City Building 2024

30 PROJECTS TRANSFORMING OUR REGION

BUILDING

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BETTER TOMORROW

A HOSPITAL CAMPUS FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS

In 1924, Ottawa made history by opening the most advanced hospital in North America — the Civic Hospital.

As our city-builders transformed the skyline around it, the hospital was woven into the fabric of our lives and communities. It would lay the foundation for a century of healthcare advances.

Now, 100 years later, we’re doing it again.

We’ve begun construction on Ottawa’s largest-ever health infrastructure project. The new hospital campus will be the anchor of a dynamic healthcare district and a world-class hub for innovation, discovery, and learning.

But we can’t do it alone. Support the Campaign to Create Tomorrow, and together, we’ll lay the foundation for the next 100 years.

CONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED!

State-of-the-art ambulatory care and research building

$2B boost to Ottawa’s economy during construction

Most advanced trauma centre in Eastern Ontario

We have scoured the region for the projects that are shaping our city and region. We narrowed them down to the top 30 biggest and most substantial initiatives underway.

PHOTO BY MARK HOLLERON

Albert + Lyon

Ādisōke + LeBreton

The Ottawa Business Journal extends its appreciation to the following organizations for their generous support in making City Building 2024 possible. Discover their stories, beginning on page 30.

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PARTNERS

City Building 2024

PUBLISHER

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

PUBLISHER

EASTERN ONTARIO BUSINESS JOURNAL Terry Tyo, 613-696-9581 terry@greatriver.ca

VICE-PRESIDENT SALES AND MARKETING Victoria Stewart, 613-696-9484 victoria@obj.ca

CONTENT MARKETING MANAGER

Kate Chappell, 613-696-9482 kate@obj.ca

CONTRIBUTOR

James Raiswell

ADVERTISING SALES

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

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

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

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

DESIGN DEPARTMENT

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

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

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

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

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FOREWORD

The ‘golden age of development’ for Ottawa and Eastern Ontario

I vividly recall when the phrase hit me.

Along with nearly 200 other business and community leaders, I was sitting in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park for the inaugural City Building conference. It was 2019.

Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon was at the podium rhyming off a long list of major local projects with federal government support. He mentioned the massive refurbishment of the Parliamentary district, light rail transit, Ottawa’s new central library and the expansion of the National Arts Centre. MacKinnon even mentioned the new billion-dollar central heating for federal government buildings.

And then he uttered the phrase. It went something like this: “Years from now, the people of OttawaGatineau will look back at this time as the golden age of development in the National Capital Region.”

Really, a golden age of development? Hmmmm.

Then I started playing with that idea in my head.

Add LeBreton Flats. Add Zibi. Add Lansdowne Park. Add the new Civic Hospital campus.

Had I missed the forest for the trees?

Off the top of my head, those projects totalled tens of billions of dollars. And two of these projects ‒Parliament and the Civic campus ‒ were once in a hundred years.

Of course, my colleagues at OBJ had written extensively about all the projects, but had I stopped to consider them together? No.

MacKinnon planted the seed that led to this project. Welcome to this OBJ special report, City Building 2024.

30 TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECTS

As much as Ottawans have a tendency to complain about the state of the city, there is no denying its transformation. Drive around and gaze upon the construction cranes that tower over most neighbourhoods.

Certainly the level of construction activity is part of the story, but it doesn’t reveal the bigger picture. Yes, building permits suggest that construction has doubled in the past two decades, but it’s the magnitude of the current projects that is noteworthy. Parliament, hospitals, light rail transit, highways, research facilities and urban densification: these are not your everyday projects.

Further afield, the city building is happening with Cornwall’s hydroelectric station, Chalk River’s laboratories, Smith Falls’ redevelopment plan, and a possible conference centre in Kingston.

In this first-ever issue of City Building 2024, OBJ has consulted far and wide to finalize a list of the top 30 city building projects; 20 from Ottawa and 10 from Eastern Ontario. That was not an easy process and it sparked some interesting debates. Agree or disagree, I’m confident you will concur that we are indeed in the golden age of development.

There are too many people for me to thank for this project, but I must give a shout-out to Terry Tyo, Kate Chappell, James Raiswell, Tanya Connolly-Holmes and Wendy Baily, who shouldered much of the work.

Enjoy the read. I think it will open your eyes to the ongoing transformation of the National Capital Region and Eastern Ontario.

P.S. OBJ will revisit this City Building project in spring 2025 to coincide with the conference that we co-produce with the Ottawa Board of Trade. Got a suggestion for next year’s list? Email citybuilding@obj.ca.

Michael Curran Publisher

30

projects that are transforming our region

BY JAMES RAISWELL

There’s a buzz about Eastern Ontario these days that hasn’t been seen in generations.

Part of this story is undeniably about the volume of construction work that’s underway across Ottawa and throughout the region. Everywhere you turn, shovels are digging in the ground, crews are working on the tools, and cranes are soaring in the sky.

It’s therefore probably no surprise to learn that the level of construction output – measured by the total dollar value of building permits issued by the City of Ottawa each year – has more than doubled in the past 20 years, reaching more than $3.4 billion in 2023.

On its own, that’s impressive. But the numbers tell just one side of our compelling story.

The other, arguably more important side of the story relates to the types of projects

that are underway. Projects like The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus development, the O-Train extension, the renovations in the Parliamentary Precinct, the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre under construction at Chalk River, and the Centre Street redevelopment planned for Smiths Falls – they don’t come along every day. They’re transformative. In their size, their scope and their significance, these are projects that will change the face of their respective communities for generations to come.

This list – of the 30 City Building projects that are planned or currently underway in Ottawa and throughout Eastern Ontario – tells some of this development story and captures some of the buzz that is very much on the ground and in the air across our region.

Read on.

Hard Rock Casino and Hotel

Why it’s on our list: When it opens next year, the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel promises to be a gamechanger for the city’s tourism and entertainment industries.

Our town is about to become home to Canada’s first Hard Rock Hotel and Casino – a major tourism and entertainment facility.

Plans to build the complex on the site of the Rideau Carleton Casino on Albion Road were originally released in 2017, but a series of delays – some created by the COVID-19 pandemic –led to the project’s groundbreaking in June of 2023.

The building is scheduled to open in May 2025. Once complete, it will feature 150 hotel rooms, a casino floor with 1,500 slot machines, 40 live action table games, a baccarat room, and a sportsbook for variety gaming captions. There are also plans for a high-limit area with a lounge for VIP guests, as well as an 1,800-seat Hard Rock Live theatre that will host concerts, comedy

Ādisōke

Why it’s on our list: Ādisōke will be the shared home of the Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada, and will pay tribute to and celebrate the stories and history of Indigenous Peoples.

When construction is complete in 2026, Ādisōke will be a library facility unlike any other.

Shared by Ottawa Public Library and Library and Archives Canada, the building draws design inspiration from the Ottawa River, with wood and stone elements throughout, strong connections to the surrounding green space, and expansive views of the city and the river through windows and transparent walls.

Its name means “storytelling” in

shows and dance performances by artists from around the world.

Valued at $350 million, the project is one of the largest private-investment developments currently are underway in Ottawa. Construction is being led by EllisDon, and is expected to create hundreds of jobs.

The Hard Rock Café brand, of course, is known the world over for its highenergy vibes, casual dining and iconic memorabilia. Today, there are more than 170 Hard Rock restaurants open around the world.

the Anishinābemowin Algonquin language, and is one of several ways the facility will pay tribute to the Algonquin Anishinābe People and honour Indigenous stories and history.

Features inside and out – such as a green roof with solar panels, an indoor green wall, and the use of natural and sustainable building materials throughout – will help make Ādisōke a net-zero carbon facility.

Ādisōke is located at 555 Albert Street, at the western edge of the downtown core. Construction began in 2021, and the on-site work is being led by PCL Constructors. The building design was created by a collaboration between Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects and Ottawa’s KWC Architects, with deep influence from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation individuals both here in Ottawa and across the country.

Centre Block of Parliament

Why it’s on our list: After 100 years of service, the building is the subject of the largest and most complex heritage renovation project in Canada’s history.

The Centre Block of Parliament is the most recognizable building in Ottawa. And right now, it is the subject of the largest, most complex heritage building renovation project ever undertaken in Canada.

The building itself was built more than 100 years ago after the original Parliament building was destroyed in a fire. The years, however, have not been kind. The building is weathered and doesn’t meet current seismic requirements. Base building systems, like heating, ventilation and plumbing, are in dire need of repair and replacement, and its existing layout doesn’t meet current standards for accessibility, security and sustainability.

The Government of Canada has committed $5 billion to the long-term renovation of the building. Almost no corner will be left untouched, as an average of 400 construction workers are on site every day (peak activity is forecast at 1,500 workers per day) over the 10-year life of the project. The work itself is a complicated mix of deep digging, heavy lifting, and the careful removal and repair of hundreds of thousands of bricks and stones.

Hard Rock Casino and Hotel

The construction plans also call for an expansion to the underground Visitor Welcome Centre, including connections to the East and West Block buildings, and more space for parliamentary work –including committee and multi-purpose rooms.

The on-site construction team is being led by a joint venture between two of Canada’s largest general contractors: EllisDon and PCL Constructors.

East Block of Parliament

Why it’s on our list: The East Block of Parliament is considered among Canada’s most significant heritage assets. And like the Centre Block, it is in dire need of restoration.

Construction work on the East Block of Parliament is perhaps less eye-catching than the work currently underway on the Centre Block next door, but it’s no less important or culturally significant.

Construction of the East Block building dates back to 1865 – before

the existing Centre Block building. The building was originally built to house the offices of senators and members of Parliament, and hosted the offices of dozens of Prime Ministers – from Sir John A. Macdonald to Pierre Trudeau –until the 1970s.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has committed to a two-phase restoration of the East Block. The first, which began in 2017 and was completed in 2022, focused on restoring and repairing the exterior of the older of the two wings, and needed repairs to the southwest and southeast towers and the south and main entrances.

With those urgent repairs now complete, PSPC is turning its attention to delivering the second phase of work, which calls for the full restoration and modernization of the building. Although the precise scope of work is being determined, it is certain to include seismic upgrades, new mechanical, electrical and safety systems, full interior renovations, and a direct link to the Parliament Welcome Centre that is currently being constructed as part of renovations to the Centre Block.

Block 2

Why it’s on our list: The federal government plans to redevelop the site immediately south of Parliament Hill into a new complex that includes parliamentary offices, retail shops and an Indigenous Peoples’ space.

If you’ve lived in Ottawa for any length of time and you’ve never heard the term “Block 2”, don’t be alarmed. You probably know the location, if not the name.

Block 2 is the group of 11 buildings located immediately to the south of Parliament Hill. It’s defined by Wellington Street to the north, Sparks Street to the south, Metcalfe Street to the east, and O’Connor Street to the west. Unofficially, it marks the transition between lands owned by the Crown and those owned by the City of Ottawa.

In 2021, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) launched an architectural competition to reimagine the block as a space that combines heritage-designated buildings with modern landscaped courtyards and a public square facing

Centre Block of Parlaiment

the Peace Tower. The goal: to create a fourth wall for the Parliamentary Precinct that’s worthy of its location and significance.

The following year, a team of Toronto’s Zeidler Architecture Inc. and David Chipperfield Architects from London, England won the competition with a proposal that draws on values of sustainability, stewardship and Indigenous values.

PSPC is currently working with the architects to fully develop the design concept and build a project budget. It has since awarded a constructionmanagement contract to Pomerleau for the first phase of work on the site.

Work is expected to start soon, and could take as many as 10 years to complete.

O-Train Line 2 expansion: Trillium Line

Why it’s on our list: The extension of the original O-Train line will significantly enhance transit service into key south-end communities like Riverside South, and add a longawaited line to the airport.

There aren’t many projects in our town that conjure up discussion quite like the O-Train.

Although opinions vary, there’s no doubt the line provides a vital commuter link for an average of 75,000 users daily between the city’s south, east and west ends, and into the downtown core.

Construction is now underway on a massive project to build out the O-Train line deeper into the city’s east, west and south ends. The entire Stage 2 expansion project calls for the addition of 44 kilometres of rail line and 24 new stations.

The 16-kilometre south extension in particular promises to greatly enhance connectivity between Bayview Station in downtown to Limebank Road in Riverside South, with stops at Carleton University and other stations along the way.

The Ottawa Hospital – Civic Campus Redevelopment Project

Why it’s on our list: The new hospital will be a game-changer for our city: one of the largest and most modern teaching hospitals in the country.

The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) is already known for providing world-class health care, exceptional service and deep compassion for the patients and families it serves, not only through our region but also as far away as Nunavut.

But the reality of its current situation is that many of the facilities that house TOH’s operations are showing their age. Those conditions have driven the hospital to embark on the largest health-infrastructure project ever built in our city.

Construction work is already underway on a part of the Civic Campus Redevelopment Project: the building’s parking garage. Work on the hospital facility itself, which

will be located at Dow’s Lake, is projected to start in 2026 or 2027. A construction consortium led by PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and EllisDon Corporation in a joint venture is currently working with Infrastructure Ontario and TOH to develop the project’s design, schedule and budget.

Once completed, the state-of-theart health care facility and academic research centre will span more than 2.5 million sq. ft., house more than 6,000 employees, and feature more than 640 single-patient rooms. The facility promises Eastern Ontario’s most advanced trauma centre, with specialized surgical suites, specialty programs and outpatient clinics.

The new building will also include dedicated spaces for spiritual reflection and Indigenous ceremony, sustainable design features and a low-carbon operating footprint.

O-Train Line 2 expansion: Trillium Line

Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport

Why it’s on our list: Ottawa’s airport is among the busiest in Canada, with at least one carrier counting YOW as its fastestgrowing market outside Toronto. New developments are bolstering services to passengers.

Ottawa’s airport consistently ranks among the top ten busiest in the country. In typical (i.e., nonpandemic) years, more than four million passengers fly through YOW. What’s more, the airport and its carriers are expanding their service offerings, with many major domestic carriers announcing more services to more destinations across the country and around the world.

Porter Airlines in particular is doubling down on its commitment to increase its services from YOW. The airline says Ottawa is its fastest-growing market outside Toronto. It operates 16 non-stop routes in and out of our city, and

expects to carry more than two million passengers to and from YOW by the end of this year.

In support of that strong service growth, the airline recently completed construction of two aircraft hangars and a maintenance base. The facilities opened in May, and have created 200 local jobs. As well, Porter has partnered with Algonquin College to create new training and learning opportunities in class and at the new facilities.

Growth is also underway outside the terminal. Construction is currently ongoing on the Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport, which will feature 178 rooms, plenty of conference space, and a covered pathway connecting the building to the airport terminal. The building is scheduled to open next year.

It and the new Porter hangars are further confirmation of the growing volume of traffic through, and growing significance of, Ottawa’s international airport.

The extension offers a number of important changes for riders, including upgraded stations, shorter journeys, more frequent service, and weatherresilient trains that have been proven to operate in winter conditions around the world.

At the South Keys station, Line 2 will also connect to Line 4, which will provide direct access to stations at Uplands and the Ottawa MacdonaldCartier International Airport.

Although OC Transpo has yet to announce an in-service date for the line, recent speculation suggests the line could begin carrying passengers before the end of this year. It’s estimated the expanded Line 2 will carry more than 23,000 riders each day.

