Douglas magazine June/July 2021

ROUNDTABLE ON BUSINESS GROWTH

J UJ UNN/ J/ UJ UL L2 20 02 21 1

PAUL HADFIELD IS

THE UNSTOPPABLE ENTREPRENEUR

PUTTING PEOPLE

FIRST

RACEROCKS TRANSITIONS TO AN INDIGENOUS TECH COMPANY Humaira Ahmed, Humaira Ahmed, Locelle Digital Locelle Digital

POLICIES FOR PRIVACY KNOW YOUR DIGITAL RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

S PE C I A L ISSUE

VANCOUVER VANCOUVERISLAND’S ISLAND’S TOP TOPNEW NEWBUSINESSES BUSINESSES

10 TO WATCH PM41295544

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JUNE/JULY 2021

56

CONTENTS FEATURES

14 The Unstoppable Entrepreneur

The relentless entrepreneurial spirit of Spinnakers founder Paul Hadfield has helped him make a career of turning challenges into opportunities. BY ANDREW FINDLAY

20 Putting People First

20

Tech company RaceRocks is reassessing its values, culture and positioning under the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program.

BY CARLA SORRELL

26 10 to Watch 2021 Award Winners

This year’s entrepreneurs have channelled energy and enthusiasm into creating unique and competitive businesses.

BY EMILY DOBBY, ATHENA MCKENZIE, SHANNON MONEO, DANIELLE POPE AND CARLA SORRELL

50 Policies for Privacy

With legislation a work-in-progress, keeping up with digital security and privacy means understanding your responsibilities. BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI

DEPARTMENTS

56 Roundtable on Business Growth

Douglas brings together five Victoria business mentors for a discussion about supporting early-stage entrepreneurs. BY CARLA SORRELL

14

6 FROM THE EDITOR 9 IN THE KNOW Big business for flowers,

the Rocket List highlights local tech, shellfish farms find the pearl, UVic researches green investment, and Camosun’s product innovation speeds up vaccine rollout.

70 POINT OF VIEW

Sage Lacerte on why Indigenous women should become investors.

INTEL (BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE) 64 MONEY

The true cost of electric vehicles.

BY STEVE BOKOR AND IAN DAVID CLARK

66 NEXT LEVEL

The responsible leader.

BY ALEX VAN TOL

68 MINDSET

Building culture with humour.

BY ERIN SKILLEN

44 DOUGLAS DOUGLAS

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A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Bringing out the Best

Enriched Thinking™ for your family, business and future.

A team-based approach for a total wealth strategy that addresses the entirety of your life.

C.P. (Chuck) McNaughton, PFP Senior Wealth Advisor 250.654.3342 charles.mcnaughton@scotiawealth.com

themcnaughtongroup.ca

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE? It’s not just about money and a job title anymore. It’s about so much more: finding purpose in what you do, making a social or environmental impact, work-life balance, health and well-being and effecting change.

I love the cartoon that recently circulated on social media by illustrators Liz + Mollie, whose work shines humourous insights on workplace culture and organizational design.

In it they reconfigure the pie chart for personal success by giving wealth and job title a smaller slice of the pie.

In measuring success, the challenge is knowing where to start, or when to start again.

We all have values, whether we know it or not. By digging in deep to discover or rethink those values, we create a space to live and work with a deeper engagement and purpose.

What’s even more promising is how favourably purpose and profit can go hand in hand. But We all want to celebrate changing means tuning out the noise and tuning into ourselves — that’s not as easy as flicking a and make space for switch. businesses that bring If you’ve read about the rise of the YOLO new energy, create economy — You Only Live Once, an acronym popularized by the rapper Drake that has been more jobs and improve worth its weight in hashtags ever since — you’ll the culture that we all be aware of the predicted increase in people share and benefit from. leaving cushy, joyless jobs to find that spark they’ve been missing.

Last year’s extended period of reflection, and the context within which it was enabled, channelled people’s thoughts toward values and likely will spur a flurry of new purposedriven businesses. It’s good timing — our roundtable panelists (see page 56) predict the future holds a lot of opportunity for new enterprises and entrepreneurship.

Both personally and professionally, values help to steer the course. For this year’s 10 to Watch winners, those unique values have been deep-set from the start and are foundational to the businesses they have successfully built; for Anita Pawluk and her team, redefining RaceRocks to reflect a new set of values shows that it is possible for a company to change; and for Paul Hadfield, whose heart has always been in the community, Spinnakers has been and continues to be a vehicle to bring to life the many products that reflect his values.

When you’re in it, you might not always know what good looks like. The work you are doing might feel invisible and unproductive, its inability to be measured frustrating. But from where we stand, looking in, that’s what success looks like. We all want to celebrate and make space for businesses that bring new energy, create more jobs and improve the culture that we all share and benefit from.

Never has it felt more clear that we all have something to learn from each other. But to really take it in, we have to listen to learn.

— Carla Sorrell ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia, used under licence. Scotia Capital Inc. is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. For more information visit www.scotiawealthmanagement.com. McNaughton Group is a personal trade name of C.P. (Chuck) McNaughton.

6 DOUGLAS

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2016-08-04 12:33 PM

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Plan your visit at ExploreSidney.ca

www.douglasmagazine.com VOLUME 15 NUMBER 4

PUBLISHERS Lise Gyorkos, Georgina Camilleri

We believe the ultimate measure of our performance is our clients’ success. It has guided our approach for over 30 years.

MANAGING EDITOR Athena McKenzie EDITOR Carla Sorrell DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey Bosdet PRODUCTION MANAGER Jennifer Kühtz DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER Amanda Wilson LEAD GRAPHIC DESIGNER Caroline Segonnes

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Steve Bokor, Carolyn Camilleri, Ian David Clark, Andrew Findlay, Shannon Moneo, Danielle Pope, Erin Skillen, Alex Van Tol CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeffrey Bosdet,

Joshua Lawrence, Belle White, Nirav Bhatt

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Ask for Spinnakers new non-alcoholic bubbly drinks in loads of fun flavours at your local grocery and convenience stores.

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Innovation | Design | Business | Style | People

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[IN THE KNOW]

FLOWER POWER

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

The flower industry has benefited from an increased global demand for connectivity and an expression of sentiment that goes beyond digital.

Andrea Walker, owner of Poppies Floral Art, has just taken over a second location for her growing flower company.

After 15 years of business in Victoria, she never would have expected that surge of momentum, pushing her toward expansion, would take place during a pandemic.

“I’m very grateful for the position we are in, which came as a surprise,” says Walker, who had to lay off her entire staff a year ago.

She very quickly realized that the position she was in wasn’t the one she had anticipated. Administrative Professionals Day fell just over a month into lockdown, and Walker received an unprecedented level of orders of appreciation from corporate clients. A few weeks later, they had to stop accepting orders on the Tuesday before Mother’s Day. She couldn’t manage the volume with limited staff and social distancing requirements. What few employees she had found themselves delivering bouquets to isolated moms throughout the following week.

“As people could no longer celebrate occasions or visit loved ones, the orders started to come in,” says Walker. “It was a way to express desire to be together.”

In her current location in the Atrium Building on Yates Street, Walker has capacity for six people — where she previously had eight — to work within the current distancing restrictions. She will expand to nine employees with the new Vic West location, which won’t be a retail storefront, but will facilitate the production of web orders.

“Now our website is literally our main location. We had always relied on our website as a virtual catalogue for people, who always have the site up in front of them when they call,” says Walker. She subsequently invested in updating the site to reflect the full range of products, removing items made temporarily unavailable by supply chain disruptions, like tropical flowers.

Web orders have increased by 200 per cent, but orders from walk-in customers, events and workshops have diminished or disappeared. The overall upswing is positive — Walker estimates she has seen a 30 per cent increase in overall sales.

DOUGLAS 9

LUMBER STATS

October 2019

2019

April 2021

$10

2021

2019

$372

*lumber and wood products are 10% of cost

staying home and reimagining their space, added more fuel to the wood fire. “The renovation and repair market took off like a rocket,” Urquhart says.

Another factor is that B.C. mills sell about 90 per cent of their wood to the U.S., where home construction is going gangbusters, says Edward Geric, president of Mike Geric Construction. “We’re having a hard time getting wood.” The shortage has led to substantial delays in home building, as costs are continually climbing.

Geric has been talking with staff, investors and realtors about taking a hiatus from building until prices settle because of a significant risk: units are currently being pre-sold at a price which may be less than what it will eventually cost to build them.

Due to shortages, Slegg has been forced to turn new customers away, with only enough supplies for established clients. Urquhart says, “The three big ones are dimensional lumber, plywood and OSB [oriented strand board].” He notes that Canada doesn’t produce enough plywood to

April 2021

$80

ANNUAL AVERAGE COST OF SPRUCE-PINE-FIR 2 X 4 LUMBER*:

$600,000 $1.1M

BY SHANNON MONEO

COURSES & WEBINARS

January 2021

COST TO BUILD A 3,500-SQUARE-FOOT HOUSE*:

THE RISING COST OF LUMBER, COUPLED WITH MATERIAL SUPPLY CHAINS UNDER PRESSURE, THREATENS TO CURB BUILDING ACTIVITY.

I

COST OF ORIENTED STRAND BOARD (OSB) FOR ONE SHEET:

$1.2M $1.75M

PRICED OUT t’s a sign of the volatile times: many ads for lumber don’t include prices. That’s because a confluence of factors has led to an “absolutely historical” rise in prices for lumber and other building materials. “The pandemic was the catalyst,” says Tim Urquhart, president of Slegg Building Materials. Over the past two years, Urquhart has seen conditions that have led to rapid price increases from three to eight times more for lumber.

When COVID hit last spring, sawmills responded. “Some went to a grinding halt; others to a mere trickle,” he says. As well, six B.C. mills permanently closed in 2019, and several more curtailed production. Reasons included high stumpage costs; less available wood due to another epidemic, the mountain pine beetle; forest fires and the high cost to modernize mills.

Investment in new mills has been minimal, says Urquhart.

Construction was deemed an essential service as well, so commercial and residential building continued, unfettered.

Lumber limitations, coupled with thousands of Canadians

COST OF WOOD AND LABOUR TO FRAME A SIX-STOREY CONDO:

April 2021

$1,210

*per 1,000 board feet in U.S. dollars SOURCE: MIKE GERIC CONSTRUCTION AND GOVERNMENT OF BC

satisfy the domestic market.

Imports, primarily from Washington and Oregon, fill the gaps.

And it’s not just lumber that’s in short supply. Steel prices, which have doubled, are guaranteed for just 15 days, compared to the usual two to three months. The North American drywall market is sold out. A world-wide shortage of shipping containers and port congestion are hampering imports and exports.

Natural disasters can be added to the mix. The deep freeze and resulting power outages

that brought Texas to its knees in February are responsible for the closure of several resin plants. Resin is used in wood construction. Production is almost half a year behind, Urquhart notes.

As for who’s making the big bucks from the big shortages, Urquhart says it’s not loggers and retailers like Slegg, but large lumber producers like Interfor, Weyerhaeuser and West Fraser Timber. “Their share prices have gone up exponentially,” Urquhart says.

STARTING A BUSINESS SESSION

HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR PRODUCT IN TODAY’S WORLD

WHAT’S NEXT? MANAGING YOUR BUSINESS’S FINANCES IN 2021

HOST: Women’s Enterprise Centre

HOST: Small Business BC (SBBC)

DATE: July 7 and 21, noon

DATE: June 15, 1-4 p.m.

HOST: BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada)

PRICE: Free

PRICE: $39

Held every second Wednesday of each month, these sessions will help you write an organized and consistent business plan, ready to be brought to life.

This session will explore how the retail landscape has changed and how that has impacted marketing, selling and understanding customers.

10 DOUGLAS

DATE: On demand PRICE: Free This session will help businesses that are experiencing low or reduced levels of activity with financial management practices that address uncertainty.

DESIGN/BUILD

GROUND CONTROL After successfully testing its technology, processing dredge in Esquimalt Harbour in 2018, GRT (Global Remediation Technology) is opening phase one of its soil processing facility at Duke Point in Nanaimo. The plant will transform waste soils and mud (from condo digs, tunneling projects and marine/dredging projects) into valuable aggregate.

The expanded facility will open within the next 18 months.

THE PROBLEM Provincial regulations require that any soil getting moved around B.C. needs to be tested. Currently any contaminated material gets dumped, while “Hundreds of thousands of tons of soil leaves the Island every year, either by truck on BC Ferries or by barge [to a landfill on the Lower Mainland or in Washington],” says Deanna Woods, director of corporate communication and strategy at GRT. “What’s surprising is that, in many cases, up to 90 per cent of the material that’s in there can be reused.”

THE SOLUTION Using soil-washing technology from Europe, combined with a proprietary water treatment process that is the first of its kind in Canada, the plant will clean and separate the soil. The remaining rock, sized gravels and clean sand can be reused. There is a lot of demand for the resulting aggregate, says Woods.

GRT will receive the results from the soil test before accepting any material, and they are required to track that soil from the time they take possession of it. The contaminants are either destroyed or left behind in the clay, which can be beneficially reused in concrete production or as a capping agent for landfill closures.

“Nothing leaves until it’s been tested by a third party to ensure that it meets the level that we’re claiming that it is,” says Woods.

THE SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED BUSINESS RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM WAS UPDATED IN APRIL. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT, HERE ARE CHANGES THAT MAY APPLY TO YOUR BUSINESS.

1

The deadline for applying has been extended to August 31, 2021.

Businesses need to demonstrate a 30% (down from 70%) revenue loss in any one month between March 2020 and the application.

2

An additional $5,000 to $15,000 grant is available to eligible tourismrelated businesses.

3

Eligible bars, breweries, wineries, gyms and fitness centres can now apply for $1,000 to $10,000 in grant funding through the Circuit Breaker Business Relief Grant.

GOOD TO GROW

VICTORIA’S TECH SECTOR SHINES BRIGHTLY ON B.C.’S READY TO ROCKET LIST

Companies on the Rocket List are predicted to experience significant growth, venture capital investment or acquisition in the coming year.

The annual report, released by the management consulting firm Rocket Builders, features companies best positioned to capitalize on technology sector trends in five different areas: information and communications technology; clean tech; life science technology; digital health; agri-food.

