M a y | J u n e 2022
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advocate May | June 2022 www.greaterkwchamber.com
features editor-in-chief:
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17 Thriving Communities at the Intersection of Immigration, Talent and Infrastructure in the Upcoming Provincial Election Tara Bedard
Art Sinclair editor:
Heather Hutchings design and production
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19 We are Stronger Together When Braided Together: The Solution for Reconciliation Stephen Jackson
Bonnie Frank - bfrank@greaterkwchamber.com Dana Walton - dwalton@greaterkwchamber.com Lisa McDonald - lmcdonald@greaterkwchamber.com contributing writers:
Tara Bedard, Matthew Bondy, Stephen Jackson, Dave Jaworsky, Deborah MacLatchy, Ian McLean, Jenna Petker, Michele Saran, Adam Smith
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21 Re-opening is not Recovery
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July 18, 2022 for September-October 2022 September 19, 2022 for November-December 2022
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23 Are You Waterloo’s Next Mayor?
Darlene Jones djones@greaterkwchamber.com
Dave Jaworsky
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Proposals and articles are accepted via mail or email c/o Editor - Advocate. Please do not send originals. All contributors articles must be accompanied by a head shot in a jpg file and a 40 word author’s bio. publications permit: #40026716
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25 Laurier Prioritizes Social Innovation Deborah MacLatchy
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27 To Boost Innovation and Prosperity after COVID19, Buy Canadian Matthew Bondy
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departments Message from the Chair
4 The Chamber’s Strategic Plan Adam Smith Message from the President
6 Waterloo Region Re-opens – Covid, the Provincial Election and Needed Investments Ian McLean Perspective on Health Care
8 Physician Recruitment Looking Ahead Jenna Petker
New Members
10 February 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022 Events
12 Mark Your Calendar Networking
14 Event Highlights Member Notables
36 Chamber Members Achieving Success
postmaster address changes c/o
Advocate - Publications Office 80 Queen Street North, PO Box 2367 Kitchener, Ontario N2H 6L4 519.576.5000 The Advocate is a bi-monthly membership benefit publication of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. Advertising content and the views expressed herein are those of the contributors and do not constitute endorsement by the Chamber. The Advocate follows the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (1990), copies are available through the Publisher. The Chamber cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur and has the right to edit material submitted. The Chamber will not accept advertising with competitor comparison claims and has the right to refuse advertising that is deemed to be false, misleading, or inappropriate.
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advocate May | June 2022
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message from the chair
The Chamber’s Strategic Plan Towards the end of January 2020, our GKWCC Board had finalized and approved our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan. As we were going through the planning exercises in late 2019, the four strategic priorities we felt were most important at that time were to: 1) Invest in better Understanding Our Members and their perceptions of the GKWCC, and also to better understand how non-member organizations perceive us. 2) Improve how we Tell Our Story, especially as it relates to the GKWCC’s constant Advocacy efforts, by reflecting on and supporting the needs of our business community. 3) Refresh our Digital Presence to make it easier for our members, and future members, to engage with us.
The weekly Chamber Update emails provided us all with a concise, reliable, and timely resource to help us understand the business impacts of the rapidly evolving requirements for lockdowns, benefits, and regulations. While this wasn’t what we had envisioned with how we might Tell Our Story, it did shine as a particularly good example of the GKWCC’s Advocacy efforts, and some of the value we bring to our members. Delayed, but not forgotten, we have invested in Understand Our Members by contracting an analytics agency to execute a statistically relevant survey of our members, and nonmembers. Over the coming months we will be reflecting on those results, and working to ensure that our strategic plan for 2023-2026 positions us to continue being the region’s best resource for the needs of our business community.
4) Examine and expand our Membership Model to give our members more options and flexibility in taking advantage of our member services. However, by this time 2 years ago, the emerging pandemic made it clear that priorities had shifted, and we would need to adjust course on the fly. Refreshing our Digital Presence immediately rose to be the top priority. While some of the things we knew were important were addressed in short order, like making the greaterkwchamber.com website more mobile friendly, making the events page easier to navigate, and simplifying the process of registering and paying for events and services. Above and beyond those efforts, bolstering our digital presence also meant rapid adaptation and adoption of online events, leveraging the Hopin platform to replicate as best we could some of the networking opportunities that were impossible in person. Our Membership Model also received immediate attention as we moved to assist businesses under significant new financial constraints. All members were given the option to move from annual to monthly payments, and those who had fallen on particularly hard times, and who had a long history of active engagement with the GKWCC were offered COVID discounts so they could continue their membership and involvement when they needed it most.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Smith CHAIR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Adam founded My IT Guy in 2004 and has grown the business substantially over the past 16 years. Today, Adam and his team deploy their collective expertise in helping small and medium sized businesses wisely invest in technology solutions that make them more efficient, more productive, and more profitable. Adam is also heavily involved with the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce since 2009, currently serving as Chair of the Board of Directors, as well as volunteering with and co-hosting the quarterly meetings of 100 Men Who Give a Damn.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS WHO HELPED MAKE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE! EVENT SPONSORS
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Token Creative Services Bingemans Sound Events Westmount Signs & Printing Adamski Photography CTV Kitchener Media
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message from the president
Waterloo Region Re-opens – Covid, the Provincial Election and Needed Investments On June 2, Ontarians will vote for local Members of Provincial Parliament, and the results of those 124 individual elections will determine which party will govern Ontario, and whether it is a majority or a minority. While this won’t be our first pandemic election, there’s no question that the world has drastically changed since the Federal election last fall, and it’s less stable than any of us would have predicted. The fallout of this COVID-19 pandemic requires that Ontarians need and want more than the usual platitudes and sound bites from political candidates and leaders. We need solid plans that detail how Ontario will re-establish and protect normalcy in our business and personal lives. Most importantly, more than two years of COVID-19 has exposed how vulnerable our health- and long-term care systems have always been. It demonstrated that we will need more comprehensive and robust responses to potential future outbreaks that will keep our children in school and our businesses open. We need to protect the integrity of our healthcare system, because if we don’t we risk more harmful lockdowns. Our local candidates in Waterloo Region should be able to tell business leaders how they plan to ensure that Ontario will have the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and clear and concise plans and guidance we all need to cope with the COVID waves that are sure to come, and they should be able to speak about these things in detail with an eye on how they will affect our Region. We expect that all our candidates will share their plans about how the Province will balance future public health needs with the economic realities facing Ontarians. Let’s remember that the last provincial election was largely fought – and won – on the issue of strengthening our healthcare system and ending hallway healthcare. This election will be no different. The need is obvious, the time to act is now. According to the OECD, as we entered COVID Canada had barely half the Intensive Care Unit beds per capita than
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the United States. Within Canada, Ontario services more people with each ICU bed than any other jurisdiction. In Newfoundland & Labrador, there are just 446 residents for each ICU or acute care bed. To our West, Manitoba has 460 residents for that same measure, while to our East in Quebec that number is almost 600. But in Ontario, there are 800 residents for each ICU or acute care bed. Plainly, our healthcare system was the most strained and stretched in North America before the pandemic. Ontario had to go through some of the longest restrictions in the world just to ensure that our health care system didn’t snap entirely. In a local context, Waterloo Region was short of both hospital beds and primary care physicians before the pandemic began and it needs to be addressed now. So our local candidates that seek to represent Waterloo Region should be able to explain how their party’s solutions for Ontario’s healthcare challenges will be addressed and felt here at home. We need to remember that while this need to invest is urgent; it’s by no means Ontario’s only need. Too many municipal governments still face huge revenue challenges two years into the pandemic. There remains an infrastructure deficit, and we will also require investments to meet our carbon emissions targets. And Waterloo Region needs firm commitments on when we’ll finally fully benefit from 2-Way All Day GO Service. Ontario can’t afford to elect a government that has failed to consider these challenges. It also can’t afford a government without plans to pay for the investments we need. We need to know our leaders have considered the impact of hikes in interest rates that could drive up the cost of provincial borrowing, what their fiscal anchors are, and how they forecast Ontario paying down its debt. This is cIearly not an an easy choice, and I don’t envy them having to balance these competing imperatives, but that’s the job they’re signing up for. And our community and Chamber will be here to help.
