerships for Ottawa’s continued growth. past spring – that process clearly requires “You can see the results across the city – a the participation and support of that city’s hospital, an arts centre and a convention thriving businesses and corporations. In centre to name a few. We have those because Ottawa, the law firm of Perley-Robertson, the private and public sectors saw the Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l. is, and always has benefits of working together to achieve a been, one of those businesses. common goal.” For more than 50 years, Perley-Robertson, Martin concedes that Ottawa has a Hill & McDougall LLP/s.r.l. has witnessed number of built-in advantages over other and participated in Ottawa’s dynamic cities - attractions like the Rideau Canal, the growth. More importantly, it has contributed Parliament Buildings and the Byward Market. to that growth, using its experience and But a more recent addition has him excited. expertise to clear a path for the city to “The LRT is great for this city,” he says. become the eclectic and thriving metropolis “It has improved our quality of life, made Martin St-Onge, Head of real-estate group it is today. things more accessible, provided greater Martin St-Onge, head of the law firm’s real Photo credit: Couvrette/Ottawa flexibility for people to live where they want, estate group, says Perley-Robertson, Hill & not necessarily where they work. That’s in McDougall – like the city it serves – has evolved dramatically over the addition to providing environmental advantages.” past 50 years. As a result, it is now widely recognized as one of the Martin, along with his entire real estate team, believes Ottawa National Capital Region’s leaders in commercial real estate law. and the entire National Capital Region will continue to thrive in the “Our extensive experience and expertise puts us in a unique future. And he believes Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall, with its position to support the city’s growth,” says Martin. “We understand history so entwined with that of the city, has a special obligation to what’s needed to attract and nurture major commercial real estate contribute to that process. “Even 50 years ago, our firm knew that developments. And our team of lawyers possess the knowledge and what was good for our community was always going to be good for expertise to unravel even the most complex real estate transactions.” our clients, for our employees and for their families. “That’s the way it is today, that’s the way it will be in the future.”
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36 C A P I TAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
CAPITAL/LEMAYMICHAUD
LEMAYMICHAUD: 3 OFFICES, ONE SHARED VISION lready present in Quebec City and Montreal, LEMAYMICHAUD Architecture Design has established its third office in Ottawa, at 81 Metcalfe Street. The decision to open this new office was motivated by the arrival of new Ontario clients and by the company's desire to be closer to its clientele.
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With more than 40 years of proven expertise, LEMAYMICHAUD has collaborated on various projects throughout Quebec, Canada and abroad, for local and multinational companies. The firm's team of architects, designers and technologists, working in collaboration between all three offices, will share its expertise and provide architectural and design solutions that meet the needs and objectives of its clients, under the leadership of Richard Smith, Architect and Ottawa Office Director. « Opening an office in Ottawa was an obvious choice to better serve our clients and their goals. We have always been actively involved in our clients' projects and strive to make them the best successes. After more than a year of teleworking, we have all the necessary tools to share our expertise and know-how, as well as to ensure a collaborative spirit and cultivate teamwork between our 3 offices. » says Alexi Lemay, Architect & Senior Partner. LEMAYMICHAUD is committed to building solid and trusting relationships with its clients, thus offering in-depth listening and understanding of their brands, their needs and their expectations. The firm is proud to work with long-standing clients, involving several generations of architects, such as with the Germain Hotels Group, La Maison Simons and Deloitte. Several projects have also won national and international awards, such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra - La musique aux enfants, the First Nations Hotel-Museum in Wendake, the Residence Inn Calgary by Marriott, Simons at Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City, the Strøm nordic spa Quebec City and Le Germain Montreal Hotel. Do you have a project to develop? The Ottawa team will be happy to help you make it happen! Left: EvoloX in Pointe Nord, Montreal. Photo credit: David Boyer Below: Tower part of the Ottawa Art Gallery – Consortium Régis Côté architects and LEMAYMICHAUD
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38 C A P ITAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
CAPITAL/National Aquatic Complex
A rendering, indicative of our vision, by Mr. Douglas Cardinal, an internationally renowned Ottawa architect.
