Innovation + Job News

The provincial government continues to unroll elements of its youth jobs strategy. The latest announcement came recently from Reza Moridi, minister of research and innovation. The program is called Campus-Linked Accelerators (CLAs), and the goal is to help student entrepreneurs "harness their ideas, their vision and their enthusiasm and turn them into jobs for today and for tomorrow," he said in a statement outlining the initiative.

CLAs will provide funding to select post-secondary institutions across Ontario t"o create, improve and sustain a culture of entrepreneurship among students and youth in their regions, and to integrate these entrepreneurial activities with investors, industry, and other stakeholders in their region. The Toronto-area institutions to receive funding under the program:
 

• The University of Toronto, which will receive just over $3 million in funding over two years. That money will be distributed across the university's existing accelerator programs: the Creative Destruction Lab (Rotman School of Management); the Hatchery (at the faculty of applied science and engineering); the Impact Centre (based in the faculty of arts and science); and UTEST (the university's Innovation and Partnerships Office). U of T’s Banting and Best Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship will also be involved, coordinating efforts at the three different campuses.
• Centennial College, which is partnering with ventureLAB (a non-profit regional innovation centre). Their goal is to help support the creation of 60 businesses in the coming two years, and they will be focusing their work on several priority neighbourhoods within Toronto, to try to reach youth who might not have ready access to accelerator opportunities otherwise.
• Ryerson University is receiving $2 million from the CLA program, and will use the money to support existing entrepreneurial programs, as well as to create "new learning zones includ[ing] the Design and Fabrication Zone, focusing on early stage design and technology; a zone in the new Student Learning Centre; and the Biomedical Zone, to be formed in partnership with St. Michael’s Hospital."
• OCAD University, which is getting nearly $1 million to support its entrepreneurship and commercialization hub, called the Imagination Catalyst. (As we reported this spring, the Imagination Catalyst also includes a specific stream for social enterprise.)

Across the province the government is planning to put a total of $20 million into CLA programs over the next two years.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Ministry of Research and Innovation, University of Toronto, Centennial College, Ryerson University, OCAD University

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

York University has a number of positions open at the moment. First up is an entrepreneurship manager, who will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of LaunchYU, a student entrepreneurship program; a minimum of 5-7 years of relevant experience is required. Next is a coordinator for YU START, York's new student transition program; it's a more junior role, for someone with at least two years of experience. Finally, they are also seeking a new director of marketing and communications for the Schulich School of Business—another senior post, requiring at least 10 years of experience.

For those with tech skills and an interest in media, there are two jobs of particular note right now. Bell Media is hiring a web developer to provide support for The Loop, Bravo, The Comedy Network, and SPACE. And the CBC is hiring a lead architect for CBC Music, to plan and develop new features for that platform.

If health issues are your focus, both the Hospital for Sick Children and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation are also hiring at the moment. Sick Kids needs a new senior specialist in human resources, for someone with at least four years of related experience. And the CBCF is filling posts for a health promotion specialist, as well as a health promotion community engagement manager. Both will work as part of the same team, developing and delivering programs about breast health.

Finally, if you are particularly engaged by sustainable food, the St. James Town Community Cafe is hiring a community co-op developer for a five month part-time contract; the hope is that contract would be extended as the program's funding is secured. The position involves helping to set up a community co-op in the community, with tasks ranging from recruiting for board members to establishing third-party partnerships.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

As Toronto's municipal election enters its final weeks, we're looking at each of the major mayoral candidates, and, specifically, at their economic development and job-creation platforms. First up: John Tory.

Tory's platform in general focuses on streamlining services to businesses, and improving Toronto's branding and status internationally.

"Can you imagine how much better off we would be if we could trade in even a small fraction of the recent attention we received on the world stage, trade that for a few articles touting Toronto as a great place do business," he said at a recent speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

He promises to act as an ambassador for the city, which he believes is key in building confidence among potential investors.

