Fast In The 6: In Uncertain Times, Stronger Together

Author: Dany H. Assaf, Co-Chair Competition and Foreign Investment Group Torys LLP, Co-Founder, 'Fast in the 6'.

It was over a family dinner in in 2016 watching divisive rhetoric grow and sharpen over social media and during election cycles, that my wife Lisa and I thought we had to do something – anything – to resist what we saw as the false logic of many political leaders.  

Worldwide, we had observed the rise of “populist” movements and wondered how much they could take hold. Populism on any end of the political spectrum can be dangerous. The simplicity of the message is good at capturing raw emotions, but ultimately just reflections of false prophethood that don’t offer real solutions to real problems. It also leads to political sectarianism that excludes rather than unites when we all know we are always stronger together, especially in these uncertain times. Like many, Lisa and I stood wondering what this century will bring for our children. And how we might resist.     

How about having everyone over for dinner? 

By everyone, we meant all of Toronto. A public dinner with neighbours of every creed, color, and faith. A reminder of the strength and power of unity that comes from enjoying our differences. Of course, our backyard wasn’t big enough to host the whole city, so we asked Mayor John Tory at the time if we could host it on the enormous Nathan Phillips Square, at Toronto’s City Hall. Mayor Tory quickly and enthusiastically jumped on board. This free dinner, open to the public and staged at city hall, would be our form of resistance.

But we also needed something to share and celebrate. We decided to share an experience special to Muslims. Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, was coming up and it seemed like the perfect occasion. 

The act of fasting is common to many faiths and cultures, so we felt the sharing of a meal and inviting others to celebrate a breaking of the fast would be a way to enjoy our differences within a familiar tradition. It was designed to be a “multi-faith” celebration, in the spirit of the Santa Claus parades put on each Christmas in cities across North America. 

Lisa and I came up with the name Fast in the 6 because of local Toronto superstar Drake, who uses the “6” handle for Toronto  (derived from the area code 416) in his chart-topping songs. We shared the name Fast in the 6 with others and they loved it.

Lisa and I believed this would be an event about making people feel a certain way, and that it could only be pulled off by people who themselves felt that way.  So those involved were a reflection of the message. For the event’s motto we chose the words Diversity. Unity. Prosperity. It expressed what we were feeling and captured a forward-looking narrative. 

Lisa and I are both lawyers and had no event planning experience so we were starting from scratch. It was lucky we didn’t know what we were getting into. If we had realized how much work it would take, we may not have done it. But we are blessed with a wonderful network of friends from every background, race, and religion, and they helped us to make it happen. 

We decided that the best way to get people to attend would be to hold a free, public event that would include a meal, entertainment, and a fireworks display. 

At the time, a friend and actor and now Canada’s Consul General in Los Angeles, Zaib Shaikh, was the city’s film commissioner and director of entertainment industries. In his role of Imam Amaar in the hit series Little Mosque on the Prairie, he had played a major part in bringing audiences world-wide a connection to their Muslim neighbours. He understood the potential of this event and he, and his accomplished  wife Kirstine Stewart, helped get us started. 

Once we finally had all the necessary approvals. Now we needed money. The network of community leaders I’d met in my years on Bay Street was helpful. I sat down with a long list of friends to tell them what we were planning. Each of these people immediately understood and supported the values represented by Fast in the 6 and signed on to help. The final list of corporate supporters for that first event included TD Bank, Maple Lodge Farms, Oxford Properties, Sobeys, RBC, Air Canada, and my firm, Torys LLP. It was Maple Lodge Farms and Sobeys that generously supplied the food to the thousands who came to that first event to share in the breaking of the fast. At sunset we broke the fast together with thousands of Torontonians of every background, and a children’s choir sang O Canada accompanied by a Toronto Symphony Orchestra ensemble.

For entertainment, we lined up a varied slate that included the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, star comedian Mo Amer, chart-topping female Muslim musical artist Yuna, and the then up and coming Mustafa the Poet. We wanted the entertainment to be as diverse as the audience. 

We ended the night with a massive fireworks display set off from the roof of City Hall. It went high into the night sky, set to beautiful music, and could be seen from far away. Lisa and I had spent hours listening to pieces of orchestral music to try and find the right movements to capture the feelings we wanted people to leave with at the end of the night. 

What a night it was, so beautiful and so warm and embracing of all who came and enjoyed. 

In the days that followed we heard from people who had attended. Tourists from around the world remarked that they hadn’t experienced a similar event on such a scale, people of different backgrounds enjoying an evening like that together with nothing more being asked of them. 

In the years since, people continue to come to Fast in the 6 and now we even hold a small version in Los Angeles at Canada House hosted by Zaib Shaikh, which reminds us we were are not the only ones who want to resist division and because we are always stronger together. We realized the real joy in what we were doing was not leading anything but rather tapping into something. We were grateful to have given it a platform.  

Humanity has collectively written, experienced, and sacrificed too much to go back to where we started, local tribes, brawn over brains, fear over hope. The times demand we both embrace our tribal instinct for survival but also recognize that humanity is now our tribe. It is the best means of survival in this uncertain modern age.

For more information on Fast in the 6, please visit the website at  http://www.fastinthe6.com/ and @fastinthe6 on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Dany Assaf is the author of two books, 'Say Please and Thank You & Stand in Line: One Man's Story of What Makes Canada Special and How to Keep it That Way' and 'Everybody's Business: How to Ensure Canadian Prosperity through the Twenty-First Century'.

The Time to Deliver the Goods on Sustainable Shipping is Now

Author:  Paul Tessy, Senior Vice President, Purolator International

 
The rising call from consumers and business partners is increasingly clear: it is not only the right thing to do, but it is in fact the responsibility of companies to prioritize sustainable business practices. 
 
When it comes to the shipping industry this responsibility takes on heightened importance. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, if the shipping industry were a country, it would be considered the sixth largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. 

For businesses conducting cross-border commerce, finding partners that can provide both smart and sustainable solutions to meet supply chain demands is now an imperative. In a survey of over 500 consumers and shippers across Canada and the U.S. commissioned by Purolator, results showed that three-quarters of Canadians and nearly as many Americans say it’s important to them to purchase products and services from a sustainable business that has minimal negative impact on the global or local environment. 
 
Furthermore, more than 60 percent feel it’s important to support a company that uses recycled products or that is actively pursuing energy reduction and renewable energy solutions within its operations. And while the pandemic may have spurred e-commerce and the subsequent need for flexible and faster delivery options, 55 percent of customers said they would support sustainability over speed when asked to choose one or the other. 
 
That last point, sustainability over speed, is very telling about where we are collectively headed. Lack of shipment consolidation, wasteful packaging, unused truck space, inefficient delivery routes – there’s simply no room for such practices inside a sustainably responsible business. 
 
A case study of sustainability  
Sustainable practices require an awareness of your environmental, social and economic impact along the continuum of your supply chain – and that includes selecting partners who share your core values. 
 
IKEA Canada is an example of one major distributor that is putting this in focus. It has an ambition to be 100% circular and climate positive in their own operations by 2030, a key component of which is providing 100 percent zero-emission home delivery by 2025.
 
To that end, they are working hard to align with suppliers that can provide zero emission deliveries in support of its corporate social responsibility program “IWAY.” This is based on internationally recognized standards and sets clear expectations for IKEA’s suppliers and partners that provide responsibly sourced products, services, materials and components. 

Each year, the company reassesses and sets new targets to help move the needle forward to meet their 2025 target. To do this, IKEA consistently communicates its sustainability targets when liaising with existing or new service providers – and, in turn, providers must demonstrate that they have an achievable plan to move towards zero emissions. Not only have vendors embraced this challenge to meet IKEA’s standards, they have also been motivated to accelerate their own sustainability plans. Already, IKEA has launched their first zero-emissions home deliveries in Canada, which includes using Purolator’s electric cargo bikes.

Sidebar

 How Customer Expectations are Shaping Sustainable Shipping Practices 
 
Sustainability is influencing customer shipping preferences now more than ever as people prefer to support businesses that align with their values. Leading companies must respond to this evolving demand with concrete action plans to improve supply chain logistics – and that includes using courier services that offer both environmental and operational efficiencies. 
 
Purolator polled over 500 consumers and shippers across Canada and the U.S. to uncover key insights into how customer expectations are shaping sustainable shipping practices.  Some of the key highlights include: 

Purolator’s commitment to people and planet 
Like IKEA, Purolator has a deep commitment to our planet, as well as our people. We proudly support Vision 2045 – an initiativethat brings together businesses from around the world to make substantial progress on the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2045, the U.N’s 100-year anniversary. 
 
As Canada’s leading integrated freight, package and logistics provider, we are leading the shipping industry forward toward a greener path. We have set a long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, with near-term goals by 2030 that include slashing electricity emissions by 100 percent and electrifying 60 percent of our last-mile fleet. 

In fact, we recently announced our plans to invest $1 billion to electrify more than 60 terminals across the country and purchase over 3,500 electric vehicles to service Canadians with zero-emissions last-mile deliveries – the single largest investment, environmental or otherwise, in our 63-year history. 
 
By moving away from fossil fuels in 60 percent of our last-mile delivery fleet, we project to reduce emissions by 80,000 tonnes of CO2e each year. This year alone, we are investing more than $100 million in environmental sustainability initiatives that will bring us closer to achieving our 2030 goals.
 
The electric cargo bikes helping to fulfil IKEA’S needs are part of that electric fleet, which began rolling out in 2005 when we introduced more than 500 hybrid-electric vehicles onto our delivery routes to curb emissions. In 2021, we became the first Canadian courier to roll out all-electric delivery vehicles. Last year, we launched Urban Quick Stop mini hubs through which e-bikes serve sections of major urban centres, replacing trucks. 
 
Our ambition is to bring sustainability to the forefront of everything we do – and in so doing, inspire others to likewise lay claim to this important responsibility. It takes ambition and resolve, particularly when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of a nationwide transportation company. Yet it can be done, and must be done, and Purolator is well on its way to getting there. 

Ultimately, achieving sustainability goals requires partnerships with industry leaders in various disciplines from engineering to logistics to manufacturing to project management. The best form of innovation requires collaboration, and learning from one another in overcoming obstacles, solving challenges, and maintaining momentum. 
 
Building a reputation of sustainability
Ultimately, any brand’s reputation is at stake when it comes to sustainability. Companies are expected to demonstrate ESG principles. Not doing so injures reputation – and the bottom line. By the same token, it’s essential to choose delivery partners that take actionable steps toward decarbonization and other eco-pursuits.
 
Sustainability goals must be rooted in science, tied to global best practices, and not be arbitrarily set. In this industry, they are best focused on the segments of a company’s emissions where the biggest impact can be achieved. From here, it is about constructing a plan that includes the precise tactics that will be used to deliver the goods (so to speak). 
 
Amidst a landscape demanding greener supply chains, this sustainability plan must begin at the top, touch team members at all levels, and be communicated to vendors and suppliers – who must be held to the same standards. 
 
In this industry, strong delivery partners must not only have a diverse product portfolio to meet B2B and B2C needs, an expert solutions management team to design your optimal network, and a deep coverage model that can handle wide geographies. They must possess a sustainability mindset, and be acting on it. This is a modern differentiator, and the more ambitious a company is, the greater the trust. 

For more information, please visit purolator.com and our online sustainability information center. 

Paul Tessy, Senior Vice President, Purolator International

The Latino GDP Project

Author: Matthew Fienup PhD, Executive Director, Center for Economic Research & Forecasting, California Lutheran University, Westlake Village, CA. 

Latino Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The Latino GDP Project seeks to provide a factual view of the large and rapidly growing economic contribution of Latinos living in the United States. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a broad measure of economic activity, representing the value of all finished goods and services produced within a geographic area in a given year. GDP growth is a nearly universal summary statistic for the performance of an economy.

We estimate the U.S. Latino GDP by first making Latino-specific calculations of major GDP components decomposed across more than 70 expenditure categories. This is a detailed, bottom-up construction of the total economic impact of Latinos, one that leverages publicly available data from major U.S. agencies, including the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Bureau of Census, and Bureau of Labor Statistics. At the time of writing, the most recent year for which the core data was available is 2020.Thus, this research provides a snapshot of the total economic contribution of U.S. Latinos in that year.

As a summary statistic for the economic performance of Latinos, the 2020 U.S. Latino GDP[1] is extraordinary. The total economic output (or GDP) of Latinos in the United States was $2.8 trillion in 2020, up from $2.1 trillion in 2015, and $1.7 trillion in 2010. If Latinos living in the United States were an independent country, the U.S. Latino GDP would be the fifth largest GDP in the world, larger even than the GDPs of the United Kingdom, India or France.

While impressive for its size, the U.S. Latino GDP is most noteworthy for its rapid growth. From 2010 to 2020, the U.S. Latino GDP was the third fastest growing among the 10 largest GDPs, while the broader U.S. economy ranked fifth. Over that entire period, the growth of U.S. Latino GDP was 2.6 times that of Non-Latino GDP. 

According to the dominant narrative, Latinos as a demographic cohort should have been knocked down by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Examining the impacts of COVID-19 on Latinos through the lens of the Latino GDP reveals a very different story. In 2020, in the face of the pandemic, the strength of the U.S. Latinos was sufficient for the U.S. Latino GDP to jump three spots, beginning the pandemic as the eighth largest GDP and finishing 2020 as the fifth largest. 

The performance of Latinos during the pandemic is exemplified by income data. From 2010 to 2020, Latinos enjoyed significantly higher wage and salary income growth than Non-Latinos. During those years, Latino real income grew an average of 4.3 percent per year compared to only 2.1 percent for Non-Latinos. 2020 was exceptional. Despite the extraordinary challenges presented by the pandemic, Latino real wage and salary income surged 6.7 percent. Meanwhile, Non-Latino income shrank by 1.1 percent. 

Latino incomes surged due to Latinos’ tremendous work ethic during the pandemic. In 2019, prior to the onset of COVID-19, Latino labor force participation (LFP) was a record 6.1 percentage points higher than Non-Latino. By April 2020, with the onset of government-mandated shutdowns, both Latino and Non-Latino LFP saw sharp declines. Yet, it was evident from the earliest months of the pandemic that Latinos would press through each subsequent wave of disease transmission and the re-imposition of lockdowns. In each case, they returned to work with urgency. In 2020, the Latino labor force participation rate premium hit a new all-time high, when U.S. Latinos were 6.5 percentage points more likely than their Non-Latino counterparts to be actively working or seeking work. 

As a result of the hard work and persistence of Latinos, Latino economic performance during the pandemic year of 2020 was strong by any comparison. In 2020, Latino real GDP did contract, however the contraction was small. Real U.S. Latino GDP contracted by 0.8 percent compared to a 4.4 contraction for Non-Latino GDP. India’s GDP contracted by 7.1 percent. France’s contracted by 8.2 percent, and the United Kingdom’s contracted by an astonishing 9.8 percent. Among the largest countries on the world stage, only China experienced stronger growth than the U.S. Latino GDP. 

None of this is to make light of the hardship that Latinos endured during the pandemic. Because of a historic lack of investment in health infrastructure for Latino communities, because of their strong work ethic and unique family structure, Latinos were among the groups hardest-hit by COVID-19. This occurred despite Latinos’ superior health outcomes which prevailed in the decade prior to the pandemic. Coming out of nowhere, COVID-19 very suddenly became the number one cause of death for Latinos as opposed to only the number 3 cause of death nationally. Yet, we find that the economic data published in this report honor the sacrifices made by Latinos and illustrate just how remarkable Latino strength and resilience really is. It also highlights just how much the broader U.S. economy benefited from that strength during the pandemic. Latinos were a critical source of resilience, not just for their own families and communities, but for the U.S. economy as a whole.
 
Economic Drivers of the Latino GDP
Year in and year out, pandemic or not, the economic output of Latinos in the United States grows more rapidly than the Nation’s economy as a whole. The growth premium that Latinos enjoy has proved enduring, and there are a number of factors driving this impressive performance.
 
Educational attainment
One of the most important drivers of rapid Latino income growth has been the significant accumulation of human capital by Latinos. One representation of this is the extraordinary growth of Latino Educational Attainment. 

From 2010 to 2020, the number of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher education grew 2.8 times more rapidly for Latinos than Non-Latinos. The number of educated Latinos rose by 96 percent during this time, while the number of educated Non-Latinos rose by only 34 percent. 

Population & Labor Force Growth
As we have documented in each of the past Latino GDP reports, Latinos continue to make strong and consistent contributions to the nation’s population and labor force. Perhaps more than any others, these two demographic trends amplify the economic impact of Latinos and reinforce the importance of Latino GDP growth to the continued growth of the U.S. economy and the prosperity that it produces. 