THE NATIONAL AQUATIC COMPLEX PROJECT eep water access indoor pools for all members and disciplines of the aquatic community in Ottawa is in a desperate state! Peter J. Lawrence, a coach and athlete in the aquatic community since 1962, began a mission in 2017 to bring a state-of-the-art, technically advanced aquatic facility to the Nation’s Capital. Inspired by some of the most advanced sports facilities throughout the world, the National Aquatic Complex’s (NAqC) innovative design will house two 50m, 10 lane FINA compliant pools, a separate 25m x 25m Dive Tank and will include one of the first indoor high diving platforms in the world. Gymnasiums, a weight room, a jogging track, banquet halls, meeting rooms and restaurants will give indoor sports such as basketball, volleyball, racket sports, gymnastics, trampoline, martial arts, biathlon, triathlon and more, the facility and event hosting support they need. This fully accessible 400,000 square foot environment will also showcase the latest in audio/visual equipment, electronic officiating and broadcast capabilities ensuring an outstanding experience for both user and spectator. Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Water Polo, Diving and High Diving will attract a multitude of International, National and
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World-class Competitions. The NAqC’s objective of realizing millions of dollars in sport tourism, will aid in the support of our athletes and community. This jewel will be the destination for high performance able bodied and para-sport athletes. Bidding on events such as Commonwealth Games, Pan American Games, and the World Aquatics Championships, will restore Canada’s Capital as a destination for sport. Designed from an eco-conscious perspective, the Complex will feature water, air and energy conservation technology researched and studied around the world. Pools will have moveable floors to accommodate all athletes. Consultants from England, Ireland, Australia, Netherlands, USA, and Canada contributed to the process. The National Aquatic Complex is backed by more than 30 Letters of Support. ALL from National, Provincial and Local Aquatic Organizations and numerous Sport Governing bodies. With the persistence of the company Board of Directors, a team of Governors and volunteers, we all agree that this Complex is long overdue! While we settle with the NCC (National Capital Commission) on suitable land, Peter Lawrence’s leadership is seeing this vision materialize. More information and to support the National Aquatic complex Project please visit www.naqc.ca.
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CAPITAL/Synergy Family Office
ENTREPRENEURSHIP ALIVE AND KICKING IN OTTAWA
ttawa is being increasingly recognized for its dynamic, thriving economy. No longer primarily a government town, the city is now home to many successful businesses in all sectors of the Canadian economy, led by skilled entrepreneurs and managers. Although the global pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges, many local enterprises have not only adapted to the severe adversity, but continued to grow and thrive. Several young local entrepreneurs share in that success. Here are three of their stories.
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throughout the year. My staff and I have been encouraged by the many success stories throughout the region, including the support local businesses have received, and the way people are working together. Q: You are now involved in a few different businesses throughout the Ottawa region. What is the catalyst for these new ventures? A: Ottawa’s strong economic environment plays the key role in the success of these businesses. In a constantly evolving world it seems like opportunity is all around. Q: Where do you see your business in ten years? I don't see any limitations, only opportunities. I have been fortunate to participate on a number of boards as well as assist in some local start-ups. Ottawa is an amazing place to raise a family and I look forward to leaving a legacy for my two sons.
Andrew Abraham, serial entrepreneur invested in Ottawa ANDREW ABRAHAM, THE president and managing partner of Elite Accounting, is a third generation Ottawa entrepreneur, whose successful company has continued to expand throughout the region. Andrew was recognized as Ottawa’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021. Q: As someone who works day in and day out with small and midsize businesses, what do you see in the future Ottawa marketspace? A: The challenges are real, but I have a positive outlook on the future of my clients’ businesses. We like to stay in close contact
Kunal Gupta, visionary, thought leader and tech guru KUNAL GUPTA HAS not simply embraced change, he represents it when it comes to communicating in today's business environment. Kunal started Polar, a digital media technology provider, which has grown into an international business employing 75 people and clients in more than
Andrew Abraham
Kunal Gupta
40 C A P I TAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
