Business News

Phil Verster is out as CEO and president of Metrolinx, the province says.

The U.S. Postal Service has temporarily suspended accepting mail headed to Canada due to the strike by Canada Post workers.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares is stepping down after nearly four years in the top spot of the automaker, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroen and Ram, amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales.

Net income for non-financial corporations drops to lowest levels since pandemic

The electric bus and truck manufacturer announced 400 more temporary layoffs in Canada and the United States, adding to the 520 workers that were laid off earlier this year.

Here’s a breakdown of the factors working against our currency as the so-called Trump trade plays out

Canada's next government should look critically at spending, taxes and innovation policy to set the stage for future growth

The latest move from Canada Post comes after the union filed an unfair labour practice complaint with the Canada Industrial Relations Board over the layoffs of striking employees, saying the layoffs are an "intimidation tactic" that violates the Canada Labour Code.

For 35 years, Toronto-based law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell was housed in a 10,000-square-metre office in Toronto’s financial district. Like many 1980s-era workplaces, it had long corridors, compact cubicles, status-affirming corner offices and a deficit of natural light—functional but not exactly a place where anyone would want to spend 40-plus hours a week. In 2019, the firm was growing its workforce and needed a bigger space, so its leaders decided to relocate to a 12,500-square-metre office in the Bay Adelaide Centre’s north tower, just across the street. The design and building process, which was helmed by architecture firm Gensler, started in early 2021 and took a year and a half. In April 2023, Cassels officially moved house.

“We wanted to create a space that would entice people to come back to the office,” says Kristin Taylor, managing partner, who was heavily involved in the design process. Back during Covid, after a virtual quarterly town hall, an employee who was working in the old office told Taylor that the space’s dark, closed-off layout—as well as the absence of colleagues and the general gloom of the pandemic— was seriously affecting his mood and morale. That conversation inspired the core of the new design, which would centre on the “right to light”—an approach that makes sure everyone has ample access to natural light, whether they’re a partner or a paralegal.

Dim corridors and closed-off cubicles went the way of dial-up internet; the new design standardized the size of offices, moved them away from the building’s perimeter and scrapped drywall for glass, allowing natural light to penetrate into the interior. It embraced an open floor plan, reducing the number of walls and cutting the height of cubicle dividers in half, which makes for a more convivial and collaborative environment.

The design also prioritized communal space. The firm introduced self-serve café lounges—stocked with Balzac’s and Pilot coffee and Numi tea—on each of the office’s five floors. These function as informal meeting spaces and include banquettes, cushioned chairs and small tables. Boardrooms now look like high-end lounges, complete with plush, cozy armchairs and couches. There’s also a 185-square-metre wellness centre that includes yoga and meditation spaces and a Peloton room.

For Taylor and the design team, thoughtfully accommodating employees’ varying needs and life stages was a key part of the project. There are dedicated spaces for religious observance, a family room with activities for children and a room for pumping and breastfeeding. “There’s a new sense of warmth and communality and a degree of informality,” says Taylor. “After the pandemic, it became clear that people weren’t necessarily eager to get back to the traditional ways of an office. There’s been a shift in the culture. People are starting to recognize that how formally one is dressed or how austere their office looks does not necessarily equate to higher-quality work. We wanted to embrace that.”

Earth tones, light-oak finishes, pops of greenery and, of course, natural light make the office feel spacious and inviting. Some of the best views—including a verdant northeast vista—were strategically allocated to shared spaces instead of being reserved for high-ranking executives. But the democratization of light and space wasn’t the only pandemic-inspired change. The firm’s new hybrid- work model—employees are in the office a few days a week—is part of the design, which includes robustly equipped rooms for virtual hearings and software that lets employees securely connect to their workspaces.

Compared to the 12 months of hybrid work before moving into Bay Adelaide, there has been a definite uptick in attendance. Taylor says that feedback has been near-universally positive. One partner wasn’t happy with his reduced office size but became a convert within the first week. After spending time in the space, he saw the benefit of the light-friendly environment that had been created.