Ottawa Police South Facility

Why it’s on our list: Residents of Ottawa’s south-end communities have been advocating for a local police station for years. Construction of that facility is now underway.

There’s no doubt Ottawa’s south-end communities are growing. Combined, Barrhaven and Riverside South have a population that is almost as large as Kingston’s. With that growth comes needs, and the communities have been advocating for a local police station for years.

The City of Ottawa took a major step to deliver on that commitment in November when construction crews

broke ground on construction of the Ottawa Police Service South Facility on Prince of Wales Drive. The building is being constructed by Broccolini Construction with a targeted completion date of 2026, and plans to develop eight further acres of property on the 15-acre site in subsequent years.

Once complete, the 218,000-square foot, three-storey facility will not only centralize operations in the city’s south end, but also replace several older facilities that are planned for decommissioning. The building will house a community police centre, provide front desk and collision reporting services, and include a community boardroom – all with the aim of creating an inclusive, equitable, and safe space for residents.

Ottawa Police Services says the building will be critical in supporting evolving police operations, while also modernizing the service’s physical work environment.

The new building has been designed to meet achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification and will include electric vehicle charging stations for visitors and staff.

The facility will also introduce interior and exterior art installations that will be commissioned through a public art process.

Advanced Medical Research Centre and Ottawa Health Innovation Hub, University of Ottawa

Why it’s on our list: The University of Ottawa’s Advanced Medical Research Centre will be more than a teaching facility. As the new home for the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub, it will host the discovery and development of new patient treatments.

The University of Ottawa is regarded as having one of the top medical schools in Canada. Its connections to local institutions like The Ottawa Hospital run deep, with the university hosting its Faculty of Medicine building on the hospital’s General Campus on Smyth Road.

In May, the university broke ground on construction of the latest addition to its healthcare infrastructure portfolio: the sevenstorey, 350,000-square-foot Advanced Medical Research Centre (AMRC) adjacent to its Faculty of Medicine building. When the centre opens for business in 2026, it will house laboratories, technology platforms, as well as other essential infrastructure

to support leading-edge healthcare research initiatives. In making this, its largest-ever capital investment, the university is looking forward to taking a major leap forward in providing medical training and patient care.

Situated within the AMRC will be the new Ottawa Health Innovation Hub. Here, researchers will work with clinicians and investors to incubate and scale-up new ventures to accelerate the commercialization of new treatments and to grow the next generation of Ottawa’s healthcare businesses.

The university estimates that by the end of 2031, the AMRC and the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub will serve as home to 200 researchers, 200 privatesector employees, and 1,000 students and trainees. It is expected to support more than 9,500 jobs and generate $1 billion in economic activity.

In short, it promises to be a gamechanger for the capital region’s already well-established reputation for biotechnological innovation.

National Capital Region District Energy System

Why it’s on our list: The federal government has committed to achieving carbon neutrality across its operations by 2030. Here in Ottawa, a key component of that plan is to build and modernize four energy centres to create a modern and efficient heating and cooling network for 80 downtown buildings.

When the federal government committed to achieving carbon neutrality across its operations by 2030, it was clear the effort to reach that target would be substantial. Greening even small collections of buildings isn’t an easy task. And across our region, the federal government owns and operates more than a few buildings.

The good news is, ongoing work on one very large construction project will ultimately help the federal government reduce carbon emissions from its property operations by as much as 15 per cent by 2050. That project is a $1.3 billion effort to modernize the National Capital Region District Energy System.

The system, which was built between 50 and 100 years ago, connects four energy centres across 14 kilometres of piping to provide heating and cooling operations to 80 federal buildings – including the Parliament Buildings. The trouble

with the system is, for one, it’s old, and for another, it currently uses steam and hot water, both of which are considered energy inefficient by modern standards.

The project to modernize the system will unfold in two phases. The first, which is currently underway and will last until 2026, calls for the development of three new energy centres – the Cliff Energy Centre, the Gatineau Energy Centre and a third at Tunney’s Pasture – and retrofits to the Confederation Heights Energy Centre. Work at all four aims to introduce low-temperature hot water as a heating medium, and water from the Ottawa River to cool the connected buildings.

During the second phase of work, Public Services and Procurement Canada will explore ways of replacing natural gas with lowcarbon fuel sources.

The entire system, which is being designed, built and operated under a partnership between the federal government and construction consortium Innovate Energy on a 35-year basis, is scheduled to be operational in 2026. Improvements have already cut GHG emissions by 30 per cent compared to 2005 levels, and carbon neutrality is anticipated by 2030.

National Capital Business Park

Why it’s on our list: Development in Ottawa’s light industrial sector has exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic. The east-end National Capital Business Park is capitalizing on that trend by offering new supply in a constrained market.

A new development in the city’s east end is transforming a federally owned parcel of land into an innovative business park that aims to capitalize on recent growth in e-commerce trends.

Real estate development and investment company Avenue 31 has entered into a long-term agreement with the National Capital Commission to develop a series of much-needed light industrial properties at a site on Hunt Club Road near Highway 417. And it plans to turn the site into a hub of e-commerce and logistics facilities.

One of the enduring legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the so-called “Amazon Factor”: consumer preferences to buy more goods online than they ever did before. The National Capital Business Park aims to capitalize on that trend by providing more than one million sq. ft. of space that is specifically designed for logistics, e-commerce and goods storage and distribution.

But where conventional industrial parks are generally characterized by grey, imposing structures, the design and feel of the properties at the National Capital Business Park are geared around colour and accessibility – as well as functionality.

In addition, Avenue 31 has put an emphasis on sustainability, with plans for green roofs, tree canopy coverage, and a green-energy microgrid.

Already three of the planned eight buildings at the site are built and occupied by tenants such as EMCO, Dustbane Products and FedEx. Most of the others are being delivered on spec, with the so-called crown jewel of the development, the 600,000-square-foot “Building A1”, reserved for development in partnership with a large tenant.

CHEO Integrated Treatment Centre Development (1Door4Care)

Why it’s on our list: The 1Door4Care building will integrate many of CHEO’s services under a single roof, meaning that patients and their families will have easier, faster and better coordinated access to care for their treatment and rehabilitation needs.

CHEO is a cornerstone of our community, and an institution that is highly regarded around the world for its work in complex pediatric care, research and education. Each year, the hospital receives more than 500,000 visits, while its Children’s Treatment Centre serves more than 6,400 children and youth annually.

Zibi

Why it’s on our list: Zibi is one of the most remarkable developments the capital region has ever seen. The 34acre project spans two provinces and celebrates three cultures, all while striving to meet some of the highest standards for sustainability.

If Zibi were any other type of community, its location alone would make it remarkable. Situated on 34 acres of land across two islands along the shores of the Ottawa River and spanning parts of both Ontario and Quebec, the development is effectively a borderless community, with direct access to both Ottawa and Gatineau, and stunning views

of the Chaudière Crossing and Parliament Hill.

But Zibi is about so much more. Its name hails from the Algonquin kichi-sìbì, or Great River, and the development pays tribute to the rich significance of the site as a means for transportation, trading, hunting and gathering for both Indigenous Peoples and early settlers of Canada.

As they build the site in stages, developers Dream Unlimited Corp. and Dream Impact Trust are striving for nothing short of creating the most sustainable community in Canada. They’re well on their way. Zibi is committed to adhere to the 10 principles of the One Planet Living framework for sustainability, and already boasts North America’s first zero-carbon district energy system for use in a master-planned community. The facility, which came online in December 2021, draws on waste industrial heat to power a central heating and cooling plant that feeds the more than four million sq. ft. of residential and commercial buildings on the site.

There’s more to Zibi, besides. This is a waterfront community that, when complete in the next decade, will boast thousands of residential units, office and commercial spaces, parks and plazas, shopping and dining, and attractions and events.

All of this at the intersection of two provinces and three distinct cultures.

The challenge for CHEO is that while demand for its services are growing, the physical infrastructure it depends on is aging and spread out over 10 locations across the city.

That’s why the hospital is pushing forward with the development of its 1Door4Care project, an integrated treatment centre that will merge seven care locations into a single, state-of-theart, purpose-built site on CHEO’s main campus on Smyth Road.

The new building will reduce the need for families to travel to several locations for access to critical treatment and rehabilitation services such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech and language pathology, and autism services. And for kids with multiple or complex special needs, 1Door4Care will coordinate teams of professionals under a single roof to provide support through coordinated plans of care.

In addition to features such as expanded mental health clinics, a space for children and youth with complex emotional needs, state-of-the-art treatment rooms, and family support and community spaces, the 1Door4Care building will also incorporate natural elements as a form of connection to the Algonquin lands.

The contract for the $371-million project was awarded in September 2023 to a construction consortium led by EllisDon Corporation. That team is currently building the facility’s parking garage and is targeting completion of the 1Door4Care building in 2028.

Mosaïq Ottawa Phase 2

Why it’s on our list: The second phase of work on the Mosaïq Ottawa development in Centretown aims to add more than 270 homes to Ottawa’s under-supplied rental housing market. It is one among many examples of new projects that are aiming to close the city’s housing gap.

Increasing the stock of affordable housing is a big discussion topic these days.

Housing prices soared after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. New skyhigh prices, coupled with rises in interest rates through the last half of 2022 and across 2023, made finding affordable housing of any kind – whether for rent or to buy – an increasingly difficult task for

many in our community.

Located at 820 Gladstone Avenue, Mosaïq Ottawa is one example of many projects that aim to close the gap between demand and supply in an imbalanced local market. The second phase of the project is currently under construction. When it opens in 2026, it will add 273 more housing units – for a total of 413 homes – to the Centretown community.

This second phase of the development will span 2.7 acres on the northern side of the block bounded by Gladstone Avenue, and Rochester, Booth and Raymond streets. The design calls for the construction of a pair of nine-storey buildings located at 820 Gladstone Avenue and 305 Rochester Street that offer 241 units combined. The other 32 homes will be divided among three townhouse blocks located on Booth Street.

Albert + Lyon

CHEO

Urban residential towers

Why it’s on our list: Downtown living in Ottawa is being transformed with the development of countless high-rise, mixed-use buildings in and around the city core. Developers are responding to consumers’ preferences for smaller urban living spaces with modern and inspired designs that are connected to our growing transit network.

Take a walk around the downtown core these days, and you’ll see more than a few construction projects underway. Many of these are high-rise residential buildings that have seemingly shot out of the ground in response to the growing demand for new housing in our community, a trend toward more downsized urban living, and the expansion of the O-Train network.

On Booth Street, at the eastern end of LeBreton Flats, for example, Claridge has started work on the first of five proposed mixed-use towers. The East Flats development will

eventually include 1,950 units, with buildings standing between 25 and 45 storeys.

Further west, developers Dream LeBreton have been given the green light by the National Capital Commission to proceed with construction of an integrated community at the Library Parcel of land on LeBreton Flats. The site spans just over one hectare, and Dream LeBreton’s proposal calls for the construction of two towers, of 30 and 35 storeys, atop a four-storey podium, and which feature more than 600 rental housing units, of which more than 40 per cent will be affordable. Construction is expected to begin this year.

Other significant urban residential towers either under construction or proposed for development in the near future include:

• LUX Place on Ogilvie Road, which will include more than 1.3 million sq. ft. of hotel and apartment spaces across

With affordability and sustainability top of mind, property owners Ottawa Community Housing have opted to integrate Passive House design features into this second phase of the Mosaïq in an effort to minimize energy costs and carbon footprint. The Mosaïq development also prioritizes seniors, accessibility, and barrier-free housing.

Construction is currently underway, and is being led by general contractors HEIN and designers Hobin Architecture.

Commercial to residential conversions (city-wide)

Why it’s on our list: As office vacancy rates continue to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more

as many as three buildings. Phase one is currently under construction.

• The Albert + Lyon development at 400 Albert Street, which will include more than 560 rental units and 20,000 sq. ft. of retail space across two high-rise towers. The building is located just a block away from the Lyon O-Train station.

• 900 Albert Street, which proposes the construction of two towers of 65 and 56 storeys – as well as a 26-floor office tower – with more than 1,300 residential suites and a pedestrian link to the transfer point between the Confederation and Trillium O-Train lines.

These developments are just a few among many examples of how downtown living in Ottawa is being transformed for the better.

developers are buying up underused office buildings and converting them into much-needed downtown rental housing units.

It’s sometimes said that a crisis is an opportunity for change. So when the COVID-19 pandemic decimated downtown foot traffic, sent office vacancy rates skyrocketing, and caused home prices to soar, a few enterprising developers jumped on opportunities for change.

Even before the pandemic, District Realty was among the first companies in town to transform vacant or underused office properties into multi-unit residential properties. As far back as 2015, the company took its first chance on the venture, converting the top five floors of a building on Lisgar Street from conventional office spaces to rental apartments. In so doing, it helped to bring more foot traffic – in the form of new residents – into the downtown core, and to bring badly needed apartment rentals into town.

Mosaïq Ottawa

Nokia Canada research and development hub

Why it’s on our list: When it opens in 2026, Nokia Canada’s expanded Kanata campus will significantly bolster product research and development into next gen information and communications technology, and will further build the standing of the Kanata North Technology Park as a global technology hub.

In October 2022, Nokia Canada committed to a significant expansion

District Realty has taken on other, similar projects since. It is currently converting the 11-storey building at 200

project at its Kanata North Technology Park campus.

The company announced plans to build what it has called a “sustainable research and development hub”. The technology centre, Nokia says, will significantly expand its capacity in information and communications technology and in cyber-security innovation.

The project is compelling on several levels. For one, it will help to deepen Canadian expertise in key emerging

Elgin Street from class-C office space into residential units.

It’s not the only company adopting this transformative approach, either. Developers like Minto, CLV Group, and even Montreal-based Groupe Mach have snapped up under-used office spaces, and in some cases flagging hotels, in the core and are transforming them into residential rentals.

For its part, the City of Ottawa is on board. In 2023, it approved a series of measures to make conversions like these easier and more cost-effective for developers.

With the future of in-office uncertain, and demand for housing at an all-time high, novel approaches like these may be just what communities like Ottawa need to turn real-estate crises into fantastic opportunties.

technology issues: artificial intelligence, machine learning, cyber security, 5G, and security for networked devices. Nokia Canada is a major supplier to government and private-sector organizations across the country. Its innovation in these and other fields is critical to the development and resilience of Canada’s communications infrastructure.

For another, the project further enhances the standing of the Kanata North Technology Park, not just locally, but as a global destination for leading technology companies. Nokia Canada’s expansion plans will enable the company to grow its team in Ottawa to 2,160 people, to increase the number of co-op and intern positions it offers to post-secondary students in STEM fields to 400, and to invest an additional $340 million in its lab spaces and equipment.

The final feather in the project’s cap may just be its diverse scope. Not only is the company planning to build commercial and research space, but plans also call for construction of residential units on site, and the introduction of key sustainability features in support of Nokia’s goal of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.

Construction is now underway, with a target opening date of 2026.

EASTERN ONTARIO

Dwyer Hill Training Centre upgrades and expansion

Why it’s on our list: The Joint Task Force 2 is a highly precise special operations forces unit of the Canadian Armed Forces. The group is based out of the Dwyer Hill Training Centre southwest of downtown. That facility is currently the subject of a major upgrade.