Of course, there are also policy issues and discussions that don’t cost government money but can impact our wealth and well-being. The recent Report of the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force, for example, recommended solutions such as increased density, and eliminating many opportunities for local input to impede development process as ways to increase the supply of housing available across the province. There can be legitimate debate about the tradeoffs involved in adopting or rejecting these measures. But we cannot afford to elect leaders who pretend there is no significant choice for us to make on this issue. And the projected population growth of Waterloo Region in the next 20-30 years will only exacerbate this challenge.
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We should ask our local candidates to take the general / provincial platform and ask them to make it more specific or local. For example, broad health care commitments could be probed, “How will this help us recruit more family doctors?” or “Where will these ICU beds be allotted locally?”
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We should give candidates a second, or even third chance to answer our questions. Sometimes complete answers are impossible to provide, so be generous in allowing candidates to exist in an imperfect universe.
This is an important election for the health and prosperity of our Province. We look forward to hearing what the parties and their representatives have to say about our collective future.
As a business community, we all want a government and local candidates to be able to provide us with a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely plan of how their party will lead the Province out of COVID and back to prosperity. To help business owners assess the relative strengths of local candidates, I’ve jotted a down a few thoughts that may help us all draw stronger answers from our local candidates: •
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We should be willing to be contacted after posting a question. It’s not always reasonable for a candidate to know off the top of their head how a broad promise will apply to each and every scenario. It is always, however, reasonable to expect a fulsome answer in a reasonable period of time. We should be willing to share enough specifics about your business or personal circumstances to allow for an informed answer. “We have fifteen employees here. How would this affect us?” or “We have three kids, twin five-year olds and a two-year-old. Would they all be eligible?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ian McLean Ian is President and CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
advocate May | June 2022
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perspective on health care
Physician Recruitment - Looking Ahead The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all sectors of business, including healthcare. The need for primary care has never been more important. Traditional recruitment efforts have been a challenge over the past two years. It also has proved to be a time of opportunity. Though the pandemic has in many ways changed how we currently connect with physicians, it has also forced us to adapt to this new, changing environment. Kitchener-Waterloo continued to be a desired location, staying consistent with pre-Covid times. An unexpected but welcome effect of the pandemic was that physicians with ties to our community chose to relocate to Waterloo Region to be closer to family and friends. Today, it seems as though brighter days are ahead. We welcome the lifting restrictions cautiously and look forward to welcoming visiting physicians to a community with busy streets, shops and restaurants, showcasing the spirit of Waterloo Region that makes this community so special.
While we take great pleasure in celebrating our progress, we realize that our physician recruitment efforts are far from over. Kitchener-Waterloo will continue to be challenged with rapid population growth, a growing number of practitioners at retirement age and younger physicians who roster smaller practices as they look for work-life balance. The Chamber Physician Recruitment Program efforts and initiatives are only made possible by the generous support and investment of our sponsors who are recognized on page 9.Thank you for your leadership and contribution to this critical program. The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce thanks our front-line workers who have continued to provide exceptional healthcare and work tirelessly to protect us over these past two years.
We also look forward to engaging with family medicine residents and physicians in traditional recruitment methods through in-person recruitment fairs and events and our Annual Family Medicine Resident event in the fall.
The Future is Bright Many factors contribute to our success in attracting new physicians. We are an exceptional community offering numerous urban and rural lifestyle amenities that appeal to both physicians and their families. They are attracted by such diverse features as the Farmer’s Markets, recreational facilities, multiculturalism, universities, colleges, varied dining options and research facilities. We are also home to the Waterloo Region Campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and the Kitchener-Waterloo Family Medicine Residency Program allowing us to “grow our own” primary health care professionals.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna Petker Jenna is Physician Recruitment Lead for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
Thank you to our dedicated sponsors for helping the Chamber continue its goal of eliminating the doctor shortage in Waterloo Region.
PLATINUM
GOLD
SILVER
BRONZE
COMMUNITY
Individual Contributors
AL HAYES
IAN MCLEAN
new members
February 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022 Avid Pest Control
How Money Works
Osteo @ The Attic Inc.