The move increased the office’s size by 25 per cent and gave workers inspiring new spaces in which to gather and collaborate. But that’s not all—the new design is emblematic of a broader cultural and operational shift at Cassels that champions a key idea: An office should not only accommodate the technical aspects of work but also foster an environment where employees feel valued, supported and connected.

Here’s a look inside Cassels’s new office space: Each of the office’s five floors has its own café space bathed in sunlight. (Photography: Jenna Marie Wakani) Warm finishes and stylish furniture make for a welcoming reception area. (Photography: Jenna Marie Wakani) The hallway in the client conference centre features arabescato bianco terrazzo tile, which further brightens up the space. (Photography: Jenna Marie Wakani) The office wellness centre includes spaces for yoga and meditation as well as a Peloton room with treadmills and spin bikes (Photography: Jenna Marie Wakani) The firm’s in-house law library boasts plentiful greenery and a flood of natural light. (Photography: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The post Workspace of the Month: Inside Cassels’s Bright New Office Space appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

Welcome to CB’s personal-finance advice column, Make It Make Sense, where each month experts answer reader questions on complex investment and personal-finance topics and break them down in terms we can all understand. This month, Scheherazade Hasan, a senior advisor at money-management platform Wealthsimple, tackles staying on budget during the summer. Have a question about your finances? Send it to editor@canadianbusiness.com.

Q: Is there a way to budget that allows me to save while also enjoying my summer?

Spring is here, which means spring cleaning. Between closets crowded with winter coats, an overflowing junk drawer and the storage solution you thought would make everything “simpler,” it’s easy to overlook a key item on your spring-cleaning checklist: your budget.

It may not be the most pressing item on your to-do list, but budgeting is a fundamental part of maintaining your financial wellbeing and building long-term wealth. It’s also the most effective way to ensure you’re bringing in more money than you’re spending, making it harder to slip into debt and easier to progress toward your goals. Unfortunately, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada found only half of us budget.

The 50/30/20 approach can be one of the best, least-complicated ways to spring-clean a budget, and it works for budgeters at all stages in life. With this strategy, 50 per cent of your income is dedicated to must-haves like housing, food and bills. If half of your take-home pay isn’t enough to cover these items (a position that many Canadians unfortunately face), you’ll need to find ways to cut back on these expenses—if it’s an option, you could consider moving to a less-expensive neighbourhood or selling your car and using public transit—or adjust how much money goes toward these next two categories.

Related: Quiet Luxury is Out. Loud Budgeting is In.

Thirty per cent of your income goes toward “wants,” like travel, dining out or experiences. Being able to splurge a little helps your budget feel sustainable rather than restrictive.

Finally, 20 per cent of your income is reserved for financial goals. This includes paying down debt, building an emergency fund and investing for retirement— ideally in that order.

Once you have your plan set up, make sure you stick to it. Which is a lot easier said than done. Here are a few tips to help.

Automate what you can: Unlike cleaning, budgeting doesn’t have to take up your time. Auto-transfers can be a great tool because they allow you to auto allocate your paycheque to pay down debt and build your savings.

Saving is a luxury: Due to inflation, rate hikes and rising housing costs, 44 per cent of Canadians weren’t able to save from 2022 to 2023. If saving feels too ambitious right now, focus on what’s realistic. Saving any percentage of your paycheque will help build the habit of saving and can still make a difference.

Keep your eyes on the prize: While a budget may feel restrictive, it can also protect you from “lifestyle creep.” (Think: putting the extra money from a promotion toward going out to fancy dinners instead of increasing your savings.) And remember: It’s important to revisit your budget throughout the year. As your income, goals and circumstances change, your budget will need to change as well.

Set aside some time this spring to take stock and refresh your finances, so you can enjoy summer and hit your savings goals.