The fact that Canada is a free and peaceful country means that you don’t

generally see much evidence of our national security forces at work. But don’t for a second believe that they’re not very much present and engaged across our country and here in the nation’s capital.

Travel about 50 kilometres southwest of downtown, and you’ll find the top-secret Dwyer Hill Training Centre. The site spans about 83 acres in a largely rural setting, and is home to Canada’s Joint Task Force 2 – an extremely high-readiness and precise special operations forces unit within the Canadian Armed Forces.

JTF2, as its known, has held a presence in this part of the region since its inception in 1993. Its purpose is to “protect Canadian national interests and combats terrorism and threats to Canadians at home and abroad.”

In March of 2023, the federal government announced an investment of $1.4 billion that would go toward upgrading the JTF2 operational facilities at the Dwyer Hill Training Centre.

The 10-year construction project will create or upgrade just shy of 1.1 million sq. ft. of purpose-built space to meet JTF2’s ongoing growth, training and readiness needs. It is also expected to generate more than 2,000 jobs, and be designed to zero-carbon standards. By the time it’s completed, the project will have more than doubled the unit’s work and training spaces.

Canada’s Special Forces personnel risk their lives to keep Canadians safe. Projects like this provide them with the tools and the training opportunities that they need to prepare and stay ready.

Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital redevelopment, Picton

Why it’s on our list: A planned expansion to the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital will transform health care in the region, and help position the community as a

Carling Avenue revitalization

Why it’s on our list: As the O-Train moves increasingly into the city’s west end, more developers are taking notice of the opportunities to breathe new life into some of the aging properties located along Carling Avenue.

Carling Avenue is one of the city’s major east-west arteries. But it’s not what you’d call a majestic boulevard in the vein of any you might find in other world capitals. Development along the street has largely been piecemeal, with mostly retail and office complexes bumping shoulders with high-rise residential and the occasional shopping mall.

That all may be about to change in the near future as more and more developers are buying property along the street – and in close proximity to transit stations – with the intent of converting some of its more tired properties into new residential and mixed-use developments.

Take Carlingwood Shopping Centre, for example. The near-70year-old mall, which hosts about 90 stores – including the largest Canadian Tire in the country – was sold earlier this year to a partnership between two developers from Toronto and Vancouver. At the

destination for newcomers and retirees. The Prince Edward County Hospital has served residents of Picton for more than 100 years, and has operated out of its current location on Main Street since 1959.

A lot has changed in Prince Edward County over the past 65 years, including significant growth across the region. The

time, the companies said the mall’s location along Carling Avenue and near the soon-to-be-completed New Orchard LRT station made it a “prime location for much-needed incremental residential density.”

Carlingwood isn’t the only property – or even the only mall – on Carling whose owners have grand plans. Further east, RioCan is in the midst of a major project to redevelop the Westgate Shopping Centre. A proposed master plan calls for the city’s oldest mall to be torn down and replaced with a five-tower mixed-use redevelopment.

Meanwhile, owners Taggart Realty Management are negotiating plans to build two residential towers of 16 and 27 storeys at 1081 Carling, across the road from the Central Experimental Farm. It’s not clear whether or when those plans will go ahead, but the City of Ottawa has previously identified that part of Carling Avenue as a prime location for intensification.

In the bigger picture, it’s perhaps unlikely Carling Avenue will ever morph into a grand promenade of the type you’d see in a movie. But plans are very much underway to inject more character and warmth into this major local artery.

need to modernize the community’s hospital – with new facilities and with a greater capacity – is therefore becoming apparent.

The project to build a new $200-million-plus home for Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital is on the cusp of going ahead.

Infrastructure Ontario has shortlisted four construction companies for the project, and is expected to announce the winning firm – and a project schedule –any day now.

The plans for the building itself call for exactly what a small community needs in a local hospital: a leading-edge facility that features a 24/7 emergency department, new diagnostic facilities, more inpatient beds, state-of-the-art infection control and ventilation, wider halls for modern medical equipment, and larger, more flexible rooms.

Once built, the hospital will be the most significant change to the community’s local healthcare system since the first County hospital opened in 1919. Just as importantly, it will help position Prince Edward County as a destination for newcomers or people wishing to retire in the community.

Highway 17 expansion, Arnprior to Renfrew

Why it’s on our list: Expanding the highway from two lanes to four west of Ottawa will help keep people and goods moving, and better connect Arnprior and Renfrew to each other and to the Capital Region.

It’s maybe a little-known fact that Highway 17 (and Highway 417 here in Ottawa) is Ontario’s largest provincial highway. End to end, the road spans more than 1,900 kilometres, from Ontario’s easternmost border with Quebec to its westernmost with Manitoba.

West of Ottawa, the road changes from a divided highway into a traditional road, and narrows, with traffic flowing in opposite directions along two lanes.

The provincial government recently pledged to widen the stretch of the highway from Arnprior to Renfrew from two lanes to four, in an effort to better connect those communities, and to keep the goods and the more than

Great Wolf Lodge, Cornwall

Why it’s on our list: The chain of indoor water park resorts is a huge tourist draw throughout the United States. The proposed Cornwall location would be the first corporately run site in Canada, and could draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the city annually.

If all goes according to plan,

Cornwall could be in for a huge economic boost.

Plans are in the works to build a Great Wolf Lodge in the city. The lodges are indoor water park resorts that are hugely popular tourist attractions across the United States.

Great Wolf Resorts bought a 40-acre parcel of land along

14,000 people who travel on that stretch of highway every day moving.

The first phase of work on the project, which wrapped up in November 2023, saw the construction of a new interchange to carry Calabogie Road traffic over Highway 417, a new carpool lot north of the highway, access roads

and new ramp connections.

The next phase calls for building three more interchanges and widening 22.5 kilometres of Highway 17 from Scheel Drive to three kilometres west of Bruce Street in Renfrew County.

The schedule for this phase of the work has not yet been announced.

R.H. Saunders Generating Station, Cornwall

Highway 401 in Cornwall back in January 2023. The company has made no secret of its desire to build its first lodge in Canada on the site. (Another Great Wolf Lodge resort already exists in Niagara Falls, but since that lodge is a franchise, the Cornwall project would be the corporation’s first direct investment in Canada.) It is now waiting on funding from the provincial government to go ahead with construction. Cornwall itself has already committed to fund $15 million worth of construction work to hook up the site to municipal services.

City officials and residents in Cornwall are eager to see the project get the green light to proceed.

At a rumored price tag of US $350 million, the investment would be a massive boost for Cornwall as a large-scale construction project, an employer of up to 500 people, and a magnet for as many as half a million tourists from as far away as six hours’ drive of the city – including throughout the northeastern United States.

The city’s mayor, Justin Towndale, has called the project a “gamechanger”, and it’s easy to see why.

R. H.

Saunders

Generating Station, Cornwall

Why it’s on our list: The project to refurbish the Saunders hydroelectric generating station in Cornwall is significant not only for its role in producing clean energy for Ontario, but also for the jobs it will create in the community.

As Ontario grows and as the province increasingly turns its eye to powering its economy through clean fuel sources, demand for electricity is increasing.

That’s in part why the provincial government is funding massive expansion and refurbishment projects to key components of its electric grid, including its hydroelectric stations.

In Cornwall, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is hard at work on the early phases of a 15-year project to refurbish

the 1,045-megawatt R.H. Saunders Generating Station on the St. Lawrence River.

After 65 years, the station is the second oldest of its kind in Ontario. At the time it was built, it was considered such an impressive political and engineering feat that the station was inaugurated in 1959 by then U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon, Prince Philip, and Queen Elizabeth II.

Today, the station produces about five per cent of Ontario’s total energy annually, or enough to power more than 800,000 homes.

The refurbishment plan calls for additional capacity of 160 gigawatthours of clean electricity each year, or about enough to power more than 19,000 homes. Doing so, says OPG, will help meet increasing demand from electrification and fuel economic growth.

The impact of the $600-million project locally can’t be overstated. The project will, of course, create hundreds of highly skilled jobs and create lasting economic benefits for local and Indigenous communities.

Residents and visitors also use the station lands for recreation purposes, while the Saunders Hydro Dam Visitor Centre offers a series of events and workshops during the summer months on topics as diverse as the history of the St. Lawrence Seaway project and Indigenous traditions to biodiversity workshops.

Chalk River Laboratories campus expansion, Deep River

Why it’s on our list: A 10-year, $1.2-billion program to renovate and build new facilities at the Chalk River Laboratories campus in Deep River is highlighted by the construction of one of the largest and most sophisticated nuclearresearch facilities in the country.

Chalk River Laboratories campus expansion, Deep River

Chalk River Laboratories campus expansion, Deep River

Centre Street Redevelopment, Smiths Falls

Why it’s on our list: Plans are in place to develop an underused parcel of land in Smiths Falls’ downtown core into a multi-purpose space for the community, and a destination for visitors.

The Town of Smiths Falls is embarking on an ambitious project to transform an underused parcel of downtown

There’s a massive transformation going on at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ Chalk River campus.

About two hours northwest of Ottawa, in the community of Deep River, the site is home to more than 300 buildings on an area of more than 3,700 hectares. Most of the work being done here focuses on nuclear technology and research work.

The history of the site dates back as far as the 1940s when the federal government began developing nuclear technology. Today, there’s a massive transformation project underway as owners Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and site operators Canadian Nuclear Laboratories are in the midst of a 10-year, $1.2-billion construction program that calls for the decommissioning of 120 buildings

land into a vibrant development on the Rideau River.

The site in question spans about 14 acres. It’s bounded by Chamber Street to the north, Gile Street on the east, and the river to the south and west. It’s currently home to a handful of commercial and industrial properties, with Centre Street contained within the development area.

The town is currently working with consultants to build out a master plan for the land that maximizes its economic benefits, and which will ultimately lead to the development of a public site on the water that becomes an attraction for residents and visitors.

Developing the land won’t be as easy as approving a plan and getting shovels in the ground. A host of issues around land ownership, infrastructure needs, UNESCO heritage designation requirements, and environmental concerns will have to be resolved as the project goes forward.

Since the anticipated timeline for building out the site could be as long as 20 years, the town and its consultants are taking a phased approach to development that sees milestones set at the two-, five-, 10-, 15- and 20-year marks. The goal is to create as many as 325 additional housing units and more than 15,000 sq. ft. of retail space, while leaving as much as 30 per cent of the space dedicated for parks and other public uses.

The plan is still very much in its early days, but with a clear vision in mind, it promises to transform a portion of Smiths Falls’ waterfront into a vibrant community destination.

and the construction of several new, ultra-modern facilities.

AECL launched the program in 2016. It has since seen the construction of a new site entrance to the campus, a logistics warehouse, a support and maintenance facility, and a science collaboration centre.

The jewel of the proverbial crown, however, is the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC). When it’s complete in 2028, the building will be one of the largest nuclear research facilities in Canada. At just under 108,000 sq. ft., it will house

Highway 138

23 laboratories, accommodate 160 employees and consolidate operations from across the campus.

In the bigger picture, research work at the ANMRC could position Canada as a world leader on some of the biggest challenges facing the world today: climate change, global health, and energy independence. All right here in Eastern Ontario.

Highway 138 Expansion to Cornwall

Why it’s on our list: The expansion of Highway 138 has been stalled in planning stages for many years, and in July, the provincial government finally announced that construction had begun. The improvements to the busy corridor will make it a safer and more efficient route, a government representative said. It will also engage local contractors and create jobs in the region.

Highway 138 connects Cornwall and parts of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry to Highway 417 and Ottawa. Construction will span 17 kilometres of road, from Cornwall Centre Road to just south of County Road 43, and completion is expected by the end of November, 2025.

The expansion is a long-awaited development in the region, as it will ease

Camino Inland

Port, Long Sault

Why it’s on our list: A planned development along Highway 401 aims to help major companies that are based in and around Cornwall move their goods more efficiently throughout North America.

Logistics are big business in Eastern Ontario these days. And why not? Our region is perfectly situated along the Montreal-to-Toronto highway route, within a short drive of the United States border and its interstate network, along North America’s busiest rail corridor, and within close proximity of a major continental shipping route.

As an increasing number of major

travel times as well as congestion around the region. It will also pave the way for the business community, as it will be easier to transport good in and out of the area. This is significant for Cornwall, as it is a hub for manufacturing and food services. The expansion will also potentially unlock business opportunities for nearby residents and businesses, who will welcome an easier passage to and from Ottawa and the Montreal corridor.

In 2017, a report recommended improvements to the roadway between Highways 401 and 417.

corporations – Walmart, Amazon and Shoppers Drug Mart among them – are operating out of the Highway 401 corridor near Cornwall, at least one developer is taking things a step further and building what it calls an inland port.

Avenue 31 plans to develop as many as five million sq. ft. of warehousing and distribution centre space as well as facilities that support the smooth transfer of goods between rail and road networks. Located in Long Sault just off Highway 401, the Camino Inland Port is a 680-acre master-planned logistics village that will cater to large industrial businesses that are looking to store and distribute goods with approximately three kilometres of frontage on CN Rail’s Toronto to Montreal line.

Plans to develop the site are gaining steam. The developers submitted a draft plan of subdivision application to the Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glenngarry in the spring.

If the project goes ahead as planned, it could create as many as 1,500 jobs directly and countless others through spin-off developments. That’s saying nothing for the tax revenue generated by the development, and the reduction in greenhouse gases that comes from building a more efficient transportation network.

For Long Sault and nearby communities such as Cornwall, the project would further enhance their standing as a destination for investments by major retailers, and help grow tax revenue and create jobs.

“It has been a long time coming. I remember the first time we approached the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO),” South Stormont Mayor Bryan McGillis said last month in a Postmedia report.

“This investment will also involve culvert replacement, cleanouts, repairs as well as the construction of a new roundabout at Headline Road. This investment is crucial for enhancing the safety and efficiency of Highway 138, a vital artery for our community,” StormontDundas-South Glengarry MPP Nolan Quinn told Postmedia News.

Kingston Conference Centre, Kingston

Why it’s on our list: If the longdebated downtown conference centre in Kingston comes to life, then the city stands to benefit from millions of dollars of direct investments and countless more in spin-off benefits.

The City of Kingston may finally be about to get its conference centre.

Long discussed, the project came back to life in the spring of 2023 when

a city council working group presented a feasibility study for the project that outlined the benefits and implications of building a 52,000-square-foot facility that could serve up to 1,000 delegates. From there, the city opened a call for developers to propose plans for the project, and as recently as February, council voted in favour of requesting proposals from six prequalified companies.

The building itself would be located on a block of land across The Tragically Hip Way from Slush Puppie Place in downtown. More than just an event space, the building would also include a restaurant, a hotel, residential and commercial spaces, the conference

Canadian Forces Base Trenton upgrades, Trenton

Why it’s on our list: An investment of $850 million on infrastructure at Canadian Forces Base Trenton is as much about providing operational and logistics support to a fleet of new aircraft as it is about strengthening Canada’s air operations.

The federal government announced in 2023 that it had purchased nine CC330 Husky aircraft as part of a broader project to modernize its strategic tanker transport capabilities.