Pest Control Services Adam Menassa, Manager avidpestinfo@gmail.com avidpest.com Phone: (519) 804-8313
Financial Planning Consultants Hilal Pervaiz, Financial Coach 291 Woodlawn Road West, Unit 6 & 7 Guelph, ON N1H 7L6 businesswithhilal@gmail.com Phone: (226) 600-7716
Osteopathy Belinda Grimaudo Osteopathic Manual Practitioner 37 King Street West Kitchener, ON N2G 1A1 info@osteoattheattic.com osteoattheattic.com Phone: (647) 962-8144
BrasCan Facility Services Cleaning Service-Residential/ Commercial/Industrial Daniele Sobrinho, Operation Manager 19 Ridge Road, Unit 42 Cambridge, ON N3E 0C7 info@brascanfacility.com brascanfacility.com Phone: (226) 989-3172
Cellar 52 Venues, Halls & Auditoriums Stephanie Randall, Owner 1430 King Street North, Unit 1 St Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0 cellar52@thestellacollective.ca cellar52.ca Phone: (519) 240-7550
ELK Construction Management Inc. Construction Ryan Marriott, President 61 Belwood Crescent Kitchener, ON N2C 1Z4 info@elkcmi.com Phone: (226) 235-7440
Faire Wholesale Internet Shopping Puneet Birgi, Employer Brand Lead 85 Willis Way, Unit 300 Waterloo, ON N2J 0B9 puneet.birgi@faire.com faire.com
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Just Pests Pest Control Services A Menassas, Manager Justpests@gmail.com justpests.ca Phone: (519) 804-8417
Local Box Co Gifts & Home Decor Alyson Domm, Owner mylocalboxco@gmail.com thelocalboxco.ca Phone: (519) 503-1712
Milkman's Daughter Food Services Amy Grimba, Owner/Operator 20 Hurst Avenue, Unit 1 Kitchener, ON N2G 2Z7 info@milkmansdaughter.ca milkmansdaughter.ca Phone: (519) 729-1518
Minuteman Press - Waterloo Printers Zoe Shelp, Owner 620 Davenport Road, Unit 16 Waterloo, ON N2V 2C2 waterloo@minutemanpress.com Phone: (519) 725-4441
Musson Law Lawyers David Morneau Senior Counsel & Managing Lawyer 51 Breithaupt Street, Suite 100 Kitchener, ON N2H 5G5 dmorneau@mlawgroup.ca mlawgroup.ca Phone: (519) 840-0863 Fax: (647) 476-5456
Paul Rai - Mortgage Agent Mortgage Brokers Paul Rai, Owner - Agent 231 Forest Creek Drive, Kitchener, ON N2R 0M2 paul.rai@vinegroup.ca vinegroup.ca/paul-rai Phone: (647) 780-9397
Pestex Pest Control Pest Control Services C Menassa, Manager pestexcanada@gmail.com pestex.ca/ Phone: (519) 804-8352
Peto MacCallum Ltd Engineers - Consulting Scott Jeffrey, Regional Manager, Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Services 165 Cartwright Avenue Toronto, ON M6A 1V5 sjeffrey@petomaccallum.com www.petomaccallum.com Phone: (416) 785-7202
Porchlite Relocations & Executive Residences Relocation Services Wendy Stahley, President 6 Charnwood Court Kitchener, ON N2N 1L3 wendy@porchliterelocations.com porchliterelocations.com Phone: (519) 500-8223
new members
February 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022 Pynx Productions
SmartCell Communications
Visual Sense Eye Care
Audio Visual Production Services Mike D’Eri, Owner 434 Lynden Road, Unit 1 Brantford, ON N3T 5M1 mike@pynxpro.ca pynxpro.ca Phone: (519) 304-9508
Telecommunications Steve Myrie Business Development Manager 901 Victoria Street North Kitchener, ON N2B 3C3 steve.myrie@smartcell.ca smartcell.ca/smartcell-kitchener Phone: (519) 465-0753
Optometrists (Main);Vision Therapy & Rehabilitation Tanya Polonenko, Optometrist/ President/Owner 385 Fairway Road South, Unit 202 Kitchener, ON N2C 2N9 dr.tpolonenko@visual-sense.ca visual-sense.ca Phone: (519) 208-2040
ReadyChek Inc Transportation Chad Vance, CEO 5-420 Erb Street West, Suite 355 Waterloo, ON N2L 6K6 support@readychek.com readychek.com Phone: (519) 635-2127
The Caring Mushroom Food Wholesaler Eric Cyr, Owner info@thecaringmushroom.ca thecaringmushroom.ca Phone: (519) 500-7653
The Raw Company Financial Planning Consultants Richard Daugherty, Financial Planner 470 Weber Street North, Unit 201 Waterloo, ON N2L 6J2 richard@ogilvie.ca Phone: (519) 744-4083
Pet Food Retailers Kristin Goad, Owner 383 Elgin Street North, Unit 5 Cambridge, ON N1R 8C1 therawcompany519@gmail.com rawcompany.ca Phone: (519) 654-2342
SAAB Immigration Services Inc
The Sales Floor
Immigration & Naturalization Consultants Dikshit Soni, Regulated Immigration Consultant 72 Saddlebrook Court Kitchener, ON N2R 0P6 dikshit@saabimmigration.ca saabimmigration.ca Phone: (647) 936-4499
Sales Training Kyle Barrer, Sales Director 200 Bathurst Drive Waterloo, ON N2V 2L7 kyle@thesalesfloor.ca thesalesfloor.ca Phone: (226) 666-1530
RichLine Financial Inc.
Wellbeing Waterloo Region Social & Human Services Organizations Paige Monck-Whipp, Network Catalyst 150 Frederick Street, 5th Floor Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3 hello@wellbeingwr.ca wellbeingwaterloo.ca Phone: (519) 575-1493
Worthy Skin & Beauty Bar Spas - Beauty & Health Allison McCormick, Owner 255 Northfield Drive East, Unit 4 Waterloo, ON N2K 0G5 info@worthywaterloo.ca worthywaterloo.ca Phone: (226) 647-1538
Showerline Sales Plumbing Contractors Dan Martin, Owner danmartin@showerline.ca showerline.ca Phone: (519) 496-5583
advocate May | June 2022
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events
Mark Your Calendar Thursday, May 19th
Thursday, June 2nd
Federal Leaders Speaker Series: Michael Chong
Manufacturing Summit
11:00am-12:15pm Location: Virtual Event (Hosted on Hopin) Tickets: Complimentary registration for Members, thanks to the generosity of our Sponsors. Join us as we hear from the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Conservative Party, Michael Chong, to discuss the issues that are important to the Canadian business community.
