Ottawa Fact Sheet - June 2009

Unemployment Rates May 2009
(StatsCan) Monthly, Seasonally Adjusted

Local Employment Outlook
(Manpower Inc. Survey 3rd Quarter 2009)

Overall New Home Starts in Ottawa (CMHC)

1999: $274M
2000: $1.3B
2001: $921M
2002: $734M
2003: $241.71M
2004: $189.58M
2005: $359.40M
2006: $266.10M
2007: $184.45M
2008: $130.21M
2009: $23.86M

Click here for a detailed list of 2009 funding in the NCR

OCRI awards ceremony to highlight school tech program (Ottawa Business Journal 03/06/09) 
Brief An awards ceremony at Kanata's Earl of March high school Wednesday evening will honour the "best in class " in OCRI's Ottawa High School Technology Program pilot, a program that pairs tech leaders with upcoming students to provide guidance and mentorship.

Vision for blind communications earns entrepreneur CATA award (Ottawa Business Journal 10/06/09)
There was a time when business was so slow for Sharlyn Ayotte, she couldn't even afford a Friday night pizza with her husband. But business in the production of accessibility materials soon picked up, she says. They've been accelerating ever since - late last month, her work as chief executive of T-Base Communications Solutions Experts earned her an award from the Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance

Spartan Bioscience working on HIV test for developing world with new partner (Ottawa Business Journal 19/05/09)
Spartan Bioscience and Atlanta-based Cooperative Diagnostics are hoping to co-develop a DNA testing technology for HIV and AIDS for the developing world, with the launch of a new partnership.

DragonWave radios to provide broadband in Burkina Faso (Ottawa Business Journal 20/05/09)
DragonWave Inc.'s technology will be helping to deliver broadband services to enterprise customers in western Africa, the company announced Wednesday.

Envision's IONA wins $15M Calgary Airport contract (Ottawa Business Journal 25/05/09)
Environmental construction services company The envision Group has won its third deal in two years with the Calgary Airport Authority, this time to perform improvements on the international airport's north airfield.

UPDATE: Chambers of commerce to merge (Ottawa Business Journal 27/05/09)
Ottawa Chamber of Commerce chairperson Dan Moorcroft (File photo)Once the largest business organization in the city, the Eastern Ottawa Chamber of Commerce will merge with the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce this September, the two groups announced Wednesday.

GasTOPS strikes Lightning deal (Ottawa Business Journal 27/05/09)
Brief Defence company Pratt & Whitney announced on Wednesday a $48-million deal struck between Hamilton Sundstrand, a supplier of the F135 engine for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet, and Ottawa's GasTOPS Ltd.

Enablence ventures into Middle East market (Ottawa Business Journal 28/05/09)
Enablence Technologies Inc. has made its first foray into the Middle East market with the selection of its optical network technology 

QNX and Pandora make music for automakers (Ottawa Business Journal 02/06/09)
Brief QNX Software Systems has added the popular personalized Internet radio recommendation service Pandora to its automotive software program, the companies announced Tuesday.

OSI's Turkish delight with new deal (Ottawa Business Journal 05/06/09)
OSI Geospatial Inc. has announced another international navy deal, this time for the installation of up to eight navigation systems for 

Natural Convergence takes NewStep with Toronto purchase (Ottawa Business Journal 08/06/09)
Natural Convergence Inc. has bought Toronto-based Bell Canada spinoff NewStep Networks for an undisclosed sum, the firm announced Monday.

C-COM to work with Thai firm to market to Asia Pacific region (Ottawa Business Journal 09/06/09)
C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. is teaming up with the operator of a commercial satellite broadband system covering most of Southeast Asia and also Australia.

March Networks scores major transportation project deals in South Africa (Ottawa Business Journal 09/06/09)
March Networks has won deals to install digital security systems in support of two transportation projects in South Africa, with the announcement sending the Ottawa-based company's stock higher on Tuesday.

EDUCATION

Algonquin business program hits five-year mark (Ottawa Business Journal 20/05/09)
With tough times often comes a need for new thinking – and an argument for students to consider college to learn practical business training right out of high school rather than waiting for training at the executive level, argues one academic at Algonquin College.

U of O and Carleton get government funds for building projects (Ottawa Business Journal 25/05/09)
Ottawa's two biggest universities are getting a total of $132.5 million in funding from the provincial and federal governments for their new major building projects.