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Ottawa Business News, Trends and Insights Written in Ottawa, Ontario
People · Feature

Hiring your first (or next) great employee in Ottawa

A scorecard, a two-step interview, a real first 90 days, and where Ottawa owners actually find good people.

By Joseline Leelo · 6 min read

Ottawa business, lately

Roundup
01 Ottawa Board of Trade files 2026 federal budget submission, "A More Competitive Canada" Ottawa Board of Trade · Sept 10, 2026 · Citywide 02 OBJ publishes its Summer 2026 Spotlight on Local Ottawa Businesses, including the Glebe's professional services Ottawa Business Journal · Glebe and citywide 03 Ontario budget proposes cutting the small business corporate tax rate from 3.2% to 2.2%, effective July 1, 2026 2026 Ontario Budget · Province-wide 04 Ottawa's BIAs mark 613 Day, the City's official Ottawa Day, as part of the bicentennial year OCOBIA · June 13, 2026 · All 18 BIAs 05 Municipal election campaign underway: mayoral candidates registered through August City of Ottawa · Election Oct 2026 · City Hall

Things I noticed around town, with sources. Updated when there is something worth noting.

Latest for Ottawa owners

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Money

Why location matters when choosing a financial planner as an Ottawa business owner

A planner who knows Ontario rules, the Ottawa–Gatineau border and the public-service pension landscape will ask better questions.

5 min Money

A small business budget, line by line, for a seasonal city

Fixed, variable, seasonal. How to plan when half your revenue arrives between May and September.

7 min Money

Cash flow for small businesses: a complete guide for Ottawa owners

Profitable on paper and short in the account. How that happens, and the weekly habit that prevents it.

8 min Advice

How to start a small business in Ottawa: the step-by-step guide

Registration, HST, permits, and the Ottawa-specific licences the City requires for food, retail and trades.

9 min Sales

Micro-marketing that actually moves the needle for Ottawa shops

Small, repeatable moves for a business with no marketing budget and one owner doing everything.

5 min Advice

Where to get free business help in Ottawa

Invest Ottawa, the library, the loan fund, the BIAs and the CRA. Who each one is for, and what to ask them.

6 min
Series

Ottawa Founders

Conversations with people running real businesses in the city: what they tried, what it cost, what they would do again.

Hintonburg

SuzyQ Doughnuts: from a Lansdowne market stall to three Ottawa shops

How a Canada Post letter carrier tested a product at the farmers' market before signing a lease.

 Kanata

Evidence Partners: fourteen years bootstrapped in Kanata before the first cheque

A research-software company that grew cash-flow positive for over a decade, then raised $20 million on its own terms.

 The Glebe

Kettlemans Bagel: thirty years of wood-fired consistency on Bank Street

What a 1993 Glebe bagel shop that grew to eight locations shows about doing one thing the same way for decades.

Ottawa resources I keep sending people to

Full directory →
Invest OttawaFree advisory, workshops and the small-business programs at Bayview Yards. investottawa.ca City of Ottawa: BusinessLicences, permits, zoning and the small-business concierge. ottawa.ca Ottawa Board of TradeMembership, networking, advocacy at City Hall. ottawabot.ca Ottawa Community Loan FundLoans for owners who cannot get a bank yes yet. oclf.org Ottawa Public Library: BusinessFree databases, market research and small-business programming. biblioottawalibrary.ca