The new planes, it explained, would

help bolster the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) flexibility, responsiveness and interoperability with allied nations, and would be used for a variety of tasks including the in-flight refuelling of other aircraft, medical evacuations, and the strategic transport of Government of Canada VIPs.

With the new planes came new infrastructure requirements. In March 2024, Defence Minister Bill Blair announced $850 million in funding from the feds that would go to pay for major airfield and infrastructure work at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Trenton,

centre itself, the retention, restoration or re-use of the existing heritage buildings on the site, and future partnership opportunities with nearby St. Lawrence College.

The local business community is throwing its support behind the project, with organizations like Tourism Kingston, Kingston Accommodation Partners and SPEAKingston saying the development is long overdue, and that Kingston is losing millions of dollars in direct economic benefits annually owing to its lack of a major event space.

Putting those direct and associated indirect dollars back into the city’s pockets would benefit everyone.

including the development and design of a two-bay hangar, an upgraded apron and runway, taxiways, and other supporting infrastructure.

The upgrades will enable CFB Trenton to serve as the Eastern Main Operating Base for the new CC-330 Husky fleet. The purchase of the new aircraft, meanwhile, will almost double the current operating fleet of the five now-retired CC-150 Polaris planes.

The investment is part of a significant and ongoing recapitalization of the RCAF on its service centennial. And supported by an even-broader project to modernize Canada’s NORAD infrastructure and capabilities, the new aircraft will further improve RCAF operations across the country and through the Arctic.

Kingston Conference Centre

LEADERS SPEAK

As Ottawa grows, there is no shortage of champions and stewards who want to optimize the city’s growth. To get a sense of what the experts think, we canvassed leaders from across the region to see what they think of how the city is poised to take off with all the new projects on the books.

OTTAWA LeBreton Flats

The National Capital Commission is bringing to life its bold vision for LeBreton Flats as a unique and leading example of innovative development. Guided by our Master Concept Plan, a cohesive and multi-decade vision of phased development, we are creating a new transit-, pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly downtown neighbourhood anchored by iconic public spaces, surrounded by lively parks and bustling plazas. Together with our partners, we are building housing for a wide range of people and families, including a significant number of affordable housing units. This signature destination is poised to become one of the most sustainable and inclusive communities in the country.

Tobi Nussbaum

Chief Executive Officer National Capital Commission

OTTAWA Ottawa Civic Hospital Campus

The next several years promises to be a transformational period for the City given the inventory of major new building and infrastructure projects in progress or in the planning stages. The most exciting for me is the new Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus and what it means to our community. At 2.5 million sq. ft., it will be the biggest building project in Ottawa’s history. At an industry level, it will generate years of highquality paying work for thousands of our contractors and workers. In the bigger picture, I am excited that Ottawa citizens will have one of the most modern health care and research facilities in Canada, if not the world.

John DeVries President & General Manager Ottawa Construction Association

OTTAWA Zoning bylaw

I’m excited about a new zoning bylaw that has the potential to be the most transformative city-building project we ever undertake. Visionary zoning can help us evolve from a small city that’s bursting at the seams to the vibrant G7 capital I know we can be, with lively, amenityrich neighbourhoods and lots of housing served by a worldclass transit system. Ottawa’s population is expected to grow by 65 per cent by 2046. We now have the opportunity to make the variety and appeal of our housing its defining characteristic.

Jason Burggraaf Executive Director

Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association

KANATA -CARLETON Centre Block and new Parliament Welcome Centre

As Parliamentarians, we want Canadians to feel their government is reachable, which starts by making the Parliamentary Precinct and Centre Block more modern and accessible. Restoring the Parliamentary Precinct for future generations of Canadians is incredibly important. Parliament provides residents and tourists alike the opportunity to experience parliamentary procedure, interact with their elected representatives and to learn about our country’s history. The rehabilitated Centre Block and new Parliament Welcome Centre will bring guests from across the country and around the world to our city, supporting the local economy and tourism industry. When visitors arrive, they will have the opportunity to find great cuisine at local restaurants, visit other historic sites and museums, and stay in amazing hotels.

Jenna Sudds Member of Parliament Kanata—Carleton

ONTARIO EAST

Ontario East Economic Development Commission

Throughout eastern Ontario, our partner communities are seeing unprecedented growth and opportunities. The Ontario East Economic Development Commission is focused on promoting and supporting the attraction of new investment and jobs in key employment sectors including advanced manufacturing, food & beverage, and logistics and transportation. Our community members also support promotion of growth opportunities in many other important sectors in the region including healthcare, housing and tourism.

Jay Amer Executive Director & Board

Secretary Ontario East Economic Development Commission

QUINTE Royal Canadian Air Force

The Bay of Quinte region is experiencing robust growth across all sectors of the economy, including new and expanding manufacturing, logistics, commercial, and residential projects. As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force, we are thrilled to see 8 Wing CFB Trenton flourish with new and planned investments. This influx of investment from various sectors reflects the strong confidence businesses have in our dynamic and growing regional economy.

Chris King CEO

Quinte Economic Development Commission

KINGSTON

Industrial growth

Kingston is experiencing substantial growth driven by significant new investments and the expansion of local enterprises. Prominent companies such as Umicore in Loyalist Township are having a substantial impact, attracting new talent and residents to the region. Additionally, local businesses such as IPG Photonics, SnapCab, and Cyclic Materials are investing heavily in their operations within the city. This wave of industrial growth is further supported by ambitious housing targets set in recent years. The synergy between industrial expansion and residential development underscores Kingston’s dynamic and promising future as a leader in the region’s economic landscape.

Shelley Hirstwood

Director of Business Development

Kingston Economic Development

SMITHS FALLS

Centre Street Revitalization

The Town of Smiths Falls over the last five years has experienced positive growth. Investments from internationally recognized businesses and ongoing work on public infrastructure have solidified our community’s reputation as a great place to invest. The Centre Street Revitalization project is the next phase in the evolution of Smiths Falls. This 16-acre site will be reimaged over the next 25 years into a vibrant downtown waterfront district that supports further economic vitality and quality of life in Smiths Falls.

Julia Crowder Manager of Economic Development and Tourism Town of Smiths Falls

COUNTY OF RENFREW

Affordable real estate

The County of Renfrew is excited about the on-going and future development projects taking place across the region. From the continued twinning of Highway 17 to site enhancements and new developments at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories to improved broadband and cellular connectivity, Renfrew County is well-positioned for growth. Our skilled workforce, readily available lands and affordable real estate make investing in Renfrew County an easy and worthwhile decision. We look forward to welcoming new residents and investors to help us move forward with our exciting future.

Peter Emon Warden County of Renfrew

Now is the Time for City’s Transformation, says Ottawa Board of Trade

Collaboration will lead to an exciting, inclusive and sustainable capital city

BY SUELING CHING, PRESIDENT AND CEO, OTTAWA BOARD OF TRADE

You can feel the energy in the Ottawa air. Things are changing. Uncertainty remains constant. Challenges abound. And new opportunities are everywhere you turn. Collectively, we are embracing ambiguity, learning along the way, making bold and thoughtful moves, and working in deep collaboration.

Why? Because we are facing a once in a

generation opportunity for all the people of Ottawa to come together, learn from the past, leverage our assets and build up Ottawa as an exciting, inclusive, and sustainable capital city.

We are transforming Ottawa – one commitment, one conversation, one gesture, one initiative, one new idea, one relationship and one major investment at a time. Young leaders are emerging as city builders. Business

and community leaders are aligning on our top priorities – innovative investments, economic growth, entrepreneurial spirit, employee wellness and community wealth. More importantly, our changing times renew opportunities to address climate change and ensure equity for all.

Our strong federal presence continues to serve us well with exciting investments in the parliamentary precinct and visionary plans of the National Capital Commission and the Canada Lands Company. All including a focus on the city core. The right sizing of the federal government footprint in the national capital area presents new opportunities for the Ottawa and Gatineau downtowns to be more diverse, resilient and vibrant than ever. It is imperative we continue to work closely together to ensure

PHOTO BY VALERIE ABBOUD

the policies and execution of priorities at every level of government is aligned. There is a unique opportunity before us - for the private and public sectors to optimize our collective resources to realize the full potential of the entire national capital area. Together, we can build a strong foundation for the future. And make all Canadians proud of their capital city.

Our city offers an impressive geography of vivid rural landscapes and dense business and residential districts. It stitches together natural and engineered waterways, where residents can walk along adjacent paths, boat, canoe, and kayak. We benefit from national monuments, historic buildings, arts and cultural venues and museums. But Ottawa is not viable without a dynamic, safe, and thriving downtown, where so many of these central assets reside.

Therefore, key among our priorities is the need to transform our downtown, the cultural and economic hub of our region. That is why the Ottawa Board of Trade, in collaboration with the Canadian Urban Institute, created a community action plan. Along with our partners across the city, including the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Tourism, Invest Ottawa, BOMA Ottawa,

and the National Capital Commission, we have unveiled “A Living Capital: Downtown Ottawa Action Agenda.”

We are calling for bold leadership, a whole-of-community approach and a deep understanding that the success of the city core is critical to the success of the whole city, the whole region. As the second largest city in the province and Canada’s Capital City, the success of downtown Ottawa is also a priority for Ontario and Canada as a whole.

The agenda embraces the vision of a holistic live-work-play environment. One that creates a culturally rich, inclusive, and accessible downtown for all. One that boosts our local economy. And one that attracts artists, investors, innovators, leaders, talent, and young people. Our action agenda targets four big moves to realize that vision. We propose adding 40,000 new residents and creating 50,000 new jobs by 2034, which will convert the city centre into a bustling hub of activity, creativity, and innovation. It also aims to enhance the public realms of Sparks Street and the ByWard Market and establish a new Business Incubation District and Arts/Culture Corridor.

To create a downtown that is desirable, resilient, robust, and inclusive, the plan

advances five immediate actions that the city should promote. These include prioritizing housing; investing in the future through financial mechanisms for ongoing downtown ventures; addressing homelessness, addiction, and mental health; improving regional mobility through enhanced transit options; and positioning downtown nationally and internationally through marketing efforts. Downtown Ottawa is the heartbeat of our whole region. What happens downtown has a direct and immediate impact on every business, every resident, and every visitor. We encourage all residents in our region to be hometown tourists inviting family and friends to explore downtown. We call on all business and community leaders to leverage your international networks and our growing number of direct flights to bring more people to our region. We support all private and public sector employers to make a downtown presence attractive to your workforce. We invite all creatives, entrepreneurs, innovators and out of the box thinkers to consider our city core for their next big idea. This is an all-hands-on deck opportunity. Now is the time.

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL BOARD OF TRADE

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR LOCAL BOARD OF TRADE

D V O C A T E S

W H O W E A R E .

W H O W E A R E

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The Ottawa Board of Trade is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit business association We are the voice of business and a key advocate for economic growth Our mission is to cultivate a thriving world class business community in Ottawa, our Nation’s Capital. One that drives affordable, inclusive and sustainable city building and community prosperity

The Ottawa Board of Trade is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit business association We are the voice of business and a key advocate for economic growth. Our mission is to cultivate a thriving world class business community in Ottawa, our Nation’s Capital One that drives affordable, inclusive and sustainable city building and community prosperity.

We are determined, future thinking, passionate bus iness and community leaders committed to a growth agenda

W H Y I T M A T T E R S .

W H Y I T M A T T E R S .

It is more important than ever to ensure we have a strong local Board of Trade representing the interests of our businesses and advancing the economic growth of our community. Businesses and our city are facing more opportunities and challenges than ever One voice can influence decisions, priority setting and policy making more effectively than any one of us can do alone

It is more important than ever to ensure we have a strong local Board of Trade representing the interests of our businesses and advancing the economic growth of our community Businesses and our city are facing more opportunities and challenges than ever One voice can influence decisions, priority setting and policy making more effectively than any one of us can do alone.

Advocates for a competitive business environment and affordable, inclusive and sustainable city building

U I L D S

Advocates for a competitive business environment and affordable, inclusive and sustainable city building. B U I L D S

Builds support for businesses and their employees as they launch, pivot and grow

Builds support for businesses and their employees as they launch, pivot and grow

H A M P I O N S

We are determined, future thinking, passionate bus iness and community leaders committed to a growth agenda A D V O C A T E S

Champions Ottawa as the best place to live, learn, work, play, visit and invest

R I V E S

Champions Ottawa as the best place to live, learn, work, play, visit and invest C H A M P I O N S D R I V E S

Drives initiatives that unite businesses, influence positive decision making and grow our community.

START TODAY at www.ottawabot.ca

Drives initiatives that unite businesses, influence positive decision making and grow our community

PARTNER CONTENT

The builders

At the heart of Ottawa’s transformation is a select group of builders who are driving the city towards a new era of growth and innovation. From cutting-edge infrastructure to visionary housing developments, these leaders in development, engineering, architecture, and construction are the cornerstone of Ottawa’s most ambitious projects. This section profiles the companies and organizations, including key municipal and non-profit players, whose expertise, creativity, and commitment to excellence are shaping Ottawa into a world-class city that future generations will enjoy.

LEAD PARTNER

30 Merkley Supply Ltd.

PARTNERS

36 Architects DCA Inc.

38 BPA

40 City of Cornwall 42 County of Renfrew

In 1922, Merkley’s Limited (soon to be Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta) supplied the terra cotta throughout Glebe Collegiate Institute, Ottawa’s newest high school. 100 years later the school still serves the community with a superb reputation for education excellence. Photo: Ottawa City Archives

Ahead by a century

Casselman’s loss was Ottawa’s gain with Merkley Supply Ltd.’s arrival

At the turn of the 19th century, brick-making was a decentralized industry. Wherever communities were growing, some enterprising local would see the need for both sawn lumber and bricks with which to build houses, churches and businesses. There was no large industrial scale plant from which a builder could peruse, select and order brick to be delivered on site from a great distance, nor the sales process to make that happen. In those days, the plants which supplied building materials for small town and large city growth were often right in the municipalities, townships and counties they served.

In 1900, three enterprising brothers named Alexander, Duncan and William Merkley commenced milling and brickyard operations in Casselman, Ontario supplying sawn lumber from Ottawa valley forests, bricks from local clay and the ancillary building materials needed for regional construction - nails, mortar, tar and tools - one of many similar operations throughout rural Ontario and Western Quebec.

In 1912, Alexander was hired away from the Merkley company by a much larger brick operation in Ottawa to oversee a reorganization and renovation of the brickyard owned by Mr. Ballantyne near the independent village of Billings Bridge. The brickyard stood on the

banks of the Rideau River, where today stands the playing fields of “The RA”, the expansive recreation centre operated by the Recreation Association of the Public Service of Canada. Ballantyne was looking to expand and modernize his operation to take advantage of the strong growth of Ottawa as the federal government grew in scale and people flocked to the new national capital.

However, with nearly every ablebodied man joining the Canadian Army to fight for Empire, God and Country in the First World War and all industry focussed on the war effort, there was no demand for bricks or the labour force to continue operations, and Ballantyne closed the brickyard in 1915.

Following Armistice, Duncan and William joined with Alexander to buy out Ballantyne and take over the brickyard, renaming the enterprise Merkley’s Limited. They established offices in the Fraser building at 53

The brick and backing terra cotta for the Ottawa Civic Hospital was supplied from the Merkley brothers’ factory at Billings Bridge. The hospital was nicknamed “Fisher’s Folly” at first because it was felt that the hospital, spearheaded by then-mayor Harold Fisher, was too far out of town for citizens to utilize.