Victoria-based businesses included on the 2021 list that were also Douglas 10 to Watch winners are: Cuboh (above), First Light Technologies, VitaminLab and Certn. Other Victoria companies include SaaSquatch, Moduurn Mobility, MarineLabs, Encepta and OneFeather Mobile Technologies.

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

BUSINESS IMPACT

TECH

TOP TOOLS SPEED READ

For those who prefer the idea of reading to actually doing it, this is the app for you.

Like its competitor Blinkist, Headway: SelfGrowth Challenge offers short summaries of popular nonfiction titles and builds a library of recommendations based on your likes.

MOTIVATING MONETIZATION

Award-winning journalist and women’s leadership expert Eleanor Beaton hosts Power + Presence + Position. The podcast is aimed at empowering female entrepreneurs to generate significant annual revenue. Her smart, funny and fearless insights are far from cookie-cutter and offer takeaways for any listener.

INVIGORATING ZOOM

Created by ex-Evernote CEO Phil Libin, Mmhmm (yes, that’s the app name, not a confirming response) livens up presentations with backgrounds, news anchor slideshows, playful effects and the option to co-present or pop out of a box.

DOUGLAS 11

CASE STUDY

SUSTAINABILITY SHELLING OUT FOR SHELLFISH

BY SHANNON MONEO

B.C.’s oyster farmers didn’t hesitate when $1.3 million of federal and provincial funding was available, so they discarded environmentally damaging Styrofoam flotation systems and converted to air-filled plastic cylinders.

“The farmers were delighted,” says Jim Russell, executive director of the BC Shellfish Growers Association. “We estimated it would take 10 years for farmers to transition without funding. But this program was a fantastic bargain.” It cost the 25 shellfish farms 15 cents on the dollar to upgrade.

Since 2020, the farms, mostly in the Comox Valley, and on the west Island and Sunshine Coast, have removed big blocks of Styrofoam, that suspend the large rafts where oysters are grown in trays and replaced them with continuous plastic pipe flotations.

“It’s a huge leap forward for us environmentally,” says Russell, noting that Styrofoam breaks up and washes ashore. By July, all of the new rafts will be installed.

MAKE IT QUICK

New products created by Camosun Innovates ease the vaccine rollout across the province.

When the B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) called Camosun Innovates, they were looking for help with a problem, and knew they were contacting someone they could trust.

Early in the pandemic, the team had produced a highly effective face shield for BCCDC. This time, the problem was how to re-package and distribute accurate numbers of Pfizer vaccines across the province while maintaining controlled temperatures.

“We immediately sat down, put our heads together and brought a group of folks — technicians, engineers — together to talk about the problem, look at the dimensions we were working with and what materials we had

“The BCCDC knew about us and knew that we had responded very quickly to local needs.

They called us out of the blue and said we’re running into this problem with the new Pfizer vaccines and we’re hoping that you guys can create a solution for us.”

RICHARD GALE, DIRECTOR OF CAMOSUN INNOVATES

available to us locally,” says Camosun Innovates director Richard Gale.

The current transport boxes can hold trays of up to 150 vials. Pharmacists need to be able to count those vials at a glance — and the vials can’t be out of the cooler for more than three minutes. The design solution was to create a 100-vial tray, divided into quarters of 25 slots for quick inventory. They later added small feet to each opening to stabilize the vials.

To make it even easier to transfer the vials in the allocated time, the team designed a grabber tool — like giant scissors that flare out at the tips instead of coming to a point — that hold five vials at a time

DOUGLAS READS In NO ONE SUCCEEDS ALONE: LEARN EVERYTHING YOU CAN FROM EVERYONE YOU CAN, Robert Reffkin, founder and CEO of Compass, shares what he has learned from the relationships and mentorships that have helped him succeed — from building his own nonprofit to launching a startup, building the future of real estate.

The book is Reffkin’s answer to the popular question: How did you do it?

Reffkin wants people to acknowledge how much we owe others. “In our society, it’s easy to forget how interconnected we all are. It’s easy to think it’s all about you — how hard you work and how smart you are.”

Reffkin knows how to get the most out of a relationship and offers advice about what to put in, what questions to ask and what to look for in people.

12 DOUGLAS

SPECS Material needed to hold its shape down to -70 C, and could be readily cleaned and sterilized for reuse.

PROCESS Acrylic was readily available locally and the trays were laser cut for quick production. The transfer clips were 3D printed.

TURNAROUND The first prototype was created in two days and the final prototype was completed in four more days.

QUANTITIES The original production batch of 100 has been scaled-up to around 500.

Disciplined Value Investing That Works COMPOUND ANNUAL RETURNS (Including reinvested dividends, as of April 15, 2021) 1 YEAR

3 YEAR

5 YEAR

10 YEAR

20 YEAR

INCEPTION1

Odlum Brown Model Portfolio

29.3%

11.7%

11.0%

12.9%

11.4%

14.4%

S&P/TSX Total Return Index

42.8%

11.6%

10.5%

6.6%

7.4%

8.7%

*

BASMA MAJERBI

MICHAEL KING

LEADERSHIP

GREEN INVESTING Climate change is influencing investments, and the Climate Finance project will help understand its impact.

BY SHANNON MONEO

Michael King, associate professor and Lansdowne Chair in Finance at UVic, explains how forwardlooking investors will be helped by the Climate Finance project, which will give them tools to be leaders when weighing the effects of climate change and how it influences their bottom lines.

WORKING TOGETHER

December 15, 1994. *The Odlum Brown Model Portfolio is an all-equity portfolio that was established by the Odlum Brown Equity Research Department on December 15, 1994 with a hypothetical investment of $250,000. It showcases how we believe individual security recommendations may be used within the context of a client portfolio. The Model also provides a basis with which to measure the quality of our advice and the effectiveness of our disciplined investment strategy. Trades are made using the closing price on the day a change is announced. Performance figures do not include any allowance for fees. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

1

Successful investing is done by buying and holding high-quality businesses, particularly during times of market uncertainty. I invest alongside my clients in the very same businesses, focusing on companies that will continue to show long-term growth.

If you would like to discuss your investment strategy and whether it aligns with your life goals, please contact me today.

R. H. Mark Mawhinney, CPA, CMA, ICD.D, CIM® Associate Portfolio Manager, Investment Advisor

Tel 250-952-7755

mmawhinney@odlumbrown.com Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund Odlum Brown Limited

@Odlum_Brown

Odlum Brown Community

OdlumBrown

The three-year, $180,000 project is a partnership between the Gustavson School of Business, the B.C. Investment Management Corporation and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. The PICS is footing the bill. King and Basma Majerbi, a UVic associate finance professor, are the project’s researchers.

ASSESSING THE RISKS We all understand there is a climate crisis, which has implications for the whole economy. How will it effect investments? Oil and gas will see a decline in investments. Electric car manufacturers will see a rise. If you are a pension fund looking after savings, you need to understand the risks, King says.

CLIMATE’S IMPACT ON INVESTMENTS King and Majerbi are combing over international research on climate change’s impact on investments and trying to predict what could happen under different scenarios of climate change. Factored in are the effects of natural disasters like droughts, hurricanes and floods.

King says, they’re translating, evaluating and summarizing in a field filled with, as the pandemic has driven home, unpredictable factors.

As more consumers purchase electric vehicles, traditional manufacturers will shutter their factories, leading to layoffs and associated hardships. Or, as a building product like laminated timber gains traction, concrete companies, big CO2 emitters, may take a hit. Major investors need to know where to divest assets.

MOVING FORWARD The collated research will open the door to a variety of stakeholders, not just investors and the business sector, but educators and policy-makers, and provide access to methods for integrating climate change modelling into investment decisions.

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DOUGLAS 13

THE UNSTOPPABLE ENTREPRENEUR

BY ANDREW FINDLAY

|

PHOTOS BY JEFFREY BOSDET

Paul Hadfield’s entrepreneurial drive has lead to a career of turning challenges into opportunities.

The founder of Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub talks to Douglas about everything from the early days of microbrewing to what it means to be a pub owner in contemporary society.

14 DOUGLAS

T

Hadfield’s growing business also includes the barrel room at Spinnakers’ Viewfield Road site which holds 200 barrels nearly ready to release. Lieve Peeters (pictured) is from Brussels where she worked as a gueuze blender, an old world technique whereby aged beers are blended with young beers containing residual sugar, which enables a secondary fermentation for bottle conditioning.

here’s little that can crush Paul Hadfield’s entrepreneurial spirit — not even a pandemic and a fire. A week after COVID forced this craft brewing pioneer to temporarily turn off the taps at Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub last March, Hadfield was faced with another challenge: an accidental fire. The blaze caused extensive fire and water damage to his iconic pub on the shores of Lime Bay and next to the Songhees Walkway.

But just as the real estate crash of the early 1980s prompted Hadfield to pivot from his career as a residential architect into the perilous waters of small batch beer brewing, he took the cup-halffull approach and saw the challenges as an opportunity. Hadfield put his pub under the microscope, branched out into new products, and doubled down on what he saw as the community-building, job-creating and good times-generating benefits of a craft brew revolution he helped launch nearly four decades ago.

“Just after we shut down last March, we [Hadfield and his wife] moved to our cabin in Sooke, and I started pruning fruit trees,” says Hadfield. “Then I had an epiphany, that the pandemic was an opportunity to reimagine what we do.”

The COVID pause allowed time for a deep dive into two aspects of hospitality that Hadfield says had bothered him; the pushback from many restaurant owners against minimum wage requirements and the long-standing tradition in the sector of under the table tip wages. So Hadfield took some unilateral action on these issues and made Spinnakers’ “minimum wage a few percentage points above the living wage.” (The Living Wage for Families Campaign calculated Greater Victoria’s living wage at $19.39 as of 2019.)

He also took aim at gratuities, which are shared by the front end and kitchen staff, and enacted a new policy of adding all tips to the staff’s taxable income. Given that the majority of the pub’s transactions are now debit and credit, Hadfield felt it was a long overdue change, but also one not without controversy.

“Some staff weren’t happy and they left, but I think most are happy that they won’t have any lingering tax liability,” Hadfield says. “We want people to look at hospitality as more of a career, rather than just something you do along the way to something else.

It should be an honourable job that you can take to the bank.”

In addition to prompting a payroll overhaul, the pandemic got Spinnakers management thinking about resilience, diversification and creating some new revenue streams.

“We started producing a line of mineral waters and sodas,” Hadfield says.

Innovation and creativity have been hallmarks of Spinnakers since its doors opened in 1984. For fans of flavour and variety, that was the dark age of beer brewing. The taps were dominated by the majors like Labatt’s and Molson’s, and a pub was a dark room at the back of a hotel where jugs of draft sloshed onto red terry-clothcovered tables.

In 1982 Hadfield had a blossoming architecture firm with a small staff and an office on Vancouver’s west side. He was an amateur home brewer and winemaker at best, but was far too busy to get serious about it.

DOUGLAS 15

“Construction was booming; we had a cabin in Whistler. Life was good. Then the housing crash “BEING SMALL HAS ENABLED US hit, and we suddenly had no work,” Hadfield recalls.

TO CELEBRATE MANY EVENTS While grappling with the collapse of his firm, AND COLLABORATE WITH MANY a friend of Hadfield’s urged him to venture to the COMMUNITY INITIATIVES OVER North Shore and see what John Mitchell was doing with the upstart, recently-opened Horseshoe Bay THE YEARS. THIS INCLUDES THE Brewery. Mitchell is considered the godfather of COMMONWEALTH ALE (1994), Canadian microbrewing, and his brewery was the first in Canada to knock at the door of mainstream KING TUT’S TIPPLE IN SUPPORT corporate beermakers whose stranglehold on the OF THE RBCM’S TUTANKHAMUN industry had long been protected by favourable EXHIBIT (2018), TOUR DE VICTORIA excise taxes.

“It was a completely new industry, but they ALE TO CELEBRATE RYDER ran into logistical and consistency problems and HESJEDAL’S WIN AT THE GIRO it didn’t last long. John got frustrated,” Hadfield recalls.

D’ITALIA (2012), SWIFTSURE ALE Though the business failed, a rough template FOR THE ROYAL VICTORIA YACHT had been forged as well as a friendship between CLUB AND PRIVATE LABELS FOR Hadfield and Mitchell. Soon after, Mitchell, who was born in Singapore and raised in England, went EVENTS LIKE GOLF FOR KIDS.” back to the U.K. and returned several months later — Paul Hadfield with a suitcase full of beer for a tasting.

“I remember sitting in a speakeasy on Dunbar in September 1982 with Mitchell and a bunch of other beer aficionados,” says Hadfield. “Two things happened. First, I experienced a whole range of flavours that were completely unfamiliar to me. Second, some of the best beers were made by home brewers. I wanted to replicate what John set out to do in Horseshoe Bay, but with

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16 DOUGLAS

an in-house, purpose-built brewery from the ground up.”

However, there was more to it than just barley, hops, yeast and water; he says he also “wanted to gather a different kind of clientele in a place where great beer and great food have equal weight.”

It hardly seems like a revolutionary idea, but back then it was novel, especially given the archaic liquor laws that prevented brewing and selling beer under the same roof. Furthermore, Hadfield wanted to do it on a prime waterfront location in his home city of Victoria where he felt his local boy cred coupled with his out-of-the-box UBC architecture school training would be an asset in navigating uncharted waters with a conservative city planning department that had no line item for brewpubs.

Mitchell signed on as a partner and head brewer, and that was the genesis of Spinnakers. (The partnership was short-lived and Mitchell passed away in 2019 at age 89 after a long career in the beer biz, which saw him launching Squamish’s Howe Sound Inn & Brewing after moving on from Spinnakers.)

“We were incorporated as a ‘cottage brewery,’” Hadfield says, noting that the term craft beer had not yet become part of the brewing lexicon.

With the departure of Mitchell just two years after opening, and being new to the hospitality business, Hadfield was so focused on getting the sails aloft at Spinnakers that it was inconceivable for him to imagine that North America would become the epicentre of craft beer. At the time, Hadfield estimates there were less than 20 of what could be classified as craft breweries on the whole continent. The owner of one of them, Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco, was so intrigued that he flew up to Victoria specifically to pull up a stool at Spinnakers to see what Hadfield was up to.

That’s the kind of small world it was.

“We were amazed by the attention we got,” Hadfield recalls.

