WELCOME TO CAPITAL! As a lead advocate for economic growth in Canada’s Capital Region, we are thrilled to offer this magazine asset for our business and community leaders to foster a robust conversation about Ottawa strengths and opportunities, our incredible local businesses and how we can work together to build an affordable, inclusive, and sustainable city. Transformation is a prevailing theme among economic partners in our region. The challenges and changes of the last few years unveiled many lessons for us to leverage as we shape the future of our city. Ottawa is the cultural and economic ..read more

OTTAWA. CANADA’S CAPITAL city and Canada in One City. Rich in history, natural beauty, and international influence. Deep roots in culture, leadership, and technology. A magnet for artists, changemakers, and innovators. Ottawa’s lifestyle is unparalleled. World class education and health institutions, access to top sports and entertainment options and an international airport all form a strong foundation for growth and prosperity. Ottawa businesses and citizens have much to appreciate. And the best is yet to come. Ottawa has a once in a lifetime opportunity to be the city that gets it right. An ..read more

MARY ROWE STANDS on the corner of Metcalfe and Sparks Streets, surveying her next project, which is to come up with a downtown Ottawa action plan. She observes that it’s quiet where she is, and yet, when asked if she thinks downtown Ottawa is dead, Rowe, president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, answered: “You can’t ever count a city out.” Then she told the story of New York City in the 1970s. It was in “deep trouble,” and on the verge of bankruptcy when the city approached the federal government for support. “There’s this really famous headline that the New York Post ran, which was ..read more

The Rideau Centre in the heart of downtown Ottawa has bounced back smartly in the post-pandemic economy. “A lot of changes and improvements have been made by the retailers,” says Brian O’Hoski, General Manager at CF Rideau Centre. “They’ve really shored up their omnichannel. They’ve made a seamless transition between online and in-store shopping. They’ve been able to transition inventory quickly.” The 40-year old mall, with about 180 stores and 1.8 million square feet of space, including flagship stores Harry Rosen, Simons, Indigo and Uniqlo, is the fourth busiest mall in Canada, and second bu ..read more

FCM’s new Collaboration Centre blazes a trail forward in workplace design with a focus on core values and team centric touches. BY JENNIFER CROSS FCM IS THE national voice for more than 2000 municipalities from Canada’s cities and rural communities. So, when it came time to reimagine what role the office plays to their organization, it was critical to them that the space reflect both the team, and the work they do for Canadians. After rigorously interviewing their team, they emerged with a new vision for their future of work, shifting to remote and hybrid, and accordingly a new mission for the ..read more

OTTAWA ASPIRES TO be one of the best mid-sized cities in North America. We are home to a growing population, a thriving economy and have the privilege of being the national capital of a G7 country. We’re home to professional sports teams. We have a thriving high-tech sector, beautiful parks, museums and an incredible bounty of natural spaces that improve our quality of life. We are a city of more than a million residents with diverse interests, backgrounds, and cultures. We’re lucky we have the federal government as a stable employer; we’re also lucky that the federal government provides inter ..read more

BY STEVE WINKELMAN FROM DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION to affordable housing, from tapping Ottawa’s tech prowess to building a 21st century workforce, actions to address climate change will help the city move farther, faster on all of its pressing challenges. Look no farther than the latest tornado, ice storm, derecho, heatwave, power outage, or wildfire smoke alert for proof that climate change is an urgent issue for our city. Our future prosperity depends on making the right moves, and making them soon. But Ottawa can also become living proof that action on climate change is about opportunity and g ..read more

IN TODAY’S RAPIDLY evolving world, the demand for energy-efficient solutions has never been higher. With climate change concerns, rising energy costs, and the need for sustainable practices, businesses and governments are actively seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint and optimize energy consumption. District energy systems are no exception. With the ever-increasing push for decarbonization to meet government mandates, district energy and campus heating and cooling networks are in a unique position to offer a wide range of benefits to businesses, residents, and the environment. However ..read more

AS OTTAWA AND cities across Canada wrestle with the twin crises of affordability and climate, local non-profit, EnviroCentre, is forging a locally grown solution to tackle both, together. As part of their work to support residents and communities to reduce carbon emissions and transition to the clean energy economy, they are establishing a social housing retrofit accelerator, the Future Homes Accelerator. This project will bring the benefits of climate action and energy transition where they are needed most: lower-income residents and social housing providers who own and maintain affordable ho ..read more

Complex renovations of existing buildings to address commercial vacancies AS SEEN ACROSS major Canadian cities, there has been a rise in commercial building vacancy here in Ottawa, especially in federal office buildings. According to CBRE’s Canadian office figures, Downtown Ottawa has reached its highest commercial vacancy rate ever at 15.1 per cent. Attention to underused office space has grown alongside concerns around housing supply and affordability, as well as a renewed focus on cleaner, more efficient buildings. Canada’s Greening Government Strategy seeks to transition to net-zero carbon ..read more