20 countries. Kunal is also an avid writer and sought after speaker. Q: You have traveled throughout the world. What brings you back to Ottawa? A: I was brought up in Ottawa. I left 20 years ago to go to school in Waterloo, and then Toronto and New York. But I moved back to Ottawa to work to be close to family, and also because this is an excellent environment in which to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Q: As a seasoned tech veteran, what advice do you offer to aspiring next gen entrepreneurs? A: Three things. First, pay attention to the company that you keep. I went to the University of Waterloo and was surrounded by really smart and entrepreneurial people. I’ve been travelling around the world for a decade now, and I love being with different people because I learn so much from them. Two - ideas matter less. It’s more about getting started. Focus on the problem that you want to solve. Third - talk to customers. Customers will give you the best advice. Q: You have had success over the years, including exponential growth during a pandemic, under circumstances many people have found very difficult. How do you balance work and play? A: It’s been really important for me to cultivate my own personal mindfulness practices like meditation, yoga, journaling, walking and more. Having something that you can turn to regularly, on a daily basis, is very helpful. It’s been transformative for me, and keeps me going strong. Francesco Porcari, entrepreneur, visionary, and successor SERCO CONSTRUCTION LTD. has been serving Ottawa and the surrounding area in residential, institutional, retail, public works development, as well as commercial drywall for many years. Francesco Porcari, son of the late Sergio Porcari, is now president of this family-owned business, and has successfully entered the real estate market with SerCo Realty Group. Despite rising costs in the industry and increased competition, SerCo Construction Ltd. and SerCo Realty Group continue to grow and expand . Q: During your tenure as president of SerCo, you have been able to take this business to new heights and expand. How have your working relationships contributed to successes in the Ottawa community? A: We are noted for our workmanship and ability to maintain project schedules. I strive to build relationships based off trust and loyalty as I value our working partners. If it weren’t for these relationships, we wouldn’t be in the position we are in today. I feel very grateful to have the opportunity to branch out into real estate and property development. Being able to develop in neighbourhoods that positively impact residents and the broader community is
Francesco Porcari
something I take pride in. Q: You have taken an active role in giving back to the Ottawa community. Why has philanthropy become such an integral part of what you do? A: Over the past few years our community has done so much for me and my family. I feel I owe it to our community, especially the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, to thank them in tenfold. Two years ago, I underwent open heart surgery. I will forever be grateful for the team that saved my life and allowed me to get back to doing what I love. Q: SerCo Construction is etched in much of the development throughout Ottawa and the region. What do you aspire for your personal legacy? A: I aspire to continue doing what I love for years to come, along with my dedicated team, while making an impact in our community. I hope to one day work alongside my children, reminiscent of my father and I, and watch a new generation take our companies to new heights. I want my children to see that when you put in the work and go after your dreams, anything is possible.
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OTTAWA’S TOP 10 HIGH IMPACT PROJECTS
LTR The construction of the $4.6B Stage 2 Project is well underway all over Ottawa. When complete, the east, west, airport and southern extensions of the O-Train system will increase the capacity and efficiency of Ottawa’s transit network by adding an additional 44 kilometres of rail, 24 stations, and bringing 77% of residents within 5 kilometres of light rail. https://ottawa.ca/en/planning-development-and-construction/major-projects/ stage-2-light-rail-transit-project
Building LeBreton The National Capital Commission is transforming LeBreton Flats into a complete urban community and Capital Destination. Proposals are being developed to build a mixed-used development adjacent to the future centre Library. A successful proponent meeting or exceeding requirements on affordable housing, accessibility, energy efficiency and net zero carbon development will be selected in early 2022. Later this year, a pathway will connect the Pimisi and Bayview O-Train stations at LeBreton Flats to the Capital Pathway along the Ottawa River.
ByWard Market The City of Ottawa’s new ByWard Market Public Realm Plan establishes a common vision for the neighbourhood’s public spaces, and a roadmap to guide its physical transformation and coordinated reinvestment over time. In the future, the ByWard Market will have more space for people to move, linger, and shop. Curated programming for both daily life and celebrations, paired with higher maintenance standards, will help ensure the Market feels clean, safe and inviting. This vision is supported by several Big Moves established by the plan: large pedestrian promenades to line York, George and Clarence Streets; a pedestrian-only William Street to connect pedestrians through the heart of the Market; a new Destination Building and civic square to replace a cityowned parking garage; and, a comprehensive greening strategy to bring more than 300 new trees to the Market. ByWard Market will continue be a special place for the city; one that is befitting to define Ottawa’s image to Canadians. https://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/public-engagement/projects/ byward-market-public-realm-plan
https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/projects/building-lebreton https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/projects/lebreton-flats-master-concept-plan
Ottawa Hospital The Civic development project is now in the second of five required stages of the planning process required by the Ontario Ministry of Health. At this stage we are pleased to share with the public the proposed design of the new cutting-edge campus that will be situated near Dow’s Lake at the foot of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.