From 2010 to 2020, the Latino population grew 21.9 percent, compared to only 4.3 percent for Non-Latinos. That is, Latino population growth was more than 5 times stronger. Despite being only 18.7 percent of the U.S. population, Latinos are responsible for more than half of U.S. population growth between 2010 and 2020.

Latino additions to the U.S. labor force are even more impressive. Latinos contributed an average of more than 600 thousand workers per year to the U.S. labor force over the entire period from 2010 to 2020. Non-Latinos contributed an average of only 225 thousand. Despite being only 18.7 percent of the U.S. population, Latinos are responsible for 73 percent of the growth of the U.S. labor force since 2010.

One factor which drives Latinos’ strong contribution to the U.S. labor force is that Latinos have a younger age distribution. In 2020, the Median Age for Latinos was 30.2 years. For non-Latinos, it was 40.8 years. Due to their relative youthfulness, Latinos are adding substantial numbers of people to the critical category of working age adults, defined as ages 16 to 64. Meanwhile, Non-Latinos are experiencing a high concentration of population in the 55 and older age range, representing large numbers of retirees and near-retirees. According to the Census Bureau by 2060, Latinos are projected to add over 30 million people to the working age population.

In the United States, Latinos coming of age and entering the labor force are overwhelmingly second- and third-generation Americans. These children and grandchildren of immigrants are combining the extraordinary and selfless work ethic of their elders with rapid educational attainment to propel not just Latino GDP but overall GDP growth in the nation.

Latino contributions to the working age population are even more important now that the country is experiencing the tremendous shortage of workers known widely as the Great Resignation. The dangerous shortage of workers that we predicted in previous reports seems to have arrived early and with greater intensity, as the pandemic drove early retirement among some workers and also pushed many non-retirement age adults to the sidelines of productive economic activity. 

In addition to adding large numbers to the population of working age adults, working age Latinos are also significantly more likely to be actively working or seeking work than their non-Latino counterparts. In 2010, Latinos were 4.5 percentage points more likely to be working than Non-Latinos. This Labor Force Participation premium grew every year from 2010 to 2020. In 2020, Latinos were 6.5 percentage points more likely to be actively working, an all-time high for the Latino labor force participation premium. 

On top of these dynamics, there are a number of demographic trends which represent a force multiplier for the impressive growth of Latinos’ economic impact.

Household Formation & Home Ownership 
One example of a strong Latino demographic trend can be found in household formation. The number of Latino households grew 29.2 percent from 2010 to 2020, while Non-Latino households grew only 5.8 percent. That is, Latino household growth was five times faster. Despite being only 18.7 percent of the U.S. population, Latinos are responsible for 40 percent of the increase in U.S. households since 2010. With an average household size that is 42 percent larger (3.57 people per household for Latinos, compared to 2.50 for Non-Latinos), each new Latino household provides an outsized economic impact. 

High rates of Latino household formation are no accident, stemming from both a younger age distribution and from the importance of the family in Latino society. A healthy rate of household formation is vital to economic growth, as new households increase current and future economic activity. Strong Latino household formation is a gift to the U.S. economy that keeps on giving. 

Trends in income growth and household formation, not surprisingly, carry through to home ownership. The growth of Latino home ownership has significantly outpaced that of Non-Latinos in every year since 2010. With an accelerating recovery from the Financial Crisis and Great Recession, the growth of Latino home ownership accelerated rapidly beginning in 2014 and has remained high in each year since. By comparison, Non-Latinos saw declining rates of homeownership through 2015. Although Non-Latino homeownership began to grow in 2015, growth remained below two percent in every year from 2015 to 2019 and then increased in 2020 but to a rate less than half that of Latinos.

The growth of Latino home ownership is one signal that Latino gains in human capital are increasing wealth as well as income. According to the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances, from 2016 to 2019, the median wealth of Latinos increased by 60 percent. During that same time, median wealth of Non-Hispanic Whites increased just 4 percent[2].

On top of the tremendous growth of Latino GDP between 2010 and 2020 and U.S. Latinos’ extraordinary economic contributions during the pandemic, these broad demographic trends indicate that Latinos will continue to be an engine of growth and a source of resilience for the U.S. economy for decades to come.

Matthew Fienup is Executive Director of the Center for Economic Research & Forecasting at California Lutheran University and Associate Professor of Economics. He earned his PhD from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara. Matthew is an applied economist who specializes in econometrics, economic policy analysis, land use, and environmental markets. Matthew is also the Project Director for the Latino GDP Project. 

The Center for Economic Research & Forecasting (CERF)  is a nationally recognized economic forecasting house and a member of both the Wall Street Journal Economic Forecast Survey and the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) Economic Outlook Survey. In 2016, NABE awarded CERF second place in its annual Outlook Award competition. CERF’s quarterly U.S. GDP forecast was the second most accurate among more than 80 professional forecasts included in the survey. CERF economists Matthew Fienup and Dan Hamiton were also recipients of 2019, 2020 and 2021 Crystal Ball Awards for the Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey (formerly the Case-Shiller Home Price Expectations Survey). CERF's U.S. home price forecast received multiple-top-3 ranking among more than 100 forecasts. CERF works in partnership with researchers at UCLA on the Latino GDP Project, an ambitious multi-disciplinary research initiative which seeks to document the large and rapidly growing economic contribution of Latinos living in the United States. 

The Latino GDP research has been presented live to more than 12,500 people in ten different states and the District of Columbia, including to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress and to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. The research has been covered in more than 120 separate features across print, digital, and broadcast media, including the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, MarketWatch, Forbes, Axios, NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC, the Hill, yahoo!finance, and Telemundo.  
 

[1] 2020 LDC U.S. Latino GDP Report: http://blogs.callutheran.edu/cerf/files/2023/04/2022_USLatinoGDP_CERF.pdf
 

[2] Hernandez Kent, A. and L. Ricketts. 2020 “Has Wealth Inequality in America Changed Over Time?” Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, Open Vault Blog. December 2020.

A New Revolution on Long Island

Author: John Costanzo, MAPLE New York Executive Director 

Long Island is often mischaracterized as solely a bedroom community of the NYC business sector. While it’s true that Long Island was the birthplace of the first housing development in the U.S. for returning World War II vets (Levittown), it has a much more storied history. 
 
Its towns and villages date back to pre-colonial times and while named for their English counterparts of Southampton, Southold, and Norwich by its early settlers, it also played a key role in the Revolutionary War effort to separate from England. Long Island supported General George Washington, Patrick Henry and other Revolutionary War leaders who, with the help and support of the local mainly farming community, used the Island’s excellent access to the sea and roadways to move war materials and men between the northeast and New England. 
 
It’s also where virtually all the fighter jets deployed by the US in World War II were built by Republic, Fairchild, and Grumman, who also built the first Apollo Lunar Module on Long Island that landed the first men on the moon. So, the Island was at the forefront of development in the U.S. aviation and aerospace industries. While it helped shape the future of our country in these ways, there’s another revolution occurring here that will shape the future of our nation and the world… that is, the development of Sustainable Energy. 
 
I had the honor recently as the Executive Director of the MAPLE Business Council's NY chapter, to host some of our members and guests on a visit to the Advanced Energy & Technology Research Center at Stony Brook University (AERTC), and the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), one of the nine US Department of Energy research labs. We learned about these amazing institutions’ efforts to develop new battery technology and wind power right off the coast of Long Island.  Among many other renewable energy and scientific research to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels and current battery technology, research is also hard at work to understand the very structure of atoms. 
 
AERTC
The Advanced Energy Center (AEC), located in the Research & Development Park at Stony Brook University, is a partnership of academic and research institutions, energy providers, industry, and government. The mission of the AEC is to increase the efficiency of current energy systems, while promoting the adoption of alternative and renewable sources to reduce New York’s carbon footprint. 
 
The AEC conducts cutting edge research and development of new technologies to generate, transmit and distribute, store, and manage energy; including but not limited to alternative and renewable sources, by accelerating deployment of these new technologies, and providing education and training to disseminate the skills necessary to implement, maintain and capitalize on their enhanced functionalities.
 
As New York State’s designated Center of Excellence in Energy, the AEC facilitates cross collaboration of researchers, industry, and energy subject-matter experts throughout the state. This collaboration culminates in the annual Advanced Energy Conference attracting 2000+ attendees with 500+ public and private companies participating, and 40 colleges and universities engaged. 
 

BNL

Originally serving as Camp Upton, a World War I army training camp where Irving Berlin wrote "God Bless America" while training there, Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), located in Upton, a hamlet in the town of Brookhaven, Long Island, is now the home to one of the nine U.S. Department of Energy Labs.

The Laboratory's 2500-plus staff members lead and support diverse research teams that address the DOE mission to ensure the nation's security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. Among Brookhaven Lab's current initiatives are nuclear science, particle physics, accelerator science and technology, quantitative plant science, and quantum information science. 

Visit to the Lab's Ion Collider
One of the highlights of our day was visiting the Lab's Ion Collider. Within a huge facility that Yankee Stadium can fit into is a two mile-long circular collider where  research scientists from around the globe crash lasers into atoms to peer into the structure of matter, and for a glimpse into the origins of the universe. The only one of its kind ever built...and right here in Long Island.

Battery Research
We were shown how BNL's scientists are now able to peer into the structure of batteries while they are discharging energy to better understand their function and dynamics. 

Partnering with Industry 

And we learned how both organizations are partnering with companies in the transportation and logistics sector and like UPS, BMW, and other industry sectors to develop and test new battery technology that will eventually replace Lithium Batteries and the Combustion Engine. 

New York Hydroelectric Power Project
And, finally, we heard from the COO of Hydro-Quebec's U.S. Subsidiary, Serge Abergel. Hydro-Quebec is a Quebec based energy company that operates some 60 hydroelectric generating stations, making it one of the largest hydroelectricity producers in the world. 
 
Close to 100% of the electricity they generate uses water, a generating option with very low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and no toxic waste. This clean energy is delivered to customers across Quebec and soon to Long Island and vicinity through their current joint project with NY State to bring hydroelectric power from Quebec to the downstate NY region. 

It was enlightening to learn that Long Island is again at the leading edge of a transformational initiative, this time in Renewable Energy research and development, and partnering with members of the Transportation & Logistics industry and other sectors in this endeavor.
 
Many thanks to Bob Catell, Chairman of the AERTC, and Dave Manning, Director of Stakeholder Relations and External Affairs at BNL, and their teams for hosting our members for a unique and amazing day of learning.

John Costanzo, Executive Director, MAPLE New York 

Unleashing Innovation and Collaboration: Ontario, Canada's Life Sciences Sector Leads the Way

Authors:  Aaron Pinto, Ontario’s Senior Economic Officer, New York & Chelsea Peet, Ontario’s Senior Economic Officer, San Francisco 
 
The life sciences industry has long been a major player in North America, with Ontario, Canada being at the forefront. With a rich history of medical breakthroughs, including insulin, stem cells, and remote robotic surgery, Ontario's life sciences sector is Canada’s largest, employing over 70,000 people and generating over $65.2 billion in revenues from 1,900 firms. Over the past two and a half years alone, global biomanufacturers have invested nearly $3 billion in the sector and in diverse regions across the province, from Windsor to Hamilton and Ottawa to Thunder Bay, which underlines Ontario’s appeal as a destination for life sciences.
 
Taking Life Sciences to the Next Level 
Recognizing the significance of health as an economic driver, Ontario launched its strategy, Taking Life Sciences to the Next Level last year. This strategy aims to build on the sector’s momentum to further collaboration, innovation, and growth by securing new investments in next-generation health technologies, medicines, and biomanufacturing.
 
Ontario's life sciences sector is unique in its connection to the fourth industrial revolution, which is focused on creating cross-sector links particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) as a means of transforming healthcare in unimaginable ways. Ontario is positioned right at the nexus of the industry, producing life-changing technologies to diagnose, treat, and even prevent disease – leading the shift to patient-centered healthcare. 
 
Homegrown Biotechs and Industry Giants
Ontario has cultivated many homegrown biotech companies and has become a prime destination for global life sciences giants. Plenty of Ontario’s biotech and life sciences companies are driving innovation and changing lives with cutting-edge technologies: Cyclica, a world-class team focused on AI-driven drug discovery; PointClickCare, a cloud-based healthcare software provider; and BlueDot, an outbreak intelligence platform, which was among the first in the world to discover the spread of the COVID-19 virus. OmniaBio Inc. is also driving global leadership in cell and gene therapy as it builds out a new biomanufacturing facility in Hamilton’s McMaster Innovation Park.
 
The Province has also attracted some of the biggest names in the industry, including Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Medtronic, and Stryker. And it's no wonder why – Ontario offers a highly skilled talent pool, a leading North American tech cluster, some of the most generous R&D tax credits, a politically stable economy, cutting-edge R&D facilities, and the largest publicly funded healthcare system in Canada. Plus, the government has reduced the cost of doing business in the province by $8 billion annually, making it an even more attractive location for companies looking to grow. 

Ontario is also a hub for clinical trials, with the world's top ten pharma companies by revenue conducting research across the province. 
 
These key value propositions are leading to significant investment and engagement in Ontario’s life sciences sector, including from heavy hitters in the industry:
 
·      Roche, the world's largest biotech company, continues to build on its success in the province. The company has created a new Ontario-based Center of Excellence for AI in partnership with Toronto’s Vector Institute, and invested in a global pharma technical operations site at its Mississauga headquarters.
 
·      To meet the challenge of the pandemic, in May 2021, Resilience Biotechnologies, the Canadian subsidiary of National Resilience, a San Diego and Boston-based company, upped its manufacturing and fill-finish capacity for several vaccines and therapeutics in Ontario.
 
·      In June 2022, Sanofi also opened an AI Centre of Excellence in Toronto, developing and scaling advanced AI products implemented globally, while AstraZeneca announced plans in February 2023 to expand its rare disease research operations and create 500 skilled scientific and research jobs in Mississauga.
 
Research Excellence and Talent 
 Home to some of the world's most groundbreaking discoveries in life sciences, Ontario universities are globally recognized for their research excellence. For instance, the University of Toronto is ranked among the top 10 universities in the world for clinical, preclinical and health programs. In addition, the province has two national research hubs focused on understanding and managing infectious diseases and health threats, anchored in the University of Ottawa and McMaster University.

Ontario also boasts a diverse, multilingual talent pool to support the growth of the life sciences sector. The Province is a top producer of STEM graduates, with 48 higher education institutions offering courses such as biotechnology, genomics, bioinformatics, and biomedical engineering. The number of Ontario STEM graduates, which is already more than 65,100 a year, is forecasted to keep growing well into the future, making Ontario ripe for life sciences investment and exploration. Moreover, Canada’s job permit processing is among the fastest in the world, with permits for highly skilled global talent available in as little as ten business days. 
 
Life Sciences Assets 
Ontario’s open environment for innovation and collaboration extends to leading organizations like the University Health Network, the largest research hospital network in Canada, which includes the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre – a leader in stem cell research and one of the largest treatment centers in the country. There are many other remarkable life sciences assets in Ontario, such as Medical Innovation Exchange, Canada’s first industry-led hub dedicated to helping medtech startups scale; Synapse Consortium; Ontario Institute for Cancer Research; Ontario Genomics Institute; Ontario Brain Institute; Waterloo Eye Institute; BioCanRx; Stem Cell Network; Ottawa Heart Institute; and the Structural Genomics Consortium. Together, they have helped create dozens of startups and accelerate the development of new research, treatments, and technologies. 

To further support the province’s life sciences sector, the Government of Ontario is investing in a new innovative hub in Kitchener and Waterloo. The University of Waterloo’s Innovation Arena will be a $35 million facility that promotes the development and commercialization of new health technology. It will be the future home of a health-tech incubator, a small business centre, and a shared wet lab to support local startups.

It doesn’t stop there. Ontario is actively working to support entrepreneurs and innovators in the life sciences sector. With a network of incubators and accelerators, including MaRS, North America's largest urban innovation lab, and more than a dozen research partnership programs and grants, such as Mitacs, FedDev, and the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), there is no shortage of support for those looking to bring their ideas and prototypes from the lab to the marketplace. 

The MaRS-adMare Therapeutics Accelerator, led by MaRS and adMare BioInnovations, seeks to unlock scarce wet lab space and bring together early-stage biotech ventures to commercialize and scale, while Ontario’s 17 Regional Innovation Centres are helping to connect companies with award-winning researchers to conduct pre-market clinical testing of advanced health technologies. 

Investment Opportunities and Funding Programs 
The strides Ontario is making in life sciences are paying off. The Province achieved record-breaking results in attracting new investment in 2021, with more than half of all venture capital (VC) investments in Canada going to Ontario with approximately $8.4 billion, including approximately $846.8 million in life sciences. 
 