The post Make It Make Sense: How Can I Enjoy Summer While Keeping to My Budget? appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

After 20 years in business, the New York City-founded restaurant Shake Shack finally opened up shop in Canada this week. Located at the corner of Yonge and Dundas in Toronto, the new flagship location marks Shake Shack Canada’s first foray into the country, and is serving up exclusive menu items made in partnership with many Ontario-based businesses. Here, a look at some of these special options as well as the local partnerships that helped make them happen.

Brodflour

Located in Toronto’s Liberty Village, Brodflour mill and bakery provides the butter tarts used in Shake Shack Canada’s I Heart Butter Tart Concrete, which involves blending butter tarts into their vanilla frozen custard with a bit of flaky salt.

I Heart Butter Tart Concrete (Photography: Kevin John Siazon) More S’mores Concrete (Photography: Kevin John Siazon) ChocoSol Traders

Toronto chocolate shop ChocoSol Traders provides chocolate chunks and cocoa nibs for two of Shake Shack Canada’s desserts: The Shack Attack Concrete and and the Canadian-exclusive More S’mores Concrete. The former is made up chocolate frozen custard blended with brownies, fudge sauce, chocolate chunks and cocoa nibs, while the latter is blends both chocolate and vanilla frozen custard with toasted marshmallow sauce, fudge sauce, graham crumb and chopped chocolate pieces topped with a graham cracker dipper.

Bellwoods Brewery

While Shake Shack’s ShackMeister Ale is available at its U.S. restaurants, Toronto-based Bellwoods Brewery got to make a Canadian version that’s exclusive to the new location. Complete with a custom can done in Bellwoods’s signature style, the hoppy beer contains bright notes of citrus, while retaining the slight bitterness of its American counterpart, which is brewed by Brooklyn Brewery.

(Photography: Kevin John Siazon) Rosewood Winery

Shake Shake Canada also offers two canned wines—one red and one white—which are both made by Rosewood Wine in Niagara using Ontario grapes. The Shack Red is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and the Shack White is a dry Riesling.

Pluck Tea

Toronto-based Pluck Tea provides the iced tea for Shake Shack Canada, which is brewed fresh daily and used in their Fifty/Fifty drink made with iced tea and lemonade.

The post The 5 Canadian Companies Partnering With the New Shake Shack in Toronto appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

Welcome to CB’s work-advice column featuring Emily Durham, a Toronto-based coach, public speaker and content creator known for her funny and relatable TikToks about all things work. Each month, Durham answers reader questions on topics that affect our ability to thrive in our jobs, and offers her real-world insights on how to handle even the most rock-and-a-hard-place conundrums. Have a work-related question? Send it to editor@canadianbusiness.com.

Q: I’m currently dealing with a manager who likes to make snide remarks and “jokes” about me being single, like how I must have “plenty of time to work late” since I don’t have children. I’ve had a one-to-one with him to explain how uncomfortable these comments make me feel, but that has not helped—they still continue. I’ve also talked to his skip-level manager and HR all without any action being taken. I’m not in a position to leave this role at the moment, is there anything more I can do or should I suck it up and keep quiet?

Let’s be clear—any comments that anyone at work makes about your family life or relationship status are unequivocally inappropriate. Your feelings of discomfort are valid and, frankly, you should not have been put in this position in the first place. In some places, including all of Canada, inquiring about family status is not only inappropriate but illegal, especially in the context of job interviews.

In cases like yours, I usually advise an open and honest conversation with your boss and/or human resources. At any company that values the psychological safety of its employees, this would typically put a stop to the commentary. In your case, all three parties you addressed this with haven’t taken actionable next steps to ensure you are being treated fairly at work. There are three routes you can take from here:

The first is: You put into writing your concerns to human resources. In the email ensure you document the specific statements being made, when they were made and your responses to them. It is important you also call out the specific time and place you met with each party to discuss your concerns and what their responses were, along with the crucial detail that nothing has changed. In this note, I would advise asking for a response that outlines their specific next steps and what they will do to mitigate the situation.