The Centre Block Project An icon of Canadian democracy, a workplace for Parliamentarians and a gathering place for Canadians, Centre Block has inspired millions of Canadians from coast to coast. You are invited to follow their journey as Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) restores and modernizes this heritage masterpiece so that it can serve Parliament and Canada for another century. https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/citeparlementaire-parliamentaryprecinct/rehabilitation/ edificeducentre-centreblock/index-eng.html
https://newcivicdevelopment.ca/ 42 C A P ITAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
AreaX.O Area X.O, the futureplex of innovation and collaboration established operated by Invest Ottawa, enables and accelerates the safe and secure development, testing, and application of next generation technologies in smart mobility, autonomy and connectivity for all sectors of our economy. https://areaxo.com/ https://www.investottawa.ca/
Soundstage Campus and Creative Hub In partnership with TriBro Studios and the National Capital Commission, the Ottawa Film Office is building the city’s first soundstage campus and creative hub. This significant economic development project will create upwards of 500 new jobs and invest an additional $40 million in the local economy in the first few years alone. With lockdowns no longer looming on the horizon and construction costs beginning to stabilize, we are looking forward to completing the design phase and commencing Phase 1 construction in 2022. https://ottawa.film/soundstage/
Library and Archives Canada The Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada Joint Facility Project is an unprecedented partnership of two major public institutions coming together to build a place where—when its doors open in 2025—Ottawa residents, Canadians and visitors from around the world will gather to connect, learn, discover, and create.
Zibi Zibi is a 34-acre waterfront community connecting the cities of Gatineau and Ottawa, where more than 5,000 people will live and 6,000 people will work, and containing 8 acres of riverside parks and public squares, and more than one million square feet of commercial space. It is one of the most sustainable communities in the world, and the first in Canada to receive One Planet Living endorsement, a global framework developed by Bioregional and the World Wildlife Fund. https://zibi.ca/
Shorelines The National Capital Commission is leading numerous projects to enhance public access and connections to the shorelines of the capital's incredible rivers. From the five recently established NCC waterfront bistros and terraces to the revitalization of Nepean Point, the Westboro Beach Pavillion and the former Ottawa New Edinburgh Club River House, we want to make it easier to sit and enjoy the unparalleled views, perhaps with a drink in hand! On the north shore of the mighty Ottawa River, we’re working with Zibi on three new NCC waterfront parks, with the Ville de Gatineau on decontaminating and animating Ruisseau de la Brasserie and have plans for new boating adventures near the Hull Wharf. Stay tuned! https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/our-plans/ottawa-river-south-shore-riverfront-park
Inspire555.ca
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CAPITAL/Stratford
AT STRATFORD, EXPERIENCE AND SUCCESS GO HAND-IN-HAND how growing companies the path to success and, with just a bit of good luck, there’s a reasonable chance they’ll find it. But walk that path with them – as the professionals at Ottawa’s Stratford Group do with every one of their clients – then that ‘reasonable chance’ becomes a near certainty. Credit for this enhanced prospect of success rests with Stratford’s collaborative approach to serving its clients. In developing long-term trusted relationships, a skilled team of Stratford professionals acts as an extension of the client’s internal team. Working hand-in-hand with the client – at times, even sharing an office or a desk – these professionals deliver the strategic and operational experience the client requires to find real and lasting success. “To be clear, we don’t create success,” says Stratford Management Consulting President Colleen Kelley. “We simply give businesses the help they sometimes need to create their own success.” Stratford’s hands-on approach to customer service was shaped by the experience of the company’s founder, Jim Roche. Before creating Stratford, Jim guided a multimillion-dollar company through rapid growth, expansion and an IPO. Looking back, he says the task would been a lot easier had he been able to work with a company like Stratford. “At the time, I wanted and often needed access to that kind of support. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available because no such company existed.” So, in 2008, he decided to fill the gap. “First and foremost, I saw Stratford as an opportunity to share the knowledge I’d acquired over the years,” says Jim. “But at the same time, I also wanted to give back. Over the years, I saw how successful businesses could contribute to a city’s growth and prosperity. How they created jobs and boosted the local economy. And
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Colleen Kelley, President
Jim Roche, Founder
4 4 C A P I TAL S UMMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE OF THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
how their success seemed to inject a real vibrancy into the surrounding community. Today, by sharing our strategic and operational experience, we’re helping other businesses achieve the success they need to prosper and to contribute.” That dedication to giving back – a central element of the company’s founding vision – now runs through the entire Stratford team. It is especially evident in the wide range of clients the company attracts and works with. In fact, some clients have been with Stratford since its inception. In addition to working with large businesses and SMEs, Stratford routinely lends it expertise to organizations and associations that directly support the city such as the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Board of Trade, Ottawa Tourism and Invest Ottawa. And it helps those groups dedicated to helping others, such as the Ottawa Cancer Foundation, and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. While Stratford has evolved to keep up with – and anticipate – the diverse needs of its clients, the company’s commitment to collaboration remains intact. So while today’s clients continue to benefit from Stratford’s comprehensive team approach, that approach now entails management consulting and advisory, intellectual property strategy, and people and culture experience and methodologies. And, as always, it begins with a single, simple question: “How can we help?” As Stratford clients have learned over and over again since 2008, in a lot of ways. All of them up close and personal.
