December 2025 – The Ownership Update
December 2025 - The Ownership Update
Stories, insights, and action from Canada’s employee ownership community.
Message from the ED
Hello and welcome to The Ownership Update, Employee Ownership Canada’s refreshed newsletter.
I’m thrilled to share this first edition with you of what will become a regular source of news, tools, and guidance to help grow and strengthen employee ownership across Canada.
Over the past several months, we’ve been listening, learning, and laying the groundwork to better support you. As we ramp up our operations, our focus is clear: expanding understanding of employee ownership models, equipping business owners and advisors with practical resources, and advocating for policy that makes employee ownership transitions easier, more viable, and more attractive.
In a period of economic uncertainty and rapid change, employee ownership stands out as a rare bright spot: it promotes inclusive wealth, strengthens communities, and builds resilient, purpose-driven companies. It’s a future we’re proud to build alongside you.
I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported us through this transition of ESOP Canada and CEOC into Employee Ownership Canada . To the champions and partners who continue to help educate Canadians on the power of employee ownership and advance conversations with policymakers. To our sponsors who believe in this work and invest in its growth. And to our members, thank you for your continued support, feedback, and collaboration as we continue to build this next chapter of EOC together
Below, you’ll find updates on events, advocacy work, resources, and opportunities designed to support you and your teams. We hope you’ll subscribe to this new format so we can keep you connected with news, insights, training, member benefits, and more.
Thank you for being part of this growing community—and for everything you do to advance employee ownership in Canada.
Warmly,
Justine Janssen
Executive Director, Employee Ownership Canada
In Case You Missed It: What We've Been Up To
As this is our first renewed newsletter, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the major milestones and momentum across EOC Canada over the past several months.
Sector Growth & Milestones
- In May, we successfully hosted our annual conference, welcoming over 130 attendees and receiving exceptionally positive reviews. A strong signal of growing interest and a key building block for Canada’s employee ownership sector. Recordings are available to re-watch on our website.
- Three companies, Brightspot Climate, Grantbook, and Taproot have already successfully transitioned to Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) this year, an achievement given the typical length of the transition process.
- We were proud to have The Minister of Finance and National Revenue, François-Philippe Champagne, attend and give remarks at the announcement of Taproot’s sale to an EOT, representing 750 employees.
A robust pipeline is forming. We anticipate between 20 to 30 EOT transitions in 2026, a clear sign of market acceleration.
Public Policy & Advocacy Wins
- A major policy victory: In August, the government released legislation that makes the EOT tax incentive significantly easier for business owners to access. This change was driven by EOC’s Expert Advisory Committee; leading Canadian lawyers whose coordinated input helped shift actual policy.
- Focused advocacy for permanency: We continue pushing to make the EOT tax incentive permanent, as it is in the UK and the US. Recent activities towards that goal includes:
- An EOC-led pre-budget meeting with MP Ryan Turnbull, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and National Revenue.
- EOC pre-budget submission and direct engagement with key officials in the Department of Finance working on the file.
- Meetings with MPs, Senators and political staff.
- A letter writing campaign by business owners impacted by the current policy.
Issued a statement in response to Budget 2025, providing members with clear explanations and practical tools to navigate proposed changes.
Organizational Updates
- Leadership transition: Justine Janssen joined EOC as Executive Director in September.
- On November 26, we were pleased to add three new members to EOC’s board. Please welcome Pete Walker, Mike Fotheringham and Agop Evereklian to our EOC community. We will be sharing profiles on our new members over the coming weeks.
- John Stevens stepped down from the board after several years of service. During his tenure, John was a dedicated volunteer whose business acumen, governance experience, and financial oversight helped guide EOC through the 2025 merger and into its next chapter.
- Strengthening operations:
- Completed a national membership survey and commenced State of Employee Ownership in Canada research, in partnership with the newly established Employee Ownership Research Initiative (EORI).
Revamped and relaunched our website, developed a robust communications strategy, posted renewed resources on our social media channels, and are enhancing our resource library for business owners and advisors.