A few items in particular that he hopes to focus on if elected:
 

• Develop a new business hub in Toronto, modeled on London's Canary Wharf. It would be located in the East Don Lands, and require "a reorientation of the Gardiner’s eastern section and new transit connections in this area." The proposal calls for 15 million square feet of development (a mix of commercial and residential), and Tory believes it could lead to the creation of 70,000 jobs if populated at full capacity.
• Focusing on the development of Scarborough, and specifically of opportunities along the planned Scarborough subway route, "by temporarily lowering property taxes for 10 years in order to encourage businesses to locate along the transit corridor." Though details are scant, he calls this an "innovation hub" and promises to work with City staff to streamline zoning and application requests along that corridor.
• Streamlining business services in general. "As your mayor, I will create a single touchpoint for business permit applications and other business services sought by those seeking to invest in our city," Tory told the Board of Trade. "We want to find a way to say yes to people who want to invest in Toronto."
• Tory also wants to "clean up the jumble of organizations trying to attract business to Toronto. Invest Toronto, the City economic development department, and the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance...are all trying to do the same thing, but a little bit differently. But they have a common objective: bringing jobs to Toronto... I will unify and streamline the way these three organizations and others work, and this will mean a better outcome on jobs and lower costs."
• Helping combat youth unemployment (which currently stands at 20 per cent) by doubling the number of companies in the Partnership to Advance Youth Employment, by expanding that program to small- and medium-sized businesses.

Toronto's election will be held on October 27, 2014.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: John Tory election platform speech to the Toronto Region Board of Trade (September 18, 2014)

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

Though it's only just officially become autumn, some employers are turning to thoughts of winter. Urban environmental centre Evergreen is already hiring for its skating programs. Specifically, they are looking for skating instructors who can provide lessons for children aged 4-12, and for a skating rink associate who can provide ovall support and customer service. Their skating season runs from December through March.

For those with an interest in culture the Gardiner Museum has several opportunities at the moment. First up is a post for an education coordinator, a part-time role for someone to help coordinate many of the museum's school-based programs. They are also looking for a curatorial research assistant; graduate work in art history, material culture or museum studies is a must, as is familiarity with ceramics in particular.

Also looking is Toronto Dance Theatre, which is hiring a marketing and communications manager for a maternity leave contract; applicants should have at least five years of experience. The Luminato Festival is looking for an office and HR manager—a part-time position. And finally in this sector, Harbourfront is hiring a video producer and social media specialist, to shoot all promotional video as well as implement social media strategies on multiple platforms.

And last but not least, the Toronto Public Library has one of the most interesting tech opportunities we've seen in a long time. They are launching an Innovator in Communities (IIC) program this fall, to support the Digital Innovation Hubs (that's where you can go use their 3D printers) at the Toronto Reference Library and the Fort York branch. Applicants for the Innovators program should have at least five years of coding experience, and be prepared to create programs for the public, with the aim of fostering employable stills.

In the fall of 2013, the provincial government unveiled a plan to start issuing green bonds: bonds that are in some way tied to projects that help achieve environmental goals.

"Participating in the green bond market will provide an opportunity for Ontario to broaden its investor base and raise additional funding in this rapidly growing sector of the bond market," a government primer on the project says. "In addition, green bonds raise awareness of climate and environmental challenges and allow investors to support green initiatives."

Soon after, an advisory panel was created to help in the selection fo elgible projects, which in general fall into one of the following categories: clean transportation; energy efficiency and conservation; clean energy and technology; forestry, agriculture and land management; and climate adaptation and resilience.

A few days ago, the government announced the first project that would receive a green bond issue: the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, currently under construction in Toronto—that issue may be up to $500 million.

“Ontario is taking a major step forward in planning for a greener, more sustainable future and is the only province in Canada to release a certified green bonds program" finance minister Charles Sousa said when announcing the green bond issue. "People are looking for new and innovative ways to invest in a secure and socially responsible manner. Ontario’s Green Bonds will help us to invest in transit, create jobs and raise capital at competitive rates.”