Queen St. and built up the plant at Billings Bridge, selling brick, interlocking tile, and hollow building tile in standard and custom shapes. Their advertisements in the local broadsheet newspapers of the day touted the call to action: “For Beauty with Economy, Build with Brick”, a bit of marketing that mirrors their marketing position to this day.

The brothers immediately received contracts to supply residential and institutional brick in the city, including the terra cotta floors, walls and partitions for the new Glebe Collegiate Institute completed by 1922. By 1923 they had their largest contract yet - the exterior brick supply for the new Ottawa Auditorium, which was touted to be a “Mecca for Sport, Social and Convention Activities”. The massive (by standards of the day) structure on O’Connor Street would host hockey games, sporting events, auto shows, circuses, music

The 7,500-seat Auditorium on O’Connor Street, built of Merkley brick, hosted Ottawa’s most important community gatherings, sporting events and music concerts for half a century.

concerts (including Elvis Presley) and theatrical shows for the next half century, making it the premier social venue in Ottawa until it was replaced by the YMCA facility we have today. By 1924, they received the

contract to supply the backing interlocking terra cotta tile for the new Ottawa Civic Hospital and Nurses Residence, which started a long history of Merkley collaboration and support of this now world-class institution.

RIDEAU RED, THE COLOUR OF OLD OTTAWA

As neighbourhoods like Centretown, the Glebe, Sandy Hill, Hintonburg, and Ottawa South were developed and filled in, “Rideau Red” wire-cut and stock-moulded clay brick from Merkley’s began to paint our town in that distinctive architectural vernacular we appreciate so much today - the soft red brick homes, townhomes and institutions of the early twentieth century. Homes made from Merkley brick in Ottawa’s core neighbourhoods still fetch high prices.

The company would eventually change its name to Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta Company in an effort to connect their brand to their product line. For the next three decades Merkley brick products would be synonymous with Ottawa, reaching everywhere in the city and helping to define its identity. From 1938 to 1940, the company supplied the terra cotta backing brick and even granite face of Canada’s Supreme Court Building, the face of Canada’s justice system.

The Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta factory at Billings Bridge prospered through the first half of the 20th

century and employed many of the men who lived in Billings Bridge up the hill on the Metcalfe Road (now Bank Street). These men and their families depended on the work at the factory - tending the massive kilns, digging and mixing clay ingredients, building pallets and making deliveries.

In 1958, the National Capital Commission began to lay claim to lands along the Rideau River and Canal and forced the sale of the land beneath the Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta Company. Demand for terra cotta backing brick for partition walls was down with the advent of plaster board and sales had diminished. By the middle of the century, larger

brick manufacturing companies with more efficient factories, marketing plans and distribution networks were replacing smaller local brickworks. It was decided that once the land was sold, the factory would not relocate, but close forever. Alexander Merkley’s son Douglas Cameron Merkley, who had been brought up to take over the family business, had a plan

LEFT: After more than 90 years, the Mayfair Theatre still stands today, a much-loved icon of cinematic days gone by and one of only two operating Ottawa movie theatres from that era still in existence today. Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta supplied the brick during the 1932 construction of the theatre, just a short haul up Bank Street from their brickyard. ABOVE: The Rideau Red Stock Moulded brick, the literal building-blocks of Ottawa’s 20th century expansion.

The Supreme Court of Canada was built with masonry products from Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta Company. Photo: Shutterstock

opportunity, one that would signal a new era in the entrepreneurial Merkley family’s story.

In 1959, Cameron Merkley created Merkley Supply Ltd., a company that would fit itself neatly into the distribution networks of these large-scale masonry factories across the country and around the world. Leveraging 60 years of experience making the kiln-dried clay products that built Ottawa, Cameron and his growing staff soon became Ottawa’s premier distributor of masonry and stone products in the region and following the model of their original business in Casselman, they also supplied all the tools, accoutrements, adhesives, mortar and cement products that the region’s masons and bricklayers would need to do their jobs.

Cameron Merkley knew that, in order to serve the entire city, the company needed a central location and so leased a property at 31 Rochester Street near the edge of Lebreton Flats, then Ottawa’s central industrial district. From here the company served the booming postwar expansion of the city’s new neighbourhoods in Ottawa, Nepean and Gloucester, supplying the needs of developers and builders such as Campeau, Fuller, Minto, Doran and Urbandale. They grew the business and served the city from the Rochester yard until 1978 when the operation moved to occupy the former steel fabrication shops of M. Zagerman and Co. at 100 Bayview Road, where they have been ever since.

A THIRD GENERATION AND RENEWED ENERGY

Cameron retired in 1982 and handed over control of the company to his family, establishing his son Robert as its new president, and the Merkley family business entered a new era of communication, technology, marketing, relationship-building and community support.

In the first eight decades of

the 20th century relationships with market stakeholders relied on handshakes, loyalty and a local market not threatened by outside competition. Clients were now marketed to by the distribution networks of a much wider region or directly from the manufacturers themselves. Loyalties were threatened by this outside marketing as well as new local competitors. Robert Merkley, a gregarious and loyal man himself, understood that, in order to hold on to those relationships and build back that loyalty, he needed to communicate, to reach not only the builders but the designers, architects and even homeowners themselves.

It was now a far different business landscape than that of his grandfather Alexander’s or father Cameron’s. In this new world, it had become necessary to strengthen bonds through communication, to search out new technologies that benefit customers and to demonstrate the creative potential of the humble brick. In 1900, when the Merkley story began, you could build a home or a business from wood or brick and stone. Today, customers have so much more choice that a new paradigm was

necessary for the modest brick peddler.

Shortly after taking over the reins of the business, Robert created the MSL Trade Show, a one-day trade show and social event that, for 33 years, has invited members of the Ottawa design and construction industries to explore new product lines and emerging technologies. More importantly, they come together to share stories, rekindle dormant friendships and start new relationships over lunch. From bricklayers to architects and designers to the CEOs of Ottawa’s largest development companies, men and women of the industry have strengthened the local construction network year over year.

The MSL Show has, over the past decade, been transformed into an educational event with numerous technology seminars and product presentations of such a caliber they are recognized by such selfregulating organizations as the Ontario Association of Architects as fulfilling members’ requirements for continuing education.

Robert spent 27 years as a member of the board of directors of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association, three of those as president. He was a driving force

Before 1958, the brick kilns and smokestacks of Ottawa Brick and Terra Cotta were familiar landmarks at Billings Bridge.

behind its much-valued design awards program, communications and publicity outreach, and membership growth. He served eight years on the board of the Ottawa Construction Association, one as chairman.

MORE THAN BRICKS

A warm and gifted communicator and tireless relationship builder, Robert Merkley understood that he was part of something much bigger than the business community he had nurtured so attentively over decades. He understood that rising water lifts all boats; that if his community was strong and vibrant, then people would want to do business here and live here and this growth meant a stronger business landscape. He loved this city and wanted to give back to it in a way that made it even better.

When the Ottawa Hospital reached out to Ottawa’s business sector to help them in their ambitious Legacy Campaign fundraising initiative in the early 2000s, he led his colleagues from the construction industry network to help boost that campaign well past its $100-million goal. Tireless in business, he was relentless in fundraising, unabashedly willing to pick up the phone and start calling, cajoling, and pressing his contacts

to help build a better city. Teaming up with fellow businessmen Roger Greenberg, Dwight Brown and others, Robert helped to raise $7 million to build a Centre for Construction Trades and Building Sciences at Algonquin College. By raising that amount, the group was able to flip a switch to activate an additional $62 million from the Government of Ontario.

In the 2000s, Robert started to focus his community support efforts on building a world-class healthcare system in Ottawa, one that not only paid dividends to the citizens of Ottawa but which attracts the very best medical, surgical and research experts from around the world.

Merkley once said:

“Governments provide enough for our hospitals to deliver good service, but the community has to come to the table to help hospitals deliver excellent service”. A man who puts real action behind his words, Robert gathered funding and material support to build Roger’s House, a palliative care facility for children. He also led a fundraising campaign for The Hospice at Maycourt and sat on their board of directors for many years.

In 2010, Robert joined Roger Greenberg and Claude Desrosiers of Boone Plumbing to create an annual fund-raising cycling event for medical research at the Ottawa Hospital. The peloton of the

“Governments provide enough for our hospitals to deliver good service, but the community has to come to the table to help hospitals deliver excellent service.”

Robert Merkley

At one point the Merkley Supply Brick Peddlers team was 132 Strong.

fundraising for this team-building charity event was led from start to finish by Robert Merkley for the entire 10 years of its existence. Over those 10 years, riders in the event raised an extraordinary $14 million, with the Merkley Supply Brick Peddlers cycling team raising an amazing $1.5 million of that total.

Merkley Supply continues to support initiatives of the Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and the Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation as well as programs that help individuals and families in financial stress such as Christie Lake Kids, Habitat for Humanity and the Ottawa Food Bank.

As we embark on the building of the new state-of-the-art Ottawa Hospital campus at Dow’s Lake, the biggest healthcare infrastructure project in Ottawa’s history, Merkley Supply Ltd. will supply products that will benefit our community for generations to come. But it’s more than brick and stone to Robert Merkley, who recognizes that the new healthcare facility will support the health and well-being of our children and grandchildren well into the next century. Merkley Supply has now pledged a million dollars more to help the Ottawa Hospital become the finest facility of its kind in Canada and to attract the best physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals from around the world.

BUILDING A FUTURE

In 1900, the centuries-old traditions and technology of brickmaking and lumber milling had changed very little since the arrival of European settlers. When they bought the sawmill and brick kilns in Casselman, the Merkley brothers had no cause to see the landslide of immigration-fuelled growth, social change and technology to come. They likely counted on a simple life, milling lumber, firing brick and raising their families. But in true entrepreneurial spirit, they embraced oncoming change and built a business that helped

build this city in so many waysboth physically and socially. Their experience proved that the one thing that could be counted on in business was change. It was either adapt or begin to decline.

Today, Merkley Supply Ltd. embraces a world of changing technology. The company, under the guidance of Robert Merkley and the unmatched experience and talent of the Merkley team, continues to nurture relationships, navigate the fluctuations of a global economy, and find meaningful ways to serve the local community. The Merkley leadership team actively seeks to identify emerging trends in design and construction and to meet these new directions with innovative products, design knowledge and application support. A century ago, the Merkley brothers were happy just to supply a simple

demand for building materials. Today, MSL aims to do more to influence and guide Ottawa’s designers and architects by showcasing the very best creative ideas for interiors, exteriors and landscaping from global suppliers and bringing to the Ottawa market the latest in carbon-friendly and design-forward products.

For more than a century, Merkley Supply Ltd. and its founding enterprises have helped to build this community in lasting ways - from beautiful buildings and homes to world-class healthcare institutions - that have made Ottawa and region one of the best places to live in Canada. This legacy brings much pride to Merkley Supply’s staff while the possibilities for the future continue to drive their passion and creativity.

The Rideau at Lansdowne by Hobin Architecture was built with stone from Merkley Supply Ltd. Photo: Doublespace

Being the city we aspire to be

How to create housing, boost the economy and create an equitable city by harnessing talent

BY TOON DREESSEN, ARCHITECTS DCA

Ottawa is a unique place. We are a city of a million people and growing. We are the capital of a G7 country and, as the second largest city in Ontario, we are an economic centre for growth. Our tourism sector is worth over $2 billion a year, attracting visitors to our national museums, heritage sites and parks, many of which are managed by the National Capital Commission (NCC) or the federal government.

Ottawa, as a city, is in the throes of an economic boom thanks to the many investments being made by the federal government. Ongoing and pending restoration of the Centre Block and the Supreme Court will provide jobs and economic growth for years. This will

build on the success of the recently completed East Block and former Ottawa Union Station.

While a much-lauded downtown reinvestment strategy has been launched, implementation is far too slow. Badly worded and unfair RFPs (requests for proposals) for office to housing conversions, coupled with municipal underinvestment in streets, transit and housing combine to inhibit change.

VISION FOR EXCELLENCE

While there may be vision for how our downtown needs to evolve, there is a lack of vision for excellence in how we want our city to grow and be considered among fellow G7 capitals like London, Paris, Tokyo or Washington.

Our investment in Light Rail Transit has had, at best, mixed results. Reliability and affordability continue to be challenges and public trust has been eroded with funding and service cuts despite enhanced budgets for roads and other projects. We’ve opted to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Lansdowne 2.0. Initial audit reports suggest increased cost (and debt), significantly adding to municipal property taxes. Despite the growing popularity of PWHL, a new Lansdowne arena will be smaller than the existing space. More than two years ago we approved a revitalization of the famed ByWard Market but committed nearly no funding and years later, the plan, which largely

A mass timber, zero carbon community centre, daycare and family resource facility – Architects DCA (Engineering team: AAR – structural; BPA – mechanical/electrical; EXP – civil)

ignored public input, remains a non-priority.

Decades of austerity budgeting and low value investment continue to haunt us.

According to the Ottawa Construction Association, year to date housing starts are down 28% from this time last year while single detached permits have risen 7% in the same time frame. According to recent data, only 7% of recent building permit applications (43 projects worth $75m) are for apartments. More than half of all permit applications remain for single detached homes (315 applications worth $57m).

INCENTIVIZE DENSER HOUSING

This needs to change. We need to incentivize more moderately dense housing and focus on development that fulfills our ambitious Official Plan goals. That requires bold leadership with a vision for excellence.

Fewer housing starts may be a result of the last 18 months of changes in provincial planning policy, combined with higher interest rates and a sluggish economy. However, our municipal approach to funding infrastructure can play a big part in this: punitive and inequitable development charges disincentivize urban investment to subsidize suburban development.

Decades of underfunding in transit have undermined reliability and affordability, creating a vicious cycle of reduced ridership. The result is that more people drive, further congesting roads and highways which benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in provincial highway funding, not to mention commitment to spend nearly a billion dollars in municipal road expansion in the coming years.

We need a rethink of our approach.

We need to re-examine how development charges (DCs) are assessed. More than 50% of

We need to incentivize more moderately dense housing and focus on development that fulfills our ambitious Official Plan goals; that requires bold leadership with a vision for excellence.

development charge costs are assigned to roads, sewers and transit infrastructure which already exist in an urban developed site. What effect would a 50% reduction on DCs have in urban development given that an urban project generally imposes no new roads, sewers or transit expansion?

We need to look at how we plan social infrastructure like parks, schools, libraries and community centres. We have billions of dollars’ worth in buildings and parks within the most densely populated areas. Most of these places have seen little or no substantive investment in a generation and are in poor condition. Reinvesting to meet current community needs, not to mention upgrades to become resilient and accessible, will help restore beauty and pride in our communities and will attract people to live and work in the area.

Ottawa can learn from cities like Montreal by enacting a citywide, year-round, bike share program that is part of our transit network; even in winter, the Bixi bike program expects 4,000 daily users. If successful carfree transformations can work in Montreal, Vancouver or Paris, they can work here if we create the right framework for success. We need to end the “paralysis by analysis” mindset.

