Making it in Ontario

Is your knowledge of Canada’s automotive industry up to date? The Trillium Network has crunched the numbers and reports on how vehicle production, assembly plant employment, and labour productivity have evolved since 2016. In this episode, the report’s authors, Brendan Sweeney and Greg Keenan, unpack the stats and discuss the driving forces behind them. They conclude with three policy recommendati...

As Canada’s auto industry faces fresh uncertainty, an old story from New Brunswick suddenly feels very current. In this episode, host Brendan Sweeney and guest host Greg Keenan sit down with Dimitry Anastakis, a University of Toronto professor and the author of Dream Car, a book about the history of the New Brunswick-built Bricklin SV1. Dimitry details the fascinating yet tumultuous journey of the...

As we enter a new year where Canadian economic sovereignty is a top priority and our automotive industry faces an uncertain future, discussions have been heating up about the prospect of a truly Canadian car company. With insights from the report’s co-authors, Brendan Sweeney and Greg Keenan, this episode unpacks a new Trillium Network report that provides insight into the feasibility of a Canadia...

This episode of 'Making it in Ontario' unpacks a new data bulletin by the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing that examines claims that the canola industry contributes $43 billion worth of GDP to Canada's economy, more than the automotive, steel, and aluminum sectors combined. Hosts Michelle Samson and Brendan Sweeney discuss the flawed methodology that generated that total, how the Trilli...

PowerCo Canada is about to start construction on its massive $7 billion EV battery plant in St. Thomas, which means a major recruitment campaign is underway. In this episode of  Making it in Ontario , we sit down with Norman Wickboldt, PowerCo Canada’s CHRO, for a deep dive into the hiring plans—including what types of skills will be needed (and when), the differences between working in an EV...

The Downsview Aerospace Innovation & Research (DAIR) Hub is working to advance Canada’s global aerospace industry through collaboration. In this episode, DAIR’s executive director Phil Arthurs shares insights into Ontario's aerospace industry and how programs like its Green Fund and Supplier Development Initiative are catalyzing innovation within it. Phil highlights the importance of aerospace...

Canada’s automotive sector has changed. In this episode, we sit down with David Adams, President and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada (GAC), to discuss a new report from the Trillium Network revealing how much Toyota, Honda, and other members of the Global Automakers of Canada are contributing to Canada’s automotive manufacturing sector, and what industry stakeholders and policymakers need to kn...

Ontario’s craft brewing industry boomed in the 2010s, rising from  50 breweries in 2010 to more than 350 today. Todd Lewin had a front row seat for it, and helped Muskoka Brewery scale into one of the leading Canadian-owned breweries in Ontario. In this episode, Todd discusses his beer career journey from selling Molson to leading Muskoka Brewery, the brewery’s evolving strategy as demand for beer...

Ed Atwell is disrupting the donut business. His shop in Almonte, Ontario, Healthy Food Technologies uses its own patented machinery to produce a superior donut that also happens to have less fat. In this episode, Ed talks about honing his baking skills at Country Style and Tim Hortons before striking out on his own as a donut consultant and inventor. We discuss the rise and fall of Tim Hortons’ do...

In the Season 11 finale, we recap standout moments from Making it in Ontario’s broadest and deepest season yet. With 18 episodes full of insights, it was a challenge to only pick 10 clips, so we narrowed the highlights down to two themes: exciting new manufacturing technologies being developed in Ontario, and the competitive advantages that Ontario offers to manufacturers and manufacturing technol...

Statistically, half of the smartest people in Ontario are men and the other half are women. So why aren’t manufacturers taking full advantage of the pool of talented women? This episode features Nikki Morshedi, the Executive Director of Women in Aerospace Canada, who shares insights into the challenges women face in STEM fields, why gender diversity is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge, a...

This episode features Will Harney, the CEO of Hydrocool and a former Magna executive. After a career in automotive operations and R&D at Magna—playing a role in its 1987 Vehma Torrero concept car—he co-founded Hydrocool, a startup that’s building hydrogen-powered refrigeration units for transport trailers. Will shares his perspective on automotive R&D and on the possibility of a Canadian-o...

