Month: April 2019

There’s a moment from earlier in my career that sticks with me. I was talking at work about the nanny making the kids’ lunches, and a male colleague joked that before long my daughters would think the nanny was their mother.

And just like that, my satisfying career trajectory in the technology industry suddenly felt different. Because, in the eyes of some of my male colleagues I was different. The fact that some of them had kids, too, didn’t matter (no one’s ever said anything like that to them or my husband). I was no longer an experienced executive. Instead, I was a “working mom.”

We all know the statistics. In spite of all efforts, men continue to dominate STEM. True, women are not as rare a sight as they once were. In fact, in some places they represent nearly half the workforce, which is no small achievement. But it’s important to distinguish between “working in tech” and being a technologist. When it comes to the latter, very little has actually changed, and the representation of women remains stagnant at about 20 per cent.

There is much to do if we’re going to make a STEM career appealing to women, and it is even more work to retain them once they’re here. The good news is there’s no shortage of big initiatives, everything from awareness campaigns, conferences, changes to high school curriculum and more, all worthwhile and all important.

Amid all the big things, however, let’s not overlook the many small but important things that, if done right, can go a long way to making STEM an attractive option for women.

Find a good manager, be a good manager

Statistically, any woman entering STEM is going to have a male boss. To the extent that you can, pick a good one. I’ve been lucky in that regard. When I started working for my current manager I told him, “I like to get my kids to school in the morning. It’s an important bit of time I have to connect with them, so can I start work every day at 9:30?” And he’s gone out of his way to accommodate that. In return, I’ve put in the hours, done the trips, stayed late to get it done when it needed to be done.

In this case, he was offering flexibility to a team member. He was also, perhaps unknowingly, making it more feasible for me as a professional with children to manage my time. What is the lesson here? Offering workplace flexibility and looking out for a team member’s individual needs is more than just a perk. It’s vital to attracting and keeping women who seek to balance family time — and often being the primary caregiver — with their career aspirations.

Repeat after me: STEM is more than gaming

A lot of the programmers I work with say it was their love of video games that sparked their interest in software. They were interested in what was behind the screen, and started building their own games as a result. Good for them, perhaps, but let’s face it — the gaming industry can be doing a lot more when it comes to creating a welcoming environment for women (and underrepresented minorities, for that matter). I believe women opt out of programming, due to the negative press surrounding gamer culture and “brogrammers.”

It’s a shame, because gaming and software development is such a small piece of STEM. There are the booming fields of data science, AI, robotics, security, and all the technical sales and consulting that underpin those industries. We must get girls exposed to these options earlier, and do a better job of selling and highlighting long-term careers to them.

That’s the big vision. There are many little things we can do in the meantime. Let’s start with eliminating the words “rockstar” and “ninja” in job descriptions, and experiment with other activities in place of beer and ping pong.

Find a culture that talks and walks

Anyone can draft up a few points about the importance of gender diversity. After all, talking is easy. It’s a very different thing to actually do something to implement change.

Look for companies that sponsor programs designed to help women enter or foster advancement in the industry. Another encouraging sign are employers that host workplace social events tailored by and for women that get away from the “beer and games” culture that so often dominates technology.

In addition to these programs, being a good mentor can go a long way. It’s important for a woman to be able to look ahead and see successful examples of who she can be one day.

How can managers become mentors who support and empower female employees? First, empower them to be “unapologetically female in the workplace.” Women can own a room, have strong voices and share great ideas; however, you often find really successful women hiding their childcare obligations. That should be removed from the workplace.

And don’t make children in the workplace an issue. When I had my second child, I worked at a small company. I was afforded the space to have a nursery built in my office and took her to work with me. This also demonstrates the importance of picking your boss for the stage of your career and life.

Change may take time, but attracting women to STEM is more than a nice-to-have — it’s critical to the long-term viability of the industry. My challenge to everyone in the field is this: no matter how small you start, let’s agree to do something.

If we do, change may come faster than we think.

Camas Winsor is Chief Operating Officer at Rangle.io, a digital transformation consultancy.

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BOUCHERVILLE, Que. — Lowe’s Companies Inc. says it plans to close 31 Canadian stores and other locations as part of a plan to focus on its most profitable operations.

The closures include 27 mostly Rona stores in Canada including nine in Ontario, nine in Quebec, six in Newfoundland and Labrador, two in Alberta and one in British Columbia.