#OURBESTOTTAWA

Ottawa can launch a design competition for the ByWard Market. An ideas competition

can attract creative solutions that consider the Market as a whole, including broad issues of social justice, equity and heritage. A juried short list of creative solutions can be publicly presented similar to the Sudbury 2050 Competition. A parallel professional competition can request expressions of interest from architectural teams, shortlisting firms to develop ideas addressing the historic market area, tackling the challenges of the unhoused and healthcare needs, and broadly create a plan for renewal. Key to this is municipal commitment to excellence and funding, tied to a vision for the city we aspire to be.

Similarly, Ottawa can launch design competitions for housing, as Edmonton recently did, attracting international attention to develop some of the hundreds of public properties available. Resulting projects can build housing at varying densities that combine economic viability, social benefit and high-quality design.

To make #OurBestOttawa we need to harness the talent, resources and ideas in our city to create positive, socially transformative and beautiful infrastructure. This applies to not just conventional ideas of infrastructure, like roads and transit, but to social infrastructure, like parks and community space, and to policy development in how we plan, commission and fund our city.

The time is now.

A focus on building engineering excellence and sustainability at BPA

Engineering firm BPA is involved in dozens of projects in the Ottawa area

Take a drive or a stroll around Ottawa, and you’ve likely encountered a project involving BPA, an engineering firm that specializes in buildings for the institutional, commercial, multi-residential, healthcare, and industrial markets.

From the Bank of Canada to the new Ottawa Civic Hospital, the West Memorial Building and the Shepherds of Good Hope, the firm is part of the fabric of the region, taking a leadership role as Ottawa transforms to a more vibrant, big city. The company’s focus is not restricted to merely the bricks and mortar of construction, but on providing solutions to the most complex challenges, producing excellence and building a sustainable future.

“Sustainability has to be at the center of everything that we do,” says Patrick St. Onge, executive

vice-president of BPA. “If engineers can’t make a difference, who will? We distinguish ourselves with this by also offering the highest quality of service and innovative solutions.” Part of this innovation is from the ideas of younger members of the team, who are encouraged to research and bring new ideas on sustainability and best practices to BPA.

The firm also achieves excellence by considering their projects not just from the technical standpoint of an engineer, but all other contributors involved, says Brian Johnson, Vice-President, Structural, with BPA.

The Canadian-based company was founded in 1956, and now has over 1,000 employees working across the country, including offices in British Columbia, Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax, and Montreal. Last year, BPA increased its Ottawa presence by acquiring

local structural engineering consultant Cleland Jardine Engineering Ltd., which added another 65 employees.

The merged company now

Brian Johnson

Patrick St-Onge

Bank of Canada Ottawa Heart Institute

provides complete engineering services in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, including structural, mechanical and electrical. With its depth of experience and knowledge in building engineering, the company has forged the delivery of a full range of services that account for everything that goes into the design and construction of any type of building.

“We have a goal and a mission to be the best at what we do,” St. Onge says. BPA has deep knowledge of what all parties do at the various levels of projects, from building owners, architects, developers, and city officials.

PERSONAL CONNECTIONS

“We have a true understanding of all the components that make up a project so that we’re not just focused on our own individual aspects of it, but on how they come together as a whole,” Johnson says. There are also the personal connections that embed BPA and its employees into the city of Ottawa, as they live and work here, and use the services. For example, Johnson says his grandfather received health care at the Ottawa Hospital, extending his life. “We get to make a difference like that, where we’re contributing to

“Sustainability has to be at the centre of everything that we do. If engineers can’t make a difference, who will? We distinguish ourselves with this by also offering the highest quality of service and innovative solutions.”

— Patrick St. Onge, executive vice-president, BPA

buildings that can be part of saving people’s lives. I know personally because I’ve worked on a building that saved my grandfather’s life.”

It is this deep respect for the city and the profession that inform the company and its employees. Despite BPA’s impressive track record, which includes everything from the $950-million renovation of Place du Portage, to the $450-million Bank of Canada renovation and now $2-billion New Ottawa Civic Hospital expansion, every project matters. Whether it is a major or minor renovation, a commercial building, or affordable housing, every contract represents hope.

“Somebody, whether it’s a developer, the end user, the constructor, or the community, every

project represents somebody’s goal. Even if it’s a small little store inside a strip mall, that is somebody’s potential dream,” Johnson says. “So we ask our teams to put their heart and soul into what they are doing, to care for everything that they are doing, and care for every project that they work on because it matters to not only yourself but to the other people involved.”

Going forward, BPA is focused on sustainability and innovation, as well as being a part of Ottawa’s transformation. “It’s very exciting in Ottawa right now, there are a lot of things happening,” says St. Onge. “All of this growth makes the city vibrant, creating an exciting opportunity to be a part of and contribute to its expansion, positioning us at the forefront of these significant upcoming changes.”

Place du Portage West Memorial

City of Cornwall exploding with investment and employment potential

The city an hour southeast of Ottawa is ripe for development

Choose Cornwall!” That is the message emanating from business leaders in Cornwall, a city of 50,000 people on the St. Lawrence River, about an hour southeast of Ottawa.

Perhaps unbeknownst to many people, Cornwall is a bustling, burgeoning site of activity that’s creating exciting opportunities both for investment and employment.

“Take a closer look at what is happening here, you might be surprised,” says Bob Peters, manager of Cornwall Economic Development. “There are major international projects underway, and there are also investment opportunities with available buildings and land to purchase.”

City planning and building

officials are currently reviewing dozens of development proposals that could see over 1,000 new residential units over the next five years. It speaks to unprecedented levels of investment in the residential sector with a density and scale of development that the city has not seen in decades.

The applications consist of major, multi-unit residential developments that range from apartment buildings to condo developments, to mixed density residential subdivisions.

Growth is attributed to several factors, including a renewed focus on affordable housing, and the fact that Cornwall is more cost effective to build residential developments, from start to finish.

“Historically Cornwall is a

low-cost centre, so from the time you acquire land to all your development approval fees and any other costs associated with building, you will have spent less than in major urban centers,” says Mr. Peters. “At the same time, Cornwall is a full-service city, and the prospect of quality of life at a lower cost threshold makes investing (and moving here) attractive to investors.”

The need for housing is being fueled by employment growth, with more than 500 jobs currently available across the community, including with the City of Cornwall itself.

Cornwall has a solid reputation as a welcoming hub city for the region. It is acknowledged as one the key supply chain hubs in Canada, with a thriving logistics sector led by Walmart, Loblaw, Shoppers Drug Mart and the Benson Group. The Cornwall

Business Park is also home to world-class food processors and innovative manufacturers. Products produced in Cornwall include heart catheters, circuit boards, materials used in Kevlar vests, and food products such as bacon and breakfast bars. Local companies are increasingly turning to automation and advanced processes to remain competitive, and a new sector dealing with AI and robotics is emerging.

Cornwall may be one of the oldest communities in Canada; however, based on the level of investment activity the city is experiencing, it may also be one the fastest growing.

“Cornwall is a full-service city, and the prospect of quality of life at a lower cost threshold makes investing (and moving here) attractive to investors.”

— Bob Peters, manager, Cornwall Economic Development

Trailcon is moving into new offices in the Cornwall Business Park.

Prime Square is a new 44-unit apartment building in downtown Cornwall.

County of Renfrew will see explosive economic development with new projects

Highway 17 and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories expansions promise growth

One of the largest construction projects in the County of Renfrew`s history is currently underway, bringing unprecedented economic activity and job creation and cementing the region as a hub for development. The twinning of Highway 17 by the government is also fast-tracking the region to increased economic activity as it will ease the journey into and out of the area, literally paving the way for investments and development.

All this activity bodes well for Renfrew County, which is just a short distance east of Ottawa, says Melissa Marquardt, manager of economic development for the County of Renfrew.

“These are long-term projects and they have significant, positive impacts for our local construction industry, as well as across the county,” says Marquardt.

The Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC) is

part of the federal government’s strategic $1.3-billion investment in the refurbishment of the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ (CNL) Chalk River facilities.

As for Highway 17, Marquardt explains that it will provide quicker access for urban visitors and people from Ottawa coming into the region as well as for residents who commute to Ottawa for either work or appointments. It will also make the delivery of goods and services a smoother process, especially for materials coming in for CNL’s project.

As the largest employer in the

Science Collaboration Centre

County Renfrew

County, CNL is an important partner in terms of the nuclear industry, Marquardt adds. It’s estimated that annual spending on the project will total $120 million and will employ 672 people yearly.

CNL’s Chalk River campus, which spans just under 10,000 acres, has been part of the fabric of the region for over 70 years, so many of the buildings required significant modernization work.

As a result, in 2015 federal crown corporation Atomic Energy Limited Canada switched to a governmentowned, contract-operated model for the facilities at the Chalk River Laboratories, a campus that is comparable to a small town, says Steve Innes, deputy vice-president of capital projects with CNL. A lot of the buildings are aging facilities that need to be decommissioned and demolished, but the campus is a flagship facility for nuclear research and supporting the Canadian nuclear industry, he says.

“It’s an incredible place to work. We get to build facilities here and we’re side by side with some of the smartest people in the world in their fields in very unique areas like medical isotopes. We’ve got a rich history of helping the country and the world with the supply of medical isotopes,” he adds.

The project is also a boon for the community, Innes explains, in that there is a mix of contractors that are coming in both nationally and internationally. These contractors use a lot of local workforces and also partner up with some of the local contract companies. “We’re also promoting small indigenous businesses and local vendors to be part of those teams,” Innes says.

The AMRC, the flagship building, will be a 10,000-square-metre facility able to accommodate 240 people. The government has taken an integrated project delivery approach, meaning a consortium of about a dozen contractors are involved.

The project is a highly technical and costly undertaking due to the specialized nature of the build, which

will include “hot cell” rooms that are equipped to support radiation examinations on materials that have been in nuclear reactors.“We support all the CANDU reactors, which is extremely important in Ontario as most of the power comes from nuclear, as well as for the Canadian nuclear industry,” Innes says.

New buildings that have already been completed include a Site Entrance Building called

the Minwamon Building, which opened in 2020, a Support Facility that is used for maintenance and manufacturing activities which opened in 2021, and the Science Collaboration Centre, which is six storeys and is used to provide central planning and collaboration space for CNL’s growing science and technology programs, which opened in 2023. All were constructed from mass timber from Chibougamau, Quebec.

ANMRC

Site Entrance Building

Support Facility

Montreal company Groupe MACH poised to play major role in growth of Ottawa

Real estate investment firm is in it for the long haul

Anew investor in Ottawa’s real estate market, Groupe MACH, is poised to play a role in the growth of the city as well as the protection of the health of the downtown core.

Groupe MACH was founded in 2000 by Vincent Chiara, a Montrealbased developer who now manages a portfolio of more than 50 million sq. ft. of office space spread over 250 properties across Canada.

The portfolio includes Montreal landmarks Sun Life Building and Place Victoria, and the company has more than 15 million sq. ft. of space on the drawing board.

Groupe MACH recently made its

first investment in the Ottawa area in 2021 with a Class A office building on Alta Vista Drive. It also has plans for sites in the downtown core on O’Connor and Metcalfe streets, where it plans to demolish buildings pending municipal approval. There are also plans for ONE60 Elgin, now acquired by the firm. Groupe MACH has also purchased 1.7 million sq. ft. of office space from Cominar.

“We see a lot of opportunities, and the fact that there aren’t a lot of outside investors gave us more of a reason to be there,” says Chiara. The firm’s strategy is to remain as a long-term player so it establishes itself and becomes part of the

community, hiring people locally.

“It’s really a long-term play and we bought assets which confirmed that we intend to be in Ottawa for a long time,” says Chiara.

The company’s strategy also includes the location of assets

Vincent Chiara, Founder and President

Laurent Dionne-Legendre, Vice-President, Investments

Facade View of the 27-storey ONE60 Elgin Building

where the underlying land value or density is at least equivalent to the value of the asset it is buying. For example, Groupe MACH purchased ONE60 Elgin because of the parking allocation, the additional density, and the city’s intention to rezone a lot of similar properties to residential use, Chiara says.

Laurent Dionne-Legendre, vice-president of investments with Groupe MACH, predicts office conversions are going to become increasingly popular as Ottawa’s tech sector and the federal

government’s presence shifts.

However, Chiara says that the ecosystem of the downtown core is at risk if people do not return to work soon.

“It’s going to be a difficult ride for the downtown core if the government doesn’t step up,” says Chiara. In most cities across North America, downtown office values have plummeted anywhere between 35 and 50 per cent, which affects municipal tax dollars, Chiara says.

“It’s going to hurt the municipalities and the services

which are generated. So this is going to become a big, big issue, coupled with the fact that if there’s no traffic in the downtown core, the businesses that depend on traffic the food courts, the restaurants, the taxi driver, the Uber drivers, everything that lives off of the downtown traffic will obviously have a rough ride.”

This is why Chiara is calling on everyone to do their part to get workers back downtown, and Groupe MACH will play a large role in this renaissance.

View from ONE60 Elgin

ONE60 Elgin Office Tower and Business Centre Main Entrance

Inflector Environmental Services:

Transforming Ottawa with safety in mind

Leading the way in hazardous material removal for over a dozen major projects

As awareness of the need for a healthy and safe work environment grows, so too does the role of Ottawa-based Inflector Environmental Services. They are helping the city grow and transform in a safe and sustainable manner.

Inflector has experienced a meteoric rise as it provides environmental contracting services for many of the large projects currently underway in the city. From 30 employees just eight years

ago to over 250 in the region now, Inflector is playing a major role in preparing many of the federal government’s buildings for retrofits or demolition and rebuild.

Inflector is an expert in hazardous material remediation and selective demolition. They provide specific services like asbestos and lead abatement, remediation for commercial mould and soil, fireproofing and firestopping, and emergency response.

Inflector is currently involved

in the retrofit of numerous federal government buildings, including the Parliamentary Precinct Centre Block and East Block and the Federal District Energy Project (in particular the Energy Services Acquisition Program). Other projects include the Ottawa Hospital’s new campus, the Advanced Medical Research Centre and the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub for the University of Ottawa.

“There is definitely a focus on the awareness of working in a healthy environment, especially with workplace initiatives” says CEO and president Jeffrey Clarke. “We attribute the growth of the company to the quality of work and service that we provide, and our ability to innovate through environmental engineering and other methods to provide cost-competitive solutions for people’s environmental nightmares and problems.”

Inflector’s extensive involvement

in the Ottawa region is exemplified by the work on the government’s Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP). Two of the main aspects of this program are the Confederation Heights and Cliff Heating and Cooling Plants (CHCPs). These projects are undergoing rebuilds and renovations to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on future costs. Inflector is providing abatement and demolition services to these plants as they undergo their transformation. This creates a safer work environment for renovations and rebuilds to be completed, and ensures any future use of the space is safe whether it be to work, play or live in.

ON TIME AND ON BUDGET

Jonathan Isenor, P.Eng., is Inflector’s Project Manager for ESAP, and says that the company has successfully removed hazardous materials on time and on budget, thereby positively impacting the future of health and safety both at the plants and throughout the heating

and cooling distribution network. “Health and safety are paramount to Inflector, as we are continually striving to ensure that our workers, as well as all workers, make it home safely to their families at the end of each day,” Isenor says.