Victoria-based restaurant consultant Peter De Bruyn has known Hadfield for more than a decade. Besides having a big hand in opening Canada’s first modern brewpub, De Bruyn says Hadfield was championing local ingredients long before the slow food movement became vogue.

“Paul has great insight, knowledge and history in hospitality, and he’s well connected in a way that really helps make the food scene happen,” De Bruyn says.

He says Hadfield has played industry leading roles, including helping to develop the BC Ale Trail concept, and, more recently working with the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association to develop

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DOUGLAS 17

THE EVOLUTION OF SPINNAKERS

VICTORIA IS HOME TO MORE THAN 15 CRAFT BREWERIES AND IT’S HARD TO FIND A B.C. TOWN OF MORE THAN 10,000 CITIZENS WITHOUT ONE. TODAY THERE ARE OVER 40 CRAFT BREWERIES ON THE ISLAND.

1984

Spinnakers opens on May 15. It is the first brewpub in Canada.

1990

The farm-to-table menu sees Spinnakers commit to local food suppliers.

1991

In response to restrictive liquor licensing prohibiting minors, Spinnakers accommodated families in the restaurant by adding a separate taproom.

1994

Discovery Ale is brewed with hops that travelled on the Discovery space shuttle. The low gravity version of Spinnaker’s ESB was served to the mission’s crew and entourage at the end of their cross-Canada tour.

1999

The first of three guest houses opens: The Heritage House was later followed by the Garden Suites (2001) and The Bungalow (2008).

2000

Retail space was added in the expanded front of the house to accommodate guests and to sell baked goods, chocolate and liquor; a well was installed to make mineral water.

2012

A canning line was added, which required more space — eventually leading to leasing the old Wilson Foods warehouse on Viewfield Road.

2016

A fire caused significant damage to the building.

Hadfield kept all employees on payroll (partially opening nine days later) and brewed a special beer as a thank you to the firefighters.

2018

A distillery was added, leading to the creation of vodka, gin, and liqueurs, all made in-house.

2020

Due to COVID protocols, outdoor patios were enlarged. Sodas and flavoured sparkling waters were introduced.

2021

Pay restructuring, which has added tips to employees’ taxable income and introduced a salary increase to above Victoria’s living wage.

18 DOUGLAS

COVID health and safety protocols so restaurants could reopen as quickly as possible last spring.

Nearly 40 years later, the beer and pub landscape has undergone a tectonic transformation. Victoria is home to more than 15 craft breweries, and it’s hard to find a B.C. town of more than 10,000 citizens without one.

Today there are over 40 craft breweries on the Island. According to Hadfield, the brewery taproom has become a community gathering place, a fact that became even more obvious to him over the past year of the pandemic.

“It was really apparent to me how important it is for people to socialize and get together for a beer and some food in a place where they feel comfortable,” he says. “Craft breweries have become engines of our local economies — we create jobs, investment and we also give people another reason to travel.”

On the Spinnakers website, Hadfield’s position is labeled as “publican.” It’s a rarely spoken term in Canada, hearkening back to old England and means, simply, someone who owns a pub. But it also hints at what pubs originally were, and have since returned to, thanks to the craft beer revolution. They have become social gathering places, conduits for conversation rather than venues full

of anonymous people with eyes glued to pervasive widescreen TVs. In fact, one of the things that still gets Hadfield excited about coming to work is what he calls “the opportunity for social interactions.”

“I could spend my whole day talking to people in our parking lot,” he says.

And Hadfield has been at it long enough to witness the birth of a whole new generation of customers born long after he and John Mitchell first primed the shiny, brand-new taps at Spinnakers; those millennials and generation Z’ers who have come of age in a world awash with double-hopped IPAs, hazy pales, crisp pilsners, stouts, porters, hefeweizens, and all manner of craft beers to stretch the palettes of customers and the talents of brewers.

“They have grown up with craft beer and are motivated by innovation, whether with beer, cider or wine,” Hadfield says.

Spinnakers has also spawned entrepreneurs and innovators who have staked out their own turf in the world of beer. Former employee Lon Ladell went on to launch Big Rig Brewery in Ottawa, before selling in 2019 to Montreal-based franchiser Foodtastic Inc. Mike Tymchuk’s stint as sous chef and then brewer during the early years at Spinnakers was a launching pad for a successful career that saw him starting

Calgary’s Wild Rose Brewery and consulting for the startup of more than 15 breweries scattered across several continents, before founding Cumberland Brewing Company in his adopted Vancouver Island hometown.

He says his true inspiration was working with John Mitchell during the legendary beer entrepreneur’s brief tenure as coowner of Spinnakers.

And the pub is also a family affair.

Among the nine staff making beer, spirits, sodas and mineral water, is his daughter Kala, brewery operations manager and cider-maker. His other daughter Carly owns the Lion’s Head Smoke & Brewpub with her husband in Castlegar.

When it comes to the million-dollar question — is there room for more breweries in an increasingly crowded craft beer market? — well the answer is yes and no, according to Hadfield. He believes the market will hit capacity “if everyone has a desire to get bigger.” But Hadfield also says the more the multinationals like Interbrew pick off craft breweries, “the more opportunities will open up at the bottom end.”

And when he says bottom end, he means brewpubs like Spinnakers, those places where when you walk in the door, everybody knows your name, to lift a line from the popular 80s sitcom “Cheers.”

“Staying small has this real magic to it and consequently craft breweries have done quite well during COVID,” Hadfield says. 

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DOUGLAS 19

In 2019, founder and president of RaceRocks, Anita Pawluk, reclaimed her previously unknown Métis identity and decided that her company would take the journey with her by making it a certified Indigenous business. To ensure this was a meaningful and genuine transition, she needed her team to be on board: “I don’t believe anyone does anything in life by themselves; they win a medal by themselves but they didn’t get there alone.”

Pawluk’s handbag is made by a fellow Métis, designer Sheryl Temporao of LUSHER.co

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

BY CARLA SORRELL

RaceRocks is on a transformational journey to define “what good looks like” as a newly certified Indigenous business. The tech company, which creates training software for the aerospace and defence sectors, is reassessing its values, culture and positioning under the guidance of the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program.

20 DOUGLAS

MAKING SIGNIFICANT CHANGE — the kind that challenges a company to re-think many of its day to day processes — takes time. Articulating the vision, one that becomes clearer by the day, takes a team.

For RaceRocks, making a genuine impact on the company’s culture is not a formulaic process, but a slow and intuitive one that creates space for multiple perspectives, vulnerability and self-reflection.

In 2019 RaceRocks became a certified Indigenous business under the leadership of its founder and president, Anita Pawluk. It is now in the process of transitioning to an Indigenous tech company by participating in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program through the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB).

Pawluk recently articulated her vision for the company in an article on LinkedIn, sharing her experience of the process: “My life purpose is to create a people first

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

“When it comes to your culture, how does that fit into the strategic plan?”

— Anita Pawluk, RaceRocks president and founder

DOUGLAS 21

The RaceRocks PAR (Progressive Aboriginal Relations) working group is leading change within the company.

“It’s an ongoing process. If you’re going to be a part of the RaceRocks team, we hope that everyone’s on board with the PAR program, with a collaborative culture, putting people first and being inclusive.”

“Working through PAR and going on this journey has meant realizing that the intent is what’s really important.”

“We’re still learning and growing. If you say, you got it right, then you got it wrong. You have to accept that it’s a state of growth.”

“As a certified Aboriginal business, there are requirements that need to take place — how does RaceRocks ensure that they are bringing in an expanding representation of Indigenous people into their employee base, even if they aren’t sure how to do that?”

— Yuki Izawa, lead people ops manager

— Christina Jones, vice president of operations 22 DOUGLAS

— Brad Pizem, sales and marketing manager

— Jen Newsted, project lead for PAR

company built on connection and relationship, that embraces diversity and inclusion to drive innovation and business performance, while creating equal opportunities in the tech industry for Indigenous Peoples.”

Based in Victoria, RaceRocks’ virtual training experiences for aerospace and defence are co-created with clients. The learning programs include VR and video simulators that enable people to learn “through doing, through seeing and through story.”

Learning is part of the company’s DNA. But this year the tables have turned as the team is undertaking a journey to explore what kind of learning environment RaceRocks can provide for its current and future employees.

This stemmed from Pawluk’s decision to find out more about what it means to be Métis, a cultural heritage to which she did not have access to during her childhood.

In 2019 Pawluk had hit a “rock bottom moment — I was really confused on where I was in life around passion and purpose.”

Big personal questions raised in a leadership course coincided with her recently widowed mother’s exploration of her Métis heritage.

Pawluk is open about her upbringing: “I’ve very much lived a Canadian life, from a colonized background — I have not lived an Indigenous life.” Her mom “was quite shamed as a child being Métis, and she had completely closed the door to that part of our family.”

For Pawluk’s newly reclaimed Métis identity, looking back has gone hand in hand with looking ahead. With the blessing of her family, she decided that RaceRocks would take the journey with her by making it a certified Indigenous business.

“I started to understand and do my own research around Indigenous knowings and values and beliefs. It opened my eyes to knowing that was centred around people,” says Pawluk. “It took not just one individual into consideration, it took everyone into consideration; I’ve always believed that the best team is the company that’s going to move forward. It’s not the team of best people, it’s the best team.”

THE FRAMEWORK AND CHANGES TO BE MADE To qualify as a certified Indigenous business, a company needs 51 per cent Indigenous ownership, with a minimum of 33 per cent Indigenous employees, in order to access the five per cent federal procurement Set-aside program for Aboriginal Businesses. A company might consider making a formal change to their designation but, depending on the business, it might not be as simple as going on a hiring spree to hit the targets.

The specialist, technical requirements of many of RaceRocks’ roles meant they

can’t simply look to a pool of Indigenous candidates to fill capacity — which has raised a lot questions about the general exclusivity of roles in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) sector.

Bringing in an expanding representation of Indigenous employees will mean a much broader shift in hiring practices and recruitment that may extend to education outreach. The long term aim is to offer more STEAM opportunities for Indigenous candidates, and to see a high uptake in applications.

“Without actually making sure that we had created RaceRocks into an environment that is welcoming and equitable, we would have just been duplicating colonial practices that have happened over and over again,” says vice president of operations, Christina Jones.

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PROGRESSIVE ABORIGINAL RELATIONS (PAR) An introduction to JP Gladu, the thenpresident and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), planted a seed with Pawluk — he introduced her to the Progress Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification program. Attracted by the idea that the program could offer a framework and benchmarks for the company’s evolution as an Aboriginal business, Pawluk decided to enroll in the PAR program beginning in May 2020.

The first few months were slow, with the pandemic challenging business, while the team was blindly starting down a path where success was yet to be defined.

Progress really began when Jen Newsted came on board as a consultant in the fall. She and Pawluk had met through RavenSPEAK at the Raven Institute — a public speaking initiative for Indigenous leaders and storytellers to find their voices — where Newsted was volunteering time in search of more purposedriven work after leaving a career in corporate community engagement.

Pawluk was “blown away” by how Newsted had “listened so clearly to each individual [at the RavenSPEAK event]. The [social media] post that she made was so authentic and special for that one person.”

Newsted is the project lead for PAR, acting as an accountability partner for the RaceRocks team. They meet once a week to ensure PAR doesn’t become a “side-dish,” as she puts it, and remains a “business priority that is being integrated in [to the company] with the same weighting as sales, as marketing, etc.”

RaceRocks is one of the smallest and the only certified Indigenous company to enroll in the PAR program. The application process is not pro forma, and has certified some of Canada’s biggest companies like Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal and Suncor.

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DOUGLAS 23

RaceRocks creates game-based augmented and virtual reality training programs for aerospace and defence sector clients like the Royal Canadian Navy.

There is flexibility in the three year “Committed PAR” program (with future opportunity to progress to “Gold Level”), which offers pillars — leadership action, employment, business development and community relationships — and benchmarks, but not a roadmap, checklist or definition of success.

Therein lies both the struggle and the value — you get out of it what you put into it.

“We are inspired by RaceRocks’ commitment to growing a new Canadian economy based on mutual respect and shared prosperity,” says Tabatha Bull, president and CEO of CCAB. “As an Indigenous-owned organization, they demonstrate leadership and that commitment by undertaking the Progressive Aboriginal Relations program, and we could not be more proud to be part of their journey.”

For Brad Pizem, sales and marketing manager at RaceRocks, the decision to pursue PAR “Validates the vision and future of the company, in that this is not lip service.

“It’s also a bit of honesty, I think on Anita’s part to say, ‘I don’t know it all. I am Indigenous, but what does that mean? And how does it relate to business?’ And by doing PAR, it also shows she doesn’t have all the answers, but she’s prepared to work through that and work through it with a team.”

The question RaceRocks wants to answer is how to ensure the company is bringing in an expanding representation of Indigenous people into their employee base. PAR has helped, so far, to consider what factors of the business need to change.

24 DOUGLAS

UPDATING PROCESSES Although it’s not underway yet, the next phase will see cultural awareness training open up to the rest of the team to ensure they have the training and support that they should be getting in order to fully engage and participate in the program. The PAR working group have all undergone extensive self-reflection, challenging the largely non-Indigenous group to acknowledge their privilege and work collectively to affect change in the company moving forward.

With its strong correlation to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the PAR program has brought diversity to the forefront and reflects changes that many companies are addressing in light of the global movements around racism that came out of 2020.

How does that look on day-to-day proceedings within the tech company?

“There’s a lot of doing things for the sake or for the appearance of doing it [in other companies],” says Pizem, who emphasizes the significance of intent. “For example with the land acknowledgment — it’s more than just words.”

At RaceRocks a pay equity audit was undertaken and adjustments were made to eliminate outliers and reset an equitable foundation. Writing, communications and wording is carefully assessed, double and triple-checked with the aim of decolonizing language whenever possible — from policies to job descriptions. Hiring practices have changed to avoid bias.

“Certain marginalized groups will not apply

for jobs unless they think that they have 100 per cent of the qualifications, whereas other less marginalized groups will apply if they only have 30 per cent,” says Christina Jones. Job descriptions are now being written with more focus on attitudes, not just skill, which is not without its challenges.

A multi-phase interview process was introduced to decrease bias by forming unique impressions directly and independently. It takes more time, sometimes quadrupling the hours, but it is worthwhile, says Jones, “It gives the candidate a lot more opportunities to actually see who they’re going to be working with… which is important because nobody just works with one person.”