To further support businesses, the Ontario government launched a $15 million Life Sciences Innovation Fund, delivered by OCI, to support life sciences entrepreneurs and innovators to scale their made‐in‐Ontario health solutions. Additional funding programs include OCI’s Ready 4 Market fund, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF), Graphite Ventures, and VC funding through Venture Ontario. The Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization also hosts an annual Investment Summit to showcase some of Ontario’s early-stage life sciences industry to the global investment community, and Invest Ontario, the province’s investment agency, is equipped with financial and non-financial incentives to attract investment opportunities from global biomanufacturers. 
 
Ontario’s Global Business Network 
As heads of Ontario's Trade and Investment Offices in New York and San Francisco, we lead teams on both U.S. coasts focused on promoting trade, investment, and R&D commercialization linkages between Ontario and the U.S. Central to our role is facilitating direct connections with potential buyers, distributors, OEMs, and R&D partners. We also open the door to investment opportunities in Ontario. 
 
Together, we work to showcase innovative technologies of Ontario companies. Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, the Honourable Vic Fedeli recently led 29 companies to represent the province at two of the world's largest technology and innovation conferences, including the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference and Biotech Showcase. The Province is also excited to bring some of its most innovative life sciences companies to the BIO Convention in Boston and Collision in Toronto in June 2023. 
 
If you are interested in learning more about Ontario and its thriving life sciences sector, please reach out to Charley Ford and Marisa Goepel, our Senior Commercial Officers in New York and San Francisco respectively. They would love to connect with you and provide more information about the opportunities available in this dynamic industry. 

Aaron J. Pinto Consul & Senior Economic Officer, Ontario International – New York Trade & Investment Office | Government of Ontario, Canada; Chelsea Peet Consul & Senior Economic Officer, Ontario International – San Francisco Trade & Investment Office | Government of Ontario, Canada

Cybersecurity Smarts are an Integral Part of Project Arrow - The First All-Canadian Electric Vehicle

Author:  Bill Klages, Vice President, QA Consultants
 

It is no secret to this audience that Canada is a global leader in emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles and robots, artificial intelligence software, and Industry 4.0 or the digital revolution. So, you won’t be surprised to learn that Canada is now motoring towards producing an all-Canadian made electric automobile.  

The initiative called “Project Arrow” is organized and managed by Canada’s Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (“APMA”).  According to Flavio Volpe, APMA’s president, this effort is “the biggest industrial collaboration project in Canadian automotive history” … likening the program to “Canada’s moonshot”.  

This article focuses on the vehicle’s cybersecurity aspects and challenges and the work that QA Consultants and its Canadian cybersecurity partners have invested in building an operational framework including an analyses of threats and mitigation strategies in conjunction with Project Arrow.
 
What is Project Arrow?
It is not just any vehicle… it is Canada’s first zero emissions concept electric vehicle and it was formally unveiled earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics show (“CES”) in Las Vegas.  

Organized by APMA, the initiative produces a fully electric, Level 3 autonomous (handles all aspects of driving, with human override), fully operational vehicle incorporating over 25 all new technologies.  The program is a collaboration of 50 different Canadian suppliers, insurance companies and various government and research/innovation institutes.  

The vehicle is built to model year 2025 motor vehicle safety specifications.  Although it is a seemingly crowded market led by Tesla, Ford, and General Motors, Project Arrow’s vehicle is differentiated by being completely designed, sourced, and produced in Canada.  

QA Consultants is proud to play a role as emphasized by Peter Watkins, Chief Operating Officer of QA Consultants… “We are delighted to be involved in Project Arrow which showcased the incredible capabilities of the Canadian automobile parts industry.” For more detailed information on Project Arrow, please visit https://projectarrow.ca/

Joining the Project Arrow Team
MAPLE® Business Council member and North America’s premier software quality engineering firm, QA Consultants, was awarded the role of onboarding and integration of the cybersecurity solutions for the Project Arrow concept vehicle.   

Toronto-based QA Consultants has a legacy in automotive systems and software quality engineering innovation including several patented test automation accelerators and its vehicle cybersecurity thought leadership.  

Colin Dhillon, Chief Technical Officer at the APMA summarizes why QA Consultants was asked to participate… “We have chosen to work with QA Consultants for many reasons.  They are cybersecurity software testing experts and have demonstrated their leadership with important roles as chair of the APMA cybersecurity V2X Task Force as well as a cybersecurity committee member.”  QA Consultants also hosts the Software Test Bay at Ontario Tech University’s Automotive Centre of Excellence, one of North America’s most advanced climatic wind tunnels.
 
Cybersecurity Considerations in Today’s Connected Vehicle
As I dug into the Project Arrow cybersecurity initiative, I became fascinated by the digitally driven concept of Vehicle-to-Everything or “V2X”.

V2X generally represents all the possible digital connections between hundreds of system components in a vehicle, but more importantly, to external data, signals, other vehicles (V2V), roadside infrastructure (V2I), and  pedestrians (V2P).  In the end, it’s all about securing the connectivity in order to protect human lives, property, and data privacy.  

Types of vulnerabilities range from simple communications disruptions and interruption of needed software updates, to more severe attacks including hijacking vehicles by taking over systems and destroying or stealing data.  

Experts interviewed for this article, described a case they referred to as “vehicle as a caregiver”, which as a boomer, struck me as an amazing consideration and concern for cybersecurity vulnerabilities over the next few decades. Vehicle systems might include telematics capabilities to share or receive data from personal wearables devices that help protect an individual’s health needs or communicate a sudden health incident that prevents the person from operating the vehicle or prompting for emergency response.  

Wow! How is all this connectivity going to be secured? 

How do you achieve ‘360-degree protection’ of all this connectivity over the operating life of a vehicle?  

That’s why the work of the Project Arrow cybersecurity committee plays such an important role in building security frameworks and identifying mitigation strategies.  Strategies that include encryption protections between communications systems and the cloud, security screening or audits of all onboard third-party software, data anomaly protections and self-healing mechanisms, and the use of AI to monitor, detect and respond to cyber threats.  

And finally, the committee has incorporated global security standards including European and ISO standards to ensure that it’s frameworks and recommendations aspire to the most strict safety and security standards.
 
Summary of Project Arrow Cybersecurity Accomplishments
QA Consultants led the Project Arrow cybersecurity providers, setting the foundations for a comprehensive model or framework.  According to Dr. Ahasanun Nessa, Senior Applied Scientist, QA Consultants, “we have developed a vehicle architecture from the perspective of security, and we explain how a complete shield must be created to protect the vehicle and its ecosystem.”

Dr. Nessa summarizes the cybersecurity scientific and technological advancements of the Project Arrow cybersecurity committee as follows: 

• Developed a cybersecurity framework for integrating isolated security solutions. This framework presents how a full shield could be built to protect both the vehicle and its ecosystem. 

• The proposed framework has been approved by APMA and many of Canada's well-known security companies. 

• This approval confirms the framework can be implemented by any OEM building an autonomous vehicle to meet their security goal.

• This is the first attempt to coordinate vehicle security solutions offered by renowned Canadian security providers.

• A global market focus was also considered in the development of this framework. It has a greater chance of being accepted worldwide because it incorporated the requirements of WP29 regulations (worldwide regulatory forum).

• This framework can be used as a model for designing an automotive testing framework.

QA consultants is extremely proud of its participation in Project Arrow and supporting the APMA in this historic all-Canadian program!

For more information on QA Consultants’ (an Alten Group Company) services, please visit their website: https://qaconsultants.com/

Bill Klages, Vice President, QA Consultants

M&A into Canada: Five Areas of Interest for U.S. Buyers

Authors: Gesta Abols, Partner and Co-Leader Cross Border and International Practice, Neil Kravitz, Partner and Co-Leader Cross Border and International Practice, and Paul Blyschak, Counsel, FASKEN.

Private M&A in Canada, as well as Canadian business practice, are very similar to the U.S. with the result that U.S. investors into Canada can generally expect fewer surprises than U.S. investors into other foreign jurisdictions. For reasons such as this, Canada is consistently amongst the most popular destinations for U.S. outbound investment, being second behind only the U.K. in deal volume in each of 2020, 2021, and 2022. 

Given the regularity of U.S. investment into Canada, we highlight five  key areas of interest U.S. buyers should be aware of. 

1. Typical Deal Structure: The most  common structure involves the U.S. buyer forming a Canadian special purpose entity to acquire the Canadian target and which then “amalgamates” with the target post-closing, a process that is roughly the Canadian equivalent of a U.S. “merger”. This process ensures paid-up capital, which in turn facilitates cross-border distributions without withholding tax (by contrast, dividends generally result in withholding tax). Moreover, should the transaction involve acquisition financing, this structure allows for the tax deduction of the interest component of debt payments. Specifically, as Canada does not have consolidated reporting, the amalgamation is necessary to push down the debt to the target.

Where the U.S. buyer seeks to pay with shares, rather than entirely in cash, certain tax issues arise regarding the inability of shareholders to defer taxes through a “roll-over”. However, these can be resolved through the adoption of an “exchangeable share” structure where the Canadian acquisition subsidiary of the U.S. buyer establishes a share structure that mimics the shares of the U.S. parent. 

2. Key Deal Terms: What is “market” in Canada generally tracks what is “market” in the U.S. on many key deal terms, examples being the scope of representations and warranties given by the seller as well as the associated indemnities favouring the buyer.

Moreover, where there is divergence in market practice between Canada on the U.S. regarding key deal terms, it is often in a manner more favourable to the buyer. For example, survival periods applicable to a seller’s representations and warranties are often longer in Canada than in the United States.

Similarly, buyers of Canadian targets are often able to negotiate higher “caps” on indemnification than comparable “caps” in the United States. This tendency (i.e., higher caps on indemnification) is also more pronounced in smaller value M&A transactions and where the costs of obtaining representation and warranty insurance (RWI) may be prohibitive.

Should a U.S. buyer be interested in obtaining RWI, it is noteworthy that the RWI market in Canada has matured significantly over recent years, resulting in increased options and lower costs (relative to the RWI market’s earlier days in Canada). 

3. Regulatory Approvals: Competition Act approval is Canada’s equivalent of U.S. antitrust review and follows similar principles and processes. Where the size of the transaction or the size of the parties exceed certain thresholds, a pre-merger notification must be filed. Pre-closing waiting periods may also apply. All acquisitions of a Canadian target, whether notifiable or not, are subject to a possible competition review for up to a year after closing.

Unlike the U.S., Canadian competition law includes an “efficiencies defence” that allows an acquisition where anti-competitive effects are outweighed by anticipated market efficiencies.  Investment Canada Act approval is Canada’s foreign investment review and is therefore similar to CFIUS review in the United States. Foreign buyers must file a notice and the transaction may be subject to review.

That said, comprehensive reviews typically only occur in connection with investments by state-owned entities, investments capable of raising national security concerns, or investments into the Canadian cultural sector. 

4. Labour & Employment: An important point of difference between doing business in Canada as compared to the U.S. is that there is no “at will” employment in Canada. This means employees must be given “reasonable notice” of termination or payment in lieu of such notice.

The severance entitlements of employees in Canada also tend to be higher than in the U.S. Wrongful dismissal claims are also more common in Canada. That said, employment contracts can put certain limits on an employee’s severance entitlements. Prospective buyers should also be aware of the sometimes complex regulations applicable to pension plans used by many Canadian companies.

Finally, similar to in the U.S., Canada is seeing increasing government regulation of the ability of employers to enter into non-competition agreements with employees. That said, non-competes entered into in connection with the sale of a business are generally excluded from the new regulations as are those related to senior executives. 

5. “Hot Topics”: What sectors of the Canadian economy have been attracting recent attention? We briefly review two. First, the rationalization of Canada’s cannabis industry. Second,  the role of Canada’s mining industry in the transition to greener energy. 

Cannabis Market Rationalization.

In 2018, Canada became the first G20 country to nationally legalize recreational cannabis. A frenzy of fundraising, public listings, M&A and associated market activity ensued. In the years since, the Canadian cannabis industry has experienced significant rationalization.

The industry remains resilient, however, and on a growth trajectory overall. Retail sales in 2022 climbed to C$4.52 billion, an increase of 17.9% over 2021. The maturing Canadian cannabis market is also witnessing price trends, shifts and evolution in product categories, and the manifestation of demographic preferences.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Canadian cannabis companies are also becoming increasingly active in the U.S. market, including acquiring producers operating in jurisdictions where cannabis has been legalized at the state level.
 
Mining and the Green Energy Transition

Mining’s role in the green energy transition is front of mind in North American investment circles. On the one hand, the world is awakening to the fact that meaningful transition to cleaner energy will require massive production of technologies dependent on mineral resources. On the other hand, Canada benefits from significant mineral wealth.

Indeed, in 2019 the Canadian government released its Canadian Minerals and Metals Plan (the Plan), which aims to establish Canada as a leader in sustainable and responsible critical minerals development. The Plan acknowledges the link between critical minerals and the transition to greener energies. The Plan also recognizes that “Canada is a global mining powerhouse”, with Ontario, British Columbia and Québec highlighted as the most active mining provinces.

U.S. investors eyeing Canada will also be interested to know that in 2020 Canada and the U.S. signed a Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Collaboration, including regarding securing supply chains for strategic industries and defence. Towards this end the U.S. Department of Energy has identified Canada as a secure supplier for 12 of U.S.-designated critical minerals: cesium, rubidium, potash, tellurium, uranium, indium, vanadium, niobium, titanium, magnesium, tungsten and graphite. Canada’s deep mining industry and expertise is also likely to ensure Canadian mining companies continue to be significantly involved in foreign resource development feeding the green energy transition, including mining projects in the U.S. 

Few national economies in the world are as closely integrated and as similar in market practice, custom and applicable law as are the economies of the U.S. and Canada. This greatly facilitates U.S. inbound M&A into Canada, as well as vice-versa. So too does it facilitate cross-border trade, supply chain issues and market expansion, among others.

For more information on Fasken practices, please visit www.fasken.com. 

Authors: Gesta Abols, Partner and Co-Leader Cross Border and International Practice, Neil Kravitz, Partner and Co-Leader Cross Border and International Practice, and Paul Blyschak, Counsel, FASKEN.

Our Interview with Tom Clark - Canada's New Consul General in New York

A familiar face to millions of TV viewers across Canada, Tom Clark was one of the country’s most respected broadcast journalists. During his 45-year career, the Toronto-born Clark reported from more than 30 countries and eight active war zones. He served as CTV’s Bureau Chief in Washington, D.C. and in Beijing. Most recently, he served as chair of Global Public Affairs, one of Canada’s largest public affairs and strategic communications firms. Mr. Clark is a licensed pilot who has flown extensively in Canada’s north. He is married to Jane Clark and has three daughters.
 
Prime Minister Trudeau appointed you to this position. What made you say “Yes?”
 
Simple. It’s a privilege and tremendous honor to serve and represent Canada and to promote Canadian values abroad. I’m grateful to Prime Minister Trudeau for having provided me this opportunity.
 
You’ve been on the job for about a month now. How would you characterize the transition? 
 
It’s been a whirlwind, frankly. I wanted to be here as soon as possible after accepting the nomination. But I didn’t anticipate all the formalities and processes involved in assuming the role. We’re still unpacking a few boxes.
 
Your previous role as Chair of Global Public Affairs Canada saw you advising businesses on their government relations and communications strategies. What did you learn during your time there that you could apply to your role as Consul General?

Three things. First, the success of any large endeavor comes down to the relationships among the people carrying it out. Of course, we work on behalf of the Government of Canada, but we’ll only be successful to the extent that we can establish strong personal relationships built on trust and respect. These attributes allow everyone to move forward together toward a shared vision of success; it also allows us to have difficult conversations or work through challenges when our views or goals may diverge.
 
It’s also the ability to identify and engage stakeholders. We live in a complicated world and the solutions to the challenges we face aren’t straightforward. We need to ensure we hear from a diversity of people with different perspectives on any given issue to understand its impact – and that of possible solutions, so we can understand the best way forward for everyone involved. 
 
The final piece is the ability to effectively get your message across. I learned that early on in my career as a journalist as well. I’ve read that New Yorkers are remarkably direct and want you to come to the point as quickly as possible. I’m sure they’ll keep my skills sharp in this area.
 
You’ve interviewed some of the most influential politicians of the 20th century. Now you’re working in the public sector as well. What has surprised you the most thus far? 
 
The complexity of the work carried out at the Consulate. Our territory is incredibly dynamic, and our office handles a litany of complex files on trade, on immigration and border security. It’s still early days in my tenure here but already I’ve been impressed with the professionalism and efficiency of our team. 
 