Putting things in writing opens up additional risk for employers who ignore your claims—now there is a formal paper trail that can be used should they be investigated. Usually investigations are conducted by your human resources business partners as a core mandate of their role is to ensure employee psychological safety. In most organizations this investigation will likely include reviewing written communications and speaking directly to those involved with the goal of a resolution that protects employee wellness. Keeping time-stamped documentation of events is critical to building a case. This may be the additional push needed to ensure HR protects you appropriately.

Although putting things into writing may light a fire under your employer; do you want to work at a company that needs that big of a push to respect you? You have had to commit so much additional energy, time and thought into navigating this situation, that frankly your HR team should have done that for you. As you continue to work through the situation by putting it in writing, this is likely a good time to start looking for a new role.

Related: How Can I Tell When It’s Time to Quit My Job?

The third option would be to consult an employment lawyer. Although more information would need to be collected to determine if you have a strong case, there is a possibility that what you are experiencing is harassment, and that is best navigated by an expert. Cases like these sometimes result in filing claims against your employer and/or support in receiving an exit package.

Most importantly, don’t blame yourself for the position you are in. Your employer has a duty to treat you with respect and dignity, and that includes respecting your personal life and your boundaries.

The post Ask a Recruiter: How Do I Get My HR Department to Take My Problem Seriously? appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

In Canada’s craft beer scene, Miski Brewing stands out for more than just its unique brews. Founded in 2019 in Barrie, Ontario, Ricardo and Mariella Irivarren, a dynamic duo with a shared love for beer and a passion for Peruvian culture have revolutionized the industry.

Their innovative organic, gluten-free and kosher beers made from quinoa are capturing the attention of beer enthusiasts and health-conscious consumers alike. 

The inspiration behind Miski Brewing 

Ricardo and Mariella envisioned a beer that was not only flavourful but also catered to those with dietary restrictions. 

“Being Peruvian, this ancient grain was a staple in my home growing up,” says Ricardo Irivarren. “Recognizing a void in the gluten-free beer market sparked the inspiration and drive to create the first-ever certified 100 per cent gluten-free beer, crafted from the nutritious quinoa grain.”

However, creating a gluten-free beer from quinoa, a grain not traditionally used for brewing, presented a significant challenge. The founders had no prior brewing experience and also knew they needed help to launch and scale their business. Thanks to BMO’s tailored business banking solutions, the duo gained the financial security and confidence they needed to pursue their dream.

“BMO was a steadfast believer in our project from its inception,” Irivarren says. “Kevin Cao, our dedicated account manager, stood by us through both the highs and lows, providing unwavering support as our project progressed. Without BMO’s belief and support, our vision of creating a 100 per cent quinoa-based beer would have remained merely a dream, confined to my thoughts and bucket list.”

The power of collaboration

To spring their plan into action, the founders first partnered with the experts at Niagara College Food and Beverage Innovation Centre. Through a collaborative effort, they tackled the technical challenges of brewing with quinoa, along with overcoming production hurdles and experimenting with prototypes, all during a global pandemic. Their dedication and perseverance paid off in the end, as they successfully developed a unique and flavourful gluten-free beer.

Irivarren’s progress to market was marked with meaningful milestones: achieving the industry-first feat of extracting alcohol from quinoa, scaling up production, and acquiring the necessary certifications for gluten-free, vegan, organic, kosher, and low-carb labels. Finally, securing retail distribution with LCBO marked a significant step, bringing their innovative brews to a wider audience in Ontario. This expansion has continued, and Miski Brewing’s beers are now available in additional provinces and soon to be in select US markets.

Leveraging effective outreach for growth 

Social media has proven to be a powerful tool for Miski Brewing. They leveraged the power of word-of-mouth marketing via outreach to specific communities such as celiac, low-carb, and health-conscious consumers. The founders also ran successful PR and marketing campaigns through billboards, TV segments and magazine articles. Current efforts are more centered on digital ads and industry events.  