WHAT DOES LEADERSHIP LOOK LIKE? The last year has been a process of unlearning and unbecoming for Pawluk, who stepped into her leadership role in 2019. In her 11-minute RavenTALK presentation sharing her personal story, Pawluk addresses the myth of perfection; how she has had to overcome a lifetime of “keeping up with appearances” and presenting everything as “great.” Learning to communicate with vulnerability has been one of the biggest changes to her approach, which had previously been to share information on more of a need-toknow basis.

Not one to be the centre of attention, Pawluk has learnt to speak her truth, finding courage in her voice. With the encouragement of the PAR working group, Pawluck began to share the personal side of this journey with the company and committed to writing a series of monthly

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posts on LinkedIn, which began in January, that chronicle her personal and professional odyssey.

“I joined this company four years ago. And the change in the leadership style has been quite incredible,” says Yuki Izawa, lead people ops manager, who has been impressed with the change she has seen in Pawluk and how it has impacted the company.

The context has changed completely for Pawluk, who says she knew what success looked like within traditional corporate structures: metrics, numbers and finance. But now she says it’s unclear.

“If I let my intuition and my empathy guide me and allow me to actually say out loud, I believe a purpose-driven people first company is the way to go forward into the future,” says Pawluk. “The PAR program gives me something that I can see and understand, that I can communicate to my team that’s going on this journey with me — that we don’t know what good looks like.” Not yet.

Pawluk is starting to build a national network of Indigenous tech companies, something that doesn’t currently exist, but whose collective clout may influence employment opportunities for Indigenous candidates.

A real indicator of success, says Jones, will be that “Indigenous people [will] want to work at RaceRocks because they’ll like what they see, value who we are in the world and want to include that in the products that they develop.”

RaceRocks is leading change as they scale up their growth mindset and model new ways of doing things for Indigenous and non-Indigenous tech companies alike. 

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DOUGLAS 25

2021 AWARD WINNERS

TO WATCH Douglas magazine’s annual awards for new businesses on Vancouver Island

THESE ENTREPRENEURS STAND OUT FOR THE ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM THEY HAVE CHANNELLED INTO CREATING UNIQUE AND COMPETITIVE BUSINESSES.

T

his year’s 10 to Watch winners have all succeeded in overcoming the greatest unpredictable challenge to an entrepreneur — the pandemic. The unforeseen disruption caused havoc to companies big and small, new and old. Thanks to clear visions and values, agility and tenacity, these small businesses have stood their ground, coming out stronger than ever.

These businesses cast light on sectors and product markets where COVID has created opportunity, demand and growth.

Some products reflect changes in consumer behaviour over the year — from an increase in cooking at home to heightened attention to the environment — and almost all of the products intersect with technology in some way, from marketing and distribution to SaaS platforms.

The judges identified two ways that the pandemic influenced this cohort of businesses: some shining under the new lens COVID put on our attention and priorities, and others garnering attention for their ability to react to an altered landscape — by launching products or by changing the way they do business.

Building a profitable business motivated by change was another theme the judges identified. By their nature, new businesses inevitably invite change — through innovation, disruption, idealism — and over time it’s become a consistent theme for Douglas’s 10 to Watch winners.

Douglas’s publishers Lise Gyorkos and Georgina Camilleri first launched the 10 to Watch Awards in 2009. They wanted to

Written by Emily Dobby Athena McKenzie Shannon Moneo Danielle Pope Carla Sorrell Photography by Nirav Bhatt Jeffrey Bosdet

find a way to celebrate new businesses, the ones that weren’t getting included in the big listings and roundups that catered to more seasoned companies. The awards were launched with the intention of bolstering confidence when founders and entrepreneurs most need a boost, giving them media exposure and an opportunity to network with Victoria’s established business community.

The initial response was everything they had hoped — a testament to a community who is curious and wants to contribute to a thriving, successful business ecosystem. This is a quality that has become even more pronounced over the last decade and is explored in more detail in our roundtable discussion on business growth (page 56).

The awards have been a longstanding favourite, and until the pandemic, were accompanied by an annual event showcasing the winners. This year the awards were broadcast in partnership with CHEK News on June 5.

What has rung true since 10 to Watch launched in 2009 is the support for new businesses in Victoria. Now, more than ever, customers and communities share a heightened attention to the role that local products and businesses play in economic recovery and growth.

For 12 years, the 10 to Watch Awards have shone a light on companies whose visions are just beyond the scope of the horizon. This year is no different, and this issue plays an important role in spreading the word and celebrating the community’s achievements.

DOUGLAS 27

Congratulations to this year’s Douglas Magazine 10 to Watch Winners!

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10 TO WATCH JUDGING PANEL

Cathy McIntyre is principal at Strategic Initiatives, a strategy consulting firm that works with organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. A chartered director, Cathy serves on the boards of First West Credit Union, Consumer Protection BC, and Peninsula Co-op and is vice chair of the Board of Governors at UVic. She earned her MBA in entrepreneurship at UVic and received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal for her community service. facilitator |

“One of the things we talked about a lot was: Is this really a unique proposition for this business? Is this something that isn’t going to stand the test of time? Does it really have a competitive edge?”

Jim Hayhurst is a partner or advisor in several Victoria-based companies, including Global Remediation Technology, Transcend Entertainment and the Roy Group. Jim cofounded the very popular Fuckup Nights Victoria and is a frequent columnist for Douglas.

In 2016 and 2018, he was honoured with VIATEC awards for his contributions to the technology sector. Hayhurst is a 2015 Douglas 10 to Watch winner as founder of Pretio Interactive. judge |

“Indicators of success were broad but came back to people, profit and planet. It’s amazing to see how quickly that’s become embedded in how people measure success.”

Pedro Márquez is VP of research and international at Royal Roads University. He originally joined the university in 2007 as the dean of the faculty of management after holding a similar position in Mexico City. He holds a PhD in management and political science from the University of Calgary. Pedro is a board member of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. judge |

“One of the questions was to speak about your challenges. All of [the applicants], except one, gave us the same top challenge, which was COVID. This is the specific context of this year’s process — this is not a regular year.”

judge |

Heidi Sherwood is the founder of Sapphire Day Spa. A natural health practitioner, she has sat on a number of boards concerned with health and environment and has been featured in the book Waking Up the West Coast, Healers and Visionaries. Awarded Entrepreneur in Virtual Residence at Royal Roads University, Heidi has worked tirelessly as an educator, mentor and industry leader in the health and wellness sector.

judge |

Mia Maki is a professor of finance, accounting and entrepreneurship with the UVic Gustavson School of Business and Gill Graduate School and a principal through Quimper Consulting. Formerly chief financial officer and chief operating officer for a Victoria-based technology company, Maki has helped raise over $50 million for international initiatives including acquisitions, strategic partnerships and joint subsidiary creation projects.

judge |

Deirdre Campbell is president of the Canadian-based Beattie Tartan, a globally integrated communications consultancy.

Campbell has been nominated as a businessperson and PR professional of the year, recognized with their YW/YMCA Woman of Distinction Award for her work in the community, and in 2019 Destination Greater Victoria presented her with their Miracle Award for her work in tourism.

“Victoria is really standing out in a global market. Our small size does not reflect the calibre of business and ideas and innovation that we have in this community.”

“I was super excited to see all the nominations come in, read about companies I know about, but I haven't seen for a little while and read about new ones that I've never even heard of.”

“This is such an amazing city for the unbelievable entrepreneurship, innovativeness and creativity.”

DOUGLAS 29

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NATURE BEE WRAPS SECTORS: Product, Retail, Sustainability YEAR LAUNCHED: 2018 FOUNDERS: Katie Gamble UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Customized beeswax food wraps with logos.

STRATEGY: Partnering with corporations to create unique and sustainable branded beeswax wraps for client and staff gifts.

WEBSITE: naturebeewraps.ca

N

ature Bee Wraps was founded by Katie Gamble as her final project for her bachelor of commerce degree at UVic. While it started as a small business, which she ran out of her parents’ basement, it now has a manufacturing facility with 10 employees,

and has worked with corporations such as Lush, Coast Capital Savings and Le Groupe Bel. Gamble is currently in talks with a nation-wide grocery chain.

“Our custom wraps allow these companies to showcase their brand’s commitment to sustainability and reducing plastic use,” Gamble says. “Every time someone uses them, they make that association with the brand.”

The reusable wraps can be used as an alternative to plastic wrap and are known to keep food fresher longer. They typically last for nine months to a year. The handcrafted wraps use 100 per cent cotton, Vancouver Islandsourced beeswax, pine tree resin and jojoba oil.

“We worked on the formula for a year and are constantly tweaking it, trying to get that perfect balance between stickiness and pliability,” Gamble says.

While Gamble acknowledges the beeswax wrap market is close to saturation, she feels that each brand has created their own niche.

“Our story and how we began is different, but also the quality of our product and the

customization aspect,” Gamble says. “We are also community driven. We do fundraisers with our products where we give the charity partners the funds to support their initiatives.”

Nature Bee Wraps has seen 700 per cent growth since being founded in 2018. “I see our staff growing to 20 people,” Gamble says. “And I see worldwide sales in the next five years.”

“We have effectively been able to educate others on how these wraps reduce food and plastic waste, helping everyday people become more sustainable.

An incredible challenge at times, but worth it.”

— KATIE GAMBLE, FOUNDER OF NATURE BEE WRAPS

DOUGLAS 31

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10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

LETHUB SECTORS: Tech, Real Estate YEAR LAUNCHED: 2019 FOUNDER: Faizan Ali Khan UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Uniting renters with homes through better property management administration.

STRATEGY: LetHub’s artificial intelligence platform manages rental admin so property managers can efficiently engage with prospective tenants.

WEBSITE: lethub.co

F

aizan Ali Khan was struggling to find a home in downtown Victoria when an idea struck him. He had visited yet another rental property that was scooped up moments after his tour was finished, and he wondered how the process could be improved, “You might be one of 50 people looking at a property. If you didn’t act fast, you’d lose the

deal,” says Khan, who knew the housing crisis extended beyond Victoria. “I asked, Why can’t this be as easy as opening up an app, booking a time and even taking a photo of a cheque to secure your spot?’”

Khan started researching where the gaps existed at various property management companies and discovered a recurring problem in staff time associated with responding to rental inquiries and executing the leasing process. He learned that qualified rental candidates were often lost in a barrage of inquiries.

Gathering a team of digital experts, Khan created LetHub — a platform designed to ease the burden of property management and unite renters with homes by using artificial intelligence to handle admin. With monthly subscription fees per rentable unit (and no charge to prospective renters), the system screens candidates, responds to emails, books tours, answers questions, forwards rental applications and even signs leases.

Since 2020, LetHub has processed approximately 500,000 prospect inquiries, which Khan says could be equal to 50 million pages of paperwork — an effort in saving time and the planet.

“While this saves property managers time, we really made this product for renters, because that was my problem, and it felt like being stuck in a system,” says Khan. “We wanted to make that system better.”

“I had one question: How can I make this process simpler, so I can look at a listing, click on a link to view the property and then secure a home? The answer was there.”

— FAIZAN ALI KHAN, FOUNDER OF LETHUB

DOUGLAS 33

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10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

AXOLOTL BIOSCIENCES SECTOR: Biotech YEAR LAUNCHED: 2020 FOUNDERS: Dr. Stephanie Willerth (pictured), Dr. Laura De La Vega, Laila Abelseth UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Enabling the successful printing of living human tissues.

STRATEGY: Unique bioink formulations support the viability and function of living cells that can then be printed.

WEBSITE: axolotlbiosciences.com

W

hen Dr. Stephanie Willerth was approached by then grad student Dr. Laura De La Vega and colleague Laila Abelseth about launching a

company, she knew they would be on the niche edge of biotech. Their plan: creating goo.

That gelatinous material, known as bioink, would become the primordial jelly developed by their company Axolotl Biosciences — a unique ink formulation that makes the 3D printing of human tissues possible. With bioprinting and STEM cell advancements surging ahead worldwide, Axolotl was onto something.

“Most of the companies are focused on making the printer work,” says Willerth, who is also director of UVic’s Centre for Biomedical Research. “But bioprinters are more about making shapes than preserving STEM cells. Our ink was really good at keeping those cells alive.”

While researchers successfully recreate tissues, the printing process would often kill the cells themselves, rendering the work unviable.

Axolotl’s bioink formulas support the chemical viability and function of living cells, making the printing not only possible, but highly successful. With the right partners,

Willerth says this ink could help print an array of complex cells — from brain neural tissues to heart tissue, blood vessels and sperm.

The team is aiming to launch an online platform as early as summer of 2022, so biotech companies can order ink directly.

“We’re at a phase now where we can theoretically cure any disease, but how do we get there? When the big players are asking you to market this, it’s a good chance you’re onto something.”

— DR. STEPHANIE WILLERTH, COFOUNDER OF AXOLOTL BIOSCIENCES

DOUGLAS 35

Congratulations to the 2021 Douglas magazine 10 To Watch winners!

Just over 25 years ago, we set out to challenge tradition and empower students to elevate their careers; to inspire our students with the courage to transform not only their lives, but the world.

Like you, our students dig a little deeper, stay up a little later and won’t let good enough be quite enough. It’s your big ideas and passion that make the Island an exciting place to live and work.

As you continue to teach us, anything can be achieved, as long as you have the courage to believe in it.

1.877.778.6227 | royalroads.ca

10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

JONI SECTORS: Period care, Femtech YEAR LAUNCHED: 2019 FOUNDERS: Jayesh Vekariya (left) and Linda Biggs UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Simultaneously fighting for period equity and environmental sustainability.

STRATEGY: Joni donates one biodegradable bamboo pad for every one sold.

WEBSITE: getjoni.com

F

or the cofounders of joni, it’s important their business not only makes money, but contributes to its communities. The company grew from the discovery that one in three young Canadians — a statistic that doesn’t factor in Indigenous and LGBTQ2 — don’t have access to safe and affordable period care.

“We built the solution to period equity into our business model,” says Biggs. “Free shipping

across Canada means remote communities (who currently pay four to five times the cost of urban areas) pay the same price as someone in Vancouver. For every online purchase, we donate the same product … In 2020, we donated more than 43,000 pads.”

Biggs notes that 2020 was a big awakening for many brands on the social impact side.