Few additional details were immediately available, though the government does hope to make this first issue of bonds available early next year.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Ministry of Finance

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

Historica Canada, an organization devoted to the promotion and appreciation of our nation's history, currently has several openings available. They are looking for a communications coordinator to develop marketing materials, tackle media requests, and handle other assorted duties. They are also hiring an outreach officer for a project that involves working with both students and military veterans, as well as a program coordinator for an archival project. Candidates for all positions should be fully billingual.

In media, the Canadian Press is looking for a digital designer, and especially for someone who is comfortable with both design and development for the web.

For those with an interest in the environment, Sustainalytics, an international consulting firm, has two openings in their Toronto location. One is for an entry level office assistant, and the other is for a senior manager of corporate governance; the latter post requires at least seven years of experience in financial services, executive compensation, or other related areas. Also in this sector, Green Communities Canada, an umbrella group for local environmental organizations, has a contract position for a school travel plan facilitator to oversee that program in 8-10 Toronto area schools.

Scotiabank is seeking an officer for their charitable foundation services to work with the CSR team and manage a select group of clients.

Finally, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has two positions available in their Toronto office. One is for a coordinator of major gifts, and applicants should have at least three years of fundraising experience. The second is an area coordinator for Toronto, helping to deliver the organizations programs as part of the community engagement team.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

It’s a vicious cycle familiar to many young people trying to enter the workforce: you can’t get experience without a job, and you can’t get a job without experience. Hoping to help Toronto’s youth—who face about 20 per cent unemployment rates—is a suite of new projects being launched by CivicAction, in conjunction with several private sector partners. Together, the initiative is called Escalator.

The first element of Escalator, explains CivicAction’s CEO Sevaun Palvetzian, is a mentoring piece. Of the 83,000 young people in the GTA who don’t have jobs, many struggle with a lack of networks and role models that can help open that vital door to a first shot at employment. Escalator will aim to provide a centralized, organized way to access mentoring opportunities in the region, while also recruiting employers who can serve as mentors and linking community agencies with mentors more effectively.

The second pice is a collaboration with LinkedIn. “For many years the way people found jobs was by knocking on doors and walking into stores, “ Palvetzian points out. But now, “there's a new 21st century way of finding work.”

CivicAction is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from LinkedIn, and will also have access to some staff resources. The goal of this part of the project is to enable small- and medium-sized businesses post entry level jobs, as well as internship and apprenticeship opportunities, on the job platform for free, while simultaneously training youth in how to use that platform.

The third element of Escalator is another partnership, with technology services company NPower. “One third of the tech jobs in North America are in this region,” Palvetzian says, but often companies can’t find the trained, skilled workers that they need to keep growing. This part of the initiative will take youth from at-risk neighbourhoods and bring them to employer-led, employer-driven training. Ryerson is donating space to facilitate the project, which will include 15 weeks training by employers, followed by seven-week long internships. (Among the private sector partners that have signed on to participate are Cisco, TD Bank, and RBC.)

Palvetzian frames Escalator as a way of trying to fill in gaps in our current system. “A lot of current programs currently exist to help young people to do things like build resumes,” she points out—how to proceed once they’ve done that is often less clear.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Sevaun Palvetzian, CEO, CivicAction

Though there's a growing appreciation that Toronto and the surrounding regions are fast becoming a major hub for tech and digital innovation, just how sizable we've become in those sectors isn't always apparent. A new study highlights the significance of southern Ontario in particular, as "one of the most concentrated centres of technology leadership and growth in the world."

Conducted by tech sector analysts The Branham Group, the report identifies what it calls "Ontario’s own Digital Corridor: a concentrated cluster of innovative technology firms across the York Region, GTA, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Hamilton areas." In that corridor, the report finds, are "176,000 skilled professionals working in the technology sector, generating an average of $387,000 in revenue per employee."

The report is in part an attempt to not just identify the strength of the Toronto-Hamilton corridor in the tech sector, but to highlight one major shortcoming: our lack of effective marketing to celebrate this concentration of talent when compared to, for instance, Silicon Valley.

Our corridor "has everything offered by its U.S. counterpart: talented entrepreneurs, innovative companies, supportive governments, major post-secondary institutions (at least 12) and a track record of success." The report coins the term "Digital Corridor" as an attempt to begin to rectify that situation, developing a local analogue to the Silicon Valley branding that made that part of northern California so famous.