10:00am – 1:00pm Location: Virtual Event (Hopin) Members: $45 ∙ Future Members: $75 ∙ Member Exhibitor Booth: $175 ∙ Future Member Exhibitor Booth: $195 The Greater KW Chamber, along with key corporate sponsors and community partners, host the annual Manufacturing Summit as a way to bring the manufacturing and supply chain communities together in Waterloo Region. Join us (virtually) for keynote presentations, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and an interactive expo.
Title Sponsor: Platinum Sponsor:
Gold Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsor:
Thursday, May 26th MNP Speed Networking 8:30am – 10:00am Location: Virtual Event (Hopin) Members: $20 ∙ Future Members: $40 This Speed Networking event is always highly anticipated! Meet other business professionals in a quick (yet efficient) method of virtual networking. You’ll be randomly matched with an individual for a timed one-on-one video conversation. PLUS, we’ll kick-off the event with a speed round of group networking! Title Sponsor: Supporting Sponsor: Media Sponsor:
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Sign & Print Sponsor: PRINT
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Bronze Sponsors:
Event Sponsor:
events
Mark Your Calendar Tuesday, June 9th
Wednesday, June 15th
YNCU Chamber Young Professionals: In the Hot Seat
Libro Business Around 5: Live at Belmont Village
11:30am – 1:30pm Location: Kentucky Bourbon & BBQ Member $25 ∙ Future Member $45 Just like “First We Feast Hot Ones” – Kris Ronan of Ginger Goat sits down with a (local) celebrity, interview style, to ask hot questions while they eat even hotter wings. Chris Albinson, President & CEO of Communitech, will be in the Hot Seat for this one. Join us on the patio at Kentucky Bourbon & BBQ for food and drinks, as Chris answers all our burning questions.
5:00 – 7:00pm Location: FireDUp in Belmont Village Members: Complimentary ∙ Future Members: $15 Come to Belmont Village at FireDUp by Chef D! Enjoy food prepared by Chef D, a cash bar, live entertainment, and networking with the business community as we “return to live” with the BA5! Title Sponsor: Gold Sponsor:
Title Sponsor: Supporting Sponsor: Event Sponsor:
Event Partner:
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Sign & Print Sponsor: PRINT
Every Wednesday Manulife Business Success Series 1:00pm-2:00pm Location: Virtual Event (Zoom) Members: Complimentary The Manulife Business Success Series is a free weekly event that explores timely topics and resources for businesses, giving your organization tools it needs to thrive. Sessions are hosted live every Wednesday at 1:00pm, and a recording of each session is made available online, to watch on-demand. Title Sponsor: Platinum Sponsor:
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networking
Event Highlights The spring presented another busy event season! We hosted several events, including the International Women’s Day Breakfast, Part 2 of the Cyber Security Series (Canada: A Global Cyber Talent Destination), the Energy & Environment Forum, and the Provincial Leaders Series. We also had our first large LIVE event in more than 2 years, with the 2022 Business Excellence Awards Gala, sponsored by Cowan Insurance Group! The local business community came together (in person and virtually) to celebrate the accomplishments of businesses right here in our Region. Here are the fourteen winners who each took home an award: New Business of the Year Award (Under 2 Years) Sponsor: Bell Canada Winner: A Friendlier Company Business of the Year Award (1-10 Employees) Sponsor: MNP LLP Winner: Four All Ice Cream Business of the Year Award (11-50 Employees) Sponsor: Miller Thomson LLP Winner: Diva International Business of the Year Award (Over 50 Employees) Sponsor: University of Waterloo Winner: Grand River Hospital
Community Builder of the Year Award Sponsor: Heffner Lexus & Heffner Toyota Winner: Morty’s Pub Employee Engagement Award Sponsor: Conestoga College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning Winner: Axonify
Michael R. Follett Community Leader of the Year Award Sponsor: Equitable Life of Canada Winner: Martha George Non-Profit/Charitable Award Sponsor: MTE Consultants Inc. Winner: Anishnabeg Outreach
Environment and Sustainability Award Sponsor: Enbridge Winner: AET Group
Service Excellence in Hospitality & Tourism Award Sponsor: Gowling WLG Winner: Canoeing the Grand
Health & Wellness in the Workplace Award Sponsor: WalterFedy Winner: Kuntz Electroplating
Volunteer of the Year Award Sponsor: Wilfrid Laurier University Winner: Steve Ashton
Innovation Award Sponsor: Scotiabank Winner: eHealth Centre of Excellence
Young Professional of the Year Award Sponsor: PwC Winner: Armen Bakirtzian
Congratulations to all nominees and award winners and thank you to all sponsors who made this event such a success! If you missed any of them and want to catch-up on the content, you can visit our YouTube channel for recordings of all these events and more. www.youtube.com/GreaterKWChamber ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carolyn Marsh
Mhari Reid
Carolyn is Events Manager for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
Mhari is Events Coordinator for the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
Public Health Vaccine Clinic
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advertorial
Asked and Answered with Lerners LLP Keeping Business Private and Bill 88: What You Need to Know About Privacy Obligations
1
What personal information can be disclosed regarding employee vaccination status?
None, unless you have an employee’s consent to such disclosure. An employer will have to balance the need to protect the health and safety of staff and customers, with respecting the privacy of employees. A business is able to advise that it has a vaccination mandate in place, but the vaccination status of individual employees should not be disclosed. This response assumes that there are no provincial or municipal orders in place that require vaccination status disclosure for contact tracing purposes.
2
What are the legal implications if my company’s database is compromised?
The privacy obligations for most businesses, including those for reporting data breaches that involve personal information, are set out in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. A business is required to report data breaches to affected individuals and to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if it is reasonable to believe that the breach of security safeguards creates a real risk of significant harm to an individual. Significant harm includes bodily harm, humiliation, damage to reputation or relationships, loss of employment, business or professional opportunities, financial loss, identity theft, negative effects on a credit record and damage to or loss of property. If a business provides “health care”, there are additional reporting obligations in the event of a breach of personal health information that are set out in the Personal Health Information Protection Act. In the event of a data breach, a business should immediately notify its insurer to determine if legal assistance is available through its cyberincident coverage to respond to the breach.
3
The Ontario government is introducing legislation that requires a business to disclose to employees if they are being electronically monitored. What does this mean for my business?