“Recognizing privilege and our role in the fight for equity, many brands took a step back to move forward,” she says. “While we’re still learning, we launched with inclusivity in mind.

This is why we use ‘people who bleed’ and ‘period care’ versus antiquated terminology like ‘feminine hygiene.’”

The core of joni’s business is its customizable subscription-based service, which provides a consistent revenue and donation stream.

In 2020, the company saw a 26 per cent subscription growth rate, with 60 per cent of its monthly purchases through subscriptions.

Their pads are Canada’s only biodegradable

bamboo disposable option, breaking down approximately 94 per cent over 12 months — compared to the 300-plus years it takes traditional pads. Over the next year, joni hopes to launch biodegradable, organic cotton tampons, period-care underwear, and a patentpending easy-release cup.

“Canada lacks period-product innovation,” says Vekariya. “Our goal is to provide the most innovative products in each category. In all our designs, we focus on two things: Is it good for your body? And is it good in the environment?”

“Joni is focused on solving a social problem — period poverty — while making a profit in order to self-fund our social initiatives. ” — LINDA BIGGS, COFOUNDER OF JONI

DOUGLAS 37

Congratulations Congratulations to the 2019 Congratulations to the 2021 “10 To Watch” to the 2019 10 to Watch Winners.

“10 To Watch” Winners.

Winners.

TD Business Banking salutes your innovation, achievements, and entrepreneurship throughout our Island communities. At TD Business Bank, weisisare TD TDBusiness Business Banking Banking proud proudto to TD Businessto Banking your innovation, committed helpingsalutes Canadian Small Business grow. 2018 support support Douglas Douglas Magazine’s Magazine’s 2018 achievements, and entrepreneurship throughout 10 10TO TOWATCH WATCH Awards AwardsCelebration Celebration our Island communities. At TD Business Bank, we are For more information reach out to Congratulations Congratulations totoallallthe the10 10ToToWatch WatchWinners.

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TD TDBusiness BusinessBanking Bankingsalutes salutesyour yourinnovation, innovation,

Brian Gordon, Area Manager Business Banking. achievement, achievement, and andentrepreneurship entrepreneurship ininour ourcommunity. community.

T 250-507-0088 For more information informationreach reachout outto to Brian.gordon@td.com Paul Area Manager Manager, Business Business Banking.

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BrianDonohoe, Gordon, Area T 604-649-7754 T 250-507-0088 Brian.gordon@td.com Paul.donohoe@td.com For Formore moreinformation information Call CallBrian BrianGordon, Gordon,Area AreaManager ManagerBusiness BusinessBanking Banking atat250-507-0088 250-507-0088

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10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

LOCELLE DIGITAL SECTORS: Tech, Leadership YEAR LAUNCHED: 2018 FOUNDER: Humaira Ahmed, CEO UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Connecting women in leadership; especially those in maledominated industries.

STRATEGY: Tailored mentor-matching through employer-funded programming.

WEBSITE: locelle.com

H

umaira Ahmed spent over a decade working in marketing in the tech sector. While she had an accomplished background in software engineering, she realized early on she was often the only woman in the room, and rarely did she see other females in positions of leadership.

“I would sometimes be one in a class of 160, and I felt that isolation — as though I didn’t belong in tech,” says Ahmed. “It was not that welcoming for women, and I thought: This is not OK. I have two daughters. I’m ambitious and want to do something great with my life.”

Ahmed decided to create a beacon for women who shared her experience. She launched a mentor-matching app designed to connect women in leadership with those seeking role models. What started as a platform with a handful of acquaintances soon grew into a thriving global network of over 2,000 people — primarily women in tech sectors.

“It quickly became clear that women in these industries lacked leadership role models, and people desperately wanted to find that,” says Ahmed. “It’s one thing for people to use your service. It’s another for people to use it, love it, talk about it and be willing to pay for it.”

Today, Locelle Digital is dedicated to creating equitable workplaces for women. The platform offers its participants tailored mentor-matching and professional-development opportunities,

like leadership coaching.

“I see my girls walk a certain way now, like little CEOs,” she says. “They know Mom is a CEO, and that their parents are both leaders.

That’s important.”

“Now, we’re working with some of the best companies in the world — not just those willing to take a chance — but we want to be in every company. This is tailored to women seeking connections, providing the exact guidance that’s relevant for them.”

— HUMAIRA AHMED, CEO OF LOCELLE DIGITAL

DOUGLAS 39

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40 DOUGLAS

10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

MAiiZ Nixtamal SECTORS: Food, Retail YEAR LAUNCHED: 2020 FOUNDERS: Israel Álvarez Molina UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Elevating a daily staple — the tortilla — into a taste bud triumph.

PROCESS: Organic corn kernels mixed with calcium chloride or lime are boiled and soaked overnight. The kernels are later rinsed, hulled, shaped into masa dough and fried into tortillas.

WEBSITE: maiiz.ca

M

AiiZ Nixtamal — whose name refers to corn in Spanish and the process used to make tortillas — will celebrate one year of retail business in July and owner Israel

Álvarez Molina hasn’t had a day off, returning to his shop kitchen each day to finish a process that began 16 hours earlier when 50 kilograms of corn were set to boil, with 2,100 tortillas the end product.

Since arriving in Canada from Mexico City in 2008, Molina has been a chef in Edmonton and Ucluelet. In 2019 he came to Victoria with plans to elevate a daily staple into a taste bud triumph.

“People say, ‘I didn’t know tortillas taste that good,’” he says, likening his Chinatown shop to a neighbourhood French bakery because MAiiZ tortillas are, “the bread of Mexico.”

Available in four different colours and containing minerals and B vitamins, they hold their shape better than mass-produced versions.

Another kitchen coup is that Molina uses certified organic corn from an Armstrong, B.C. farm.

Eaten for centuries, it’s unknown how the originators of the Nixtamal process discovered that when ashes or burned shells were added to the cooked corn, a food that kept disease at bay

would result. Molina says it took him about four weeks to develop his specific recipe.

Today, MAiiZ tortillas are savoured at 18 of Victoria’s top restaurants and sold in 23 grocery stores. And with sales growth of 250 per cent, Molina plans to expand with the help of one or two big corn cookers and machinery that would speed up the process. “That would be a gamechanger,” he says. “I could triple capacity.”

“People use tortillas as a vehicle to shovel in food.

But tortillas have a soul, a character. They are the foundation of a meal. You don’t need more.”

— ISRAEL ÁLVAREZ MOLINA, FOUNDER OF MAIIZ NIXTAMAL

DOUGLAS 41

Vancouver Island businesses.

Enter to win an iPhone 12.*

Contest runs from June 1 – July 31.

TELUS extends our congratulations to this year’s 10 to Watch Winners! *Conditions apply. © 2021 TELUS.

10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

SAVE DA SEA FOODS SECTORS: Food, Retail, Sustainability YEAR LAUNCHED: 2019 FOUNDER: Aki Kaltenbach UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Plant-based alternatives to seafood.

PRODUCT: A vegan seafood substitute made with natural ingredients.

WEBSITE: savedasea.com

A

ki Kaltenbach has spent a fair amount of time managing her family’s three Japanese restaurants in Whistler, where fish was a main dish. But as a steadfast vegan, concerned with overfishing, she felt a change was needed.

So two years ago, the marketing whiz set sail

with Save Da Sea Foods. Her first product is a vegan smoked salmon, made with carrots and a few other natural ingredients.

“It’s very obvious that plant-based seafood is the next big thing,” Kaltenbach says.

With the appearance, texture and taste of salmon lox, it quickly caught on. And while there are other salmon substitutes, Kaltenbach notes most are highly processed and use colouring.

“I came to this from a health perspective,” she says. Still, the impact to the environment and animal welfare draws customers. “People who buy it are driven by different reasons.”

It took Kaltenbach one year to go from the idea to the shelf. “There were constant iterations. The product changed so much,” she says. Thanks to the three Whistler eateries, Kaltenbach was able to test the vegan salmon on willing diners and at trade shows.

“People tried it, not knowing it was plantbased. They were blown away,” she says.

Kaltenbach clearly recalls when she was ready to deliver her first order to Victoria’s The Very Good Butchers. Nine months pregnant, she brought them three cases of the vegan salmon.

They ran out in two days and clamoured for more, but Kaltenbach had bigger fish to fry with the birth of her child.

Today, sales have expanded from one store to about 50 retailers in B.C. and Alberta, with a goal of 200 stores in the rest of Canada by the end of this year, followed by a U.S. foray in 2022.

Next on Kaltenbach’s menu is a vegan canned-tuna, which she plans to introduce at the end of 2021. “Our vision is to create a world where we no longer need to kill fish,” she says.

“I want to be the ‘Beyond Meat’ of seafood.”

— AKI KALTENBACH, FOUNDER OF SAVE DA SEA FOODS

DOUGLAS 43

Congratulations to this year’s 10 to Watch!

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10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

BINBREEZE SECTORS: Product, Retail, Sustainability YEAR LAUNCHED: 2018 FOUNDERS: Taylor McCarten (left), Harmen Zijlstra and Christopher Moreno (not pictured) UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Better smelling compost PRODUCT: BinBreeze is an organic and naturally scented blend of untreated wood waste, minerals and silicates that is added to compost to reduce odour.

WEBSITE: binbreeze.ca

T

aylor McCarten walked into his parents’ kitchen and discovered a foul smelling compost bin ridden with fruit flies on the counter. This fetid bin inspired McCarten to start a business that made composting easier for Canadians and that would also help improve perceptions of sustainability while benefitting the planet.

As the son and grandson of carpenters and gardeners, McCarten is no stranger to burning wood waste for disposal. He came to the conclusion that wood waste would make the perfect base for a powder formula that could encourage aerobic (healthy) decomposition while reducing stinky, methane-producing anaerobic decomposition in compost bins. Sourcing wood waste that would otherwise be burnt could prevent carbon emissions upstream, improve the composting experience for the consumer and reduce the methane emissions of the waste prior to its arrival at a composting facility.

After conducting research and product development alongside UVic chemist Harmen Zijlstra, McCarten created a functioning and viable product by the time he graduated with his MBA in June of 2019. BinBreeze uses an organic mineral and wood formula to effectively dehydrate and kill fruit flies without the use of chemical pesticides and instantly neutralizes odours from the bin.

“The business is for me a gateway to a better

life in which I feel good about the work that I am doing and myself,” says McCarten. “The business is my self-actualization and part of a larger contribution I hope to make to society and the planet.”

“It’s important to create real value for people. There are so many industries popping up that are all about finding a way to take without giving. Truly care about your customers and make them your friends — that is the path to success.”

— TAYLOR MCCARTEN, COFOUNDER OF BINBREEZE

DOUGLAS 45

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10 TO WATCH WINNER 2021

FLATHAUS SECTOR: Tech, Interior Design YEAR LAUNCHED: 2018 FOUNDER: Leanne McKeachie UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Quick and affordable professional design solutions STRATEGY: A digital design service that enhances DIY renovations by offering off-the-shelf design packages and on demand, digital consultations.

WEBSITE: flathaus.com

A

s an interior designer in the residential design industry, Leanne McKeachie saw a large gap between the way an interior designer traditionally provides services and the Do-it-Yourself (DIY) scenarios homeowners were drawn to.

Increasingly, homeowners have been in need of quick design advice. On the flip side of that coin, interior designers would be booking weeks or months in advance for in-home

consultations, charging minimum hourly rates.

McKeachie felt that there had to be a better way for interior designers to service a DIY homeowner — a solution where the DIYer customer receive maximum value, without a designer having to undervalue their services.

The driving force behind Flathaus’s Designer on Demand service is knowing that the modern DIY homeowner is digitally savvy and has a good sense of their esthetic.

“I believe it’s important to empower interior designers with opportunities to adapt and diversify their services to meet a diverse range of client needs,” says McKeachie.

For an easy, quick fix and an infusion of style inspiration, customers can browse and purchase packages created by interior designers, each featuring all of the finishes needed (paint, flooring, tile, cabinet, countertop) to create a specific palette or style for one room.

McKeachie launched the packages first, but she quickly realized that customers were still getting stuck, frustrated and out of their depth.“They just needed a designer to show

them the right decision, in that moment, so they could carry on,” says McKeachie, who then introduced the chatbot-based service, Designer on Demand — a personal video consultation that yields design advice, fast.

“My true passion is to provide an exceptional e-design experience and equitable value for both the homeowner and the interior designer. It brings me great joy to build a platform where everyone involved receives value.

Everyone wins.”

— LEANNE MCKEACHIE, FOUNDER OF FLATHAUS

DOUGLAS 47

Congratulations to the 2021

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NIRICSON SECTOR: Tech, Engineering YEAR LAUNCHED: 2020 FOUNDERS: Harsh Rathod, CEO (pictured), and Aki Tomita, CFO UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION: Safe, fast inspection of critical infrastructure.

STRATEGY: Adds software to pre-programmed drones from partner companies, collecting data and generating a report detailing concerns.

WEBSITE: niricson.com

M

ost of us never think about how crucial structures such as dams, bridges, tunnels or power plants are inspected. Typical practices include physical examinations, photographs, measuring cracks and hammer tapping.

Determined that less subjective, hazardous

and labour-intensive methods were needed, Harsh Rathod came up with the idea for Niricson while working on his PhD in civil engineering at the UVic. After talking to wouldbe customers and winning several competitions, Rathod refined his solution.

“Rather than sending people out there, we have UAVs,” he says.

Niricson uses partners who send preprogrammed drones on missions to collect acoustic, thermal and visual data. Niricson’s team then takes over. “Our software combines the three layers of data to generate a report that shows potential concerns. We provide data analytics,” Rathod notes, not solutions.

Currently, it takes about two days to gather data at large sites, followed by four to five days to process, which is five times quicker than old methods and cuts costs by 50 per cent. Rathod’s goal is to reduce this to a couple of hours by collecting and processing data on site — a target about two to three years away, he says.

Rathod met Aki Tomita, CFO, at a business

competition at the University of Washington.

Tomita provided the help he needed to sell his business plan. Niricson now counts 10 large customers in Canada, including BC Hydro, and the U.S. and has 13 employees.

A 2016 disaster spurred Rathod’s work. A 100-year-old bridge, used by Rathod’s family, over India’s Savitri River was swept away in a flood, killing almost 30 people. Rathod knows Canada is not immune to such events.