I also enjoyed the opportunity to meet New York Mayor Eric Adams, especially so early in my tenure here, and I’m looking forward to meeting dozens more fantastic people from New York and throughout our territory in the coming weeks and months. 
 
What would you see as your primary areas of focus in your role?
 
At the highest level, obviously, it’s to represent the Government of Canada to the people in territory and advocate for Canada’s interests.

On a day-to-day level, one major focus area will be continuing to stress the benefits of economic integration between Canada and the U.S. That’s a constant in our relationship and especially pertinent in our territory. There’s a solid foundation that we’ve built over the years; Canada is New York’s biggest customer; New Jersey sells more to Canada than to the UK and China combined. Canadian companies employ tens of thousands of employees across Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware as well. I’m committed to developing these relationships further.
 
Also, there will be lots to keep me busy as we continue to work toward reaching our climate and emissions goals, primarily though investments in clean energy, critical minerals and the entire electric vehicle (EV) supply chain. I’m pleased to say there’s already been tremendous work on that front. Our government recently announced, with the Government of Ontario, that Volkswagen would locate its EV battery manufacturing facility in St. Thomas, Ontario. It’s a move that will position Canada as a global leader in the electric vehicle supply chain. 
 
We’re working together to develop our critical minerals strategy as well. Livent, which is based in Philadelphia, is stepping up its investment in Quebec’s lithium industry as part of a long-term strategy to develop Canada’s EV ecosystem.

And as we each move towards greening our economies, it's exciting to know that clean, reliable hydropower from Quebec will make its way to New York City via the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line, dramatically reducing emissions while generating billions of dollars in economic benefits across the state. 
 
Canada’s transition to a clean and sustainable energy infrastructure will open up new areas of economic growth in the coming decades. And we’re only getting started. Canada has the engineering talent and business vision to take a leadership position in this area and I want to help them lead this charge (No pun intended).
 
I’m also looking forward to strengthening our partnerships in the arts and culture, especially with our colleagues at the Consulate General in Los Angeles. Canada’s cultural industries have never been stronger or more influential on the world stage – as we saw during the recent Oscar ceremonies. Of course, the arts enrich all our lives; more than that, they provide a vehicle to tell Canadian stories and spark conversations about important issues that matter to all of us. A vibrant arts sector generates significant economic benefits as well.

The pandemic posed a major challenge for your predecessors. And now we’re operating in a challenging macro-economic environment. Inflation, supply chain disruptions, a war in Ukraine, and more. How do you anticipate operating amid such uncertainty?
 
You’re right to point that out. We’re not just looking to make changes at the margins or temporary adjustments. And it’s messy out there. But I’m confident we can make progress despite it all. In times of crisis we tend to seek out those who we trust and who share our values. Challenging times show us who our friends are. And Canada and the U.S. have been friends through some of the toughest times. We saw this during the pandemic when Canadian nurses continued to cross the border to care for American patients during the pandemic. We saw it when Toronto firefighters came to New York after 9/11. But we’re more than friends. We’re allies as well, as exemplified through our partnership in the Eastern Air Defense Sector in Rome, NY, which is part of NORAD.
 
This is your first experience as a diplomat. Did you seek out advice from your predecessors as to what to expect? 
 
Yes. Last week I had a wonderful conversation with Phyllis Yaffe, a previous Canadian Consul General here. She advised me to “engage everywhere,” because there’s always a great conversation waiting to happen. Also, remember to have fun. 

Canada's Ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, and my fellow Canadian Consuls General across the U.S. have been tremendously helpful in helping me settle in – they were all new at some point as well. David Cohen, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, has also been incredibly welcoming and supportive. I really believe I’m getting off on the right foot.
 
It can’t be all work. What are you most looking forward to about life in New York?
 
Simply living in the city. My wife and I have visited New York many times and we do have our favorite spots, but this role will allow us the time to experience it “like a New Yorker.” Long-time residents will tell you that New Yorkers are actually the nicest and most helpful people you’ll ever meet. That’s a lot, given I’m coming from Canada, but it’s true; we’ve seen it everywhere.  

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LANDSCAPE

Authors: Arlyn Stoik, Principal and Jerry Holder SoCal Region Lead, Innovation & Insight, AVANT.  

A Southern California Overview
As we enter 2023, the commercial real estate world continues to prove it is not one story, but several unique narratives based upon geographic location and product type. While we all attempt to underwrite the markets based upon detailed analytics using the best information we have, like all asset classes, real estate is subject to many external factors that often cloud our crystal ball. The only real constant is change.

As we think of the complex web of factors at play in our market today, there are several influences and shifts that come to mind as we enter 2023.

• Flexible workplaces are here to stay. We will continue to see the resistance of many to return to the office as we still have not found equilibrium. This has created an uncertain picture of our office market going forward. And our downtowns are suffering because of it.

• We are still uncertain about a recession, and if it will be short and shallow like many are predicting. Or are we in for a period of monumental headwinds.

• The rise and uncertainty surrounding the pace of inflation has caused many to take a “pencils down” approach, slowing, pausing or stopping deal-making, growth, capital investment and development. We expect to see a continued slowdown in new development in most asset classes.

• The tech industry has been experiencing significant layoffs and resulting in unprecedented office sublease space coming back to the market. Tech has been a significant driver of the office market especially in Southern California. We have yet to see how things will play out in the sector and if companies will require employees to return to the office. 

• The supply chain continues to attempt to find equilibrium and sort out the challenges that have caused a shortage of many goods and subsequently sharp increases in prices. Will slowing consumer demand offset these challenges?

• The continued importance of ESG. For many organizations it has become a must-have to compete successfully in the marketplace.

• The flight to quality and the ability to secure flexible and more affordable office space opportunities for many groups. The office environment will play a more important role than ever in bringing people back and competing for best-in-class talent.

• The resilience of the American consumer.

• Housing market affordability in southern California is always top of mind. Are we in for a major market correction? 

 
Southern California
With a focus on Southern California on a more granular level, the commercial real estate market has begun to plateau this year. The level of deal activity was inconsistent in 2022. The first half of the year was robust, while the second half of 2022 slowed down as interest rates increased. Unemployment in Southern California remains low, but it is important to highlight, that job creation has been uneven – leisure and hospitality jobs are still underwater, for example. The bright spot is that high-value-added jobs in a broad range of sectors such as aerospace, scientific research, medical products, and pharmaceuticals development, continue to grow, This bodes well for the region. 

According to Avison Young’s Q4 Insights reports, below are a few key market highlights/indicators:

• Retail – Tenant demand has surged, construction has picked up, absorption will remain positive, lease rates will continue to increase, vacancies/availability will decrease, and investment sales should continue to increase.

• Office – Investment sales retreated in 2022 as interest rates increased and office workers were reluctant to return to the office. We should see construction slowing, more negative absorption and increases in vacancies/availability, and very little if any lease rate growth as companies “right-Size” their space requirements going forward.

• Multifamily – new construction projects will continue to break ground, absorption will remain positive, asking rents will begin to flatten out after years of double-digit growth, vacancies/availability will increase, and investment sales activity will return to normal levels.

• Industrial market – we’ll see construction activity slow down, absorption will be positive, capitalization rates will increase, vacancies/availability will begin to increase from the record lows we’ve seen recently, lease rate growth will return to single digits and investment sales activity will come back to normal levels.

Based on the current environment and what we have learned over a number of economic cycles, we believe that 2023 will see leasing demand that is below the 10-year average. Lease rates showing signs of stabilization after setting all-time highs in the first half of 2022. Vacancies are rising slightly from the record low levels over recent past quarters, and we are also observing that for the first time in a long time, development is outpacing absorption which is not a bad thing being that for so long demand outpaced supply which was the catalyst of the aggressive rise in pricing. It is notable that land is becoming harder to find. As a result, we will have increased developer competition for available sites, and subsequently upward pressure on land pricing. 

From a capital markets standpoint, we anticipate that sale transactions will remain at similar levels in 2023 as compared to the second half of 2022.  

AVANT by Avison Young is our data-based analytics platform that makes cities (real estate) more transparent, accessible and understandable, allowing our clients to make informed, efficient and strategic decisions. 

For more information on Avison Young commercial real estate, please visit avison young.
 

2022 YEAR IN REVIEW: CHALLENGING MARKETS AFTER A RECORD YEAR

Author: Delilah Panio, VP U.S. Capital Formation, TMX Group

Coming off of a record year is always a challenge and that was certainly the case for the North American public markets in 2022. With record financings and initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2021, the significant downturn that occurred last year was particularly poignant, driven by markets reacting to geo-politcal tensions, ongoing impacts from the pandemic and supply chain issues, and interest rate hikes. 
 
On both sides of the border, IPOs slowed to an almost halt. And yet, several U.S. companies went public on TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV), demonstrating the potential of public venture capital even in tough times. Let’s take a look at what happened in the private and public markets in 2022.
 
 
Private and Public Markets Overview

1 Pitchbook NVCA Venture Monitor. Pitchbook and NVCA. Q4 2022. https://nvca.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Q4_2022_PitchBook-NVCA_Venture_Monitor.pdf
2 Number of IPOs in the U.S. 1999-2022. Statista Research Department. February 3, 2023.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/270290/number-of-ipos-in-the-us-since-1999/#:~:text=2021%20was%20quite%20a%20year,of%20IPOs%20 dropped%20to%20181.
3 Monthly Monitor. SPAC Research. Renaissance Capital, December 31, 2022. https://www.spacresearch.com/reports?type=monthly&file=cdn/2023/02/Nasdaq%20Monthly%20Monitor%20Dec2022.pdf
4 Market Intelligence Reports. TMX Group.  https://www.tsx.com/listings/current-market-statistics
 
Interestingly, private venture capital investments held their own in 2022, only down compared to the record year of 2021 for number of deals and total deal value. But compared to 2020 and earlier years, venture capital was actually up, as venture capital and private equity funds continued to deploy capital into key sectors such as tech and healthtech.
 
However, in the U.S. public markets it was a different story, with a truly unprecedented drop in the number of companies that completed an IPO. Not since the market crash of 2008 have we seen such a downturn. In 2022, there were just 181 IPOs in the U.S., 82.5% lower than the 1,035 IPOs in 2021, which was a record. 
 
Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations, or SPACs, which were once the sought after route to go public in the U.S., also experienced a significant collapse. The number of new SPAC IPOs went from 613 in 2021 to 86 in 2022, down by 86%. And the number of companies that went public through a SPAC also declined significantly by 49%, as the redemption rate of the IPO funds continued to increase, leaving target companies with minimal cash in the SPAC.
 
In Canada, a similar IPO reality unfolded. In 2022, only 3 companies completed an IPO on Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), compared to a record 36 in 2021. On the TSX Venture Exchange, most early-stage companies typically list through a reverse merger or reverse take over transaction versus an IPO. Last year, the number of companies that listed on TSXV was down 36%... not nearly as dramatic a drop as the IPO markets. 
 
For U.S. companies accessing capital on TSX and TSXV, while the total new U.S. listings for 2022 was 17 compared to the record number of 25 in 2021, this number is still above the annual average of 10-12. In fact, in the last three years, 52 U.S. companies have chosen the public route versus private venture capital route to fuel their company’s growth. And a majority of these companies have completed their going public transaction through a Capital Pool CompanyTM (CPC)… the most common way for early stage companies to go public in Canada. (Source: TMX Group Market Intelligence Group)
 
Despite the tough market conditions in 2022, several U.S. companies listed and raised growth capital on TSX and TSXV representing diverse sectors and regions, including:

• AIP Realty Trust (TSXV:AIP.U) - Real Estate, Texas

• Edge Total Intelligence Inc. (TSXV:CTRL) - Technology, Virginia

• FRX Innovations Inc. (TSXV:FRXI) - Clean Tech, Massachusetts

• Inspire Semiconductor Holdings Inc. (TSXV: INSP) - Software, Texas

• The Hempshire Group Inc. (TSXV:HMPG) - Life Sciences, California

• Thiogenesis Therapeutics, Corp. (TSXV: TTI) - Life Sciences, California

 
All of these companies listed on TSXV through a CPC. To access the list of all U.S. listings on TSX and TSXV, click here.
 
As we are beginning to see some momentum with small cap IPOs getting done in the U.S. so far this year, now may be a good time for those companies considering going public to get ready for when market conditions become more favorable. Some of the areas that companies should consider include:

• Management Team: Your management team should be interested and ready to go public and include a CFO with public company experience.

• Board of Directors: Your company will need a formal board of directors that understands its legal and fiduciary responsibilities as public company directors.

• Audited Financials: Audited financial statements are required.

• Internal Controls: Financial controls and a reporting infrastructure that comply with regulatory requirements are required.

• Going Public Team: A full team of advisors including cross-border securities lawyers, auditor and investment bankers needs to be established.
   

As market conditions begin to improve over time, consider that TSX and TSXV are a unique listing platform for high growth U.S. companies looking to raise Series B+ capital. Companies with early revenue, a strong management team, and a growth strategy to eventually list on a U.S. exchange may want to consider the Canadian capital markets as an alternative that may be the right fit. 
 
For more information, contact Delilah Panio, VP of U.S. Capital Formation, Toronto Stock Exchange, at delilah.panio@tmx.com or visit the TSX U.S. website as us.tsx.com.  
 
Copyright © 2023 TSX Inc. All rights reserved. Do not copy, distribute, sell or modify this document without TSX Inc.’s prior written consent.  This information is provided for information purposes only. Neither TMX Group Limited nor any of its affiliated companies guarantees the completeness of the information contained in this article, and we are not responsible for any errors or omissions in or your use of, or reliance on, the information.  This article is not intended to provide legal, accounting, tax, investment, financial or other advice and should not be relied upon for such advice.  The information provided is not an invitation to purchase securities listed on Toronto Stock Exchange and/or TSX Venture Exchange.  TMX Group and its affiliated companies do not endorse or recommend any securities referenced in this publication.  Capital Pool Company, CPC, TMX, the TMX design, TMX Group, Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX, TSX Venture Exchange, TSXV, The Future is Yours to See., and Voir le futur. Réaliser l’avenir. are the trademarks of TSX Inc.  All other trademarks used in this article are the property of their respective owners.

MAPLE® Business Council 2022 - A Year in Review

2022 was a special year for us but before we share some of the highlights, we first want to say thank you to everyone who contributed to our community either as a member, guest, partner, social media follower or e-publication subscriber. Your membership, partnership and engagement made it possible for us to continue to pursue our mission celebrating the trade, investment and entrepreneurship ties that Canada and the United States share together. 
 
A Community of Chapters
2022 meant more opportunities to meet in person with the inaugural events of our MAPLE Ontario and Colorado Chapters and our first in-person program by MAPLE New York given that we launched in NY in the middle of the pandemic. Our B.C. and Southern California Chapters also returned to in-person events. 
 
Our community now spans five Chapters. In addition to our MAPLE “home” in Southern California since 2015, we are excited to also welcome you in British Columbia, Ontario, New York, and Colorado. 
 

In 2022, we had the pleasure of launching MAPLE Ontario led by our first woman Executive Director, Bernardine Perreira CFP® TEP of Perreira Wealth Advisory Raymond James in Toronto. Bernardine is a long-term member who regularly participated in our Southern California events for years. Now she leads our Ontario Chapter from her base in Toronto which has been home to many of our members since our founding. Our inaugural event as a MAPLE Ontario Chapter in September, hosted by the Business Development Bank of Canada in downtown Toronto, was one of the highlights of our year.  

Our Colorado Chapter soon followed with a dynamic and packed launch event in Denver which included presentations by Consul General of Canada Sylvain Fabi, former Canadian Ambassador to the U.S., Derek Burney Sr., and Will Kinzel, VP Government Affairs at Molson Coors. Ambassaor Burney's reflections on a lifetime of service from the center of the room will not soon be forgotten. 

Our thanks to Executive Director Rob Mancey, who also chairs the Canada Colorado Association, and Derek Godfrey whose own move from SoCal to Colorado helped inspire this Chapter, for all their hard work in launching MAPLE in the Centennial State. We also want to thank the economic development community and in particular the Consulate General of Canada in Denver for your warm welcome! 

Our New York Chapter led by John Costanzo hosted terrific programs throughout the year once again including a panel discussion on getting your goods to Canada with supply chain experts.  The capstone event came in early December at the Québec Government Office in New York at Rockefeller Center.  Thank you to Delegate General Martine Hébert and her New York leadership team.