Comparing the two regions, the report notes some interesting differences: per capita income and overall population is higher here, but revenue per employee and total revenue generated are higher there. One potential explanation for this raised in the report: Canada tends to spend less on research and development than our neighbours to the south.

In an interview with John Ruffolo, CEO of OMERS Ventures that is included as part of the report, Ruffalo says: "Your data is concerning and supports other research indicating that Canada’s track record in R&D spend trails other nations around the world. We have to reverse this and make sure R&D spend is a key priority. It is a central strategy for viability of our industry and in individual companies."

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: The Branham Report (Issue 2)

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

The Meal Exchange, a charity that works with university students on food security and sustainability, is conducing a search for a new executive director. Candidates should have a track record of leadership experience, knowledge of the post-secondary sector, and experience with public speaking.

Also conducting a search for a new executive director is The Next 36, which provides mentorship to young entrepreneurs. Candidates should, in particular, has experience of and a network within the Canadian business sector. The Next 36 is also looking for an office manager, with some relevant experience, to join the eight-person staff team.

There are a number of openings at various media outlets right now, starting with the National Post, which is hiring a new books editor. In addition to familiarity with Canada's literary culture, candidates should be comfortable with digital publishing and will be working on various entrepreneurial projects related to books at Postmedia. Sharp Magazine, a lifestyle publication for men, is hiring a fashion editor to oversee fashion shoots and write the associated copy for them. Shaw Media, meanwhile, is looking for an online video producer to help manage daily video content on Global News.

In the city-building realm, think tank Pembina needs a new senior transportation analyst, who will focus on GTA transportation issues in particular. Post-graduate work in engineering, planning, transportation, or another relevant sector is preferred. And the innovation incubator MaRS has an opening a contract opening for an HR manager to cover a one year parental leave. Three to five years of experience are a must.

Finally, in volunteer opportunities, the Community Bicycle Network is looking for a new board member to help with a variety of projects; they are seeking something with specific experience in digital media, marketing, or accounting.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

Let's say you've just arrived in Toronto, moved here from abroad. You'll immediately be faced with a host of challenges—everything from navigating the city's streets to finding an apartment and a job.

Among those challenges: managing your health in an entirely new environment. This includes everything from learning how the health care system works to understanding how to cook nutritious food when you can't necessarily find some of the ingredients that you're used to, or see different fruits and vegetables at the market than the ones you are familiar with.

Enter Self Care Catalysts, a health care company, and local charity Community Matters. They have teamed up to launch a new project in St. James Town, a Toronto neighbourhood with one of the highest concentration of newcomers in Canada. The project, called "Healthy Living in St. James Town" will enable residents to participate in their own health care management by allowing them to create customized platforms that can tackle anything from diabetes monitoring to dietary goals. Users will be able to access their personalized platforms either via mobile devices, or through desktop computers at Community Matters.

Because the majority of the population at St. James Town are newcomers, says Grace Soyao, CEO of Self Care Catalysts,  “many of them do not have an understanding of the health care system in Toronto."

What local community workers realized is that these residents "needed a tool to help educate them about things like differences in the types of food you can buy and consume here versus their home countries. Many residents also have different beliefs about health and how to manage their health—culture essentially defines the way that they manage their health," and our health care system works differently than what residents may have been used to in their countries of origin.

Right now the service is provided in English, but given that many newcomers are also new to English, the goal is to add in other languages over time.

As for Self Care Catalyst, their business model doesn't rely on user fees: the service is free for all residents. What they do is gather information from their user base, stripping out all identifiable information about individuals, and create data sets that they can then sell to governments or health care companies, to help them improve health services based on the real behaviours of specific populations.

"We collect [various] kinds of data and correlate it with patient groups and profiles so that way we are almost collecting voices by patients…that can be used to develop better health care solutions," explains Soyao. So, for instance, with enough information about dietary habits, a data set could be used to generate a more culturally diverse food guide (or to create a series of culturally specific food guides, based on the kinds of ingredients different cultures tend to rely on).