Lowe’s also plans to close its regional support centres in Mississauga, Ont., and St. John’s, N.L., as well as a truss plant in St. John’s, N.L., and a block plant in Kamloops, B.C.

Sylvain Prud’homme, chief executive of Lowe’s Canada, said the changes will allow it to improve collaboration between its banners to better serve customers.

“Everything will be done to ensure a smooth transition until the stores are closed, and Lowe’s Canada will support impacted employees, including by transferring eligible employees to other locations within our network whenever possible,” Prud’homme said in a statement.

Lowe’s says it expects to close the impacted stores by the end of the company’s 2018 financial year, Feb. 1, 2019.

The company is also closing 20 stores in the U.S.

See a full list of Rona and Lowe’s stores that are closing.

The U.S. retailer acquired Rona Inc. in Canada in 2016 in a deal valued at $3.2 billion.

Based in Boucherville, Que., Lowe’s Canadian business has more than 630 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores.

It includes Lowe’s, Rona, Reno-Depot, Dick’s Lumber, Contractor First and Ace.

What a royal wedding! Relive the day with all the updates here.

The royal family, blessed with fantastic weather and a buoyant public mood at the royal wedding, has thanked people who attended or watched Prince Harry marry Meghan Markle.

The family tweeted its thanks late Saturday night while Harry and his bride were attending a private soiree hosted by Harry’s father, Prince Charles.

“Thank you to everyone who came to Windsor and those who followed from around the UK, the Commonwealth, and the world,” the royals said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married Saturday at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, the British royals’ longtime home.

The archbishop of Canterbury declared Prince Harry and Meghan Markle husband and wife.

Justin Welby, the head of the Church of England, made the proclamation after the couple promised to love and cherish one another “’til death us do part,” and exchanged rings.

The British-American pair are now officially known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the duchess will take her place among senior members of the Royal Family.

The leader of the Episcopal Church quoted civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on the “redemptive power of love” as he blessed the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, who was hand-picked by the couple to deliver a sermon at their wedding, told the bride and groom Saturday that there was “power in love” and that “love can help and heal when nothing else can.”

But Curry, a champion of civil rights causes and outspoken supporter of gay rights, continued, “it’s not just for and about a young couple, who we rejoice with, it’s more than that.”

Invoking the days of slavery in the United States, he said love helped those in captivity persevere.

He told the couple love has “the power to change the world.”

Curry said, “When love is the way, we actually treat each other, well, like we are actual family.”

After the ceremony, the royal newlyweds then took a short trip through Windsor in a horse-drawn carriage, to the delight of thousands of well-wishers.

The crowd roared as Harry and Meghan emerged from St. George’s Chapel and kissed at the top of the steps.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex travelled through Windsor in the Ascot Landau carriage before looping back to Windsor Castle for their reception.

Tens of thousands of people were in Windsor in hopes of catching a glimpse of the couple.

Earlier, Markle, 36, was chaperoned by her mother, Doria Ragland, from Cliveden House Hotel, where they spent the previous night, in a car to the chapel, where they were met by Markle’s bridesmaids and page boys.

Kensington Palace confirmed that Markle’s wedding dress is designed by British designer, Clare Waight Keller, who is the artistic director at the French fashion house Givenchy. Markle’s friend Jessica Mulroney’s two boys, John and Brian Mulroney, carried Markle’s veil as she entered the chapel.

Markle was accompanied part way down the aisle by Prince Charles and 10 young page boys and bridesmaids. The children Prince George, 4, Princess Charlotte, 3, as well as Ben and Jessica Mulroney’s three children, Brian and John, and Ivy.

Harry and best man Prince William wore dark formal military dress, with white gloves and the frock coat uniforms of the Blues and Royals. As Charles and Markle drew close to the altar, Harry said: “Thank you, Pa.”

To Meghan, Harry said: “You look amazing.”

Throngs of royal fans crammed the streets of Windsor to watch wedding guests, not to mention the Royal Family, arrive at the chapel. Oprah Winfrey, actor Idris Elba, singer James Blunt, Amal and George Clooney, David and Victoria Beckham, actor Tom Hardy, tennis champ Serena Williams, Priyanka Chopra, the cast of “Suits,” and more were in attendance.

This morning, Buckingham Palace revealed that Harry and Markle have been granted the titles the Duke and Duchess of Sussex upon their marriage.