Bill 88 is currently before the provincial legislature that, if passed, will add a part to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, titled “Written Policy on Electronic Monitoring”. The proposed legislation is intended to provide transparency and privacy protection to workers, ensuring that they know how their use of company computers, cell phones, GPS systems, and other electronic devices is being tracked. Employers will be required to have a policy in place that discloses whether the employer electronically monitors employees, how it monitors employees and under what circumstances, and the purpose of collecting the electronic monitoring information. It remains to be seen what will constitute “electronic monitoring”, as it is not defined in Bill 88. Many companies utilize software that gathers information, indirectly, about employee actions. Common examples include data security software, and software with artificial intelligence that gathers user data to identify patterns that can be leveraged to create efficiencies in business operations. It is possible that this type of “monitoring” will need to be disclosed in the required policy. Alysia Christiaen Alysia Christiaen is a partner and the Chief Privacy Officer at Lerners LLP, with more than 10 years of experience in advising clients on the issues most critical to them. 519.640.6344 achristiaen@lerners.ca
feature
Thriving Communities at the Intersection of Immigration, Talent and Infrastructure in the Upcoming Provincial Election Immigration is a defining feature of Canada’s past, present and future. Immigrants live in our community, access services and support business like everyone else. They enrich the life of our community through volunteering, philanthropy, arts, culture, cuisine and more. The success of immigrants benefits everyone. Despite slow growth in the first year of the pandemic, immigration in Canada and Waterloo Region has been on the rise for the last ten years. Annual permanent immigration levels in Canada will have grown by 90% between 2014 and 2024 according to the latest immigration levels plan. Statistics Canada tell us that 80% of population growth now comes from immigration. Here in Waterloo Region, we saw a 250% increase in permanent immigration landings from 2015 to 2021 – a record high year for immigration. In 2016 there were almost 120,000 immigrants living in Waterloo Region, and as of 2018 there was additionally more than 34,000 temporary residents living here. This will continue to grow as the federal government continues to increase immigration and it is impacting life in the region. Most immigrants are of working age and are selected to come to Canada because they are likely to succeed in our economy. When we ask immigrants about their greatest challenges, employment and housing are at the top. It can be very difficult to land meaningful jobs where they can contribute their full skills and experience, or find housing that is affordable and suitable to their family’s needs. Employers are facing a talent crisis that has been growing and exacerbated in the pandemic. We hear many challenges from employers across sectors when it comes to hiring newcomers ranging from not knowing how to access talent, complicated immigration programs, real or perceived language barriers, regulatory barriers, skills mismatch and more. There is fierce competition for talent in Waterloo Region and we also compete globally as international talent considers a range of destinations. Prospective immigrants are looking at not just employment opportunities, but the quality of life they will enjoy in their country and community of choice. Will they find good housing (we have a housing shortage)? Will they be able to access health care (we have a shortage of doctors)?
What educational opportunities are available? What is culture of the community like and what kinds of arts, culture and social opportunities are available? In the upcoming provincial election and as we move forward into a post-pandemic era, there is a strong connection between talent attraction and retention, immigration and population growth and the resulting pressures that must be urgently addressed. We need smart and targeted provincial policy and investments in the coming term of government. We need investment in small and medium sized business viability and growth to ensure many competitive, well-paid jobs are available across sectors. We need targeted and agile immigration programs that enable employers to access quickly the talent they need, and the removal of regulatory hurdles that prevent skilled immigrants from entering regulated professions and trades. We need greater investment in targeted employment programs for immigrants in communities outside the GTA to help them better bridge into meaningful work when they arrive. We need better forecasting for population and community infrastructure growth, combined with substantially more investment in new housing at all levels of affordability, in increased capacity in our health system and graduation of many more family physicians who can take on new patients, in affordable childcare, in education and much more. This will create thriving and prosperous communities for everyone in our community, regardless of where they were born.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Bedard Tara Bedard is the Executive Director of the Immigration Partnership of Waterloo Region. The Immigration Partnership is a collaboration of over 60 community service, post-secondary, business and municipal organizations plus residents of Waterloo Region working together to create the conditions for immigrants to succeed and help build a welcoming, dynamic community.
advocate May | June 2022
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We are Stronger Together When Braided Together: The Solution for Reconciliation Anishnabeg Outreach (AO) is a non-profit in Kitchener, whose mission is to support First Nations, Inuit and Métis, by creating a sustainable and comprehensive suite of centralized wrap around services and to establish AO as an innovative hub/heart of best practices for economic development, training, and employment on reserves and urban settings. There are 2 million Indigenous peoples living in Canada with an estimate of 50,000 self-identified Indigenous people living in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph. Indigenous people represent 50% of our local homeless population, 50 75% of our children in care across the country, and over 30% of our prison population nationally, with women’s prisons accounting for 50% of Indigenous inmates. For Indigenous children in school, there is a 500% higher drop-out rate. In addition to being massively overrepresented within these systems, we also see a lack of healing, which includes poverty, addiction, and higher rates of food insecurity. There is massive system avoidance with police, education, health care and Family and Children’s Services. There are hundreds of years of intergenerational trauma and many systemic barriers with business. For these reasons, at AO, reconciliation is viewed through the lens of healing and economic independence that must be Indigenous led and developed though partnership if there is any hope for reconciliatory success. As an organization, we have deconstructed reconciliation into three pillars. Pillar One is about achieving reconciliation for First Nations, Inuit and Metis by restoring access to culture, repairing the family unit, and helping people heal. It is through healing people will be able to maintain employment, have healthier relationships, and prosperous futures. For First Nations, Inuit and Metis, access to cultural support is life changing. The second pillar is centered around helping businesses achieve Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Action item # 92.2 “ensuring that First Nations, Inuit and Metis have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.” The third pillar focuses on achieving reconciliation nationally by developing partners and champions and using educational resources to activate public spaces to build tolerance and raise awareness for all Canadians.