“We need massive investment to monitor [these projects] and see which have exceeded their life span,” he says.

“It’s a mission we are on, trying to make infrastructure safer so there is no disaster anywhere in the world.”

— HARSH RATHOD, CEO OF NIRICSON

DOUGLAS 49

Policies for Privacy: Safekeeping Data in a Digital World

BY CAROLYN CAMILLERI

For small- and medium-sized businesses and organizations, keeping up with data security and privacy — and ensuring you are compliant — means understanding your responsibilities and that legislation is a work-in-progress.

50 DOUGLAS

Why work with Robyn?

“Robyn is so knowledgeable, courteous and insightful. She certainly has a keen awareness of the market. Her negotiating skills are outstanding! I feel very fortunate to have had her as my REALTOR®” - P.K.

I

t’s a cliché to say technology advances at lightning speed, but it really does move that fast. Many wonderful innovations are changing every aspect of life, for the most part, in good ways. At the same time, worries about privacy and security are legitimate. How do we know a particular technology is secure or that data is safely protected? What steps can we take to ensure we are protecting ourselves and our clients? How do we even know whether the technology we are using in B.C. can be legally used with clients in another province or country?

For SMEs and other organizations that may not have a crew of tech specialists and lawyers on the payroll, ensuring you are in compliance, especially if you are considering implementing new technologies, means doing some homework.

CASE IN POINT In 2017, Waterfront Toronto’s Quayside, a huge new development project partnered with Google-affiliated Sidewalk Labs, was launched with much fanfare. The prime minister, Ontario premier and Toronto mayor were all in attendance at the announcement of the “smart city,” proposed as a high-tech live-work neighbourhood with a long list of efficiencies. The project met with numerous challenges over the next two and a half years and, after millions of dollars were spent, Sidewalk Labs cancelled it in May 2020.

Granted, COVID-19 sent Canada and the world into turmoil. But one of the reasons

the project came to a stop was noted by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which released a statement the same day, calling the cancellation a “victory for privacy and democracy.”

“Waterfront Toronto never had the jurisdiction to sign off on a data surveillance test bed with a Google sibling,” said the statement. ”Serious harms to privacy would have been our future. The current Canadian regulatory landscape simply lacks modernized privacy legislation to provide essential safeguards to protect residents and visitors from the kinds of ubiquitous and intensive sensor-laden infrastructure that was envisaged. So the project was fundamentally flawed from the outset. Now we as a society have a chance to fix that privacy deficit and provide the right foundation to consider how, where and when technology can be used to meet real city needs, as expressed and experienced by residents.”

While many were relieved that the project was cancelled, others were disappointed because some of the features of the project were very exciting. Currently, Waterfront Toronto is looking for a new partner for Quayside with less emphasis on data collection and more focus on addressing service gaps in the area.

The comments that Canada’s privacy legislation needs modernizing, and that we have a “privacy deficit,” are not surprising and serve to highlight that we aren’t there yet.

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“Attackers are also more persistent and sophisticated than ever. People and organizations need to be wary of attempts at fraudulence and social engineering over the phone and through email (e.g. someone pretending to be from an authoritative body such as the police or the CRA in an attempt to get information that can be used to access online accounts).”

Office of the Chief Information Officer, Government of British Columbia.

THERE SHOULD BE A LAW FOR THAT, RIGHT? While suitable privacy legislation is needed, it takes time. A downside of waiting for legislation is that it slows the speed of advancement of new technologies, in some cases halting progress completely, which risks letting B.C. and Canada fall behind. But one reason legislation takes longer and requires careful consideration is because of how Canada is — and has always been — set up.

“Privacy in Canada, according to our constitution, is a shared responsibility across provinces and the federal government,” says Sue Paish, CEO of the Digital Technology Supercluster, a cross-industry collaboration of diverse organizations. “So the federal government has jurisdiction over federally regulated industries, such as banking, telecommunications, interprovincial travel, etc. Provinces have jurisdiction over other designated areas.”

Paish adds: “And, as a result, one of the most important things that can be done at a public policy level going forward in this area is coordination between the provinces and the federal government, in terms of privacy legislation, and, these days especially, in respect of data security legislation.”

For small technology companies that want to deploy technologies, and for thousands of other companies that aren’t contained in one province, it is a very complex environment.

“The complex matrix of privacy legislation is one of those items that, between our provinces, territories and the federal government, we need

to provide a clear road map and a clear pathway for Canadians, in terms of the protection, sharing, leveraging and security of data,” says Paish. “Right now, we have multiple different pieces of legislation that have recently been announced or are in the process of being developed across the various provinces. So we’re not quite there yet … conversation and collaboration [first] and then come up with some legislation.”

Those conversations are happening.

THE PROVINCIAL PERSPECTIVE A request via the Ministry of Citizens’ Services to the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) resulted in official, albeit anonymous, comments. Asked for examples of how the Government of B.C. and the tech industry are working together on digital security and privacy issues, several were provided. In addition to participating in and attending conferences and events (virtually this year) on the subject, the Province published a PowerPoint presentation “Defensible Security for Organizations” to help organizations understand what they must do from a security perspective and how to do it.

The spokesperson also pointed to the Provincial Security Advisory Council, which is made up of security leaders from the private sector who are recognized for developing and maintaining the security community in B.C. “Much of this work is on their own personal time in leadership positions in organizations like ISACA [Information Systems Audit and Control Association], a global association that provides IT professionals with knowledge,

Getting the government’s “acts” together* Businesses should plan to be privacy and security compliant and not be compliant by happenstance. This means learning and understanding the requirements and taking positive actions to meet them.

Federally regulated businesses and others are subject to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), while most activity of organizations in B.C., including those of non-profits and other associations, are subject to B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

The privacy principles on which both of these acts are based are the same. This helps to avoid any major

52 DOUGLAS

discrepancies between the acts and provides businesses with clarity on what the standard is for protecting information.

If a business wants to operate in more than one province, they need to learn about and understand the requirements in each jurisdiction and take tangible steps to meet them. This information is available through the Privacy Helpline.

In the security domain, industry groups such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) exist that share best practices for organizations. These standards largely help form some consistency across the country for what

security measures can be expected.

Security and privacy assessments can be conducted proactively and provide insights as to how an organization measures up to the law or industry security standards advanced by ISO and NIST or, for web applications, Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) or Centre for Internet Security (CIS).

Organizations can assess themselves against the provincial government’s “Defensible Security” framework, which is available online. *Information provided by the Office of the Chief Information Officer through the Ministry of Citizens’ Services.

credentials and training,” says the OCIO. “The government [of B.C.] is also working with the federal government to adopt many new cloud services where those services align with government privacy and security requirements.”

For example, the province is working with the federal government to leverage agreements they had in place with Amazon Web Services.

Further comments included a reminder that it’s important that both organizations and individuals be diligent in ensuring good privacy and security practices.

“B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) is built around the premise that individuals should be made aware of what is happening to their information with the ability to consent to that use,” says the OCIO. “This requires organizations to understand and to be able to clearly articulate in a meaningful way to people what is happening with their information.”

Some types of technology are more problematic than others with respect to privacy. For example, technologies that don’t allow people to opt out of certain aspects creates a problem wherein someone can’t truly consent to how their information is being collected, used or disclosed, the spokesperson adds.

“Cloud computing generally requires more diligence as it requires application developers to build more security into the applications themselves,” says the OCIO.

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“Given that security in the cloud is a shared responsibility between an organization and its cloud provider, organizations should be clear on who is doing what with respect to security.”

OCIO particularly mentioned artificial intelligence, which they described as a new field requiring more diligence to ensure that information collected or created about individuals is done so correctly: “The sensitive information that is produced needs to be secured at a level equal to its sensitivity. There are also numerous ethical considerations related to this space.”

So how can you be sure you are doing things right when you are implementing a new technology? Call in an expert.

GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESSES Ian L. Paterson, CEO of Plurilock Security, a global Victoria-based company that provides high-security solutions using patented behavioural biometrics and layered identity signals, says the first question to ask before you implement a new technology is this: What is the business goal that the technology is designed to fix?

That’s the most important thing.

“Unless you have clear success outcomes to measure a technology by, it may not actually

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54 DOUGLAS

help you in the end,” says Paterson. “Secondly, understand your own business environment and constraints. When push comes to shove, can you even deploy the technology you’ve chosen, or are there prerequisites you need to address first?”

“Lastly, have some sort of process to repeatedly measure its effectiveness over time,” he says.

“Just deploying the latest and greatest firewall tool isn’t enough. You also need to check over time to make sure it’s meeting — and continues to meet — the needs of your business, once it’s in service.”

With respect to data and privacy security, Paterson outlines some steps.

“Table stakes for data security are generally limiting how much data is kept or stored, who has access to it and how it can be accessed,” he says. “Those are what I’d consider the basics when it comes to protecting data and privacy, which is really a discussion about conservative, sensible limits that nonetheless enable the data to be practically used for the purposes it was gathered and stored for.”

The rest really depends on the industry you’re in, he says, noting that there are a lot of resources you can use as a road map to securing data sensibly. For example, the Canadian Centre

for Cyber Security, a federal organization, offers a lot of easily accessible guidance.

If you don’t have an internal tech department to turn these tasks over to, you’re not alone. These days, as is true of most things, Paterson says, very skilled tech departments are available for hire.

For example, you could engage a managed service provider (MSP). “[MSPs] function as an expert tech department and provide everything from basic IT services through cybersecurity solutions,” says Paterson. “On the cybersecurity front, there are also standards that you should align with to help ensure that you’ve got your bases covered when it comes to security. NIST and ISO, two well-known standards organizations, both have cybersecurity frameworks that you can leverage or that an outsourced IT or security provider can help you to follow.”

Given the level of mistrust and concern that exists at the public level with respect to privacy and security, how can businesses and other organizations feel assured that the technology they use is secure?

“They can’t — that’s the problem,” says Paterson. “What we have seen over the last year with things like the SolarWinds hack is that the public and businesses do need to be concerned about their relationships with other organizations. It’s no longer enough for your own business to be secure.”

All your business partners, vendors and service providers also have to be secure.

“Concern and mistrust on the part of users or the public shouldn’t be eliminated; they should be applauded as healthy,” he says.

“These questions encourage businesses to raise the bar for cybersecurity — to continue to make it a focus and take it seriously and to go out of their way to provide accountability to customers and the public.”

Paterson says there is a growing emphasis on data privacy and data security, not just in Canada, but everywhere.

“We first saw this with the GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] initiative in Europe, but now privacy and security are also being addressed at all levels of government,” he says. “In the U.S., for example, California has made data security a focus and is providing leadership that other states will likely follow. The diffusion of privacy and security awareness and policy throughout global government at all levels is the natural next step in the internet revolution — regulation, legislation and policy administration are finally beginning to catch up.”

And as they do catch up, we can expect more privacy and security legislation in the future. 

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LAST PAGE As winter draws in, CHEK's Jeff King (left) and Ed Bain have gotten creative with thier locations for The Upside.

Bain's carport, featured in the segment's early days, will now become a regular fixture in the week's film schedule.

Don’t be afraid to take the blinders off and look at what’s going on around you — don’t assume that what you’re doing is always the best path.

BELLE WHITE/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

— Richard Egli, Alacrity Canada

CHECKING OUT THE UPSIDE

ISLAND BUSINESSES ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT, THANKS TO A CLEVER PIVOT BY CHEK NEWS.

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Eating oysters in Fanny Bay; making pottery on a driveway in Langford; ziplining at Mount Washington. It sounds like fun and games — which it is because the pair make it so, deeply grateful for the opportunity — but the impact of their attention has yielded results for struggling businesses and charitable causes.

“We were up at the South Island Saskatoons berry farm, and they were run off their feet the next day,” says Bain. “The people watching are terrific; they recognize the need and travel to places we show them.”

Coverage for the Rotary Club of West Shore’s Golf Ball Drop helped

raise $20,000, and the segment contributed to Tour de Rock’s success in raising $78,000.

“It’s the mom and pop shops that we are most proud of being able to help,” says King. “We’ve met just the most incredibly nice, generous people — not one bad person.

People that are going through some pretty tough times right now, but they’re just wonderful and trying to find a way to make it work.”

The segment was born from change, so adapting to new circumstances will be par for the course with winter’s early nights and freezing temperatures. That said, the show must — and will — go on.

JOSHUA LAWRENCE

On March 17, Ed Bain and Jeff King As lockdown endured, the pair got a call from their news director turned their spotlight to other local at CHEK, Scott Fee, telling them businesses that might benefit from to meet a camera crew on Mount the attention.

Tolmie. What evolved from those Physical distance requirements unscripted, playful first broadcasts limit the amount of people in was The Upside, a segment that CHEK’s film studio. Anchor Stacy has taken the “weather guy” and Ross is live at 5 p.m., followed the “sports guy” — long-time friends by anchor Joe Perkins at 6 p.m. and colleagues — on the road to film Wherever their remote shoot is 180 broadcasts to date, and filming, King and Bain join the counting. anchors live on air six times Alacrity Canada supports “We decided to try and help our during those two hours for up to entrepreneurs by connecting local restaurants, ” says of early them with King mentors, business45 minutes of air time each day. advice and capital.

Preideas for the segment.

“So we did Adept at wrangling the multiple COVID, their Fort Street something called ‘Takeout Tuesday, ’ shots and locations required off site, head office in Victoria was a encouraging people to support local buzzing co-working space forcameraman Mark Innis makes The restaurants.” the program’s participants. Upside possible.

MODERATOR

REALITY CHECK

Roundtable on Business Growth Douglas brings together five Victoria business mentors to discuss what early stage entrepreneurs need most to succeed.

BY CARLA SORRELL

L

aunching a business can be thrilling, overwhelming, compelling, lonely … you name it; it’s been felt. But whatever the individual experience, rest assured, you’re not the first or the last to feel that way.

Victoria is host to a growing ecosystem of business-support networks that include incubators, accelerators, venture capitalists, micro-lenders, skill-based courses, recovery programs and then some. Most importantly, it's home to a lot of people who want to nurture innovation and who are sowing the seeds of Victoria’s future economy. The goal is locally grown companies that thrive at all sizes and scales, expanding sectors we know and forming ones that are only beginning to reveal themselves.

Why do they do it?