The company was founded in Ottawa in 1994, and now has offices in Halifax, St. John’s, Moncton, Toronto, Kingston and Edmonton, with over 600 employees. And Clarke is seeing the fruits of the company’s hard work in Ottawa as the city enjoys the change in becoming a bigger, more sophisticated city.

“I think we have a great

economic impact on the city,” Clarke says. “Our projects are not just about removing hazardous obstacles for construction, they are about creating job opportunities and fostering economic growth.”

The company and their care for the safety of their people, is supported by several recent awards, including as an Excellence Awardee in two categories for the 2023 Canada’s Safest Employers awards, and as a winner of the Canada’s Best Managed Companies program since 2022. The company was also awarded the Keystone Award for job creation in Ottawa.

BY

Jeffrey Clarke

Jonathan Isenor

PHOTO

YARO SHKVO

Cliff Heating and Cooling Plant

A concrete presence in Ottawa for decades, MCON continues to contribute

The foundation of Ottawa’s growth is MCON’s concrete products

As the City of Ottawa enjoys explosive growth, so too does MCON, a local family-owned business that manufactures precast concrete infrastructure products, the building blocks of development.

MCON’s roots extend back 68 years ago, when a company called Central Precast began manufacturing a variety of products for the construction industry. As the company grew, Luigi Mion, his two sons, and his brother Gustavo saw an opportunity for expansion and established MCON in 1989 in Carp.

MCON’s products and manufacturing capabilities now include reinforced concrete pipe, maintenance holes, catch basins, oil grit separators, box culverts, and Stone Strong Systems’ retaining walls. Since 2014, the plant has doubled in size to 111,300 sq.ft., says Marco Mion, who is the third generation to work in the business.

With major capital investments to the manufacturing facility and procurement of new equipment, the plant can produce up to 500 tonnes of finished concrete products a day, Mion says, adding that MCON employs 73 staff on the production team and 23 staff on the office team. A quick appraisal of any large project or major infrastructure in Ottawa would show the presence of MCON’s products, which have maintained premium quality for decades and decades.

“The products that we produce are in Ottawa’s communities, and they last for 75 to 100 years. We’d like to continue to contribute to the community and know that our products will be in service for the generations to come,” Mion says.

infrastructure, and that’s where MCON comes into play.”

Presently, MCON has a hand in many of the projects that form the foundation of the city’s growth but that may not be as obvious as infrastructure such as a central library or a hospital.

For example, the City of Ottawa’s LRT stations’ retaining walls, as well as improvements and upgrades to culverts that travel under roadways. “We improve them because they were either specified as corrugated steel or plastic, so we’re supplying concrete pipe which lasts 75 to 100 years, which is way more sustainable for the city and environment,” Mion says.

“We are very bullish on Ottawa,” says Claudio Mion, VP of Operations at MCON. “The city is in a very good place compared to other regions,” he says, adding that a lot of workers are coming from Toronto to find more affordable living conditions.

“The growth of Ottawa is going to make us into a world-class city, as long as you have the roads and

MCON is also working with major homebuilders such as Minto and Mattamy Homes to provide products for many of their subdivisions and new communities that are cropping up around the city, he adds.

ONGOING EXPANSION

“We’ve been continually expanding the production plant, recognizing that there is more of a need for custom and larger structures related to our market. So we’ve invested in new formwork and are expanding

“The products that we produce are in Ottawa’s communities, and they last for 75 to 100 years.”

— Marco Mion

the manufacturing facility to give us more capabilities to produce these larger products and to service the growth,” Mion says.

“The benefits of precast are that we save time for contractors in the field because our products are delivered to site ready to be installed, and we are always manufacturing in the same climate controlled environment,” says Mion of the efficient practices the company has honed over the years.

All products meet provincial standards, he adds, and a lot are produced ahead of time. “They’re readily available for pickup when these different projects are awarded,” he says.

It is this forward-looking mindset that has carried the company far over the years. If there are any obstacles, it is imperative to improve and challenge the status quo, Mion says.

“Instead of management leading top-down, we’ve involved and empowered the production team

to come up with innovative ideas on how to make the jobs easier, and how to improve our current processes,” he says, adding that MCON has European equipment on site that’s automated and specialized.

And while Mion is excited about the prospect of Ottawa’s growth, he

says it could be going at a faster rate, with the holdup mostly due to an excess of bureaucracy. “It’s exciting to be involved in these projects. We’re attracting tourism, we’re investing in our health with these hospitals and roads that are being built. It’s an exciting time,” he says.

125 years planning the National Capital

The National Capital Commission has been instrumental in planning Ottawa-Gatineau for over a century

For 125 years, the National Capital Commission has been bringing to life a beautiful, majestic vision of the region that is befitting of the seat of government. As the organization celebrates this milestone, it is looking ahead to continue this important mandate with a focus on listening to input from both residents and visitors alike.

Alain Miguelez, vice president of capital planning at the NCC, says that there was historically a sense that ‘Town’ and ‘Crown’ are two separate entities never to cross paths.

“These days, we want the city to look like a capital and we want the capital to look like a city. And so, the more the NCC strengthens its collaborations with local governments and partners, the more successful new developments will

be. We want to hear from people who live in the national capital, as well as people from across the country who visit the region each year,” Miguelez says.

“Openness and transparency with Canadians provides insight and guidance to what is important to people as we develop our plans,” he adds.

Over the past year, evidence of this consultative focus has emerged, with the opening of the River House on the Ottawa River, a swimming area that is free of cost and accessible to everyone. The NCC is also redeveloping Kìwekì Point (formerly Nepean Point) to create a lively, 21st century park in the heart of the capital. The project includes a footbridge from Major’s Hill Park and a new approach for the interpretation elements and monuments on site, developed with the participation of representatives of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg and the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn.

This project also reflects the NCC’s intention to place a larger emphasis on the region’s waterfronts. “We are turning toward the water,” Miguelez says. In addition, the NCC will be looking to add more points of interests to attractions along Confederation Boulevard, the core area and across the capital region on both sides of the river.

And of course, there is the ongoing development of LeBreton Flats. “LeBreton will basically double the size of downtown,” Miguelez remarks.

The NCC was created in 1899 under the name Ottawa

Alain Miguelez

NCC River House

Improvement Commission as the federal urban planner responsible for managing and planning Crownowned lands on both sides of the Ottawa River in collaboration with stakeholders.

While the NCC has undergone several name changes and configurations over the years, it has always been in charge of notable properties such as waterfronts along the Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River, the Sussex Courtyards and the Official Residences (including Rideau Hall). It currently manages 11 per cent of land in Ottawa and owns more than 1,600 properties.

When the NCC was founded, Ottawa was a polluted, industrial city that required much attention to enhance its aesthetics. Over the years, it has unveiled several ambitious plans on a 50-year cycle that included the parkways that span the city, as well as Confederation Boulevard in downtown Ottawa-Gatineau.

The region has come a long way since those days, with some significant plans enacted that enhance the capital. With strong public participation and consultation, this mandate will continue for years to come.

Kiweki Point

The Sussex Courtyards

‘Condominiumizing’ land developments

Nelligan innovates with ‘mini-municipality’ concept

Nelligan Law is so successfully redefining the concept of condominiums for stakeholders that its approach is being applied to major, mixeduse projects in Ottawa and other municipalities.

“We are looking at traditional condominium title in new and innovative ways,” says Bev Prokopowich, a law clerk with Nelligan Law, an Ottawa-based law firm established in 1963 by John Nelligan and Denis Power.

Condominium titles have existed in Ontario since 1968. For many years ‘condo’ was applied as a way to divide title vertically to create high-rise apartment or townhome units with shared common areas, parking, and greenspace.

Nelligan Law has applied the concepts, and the model of good governance that exists for condominium title, to other methods of land division to create complex shared private infrastructure like, roads, pathways, water and sewer services, pumping

stations and community amenities. This will benefit larger mixed-use communities but may look different than we might see in a traditional subdivision.

Buildings may be further divided through condominium and noncondominium approaches to divide commercial uses and residential uses, or to allow separate ownership of floors comprising affordable housing alongside floors of marketbased rental suites.

The concept draws upon the law firm’s four-decade-plus years of experience in land development, condominium, and shared property structures, says Nelligan partner Debbie Bellinger, who joined the firm in 1985 and has focused on these areas ever since.

Traditional concepts do not always “fit”, but combining options available, while ensuring good governance of shared property going forward, creates a real opportunity for all stakeholders.

“We developed our expertise and understanding of how shared property works, so we often apply condo with a combination of other approaches to land division and shared property structures,” Bellinger explains. “We think of condominium and shared property as a means to create really high-

Bev Prokopowich and Debbie Bellinger of Nelligan Law in front of Kanaal.

“We are creating a new definition in people’s minds of condominiums.”

— Bev Prokopowich, Nelligan Law development law clerk

end and complex, integrated mixed-use development.”

”Condominiumizing” a larger scale development creates a minimunicipality in which all roads and services may be privatized. The buildings themselves may be further divided in various ways to create residential, commercial and common spaces that are truly integrated and accommodate a range of income levels and investment.

“When you really get into the nitty-gritty of what a condominium is, it’s a way to divide up property and shared property elements that will be managed going forward under a strict statutory structure, similar to the governance model that we have under the Municipal Act,” Bellinger says.

At the outset, private roads may be constructed to a narrower standard, leaving more land available

for development. Going forward, the condominium model of governance ensures that a condominium corporation is responsible for management and operation of private infrastructure and is setting aside and investing funds for long term repair and replacement.

CITY OF OTTAWA EMBRACING NELLIGAN’S CONCEPT

The City of Ottawa has been receptive to Nelligan’s concept through its involvement with Zibi, which is 34 acres of waterfront property that is being developed into a mixeduse community, with consultations engaging Indigenous communities.

Canada’s first One Planet Living community, Zibi is a transit-friendly, walkable community featuring public, open spaces as well as affordable housing alongside higher-end residential units, some

in the same building on different floors, and again with shared property interests between them.

Nelligan’s approach represents a shift in mentality in the development industry that is integral as municipalities face rising costs of infrastructure and land pressures, Bellinger says.

“Consultants who serve the industry need to be creative in finding solutions that work, and always be looking for ways to create communities that are economically viable, integrated and diverse. Developers are visionaries, and we have to have vision to support that,” she says.

Nelligan Law has certainly exhibited this forward-looking mentality, as evidenced by its unique approach to Zibi, which showcases what can be done with shared property concepts.

Want to give boutique apartment living a try? Regional Group’s Trio provides unique living experience in Orléans

Orléans, a charming suburb known for its serene environment and tight-knit community, is currently facing a unique situation: there aren’t many rental options available in the area. Without these options, individuals and families who cannot afford to buy homes are excluded from living in Orléans. This includes young

Good things really do come in threes

professionals, low-income families, and those who prefer renting for its flexibility.

Young adults often prefer renting as it offers mobility and less financial commitment compared to buying a home. Similarly, those looking to downsize might find renting a more convenient option. The absence of rental properties

can push these groups out of Orléans, affecting the community’s age diversity and potentially leading to a loss of long-term residents. Additionally, a shortage of rental properties can drive up demand for the limited available housing, leading to higher home prices. This can exacerbate housing affordability issues and create

barriers for first-time homebuyers.

Regional Group understands these challenges deeply. Since 1958, the company has been committed to Ottawa’s growth and the wellbeing of its communities. The Trio buildings on Portobello Blvd. represent a significant step forward in addressing the urgent need for quality rental housing in Orléans. By expanding the availability of affordable and stylish living spaces, the company is helping to create a more inclusive and dynamic community.

The development of these three buildings required Regional Group to carefully balance the project with the preservation of nearby woodlots. This thoughtful approach ensured that green spaces were maintained and prospective residents were wellinformed, though it involved extensive negotiations with various stakeholders. Adding to the complexity, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced significant challenges, including delays, supply chain disruptions, and health concerns. Regional Group adapted

by implementing strict sanitation measures, navigating evolving regulations, and transitioning to remote work. Despite these hurdles, the team’s resilience, innovation, and flexibility enabled them to overcome obstacles and successfully fulfill their commitments.

A LEVEL ABOVE

Regional Group is renowned for going a level above in its approach. By working closely with the community, the company ensures that projects like the Trio buildings

integrate seamlessly with existing neighborhoods, enhancing the community while respecting its character and environment. This commitment to thoughtful planning and collaboration reflects Regional Group’s dedication to Ottawa’s growth, which they see as a promising journey toward creating vibrant neighborhoods and improving the quality of life for all residents. The Trio buildings in Orléans stand as a testament to this dedication, showcasing their commitment to enhancing local growth and development.

Amongst Ottawa’s residential towers, Richcraft’s Parkdale Collective will stand out

The 31-storey tower will feature an exclusive look and feel

Abold, new highrise is poised to enter the Ottawa market in the trendy Parkdale area, courtesy of one of the city’s most established developers, Richcraft.

The Parkdale Collective at 159 Parkdale Ave. started construction in the fall of 2021, and, against all odds, is on track for completion and scheduled for occupancy in February 2025. Thanks to its innovative design and environmentally friendly elements, the 31-storey residential rental building will stand out amongst others for its unique appearance and energy performance.

“The Parkdale Collective is a

testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation in residential design,” says Steve Grandmont, CEO of Richcraft. The company partnered with industry-leading architecture firms TACT Architecture and Rod Lahey Architects, and Grandmont says the collaboration aimed to create a landmark that exceeds modern living expectations.

“We are incredibly proud of this project and believe The Parkdale Collective will stand out as an iconic addition to the city’s skyline. It’s a place where residents can feel proud to live, surrounded by exceptional design and unparalleled amenities.

We look forward to welcoming our future residents and continuing to build homes that enrich lives and communities throughout Ottawa.”

HIGHLIGHT OF THE STREET

The existing neighbourhood has a lot of beige and concrete, and Prisham Jain, the lead architect from TACT, says the Parkdale Collective will undoubtedly make an impact due to its design. “The base of the building is a bright, buff material that emulates a natural stone, and the balconies are completed with a unique, warm glass that reflects the sun in a striking way. These features are not typically found in Ottawa, making The Collective the highlight of the street – light, cheerful, fun and playful, yet classic and proud,” Jain says.

The Parkdale Collective consists

of 279 purpose-built rental suites offering a mix of one- and twobedroom units with modern kitchens, in-suite laundry, and luxury vinyl plank flooring, with interiors designed by U31 Design. In addition to these suites, the complex includes an amenity floor, five townhomes along Parkdale Avenue, and a commercial space on the corner of Lyndale and Parkdale Avenues.

As a smart building, access to The Collective is provided through an app or fob. Each unit is equipped with a water flow detection system, Energy Star appliances, and a smart thermostat to ensure optimal energy efficiency, reflecting the company’s dedication to sustainability. “The Collective was designed for optimal energy performance, reducing energy consumption for residents and building operations,” says Vadim Skliar, senior project manager with Richcraft.

The remarkable development also offers five-and-a-half levels of underground parking and 20 EV charging stations, with the capacity to add 25 more. Amenities include a state-of-the-art gym, yoga room, chef’s kitchen, dining area,

coworking spaces, gaming areas, and an outdoor BBQ area and swimming pool. Residents will also benefit from dedicated bicycle storage racks and repair stations, secured ski lockers and a dog wash station.

