Case Studies Region: Canada

MacEwan University may be in Western Canada, but the people who comprise the facilities department speak at least one word in Japanese: muda. That, explains Stephen Luyendyk, translates as waste or uselessness, terms that were anathema to him and his crew even before 2019, when an outside speaker put a catchy name to the many […]

Though Jamie Collum and Andrew Cartwright knew they’d make a great team, they really didn’t imagine it would be this good. At Toronto-based FCA Insurance Brokers, the duo helps contractors across Canada get insurance and surety bonds as the industry rebounds from COVID-19-related setbacks. The tag-team approach began in August 2020, when Cartwright joined FCA […]

Like most in-person organizations in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the YMCA of Three Rivers in Ontario, Canada, did the smart thing: closed its doors and figured out how to operate remotely. Except for one area. With local homeless shelters closing or at capacity due to new distancing requirements, and gymnasium space freed […]

It’s not a pleasant memory for Lavernne Hudson, that her late, sight-impaired grandfather needed care beyond what the extended family could provide. He spent his last years in a very institutional facility, and while the place wasn’t uncomfortable, something seemed to be missing. The man deserved better surroundings and more personal attention, she recalls, especially […]

Nestled between fertile prairies and the Rocky Mountains, the 80,000-acre Tsuut’ina Nation was established for indigenous people in 1883, a decade before its neighbor, the City of Calgary. Over the course of 50 years, the Tsuut’ina Nation readied itself for future economic development. Partnering with Canderel in July 2016, it formed Taza Development Corporation to […]

The Amazing Brentwood, scheduled to open in spring 2021 in Burnaby, British Columbia, is nothing like the city bordering Vancouver has ever seen. It pierces the skyline with three glass towers, two at 60 stories, one at 54, on 8 acres. Those towers, with 1,500 residential units, rise out of a 500,000-square-foot mall and podium on top of 1.2 million […]

Recognition within the highest circles of science is bringing the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ontario, to the forefront of scientific research on a world stage. University professor Donna Strickland earned a Nobel Prize in Physics along with colleague Gérard Mourou of France in 2018. Based on their research and exploration of chirped pulse amplification, […]

Coming back to school at Carleton University in Ottawa has been an exciting experience for Golchehr “Goli” Monjazeb. The Carleton graduate, who’s now director of planning, design and construction, brings a lively and humorous approach to overseeing the university’s expansion. Her expertise ranges from architecture to project management and she’s built a career not only […]

It’s a sense of optimism that’s not widely shared in the restaurant industry. Even before COVID-19 many chains were retrenching or revamping their business models. Since the pandemic, some brands have struggled to merely survive. A notable exception might be in western Canada, where The Canadian Brewhouse—a family-friendly sports bar and restaurant—continues to think big. […]

Every day Albert Fiacco looks at the shiny plaque on his wall and smiles.   Winning the 2018 Energy Project of the Year from the government of Ontario and the industry conference Energy into Action is a point of pride for Fiacco, the director of facilities at Boston-based integrated facilities provider C&W Services.  It also makes him feel good about the positive environmental impact the company is making globally. And yes, on a […]