“It's important for retaining businesses here,” says Richard Egli, whose motivation as managing director of Alacrity Canada includes building a healthy and sustainable ecosystem for business in Victoria. “If they feel like they have a really good support community, they're gonna set up shop, start manufacturing here and stay here.”

Why Incubate?

Getting off to the right start can make or break a business. Packed with ideas and ready to explode, eager and green entrepreneurs often risk spreading themselves too thin early in the game. Jill Doucette, founder of Synergy Enterprises, which includes the circular economy incubator, Project Zero, says entrepreneurs need help setting priorities, paring back the ideas and writing the business plan.

“They've got 100 Lego blocks,” Doucette says of what entrepreneurs are juggling. “They only need eight of those blocks [to make a viable business]. You have to pare it down by helping them focus, so they don't burn their energy with a scattershot approach.”

All of the panelists that Douglas convened to discuss this topic agreed that entrepreneurs need to be prepared to see their idea evolve.

The iterations and the subsequent business plan needs to be customer focused and demand driven.

“Companies that become very successful, never come out with the exact same idea that they started with,” says Egli.

Working through the rigorous processes to get feedback, fine tune and repeat can elevate a good idea to a great plan, ready to become a minimum viable product. Without doing an MBA, the guidance on market research and product positioning alone are good reasons to incubate in that early phase.

It’s not always about getting the idea off the ground. Developing the person to help them reach their full potential over time is a long term goal for Christina Clarke, CEO of the Songhees Development Corporation.

“We're looking to support businesses that may not succeed, but that leave a legacy with that business person — it is the individual that we're developing,” says Clarke. “Businesses will come and go, but if you develop that person and their passion, and provide them with the skills they can come up with new business ideas when other ones fail.”

The landscape for a company debut has changed, post-pandemic. Where launches were events, they are now webinars; where lunches

Carla Sorell Editor, Douglas magazine

PANELISTS

Jerome Etwaroo Associate Director Coast Capital Savings Innovation Centre, University of Victoria

Jill Doucette Founder Synergy Enterprises

Christina Clarke Corporate Executive Officer Songhees Development Corporation

Richard Egli, Managing Director Alacrity Canada

Rob Bennett, Chief Operating Officer and Program Director VIATEC

DOUGLAS 57

were in person, they may now mean eating the same meal on either side of the screen.

One thing that remains consistent, if not more significant, is the role media can play.

“Media is just fascinated with the circular economy and very hungry to understand it,” says Doucette. “As soon as they're ready for the exposure, we make sure that they get published, that the media knows about them.”

You can have whatever assumptions, hypotheses you want; you can have whatever crazy idea. But you’ve got to validate that with customers.

The Secret Ingredient

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

— Rob Bennett, VIATEC

VIATEC’s tech-focused supports benefit entrepreneurs, startups and established businesses. The iconic Fort Tectoria location is a mix of event spaces, rentable offices and workstations (pictured pre-COVID).

Networking is a loaded word, spawning a whole sector of training — books, courses, mentors and coaches — and a whole gamut of reactions.

While intimidating for some and instinctive for others, it's something any entrepreneur has to grapple with in a way that works for them.

That’s where an incubator or program has so much value.

“It's really about helping them connect into the business community — once you're in, you're very supported, but sometimes you're not sure how to break into it,” says Egli.

Clarke agrees, acknowledging the complexities that Indigenous entrepreneurs face are navigated best with guidance.

“It is connections — connections to other parts of the ecosystem — but the nuance in an Indigenous context is related to whether or not the business is operating on- or off-reserve, or whether the entrepreneur themselves lives on- or off-reserve,” says Clarke. “Helping them navigate jurisdictional challenges is the number one thing. It's hard enough for an entrepreneur to start a business. But when you're working within a reserve system, and laws that apply or don't apply on reserve, it's very challenging.”

When it comes down to it, peer support is king. During exit interviews Rob Bennett, COO and program director at VIATEC, says it is

GRANTS & FUNDING The pandemic has significantly increased available funding to support innovative economic recovery for old and new businesses alike. Funding from the federal and provincial governments is available through programs that are administered by different bodies, like VIATEC and Alacrity, among others. ▶ Small Business BC is a great resource to start; its Starting a Small Business Guide is available online and the site provides information about government, private and venture capital sources of funding: ▶ The Canada Small Business Financing Program makes it easier for small businesses to get loans from financial institutions.

58 DOUGLAS

▶ Futurpreneur Canada provides youth age 18-39 with startup financing (loans up to $45,000) and mentorship to help launch and sustain successful businesses. ▶ Women’s Enterprise Centre provides business loans up to $150,000 to women in B.C. who own a business or are thinking of starting or buying a business. ▶ The Investment Capital offers to help small businesses gain access to investment capital, from those just starting out to those wanting extra capital to compete in global markets. ▶ Local Community Futures British Columbia offers business advice for people who live in rural B.C. For sector specific financing, the Innovate B.C. Ignite program will fund up

to $300,000 for innovation projects in the areas of natural resources, applied sciences and/or engineering. Alacrity’s Cleantech program supports the scale-up of clean technology companies to drive export revenue and growth capital from select foreign markets.

Financing research and skill development is another strategy for earlystage businesses to grow. Innovate BC’s grants for hiring co-op students include the Tech Co-op Grants Program and the Innovator Skills Initiative.

Private and venture capital investment can be accessed directly or through connections that are most easily made through incubators, mentors and business development support.

consistently noted as “the highest value” they received from programs.

It's those peer groups that allow entrepreneurs to open up and be very honest with each other, something they can’t do publicly. They establish a network that can grow as they do — more friends than colleagues — people they will be able to access easily at later stages in their careers, when they have less time to invest in community building.

They will be there to hold a mirror up to each other when they need it. Egli thinks that “Entrepreneurs find that accountability mentorship as the most important part because it helps them go through that journey.”

Show Me The Money With the exception of Alacrity, who has built a bit of a war chest thanks to founding equity and some successful exits, none of the participants have capital to issue. Alacrity’s savings aren’t generally invested in their companies, but go into their programs. The panelists all agree that building financial literacy and the capability to communicate with investors and handle capital is a top priority.

“The most important thing is to be able to prepare entrepreneurs for funding,” says Jerome Etwaroo, associate director of UVic’s Coast Capital Savings Innovation Centre.

“And help them discover the way to communicate that to investors,” adds Bennett.

“What most investors are looking for, either at the angel level, or subsequent financing rounds, is that repeatable revenue model — to what extent has it been proven?” Preparing entrepreneurs to meet and prove those expectations is a big part of the job.

UVic’s partnership with Coast Capital enables entrepreneurs to access capital

▶ Non-profit community investment groups such as the Capital Investment Network provide entrepreneurs an opportunity to connect with angel investors, access local resources and increase a business’s visibility. ▶ Women’s Equity Lab is Canada’s first all-female group of early-stage angel investors and are currently in their third round of funding in Victoria. ▶ Raven Indigenous Capital Partners funds early and growth-stage Indigenous social enterprises from $250,000 to $2,000,000. ▶ Tiny Capital buys and invests in tech companies through a quick and efficient process that lets the companies continue to operate with autonomy.

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INCUBATORS & ACCELERATORS

THE FUTURE IS NOT OPTIONAL

COAST CAPITAL INNOVATION CENTRE, UVIC The Coast Capital Innovation Centre at UVic is a free (for students) on-campus incubator supporting all types of startups, including social innovation. The program supported several of this year’s 10 to Watch winners in the early stages of their businesses: Katie Gamble of Nature Bee Wraps, Jayesh Vekariya of joni and Harsh Rathod of Niricson. Rathod was able to research the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence while Gamble says she still benefits from the network, receiving updates on grants and funding opportunities.

The Innovation Centre’s services include one-on-one mentorship, in which executives/entrepreneurs-in-residence (EIR) serve as mentors; access to funding opportunities; free workspace; pitch and business plan competitions; access to fast prototyping facilities; software and to UVic’s researchers and labs.

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Project Zero is a seven month incubator program created by the Synergy Foundation. Applications are open annually (from October to January) for entrepreneurs with business ideas or early startup operating in the circular economy.

Those selected have the opportunity to create their business plans, learn business operation fundamentals and entrepreneurial skills, connect with mentors, and develop pitches for their business ideas.

Jill Doucette, founder of the Synergy Foundation, looks for applicants that have a “grip on the project and a willingness to learn.” She says the program will “Teach you the basic skills to make this business a success. It is very much open to businesses at the idea stage, where they want to generate a business plan so that they can turn this into a real project and launch after our program.”

VIATEC With a huge variety of programs to support innovations in tech, VIATEC supports business development at many different stages of the game. It was founded by entrepreneurs in 1989 with the idea of sharing challenges, opportunities and solutions to encourage and support growth.

Today VIATEC offers a huge variety of programs, events, news and a job board for companies at every stage.

60 DOUGLAS FILE NAME: UVic_20-0402_Print-Ad_Douglas_MBA

Most noteworthy is the VIATEC Accelerator Program (VAP) that offers structured venture development, coaching and guidance for early-stage tech entrepreneurs. The Accelerator Program has been designated as an eligible program for the government’s Start-up Visa Program for founders or key employees of international companies looking to build a head office in Victoria. Another VIATEC program is W CEO, an ongoing monthly course fostering a community of influential women leaders support around leadership development, recruitment and networking.

ALACRITY CANADA For the last decade Alacrity has been starting and incubating companies through its nine-to-12 month entrepreneurship program. What is unique about its approach is that through its own market research it present entrepreneurs with problems that need to be solved. The program provides office space, accounting and administrative services and mentorship.

More recently Alacrity’s offerings have expanded to include programs specifically centred around clean tech and AI. Its eight-week Digital Marketing Bootcamp has been a huge success, reaching over 2,500 entrepreneurs across B.C. For Richard Egli, managing director at Alacrity Canada, “It's almost all community driven. When new people come to town, there's a lot of introductions and people get to know everyone quite quickly. That's how we've met some of the best partners and mentors that we've been able to work with.”

THE SONGHEES DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION The corporation addresses the Songhees Nation’s strategic priorities for economic development, striving to be financially selfreliant and prosperous, and to participate fully in the regional economy. Part of that plan, says Christina Clarke, CEO of the Songhees Development Corporation, is “Promoting entrepreneurs, developing our own successful businesses and contributing to the regional economy.

Integrating an Indigenous economy into the regional economy is my focus.”

Some of the businesses and services the Songhees Development Corporation offers include the Songhees Seafood & Steam food truck, the Songhees Innovation Centre (a coworking space for Indigenous entrepreneurs), Songhees Tours and the Songhees Nation Investment Corporation.

We focus on three things: the first thing is identifying whether their idea is viable or not, the second is figuring out the team that will be able to execute it and the third thing is fun.

— Jerome Etwaroo, University of Victoria

Harsh Rathod, CEO of Niricson and one of this year’s 10 to Watch winners (see page 45), experimenting with drones while working out of the Innovation Centre at UVic.

ARMANDO TURA

for prototypes. There are unique benefits to exploring entrepreneurship while still a student, like new business co-op pathways and scholarship support. Project Zero’s partnership with Vancity has representatives speak to entrepreneurs about lending options and loan applications. Doucette encourages her cohort to take out micro-loans with the aim of building credit. Clarke works to make connections for businesses with existing Indigenous funding streams.

Individuals approach their startup ideas from a myriad of financial starting points. Some might be carrying a student debt, have little to no personal access to financial resources or potential investors, while others might come to it with enough to bootstrap the first year.

Victoria’s healthy investing environment has

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My advice would be to make connections, reach out, get out there, talk to people, follow leads and get yourself integrated into the ecosystem. When new opportunities come up, you’ll be in a position to benefit from them.

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

— Christina Clarke, The Songhees Development Corporation

The Songhees Innovation Centre is a collaborative co-working space (pictured pre-COVID) for Indigenous entrepreneurs from any Nation and in any line of work.

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heated up more recently; Etwaroo has seen more investments in the past two years than he had in the previous 10 years. Egli observes COVID had the opposite effect of expectations that investments would “go dormant and flat.”

“With interest rates bottoming out and getting even lower, there's been no way for bigger investors and institutional investors to find yield,” says Egli. “They've actually doubled down on their inter-alternative investment stack [venture capital, angel investing] because people are trying to find some kind of rate of return. They're willing to take more risk in things like startups to find that yield.”

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Doucette and Clarke saw COVID shift focus, favourably, to the potential for businesses to counter global challenges through valuesbased approaches and business models. The green economy is being lauded by the federal government as a core component of economic recovery and the Build Back Better movement is bringing a strong emphasis on innovation, rebuilding the economy while reducing emissions and regenerating the ecosystem.

“I wouldn't want to say COVID has been good for us, but with the stimulus funding and the slowdown, that gave us an opportunity to really focus on developing a strong foundation, especially for tourism,” says Clarke.

Forecasters are predicting a significant increase in young leisure travellers looking for sustainable options.

“The demand for Indigenous tourism is so high, we were just holding people back at the gates while we tried to develop a product,” she says.

While “pivot” was the business buzz word of 2020, it wasn’t an act reserved for entrepreneurs and business owners. VIATEC and Alacrity rolled out programs to allocate federal and provincial funds specifically for digital improvements. With other partners, UVic and VIATEC co-launched, W Venture, an incubator for women entrepreneurs.

“We have seen a lot of our startup companies pivot or leverage their existing technology to products and services able to focus on overcoming some of the challenges of COVID,” says Etwaroo, who thinks those actions speak highly of the innovative entrepreneurial mindset in the region.

“We're going to see a ton of gaps,” predicts Doucette. “I am already seeing them. I'm going to try to do a project somewhere, there's not a company to do it, or there's not a service provider there. So I think there's just going to be a world of opportunity for those who want to start a business in the next few years.” 

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BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

INTEL

MONEY

BY STEVE BOKOR AND IAN DAVID CLARK

When will electric vehicles run out of power?

Hidden costs and the realities of infrastructure challenge B.C.’s lofty aspirations for EVs.

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e are seeing a slow but steady paradigm shift in consumer tastes when it comes to transportation choices. Due to economies of scale, gas and diesel still come in cheaper than electric vehicles (EVs).

But with an ever-growing tide of automakers switching to electric versions, that differential continues to shrink.

