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Should the current COVID-19 pandemic continue preventing ICC from accommodating the event size contracted by the host, ICC will extend special considerations to the host and allow the host to cancel or postpone the event without penalty or loss of deposits.
Eighth annual soirée features live gospel singing, fire-breathing performances, stunning decor.
You could feel a warm glow of optimism at this year’s Kaleidoscope of Hope Soirée: Start A Fire as organizers shone a critical light on an often dark issue — youth mental health and teen substance abuse.
Some 500 attendees filed into the Infinity Convention Centre on Friday, escaping winter’s chill for a spectacular gala setting. From gospel singers belting out their music on stage to children cheering on guests and, later, joyfully parading around the room, there was so much to feel good about.
CTV Morning Live hosts Annette Goerner and Henry Burris co-hosted the evening with enough enthusiasm and energy to put any crowd at ease while Cameron Odam and Prabhjot Sumra were this year’s guest speakers.
The event committee also included residential interior designer Jennifer McGahan, Linda Seguin-Lawrence, Maria Iglesias, Mark Clatney, Ruth Kemp and Ruckify founder and CEO SteveCody and his wife, Natalie Cody.
Kaleidoscope of Hope co-founders Sharon Bosley House and her husband, Tony House, CEO of Corporate Hype, were back to co-chair their 8th annual fundraiser. Bosley House owns Avant-Garde Designs, which does the decor for such special events as the U.S. Embassy’s Fourth of July Independence Day celebration, the NAC Gala and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Gala. The company and its staff donate all their time and services to the gala.
It seems that Cassandra Petrella and Gino Urbisci were destined to marry long before their first date.
Both from traditional Italian families, they met frequently in large gatherings. Both of them had been baptized in St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ottawa, the church where both sets of parents were married and where they too were to marry on May 12, 2018.
“We call our love story a forever crush,” says Cassandra, now 31. “We’ve known each other for over 10 years, but the stars didn’t align for us back then. We both went on with our lives, but we often wondered and thought about each other.”
“Cassandra’s family is very social and I often met them at various Italian events and felt so comfortable with both her father and her mother right off the bat,” says Gino, now 36. “Through all the years, I thought of Cassandra and wondered, what if…”
Gradually, the pieces leading to romance fell into place. At one point along the way, Cassandra gave Gino a copy of a CD with the titles of two songs highlighted (Every Time We Touch and Show a Little Love).
“She meant that she wanted me to listen to those particular songs,” says Gino, a federal civil servant in systems security with Transport Canada. “She almost seemed to be sending me a subliminal message.I have had that CD in my car and played it regularly ever since. I still keep it in the car today.”
Though the music and the memento were special — Every Time We Touch was the song playing as Cassandra and Gino walked into their wedding reception at the Infinity Convention Centre in Gloucester — they did not start dating until much later.
That happened after Cassandra’s parents threw a surprise birthday party for her in December 2015. Gino, a guest at the party, was one of the last to leave and arranged to take her to dinner soon afterwards to continue celebrating her birthday.
“And that’s how it began,” says Cassandra. “After we started dating, we were always together.”
“I always knew that we were really compatible,” says Gino. “And there were so many similarities in our backgrounds.”
For example, both Cassandra’s father and Gino’s mother’s family came from the Abruzzo region in Italy. Both families had similar traditions, focusing on the importance of family connections.
On a trip to Amalfi, Italy, in August 2017 to attend a friend’s wedding and visit extended family, Gino proposed. In keeping with tradition, he had previously asked her father for permission to marry Cassandra and had purchased the engagement ring — a round-cut diamond surrounded by a circle of smaller diamonds with
a white-gold band studded with diamonds.
“I drove down to Birks in Montreal one day without Cassandra knowing,” he says.
“I wanted to keep it a secret. I was able to get the right size by checking her jewellery box and seeing where her rings fit on my fingers.”
During their time in the Amalfi region, the couple had just one day alone. They chose to spend it on the island of Capri.
“There’s a beautiful lookout spot on the island and this was where I decided I would like to propose,” says Gino, adding that he co-opted a pair of passing tourists to photograph the special moment.
Still in keeping with tradition, he dropped to one knee, took her hand and asked the all-important question.
“At first, I couldn’t answer because I was crying with happiness,” says Cassandra.
The day after the newly engaged couple returned to Ottawa, her parents threw a surprise engagement party for them.
Just one day after that joyous occasion, disaster struck. Cassandra was severely injured in a single-vehicle accident when her car hydroplaned and crashed during an extremely heavy rainstorm.
Following her emergency surgery, Cassandra needed 24-hour care. “Gino was with me the whole time,” she says. “We went through the ‘in sickness and in health’ part of the wedding vows early. He and my mom moved in to look after me. I couldn’t do anything for about two months, but after I started physiotherapy, things moved along.”