The couple were married in front of 600 guests, plus 2,640 members of the public who were invited to watch on the grounds of Windsor Castle, not to mention the thousands on the streets and the probably millions who will be watching them say their “I dos” on their TVs and computer screens.

The church was filled with flowers provided by florist Philippa Craddock and the Crown Estate gardeners, including Princess Diana’s favourites, white garden roses, branches of beech, birch, and hornbeam, as well as peonies and foxgloves.

After the hour-long ceremony, the newlyweds acknowledged the 200 representatives of Prince Harry’s charities gathered in the Cloister.

Story continues below the slideshow:

As Harry’s communications secretary previously noted, the carriage procession were the royal couple’s “chance to express their gratitude for the goodwill and warm wishes they have received from all quarters in the months since their engagement.”

The duke and duchess, along with their 600 guests, attended a lunchtime reception at St. George’s Hall in Windsor Castle, where they dined on canapes including Scottish langoustines, grilled English asparagus and croquette of confit Windsor lamb.

Guests were also served a selection of bowl food including fricassee of free range chicken with morel mushrooms and young leeks, pea and mint risotto, and ten hour slow roasted Windsor pork belly with apple compote and crackling.

Kensington Palace also revealed that Elton John performed at the reception — after he was asked by Harry — “in recognition of the close connection he has with Prince Harry and his family.”

The wedding cake was also cut at the reception. The multi-layer lemon sponge cake, created by London-based baker Claire Ptak, was drizzled with elderflower syrup, and featured an Amalfi lemon curd and a Swiss meringue buttercream with elderflower.

The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry reportedly made speeches at the reception, whereas the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke during the evening reception.

In the evening, Harry and Markle, along with their guests, made their way to Frogmore House, where the couple had their official engagement portraits taken, for the evening reception.

Markle changed into a second wedding dress, designed by Stella McCartney, before she and her new husband took off for Frogmore House in a silver blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero.

Kensington Palace did not release details, but photographs showed Markle, now known formally as the Duchess of Sussex, wearing a large, emerald-cut aquamarine ring that had belonged to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, to the reception.

The prominent display of the ring, which Diana wore often, was one more sign of the royal couple’s desire to honour Harry’s late mother, who died in a Paris car crash in 1997.

Diana’s older sister gave a formal reading during the ceremony and many of her relatives were in attendance despite Diana’s bitter divorce from Prince Charles, Harry’s father.

Harry and Markle spent their first night as a married couple at Windsor Castle. They are breaking with tradition by delaying a honeymoon, and are expected to return to their living quarters at Kensington Palace in central London.

Harry and Markle will fulfil their first royal engagement as a married couple Tuesday when they attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace to honour Prince Charles and his charity work. Charles will mark his 70th birthday later this year.

Before the wedding, Markle said she wanted to take up royal duties immediately. She has long been active in support of a number of causes and charities.

Palace officials have been vague about Harry and Markle’s honeymoon plans, but they are expected to take a honeymoon in the near future.

No destination has been announced, and the couple may choose a place where they can relax without being trailed by photographers.

Harry took Markle on holiday in Botswana when they were dating and it is possible he will choose one of his favourite African locations for the idyll.

Harry and Markle’s engagement was announced in November, and the couple made their first joint appearance as future husband and wife on Nov. 27 in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The couple first met in London in July 2016. This will be Markle’s second marriage and Harry’s first.

With files from The Associated Press

Watch the live blog here:

Tim Hortons admits it’s fallen behind the competition with its packaging, but change is coming to your coffee cup and it will start with the lid.

Executives from the fast food giant tell The Canadian Press the company has been using the same lids for 20 years despite consumer complaints that they leak.

Tim Hortons President Alex Macedo says the brand is piloting new, more environmentally-friendly packaging at six locations featuring lids that can be properly closed that sport a maple leaf design.

He says the brand was slow to change the lids because the company has long been a leader in the coffee space and many franchisees figured that a redesign wasn’t worth the effort.

In addition to the lid, Macedo says the company will be launching a new marketing plan later this year that is based around true stories related to Tim Hortons.

Early advertising will include stories about a hearing-impaired girl who had to write her order on the company’s fogged up glass display until a Tim Hortons employee learned sign language to communicate with her, as well as an unlikely Kenyan hockey team that has embraced the brand and is coming to Canada to play with NHL stars.