Globally, EVs are exhibiting “hockey stick growth” in terms of sales, thanks to government subsidies (funded in part through carbon taxes on gas and diesel). But the trend remains volatile. Here in North America we may be falling behind the world, with China showing the highest adoption of EVs. That could change in B.C. in the coming

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It Comes at a Cost

years, notwithstanding a few bumps in the road (like a potential future shortfall in lithium production to make batteries). Energy and maintenance cost reductions, stricter emission controls, government subsidies and the launch of new and affordable models are bringing EVs within reach of the average consumer. We estimate approximately a 75 per cent savings in energy costs.

However, if governments like B.C. push forward to eliminate gas powered vehicles to meet CO2 emission targets, there are some ugly hidden truths that no one is talking about. A report filed with the British Columbia Utilities Commission in 2017 estimates B.C. residents consume 4.6 billion litres of gasoline each year; that equates to 41 terawatt hours

LITRES OF GAS CONSUMED

BY B.C. RESIDENTS EACH YEAR

41

of electricity per year — the upcoming Peace River Site C dam will provide about 5 terawatts per year.

We are going to need more dams.

That’s OK because we can always go with solar panels … except the estimated number of solar panels equivalent to the Site C dam is 21 million. That will require a lot of rooftops.

The current cost of electricity is making it an obvious choice for people in certain parts of the world, but for others, not so much.

Take B.C. for example. Charging currently costs about 10 cents per kilowatt hour or approximately 3.25 cents per kilometre to charge your vehicle. That makes it extremely cheap to operate an EV. In Ontario and Newfoundland, poor decisions by utility companies means that electricity costs could rise dramatically, making it a less desirable choice.

BC Hydro charges a “Step 1” base rate of $0.093 per kilowatt hour (kWh) on the first 644 kWh consumed, which then jumps to “Step 2” rate of $0.139 per kWh. Factor in the load from an EV, and suddenly you might be using beeswax candles and coconut oil to light your house if you want to maintain “Step 1” rates.

TERAWATTS PRODUCED BY 1 DAM EACH YEAR

=

TERAWATTS Based on the pending Site C Dam.

5

TERAWATTS

For drivers travelling about 20,000 kilometres a year, factor in about 300 kWh per month for travelling and add that to your electricity bill.

If a motorist runs out of gas in a remote location, it doesn’t take long to find a gallon of gas and get back on the road. With an electric vehicle, it’s either a tow truck or five miles of extension cord in the trunk. Fast charging stations will take approximately 20 hours for 200 kilometres. Therefore EV makers must rely on governments at all levels to create sufficient infrastructure charging stations before the majority of consumers will be confident to switch.

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At the Municipal Level Fortunately, we are already seeing a rising network of EV charging stations deployed in both publicly and privately owned parking lots. This could help entice consumers that travel short distances to make the switch.

But that is only part of the equation.

True, Tesla and a few others are making vehicles with greater range, but they come at a steep price tag that often excludes them from certain subsidies. Believe it or not, Canada’s oil industry — led by Suncor’s Petro-Canada — have installed a transnational network of fast-charging stations every 250 kilometres.

In order for broad acceptance, municipalities with large vehicle fleets cannot be expected to switch without significant price reductions. Provincial and federal tax incentives and subsidized charging stations are a must.

In addition, unlike retail consumers preferring smaller vehicles that developed after the oil price shocks of the 1970s, municipalities must also contend with trucks, vans and buses. To that end, the federal government announced in their 2019 budget $130 million over five years to build out a more integrated network.

Governments at all levels are onboard the zero emission train, but we also think they may be missing the bus. We have alluded to some critical drawbacks to the adoption of EVs, which we will explain in a follow-up article; we will compare and contrast EVs to hydrogen fuel cells, a.k.a. the other zero emission solution.

Frankly, we are very concerned that Canada will get left behind the rest of the world in adopting this other mode of transportation. 

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NEXT LEVEL

BY ALEX VAN TOL

The Responsibility Dilemma Leadership starts with taking full responsibility for yourself and your actions to create a culture of self-efficacy and well-being.

A

mid a crisis of burnout and finger pointing at those who “fail to take proper care of us,” I am stepping forward to proclaim a radical view: Fixing things is not up to anybody else.

No one is coming to tell your boss you need work-life balance. No one is coming to make sure you get outside for a run. No one is coming to stop the rush of emails and meetings.

Only you can make the changes that will bring improvement to your life and leadership.

Who is Responsible?

Back in March, Headspace designer Frank Bach asked Twitter what makes for a great place to work. (And, yes, Headspace is hands-down a great place to work.) People suggested the usual metrics; however, I was surprised by one young millennial’s comment about how important it is that a company help their employees navigate tough world events.

Really? I thought. Your company gives you meaningful work, pays you in exchange for your energy, develops your professional competence … AND serves as your emotional backstop when the

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world explodes unexpectedly?

Then I realized I was judging, and so I put it down (that’s the practice). I reflected on what Inspired Results CEO Diane Lloyd has been finding in her conversations with leaders: that people are asking more of their leaders than ever before. In fact, Gallup reports that this higher degree of care is what the younger workforce demands.

Despite the actual truth lying at the other end of the spectrum — that self-efficacy and well-being soar when you take responsibility for your own life — we are, from gen Z to boomers, still mired in a social matrix where we consciously and willingly believe our happiness lies in the hands of others.

So, whether you think it’s fair or not, as a leader this is on you.

This is the Reality We’re Starting From Sociologist and leadership educator Brené Brown states that “Leaders must either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior.”

In their 2019 book It’s the Manager: Moving from Boss to Coach, Gallup CEO Jim Clifton and co-author Jim Harter second Brown’s

COMPETENCIES FOR LEADERS TO EMBRACE

1

Speak directly and tell only the truth

2

Model selfawareness

3

Show gratitude and appreciations

4

Practice integrity, fiercely honouring agreements and deadlines

5

Be curious, ask questions and listen, rather than needing to be right

6

Live in your zone of genius and delegate the things that you aren’t good at

assertions, noting that in addition to wanting purpose and development, gen Z and millennials also want ongoing conversations about their performance. They want coaches, not bosses.

But there’s a grey area here — echoed by this young person’s words on Twitter. Coaching, absolutely. But should bosses be responsible for helping their employees handle unpredictable and frightening world events?

As I see it, the answer is both yes and no. As a leader, you have a responsibility to set an emotional tone for your organization. You should avoid crisis-flapping and panic-screaming — and if you engage in either, you should be prepared to be vulnerable and get honest about what’s going on for you, then model for your team how a person gets themselves centred again. But beyond setting an emotional tone, the emotional ripples caused by world events are people’s own to deal with — not their company’s.

I realize this will be a terrifically unpopular opinion with some.

The point of us examining this tension is to recognize that the demands on leaders will not stop increasing.

Whether it’s right or not, leaders are being asked to backstop their teams emotionally.

This, however, is a recipe for burnout. We have created a world where people have become accustomed to looking to others to make their lives tolerable. And the only way out is to reverse the tide.

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It’s Not up to Anybody Else If you haven’t yet heard of the Conscious Leadership Group — and you likely have not — please look them up.

What distinguishes the CLG is their fierce conviction that improvement comes fastest and embeds strongest when a person starts to do the work inside.

To this end, CLG offers very little that doesn’t force growth in the personal realm. They propose 15 commitments to become a conscious leader. The first reads: “I commit to taking full responsibility for the circumstances of my life, and my physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. I commit to support others to take full responsibility for their lives.”

Makes you nervous, eh? In their eponymous book, 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, they recommend you don’t even bother trying to figure out the rest of the commitments until you nail #1 and #2 (being curious instead of being right). That’s how important it is to take responsibility for everything.

You are gradually going to take all responsibility for your life.

And — here’s the exciting part — as you get better at it, you’re gradually going to hand off all responsibility for your employees’ and loved ones’ lives … to them.

Only by taking 100 per cent responsibility for yourself and your life can you get to a better place and have it stick.

The result is that you then become a model for others and will inspire them to level up as well.

Alex Van Tol writes and consults for leadership development organizations, entrepreneurs and SMEs. She has long been aware that life unfolds exactly as you ask it to.

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MINDSET

BY ERIN SKILLEN

Work, but Make it Funny The benefits of bringing humour to the workplace are many, but it takes practice, and fostering a culture that can take a joke is no laughing matter.

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s many teams moved to working remotely, I started seeking ways to use my skill set to build connections with team members over Zoom and Slack. I felt like my sense of humour was making a difference, but I had no clue if making teammates laugh had any real value in business or if I was just making a clown of myself.

As with so many things in life, there’s an app for that, and the app that helped provide me with clarity was edX, an online learning platform created by Harvard and MIT. I just about fell out of my chair when I discovered they offered a professional certificate called Remotely Humorous: Build Joyful and Resilient Virtual Teams with Humor.

The course is led by two lecturers at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Naomi Bagdonas and Connor Diemand-Yauman.

There’s also a book for that; Bagdonas cowrote Humor, Seriously with Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker.

If humour is a legit tactic taught at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, it definitely has value. Here’s what I learned:

Who Says Humour is an Asset?

The Journal of Managerial Psychology (wait, that’s a thing?) published a metaanalysis of positive humour in the workplace.

Its findings showed that “Employee humor is associated with enhanced work performance, satisfaction, workgroup cohesion, health, and coping effectiveness, as well as decreased burnout, stress, and work withdrawal.”

Another study demonstrated how employees who watched a comedy clip before working were more productive than those who didn’t watch one. This data was on top of self-reported feelings of happiness communicated by the team members who had humour integrated into their work experience. The bottom line — there are many, many positive benefits when levity is part of your team culture.

Why Does it Work?

Laughing with others causes a release of endorphins and dopamine in our brains. This 68 DOUGLAS

is a natural health benefit that can improve how we feel and perform during our work day. Using humour in our team interactions enables us to experience these positive brain chemicals together, building connection, cohesion and engagement.

These key enablers of levity are also essential elements in developing psychologically safe teams that feel comfortable to engage, take risks and be innovative. Levity simultaneously relies on and cultivates these elements.

Giving it a Go Bringing humour to the workplace also means bringing a healthy dose of humility and risk taking. Not because you’re going to tell risky jokes, but because they’re not all going to land the way you hope. There’s a reason comedians workshop their material, sometimes even bombing in front of an entire audience. It’s not always perfect, but it’s the openness to trying that will gradually show you what works and what doesn’t in your team culture.

What Makes Something Funny?

If you’re not sure, there are so many fun ways to learn. YouTube, Netflix and more are full of stand-up clips and specials by some exceptionally talented comedians.

Obviously, some comedy doesn’t age well or is off-colour, so be selective. If a joke makes you laugh, stop and watch it again, and ask yourself what makes it funny. Is it the setup?

The delivery? Is it relatable or absurd?

Deconstruct each joke to understand how and why it works. Will this make you into a master stand-up performer? Probably not.

But it could help provide you with a means of bringing intelligent humour to your team dynamic.

What if You’re Not Funny?

If you really don’t feel funny and don’t want to try to be, that is more than OK. It’s an opportunity to create space for others to step into their sense of humour and support them by laughing, smiling or otherwise showing you appreciate what they’ve contributed. Also, don’t underestimate the power of deadpan humour — a dry, witty statement delivered at

5

“key enablers” for levity to thrive in your organization.

Safety — without feelings of psychological safety and trust on a team, it’s hard for humour to thrive.

Connectedness — companies with a baseline of respect, belonging and engagement are more likely to benefit from the additional feelings of connection that humour creates.

Agency — another element that’s based in trust, where employees feel empowered, independent and take ownership of their work.

Growth — teams with a growth mindset (“We can do this!”) versus a fixed mindset (“We’re going to fail.”) are more likely to be open to humour as part of their work culture.

Purpose — if work is connected to a team member’s larger mission in life, it’s more likely to create opportunities for joy and humour.

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the right time can be incredibly funny if you make it safe for people to laugh at it.

Funny to You May Not be Funny (or Smart) It should be terribly obvious, but just in case it’s not, any humour that’s racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. is a bad idea for so many reasons. Be thoughtful with your humour, and consider how what you’re about to say may be experienced by the listener(s). There are so many ways to be funny that don’t rely on ridiculing, demeaning or shaming others.

If you’re not sure where the line is, don’t go anywhere near it.

Humour has always played a powerful role in our society and is a much-needed “release valve” when we’re under pressure. Schindler’s List tackled the horrors of the Holocaust and even it had some jokes in it. Laughter can help us through tough times together and shouldn’t be underestimated. Science says so, and you don’t want to fight science. Climatechange deniers are bad enough; we don’t need levity deniers causing trouble, too. 

Erin Skillen is a writer, Creative + Ops at Amira Health, harried co-parent of two kids and six chickens, and co-host and producer of the Demarried Life podcast.

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DOUGLAS 69

POINT LAST OF PAGE VIEW

MONEY AS MEDICINE When Sage Lacerte decided to invest her savings, she didn’t realize it would be a pivotal moment, leading her to found the Sage Initiative, the first and only impact investment group for Indigenous women.

With a focus on 18 to 29 year olds — a group who will mature as peers with Lacerte — the Sage Initiative received federal funding and is recruiting nationally for ten initial participants whose six months of financial training, “guided by the need to heal from trauma associated with money,” will result in investments ranging from $1000 to $50,000.

What was your investing experience?

I wanted to use my money for my people and for my community. I know that is a shared trait with a lot of Indigenous women. I knew that there would be a huge network who also believe that if you have extra money, it shouldn’t just sit under your mattress or in a bank — it can be used to be generative.

Why is it important for Indigenous women to learn to invest?

It’s important for us to become investors again because that’s our natural way as matriarchs, our leaders. In our matrilineal societies, the matriarchs decided what the needs are of the community.

So by becoming investors, we are healing. That’s very central to the work of decolonizing, and it’s very central to the way that Indigenous commerce systems have worked for a very long time.

JEFFREY BOSDET/DOUGLAS MAGAZINE

How do you address Indigenous values around money?

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We want to shift the narrative because the systems of capitalism use wealth as a tool to divide people based on social class, and that system was not built with Indigenous people in mind. We are restoring our balance within ourselves and with land. We are decolonizing wealth and restoring money as medicine.

What is the goal?

Our vision is to enable this national ecosystem — to train and bring together many Indigenous women impact investors. The definition of impact investment is equally valuing social, environmental and financial return. So it’s our hope that we can create an Indigenous economy with those values.

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