“Social media wields immense power, especially for small companies navigating budget constraints,” says Irivarren. “By tapping into overlooked niches, we’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible reach. It’s truly remarkable to see how our ‘guilt-free’ alternative has resonated within these communities, offering a renewed opportunity to savour the social ritual of enjoying a great beer without hesitation.” 

Commitment to sustainability

Sustainability and environmental consciousness are also woven into the fabric of Miski Brewing. Committed to honouring Peruvian traditions and preserving the land, they have adopted sustainable practices and a zero-waste approach. Their vision extends beyond just brewing beer; they aim to contribute to the global appreciation of Peru’s superfoods.

“I’m heartened by the recent acknowledgment of Peru’s vast potential in the international agriculture industry,” says Irivarren. “It’s gratifying to see global customers appreciating the agricultural offerings and ancestral traditions embedded within them. Our dedication to preserving and promoting these traditions is unwavering.”

From idea to reality 

Miski Brewing’s journey from a passionate dream to a groundbreaking reality is a testament to the power of innovation and collaboration. By creating the world’s first 100 per cent quinoa-based, gluten-free beer, Ricardo and Mariella Irivarren not only filled a market niche but also introduced a new level of inclusivity and sustainability to the craft beer industry. With the support of dedicated partners like BMO and the innovative spirit of the Niagara College Food and Beverage Innovation Centre, these founders transformed an ambitious vision into reality.

For more information about tailored business banking solutions, click here.

The post They Quit Their Jobs to Make Beer: Miski Brewing’s Gluten-Free Beer Innovation appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

Oxford University researchers recently surveyed nearly 50,000 employees about corporate-provided mindfulness seminars, online coaching and other wellness initiatives. The results? People who participated in these programs were no better off compared to those who didn’t. Meanwhile, employee burnout is a growing issue, with approximately two-thirds of workers reporting symptoms and businesses noticing consequent effects on productivity and talent retention. What can a forward-thinking leader do beyond subsidizing subscriptions to yet another meditation app?

Here, Ruth Goudie, president of PR agency 1Milk2Sugars, and Joe O’Connor, CEO of Work Time Reduction, weigh in on what wellness actually looks like in the modern workplace.

Joe O’Connor, CEO of Work Time Reduction (Illustration: David Sparshott)

JOE O’CONNOR: Wellness benefits offered at work are somewhat akin to Nero fiddling while Rome goes up in flames. We have a major burnout epidemic in modern workplaces, and the solutions need to be systemic and structural, addressing root causes rather than ticking boxes. Mindfulness workshops and meditation apps are nice to have, but on their own—without fundamentals in place that ensure workers are competitively paid, well rested and engaged—they’re toothless.

RUTH GOUDIE: While we do offer free access to a meditation app at our agency, employees can see these types of wellness offerings as inauthentic if the core organizational structure is not conducive to mental well-being. What matters are good working conditions, feeling integrated with an organization’s wider values and being seen as a priority by the team. Ultimately, if your employees are overworked or otherwise not treated fairly, no wellness program is going to work.

Related: Feeling Stressed? Here’s How to Take a Mental Health Leave From Work

J.O.: We need to get past the idea of wellness as a fluffy, ancillary issue in corporations. Burnout is ultimately a productivity issue. And to prevent it, we need to focus on performance reviews, schedules, working hours, resource management and pay. I’m a major proponent of a four-day work week; extensive research shows that it increases productivity. It’s about the fundamentals, not what you layer on top.

Ruth Goudie, president of 1Milk2Sugars (Illustration: David Sparshott)

R.G.: Our agency shifted to a four-day work week almost a year ago, and we have seen a dramatic improvement in staff retention. We’ve had employees say that the option to sign off on Fridays allows them to take care of errands, appointments and chores, and that way they can recharge on weekends. We also implemented a resource-allocation tool to make sure we’re managing people’s workload fairly. That’s the core of wellness—making sure the workload is manageable. It goes hand in hand with offering competitive wages and health benefits, of course.