“She was amazing and positive through it all,” says Gino. “I believe that her attitude and her being in the field of psychology really helped in her recovery. We also had tons of support from family and friends.”
By November 2017, Cassandra, a psychotherapist, was well enough for the couple to continue with their wedding plans.
The wedding day on May 12 dawned bright and sunny with bride and groom preparing for the ceremony at their parental homes, in keeping with tradition.
“It was really important to us to include our families in the day and something that they wanted us to do,” says Cassandra. “Our wedding was really centred around our family traditions and having everyone included.”
Her wedding dress, a designer gown by Martin Thornburg, purchased at La Maison Bridal, was the very first dress she had tried on.
“I loved it from the beginning and didn’t want to take it off,” says Cassandra. “My mom knew that I wanted a very full, long train with lots of detail and wanted the dress to be off the shoulder. She saw this dress and asked me to try it on first. I did try a few more gowns and go to a couple of other places, but I was back within a week for thedress. I also had a veil custom-designed by the same designer to match the dress.”
Lawrence Greenspon, Sheila Whyte and Michael Moffatt serve as co-chairs of second annual gala.
Normally when you walk through The Ottawa Mission’s blue front doors, you enter an old downtown building that provides basic services, like food and shelter, to those in need.
On Thursday night, however, the blue doors were a portal into a wonderful world of business and community leaders joining forces to help the homeless and those at-risk of living on the streets.
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The Infinity Convention Centre will transform into a time capsule of celebrations. The evening will highlight the ICOBC awards along with raising funds in support of Bruyère’s mandate of enhancing lives and transforming care.
The menu will consist of some of the most profound delicacies from popular cities throughout India. Savour the North, South and New Delhi with us, while enjoying an array of memorable entertainment and signifying recipients of the ICOBC awards.
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Daniel Alfredsson got a hero’s welcome as he took to the stage Tuesday night as this year’s honouree of the Jewish National Fund of Ottawa’s Negev Dinner, held at the Infinity Convention Centre.
“Al-fie, Al-fie!” the crowd chanted as the former long-time captain of the Ottawa Senators was presented with a citation for his support of Israel and for his demonstration of philanthropic leadership, integrity, diligence and accomplishments.
Standing alongside him were the honourary co-chairs, Ferguslea Properties president Dan Greenberg and his wife, Barbara Crook; Rabbi Reuven Bulka; Jewish National Fund Ottawa executive director Lynda Taller-Wakter and the president of its board, Dan Mader; JNF Canada CEO Lance Davis; and the dinner chair, Bill Johnston, who is Alfredsson’s personal manager and lawyer.
Over a raised glass of good ol’ Kentucky bourbon, U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft kicked off the embassy’s annual 4th of July Celebration with a toast “to what is genuinely a wonderful friendship” between Canada and the United States, while acknowledging that the relationship is under stress and strain.
Canada and the U.S. have an “enduring partnership that I am confident will stand the test of time, and believe me these are testing times,” the native of Kentucky told roughly 1,800 invited guests Wednesday at the annual bash hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
The gathering was kept smaller this year compared to recent years, when 4,000 or more of the embassy’s closest friends showed up to eat, drink and dance the night away.
Craft spoke on the large verandah of Lornado, her official residence located in Rockcliffe Park. The stately home, which overlooks the Ottawa River, was dressed with bright and festive bunting.
Craft quoted Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s Founding Fathers: “ ‘I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as a cause for withdrawing from a friend’.
“By your presence here tonight, I would assert that we all agree with Jefferson on that fundamental point of friendship,” she said to moderate sounds of approval and applause from the crowd, including from her husband, American businessman Joseph Craft III, seen standing behind her in the background.
“And what better friends through the years than Canada and the United States,” said Craft, who wore a matching two-piece, all-white cutwork outfit, with short-sleeved blouse and long pants that revealed just a hint of her casual white sneakers.
A parade of adopted pets stole the show, along with everyone’s hearts, at the 2018 Ottawa Humane Society Garden Party held at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne on Wednesday.
The cute canines and furry feline were introduced on stage by Majic 100 radio host Katherine Dines, who listed the animals’ interests and hobbies (sleeping, long walks, and swiping human food) as well as their dislikes (rainy days and porcupines).
The fan favourite was 12-year-old Sadie Mae, a brave Beagle found last November wandering on a trail near Carp with inexplicable pellet wounds to her head. OHS vets worked hard to save her life and, subsequently, treat her for cancer. She’s now living large with her new owners, the room heard.
The benefit, presented by Philip, Gaskin & Wright Private Investment Management of RBC Dominion Securities, grossed $95,995 for the OHS and offered up tasty dishes prepared by local restaurants and chefs who continue to honour the memory of Kurt Waldele.
The former long-time executive chef of the National Arts Centre used to host a late-summer garden party with his wife, Suzanne Beauchemin, in support of animal welfare. The iconic chef passed away from cancer nine years ago but not before being a friend and mentor to many young chefs who continue to cook in Ottawa today.