With the provincial election on the minds of Ontarians it is a great time to highlight how both provincial government and corporate Canada can come together to accomplish pillar number two. Government and corporate policies talk about the importance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), yet overwhelmingly, we still see an underrepresentation of equity deserving groups in business. Companies and government are demonstrating an emerging desire for EDI. The real reason that we have not achieved equity and representation at all levels is because, as a society, we have not invested in building out the EDI talent pool. And without a skilled talent pool, equity is impossible. In addition, companies and organizations still have many barriers to entry including education, number of years of experience, policies, practices, etc., making many jobs inaccessible to many equity groups. AO has a solution in place to accomplish all three pillars. AO’s systems are the supports needed to achieve reconciliation in our lifetime. Pillar One: Our AO Nest is a best in class and easy to navigate Learning Management System that delivers culture, language, early years support, and employment training. Pillar Two: A new Mental Health Management System we are building offers a self-directed mental health healing process. Pillar three: As part of the AO Nest Learning Management System, we offer virtual and in person reconciliation training and partner with organizations to activate their public spaces. We think of our 3 pillars as a braid. Three pillars or strands can stand alone, but when braided together are stronger. Similarly, when government, business and citizens work together, we are stronger together.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephen Jackson, MASc. Stephen Jackson is the CEO for Anishnabeg Outreach, , a survivor of the 60’s Scoop Stephen holds a Master of Industrial Psychology and a Bachelor of Science.
advocate May | June 2022
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Re-opening is not Recovery On March 1st the tourism industry in Ontario reached an important COVID-19 milestone. While re-opening brings with it a sense of normality, there are still some significant barriers to overcome. Tourism was the first industry hit by the pandemic, it was the hardest hit, and it will be the last to recover. Prior to COVID-19, tourism was responsible for one in ten jobs in Canada and generated $105 billion in annual tourism spending. A mere year later, tourism spending dropped by half to 53B. It is expected that Canada won’t start to regain its 2019 numbers until 2026. In Waterloo Region, where we rely mainly on visitors from within Ontario, we are in a much better position with recovery expected to happen by 2024. Waterloo Region tourism businesses all deserve significant praise for how they adapted to new business models due to ever-changing restrictions. Safety protocols ensured healthy visitors. Explore Waterloo Region and RT04 were pleased to announce over $590,000 was issued to hotels, attractions and other operators to offset costs associated with retrofits for COVID health requirements through the Tourism Adaptation and Recovery Program (TARP). We are well-aware as business ramps up, the main issue now for most businesses is that of labour shortages. Recovery hinges on our ability to attract and maintain workers across the skills spectrum. Tourism industry associations, both provincial and federal, are advocating for the federal government to create a labour strategy with a path to permanent residency. They are also lobbying to increase capacity to expedite processing of immigration applications to meet demand for a busy spring and summer season. One of our concerns at Explore Waterloo Region is that we will miss out on bidding opportunities for meetings and sporting events as hotels and venues do not have the staffing capacity to meet our response deadlines. For those visitors that do decide to travel this spring and summer, there is real potential that service levels will not meet expectation and that can cause damage to the brand. Encouraging visitors to travel again is one of the key challenges we face as an industry in 2022. It is great news that the Federal government removed the requirement
for fully vaccinated international visitors to provide a pre-arrival PCR test. The tourism industry continues to lobby government to remove all testing requirements for fully vaccinated visitors in the short-term and then when appropriate, for unvaccinated visitors, to truly make travel a seamless experience again. There is considerable pentup demand to travel in both domestic and international markets but there has never been so much competition. We need to make our region as compelling as possible. Pushing the message of safety protocols combined with creating enticing experiences that encourage people to stay longer and spend more will assist in rebuilding our industry. We are very pleased that the provincial government has created the StayCation Tax credit program that allows residents to claim 20% of the total cost of eligible accommodation booked between Jan1 and Dec31, 2022. The maximum amount that can be claimed is up to 20% of a $1000 for an individual and 20% of $2000 for a family. The tax credit is a great “valueadd” for all marketing messaging. We at Explore Waterloo Region invite you to get out and enjoy everything the area has to offer. Be an ambassador for the region and reach out and invite your friends and relatives to visit. There are always wonderful ideas and deals on www. explorewaterloo.ca and on our social channels. There will be incredible competition for visitors this summer so let’s rally around our community and support local!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Michele Saran Michele Saran is the new CEO of Explore Waterloo Region. She has over 30 years of experience in the Tourism industry at municipal, provincial and federal levels. Most recently she held the role of CEO of Tourism Nova Scotia
advocate May | June 2022
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Canada's Innovation Corridor Business Council Four years ago Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade between Waterloo Region and Toronto formed the Canada's Innovation Corridor Business Council with representation from Brampton, Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Halton Hills, Hamilton, Milton and Mississauga. The original mandate was to optimize economic opportunities within the growing Innovation Corridor and lobby for appropriate infrastructure support most notably improved passenger rail service. The group was also active in the establishment of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, the recipient of funding under the Super Cluster Innovation Fund to support the integration of Canadian advanced manufacturing and IT resources. The work of the Business Council is strongly supported by many business and institutional partners and we thank them for making the Waterloo Region-Toronto Corridor a premier location for investment, research, and job creation.
Thanks to the Greater KW Chamber partners that sponsor our efforts on this important initiative.
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Are You Waterloo’s Next Mayor? Election Day 2014 is just a blur. After months of knocking on doors and talking at doorsteps all across Waterloo, the goal of the final day is to remind supporters that today is Election Day and to “get out the vote”! On Election Day, my wife Jan and I nervously waited at Waterloo Inn. Thanks to the efforts of my campaign team, around 8 pm, it was announced that I was victorious. What an exciting moment filled with smiles, balloons, and applause. However, I vividly remember one question from a reporter: “Is this the best day of your life?” I had to think for a moment before I replied no. That response startled both the reporter and me. I explained my thinking: our wedding day would be first, then the birth of our children, and then election night. As I reflect on the past eight years, it is clear that many aspects and experiences in a person’s life can help them be a successful mayor, namely: thoughtfulness, decisiveness, honesty, open-heart, life experiences, teamwork, emotional intelligence and of course, a sense of humour! If anyone is thinking of running for the “power” of the office, you might as well forget it. There are no special powers as staff and councillors do not report to the mayor and the mayoral budget is essentially non-existent. The power of being the mayor must come from within: leadership, listening, understanding, encouraging, inspiring, seeing and making connections. Our community is a resilient one and the mayor’s job is to keep it that way. Before I took office, our largest employer had shed about 8000 jobs locally and we needed to retain that top talent and create new companies. Next, we had open-heart surgery in our community as we installed light rail transit. The LRT is enabling our future growth while limiting sprawl onto farmland and preserving the urban-rural fabric that makes Waterloo Region so special. Then, the pandemic arrived. As we continue our fight against this deadly virus, we all need to support local businesses and move forward with kindness. Citizens, city and regional staff and elected officials all have a big part to play in the success of our beautiful region. As I look back on my eight years as mayor, I realize we have accomplished so much together.