J.O.: We live in a digital-first, always-on culture, and that can be mentally draining. If you don’t make structural changes so that people can actually switch off, it’s difficult to resolve stress and burnout with interventions like mindfulness. Reducing work hours should be paired with other elements of job redesign, such as streamlining processes with technology and removing interruptions from work so people aren’t constantly task-switching. Then you really improve people’s ability to manage their responsibilities, inside and outside of work.

R.G.: We have three generations on staff—Gen X, Millennials and Gen Z. Their needs, expectations and wellness goals can be extremely different. While all put a premium on solid medical benefits, more mature demographics tend to value pensions and access to financial-planning resources, while Gen Z and younger Millennials tend to prioritize mental-health benefits like telehealth access and yoga classes. It’s more important than ever to involve your employees in developing what your wellness program looks like. Get regular feedback. Or, if you’re a larger organization, create a task force with diverse representation. Just make sure you’re adequately supporting that task force—wellness shouldn’t become an unmanageable to-do on their list of responsibilities.

The post Burnout Is on the Rise. Are Corporate Wellness Programs Enough? appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

In early 2016, I was finishing my bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at the University of Toronto. I was also working part-time as a research assistant and coaching gymnastics, and I’d been accepted into master’s programs. Life was busy, and I pretty much lived on smoothies I made for myself.

That spring, I decided to take up a new hobby: making my own healthy ice pops. I’d found that grocery stores lacked snack options that were low in sugar and additives, so I gave it a go. I got access to a tiny commercial space near my home in Toronto that belonged to a family member and got to work. For my first batch, I mixed fresh mango, water, lemon juice and organic cane sugar into a base that I then froze to make 50 ice pops. I’m a South Asian Canadian, so fresh fruit was a staple snack at home growing up—we always had some in the fridge.

The ice pops turned out impressively tasty, so I decided to try selling them at a local farmers’ market. Seeing people enjoy the treats brought me so much joy that I bought more equipment on Kijiji, started lugging cooler boxes filled with my ice pops to more farmers’ markets and incorporated under the name Happy Pops.

By the fall, despite having no entrepreneurial experience, I’d put my studies on hold and joined an incubator program at the University of Toronto called Impact Centre. I went on to land catering contracts with clients like Google, Scotiabank and Aeroplan. I then launched at local food stores, like Summerhill Market in Toronto.

In 2018, searching for new ways to grow, I auditioned for Dragons’ Den on a whim. I landed a spot on the show and received an offer from Arlene Dickinson for $150,000 for 30 per cent of the company. I took the deal on-air but later decided not to proceed because I was not ready to give away such a big chunk of the business. Still, the show was a huge moment for me. Until then, I’d hesitated to tell people that I had paused my studies to become a food entrepreneur, because it sounded like such a random pivot. Getting Happy Pops on TV was an inflection point for the business.

Related: How to Pitch Your Start-up to Investors

The exposure helped me scale. I invested the money I made into renting a larger commercial space with more freezer capacity, hiring a manufacturing team and an accountant, outsourcing marketing and design and developing new flavours, like Passion Fruit, Guava, Matcha, Lychee Lemonade, Orange N’ Cream and Lemon Mint. Meanwhile, I was sending pitches to Canada’s largest grocery stores. In 2019, Sobeys started stocking Happy Pops in its stores in Ontario, and eventually across the country; Metro followed suit in 2020 with its stores in Ontario and Quebec. We began shipping coast to coast in cooler boxes with dry ice. The ability to ship across Canada and fulfill orders from our new e-commerce store helped keep us alive during the pandemic.