With its completion on the

horizon, The Parkdale Collective is set to offer residents a premium lifestyle of urban luxury in Ottawa. Adding this distinguished project to its portfolio, Richcraft continues to set the standard in creating exceptional living spaces that endure and inspire.

The Parkdale Collective

The University of Ottawa making huge investment to grow Ottawa’s life sciences sector

Its new Advanced Medical Research Centre will foster ecosystem of industry research and development

Providing quality healthcare tomorrow depends on how we, as a society, invest in health research today. Yet, for years, researchers, innovators and healthcare leaders have noted how a shortage of research and wetlab facilities has limited Eastern Ontario’s potential to be a leader in health innovation and biotech commercialization.

This has also impeded the region’s ability to attract and retain top global talent in health innovation.

The University of Ottawa is stepping in to bridge the gap by making the largest capital investment in its history. In May, it broke ground on the Advanced Medical Research

Centre, a new seven-storey stateof-the-art facility built adjacent to the Faculty of Medicine, and in close proximity to the Ottawa Hospital General Campus and CHEO.

Sylvain Charbonneau, the vicepresident of research and innovation at uOttawa, says the vision is to encourage an ecosystem based on a “quadruple helix” of university, clinical and government researchers and industry R&D working together to take the already successful sector to the next level.

“It is extremely important for us to build for the future, and that is the role the Advanced Medical Research Centre will play,” explains Charbonneau.

UNPRECEDENTED INVESTMENT

There is no such facility in Eastern Ontario. At 350,000 sq. ft., the seven-storey building will be one of the largest in the province dedicated to research innovation and commercialization in the life sciences sector. “What is lacking in Ottawa are the facilities to support the whole innovation ecosystem in the life sciences,” Charbonneau says, adding that the facility will go a long way to retaining the best and brightest researchers and students. “When you attract these individuals, they are always asking about their ability to start a company, and the cornerstone of that will be the Ottawa Health Innovation Hub,” he explains.

The cornerstone of the AMRC is the Health Innovation Hub slated to open in 2026, focusing not only on enabling the discovery of life-

saving therapies but also incubating and scaling up the next generation of biotech companies. It will be a space in which researchers, health care professionals and industry experts can meet and collaborate to drive continuous progress in healthcare.

An economic study commissioned by uOttawa predicts that companies resulting from the facility will generate $320 million in revenues and investments by 2030, and will create more than 1,300 jobs. The facility will also receive a LEED Gold designation for sustainability.

$1.1 BILLION CONTRIBUTION

Overall, the study forecasts that the AMRC will contribute almost $1.1 billion to Ontario’s economy by 2030 and employ up to 650 researchers.

Located on Smyth Road, the facility will include several floors of laboratory space, including “wet labs,” as well as “shell” space that will leave room for further expansion. The technology will allow for cutting-edge research in fields such as neurosciences, cancer therapies, vascular and cardiovascular health and other strategic areas of research.

The configuration of the building will also encourage collaboration, says Geoffrey Frigon, associate vice-president of facilities at uOttawa. The wet lab spaces will be an open floor concept and will provide access to a full suite of core facilities, which will be available for all researchers and entrepreneurs. “It will be an optimal use of space from an architectural standpoint.” The project is unique in its embrace of bringing the research, incubation and acceleration stages together with the private sector, he adds. “We are creating a nice ecosystem in this science field that doesn’t exist in Ottawa.”

Designed by Parkin Architects, built by PCL Construction and employing WSP Engineering, the actual building will be “quite grand,” says Frigon, and will feature an airy, light-filled atrium as well as a second-floor terrace where researchers can go to clear their heads. “There is simply no other space like this in the region to inspire creativity and innovation in health research,” he says.

“It is extremely important for us to build for the future, and that is the role the Advanced Medical Research Centre will play.”

— Sylvain Charbonneau

Community Wealth Building: A made-inOttawa plan to build prosperity for all

By Henry Akanko, Director, Community Initiatives and Hire Immigrants Ottawa, United Way East Ontario.

As Ottawa rockets into an era of major infrastructure investment, United Way East Ontario and Buy Social Canada have brought people across many sectors together around a shared vision: a sustainable future for our city where every person thrives and every neighbourhood prospers,

using the power of Community Wealth Building.

Consider this: we can alleviate poverty if we change the systems that cause it in the first place.

Community Wealth Building aims to address the discrimination inherent in our economies so we can create more equitable and inclusive communities. Anyone who manages people or holds a budget has a role to play in Community Wealth Building.

The good news is Community Wealth Building is already in motion in Ottawa and local social service providers, the building trades, the municipal and federal public service, economic development agencies, and many others are on board.

Here’s how we’re forging ahead:

• Ensure local investments and financial assets remain local.

• Promote fair work and training.

• Prioritize equitable use of land and property.

• Implement progressive procurement policies.

• Champion democratic and inclusive business models.

In Ottawa, the momentum has already started:

• The Ottawa Community Land Trust launched a campaign to raise $1.7 million through Housing Forever Bonds, which will maintain and acquire affordable housing properties. United Way East Ontario was an early investor, committing $100,000 to the fund that will keep housing affordable in the face of an affordability crisis.

• Social enterprises are businesses that sell goods or services; have a social, cultural or environmental purpose; and reinvest profits into that mission. Ottawabased institutions have begun diversifying their supply chains to include social enterprises like FoodWorks, Good

A sustainable future for our city where every person thrives and every neighbourhood prospers, using the power of Community Wealth Building.

Nature Groundskeeping, and EcoEquitable.

• United Way brings together employers, employment service providers, job seekers and others to create more welcoming workplaces for Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, and newcomers. Through the Employment Accessibility Resource Network, Hire Immigrants Ottawa, and the Indigenous Employment

Leadership Advisory Table, more people can fully participate in the labour market and break the cycle of poverty.

With connections to many sectors, industries, businesses, governments, social services and community leaders, United Way bridges the gaps between these players and removes the barriers we may have in building community wealth.

Ottawa’s future is bright. We look forward to seeing every single person shine as we get there together.

Ziebarth Electrical Contractors focuses on quality, culture and collaboration

Ziebarth Electrical Contractors (ZEC), an Ottawa-based, family business, prides itself on several achievements over the course of its 47-year history in the city. These include staff members who have been with the company since its inception, its involvement in the community, and currently, its essential role in the city’s explosive growth.

These achievements fuel the company’s progression, says Johannes Ziebarth, President and CEO of ZEC.

“We have worked hard over the past 47 years to build a strong reputation centered around quality, culture, and collaboration. This has helped us develop great partnerships that enable us to

be sustainable as a company. It’s something I’m very proud of, and again, it comes down to the great work and dedication from all our staff. We are one big family,” he says.

The family vibe is tangible, adds Spencer Warren, vice-president with ZEC. “We treat everyone as family and because of that, we have a very low attrition rate.” A lot of ZEC’s employees have been with the company for decades.

Started by Paul Ziebarth in 1977 as a small commercial electrical company, ZEC is now a full-service electrical and maintenance provider in the National Capital Region. Paul’s son, Johannes, worked his way up the ranks over the years, immersing himself

in every aspect of the business, and now owns and operates the company. ZEC employs over 130 electricians, who are currently working on dozens of projects around the region, in addition to 40 other full-time staff.

FAMILY-ORIENTED CULTURE

The family-oriented culture has extended to ZEC’s involvement in the community. Finding himself requiring support in relation to a family member dealing with substance abuse, Ziebarth reached out to the Royal Ottawa Hospital. It was there he found what he needed in the way of regular meetings, and since then, Ziebarth helped establish the Royal’s Family and Client Resource Hub. “I believe all businesses that are fortunate enough should find a communitybased organization to support,” Ziebarth says.

It is this family and communityoriented mindset that inform ZEC’s approach to all projects on the books now.

These include 11 of the City of Ottawa’s Light Rail Rapid Transit stations, and many of the residential

apartments popping up across the city’s suburbs. Ziebarth says current projections for work on the books show substantial growth year over year with some really exciting projects and partnerships on the horizon.

ZEC is also partnered in a joint venture for the renovations taking place at the Parliament Centre Block, which is estimated to take another 10 years to complete.

In addition to the family values that infuse the company, decades of technical expertise inform the workmanship that goes into every project. Ziebarth says the process starts not with the actual work, but through listening to clients and what they require.

ZEC provides designbuild and value-engineering; electrical demolitions and retrofits; telecommunications and systems installations; fire alarm, security, video and sound system installations; and building maintenance and repair. The company’s current slate of projects is definitely in line with the city’s transformation. For example, light rail, the many large apartments, and the company installed over 500 electrical vehicle charging stations across the city.

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

“For us, light rail has been a great project because it’s a growth opportunity for us. We’ve really stepped up and worked hard on that and all our other different projects, even during Covid,” he says, explaining that those were the hardest years because material costs skyrocketed. Nevertheless, ZEC is still able to be sustainable and make it affordable for the city and for ourselves to carry on, Ziebarth adds.

“Our team is growing substantially with the additions of more project managers, field staff and engineering support, so we’re continuing to grow and we want to continue to grow even further.”

Warren is also excited about the prospect of the city’s trajectory. “Ottawa is continuing to grow at a rapid speed, definitely in some different areas of the city like Barrhaven,” Warren says, explaining that post-Covid, there is a shift to more apartment builds, which are more affordable.

There is no doubt that ZEC will continue to expand alongside the City of Ottawa, with a continued focus on its family-oriented values. “Our greatest asset is our employees, and therefore we believe that it’s important to have core values that we are willing to commit to. This helps foster a great work culture, which really is the backbone of our company,” says Ziebarth.

ZEC full electrical, lighting, and fire alarm system

TOP 25

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Source: City of Ottawa construction permits, January to June 2024. Note: City records do not name the contractor for all projects. Some contractor information and project descriptions are drawn from other publicly available sources.

$195,070,784 100-130 Mishi Priv, Ottawa K1K Mattamy (Rockcliffe) Inc. Stacked rowhouse

$77,942,682 1050 Canadian Shield Ave, Kanata K2K

$69,283,593 126-128 York St, Old Ottawa K1N

$69,283,593 151 George St, Old Ottawa K1N

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

$48,750,355 1306 McWatters Rd, Old Ottawa K2C Homestead Land Holdings Ltd Apartment

$48,741,931 305 Rochester St, Old Ottawa K1R

$48,741,931 818-822 Gladstone Ave, Old Ottawa K1R

$47,044,279 4837 Albion Rd, Gloucester K1X

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Retail

$27,857,493 1045 Noella Leclaire, Voie, Cumberland K4A Buttcon East Limited Institutional

$25,843,183 401 Smyth Rd, Old Ottawa K1H

Contractor unknown Industrial

$23,714,527 360 Bobolink Ridge, Goulbourn K2V Seymour Pacific Developments Ltd. Apartment

$23,683,517 370 Bobolink Ridge, Goulbourn K2V

$21,754,485 1366 Carling Ave, Old Ottawa K1Z

$18,653,853 770 Brookfield Rd, Old Ottawa K1V

$14,774,793 2220 Walkley Rd, Old Ottawa K1G

$12,610,835 200 Eglantine Drwy, Old Ottawa K1Y

$11,394,114 1400 Upper Canada St, West Carleton K2T

$11,394,114 3275 Palladium Dr, West Carleton K2T

$10,021,843 300 Tremblay Rd, Old Ottawa K1G

$10,021,843 1305 Avenue L, Old Ottawa K1G

$8,956,700 3040-3044 Innes Rd, Gloucester K1W

$8,081,356 2380 Cleroux, Crois, Gloucester K1W

$8,035,929 2396 Cleroux, Crois, Gloucester K1W

$7,660,000 3045 Baseline Rd, Nepean K2H

$5,603,058 1185 Beaverwood Rd, Rideau K4M

Seymour Pacific Developments Ltd. Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Doran Contractors Ltd Apartment

Westview Projects Inc. Office

Contractor unknown Office

Contractor unknown Industrial

Contractor unknown Industrial

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Apartment

Contractor unknown Institutional

Contractor unknown Apartment

DESCRIPTION

Construct a block of 16, 3 storey stacked rowhouses.

Construct a 6 storey apartment building with underground parking garage.

Construct a 22 storey mixed-use building (hotel units & dwelling units).

Construct a 22 storey mixed-use building (hotel units & dwelling units).

Construct a 25 storey apartment building with underground parking (glass guard system, public pool and standpipe system are excluded - separate building permits will be required for these).

Construct two 9 storey apartment buildings connected by below-grade parking, buildings a & b (building b is mixed use with ground floor commercial).

Construct two 9 storey apartment buildings connected by below-grade parking, buildings a & b (building b is mixed use with ground floor commercial).

Construct a 6 storey addition including casino and hotel (Hardrock).

Construct a 4 storey institutional building (Extendicare long term care home).

Construct a 7 storey parking garage (CHEO).

Construct a 6 storey apartment building with underground parking (building b).

Construct a 6 storey apartment building with underground parking (building a).

Construct an 8 storey apartment building (tower d).

Superstructure only - construct a 9 and 6 storey linked apartment building with 1 level of underground parking (blocks c, d, f).

Interior alterations and addition to a 2 storey office building (Alta Vista speciality veterinary clinic).

Tenant fit up of a 21 storey office building (office renovations of floor 2, 9, 16, 19, 20, 21).

Construct a 1 storey industrial warehouse with office space.

Construct a 1 storey industrial warehouse with office space.

Construct a 6 storey apartment building.

Construct a 6 storey apartment building.

Construct a 4 storey apartment building with 1 level of underground parking.

Foundation only - construct a 3 storey 40 unit apartment building with underground parking.

Foundation only - construct a 3 storey 41 unit apartment building with underground parking garage.

Interior alterations to a 4 storey institutional building (Queensway Carleton Hospital - electrical room).

Construct a 3 storey apartment building - 27 units (underground parking).

City BuildHERS: The Epicenter for Women in Construction, Architecture, Design and Real Estate

City BuildHERS is an event platform that connects women in all sectors that contribute to City Building to form strategic networks and working partnerships. At this unique moment in history, as the future of work and life as we know it shifts, we need to seize this opportunity to create a vision for our cities that are inclusive and sustainable for all. This requires more women at the table contributing their skills, experience, and expertise to our built environment in a meaningful way. There are many professional sectors that contribute to city building, our aim is to eliminate the current silos, isolation and fragmented networks - and focus on highlighting and interconnecting women in these industries to set them up for maximum impact and success in their field. Our events feature dynamic women-led

development projects that inspire and encourage others to be intentional with expanding their female business networks to galvanize more women to lead, and participate in the building of our cities. We believe that you can’t be what you can’t see, so our events seek to uncover ambitious City BuildHERS to share their acumen, journey, and project insights. Our focus will always be to shine a light on projects with women at the helm.

Traditionally, our cities have been imagined, designed, financed and built by men, and while we can’t change the past, we can change the future. If you are a woman in; construction, real estate, development, architecture, design, engineering, urban planning, building technology, or supplier to the sectors - You are a “City BuildHER.”

From left, City BuildHERS co-founders Jennifer Cross, business development manager for MARANT Construction, and Kristen Buter, vice president of property management at Mastercraft Starwood, have created a new way for women working in male-populated industries to connect with one another and build professional relationships. PHOTO BY CAROLINE PHILLIPS

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