It's a way of allowing patients to participate in their own care, the new partners hope, and also a way of allowing health care providers to learn from those very patients about how to serve them better.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Grace Soyao, CEO, Self Care Catalysts

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

A few sustainability organizations are looking for help right now, starting with not-for-profit TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative. They are currently seeking a part-time communications coordinator with a minimum of two to three years of experience.They have also issued an RFP for website design and development, in conjunction with two separate research projects they are currently involved in.

Meanwhile, Corporate Knights, a magazine with a focus on environmentally sound businesses, is looking for freelance writers with some background in journalism and some story ideas ready to pitch.

Finally, in environmentally friendly transportation, non-profit Bikechain, which provides free training in bicycle repair, is hiring an educational bike mechanic to work 10-14 hours each week.

In the media sector, public broadcaster TVO is currently hiring for two related records management positions. One is an administrative coordinator to help with record-keeping, and the other is a separate coordinator to help establish and maintain a records management system. Both posts require at least three years of relevant experience.

The Toronto Centre for the Arts, North York's major cultural hub at Mel Lastman Square, needs a new front of house manager to coordinate with rental clients, caterers, and other third parties involved in putting on events at the venue.

For those with a background in graphic design, the City of Toronto is hiring a two designers to work in the corporate information management services sector.

Finally, two jobs of note at significant urbanist/city-building organizations. Consulting firm MASS LBP (which works with governments on public policy engagement) is seeking a director-level project lead to oversee strategy and engagement for select clients. And the Centre for Social Innovation is hiring a program manager for its Regent Park location to create and deliver programs to help support and expand the impact of members.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!

Toronto-based start-up Flybits—with the help of several private sector partners, the MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, and Ryerson Futures—hopes to revolutionize the way that mobile technology integrates into our daily lives and into the texture of our cities.

They’ve created a platform that helps bring a huge variety of data and apps together into a seamless experience, and they’ve just closed a major round of Series A financing that will enable them to double their 16-staff complement within a year.

When people talk about the kind of apps they wish they had, says Flybits CEO and founder Hossein Rahnama, they often describe tools that are context-sensitive and responsive: in an ideal world, for instance, your alarm clock would not only know your schedule but also know if your boss was running late, and know when to wake you up to accommodate both of those facts. Flybits has created a platform that aims, eventually, to do just that: it’s a context-aware platform that integrates information from a wide variety of sources and apps, and customizes the information it provides to an individual user based on his or her needs.

We’ve heard about apps like these before: the fridge that emails you a grocery list based on what’s left inside, for instance. “If you want to develop these applications,” says Rahnama, “you typically need to go to an app developer…who builds a very monolithic, non-scalable application.”

What distinguishes Flybits is that it aims to build a platform that is flexible and user-driver, rather than developer-driven: one where, he goes on, “rather than enabling engineers to build apps we enable people to build apps for their own experiences; you own that experience, you built it for yourself.”

To make this all more concrete, says Rahnama, imagine a Toronto app for Pan-Am visitors. It would start as your airport assistant (understanding your itinerary), and as you took the Union-Pearson Express it would become your transit assistant; then once you arrived at Union it would serve as your navigator—one continuous experience that eliminates the need to switch from app to app, and which could deliver all the information in whatever language you (as a traveller to Toronto) find most useful.

So far Flybits’ focus has been focusing on serving corporate clients, to allow the start-up to monetize and grow. (Among those clients are the City of Ottawa, GO Transit, and the provincial ministry of transportation.) They plan to open a free, public-facing consumer platform sometime in 2015.

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Hossein Rahnama, CEO and founder, Flybits

Electric vehicles have been on the market for three years in Canada. Enter Plug’n Drive, a not-for-profit whose mission is to accelerate the penetration of those vehicles into the consumer market.

One of the biggest challenges in encouraging potential car buyers to go electric is the so-far limited availability of charging stations: if you’re not sure you’ll be able to power up when and where you need to, an electric car can be a tough sell. Which leads to Plug’n Drive’s latest cause: increasing the number of charging stations in condo buildings.