Seven years into this business, some parts of it have not changed: I’m still Happy Pops’ sole owner, our base recipes remain the same and we’re still selling at farmers’ markets on weekends. On the other hand, there are some things that I never could have predicted: We had a partnership with Aeroplan and created a custom flavour for Sesame Street. We’re also currently developing limited-edition ice pops for Mattel, which will launch later this year. We produce more than one million ice pops annually, and they’re sold in 1,500 grocery stores across Canada as well as at attractions like Canada’s Wonderland and Ripley’s Aquarium.

And yet our team remains lean—we just hired our first administrative assistant. Along with making the executive decisions, I still run our social media and develop and taste-test flavours. It’s busy, but I have become better at finding a work-life balance by carving out time in my day to ride my bicycle, play golf or be with family and friends. Hearing that people love my ice pops and knowing that kids have access to a high-quality snack that I didn’t have while growing up makes it all worthwhile.

The post How Leila Keshavjee Turned a Healthy-snack Craving Into an Ice Pop Empire appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

During the pandemic, golf saw an upswing when new players took up the game as a safe socially distanced activity. Since then, interest has continued to increase—and attract a whole new demo. Once the domain of the middle-aged white man, golf courses are now seeing unprecedented activity from juniors, people of colour and women.

With global golf-tourism projected to grow to a market value of nearly US$6 billion in the next two years, savvy opportunists are opening golf resorts to meet the demand. But they aren’t just your traditional links: The new hot spots go big on luxe amenities, chic accommodations and unique après-golf experiences. Here are five notable properties at home and across the globe to help you tee off your summer travel plans.

Black Bear Ridge in Belleville, Ont.(Photography: DoubleSpace) Black Bear Ridge

Childhood friends Alex Sharpe and Cale Fair purchased Black Bear Ridge in Belleville, Ont., in 2021 and spent the next two years transforming it into a hip all-season resort to attract Millennial golfers.

In addition to two courses and a driving range, the property has a unique “bocce golf” course, which combines elements of mini-putt and bocce ball. Black Bear Ridge also offers activities like yoga and fishing, and it’s situated on 365 hectares with trails for snowshoeing, biking and hiking.

“Black Bear Ridge is not your dad’s golf course,” says Sharpe. Next up as part of the $1.54 billion redevelopment: Fair and Sharpe plan to add a spa, outdoor event spaces and residential housing. blackbearridge.ca

Terras da Comporta in Carvalhal, Portugal (Photography: James Hogg) Terras da Comporta

Located an hour south of Lisbon on the Alentejo coast, this golf destination in Carvalhal, Portugal, features bioclimatic architecture and uses green energy, making it a distinctly eco-conscious destination. “We prove that luxury and sustainability are compatible,” says golf director Rodrigo Ulrich.

Terras da Comporta’s award-winning Dunas Golf Course opened in October, and a second 18-hole course is in the works to open this year. Development plans also include everything from a racquet club to a co-working space to equestrian facilities. comporta.com

Cabot Saint Lucia (Photography: Jacob Sjoman) Cabot Saint Lucia

“When I first saw the site, I knew it was truly spectacular,” says Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of The Cabot Collection, developers and operators of five luxury golf resorts. Cabot Saint Lucia, perched on the northern tip of the Caribbean island, started welcoming guests in December and is a jewel in the crown for the Toronto-based company, which has properties in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

In addition to its coastal links, the resort offers tennis, pickleball and basketball and will soon add a Scandi-inspired hydro-circuit spa. Its three-storey clubhouse hosts a restaurant focusing on local cuisines, which rounds out the more casual dining options: a course-side wood-fired-pizza food truck and toes-in-sand beach dining. cabotsaintlucia.com

Inness in Accord, N.Y.(Photography: Adrian Gaut) Inness

This resort in Accord, N.Y., was named after American landscape painter George Inness and designed as a pastoral escape for weary city dwellers.

Opened in 2021, the 91-hectare property’s accommodations include 28 cabins and a 12-room farmhouse. Its restaurant, which has panoramic views of the Hudson Valley, serves seasonal dishes inspired by the on-site organic farm. It also has tennis courts, two saltwater pools and an archery range. And in June, it will add a spa and gym.