Our West Coast presence is bookended by our British Columbia Chapter led by Executive Director Jason Tse in Vancouver and our home base in Southern California.  Jason hosted a fascinating discussion on the metaverse with Vancouver studios and our BC Chapter was honoured to partner with the U.S. Commercial Service in Canada later in the spring to co-host a SelectUSA InvesTech Summit at Fasken’s Vancouver office for area tech companies. After U.S. Consul General D. Brent Hardt opened the program, a roster of speakers from our MAPLE community shared insights on growing your business in the U.S. Later in the year, our friends at Air Canada welcomed us to their Operations Center at YVR for a special tour of their facility after presentations by Roland DGA and Corpay.

Here in Southern California at our events in Orange County and Los Angeles, we explored trade and investment considerations for expanding into Québec, global IP portfolio management, opportunities for Southern California businesses in Ontario, the Southern California commercial real estate landscape through the expert lens of Avison Young, opportunities for businesses Io invest and grow in Alberta, and public venture capital opportunities on the TSX Venture and TSX exchanges in Canada. 
 
Thank you to all our Chapter Executive Directors for their work supporting our Canada-U.S. bilateral economic focus. 

Storytelling
The strength of any community is often found in the opportunity to learn from one another - helping to inform our own strategies and plans. In 2022, we had the pleasure of not only hosting presentations from our members but sharing their insights through our e-publication, MOMENTUM, which just celebrated its 70th issue, and in our online video series, Conversations, which now has more than 60 episodes. 
 
In May, we launched a new home for our members’ and partner’s insights with over 100 pieces of content from MAPLE articles, interviews, and videos. Our Cross-border Insights website is an online library of reference information across sectors and markets. If you have not visited it yet, we encourage you to check it out at maplecouncilinsights.org.
 

Membership
Cross-sector membership is a key part of our DNA. In support of our mission, we bring executives, investors, service providers, entrepreneurs and economic development stakeholders from government and business together to network and share insights. Meeting fellow innovators and leaders from other sectors can create new opportunities and solutions. In 2022, we welcomed new members, from young professionals and established executives to corporations and institutions, who are working in 7 provinces and states in 11 sectors. Today, our membership spans more than 25 sectors. 
 
Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Our DEI journey continued in 2022 by leveraging our content platforms to hear from a range of leaders who are making a difference in our communities. These leaders are connecting the voices of minority-owned businesses in Greater Los Angeles with their audiences, celebrating the diverse Latin communities in British Columbia, helping businesses achieve greater diversity in their supply chain, sharing their own immigration journey to Canada, and celebrating diversity in their organization through employee affinity groups.  We encourage you to visit our DEI page on our website and the MOMENTUM page of our website for these and more stories. 
 
There’s much more we could share but since our first event is already upon us this week, as our BC Chapter tours the Vancouver port, we invite you to join us at one of our programs in 2023. 
 
We look forward to welcoming you and thank you for your support and participation. 
 
January 2023

Immigration Design Thinking - New Employer Strategies to Address the Skills Crisis

Authors: Howard Greenberg, Co-Founder; Naumaan Hameed, Co-Founder, Greenberg Hameed PC

1. UNPRECEDENTED SKILLS CHALLENGES

A growing concern facing many North American companies is the inability to attract and retain the right skills to compete in the global marketplace.  The issues are multifaceted – increased demand of rare skills, an unprecedent wave of resignations and career changes in the workforce and heightened competition for talent given the prevalence of remote work options.

Interestingly, shortages are acutely prevalent despite an impending global recission, resulting in the desperate need of certain skills while waves of other skills are being made redundant.  To make circumstance more challenging, the pace of digitization in all its forms, requires companies to make complex operational and strategic decisions quickly or face significant economic consequences.  

The stakes are high and business resilience in today’s landscape requires having access to a workforce with the right balance of skills to service clients requiring in-demand services across industries while also ensuring the right balance of experienced and strategic thinkers.

2. IMMIGRATION NO LONGER A LAST RESORT

There was a time where immigration officials would often refer to employers accessing foreign workers as a “measure of last resort”.  In our discussions with companies, we take a very different view given the current climate around workforce dynamics and chronic skill shortages. 

Immigration is a now a primary driver in talent acquisition and retention in the current climate.  Companies need to understand their talent gaps, consider the short term, middle and long term needs and understand how a well-thought-out immigration plan can help assist recruitment and talent sourcing departments attract the best foreign talent.  
 
3. WHAT IS “IMMIGRATION DESIGN THINKING”?

All too often immigration is viewed narrowly as an isolated process to simply facilitate the entry of a foreign national to obtain work authorization.  This is a short-sighted approach to immigration which is largely transaction-based and reactive in nature. 

Immigration Design Thinking (a self-created term) is a methodology that involves applying creativity and vision to solve complex talent problems to enhance the operational and strategic effectiveness of a corporation. It involves identifying the skills and talent challenges in the context of a specific business model and then developing a bespoke immigration solution unique to the needs of the specific client.  

When implemented properly Immigration Design Thinking can lead to a significant differentiator on key success factors – quality of candidate, time to deployment, customer solution, diversity, and cost.  It is a proactive/strategic approach to dealing holistically with skills challenges and implementing sustainable talent solutions. 

4. CASE SCENARIOS

#1 North American Talent Hubs

Problem - 
Several large technology companies were losing revenue and client confidence in the United States due to the unpredictability of US immigration decision making, limitations of annual quotas and lengthy Green Card processing times. Customers were not able to access key services. 

Solution -
An immigration plan was developed to deliver North American projects from Canada to access more predictable work permit and permanent residence processing, while increasing profit margins based on current and prevailing wage issues.  The significantly higher approval rates and ability to predict arrival dates resulted in a significant competitive advantage for the company and confidence of customers.  In fact, the immigration solution that was deployed resulted in a competitive advantage in the marketplace. 

Part of the solution involved accessing foreign workers through multiple streams including the C12 Intra-company transfer as well as Canada’s Global Talent Stream which is designed to assist innovative companies scale operations. As well, a process was created for contingency plans to transfer impacted foreign workers from the US to Canada to maintain business continuity.
 
Moreover, the client was able access tax credits where the operations in Canada involved research and development initiatives resulting in additional savings for the client.  Services were able to be delivered remotely from Canada for both local and US based companies.
 
#2       Talent Mapping
 
Problem -
A Canadian Infrastructure and engineering company won a large bid to deliver a three-year services contract on a national project.  The delivery of services will be contingent on accessing key technical skills, some from within the organization but many hires on a global basis with time sensitivity.

Solution -
A strategic review of all the company’s talent needs was mapped out including the duties, salary and location of work and then mapped against all available immigration options with processes and timelines factored into the strategy.  Internal recruiters attended a strategy session and learned about the availability of all work permit categories as well as mobility trade provisions in many international trade agreements with countries around the world and expedited work permits available for certain occupations.

The company was able to identify which roles could be sourced internally through their foreign expat population while also understanding the benefits of strategically recruiting from source-countries with existing facilitative trade agreements that would address their specific occupational needs.  
 
The Takeaway:
A proactive and creative approach to today’s talent challenges leveraging immigration expertise, policy and programs is a critical part of a modern employer’s skills tool kit. Immigration Design Thinking can also deliver a unique differentiator in accessing rare and diverse talent, abilities, and perspectives, while driving business growth and innovation. 

For more information. please visit the Greenberg Hameed PC website. 

5 Easy Wins for Your Employee Benefits Program

Author: John Griffin, President, Sterling Capital Brokers

Employee benefits are essential for attracting and retaining top talent. But with the ever-changing landscape of benefits, it can be hard to keep up. What’s more, employees are becoming increasingly demanding when it comes to their benefits. They want more than health insurance and a retirement plan. They want perks that make their lives easier and work-life balance programs that give them time to enjoy their personal lives. As an employer, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to employee benefits. Not only will it help you attract and retain the best talent, but it will also improve morale and increase productivity in the workplace. Here are five easy wins for your employee benefits program that will help you stay ahead of the competition.

Do The Basics Well

There are many potential benefits that can be offered to employees as part of an employee benefits program, and getting the basics right is just the starting point. Most basic plans include health, dental and vision insurance, as well as life insurance, and often some component of coverage for a disability that prevents someone from working.

These benefits form a core component of your compensation plan, and are also an expression of your company culture and values. What do you do when an employee cannot work? How about an unexpected illness or death in the family? How do you support an employee trying to get access to medicine that will ultimately make their lives or the life of a loved one better and healthier?
You answer all of these questions with your core employee benefits plan - and once that is complete, you get an opportunity to consider what else you can do for your employees.

Employee benefits programs can vary greatly in terms of the types and levels of coverage offered. Some programs may offer very comprehensive coverage, while others may offer more limited coverage. Some companies may also offer additional perks and perks such as paid time off, discounts on company products or services, and more.

The key is to find the right mix of benefits that meets the needs of your employees and your business. By offering a well-rounded employee benefit program, you can attract and retain top talent, improve employee morale and productivity, and reduce absenteeism.

Build In Time-Saving Supports

In the few years, there has been a proliferation of online tools and technology that make getting access to services easier than ever. A few short years ago, if I wanted to get urgent care for an illness I would have to schedule a time to speak with my family doctor or go to  walk-in clinic. In cases where someone had no family doctor, and where walk-ins were not an option, you may even have to go to the emergency room.

Then help arrived from one of the unlikeliest of places: your employee benefit program. Telemedicine services became wildly popular during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and proved a great tool not only for attracting great talent, but genuinely impacting the lives of employees. It proved so effective getting people regular support for simple illnesses that some jurisdictions launched access to telemedicine services province wide.

This is a perfect example of delivering impactful services through your employee benefits program.

Check Your Tech

Almost all claims can be processed electronically now, but as you consider your service provider, you have to make sure that they offer the technology that makes engaging with a benefits program easier for your members. Some simple questions to validate how well your provider stacks up to the competition:

• Can members and their families enroll online, and is the enrollment instantaneously effective? If you can enroll online, but drug cards are not effective for a few days, for instance, it usually means that behind the scenes the technology is using integrations that are old, slow and run in overnight batches...just like we did in the 80s.

• Do they have an app? And does it work? Some apps allow you to submit claims, but it is simply another way to get a claim into the hands of a human adjudicator. That is good, but many providers can adjudicate claims automatically now, and that should be the standard you set for your program – why would you accept any less?

• Do they have an online marketplace for additional services? Most insurance companies have a wide array of services they can offer plan members, but surprisingly few make it easy to access those services. It costs you nothing, and makes your benefits program stand-out, if plan members can get easy access to additional services through an online marketplace.

Benchmark and Compare 

Ever wondered what the competition is offering their employees? It is easier than ever to know what other workplaces are doing with their benefits programs. A key part of making any good decision is having the data on how your plan compares to your peers. You are competing for the same talent, and you should know what they are offering as part of their compensation package.
Benchmarking reports are now a standard part of any good consultant’s annual review. Your program can be compared to your peers and the data can be broken down by a number of different categories. Consultants have the data, but you should drive the agenda when it comes to how the data is presented and what data-points are included:

• Size: you can see what employers across a range of employee population sizes offers.

• Geography: sometimes knowing what a company across the country offers is important; other time, you want to know what the competitor down the street offers.

• Industry: the data can be as specific as your niche product, which may only have two or three peers in a region; or, it can be as broad as any professional services firm.

Good data drives good decisions. Get the best data possible.

Let Employees Leverage Your Size

Many of your employees consume financial services products on their own; but they are just one person or one family. As a company with many more members, you have leverage they cannot have on their own, and there are easy ways for you to let your employees access that leverage.

You likely already have a group retirement savings plan - that's great. But can your employees top-up with voluntary contributions? And if they can, do they know? If your employees are saving on their own, it is very likely that they are paying much higher fees than are available in your retirement program. Across decades of retirement, the savings in fees are often in the tens of thousands of dollars, and massively impactful to someone's ultimate retirement.

Other ways you can leverage your size?
Home and Auto insurance programs, offering rates that are discounted vs those accessed in public.
Optional benefits programs like Critical Illness, additional Life insurance, available at a lower cost and, in some cases, without medical evidence when launched as part of a group plan. 

Conclusion
Heading into planning for 2023, a small amount of attention and engagement with your employee benefits program can provide tremendous lift for your employees. It does not take a huge amount of time or effort, and these 5 easy wins can dramatically improve the experience your employees are having with their benefits program.

For more information on Sterling Capital Brokers' services, please visit their website: https://sterlingcapitalbrokers.com/

TIMBITS® in California - Real or Fake?

Authors: Julie Vo, Associate Attorney and Harnik Shukla, Partner, Knobbe Martens

The “Timbit” donut holes were introduced in Canada in 1976 by beloved Canadian coffee house and restaurant chain Tim Hortons. TIMBITS® donut holes are widely sold in Tim Hortons locations throughout Canada and have become an icon of Canadian culture. Just last year, Tim Hortons teamed up with Canadian-born superstar Justin Bieber to release three new TIMBITS® flavors, which they called “Timbiebs Timbits.” 

But what if Tim Hortons planned to keep TIMBITS a Canadian secret by not launching in the United States, and a third-party began selling TIMBITS-branded donut holes in California (where even today there are no Tim Hortons locations)? You may ask yourself if this trademark scenario is even possible, and if so, what if anything could Tim Hortons do about it?

The Coca-Cola Company (“Coca-Cola”) found itself in this intriguing predicament in the U.S. with its two soda brands originating from India. The case is Meenaxi Enterprise, Inc. v. Coca-Cola Company, 38 F.4th 1067 (Fed. Cir. 2022).

Background

Parle introduced Limca lemon-lime soda in India in 1971 and Thums Up cola in 1977. If you have never tasted Thums Up cola, consider looking up a YouTube clip of Julia Roberts trying it in the movie, Eat Pray Love. Coca-Cola purchased Parle in 1993 and acquired Parle’s Indian registrations of the THUMS UP and LIMCA marks. Since then, Coca-Cola has distributed Thums Up cola and Limca lemon-lime soda in India and other foreign markets and obtained registrations for both marks in those countries. However, despite the popularity of the drinks in India and other countries across Asia and Africa, Coca-Cola only featured the Thums Up cola and Limca soft drink at its World of Coca-Cola location in the U.S. 

Meenaxi has distributed Thums Up cola and Limca lemon-lime soda in the U.S. to Indian-American consumers since 2008 and registered the marks THUMS UP and LIMCA in connection with soft drinks (among other goods) in the U.S. in 2012. Further, Meenaxi adopted logos strongly resembling Coca-Cola’s THUMS UP logo until Coca-Cola objected.

Coca-Cola Seeks to Cancel Meenaxi’s U.S. Trademark Registrations

Coca-Cola sought to cancel these registrations in 2016 on the basis that Meenaxi was using the THUMS UP and LIMCA marks to misrepresent the source of its goods. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) ultimately sided with Coca-Cola and found that “Meenaxi was attempting ‘to dupe consumers in the United States who were familiar with [Coca-Cola's] THUMS UP cola from India into believing that [Meenaxi's] THUMS UP cola was the same drink,’ and that these efforts to deceive satisfied the misrepresentation of source claim.” Meenaxi appealed and the Appeals Court rejected Coca-Cola’s arguments. The Appeals Court held that Coca-Cola failed to show that it suffered lost sales or reputational injury in the U.S. as required by the Trademark Act, based on Meenaxi’s actions. The Appeals Court found that the limited sales of Coca Cola’s Indian beverages by third parties in the U.S. and Coca-Cola’s assertion that Americans of Indian descent would be aware of the marks’ well known reputation in India, without any consumer survey evidence, was insufficient to prove reputation of the marks in the U.S.

In a separate case, PepsiCo, Inc. (“PepsiCo”) also found itself fighting a third-party’s application for TORTRIX in the U.S. in PepsiCo, Inc. v. Arriera Foods, LLC 2022 USPQ2d 856 (TTAB 2022) [precedential order].

PepsiCo’s Opposition to Arriera’s U.S. Trademark Application for TORTRIX

For years, PepsiCo has sold corn-based snacks using the TORTRIX mark in Central and South America and owns TORTRIX trademark registrations in a number of countries. On September 10, 2020, Arriera applied for U.S. trademark protection based on its intent to use TORTRIX for “corn-based snack foods.” PepsiCo filed an opposition to the registration of the mark asserting, among other claims, misrepresentation of source. PepsiCo alleged that Arriera is improperly importing, distributing, and/or selling PepsiCo’s TORTRIX snacks in U.S., or intends to do so and that Arriera intends to make or is making, blatant misuse of the TORTRIX mark to deceive U.S. consumers, and to trade on the goodwill and reputation of PepsiCo’s TORTRIX mark in the U.S. PepsiCo further argued that because of its “use and registration of TORTRIX in Central and South America, consumers have come to know, rely on, and recognize [PepsiCo’s] goods by the mark TORTRIX, not just in Central and South America, but in the United States as well.” 

