Given her family’s experience constructing commercial buildings, it seems fitting that Shirley Westeinde’s name is now etched in stone downtown.
On Wednesday, a plaque commemorating Ms. Westeinde’s 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award was unveiled at the Plaza of Honour, an outdoor amphitheatre at World Exchange Plaza.
Ms. Westeinde is the first woman to attain the honour, which until 2011 was known as the Business Person of the Year award. The Lifetime Achievement Award is a joint initiative of the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce. The honour is part of the Best Ottawa Business Awards (The BOBs).
(Sponsored)
SnowBall 2026: A premier networking event with purpose returns to 50 Sussex Dr.
As winter settles in across the capital, one of Ottawa’s most high-profile charitable and business networking events is set to return to its roots: On Wed., March 4, 2026, The
Powered by passion, backed by Ontario Made: Turning bold ideas into entrepreneurial success
Back in the winter of 2018, a brutal cold snap dropped temperatures in Merrickville to -46°C. Michael J. Bainbridge and Brigitte Gall looked outside and told their holiday visitors to
“I’m feeling very elated to join this group on the stairs, many of whom I knew over the years,” Ms. Westeinde said. “I’m so proud to have contributed to some of the skyline of Ottawa.”
Ms. Westeinde’s career has been marked by many milestones, including first female chair of BOMA Ottawa, the Canadian Construction Association and Ottawa Economic Development Corporation, a forerunner to OCRI and Invest Ottawa. She is also a recipient of the Order of Canada.
