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EY Pointing North magazine launch

Dan Goldberg (Telesat), Aaron Smith (EY Canada) and Arryn Blumberg (EY Canada) present a gift to Dan Goldberg at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleron for OBJ.
Dan Goldberg (Telesat), Aaron Smith (EY Canada) and Arryn Blumberg (EY Canada) present a gift to Dan Goldberg at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleron for OBJ.
OBJ staff
By OBJ staff
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Event Date: 05/26/2026
Organizer: EY Canada, Telesat, Ottawa Business Journal

What does Ottawa need to do to strengthen its role in building Canada’s economic future, especially when it comes to innovation?

That question was at the centre of a thoughtful discussion on May 26, when business and innovation leaders gathered at Telesat’s headquarters for an executive dialogue hosted by Telesat, EY Canada and the Ottawa Business Journal.

The event launched Pointing North magazine, co-produced by EY and OBJ. The magazine is an evolution of a previous project named Techopia-EY Insights. Pointing North is a 92-page glossy magazine that touches on major opportunities and challenges for technology companies as well as a geographic breakdown of what’s happening in major tech clusters across Canada.

The launch meeting featured an interview conducted by OBJ publisher Michael Curran with Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg of Telesat and EY manager partner Warren Tomlin. Goldberg provided an update on Telesat’s multi-billion dollar project Lightspeed. Using Telesat as an example, Tomlin spoke about what Canada must do to scale its tech industry.

To read Pointing North, click here.

(Dan Goldberg) speaks to attendees at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, 160 Elgin Street, Ottawa, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.
Dan Goldberg (Telesat) speaks to attendees at the launch of Pointing North magazine, May 26, 2026 at Telesat headquarters. Also pictured, Michael Curran (Ottawa Business Journal) and Warren Tomlin (EY Canada). Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.
Neilda Gagne (AGI Ventures Canada) chatting with attendees at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, 160 Elgin Street, Ottawa, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ
Neilda Gagne (AGI Ventures Canada) chatting with attendees at the launch of Pointing North magazine, May 26, 2026 at Telesat headquarters. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.

XYZ and XYZ at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, 160 Elgin Street, Ottawa, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.Stephen McIntyre (EY Canada) at the launch of Pointing North magazine, May 26, 2026 at Telesat headquarters. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.

Jeff Johnson (EY Canada) being interviewed at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, 160 Elgin Street, Ottawa, May 27, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.

Jeff Johnson (EY Canada) being interviewed at the launch of Pointing North magazine, May 26, 2026 at Telesat headquarters. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.

Attendees networking at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, 160 Elgin Street, Ottawa, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.
Attendees networking at the launch of Pointing North magazine, May 26, 2026 at Telesat headquarters. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.
XYZ chatting with attendees at the executive dialogue on Ottawa’s economic future and innovation agenda at Telesat headquarters, 160 Elgin Street, Ottawa, May 26, 2026. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.
Ian Glenn (ING Robotic Aviation) chatting with attendees at the launch of Pointing North magazine, May 26, 2026 at Telesat headquarters. Photo by Mark Holleran for OBJ.
The narrative surrounding the Canadian tech sector often focuses on boom-and-bust cycles, brain drain, or the historical demise of past giants. But the numbers tell a different story. Driven by evolutionary waves from telecommunications to software-as-a-service, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence, the national technology ecosystem has quietly produced remarkable long-term enterprise value. New research shows that Ottawa tech unicorns have produced at least one billion-dollar firm every single decade, making it the highest per-capita producer of unicorns in the country. Moreso, local tech ventures account for a staggering three-quarters of all-time wealth creation in Canadian tech history, driving $1.4 trillion in wealth over the past 36 years. In this episode of Techopia Live, OBJ publisher Michael Curran celebrates Ottawa Innovation Week by speaking with tech veteran Sasha Gera, chief operating officer of HealWell AI. Gera shares his research and insights from his newly launched ledger, Unicorn North, highlighting how Ottawa stacks up against other major Canadian cities and why it remains the most productive, distraction-free destination for building sustainable, hundred-year companies. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:22 Introducing Sasha Gera 14:45 Sponsor Segment 17:57 Innovation Week 25:15 Closing and What’s Ahead at OBJ For more on Ottawa’s tech and innovation scene, visit https://obj.ca/techopia Subscribe to Techopia’s weekly newsletter here: https://obj121.activehosted.com/f/5
Techopia: Is Ottawa the country’s biggest tech wealth generator? | Episode 298
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