The Board found that PepsiCo failed to support its claim that Arriera is using its mark in commerce or has engaged in conduct that amounts to deliberately passing off its goods as those of PepsiCo. The Board reasoned that PepsiCo’s allegations against Arriera’s conduct were “merely speculative” (e.g., Applicant “intends to use, and/or is using” and the mark “is being or will be used by” Applicant) and that PepsiCo had not pleaded any facts to support how its use of TORTRIX mark in Central and South America resulted in the mark having reputation among consumers in the U.S. Thus, the Board granted Arriera’s request and dismissed PepsiCo’s misrepresentation of source claim. 

Conclusion

These cases highlight an interesting trademark law scenario that often occurs when a third-party attempts to use and register foreign marks from well-known companies, in the U.S. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo’s failure to obtain U.S. registrations for their foreign marks allowed competitors to poach its marks. Despite having neither use nor registrations for the marks in the U.S., both companies asserted claims of misrepresentation of source for marks they owned and used in other countries. Ultimately, both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo did not show either economic or reputational harm in the U.S. based on the actions of the third parties. It’s difficult to conceive that anyone with Canadian origins living anywhere in the world would not associate Timbits with Tim Hortons. However, Coca Cola’s reliance on this strong association of the Indian diaspora living in the U.S. was not enough for the Appeals Court.

The question remains, what actions could foreign brand owners take to prevent a hypothetical bad actor from poaching its brand reputation in the U.S.? Companies seeking to protect its marks should consider filing for and obtaining trademark registrations as early as possible—especially in countries of interest. Registration creates a presumption of ownership and exclusive rights to the mark, including the ability to legally prevent others from using the same or similar trademark for related goods or services. Rest assured, Tim Hortons has applied for and obtained trademark registrations for TIMBITS worldwide.  In 1981, TIMBITS donut holes were introduced in the U.S. and Tim Hortons received U.S. trademark protection for TIMBITS in 1996.

For more information on Knobbe Martens, please visit their website.

An Interview with MAPLE Colorado Executive Director Rob Mancey

We are excited to be sitting down with Rob Mancey, Executive Director of the new Colorado Chapter of MAPLE Business Council, to learn more about the future plans for Colorado. On November 8th, Rob hosted the inaugural reception for MAPLE Colorado to a standing-room only audience in Denver with presentations by Canadian Consul General Sylvain Fabi, former Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Derek Burney, and Molson Coors Vice President of Government Affairs, Will Kinzel.

Q. Rob – thank you for taking the time to share some of your background and perspectives with our readers. Would you tell us a little about your personal cross-border journey from Canada to the U.S.? What brought you to the U.S. and Colorado originally?

I was working for a small technology firm in Rexdale, Ontario in early 1991, which was bought by a company (Sybase, Inc.,) and moved us to Boston, MA.  After 5 years of really enjoying New England, Sybase moved our family of 5 to the south metro area of Denver in 1996.  Twenty-six years later, we’ve never looked back. Colorado is a wonderful place to live and raise a family!

Q. As President and Chairman of the Canada Colorado Association, the state’s networking focal point for Canadians and friends of Canada, and through your corporate real estate/relocation work at AvenueWest, the ties between Canada-Colorado appear to represent a big part of your life. What motivates you to bring Canada and Colorado closer together?

I own a corporate housing franchise of AvenueWest Denver in the Denver Tech Center (DTC). AvenueWest does business within the global mobility market with companies relocating their employees both nationally and internationally. Given my experiences relocating my family a couple of times myself, I have realized both the adventure and excitement as well as the headaches experienced by relocating families.

I love showing off Colorado and sharing all the wonderful things about it with new families moving here. It can be intimidating not knowing anybody or anything about your new locale.  I enjoy sharing my sphere of influence and resources with anybody who needs help settling in or with Canadians who have been living here for a while. Given the amount of trade that goes on between Colorado and Canada and loving my heritage, leading the Canada Colorado Association has been a lot of fun and allows me to stay in touch with my roots.  I’ve met some wonderful people!

 
Q. Would you tell us a little bit about the mission and history of the Canada Colorado Association as a networking community to connect Canadians and friends of Canada in Colorado and back to Canada?

The Canada Colorado Association was founded back in 1991 by Ian Barclay (Montreal) and Don Bailey (ON) who were aspiring entrepreneurs seeing the opportunity to create a networking group for socializing and business development.  Over the decades the CCA’s mission has been to create a community of Canadians and “friends of Canada” who can be a social and business resource for each other. CCA’s vision statement is “Celebrating Canada…Connecting ALL Canadians and friends of Canada.”  CCA fulfills these goals through a number of Canadian flavoured events and seminars.

Q. As the owner of AvenueWest, a corporate relocation services firm in the Denver Technology Center (DTC), what are some of the most common challenges that Canadians face when relocating to Colorado or the U.S. in general?

Often times, one spouse is legally able to work in the U.S., the other spouse may not be able. This legality may cause a lot of consternation and sacrifice within the family unit.  The social aspects of the CCA can allow Canadians in similar situations to commiserate and socialize together. Finding resources for immigration, cross-border taxation, wealth management and pension planning can be problematic. Canadian credit ratings don’t transfer when a family crosses the border can prevent a family from securing a mortgage and buying a house.

Q. Turning our focus now to the new MAPLE Colorado Chapter you will be leading, what is the mission of the MAPLE organization and what benefits or opportunities does it offer to businesses?

MAPLE Colorado’s mandate and vision is to become a networking resource for the many Canadians and “friends of Canada” who are conducting cross-border trade and investment between the countries. MAPLE Colorado will complement the good work already being accomplished by the Consulate General of Canada  in Denver.

MAPLE is a membership-based executive networking organization focused on promoting bilateral trade, investment and innovation between Canada and the U.S. and in the markets where we operate. Through in-person and online networking events, content sharing through established media platforms, partnerships with economic development stakeholders and Canada-U.S. news curation, MAPLE connects business leaders across sectors and across markets.

MAPLE was founded in Southern California in 2015 and has grown to include Chapters in British Columbia, New York, Ontario and now Colorado. Now one of the largest Canada-U.S. business councils, MAPLE members work in over 25 sectors in over 25 markets across North America.

Members benefit by connecting with fellow business leaders outside of their traditional ‘swim lanes’ who share their experience, expertise, and interest in growing businesses north and south of the Canada-U.S. border. MAPLE sets the table for meaningful conversations through our events and storytelling platforms too.

Q. How is the focus of the MAPLE Colorado Chapter different from the Canada Colorado Association? Will there be synergies between the two organizations?

The Canada Colorado Association can be characterized as C2C (consumer to consumer) social club as well as a B2C (business to consumer) network.  MAPLE Colorado creates the B2B (business to business) network which is missing from the CCA.

Q. We understand MAPLE Business Council began in Southern California in 2015 which continues as its base of operations. What are the benefits to Colorado members of being part of a growing network of MAPLE Chapters across Canada and the U.S.?

When organizations and individual executives join MAPLE Colorado, they will have access to not only the events that will be held locally but also the events of our sister Chapters located currently  in British Columbia, Ontario, New York and Southern California. This provides expanded networking and content-sharing opportunities.

Moreover, MAPLE Business Council  helps members share their insights on markets and sectors with an executive audience across North America through turnkey bi-national content platforms for articles and video conversations. These help members to connect with others who are  interested in expanding across Canada and the U.S. as well as north and south across the Canada-U.S. border.

Q. Stepping back from your organizations, what excites you about living and doing business in the Colorado and what does it offer to Canadian companies?

The quality of life and wonderful weather of Colorado makes it a great place to live and work.  Colorado has a broad and diverse economic base including sectors such as aerospace, agriculture, biosciences, the Federal Government, financial services, information technology, hospitality, healthcare, mining, oil and gas, and advanced manufacturing.  The population is well-educated and outdoor recreation opportunities keep residents healthy and having fun. People are friendly and very open-minded.

Q. How important are the economic ties between Canada and Colorado especially when we think of two-way trade and investment? Does Colorado’s relationship with Canada merit more focus?

Canada and Colorado share significant and growing economic ties together. Each represents an important export market and trading partner to the other. It is absolutely a relationship that merits more attention for it’s size and the fact that it is a win/win relationship benefiting both Canada and Colorado.

Consider some of these topline statistics. Over 131,000 jobs in Colorado depend on trade with Canada which is the #1 market for Colorado’s merchandise exports. Colorado exports over $1.6 billion in goods to Canada annually and another $1 billion in services.  Canada purchases 15% of all goods that Colorado sells to the world including nearly a quarter of its meat exports.  Canada, in turn, is a key supplier of crude oil, lumber, turbo proellors, technology and software.

Canada is invested in Colorado’s success employing nearly 20k workers and is one of the top sources of foreign direct investment.

For Canada, Colorado is a $342 billion market with over 5 million people. Colorado imports nearly $5 billion in goods from Canada annually and is ranked as one of the strongest states for businesss, economy, infrastructure and tech.

Q. As a membership-based organization, what types of companies are you looking to join the MAPLE Colorado Chapter?

There is considerable trade going on between Canada and U.S., so companies in agriculture, mining (including oil and gas) the parts and components of advanced manufacturing and chemical industry could find a MAPLE Colorado membership advantageous. Of course, financial services, commercial real estate and the beer business lubricate these industries. MAPLE is a cross-sector organization and one of the advantages is the opportunity to meet executives in complementary industries and sectors that can lead to innovations and new insights.

Q.  As we continue to exit the pandemic, what role do you see the MAPLE community playing in terms of regional economic development in Colorado and how does it relate to the work of the Canadian government’s presence in Colorado in the form of the Consulate General?

MAPLE Colorado will try to facilitate a return to face-to-face gatherings that are stimulating, informative and in  an environment of productive networking.  Corporate America is following the lead of social media creating a more connected world with good ol’ fashioned get togethers which are worthwhile and beneficial. MAPLE Colorado’s events will complement the good work already accomplished by the Consulate General of Canada’s office.

Thank you very much for your time today, Rob. How can people who are interested in learning more about the new MAPLE Colorado Chapter, get more information?

 Any interested parties can contact: Rob Mancey, 303-902-7525, rob.mancey@maplecouncil.org or Derek Godfrey, 949-939-9026, derek.goffrey@maplecouncil.org.

The MAPLE Business Council website is a great resource and provides an overview of our work. I recommend starting there at www.maplecouncil.org. In addition, our MAPLE Insights website has over 120 articles, interviews and videos from our members discussing markets and sectors. It’s a living library of cross-border content that we continue to grow each month. www.maplecouncilinsights.org

Cultivating an Inclusive Workplace

Author: Lauren Herb Schudson, Market Development Manager, RSM US LLP

Back in the day, when faced with an employment or investment decision, I would look up the company and immediately go to its leadership and board of directors’ web pages. I wanted to know if they were walking the talk from their diversity pages and how many women and people of color were on their leadership teams.

But today, that method for assessing a company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts is out of step. The majority of employees now, largely Millennials, prefer a fresh perspective on DEI topics.

The newer generations of workers believe DEI refers mainly to a diversity of ideas, perspectives and insights, and the race/gender/sexual orientation numbers will rise naturally. Above all, they are seeking inclusive and supportive cultures at the places they work and support. The younger cohorts want a sense of community and to feel they belong, which requires employers to provide ample opportunities for engagement, transparency, and authenticity.

Creating an Engaging Culture

When Millennials talk about inclusion, they are focused on subjective measures, such as whether an organization offers ALL people the opportunity to network, share ideas, and contribute to innovation. So how does a company express its welcoming, innovative culture and demonstrate a commitment to those subjective topics without citing analytics?

The firm I work with, RSM US LLP (“RSM”), has been remarkably successful in this area. In fact, MAPLE Co-Founder and President Stephen Armstrong said, “RSM is clearly doing it right. I was inspired by your employees’ passion and the sense of community and fellowship they promote throughout the firm.”

I agree RSM is doing it right but there is always room for improvement. Case in point, the firm has a widely open door for any employee at any level to recommend innovative ideas whenever they see those opportunities (more on that later).

But taking a step back, let’s look at the foundation of RSM’s engaging culture. It begins with a well-defined focus on what the organization believes in. RSM is an audit, tax and consulting firm, and the leading firm serving the middle market. For many years, we’ve provided our clients with “the power of being understood.” Everyone in the organization, through all levels and positions, believes in it, and works every day to make it a reality – not only for our clients, but for one another.

Supporting and giving structure to the power of being understood are the firm’s 5 C’s (characteristics of a first-choice advisor): We are caring, curious, collaborative, courageous, critical thinkers. These behaviors, along with our core values of respect, integrity, teamwork, excellence and stewardship, help enable others to feel understood.

Inside the firm, we promote a “power of being you” culture where each of us can bring our authentic selves to work and serve as a leader every day. Understanding is at the core of our brand, and it starts by understanding our people and their unique talents and aspirations.

"We know that when people are understood and included, they feel a sense of acceptance and belonging," says Paul Short, partner and leader of RSM's Orange County office. "It builds trust and leads to strong relationships while empowering people with the confidence to achieve their best."

RSM fosters its inclusive environment through training programs, collaborative summits, 12 employee network groups, and other resources that facilitate transparent dialogues and inclusive thinking. Together, these strategies empower us to develop global leadership, embrace cultural differences, raise intercultural competencies, improve workforce productivity and exceed the expectations of our clients. Our differences fuel our insights.

Examples of RSM’s Inclusive Community

• For seven years and counting, we have hosted our annual CDI Summit, attended by hundreds of key leaders from across the United States and Canada. Positive reinforcement of an inclusive environment is the tone at the top of our organization. According to Tracey Walker, our national culture, diversity and inclusion leader, “If you don’t have leaders who are authentic in their behavior, efforts for inclusion won’t resonate at the workforce level.”

• Our firm’s CEO holds regular “Courageous Conversation” webinars with all employees and invites them to share their voice and ideas for enabling RSM’s future success. “I always look forward to listening to the diverse perspectives and learning from the different points of view that are shared during this candid exchange,” says Brian Becker, managing partner and CEO with RSM US LLP.

• RSM has committed four professionals to serve as CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellows. These professionals work alongside fellows from other firms to identify, develop and promote scalable and sustainable public policies and corporate engagement strategies that advance racial equity and improve societal wellbeing. This is the second class of professionals we’ve committed to this important work.

• We provide resources to our employees and clients for engaging as allies in matters relating to race. People who think of themselves as allies benefit because they have more frequent and effective conversations with others. This has very important social, institutional and organizational impact.

• The firm recently launched the RSM Excellence Academy, a multi-year early identification professional development and skill-building program for underrepresented students majoring in accounting, business technology and related fields.

• Our diversity report shares the intricate details of our initiatives, our progress and the next steps on our path toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion. (And if you’re a person who still likes to see the stats, we include those as well.)

• We believe anyone with a big idea, or a different perspective, can drive transformative change. Innovation has been and always will be a key element of our firm’s culture. Employees can submit new ideas through a variety of programs and contests, which not only helps us provide the latest tools and concepts to our clients, but encourages camaraderie, collaboration and learning.

• Perhaps most important and unique are our 12 employee-led employee network groups (ENGs) mentioned previously, which bring together people with diverse experiences and similar interests. They are a critical component of what makes RSM an equitable and inclusive firm where diverse talent excels. We created this grassroots movement to advance culture and connectivity while creating spaces for people to belong. ENGs facilitate communication, provide education and serve as a source of community for their members. We feature all of them on our website, with information and videos about their purpose. The groups consist of:

  • AACE (African American and Canadian Excellence)

  • Abilities

  • Alumni

  • Family First

  • Generations

  • ¡Hola!

  • InspirAsian

  • Interfaith

  • Multicultural

  • Pride

  • STAR (Stewardship and Teamwork for the Advancement and Retention of women)

  • VALOR (Veterans and Allies Leading OutReach)
    

Bringing It Home to Our Communities
Granted, many companies have affinity groups similar to RSM’s ENGs, but our firm really shines when we involve ENG members in activities and events with our clients and communities. These members become ambassadors who share our inclusive culture with other stakeholders.

For instance, when RSM’s Orange County office held an open house to showcase its innovative office features, we highlighted all 12 of our local ENGs at the event. Each group had its own space to promote their unique perspectives and discuss with guests how their team interpreted the “Disruption” theme of the event.

“Our employee network groups are passionate about sharing their cultures and interests to increase understanding of the power of diversity,” Paul explained. “By the same token, RSM also believes strongly in innovation. So I wanted to blend both concepts at our event by asking the ENGs to express their understanding of how “disruption” enables innovative ideas to surface.”

The external involvement of our ENGs demonstrates RSM’s DEI priorities, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from our communities. We continue to encourage team members to get involved, knowing that their engagement strengthens our overall ability to deliver for our clients and employees.

