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A ‘social divide’ is being created in downtown Ottawa, Business Council of Canada CEO says

March 25, 2025

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The president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada believes Ottawa is “creating a social divide” between its workforce and downtown businesses. At a morning breakfast event with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe Tuesday, Goldy Hyder was quick to refer to a 2023 OBJ article in which he said he had “not seen anything anywhere that looks like what’s going on in Ottawa.” “When did we become ‘I’m entitled to my entitlements’ around here and … stopped being Canadian?” he said during a conversation with Sutcliffe at City Hall. Hyder said he was astounded by the results of surveys done by the public service on return-to-office mandates. “The response back was, ‘It’s not my problem for the coffee shop to make it.’ Actually, it is. That is your neighbour who took out a lease on Sparks Street in December 2019, unbeknownst to them that a global pandemic was going to strike … They hung on, thanks to the government support and the programs and their own capacity to do home delivery, and they got through it. They were expecting you to come back,” he said. Hyder added that remote work is hurting young professionals who are entering the workforce and those who are choosing to keep a remote work model. “Eventually that group had (the fear of missing out), they started to realize that (the) people who went back to work (in-person) got promotions … and didn’t get laid off or didn’t get their hours cut, because it’s hard to do that to someone you’re having a water cooler conversation with versus this abstract person on the other end (of your computer screen),” he said. When asked how Ottawa could strengthen the local economy, Hyder said he’s worried about the loss of human capital. “I’m concerned that we’re losing some of the consensus on immigration … You’ve got to be able to get the talent, you’ve got to be able to deploy that capital. In Ottawa, I think there’s an opportunity for us to be more than a public-sector town … the opportunity is really to continue to grow on the soft services side,” Hyder said. One of the issues with Canada’s economy, Hyder added, is the lack of ambition from top performers. “The problem in Canada is our aspiration is to build a business to $10 million, sell it and buy a cottage in Muskoka. Say whatever you will about America. They reward risk, not punish it, and they scale. They’re never done until they’re as rich as Elon (Musk). Everybody wants to be Elon and so we have to have that ambition,” he said. When it comes to the ongoing U.S.-Canada trade war, Hyder said it’s not the U.S. president that keeps him up at night, but whether Canada can band together to fight. “It surprises people when I say, ‘Thank you, Mr. President, for doing what no one has been able to do in Canada, which is galvanize Canadians – east to west, French and English, urban to rural, Leafs and Sens fans – to be able to get our act together. What’s keeping me up at night is, can we do that?” he said. One of the outcomes Hyder said he hopes will come from the trade war is a newfound collaborative spirit in Canada. “Let’s do a better job in bringing people together to solve problems and set an ambitious goal for our city. I think people like you are trying to do that and you need the support of the business community and others to help you do that,” Hyder said to Sutcliffe. Hyder spoke about the importance of diversifying Canada’s export markets and not being as reliant on the United States. “I am not suggesting that we get a divorce from the United States … It’s not minus the United States, it’s U.S.-plus,” he said, adding that he sees opportunities for Canada particularly in Indo-Pacific markets. With a federal election slated to take place April 28, Hyder said, no matter the party, the newly elected government will need to have a clear mandate on how to proceed with the trade war. “We need to be very careful as we manage the risks of the tariffs and our response to the tariffs and how freely people throw in ideas for what other provinces should do,” Hyder said. “This is a serious time and a serious moment where we need to have the discourse elevated. We need more engagement from Canadians. I will predict today that we’ll probably have one of the highest voter turnouts we’ve had,” he said. Going forward, Hyder said he hopes Canadians will keep a positive attitude as the country navigates the way ahead. “I want that sports attitude from the Olympics and in hockey to become the attitude for our economy and our country, because there’s no reason Canada cannot win. The only ones that have been getting in our way is us,” he said.