Intended Consequences

StrategyCorp hosted a webinar on November 7th to analyze the results of the U.S. election. Three expert panelists joined Garry Keller, Head of the StrategyCorp's Geopolitical and International Business Advisory Practice, to discuss what the return of Donald Trump to the White House could mean for Canada:

• Louise Blais, Former Canadian Diplomat
• Richard Madan, CBC Washington DC Correspondent
• Christopher Sands, Director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute

The Ontario legislature returns after a long summer break. MPPs head back to Queen’s Park under interesting circumstances as parties are also getting ready for a potential snap election.

Aidan Grove-White, Fraser Macdonald and Kelly Baker join the podcast to analyze what the priorities of each party will be this fall. They also highlight the key risks and opportunities the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, NDP and Liberals could face. With an election looming, our guests discuss how the parties are preparing to hit the campaign trail.

We begin the 10th season of Intended Consequences by looking at the return of the House of Commons. There was no shortage of political news over the summer, including the end of the Supply and Confidence Agreement between the Liberals and the NDP.

Andrew Steele, Garry Keller and Nasha Brownridge join the podcast to discuss the political dynamics at play and how the Liberals, Conservatives and NDP will be approaching the fall sitting.

According to the Government of Ontario’s population projections, the number of seniors aged 70 and over will jump from 1.9 million in 2022 to nearly 3.5 million in 2046. An aging population puts significant pressure on long-term care and healthcare capacity in the province. It has real-life implications for seniors and their families. 

This episode explores whether a paradigm shift in seniors’ care is needed. The CEO of the Ontario Retirement Communities Association Cathy Hecimovich and StrategyCorp Senior Advisor Philippe Couillard join the podcast to discuss the continuum of care and the role of retirement communities. They also share their thoughts on how governments can help seniors be in control of their care.

Listen to our panelists Ana Bailão from Dream, Steven Paynter from Gensler, and Aidan Grove-White and Mary Ellen Bench from StrategyCorp, discuss how building conversion works, what needs to happen for these kinds of projects to move forward, the roadblocks that can hinder the reorganization of space, and how different levels of government can help.

On June 26, 2023, Torontonians elected Olivia Chow as their next Mayor in a by-election. As it is often the case when a new mayor comes into office, there was some uncertainty around how Olivia Chow would govern and what the relationship with other levels of government would look like.

A lot has happened in Toronto city politics since the election. The City reached a New Deal with the Government of Ontario and Council passed the Mayor’s first budget. To look back on the last year and discuss what comes next in Toronto, Aidan Grove-White, Fraser Macdonald and Marco Bianchi from StrategyCorp join the podcast

Satellites play an increasing role in enabling the deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions in some parts of Canada. Innovation in low earth orbit (LEO) satellites reminds us that satellite technology is evolving rapidly. 

Jason Trembley, Manal Hauenstein and Dennis Béland from Terrestar Solutions join the podcast to discuss the emergence of LEO satellites and what it means for the regulatory regime. With an increasing number of satellites in orbit, we explore how industry and governments can work together to limit risks associated with satellite collisions and the proliferation of space debris. Our guests also highlight interesting IoT use cases powered by satellites.

Despite Bitcoin having been around since 2009, crypto and blockchain remain relatively misunderstood. Several myths persist around what the technology is and is not. Many also underappreciate the role of crypto and its innovation potential. As crypto attracts more attention and users, a variety of regulatory frameworks are emerging around the world.

To help us understand the world of blockchain, web3 and crypto, we are joined by Justin Wales, SVP and Head of Legal for the Americas at crypto.com. He is the author of a new book titled The Crypto Legal Handbook: A Guide to the Laws of Crypto, Web3, and the Decentralized World.

International events and geopolitical shifts have massive impacts on Canada. More than ever, governments and companies find themselves navigating uncertain geopolitical dynamics. To assess what this means in practice, we are joined by Arif Lalani, a Senior Advisor with StrategyCorp’s Geopolitical and International Business Advisory Practice. He shares his insight on what a declining western liberal democratic order concretely entails and why technology is now a form of hard power. We discuss how a changing geopolitical order impacts foreign policy and the way Canadian companies conduct business abroad.

Governments spend large sums of money on procurement every year. According to Global Affairs Canada, estimates show that government procurement represents between 13 and 20 per cent of a country’s gross domestic product.

Given the size of the budgets and the wide array of goods and services governments need, procurement is a big opportunity for potential suppliers. However, procurement processes are often complex and hard to navigate.

To explore the topic of federal procurement, we are joined by the President of AES Inc., Annie Randell, and Martin Rust, a Senior Advisor and a member of the StrategyCorp Procurement Solutions team. We explore why government procurement matters, the lifecycle of a process and how it could be improved. A member of Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation, Annie Randell also discusses the obstacles Indigenous-led organizations face when they partake in government procurement processes.

Later in the show, Julie Gonyou explains what makes municipal procurement unique and debunks common misconceptions. A former Chief Administrative Officer, Julie Gonyou is a Director at StrategyCorp and a member of the firm’s Procurement Solutions team.