Rejuvenation. That is the word I would use to describe our achievements here in Waterloo. After years of planning and construction, so many projects are nearing completion. Our uptown streetscape is a welcoming people-friendly environment. We have replaced our older-adult recreation complex with a brand-new facility and we just opened a new glass-encased gymnasium. Anyone for pickle ball? Waterloo Park, the jewel of the city, has seen many improvements and Silver Lake will be our crowning achievement. A new east-side library branch will open this spring, rounding out our community access. While one kid plays sports at RIM Park, the rest of the family can enjoy time exploring the library. Being mayor is the ultimate community role, so why am I leaving? Part of the answer lies in my response to the reporter on election night – life. There is always more to do with family and friends and opportunities abound in a great community like Waterloo. I also believe in karma. My previous experiences allow me to contribute and have fun in something that has yet to reveal itself. In short: I have no plans. Sometimes you have to fire yourself and pass the baton. A mayor could not ask for more. Success abounds in our three post-secondary schools, dozens of global institutes and hundreds of non-profits. The City of Waterloo is like a rocket ready to take off. Collectively we are ready to light the fuse on this rocket. Are you Waterloo’s next mayor?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dave Jaworsky Former GKWCC Board Member and generally interesting fellow, as seen on LinkedIn. My calendar for 2023 is wide open, so invite me to be a fill-in at your Chamber event table!
advocate May | June 2022
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Laurier Prioritizes Social Innovation As we think about the future, and all the opportunities and challenges it presents, universities have an important role to play in creating knowledge, driving innovation, and supporting our communities in shared prosperity. Ontario, and in particular, the Waterloo Region, has an exceptional track record for innovation and entrepreneurship. This is a community of talented people with incredible ideas who will continue to shape our world in the coming decades. At Wilfrid Laurier University, we are focused on creating the conditions in which this talent can flourish as we move forward from the pandemic. Universities have the expertise, capacity, and responsibility to harness and support talent, not only for economic benefit, but also to tackle the existential challenges of our time. How universities build ecosystems that support innovators and entrepreneurs is becoming increasingly important in a world that needs bold leaders and ideas. Laurier has a strong tradition upon which to build as we chart this new vision. We are a national leader in social entrepreneurship and innovation. At its core, social innovation is the development of fresh ideas in response to current systems and structures that are failing society. One example of this is our reliance on single-use plastics for consumer items, which is creating an ecological disaster and is untenable for the future of our planet. Laurier is a place where students, faculty, staff, and community members—many as entrepreneurs— come together to find solutions to social, cultural and environmental challenges such as this. Our researchers are making discoveries and innovations that touch many facets of everyday life and we are providing the necessary conditions for students to pursue entrepreneurial aspirations that provide social benefit. Our students have received global attention for their social entrepreneurship as back-to-back runners-up at the Enactus World Cup in 2020 and 2021. The Enactus competition recognizes business ideas that have social impact and address a pressing need in our world. Through Enactus, Laurier students developed EarthSuds, a shampoo tablet that eliminates the plastic waste of hotel shampoo bottles. This product is now available in more than 70 retail stores across North America and the business continues to grow. Another student-led, made-at-Laurier idea born from Enactus is Last20, a business that upcycles plastic water bottles into a binding
agent for asphalt. This innovation has now been piloted in a paving project in Brantford. Through our Lazaridis Scale-Up Program, Laurier alumna Carinne Chambers-Saini was able to scale up her business that offers a sustainable, eco-friendly menstrual cup. With the Scale-Up program’s help, Diva International has grown into an international company, headquartered in Kitchener, which has sold more than 6.5 million units in 40 countries. These are just a few examples of Laurier’s social entrepreneurship and innovation in action. Every day, our university community is proving that businesses focused on social good can create economic prosperity while at the same time solving some of the existential problems our society faces. In the coming months, Laurier will bring into greater focus our strengths in social entrepreneurship and innovation with the development of an institutional innovation and entrepreneurship strategy. This strategy will set a vision to guide this work across our campuses, in Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, and soon, Milton. This strategy will focus our post-pandemic priorities—in collaboration with our host communities—as we identify and integrate social and economic opportunities. I believe that universities have a moral imperative to encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators to frame their work in the context of social good. Ideally, all successful businesses of the future will prioritize equity, sustainability and good governance. We know that economic prosperity does not need to be incompatible with these goals. Our future depends on communities and leaders who embody these ideals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah MacLatchy Deborah MacLatchy is the president and vice-chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University and a distinguished biologist. Dr. MacLatchy spearheaded the development of the Laurier Strategy: 2019-2024, which focuses the university’s priorities on future readiness and building a thriving community.
advocate May | June 2022
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Is your organization leaking money? Water efficiency is a way to cut costs and be environmentally responsible. We can help! From simple tweaks to larger projects, we’ll help you choose a smart investment. It starts with a FREE no-strings-attached water use review. Then we offer 50/50 cost sharing for audits or a consultant’s fees. And we provide rebates to improve the return on your water-saving projects. Our service is free, so contact the Region’s Water Efficiency team now while funds last. 519-575-4400 ext. 3558 Deaf and hard of hearing (TTY): 519-575-4608 Email: wbrabazon@regionofwaterloo.ca www.regionofwaterloo.ca/conservation 26
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To Boost Innovation and Prosperity after COVID19, Buy Canadian The name of this magazine - The Chamber Advocate resonates with me more now than ever. Over the course of the COVID19 pandemic, the Greater KW Chamber of Commerce, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Waterloo Economic Development Corporation, Explore Waterloo Region, and Communitech have worked closely together to do just that: advocate for business. Under the shared banner of the Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BESTWR), we've engaged federal and provincial government leaders to advocate for clear cashflow support and debt relief for small-and-medium sized enterprise and workers; we've worked with and advised Waterloo Region Council on local pandemic protocols; and we hold regular, valuable discussions with elected officials about big picture priorities that can drive your prosperity and Canada's - for the long term. One of those priorities is Buy Canada. As business leaders, you have lived the economic disruption caused by the pandemic. We saw supply chains buckle under the pressure of high global infection rates and narrow national self interest by some of our trading partners. When we couldn't get PPE shipped from Minnesota to Canada, at the height of pandemic economic turmoil, I believe Canada hit a turning point. Even strong supporters of open markets and free trade have come to believe that Canada needs to rely more on our own people and our own resources to secure critical supply chains. That would be a good enough reason for governments and corporate procurement partners to buy more Canadian. But that's only the beginning: strategic public procurement can play a much, much bigger role in supporting innovation and domestic prosperity than it currently does. And governments are listening.
