2021 was another challenging year for everyone as Canada and the U.S. made tremendous strides to combat Covid with vaccinations and boosters while seeking to recapture more of our pre-pandemic lives. As I write this post, we are in the midst of the Omicron variant which certainly makes it feel like we are reliving the early days of the pandemic - yet we are in a fundamentally stronger position. Vigilance and empathy are required for the safety of our families and the strain that the pandemic continues to have on our health care system and all who serve on the front lines.
A Growing Community
Our MAPLE Business Council community grew in 2021 despite the constraints of Covid and we are tremendously grateful to our renewing members and those who joined us last year. We welcomed members from six provinces and states who work in 10 different sectors further strengthening our cross-border/cross-sector membership. Among our newest member organizations are Livingston International, Canada’s largest customs broker, the Quebec Government Office in New York, and Investissement Québec International. We were also delighted to announce reciprocal memberships with Washington D.C.- based, the Canadian American Business Council. Today MAPLE is a community with members working in over 20 markets in over 20 business sectors.
Anniversaries Celebrated
2021 marked the first anniversaries of our New York and our British Columbia Chapters – the latter having been an active community supported by regular events since early 2017. And we also celebrated our 6th anniversary of the original founding of MAPLE Business Council in 2015. Each year it continues to be a privilege to connect Canada and the U.S. through programming and content that facilitates executive-level contacts and brings opportunity and collaboration north and south. We were also excited to publish our 50th issue of our monthly thought-leadership e-publication, MOMENTUM, in the spring.
Partnerships Welcomed
We had the pleasure of signing partner commitments with two important organizations active in the innovation and start-up economy in Canada and the U.S. In 2021, we announced a MOU agreement with Waterloo Region-based, Communitech Outposts, in Ontario followed by an agreement with the Alliance for Southern California Innovation. We are supporting each other’s missions with opportunities to showcase our work and expertise. We’ve archived an article by Communitech Outposts’ Managing Director, Azhar Janjua, on the work of his team on our website where you can also find a webcast on the Southern California innovation landscape profiled by Eric Eide, Director of Ecosystem Development at the Alliance, that he gave to our British Columbia Chapter.
We also had the pleasure of getting to know a fellow ‘MAPLE’ organization - the Maple League of Universities – an innovative alliance of four universities in Québec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Dr. Dr. Jessica Riddell, Executive Director of the alliance, shared a fascinating look at how these universities collaborate to solve ‘wicked problems’ in higher education.
Insights Shared
Our members and partners shared their insights through a variety of MAPLE platforms in 2021 including presentations at virtual and hybrid events hosted from Southern California, Vancouver and New York to articles in our monthly thought-leadership e-publication, MOMENTUM, and our social media video series, Conversations.
We produced a special compilation video of past Conversations episodes, Planning for Cross-Border Success, with a cross-section of our members combined with specially recorded messages from Consul General Zaib Shaikh of the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles and Acting Consul General Khawar Nasim of the Consulate General of Canada in New York. We were adding our collective voice to the importance of Canada and the United States building back our economies better together.
Thank you to all our presenters, authors, and video interviewees. Because of you, we are curating a significant library of cross-sector insights. In 2021, our articles addressed the following topics:
Diversity Equity and Inclusion
o Promoting Collaborative Communities in Ontario, Canada and Abroad – Ontario Trade & Invest
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Promotion of Cross-Border Trade, Investment and Entrepreneurship – MAPLE Business Council
Economy
o A Remarkable Year in the Public Markets – Toronto Stock Exchange
o 2021 Canada Federal Budget: Detailed Commentary – RSM US LLP
o Economic Snapshots of the Middle Market – RSM US LLP
Energy
o Find Out Why Green Battery Production Will Be All Powered by Québec – Investissement Québec
Finance
o To Hike or Not to Hike? Central Banks in the Pandemic Recovery Era – AFEX
o Northbound Private M&A Deal Considerations and Opportunities – Fasken Law
Higher Education
o Tackling Wicked Problems in Higher Education – Maple League of Universities
Human Resources
o How Canadian Start-ups Can Expand Internationally by Hiring Locally in New Markets – Communitech
o Total Rewards Strategy for Employee Benefits - Sterling Capital Brokers
o Four Steps to Secure Your Work from Home Environment – QA Consultants
Innovation
o The Southern California Innovation Ecosystem – Alliance for SoCal Innovation
Intellectual Property
o When and Where to File a Patent Application – Knobbe Martens
o Controlling the Speed of Patent Examination in the U.S. – Knobbe Martens
Leadership
o Resilient Leadership in Uncertain Times – Business Development Bank of Canada
o An Interview with John Keisler – Economic Development Director - City of Long Beach
Real Estate
o A New Beacon in Downtown Los Angeles – The California Market Center – Brookfield Properties
Supply Chain
o Northern Nearshoring – Why Canada is Well-Placed to Help Diversify U.S. Supply Chains – Livingston International
o Minimizing Supply Chain Risk in Uncertain Times – Purolator
You can find more of our content throughout our website as follows:
· Articles: https://www.maplecouncil.org/momentum
· On-Demand Webinars: https://www.maplecouncil.org/webinars
· Video Conversations: https://www.maplecouncil.org/maple-conversations-2021
A Journey Continues
2021 saw us continue our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey as we shared our DEI mission and values, produced a special issue on the DEI insights of our members and partners including the Consulate Generals of Canada in Los Angeles and New York and recorded episodes of Conversations on the DEI journey of one of our members, Sem Ponnambalam, a successful woman founder of a cybersecurity firm in Canada, the U.S. and the UK. This included a special long-form video of our DEI discussion with Sem.
Growing Together in 2022
We’re excited to move forward into 2022 fortified by the contributions and wisdom of our members. And as Canada and the U.S. chart their economic roadmaps, let us remember the unparalleled strength that comes from a very special and deep relationship founded on partnership, friendship and being allyship. We invest, trade and make things together and our future will be brightest when we draw upon and enhance our respective strengths and integrated supply chains.
We look forward to welcoming you to one of our programs in 2022 and sharing more insights from our growing community.