In this episode, hosts Brendan Sweeney and Michelle Samson dive into a new Trillium Data Bulletin about Ontario’s dairy product manufacturing industry and what it teaches us about the benefits and drawbacks of local supply chains. They also discuss the local cheese that makes Windsor-style pizza famous. 00:20 Hot Off the Press: Dairy Product Manufacturing Data Bulletin 02:36 How Dairy is Different...

In this episode, we chat with Trevor Walker, CEO of Frontier Lithium, about the company's efforts to build an integrated supply chain for lithium in Canada, from mining it in far Northwestern Ontario to refining it in Thunder Bay to shipping it to EV battery manufacturing plants in Southern Ontario. Trevor tells us about discovering the lithium deposit, getting support from the federal and provinc...

This episode features Mitch Debora, Co-Founder and CEO of Mosaic Manufacturing, a digital manufacturing company capable of mass-scale additive manufacturing. Mitch tells us what 3D printing can do in 2025 (you might be surprised), how Mosaic is helping manufacturers reshore their supply chains, and how NGen-supported projects with partners like Athletic Knit are helping them push the boundaries of...

In this episode, we find out how biomanufacturing is similar to and distinct from other kinds of manufacturing with Mitchel Sivilotti, CEO of OmniaBio. Mitchel takes us through OmniaBio’s journey from its germination in the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) in Toronto to opening a 100,000 square foot facility in Hamilton. We chat about what OmniaBio learned about manufac...

In this episode, we hear how a small Ontario manufacturer is navigating Canada’s turbulent new trade relationship with the United States.  Dennis Dussin is the President of Vaughan-based Alps Welding—a contract manufacturer that does about half of its business in the United States—and a Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) board member. Wearing both hats, Dennis shares his diversificati...

In this episode, hosts Brendan Sweeney and Michelle Samson debrief after Hannover Messe, the world’s largest industrial trade fair.  With Canada as the host country and 1,800 Canadian delegates converging on this major networking and learning opportunity, Hannover has the potential to become a rallying point for redefining Canada’s manufacturing sector and ecosystem. But now we have to figure...

In this brief episode of 'Making it in Ontario,' Mandeep Rehal, the Director of Business Development at the Ontario Center of Innovation (OCI), makes a case for why manufacturers shouldn’t miss their DiscoveryX Conference on April 16th and 17th at the Enercare Center in Toronto. With keynote speakers like Jeffrey Hinton, Aaron Erickson, and Amy Webb, the conference promises insights into the lates...

In the final episode of our Hannover Messe countdown series—featuring Ontario manufacturers and technology companies showcasing at the world's largest industrial technology trade fair—we speak with Hannover veteran Michael Lalonde, President and CEO of the Innovative Group of Companies. In this episode, Michael tells us about the Innovative Group, which includes Innovative Automation and RoboTape,...

Our Hannover Messe countdown series—featuring Ontario manufacturers and technology companies that will be showcasing at the world's largest industrial technology trade fair—continues with Greta Cutulenco, the Forbes 30 Under 30 CEO of Kitchener-based Acerta Analytics Solutions. In this episode, Greta tells us about Acerta's innovative work using AI and machine learning to lead a paradigm shift fro...

Our Hannover Messe countdown series—featuring Ontario manufacturers and technology companies that will be showcasing at the world's largest industrial technology trade fair—continues with Pablo Molina, Co-Founder & CTO of Kitchener-based Avidbots. In this episode, Pablo shares Avidbots' journey from a small office in Waterloo to a multinational company shipping autonomous cleaning robots aroun...

Our Hannover Messe countdown series—featuring Ontario manufacturers and technology companies that will be showcasing at the world's largest industrial technology trade fair—continues with Rahul Goel, CEO of Markham-based NordSpace. In this episode, Rahul discusses NordSpace's ambitious plan to develop an end-to-end responsive space launch system, getting to space more sustainably, and the advantag...

Hannover Messe is a month away, and we’re counting down with a special series featuring Ontario manufacturers and technology companies that will be showcasing at the world's largest industrial technology trade fair. We kick off the series with Michael Rosas, VP General Manager of Virtualware. The conversation explores the challenges of 3D technology adoption, and how Virtualware is reducing fricti...

In this episode, we learn how Ontario’s economic developers help attract, support, and retain major manufacturing investments in their communities. Our guest is Sean Dyke, the CEO of the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation. St. Thomas is where PowerCo, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, decided to locate its $7 billion battery manufacturing plant—Canada’s largest greenfield manufacturing investme...