Upcoming Events & Opportunities
Winter Webinar Series
We’re excited to launch a new monthly webinar series beginning in January, with our first webinar now open for registration! Please share this exciting opportunity amongst your networks. Full dates and registration details for upcoming webinars will be shared soon.
Help shape our webinar series. Share your interest in facilitating, and propose future topics on our webinar interest form.
JANUARY: Employee Ownership 101, A Practical Succession Path
A foundational session exploring the core pathways and models of employee ownership in Canada.
FEBRUARY: EOT Deep Dive: Live Q&A Panel
A special panel featuring advisors, lenders, employee-owners, and legal experts. We’ll discuss the EOT legislation, the tax incentive, real-world benefits, and practical steps for owners considering a transition.
MARCH: Building an Ownership Culture
A session on how to prepare your organization for shared ownership covering inclusive wealth-building, employee engagement, and the internal practices that strengthen culture and community impact.
Share Your Voice: Guest Blogs, Articles & Speaking Opportunities
We’re looking to feature insights from across our community. Whether you’re a service provider, employee-owner, or business owner exploring or transitioning to employee ownership.
If you’re interested in:
- Writing a guest blog or article
- Being interviewed on employee ownership
- Contributing to media stories
- Speaking at conferences or events in 2026
- Hosting an EOC webinar
We’d love to hear from you.
Reach out to discuss opportunities to share your expertise.
FEATURE: Brightspot Climate's EOT Success Story
Sharing Wealth, Strengthening Culture
As more Canadian companies explore employee ownership as a succession option, the motivations are becoming clear: founders want to protect the cultures they’ve built, avoid misaligned external buyers, and ensure that the wealth created by the business is shared with the people who helped generate it. Brightspot Climate is a powerful example of this trend.
Founder Aaron Schroeder knew early on that traditional buy-in models weren’t right for a firm built on values of transparency, fairness, and shared success. But the path wasn’t without challenges. Brightspot had to overhaul its governance, invest in financial education for staff, and correct early misconceptions about what “ownership” meant. Through open communication, starting with what Schroeder jokingly calls his “Jerry Maguire letter,” and guidance from legal and accounting advisors, they built the structure and confidence needed for a successful transition.
Several months in, the benefits are clear: 100% retention, stronger engagement, and a deeper connection between daily work and long-term company performance. As Schroeder puts it, “Employee ownership is one way that we can have an outsized impact in our small corner of the world to share the wealth.”
Considering employee ownership for your company? Connect with trusted experts through our service provider list, or explore our resource library for clear, practical guidance.
EOC's Members & Volunteers
Why Become an EOC Member?
Membership at EOC is designed to support business owners, service providers, and employee-owned companies with the knowledge, community, and tools they need to advance employee ownership in Canada.
3-month free trial for new members!
Get Involved: Join our Awareness Committee
Committees are central to how we advance employee ownership in Canada, bringing members together to educate, advocate, and build momentum. Our Awareness Committee leads this charge by delivering presentations, workshops, and outreach to business owners and advisors. If you’d like to support this important work or explore how you can get involved, we’d love to hear from you.
Membership Survey
Thank you to everyone who took time to share feedback with Natasha Goldstein in our membership survey this Fall. We are already acting on many of the suggestions as part of our 2026 priorities.
We welcome your input on what’s working and how we can better share resources, updates, and opportunities with you.
EOC Community Voices
“Given the economic challenges Canada is facing, here is a perfect policy remedy; a way to address the succession crisis, the outflow of capital, and the protection of small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada, in a way that appeals to people right across the political spectrum.”
In case you missed it, those were the words of the Honourable Jason Kenney at our Annual Conference in September. He delivered a striking call to action, highlighting employee ownership as a powerful answer to today’s economic challenges and a path toward a stronger, more inclusive Canada.
A few more key moments:
“If we’re going to save democratic capitalism from its current failures, we’re going to need to latch on to that vision of an ownership society. And I think employee ownership in Canada is the smartest way to start.”
“The employee ownership model offers owners an elegant opportunity to exit and pass on the legacy of their family-owned business to the workers with whom they have collaborated for decades, keeping those companies here in Canada and rooted in their communities.”
Quick Links
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