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THE LAST WORD
Women Lead With Their Hearts, Show Strength and Resilience Facing Adversity n January 25, 2020 I was at brunch at the Carleton University cafeteria with my daughter’s Nepean Wildcats hockey team after a game. I remember learning about the first Covid-19 case in Ontario right there and then. I left the table and called my chief of staff and my deputy minister and asked them to begin planning the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture industries for a SARS like crisis that crippled the sectors we represent in 2003. I think they might have thought I was overreacting, but to this day, I am glad we proceeded. This healthcare, economic and social crisis has lasted longer and has cut much deeper than the SARS pandemic, the global economic recession and 9/11 combined. We had just recently rebranded the Ministry to better reflect its double bottom line – one that undoubtedly reminds us of Ontario’s cultural fabric and societal benefits (the things that make us love where we live like the Glengarry Highland Games, the Ottawa 67’s and the vast trails cared for by the National Capital Commission)– while also – in 2019 demonstrating an impressive economic output, too, generating over a half a million jobs in everything from local tourism attractions and restaurants to Canada’s impressive creative sectors which top ratings and charts on screens and radios around the world to our professional sports organizations, like our Ottawa Senators to recreational opportunities like boating, fishing and snowmobiling. The suite of sectors combined were worth $75 Billion in economic activity – larger than mining, forestry, and agriculture put together and larger than the GDP of Manitoba. These sectors and industries include the ultimate small business sector (think the Haunted Walk or Saunders Farm) with some of the biggest brands in the world (the National Arts Centre and Air Canada) with the largest volunteer base in the country (Bluesfest Ottawa, minor sports like those who help out the Nepean Eagles Football Club and our not for profits supported by our Ontario Trillium Foundation). Heritage, sport, tourism and culture are interconnected and ingrained within our daily lives. If we took them for granted prior to Covid19 it’s doubtful we will ever again. That’s because on March 12, 2020 these sectors were hit first with closures, hardest with immediate job losses, and as we
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have seen almost 16 months on, are taking the longest to recover. Whether kids camps, watching our beloved RedBlacks or visiting Calypso theme park or even just having a nice meal in the Byward Market the pandemic truly has reminded us that what we love about our hometowns are the exact same things that draw people to us to visit and support our local economy. I’ve had the benefit to receive guidance throughout the pandemic from Ottawa residents Michael Crockatt, Erin Benjamin, Cyril Leeder, Mark Goudie, Anthony Leblanc, Bruce Harvey, Steve Beckta, Colin Morrison, Nina Kressler and many others to help guide our social and economic recovery- their advice on tourism, live music, film/television/animation, restaurants and hotels and conventions has been invaluable as we restore Ottawa as a Gateway City that will once again attract people from around the world post-pandemic.
I think they might have thought I was overreacting, but to this day, I am glad we proceeded. This healthcare, economic and social crisis has lasted longer and has cut much deeper than the SARS pandemic, the global economic recession and 9/11 combined.
We still have much work to do given we remain in a health crisis. We will also need to boost consumer sentiments and ensure confidence in our sectors otherwise, the social crisis which we have been struggling with will exacerbate our challenges amongst our high touch, high volume sectors. All that said, however, I am optimistic that with proper planning, increased funding secured in the 2021 budget and our authentic Ontario experience, our visitor economy –both leisure and business – will position Ottawa for economic and social success. I am also optimistic that we will come through this pandemic with the creativity and ingenuity in heritage, sports, tourism and culture that only these sectors could provide, after all, they are the creators of Ontario’s spectacular double bottom line, and they’ve mastered Lisa Macleod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries this before.
46 C A P ITAL S U MMER 2021 | THE BUSINES S MAG A ZINE O F THE OT TAWA BOA R D OF TR A D E
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