I believe that by placing the highest priority on developing an inclusive culture, all organizations can drive meaningful change, create a more equitable future and ultimately escalate their business success. Thankfully, leaders are increasingly recognizing that DEI is a critical component of the business ecosystem.

Each day we make intentional choices to create an environment where inclusion thrives. The work required to provide a first-choice workplace culture and create long-lasting change in our society will continue—strengthening our firm and elevating our professionals.

It is inspiring to know we each have a role in incorporating the ideals of diversity, equity and inclusion into our professional and personal spaces, relationships, and communities. By now you might be wondering who I am, or how my role enables me to speak about DEI at my firm. Demonstrating that RSM encourages all our voices to be heard, I write this even though I’m a newbie in the grand scheme of this global company. I’m not a partner, accountant or CDI director, but I am still a leader – because we all lead, authentically, from where we are.

The author is a market development manager in RSM’s West region. For more information about RSM, please visit www.rsmus.com.

Photo Credit: Tony Lattimore Photography

The Canadian Century? Time to Lace Up for the Big Game

Author: Maryscott Greenwood, CEO, Canadian American Business Council

Two decades into the 21st century, we are enduring an age of disruption.

The new millennium has so far been a series of economic, political and public health concussions, which, along with creative destruction in the tech sector, have created widespread anxiety, and for some, a profound public distrust in institutions.

Governments are straining to provide basic services. The private sector is regaining its footing after the chaos of the pandemic, but remains constrained by contemporary realities, not the least of which is the first labour shortage in decades.

In Europe, a dictator who controls vast energy resources is bent on crushing a nation that normally furnishes significant shipments of food to the world. In the West, we are seeing the result at fuel pumps and grocery store cash registers, and ever more dismaying images on newscasts.

Global supply chains remain stretched and sclerotic. Inflation, has returned with gusto, reaching levels not seen in forty years. And while many among us have decided the pandemic is over, the coronavirus appears to have other ideas.

Understandably, people are anxious. Indeed, public grievances are so powerful that catering to them, rather than appealing to strengths and charting a positive course, has proven too great a temptation for some politicians to resist.

Certainly, all of these disruptive forces are at work in Canada. But this may also be Canada’s time to lead. As Premier John Horgan of British Columbia put it recently: “In a time of disruption, that’s when innovation begins.”

As an avowed bilateralist from Washington,D.C., I could not agree more. Canada has remarkable, unique qualities at which the rest of the world marvels.

"We are at a moment in history when Canada can and should flex its inherent advantages. Doing so would increase Canada’s prestige and influence in Washington, and contribute to the good of the democracy-led, rules-based international order."

Let me start with what Canada, fortunately, does not have.

At least in part because of its massive inflows of immigration over decades, but also because of its foundational history, Canada’s politics are not as fundamentally riven by racial issues in the way America’s are.

As a result, Canada does not have as many powerful, nativist, anti-immigration forces whipsawing government policy. Canada does not have viciously fought constitutional battles unfolding in a politicized high court. Settled law in Canada actually does seem to mean settled law.

Canada has neither unfettered dark campaign money nor two-year terms for lawmakers, which effectively guarantee an endless election campaign. It is difficult to legislate effectively when you’re constantly worried about fundraising or fighting off primary challenges from within your own political party.

Gerrymandering, which tends to entrench extremism in America’s political structure, often thwarting the will of a more moderate majority, disappeared in Canada decades ago. The country’s electoral boundaries census-based, implemented not by self-interested politicians, but rather the Chief Electoral Officer.

And Canada has a much higher degree of social solidarity than its southern neighbour. Look at masking, vaccination uptake and distancing during the pandemic. Canadians found it just as annoying as everyone else, but mostly cooperated. There was some politicization of pandemic restrictions, but the per capita mortality statistics speak for themselves, with the US having nearly 275 deaths per 100,000 and Canada at fewer than 93 deaths per 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins.

We are at a moment in history when Canada can and should flex its inherent advantages. Doing so would increase Canada’s prestige and influence in Washington, and contribute to the good of the democracy-led, rules-based international order.

Canadians helped pioneer free trade. There was a convulsive debate in 1988, and an election was fought over it, and then it was done. It is now a political non-issue. (which is no small feat when you compare attitudes toward trade on the US side of the border).

Canada in fact went on to sign multiple bilateral and multilateral trade agreements: With Europe, with Pacific nations, with Israel, and even a modernized deal with its North American neighbours. Today, Canada has trade agreements with 51 countries, repre- senting 1.5 billion consumers.

Oddly, though, Canada has a harder time embracing business itself. There is a view among various officials in Canada (with a few notable exceptions) that the population needs to be protected from business – as opposed to being uplifted by its innovation, drive and ambition. Never mind the fact that private enterprise creates the tax base to fund government programs and the direct prosperity that NGOs, charitable organizations and everyday people rely on.

Now would be a good time for Canada to begin treating the private sector as a true partner, rather than some- thing to be distrusted and regulated into submission. In our modern, mar- ket-based economy, it is business, reacting to social issues and demand, that provides solutions.

We need to acknowledge that the massive capital investments necessary to make energy production sustainable and feasible in a time of changing climate must come in large measure from the private sector. Government can help make that happen, by clearing obstacles to industrial-scale infrastructure development. Canada needs LNG export facilities, large carbon capture hubs, and more pipelines.

The way to confront the colossal challenge of climate change is not to sloganeer about “leaving it in the ground.” That is unrealistic. The real-world answer is to figure out the safest, low- est-emission way to transition off fossil fuels. The private sector is working on this. The public sector is too. Neither can do it alone. But they appear to be at odds, talking past one another, mired in distrust, rather than collaborating.

Anyone who lived on planet Earth during the first year of the pandemic watched as Western pharmaceutical firms, backstopped financially by a US government determined to obtain a vaccine, got to work. The result was spectacular: the highly effective Pfizer and Moderna jabs were going into arms within a year, rather than the decade or so it usually takes. But Canada was just another customer, lining up with the rest of the world to buy doses, principally because pharmaceutical manufacturers long ago concluded Canada’s intellectual property laws are inimical to life-science innovation.

Canada needs to foster research and development, protect IP, and tolerate failures along the way, in order to be- come a destination for foreign direct investment (FDI). The announcement in April that Moderna will build a vaccine manufacturing facility in Montreal was welcome news. Let’s hope it’s a harbinger of new policies that will at- tract R&D investors and manufacturers looking to build plants. There is no good reason this sort of capital cannot land regularly in Canada.

Canada has accepted proportionally more immigrants than the United States. It can do that because there is broad public consent on the issue. Make no mistake, that is a huge Canadian advantage. Experts observe that in a time of aging populations, skilled and motivated immigrants are a priceless force multiplier.

But for all its good intentions, the Canadian immigration system moves glacially. Canada has a doctor shortage, and, increasingly a shortage of nurses, never mind the shortages in other sectors.

Canada should add a couple of zeroes to refugee and immigration targets, which is something America cannot do. And then see to it that the public service understands and is reward- ed for prompt, efficient processing of claims and applications. And, furthermore, see to it that regulatory regimes allow immigrants and refugees to use their expertise after they arrive, rather than forcing them into unskilled positions. Canada would benefit directly from the addition of such talent. Canada would also benefit reputationally in the world, all while earning admiration from its neighbor to the south.

Canada was apparently unhappily surprised at being left out of AUKUS, the US-Australia-UK security pact, which basically involves three of the so-called “Five Eyes” allies forming a private club to share nuclear submarine propulsion technology and explore cyber, quantum and artificial intelligence from a defence perspective.

It should not have been much of a surprise, though. Canada lags in defence spending, and has for many decades. It has spent below the NATO minimum, despite its repeated commitments to do more. Defence spending has not been at 2 percent of GDP since 1990.

Canada’s announcement of $40 billion over the next 20 years to beef up NORAD’s continental defence systems is a welcome step. But its intelligence contribution to Five Eyes falls short. A recent study by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute neatly sets out how Canada needs to up its game.

Unless Canada wants to merely be an honorary member of important defence and intelligence pacts, it needs to do more.

Then, Canada needs to become an alternative to China in modernizing the supply chain for the sustainable, net zero economy. This issue could be the defining one for Canada in the second millennium.

Critical minerals vital to our increasingly tech-enabled economy. Computers, mobile phones, fibre optics, semiconductors, medical and military applications, aerospace development all depend on them. They are also key ingredients in solar panels and electric vehicle batteries. We cannot transition to net zero or fight the war in Ukraine (or anywhere else) without heavy utilization of critical minerals.

"Canada should lace up for the big game. This is not the time to act like a second- or third-string quarterback, nominally ready but seldom called upon."

But China currently handles over 80 per cent of all global critical mineral processing. The United States would be relieved if that were not the case; critical minerals are, after all, an economic and national security issue. But that would mean building its own processing facilities in a political environment where it is difficult to obtain agreement on naming a post office, let alone standing up a massive new greenfield industrial minerals processing plant. Canada, however, could.

Compared to the UK, the US and other partners, Canada’s government is stable. There are no midterm elections or insurrection hearings underway. No Brexit to cope with. No war next door.

Canada should lace up for the big game. This is not the time to act like a second- or third-string quarterback, nominally ready but seldom called upon. To do so would mean changing embedded thinking that is deeply resistant to change, but the impact would be enormous.

In this age of distrust and disruption, Canada, with its reputation in the world as a trusted partner, its vast agriculture, rich natural resources, and remarkable stores of knowledge and expertise, is perfectly positioned to lead.

If, of course, that is what Canada wants to do.

Maryscott Greenwood is CEO of the Canadian American Business Council and a partner with Crestview Strategy in Washington, DC. She previously served in the State Department as a diplomat based in Ottawa.

This article originally appeared in the September-October 2022 issue of Policy magazine and is reprinted with permission.

An Interview with Daniel Silverman, Vice President, Foreign Direct Investment at Investissement Québec International

Investissement Québec International is on a roll. The results generated by the organization are quite impressive and reflect the dynamism of the organization. Over the past three years, the organization doubled its foreign direct investment results to $4.6 billion, while exports have almost doubled to nearly $2 billion in firm sales outside Quebec.

Daniel Silverman, vice-president of Foreign Direct Investment at Investissement Québec International shares his views on how Québec distinguishes itself on the international scene and how Investissement Québec’s comprehensive service offer is unique in the world.

Daniel, with a population of 8 million, what makes Québec a major economic player in Canada?

That’s a great question, and something I think that people need to hear around the globe. What we have to offer to international companies looking to expand in North America is exceptional. We are a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered.

First and foremost, our location is ideal. Québec is comprised of 17 economic regions, with 6 metropolitan areas on the eastern seaboard, making it a commercial gateway between the Americas and Europe. We have direct access to 1.5 billion consumers through our 20 strategic commercial ports, 4 international airports, and an integrated railway network connecting Québec to the rest of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Another of our top assets is that we are world leaders in several cutting-edge sectors, including artificial intelligence, gaming, VFX and animation, financial services, life sciences and health technologies, aerospace, and cybersecurity. Additionally, the Québec government is strongly committed to developing a strategy for the battery industry, and many elements are already in place to further develop that ecosystem.

We also shine when it comes to talent and research. There are 18 universities and nearly 140 colleges across the province, representing 500,000 post-secondary students, including 87,000 of whom are international students. There are over 100 industry-specific incubators and accelerators across Québec as well, providing opportunities for corporate partnerships and talent development. Québec ranks 1st in Canada for R&D investments thanks to the 1,400+ chairs, research laboratories, and research centres throughout the province.

Québec is equally renowned for its cost competitiveness. This is partly due to our main energy source, hydroelectricity: we are committed to providing reliable, cost-effective, renewable electricity to our population and the industrial sector. With its 99 % clean and renewable electricity, Hydro-Québec, a provincial state-owned company, is strongly dedicated to pursuing its expansion for cost-effective delivery of electricity to its domestic and nearby markets.

Additionally, we offer tailored support programs for foreign and Québec-based businesses to financially back their projects and help them to innovate or grow, along with talent development initiatives and programs.

Finally, the Québec government is fully committed to developing the economy by doubling foreign direct investment in the province and raising Québec’s exports to 50% of its GDP. Investissement Québec International was created to reach those ambitious goals. Today, we have a team of over 200 experts based in over 30 offices throughout 19 different countries, all specializing in foreign direct investment and exports. We are dedicated to attracting and supporting foreign direct investment, providing export assistance, and attracting international talent.

Consequently, our vision and efforts have been recognized on the international level, with Investissement Québec earning the title of Economic Development Organization of the year in 2022 (silver award). This award is given annually by the International Economic Development Council to the international economic development agency that has distinguished itself the most in its mandate. The recognition and visibility afforded by the award reinforces our reputation for efficiency, and it will serve as a calling card to new prospects.

What are the 4 main industry sectors in Québec? What industries do you see rapidly growing in the future?

With such a diverse economy, it’s hard to name only four. Rather, our goal is to further develop Québec’s key sectors: Life Sciences and Health Technologies, Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence, Electric Vehicles, Energy, and many others. Here are some of our priority industries that are experiencing rapid growth:

For the past 18+ months, we have been dedicated to developing the Battery sector through the Québec Battery strategy. We are leveraging the existing ecosystem, our critical minerals, as well as our renewable energy sources, and we are developing a circular economy within the sector. Ultimately, our focus is the supply chain, from the mine to the cell, and then to recycling. This is also having a positive impact on our growing bus manufacturing, recreational vehicle, and eVtol ecosystems.

Another critical sector in Québec is Life Sciences and Health Technologies. The Québec government is currently in the process of finalizing its strategy for that sector. With its low-cost and renewable electricity, and considering the growth of interest for this energy vector, Québec initiated the Green Hydrogen and Bioenergies strategy. Finally, I definitely think we will see growth in the AI, Aerospace, Semiconductor, and Gaming sectors, as we have always been strong in those sectors and we will continue to develop and innovate.

Where do you see most of the investment in Québec coming from? Where would you like to see more investment coming from?

To begin with, we have a unique value proposition for some markets, especially for France. About 25% of our new investment and re-investment results come from France-based companies. Ubisoft set a great example by opening numerous studios throughout the province.

The U.S. is another strong market for Québec. American companies choose to implement here because of our sector strengths, our low operating costs, and our talent pool.

And to ensure we penetrate all markets, we have recently grown Investissment Québec International’s foreign direct investment team significantly and have doubled down on our
efforts, specifically throughout Asia. Given our sector priorities and synergies with key countries such as Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Australia, we’ll focus on those, as they all present key opportunities for Québec.

How have Québec’s international subsidiaries played a vital part in your economy, and how do you support their growth?

We owe a large part of the success and growth of our economy to international subsidiaries. In fact, 70% of our investments are from the re-investment of 2,300+ international subsidiaries in the province of Québec.

In order to support and accompany international subsidiaries in setting up, investing, and growing here, Investissement Québec International truly plays a vital role. Once these companies are established, the subsidiaries’ managers can always count on our assistance to deal with subsidizing and regulatory authorities during their continuing expansion.

In fact, understanding the challenges faced by these subsidiaries is crucial, and we strive to be proactive in adapting the Québec government's service offering to support them. This means ensuring that the local business environment allows them to innovate, grow, and remain competitive in order to attract new investment projects from their head offices. To do so, meetings and special events between subsidiary managers and Québec government representatives are organized periodically.

So far, our track record is impressive. For example, big players such as Google, Bridgestone, RioTinto, Ubisoft, Stryker, PepsiCo, Sobeys, Air Liquide, L’Oréal, Epic Games, Airbus, Vantage, and many others continue to re-invest in Québec. They help create high-value jobs and complement our existing ecosystems.

You mentioned earlier that the government has a mandate to double foreign direct investment in Québec. Can you please elaborate on that mandate and explain what it means to the Québec economy?

In an effort to stimulate the economy and to promote the strengths of Québec globally, the government created Investissement Québec International (IQI) within the existing structure of Investissement Québec. Based on the previous three years of foreign direct investment (FDI) results, the government mandated IQI to double FDI over a period of five years, from $3 billion to $6 billion.

For the 2021-22 exercise, the organization unveiled exceptional results. Québec supported 121 investment projects, representing $4.6 billion in CapEx, which amounted to a record year for foreign direct investment amid a global pandemic. We are definitely heading in the right direction, as we are entering the third year of our mandate!

How does your financing corporation help companies to get their project ideas off the ground? What financial solutions do you provide?

I cannot think of any other economic development or investment promotion agency that is backed by a financing corporation, which represents a significant advantage for our FDI team. Québec offers multiple programs to support both local and foreign businesses with operations in the province. That covers everything from financing to innovation to international talent attraction, as well as to export assistance.