The Ontario government, for example (disclosure: I previously worked as an advisor to Premier Ford) quietly announced a new strategic public procurement initiative this winter as part of its second Red Tape Reduction Act. The procurement aspect - called the Building Ontario Businesses Initiative - levels the playing field for domestic companies bidding for public contracts. For example, if a Waterloo Region company pays higher wages than a competitor from China resulting in a slightly higher bid, the new procurement rules will take that into account when making procurement decisions. Communitech was proud to support the creation of this initiative and we're working hard for even more. The federal government, too, is taking excellent steps to open procurement up to domestic firms. Building on the success of Innovative Solutions Canada, which funds domestic companies to solve innovation challenges, the feds mobilized industry to fight COVID-19 and made it easier to deploy resources to domestic manufacturers and businesses by expanding the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). This is great momentum, and Communitech - along with our partners at the Chambers of Commerce - are working hard to deliver more results in the months to come. Working together with business leaders, labour, and public officials, we'll continue to focus the nation's attention on the benefits of Buying Canadian. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matthew Bondy, MA Matthew Bondy is vice-president of external relations at Communitech in Kitchener.
advocate May | June 2022
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Helping Us Make Our Vision Possible A special Thank You to each of these Chamber Sponsors.
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member notables
Member Notables WWDSS partners with TWB Brewing to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day On March 21st, Waterloo Wellington Down Syndrome Society (WWDSS) celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by partnering with TWB Brewing. One of our members, Anthony Tamming has been working at TWB Brewing in Kitchener since 2019. He started out, like all new staff, helping with tasks at the bar - labeling beers, pouring pints, and greeting customers! He has always had an interest in the brewing process itself, and this is the first beer he had a hand in brewing. The beer was crafted with Anthony’s involvement at every step: from sampling, where he identified flavours and styles he liked; to brewing the beer itself; and, selecting the name: AJ & Zeus, to honour his dog. With overwhelming popularity, individual cans/6-packs/24s are sold out but you can still buy the WWDSS sets (2 cans with WWDSS swag). AJ & Zeus will also be on draught in TWB’s Taproom. Toast us to show your support!
Jony Studios partners with publisher Penguin Random House Jony Studios (a client-focused recording studio offering audio/video production, podcasting, and audiobook services) based in Waterloo was chosen to partner with one of the biggest book publishers in the world, Penguin Random House. Jony Mansilla and his team helped in the recording and production, working alongside PRH senior audio engineer, Richard Romaniello based in NY, who has worked with Glenn Close, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, Michael Moore, Dolly Parton, Christopher Plummer, and many others. “Working with the Jony Studios team on our audiobook project was fantastic! They were very professional, attentive, and always happy to help. I would definitely recommend Jony and his team, and we look forward to collaborating with them again soon.” - Julie Wilson (Senior Manager, Penguin Random House).
Your Neighbourhood Credit Union celebrates 75th Anniversary Your Neighbourhood Credit Union (YNCU) is proud to celebrate and reflect on 75 years of being a committed community partner and trusted financial institution in the Waterloo region and beyond. YNCU’s foundation is built on connectedness to the communities where it operates. With 17 branches, Ontarians can bank close to home across southwestern and northern Ontario with one of the largest credit unions in the province. In honour of their milestone anniversary, YNCU has created a year-long Random Acts of Kindness program. Over the course of 2022 every employee will be given $75 to perform a random act of kindness in their community. From dropping off treats to local hospital staff to paying for groceries for the person in line behind them, staff are finding creative and heart-warming ways to spread kindness. Be sure to check out the YNCU social channels or search #YNCUcares to follow along. As a community-based organization, not only do YNCU’s partnerships and investments make a difference, its employees live and work in the communities they serve. Together with its members, employees and community partners, YNCU is helping to make life better in the places Ontarians live, work, learn and play!
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Member Notables ApplyBoard buys Panda Portal ApplyBoard, the platform that simplifies the study abroad search, application, and acceptance process for international students around the world, announced its first acquisition on March 22, 2022. The tech unicorn acquired Panda Portal, an international education industry training ecosystem, software platform, and proprietary technology. As part of the acquisition, Panda Portal has now been rebranded as TrainHub, and will remain a stand alone platform powered by ApplyBoard. The acquisition of TrainHub is part of ApplyBoard’s overall global strategy to enable recruitment partners worldwide to ensure international students consistently receive bestin-class support and accurate information to position them for success, helping to bridge gaps in the study abroad journey and support global economies. This acquisition comes less than a year after ApplyBoard announced its US$300M Series D funding round at a postmoney valuation of US$3.2 billion.
Former University of Waterloo President James Downey Passes in March 2022 The fourth president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo, James Downey, passed away in late March of 2022 at the age of 82. Dr. Downey led the institution from 1993 to 1999, during an era of major change in provincial post-secondary education. He also served as chair of the Council of Ontario Universities and chair of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. He became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996. Dr. Downey was also the founding president of the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario. Current University of Waterloo president Vivek Goel noted “the University and indeed Canada’s post-secondary sector has lost one of its champions with the sad passing of Jim Downey.” There will be a funeral service for the family and the University plans to hold a memorial on campus.
Local Chambers Support Local Businesses Chamber Check is a program developed by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo and Cambridge Chambers of Commerce to support businesses through the pandemic. One of the ways that our Chambers have led the way in supporting SMEs in Waterloo Region is through the Rapid Screening distribution program that we launched in April 2021, which was the first of its kind in Canada. During the past year, we have distributed over 1 million free rapid screening kits to 7,500+ SMEs in our Region through the Chamber Check program. We are proud to have been the catalyst in the development of a National Chamber program, where hundreds of Chambers across Canada have implemented similar rapid screening distribution programs. In addition to the rapid screening program, Chamber Check has also provided businesses with COVID related training, information about government support programs, as well as partnering with the Region of Waterloo and NSF International to launch the COVID-19 Safe Ambassador program. This service provides free education and one-on-one guidance to help SMEs operate safely and minimize COVID-19 risks. Since the program launched in June 2021, 7,000+ businesses have completed a visit with an ambassador from the program. For more information about these programs, please visit chambercheck.ca. advocate May | June 2022
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