Inness’s nine-hole golf course is nestled in a bucolic valley between the Catskill and Shawangunk mountain ranges. The experience here is purposefully unpretentious: Walking the course is encouraged, and keeping score and proper golf attire are optional. inness.co

Black Desert Resort in Ivins, Utah (Photography: Brian Oar) Black Desert Resort

Black Desert Resort, in Ivins, Utah, cut the ribbon on its 19-hole championship course last spring. The 255-hectare resort, set at the convergence of three major ecosystems—the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau—is punctuated by red-rock cliffs and black lava fields.

This fall, a sprawling entertainment complex will open in time for the Black Desert Championship PGA tournament. Shopping, a spa, live-music venues, a water park and more than 20 restaurants are a handful of the many amenities in the works. blackdesertresort.com

The post These Next-Gen Golf Resorts Have More Than Just Luxurious Links appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

Fast-food restaurants have a single-use waste problem. Three million tonnes of plastic end up in Canada’s landfills each year, and half of that is packaging, according to Statistics Canada. In fact, Canadians use 1.5 billion disposable cups alone each year. A&W Canada thinks that’s far too many.

(Illustration: Soña Lee)

Over the past few years, many fast-food companies have tried to crack the cup problem. In 2021, some Toronto-area Burger King and Tim Hortons restaurants tested out reusable cups through TerraCycle’s Loop pilot program, which collects, cleans and redistributes reusable packaging. But systems like these require customers to put in effort: pay a deposit, Scan a QR code, download an app and return items to a specific collection spot. Sustainability advisers say any friction may deter customers from committing.

A&W Canada took a different approach. “We came up with the simplest option to get people to start changing their behaviour,” says Angela Griffiths, strategy manager and vice-president of food safety, animal welfare and environment at A&W Canada. In the burger chain’s latest eco-friendly effort, it zeroed in on diverting cups from landfills with the introduction of its One Cup program: Pay $3 for a reusable cup and exchange it for a clean one on your next visit—no fussy rules or inconvenient caveats.

Angela Griffiths, vice-president of food safety, animal welfare and environment at A&W Canada (Photography: Jackie Dives)

The challenge was designing a reusable cup that people would actually use. The brand first tested 650-mL cups, but customers said they were too big. Meanwhile, staff suggested the cups should fit underneath all the machines and include markings to show different serving sizes.

A&W Canada had initially tried to tackle the issue in 2022 with its Zero Cup, a fully compostable and recyclable cup without a lid or plastic liner. But customers didn’t like the “papery” taste, so the program wasn’t expanded.

After 18 months of ideation, sourcing and testing, the chain created a new reusable 590-mL cup, and in October 2023, A&W Canada launched its One Cup program. The cup is made of recyclable polypropylene and can hold any drink on the menu—from a hot coffee to a root-beer cream freeze. Upon exchange, the cups are cleaned in a high-temperature sanitizing dishwasher alongside A&W’s iconic glass root-beer mugs and then put back into circulation.

So far, the program has diverted 200,000 cups from landfills, and the company aims to hit the one-million mark this year. To encourage guests to switch up their habits, A&W Canada set up a booth near a Toronto university campus and had the “A&W Guy” from its ads hand out free One Cups to students, which resulted in a viral TikTok with one million views. To get staff to recommend the One Cup to customers, the brand held an official contest: Stores that sold the most cups were rewarded with gift cards and pizza parties.

Related: 10 Smart Eco-Friendly Swaps for Items You Use Every Day

For other restaurants aiming to promote a change in consumer habits, Griffiths suggests investing time in testing to make a product people actually want to use. “Think about the design, the feel and the look,” she says. “It has to be something that’s appealing to your target audience.”

The post How to Influence Consumer Behaviour appeared first on Canadian Business – How to Do Business Better.

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