Ashley Smith

Strategist — Making expertise visible in an AI era Canada Now (Founder & Host) — Ideas shaping what’s next

Business Strategies

From Surviving to Scaling: What It Takes to Grow a Canadian Business

Oct 18, 2026

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6 min read

From Surviving to Scaling: What It Takes to Grow a Canadian Business

Hoochy ’Booch founders Kristin Zerbin and Liam Moore on building a kombucha brand, navigating retail expansion, and the realities behind growing a Canadian business.

Ashley Smith

Real Estate

Why Housing Gets Stuck: What It Takes to Build More Homes in Canada

Sep 28, 2026

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4 min read

Why Housing Gets Stuck: What It Takes to Build More Homes in Canada

Cynthia Jagger on the time, investment decisions, and conflicting rules that shape what gets built — and what happens to the homes already here.

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

How Tech Ecosystems Compound: Lessons from Vancouver

Sep 21, 2026

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4 min read

How Tech Ecosystems Compound: Lessons from Vancouver

Dennis Pilarinos on talent circulation, bigger bets, and building Canada’s next generation of technology companies

Ashley Smith

Podcast

💙 From Awareness to Action: Why Canadians Need to Talk About Prostate Cancer

Sep 9, 2026

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7 min read

💙 From Awareness to Action: Why Canadians Need to Talk About Prostate Cancer

Eric McCormack and Mark Mahl share the personal experiences behind their advocacy — and what it takes to move prostate cancer awareness toward conversation, support, and action.

Ashley Smith

Events

What Vancouver Startup Week Revealed About the Builders You’ll Meet at Web Summit

May 11, 2026

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4 min read

What Vancouver Startup Week Revealed About the Builders You’ll Meet at Web Summit

A closer look at how Vancouver is building — just as global attention turns its way.

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

👥 Community Is the Moat: Vancouver Tech, Canadian Media, and the Offline Reset

Feb 17, 2026

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9 min read

👥 Community Is the Moat: Vancouver Tech, Canadian Media, and the Offline Reset

Vancouver Tech Journal’s William Johnson on convening, credibility, and never wasting the mic

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

Feb 9, 2026

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8 min read

💡 Customer Loyalty Beyond Points — and the Founder Lens Behind It

What 2× tech founder Matias Marquez reveals about community-led brands — and what it takes to build from Canada right now

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

🧭 No Playbook, No Pause: What Canadian Leadership Must Navigate Now

Jan 29, 2026

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7 min read

🧭 No Playbook, No Pause: What Canadian Leadership Must Navigate Now

Why governance, foresight, and strong decision-making matter more than certainty — insights from a conversation with veteran board leader Darlene Hyde

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🎙️ Do Podcasts Still Work in 2026? What Canadian Leaders Should Know

Jan 22, 2026

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6 min read

🎙️ Do Podcasts Still Work in 2026? What Canadian Leaders Should Know

A behind-the-scenes conversation on podcasting, ROI, and what’s actually working in 2026 — especially in Canada — with Brayden Dyczkowski of Podfather Creative

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

Jan 12, 2026

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6 min read

🍁 Canada Needs Its Own Startup Playbook

A home energy upgrade case study — and a Canadian argument for building companies that last, with founder Arman Mottaghi

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🏆 AI Is Not a Bubble — It’s a Leadership Test

Jan 5, 2026

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7 min read

🏆 AI Is Not a Bubble — It’s a Leadership Test

Karen Olsson on governance, adoption, and what responsible AI actually requires in 2026

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

Dec 19, 2025

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7 min read

🤝 Why Human Connection — Not Perfection — Will Define Brand and Business in 2026

A conversation with brand strategist Brady Dahmer on clarity, connection, and showing up where it actually matters

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

🚀 How Tom Rossiter Took a Canadian Tech Company Public Pre-Product — and Scaled It to 160 Countries

Dec 5, 2025

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6 min read

🚀 How Tom Rossiter Took a Canadian Tech Company Public Pre-Product — and Scaled It to 160 Countries