“Essentially for the past 20 years Toronto has been going through a condo boom,” points out Josh Tzventarny, director of operations for Plug’n Drive, which is incubated at Ryerson’s Centre for Urban Energy. “Now about 30 per cent of Torontonians live in condos—none of which were designed for electric vehicles.”

For the past year or so Plug’n Drive has been working with Canadian Condominium iInstitute and the WWF to make recommendations for updates to the provincial Condominium Act, which is currently up for review and is likely to come before the legislature in the fall. The Condominium Act only enforces what happens after a condo has been built, however; the best Plug’n Drive is hoping for from new legislation is that it will include rules and guidelines for charging stations should a condo board decide it wants to install one.

“Where the real work needs to be done,” Tzventarny goes on, “is probably the building code—and the City of Toronto is starting to do some work around that with its green standards.”

In the meantime, Plug’n Drive is trying to reach out directly to condo owners and condo boards, making the case that retrofitting a building to include charging stations isn’t actually that a daunting prospect. (They issued a guide to installing them this past spring.)

“It’s really just an electrical job,” Tzventarny says. “It’s no different than installing an air conditioner or something like that.”

Plug’n Drive is also starting to field queries from property managers and real estate agents with clients who have electric vehicles, and prioritize charging stations when they go condo shopping—an indication, he believes, that this is "starting to become more and more of an issue."

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Josh Tzventarny, Director of Operations, Plug'n Driv

Pop-up shops are often associated with higher-end retail: up-and-coming designers stocking small spaces with collections that get snapped up quickly. Recently, Goodwill and Newcomer Women's Services Toronto (NEW) launched a pop-up shop with a very different vibe: their inventory consists of one-of-a-kind products, created by participants in NEW's green entrepreneurship program, out of materials provided by Goodwill.

The women who created the recycled and repurposed products—marketed under a line dubbed Good as New—were participating in one of NEW's self-employment training programs.

The idea arose when some of the participants expressed a particular interest in sewing, says the program's faciliator, Deepa Premnath, and the products include clothing, jewelry, and other accessories. The program's goal is to help give participants the skills ito start home-based businesses; the pop-up shop's goal, meanwhile, is to spread the word about that program, and also to give the designers a trial run—a chance to market test their products and see how they sell.

"Our goal in general is to connect people to resources around the idea of self-employment," says Premnath. She freely admits, "it is not a panacea for all employment ills, but one possibility" in a volatile employment market, and one that can be particularly accessible for newcomers, who often face disproportionate challenges entering the workforce.

You can find the Good as New pop-up shop at the Goodwill Islington South Community Store (871 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke).

Writer: Hamutal Dotan
Source: Deepa Premnath, Program Facilitator, Green Entrepreneurship Program, Newcomer Women's Services Toronto
Photo: Courtesy of Goodwill

The most interesting of the opportunities we've seen this week:

For those with an interest in media, Postmedia is hiring a full-stack developer to work for Postmedia Labs—a small team working within the larger company on rapid-development social products. Meanwhile, Global News is looking for a graphic designer with experience in both 2D and 3D motion design.

Digital studio Architech has a number of openings at the moment, including a project manager, a digital marketer, a U/X designer with at least five years of experience, and a full-stack developer with particular expertise in Java.

In the cultural sector, Kaeja d’Dance is seeking a community outreach animator to provide both strategic and financial direction to community engagement and public participation programs. The Toronto Arts Foundation is hiring an online learning coordinator to develop web content and work on social media; it's a part-time post for someone with at least two years of relevant experience.

If you're interested in food and the environment, local health food store The Big Carrot is looking for food service leader to operate and develop their prepared foods department.

The Pecaut Centre for Social Impact is a philanthropic organization that "invests in high potential charities that are fostering scalable solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing our community." They are looking for a program manager—a position for someone with experience in entrepreneurial investment, and preferably social enterprise.

And finally, the CAMH Foundation, which raises funds for the mental health hospital, is hiring a manager of marketing and communications with at least five years of relevant experience.

Do you know of an innovative job opportunity in Toronto? Let us know!