One significant advantage is the ability to invest in a project or business with equity. Rather than a grant program or an incentive, Investissement Québec’s venture capital and investment funds are invested in an equity stake of a project or business.

As for our diverse financial solutions, one of the key programs offered by Investissement Québec and the Ministry of Economy and Innovation is our ESSOR program, which supports job-creating investment projects in order to increase productivity and competitiveness. The budgetary impact of the financial assistance may represent a maximum of 15% or 25% of eligible expenditures, depending on the type of project and the activity sector. Many types of assistance are available: refundable contributions (low-interest or interest-free loans), loan guarantees, equity participation, and non-refundable contributions.

And our support doesn’t stop there. Additional programs include numerous initiatives and tax credits to boost a company’s growth by increasing productivity and innovation, helping with product commercialization, and driving exports. There are also attractive tax holidays for major investments. Québec also offers grants for HR training, tax holidays for foreign researchers and experts, and many other sector-specific tax and R&D credits.

Why is Québec a champion of intermodal transport? How many consumers are provided with privileged access to the Americas via this gateway?

We have direct access to 1.5 billion consumers through our 20 strategic commercial ports, 4 international airports, and an integrated railway network connecting Québec to the rest of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Daniel, what makes Québec a premier investment location in 2022 and beyond?
In a nutshell, we are an innovative, cost-competitive, highly educated, strategically located diamond in the rough. We don’t stand still; we continue to innovate, to evolve, and we are going to stay ahead of the race for investment, talent, and exports.

How will we achieve this? Over the next several months, Québec will implement the life sciences and health technologies strategy, initiate strategic reflection and action towards the hydrogen strategy, and will have some major transformational industry investment announcements. Furthermore, the government will launch its first innovation zones in some regions of the province.

To position Québec as a premier investment destination globally, we will rely on the government’s continued support, the assistance provided by Investissement Québec, and the over 70 FDI professionals of the Investissement Québec International team.

For more information on the services available from Investissement Quebec, we invite you to visit their website at https://www.investquebec.com/international/en/

Daniel Silverman photo credit: Eva Blue - Tourisme Montréal Credit MU Ville-Marie ElMac Gene Pendon

What It's Like to be an Immigrant in Canada

Author: Olena Polissky, Founder/Managing Director of Art One Translations

The Beginning

August 1996. I am sitting on the plane approaching Vancouver, holding my breath, looking out the window. Down there, I see a magical landscape of a fairy-tale-like city immersed in greenery with impressive bodies of water, bathing in the lazy afternoon sun, all wrapped around by a range of spectacular mountains. I am stunned and fall in love with the city before stepping onto its grounds.

What awaits me here?

Out at the luggage carousel, my two bags approach, and a man beside me offers help picking them up for me. His face suddenly contorts from unexpected heaviness - the innocent-looking bags are packed with thick dictionaries intended for translation work.

A volunteer from the Ukrainian Community drives me to my B&B. I am exhausted from a long flight and need my sleep. Tomorrow I will go out to explore; tomorrow, I will step into my new life.

The Language

The first shock was that I didn't understand the language. The language I majored in at the university and had taught for years, and in which I could freely communicate with Brits and Americans.

I remember sitting on the bus listening to people around me and being unable to understand anything! English in Canada is different.

Someone gave me an old black-and-white TV with a tiny screen which I left on pretty much all the time in my rented apartment to get used to the language. Three weeks later, I started understanding Canadians. I don't know how and why, but it took me exactly three weeks to break through.

Work and Career

What Planet Are You From?
Before immigrating to Canada, I worked in the Kyiv office of a German grain export company, where I was responsible for contract execution, which meant everything from when the contract (which I also translated) was signed to the grains arriving at their final destination. The job was challenging, demanding, and stressful. It required juggling multiple tasks simultaneously, dealing with grain silos, authorities, customs, and ports, and keeping the management in Hamburg up to date. Countless scheduling, tracking, and phone calls.

My boss gave me an excellent letter of recommendation, which I was sure would help me land a job in Vancouver. I planned to work in the office, learn new skills and move up to more opportunities.

Well, the plan was good, except not many people knew where Ukraine was, not taking me or my experience gained there seriously. I was an alien from who knows where, and who knows how they do things in "what is the name of the country you are from again?".

Accounts Payable Clerk with PhD
I was applying for jobs, mailing (yes, mailing!) out hundreds of applications each week. I was desperate. In my despair, I wrote in my cover letter, "I will commit 110% to the job". The President of a manufacturing company invited me for an interview. He wanted to see with his own eyes a person willing to give a 110% to a job. He hired me on the spot. Oh, how happy and proud of myself I was!

But not for long. I realized quickly that most people in the office were immigrants. Their jobs were much below their qualifications, and their salaries significantly lower than the going rates for what they were doing.

I remember a girl who had a Ph.D. from her native country of Turkey, working as an Accounts Payable clerk for a salary of $20K. (I was Accounting Manager with access to the payroll). That was awfully low and unfair, even for the 1990s.

The work conditions left much to be desired; the Operations Manager, an angry man, kept the thermostat at 14 degrees, not allowing anybody to touch it. In the midst of summer and scorching sun outside, we were freezing, wrapping ourselves in sweaters and scarves, barely able to click on the keyboard with our numb from the cold fingers.

We all needed Canadian work experience as what we did in our countries didn't count.

Giving 110%
Giving 110% is not a joke; exceeding expectations is a norm for an immigrant who is determined to establish professionally in a new country. The immigrants must work harder than others, often sacrificing their personal lives and time with their children for professional growth and recognition. What others get away with, the immigrants will not.

Odd jobs, OK jobs, good jobs, and rewarding careers all led to a successful business. Giving more than what was expected became a norm. (A sure way to make yourself enemies as there is always someone - not willing to work as hard - who sees you as a threat).

I know the bitter taste of rejection, the joy of recognition, and the sweetness of success.

I know what it's like to make ends meet and what it takes to be financially independent. And once there to be called "lucky" and "privileged."

Professional Designations
Luckily, I didn't have issues validating my education, but I've heard many stories from other immigrants about their struggles having their educational credentials assessed.

One such story is about a Croatian immigrant to whom a potential employer said that Canada didn't recognize his degree from Zagreb University. In despair, the man replied: "Zagreb University is one of the oldest in Europe; it was established in 1669 when Canada did not exist. I don't think it requires Canada's recognition."

The hardest to get professional designations in Canada is for foreign-educated doctors. It takes years of enormous commitment, dedication, sacrifices, and financial investments. I've heard about depression, nervous breakdowns, and even suicide. All this when there are shortages of medical workers in Canada, and all these foreign-educated professionals are willing and capable of contributing their much-needed expertise to our medical system.

Cultural Adaptation and Values

Family
Years ago, I knew a man whose father had died in another city, and his body had not been found until a week after. Apparently, the son hadn't seen his father for 12 (!) years and spoke on the phone with him only twice during that time. How is this even possible?!

Where I come from, families are usually very close. They care for one another, share home-cooked meals, older generation helps mind grandchildren while their parents are at work. Giving children the best, including a good education, is seen by parents as a duty. And adult children see taking care of their aging parents as theirs.

Friends
Growing up, I remember my parents' apartment (people typically lived in apartments similar to a one or two-bedroom here) often filled with friends. They joined in to celebrate various occasions. Hard-to-find food items had been gathered months in advance and often traded between friends. Furniture was moved around for the occasion, and the whole place was rearranged to fit a large number of people.

Here in Canada, many people live in large houses, and there is plenty of food in the stores. Yet, gatherings like this seem rare, and friends tend to meet in restaurants or coffee shops, and welcoming people home seems reserved for very close family and friends.

It’s a Trade
I once met a woman from Italy who married a Canadian living in Vancouver. I asked her how she felt leaving behind her country, so rich in history and culture. Her response was: "It's a trade." The trade of the familiar for unknown, for new values and new possibilities.

It takes years to establish in a new country and even longer to feel at home. And when it happens, many immigrants share the same sentiment. In the beginning, we all try hard to assimilate, to "unlearn" our ways, to fit in. With years, however, we realize the importance of staying true to who we are with all our cultural differences, habits, and accents. Because aren't these differences what makes the population of Canada such a beautiful and colourful mosaic?

-----

Having lived in Canada for 26 years, I met many good people of all kinds of backgrounds. People who supported me, believed in me, gave me opportunities, opened their homes and hearts to me, taught me lessons, and offered a shoulder to cry.

One man, a lawyer of Ukrainian origin, helped me with a legal matter when I was going through difficult times. I could not afford to pay him and asked how I could thank him. He replied: "By helping others who need help. This will keep the chain of help going"

Today, most Canadians know about Ukraine because of the war, and many admire the bravery and determination of its people in their fight for freedom.

Today my heart is broken for my old country, and it is my time to pay back by welcoming Ukrainian refugees to our Canadian family. Because this is the chain of help, and we must keep it going to stay true to ourselves and to our Canadian values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

For more information on Art One Translations, please visit www.artonetranslations.com.

Benefiting North American Clients: Roland DGA on its Strong Cross-Border Collaboration

Roland DGA Corporation oversees North and South American sales, marketing, and distribution for its parent company Roland DG Corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan. Having joined the Council in February 2022, Roland DGA is a relatively new member of MAPLE Business Council.

Since 1995, Roland DGA has operated a Canadian regional office, initially with two employees, and now employing five staffers who are responsible for sales and distribution to approximately 50 resellers throughout Canada.

We recently spoke with Roland DGA’s Canada Sales Manager, Don Ross, about the state of the Canadian sign and graphics market, current cross-border supply chain and fulfillment challenges, and the strategies Roland DGA uses to satisfy Canadian customers and identify new market opportunities.

How would you generally describe the relationship of your Canadian regional office with Roland DGA Corporation in the US, and your Japan-based parent company, Roland DG?

We are responsible for overseeing Canadian sales as well as for providing support for our network of resellers throughout Canada. Product demonstrations and sample printing are conducted in our Barrie, Ontario office, which is about an hour north of Toronto. Marketing activities, customer service and tech support are shared responsibilities between our US headquarters and our regional office. From our office in Canada, we participate in trade shows and dealer open house events as the opportunities present themselves, to maximize interest in our products and cultivate sales opportunities.

We have a very strong working relationship with both our U.S.-based headquarters and our parent company Roland DG in Japan. Roland DGA, the Americas headquarters, is our main conduit for almost all dealings, and Japan keeps Roland DGA and all the other Roland DG business units worldwide abreast of any new product or financial developments that arise.

Ordinarily, I would make annual visits to the Roland DG headquarters, however that activity has been curtailed over the past few years, primarily due to the pandemic. Zoom and Teams meetings have been beneficial in maintaining some semblance of personal contact throughout our global organization. The three-hour time difference between EST and PST can be easily navigated, however the 14-hour time difference to Japan has made such virtual meetings somewhat more difficult.

What are the core markets for Roland DGA and how do you go about identifying and capitalizing on new market opportunities?

We address a multitude of markets in the sign and graphics industry, apart from our dental business which is a different conversation by itself. As far as sign and graphics industries are concerned, our digital inkjet printers and printer/cutters are used by businesses that focus on signage, advertising, packaging, promotional products, apparel, manufacturing, sports, education, labels, vehicle graphics, and many other applications. Our customers range from small one-person and “mom and pop” operations to some of the largest global enterprises. Roland DGA’s market penetration is very similar throughout North America.

When it comes to identifying and developing new markets for our products, the approach we take differs from most of our competitors. Many manufacturers take a product-centric approach to generate new business. That often means they rely upon price and margin reductions to compete. Instead, we like to provide a “total solution” and approach prospective customers with the goal of developing a partnership rather than simply making a sale. Our goal is to create long-lasting relationships with our customers built on trust and provide them with world-class service and support every step of the way to ensure their success. Developing such partnerships may require putting in extra time and effort, but the long-term payback almost always substantiates the initiative.

What is the current state of the sign and graphics market in Canada and what type of Roland DG devices are the top-selling products in your region?

After experiencing surprisingly brisk sales throughout the COVID period, business is rather soft at present due to some macro-economic headwinds. Canadians typically become cautious when downward economic trends present themselves. That said, in general, Canadian customers are early adopters, embracing new technologies very quickly following their introduction into the marketplace. This typically provides a preview for the rest of our Americas territory, to further inform our sales and marketing efforts.

There are some new market segments Roland DGA has been targeting that are currently booming. One such segment is the SOHO (“small office, home office”) space.

Since the start of the pandemic, more and more people are either working from home or have the desire to do so. This trend has created opportunities for Roland DGA and our line of affordable desktop devices, such as the VersaSTUDIO BN-20 series printer/cutters, VersaSTUDIO BT-12 direct-to-garment printer, and VersaUV LEF Series benchtop UV printers. Each of these devices is essentially a “business in a box,” making it easy for those with limited space and resources to start up a lucrative home-based online business. A minimal investment makes it possible for people to change what may have previously been a fun hobby or sideline into a profitable occupation.

From a custom watch manufacturer in Montreal, to a lady in Winnipeg who has developed a business printing custom guitar picks, to a Vancouver-based business decorating jewelry with fingerprint impressions, we are frequently amazed by the inventiveness of Roland DGA end users.

As far as our top-selling product is concerned, it is hands down our VG3-540, a 54” mild-solvent print-and-cut device that prints stunningly colorful, detailed, and durable indoor and outdoor graphics. This printer/cutter combination caters to a wealth of applications and was a valuable asset to many during the Covid crisis.

Graphics were needed in quick response to inform consumers about mask requirements, floor spacing, take-out only options, etc. The usual pre-COVID demand for concert, film industry, and tradeshow graphics, was replaced by the demand for health and safety signs, banners, floor decals, and stickers.

As business is gradually returning to a more normal state, orders for hockey stick graphics and new arena rink boards demonstrate a “welcome back” to regular demand print operations experienced prior to the pandemic.

What was Roland DGA’s total Canadian sales revenue for 2021? Do you anticipate increased sales revenue for 2022? What about looking forward to 2023…what kind of year are you expecting from a sales standpoint?

Roland DGA’s sales revenue in Canada for 2021 was $11.2 million USD – $9.5 million for our digital imaging products plus $1.7 million in dental product sales. It looks like we will show marginal gains this year, and we expect to see a reasonable increase in sales for 2023 as well.

We are anticipating additional products directed towards the SOHO sector, which will help us expand our presence in this market. There are new customers out there for our current products also – we just need to find them.

We recently hired a new sales manager who will be concentrating exclusively on these home-based businesses. She is already having success in building a support community for these types of customers. We thought we were aware of all the relevant industry trade shows in North America: who would have known that there is an Anime Impulse Show at the Orange County Fairgrounds that attracts more than 10,000 attendees!

What are some of the challenges Roland DGA encounters in fulfilling Canadian customer orders through the North American headquarters, Roland DGA, based in California? Are there any cross-border requirements or obstacles you have had to overcome?

Freight costs have escalated over this past year, which has of course led to an increase in the cost of landed goods. For some reason, due diligence has been deteriorating with respect to ensuring that Commercial Invoice paperwork accompanies all shipments. This is a local issue, no doubt, but one that’s noticeably apparent and causing delays.

Supply chain problems have affected businesses all over the world, and based on reseller feedback, it has been estimated that we’ve lost about 15 percent of our overall Canadian sales due to these issues. Roland DGA’s parent company in Japan has been working feverishly to mitigate the problem, however the reality is that component shortages still hamper business.

How is the current jump in inflation impacting business for Roland DGA in Canada? What about supply chain issues?

Inflation is affecting everyone to one degree or another. Like people all over the world, Canadians are feeling the impact at the gas pump, grocery store, and when it comes time to pay the rent or mortgage.

Every month, we circulate a Canadian MSRP Price List reflecting currency, shipping costs, and other important business metrics. We have had to increase these MSRP values twice in recent months. Unfortunately, in a few cases, supply chain issues have led to some of our multi-line dealers promoting competitive brands.

The forecast for supply chain improvements is positive for 2023, however, so we are hoping these positive changes will materialize.

What about customer service/support throughout Canada; how are you able to supply Canadian customers with the kind of world-class service that Roland DGA is known for?

Our Canadian team is very responsive to calls from our dealer network as well as end users, answering calls from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST on a typical weekly basis. Our Canadian dealers especially find that we are just as readily available, if not more so, than our U.S. counterparts. We do, however, seek assistance from the U.S. from time to time if we are unable to solve certain cases with our own resources – primarily online issues, which can be difficult and time-consuming to navigate. Our cross-border collaboration results in a seamless and timely response to most of our clients’ support needs.

For more information on Roland DGA Corporation, please visit www.rolanddga.com.