What it really takes to build a global tech company from Canada — and the surprising case for going public with a prototype

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

⚠️ Canada’s Cyber Wake-Up Call: What Every Leader Needs to Know in 2026

Dec 1, 2025

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6 min read

⚠️ Canada’s Cyber Wake-Up Call: What Every Leader Needs to Know in 2026

Dominic Vogel breaks down the threats, blind spots, and leadership gaps facing Canadian organizations — and the simple moves that make a big difference

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🌐 The Next Era of Leadership: Why Purpose, Talent & Global Vision Matter More Than Ever

Nov 21, 2025

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7 min read

🌐 The Next Era of Leadership: Why Purpose, Talent & Global Vision Matter More Than Ever

Investor and internationally renowned social impact entrepreneur Jay Rosenzweig on the future of work, business, and humanity

Ashley Smith

Events

🏗️ The Future of Canadian Construction — A Big Conversation You Can Join This Week

Nov 18, 2025

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4 min read

🏗️ The Future of Canadian Construction — A Big Conversation You Can Join This Week

A candid look at Canada’s construction transformation — and a subscriber-only discount for Thursday's event.

Ashley Smith

Real Estate

🛠️ Factory-Built Homes vs. the Cost of Chaos: Can Modular Be More Affordable, Convenient — and Beautiful?

Nov 15, 2025

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7 min read

🛠️ Factory-Built Homes vs. the Cost of Chaos: Can Modular Be More Affordable, Convenient — and Beautiful?

A six-hour home build? Inside Rohe Homes’ modular system — and how factory-built design could unlock affordability, gentle density and Canada’s housing future.

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🔍 Unlocking Underused Land: A Tech Founder’s Journey to Democratize Real Estate

Nov 5, 2025

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6 min read

🔍 Unlocking Underused Land: A Tech Founder’s Journey to Democratize Real Estate

What if the next housing solution is already hiding in plain sight? — with Laura Fortey

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

💥 Disrupt Yourself: How Canadians Win the Next Wave of Change

Oct 31, 2025

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7 min read

💥 Disrupt Yourself: How Canadians Win the Next Wave of Change

Jeff King on disruption, leadership, and what every Canadian industry can learn from reinvention, from music to real estate.

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🇨🇦 Social Media Reimagined — The Canadian Way, Eh!?

Oct 25, 2025

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5 min read

🇨🇦 Social Media Reimagined — The Canadian Way, Eh!?

Meet Jess Glowacki, founder of EH! — a proudly Canadian social network bringing community back online.

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🛡️ Reinventing Real Estate: Verified Data, Consumer Protection, and Canadian Stewardship

Oct 18, 2025

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7 min read

🛡️ Reinventing Real Estate: Verified Data, Consumer Protection, and Canadian Stewardship

With Ross McCredie (CEO, Sutton Group) — Canada Now Podcast

Ashley Smith

Business Strategies

🏠 Data Is Key: Why Canada’s Housing Future Depends on Better Information

Oct 8, 2025

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5 min read

🏠 Data Is Key: Why Canada’s Housing Future Depends on Better Information

With BCREA CEO Trevor Koot — Canada Now Podcast, Episode 1

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

Sep 30, 2025

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3 min read

🎙️ Canada Now Podcast Has Landed

Smart conversations. Bold perspectives. A Canadian lens on the future.

Ashley Smith

Real Estate

🏘️ The Rise of Co-Living and Multi-Generational Homes in Canada

Sep 18, 2025

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9 min read

🏘️ The Rise of Co-Living and Multi-Generational Homes in Canada

And Why I'm Personally Paying Close Attention...

Ashley Smith

Future of Work

🎓 Class of 2026: Campus to Career by Canada Day

Sep 8, 2025

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9 min read

🎓 Class of 2026: Campus to Career by Canada Day

An actionable — and different — roadmap for a resilient generation.

Ashley Smith