Clifford Lyness, executive chef at Brookstreet Hotel, was one of Waldele’s protégés. So was Tim Wasylko, head of food and beverage at the Infinity Convention Centre. In Ottawa’s tight-knit culinary community, even if you didn’t work with Waldele, the six degrees of separation concept still applies.
BYA dinner fêtes 12 finalists, announces four winners for top awards.
The WBN Businesswoman of the Year Awards Gala was full of hugs, tears of joy and expressed gratitude as it honoured 12 Ottawa women for their entrepreneurial and professional achievements.
The glitzy black-tie dinner and awards ceremony, presented by BMO, was held Thursday at the Infinity Convention Centre. It attracted more than 350 attendees — the largest crowd ever for the BYAs.
By the end of the night, four of the dozen finalists — an employee recruitment specialist, a lawyer, a cancer care fundraiser and an interior designer — came away with a coveted Businesswoman of the Year Award.
“It’s just amazing to see how many more women are involved in business today,” Shirley Westeinde, who won the award 21 years ago, told OBJ.social during the cocktail reception.
The award winners were: Donna Baker (Keynote Group) in the emerging entrepreneur category, Cathy Hay (Hay Design) in the established entrepreneur category, Linda Eagen (Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation) in the organization category, and Karen Hennessey (Gowling WLG) in the professional category.
“Wow!” uttered Hay, president and founder of commercial interior design firm Hay Design, in amazement as she accepted her award on stage. “As entrepreneurs, we don’t need much recognition but, man, it feels good.”
Only in the hotel industry could you get away with comparing someone to Donald Trump, one of the most controversial leaders in modern history.
That’s because – whether you love him or hate him – the U.S. president has managed to forge a successful real estate career in the hotel industry, much like a group of Ottawa business people who celebrated the opening of their fourth hotel in Ottawa on Friday.
“You’re turning into the Donald Trump of Ottawa,” joked Mayor Jim Watson, causing an uproar of laughter from the crowd during the official ribbon-cutting ceremony held outside of the new Homewood Suites by Hilton. It’s located near the Ottawa airport, at 3605 Paul Anka Dr.
The mayor was joined by Councillors Diane Deans (Gloucester-Southgate Ward) and Riley Brockington (River Ward), as well as Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton).
On hand were the hotel owners: Anand Aggarwal and his wife Saroj, and Harry Sohal and sons TJ Sohal and his wife, Anu Sohal, Sonny Sohal and his wife, Kiran Sohal, and Gary Sohal.
The partners own three other hotels in the vicinity of the airport: the Hampton Inn by Hilton, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, and the Residence Inn by Marriott. As well, they own one of Ottawa’s newest venues, the nearby Infinity Convention Centre (that’s where everyone headed after the ceremony for a celebratory lunch).
The group is also opening a 180-room Holiday Inn Express on King Edward Avenue and St. Patrick Street in downtown Ottawa. The building is currently under construction and is scheduled to open next year.
The 98-room Homewood Suites has been operating since the end of March. It’s the nearest extended-stay hotel to the airport and offers suites with fully equipped kitchens, living areas, dining tables and work desks, 50-inch TVs and free WiFi.
“We’re already seeing success,” Aggarwal, who’s also owner of Manor Park Management, told OBJ. “We are very pleased, especially when we see in the first week that we have 70 per cent occupancy.”
It sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s actually the start of the process of kosherizing a kitchen.
It’s Sunday morning and the kitchen staff at the Infinity Convention Centre in Ottawa are stepping around their own kitchen carefully.
Not just because there’s a blowtorch-wielding rabbi walking around, but because they’re hosting their first-ever kosher event and are unsure what they can and can’t use.
“It changes everyone’s workflow because at some point everything becomes muscle memory, you reach for a pan in a certain spot, it’s not there anymore,” said executive chef Jason Peters.
Peters admits it’s like retraining everyone for one event that will serve 650 kosher meals.
While Peters gives instructions to his cooks, Rabbi Levy Teitelbaum of Ottawa Vaad HaKashrut runs the blue flame over a stainless steel prep table.
It’s the modern way of carrying out a 3,300-year-old tradition of purifying cooking surfaces and instruments so they are kosher.
“Metal is porous and we [have to] extract [what’s] within the pores of the metal so that it can be used for kosher cooking,”Teitelbaum said.
He said he can kosherize most equipment in the kitchen — either with the blowtorch or by boiling it in a scalding hot pot, but the equipment needs to have been set aside for 24 hours before the process can start.
That’s when they hit a snag.
Peters calls Teitelbaum over as his crew is getting ready to chop vegetables, but the knives were used the night before so they can’t be used now.
“She meant that she wanted me to listen to those particular songs,” says Gino, a federal civil servant in systems security with Transport Canada. “She almost seemed to be sending me a subliminal message.
