Canadian Franchise Association Annual Convention Wrap Up
The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) held its annual convention Apr. 22-24 in Ottawa and the event was capped off by members of the organization convening on Parliament Hill to raise awareness about Canada’s franchising industry.
April 24 was Franchise Awareness Day in Canada and the CFA chose that day to let everyone to know that franchising is worth $96 billion to the Canadian economy.
More than 75 franchise business leaders met with politicians throughout the day to bring awareness to the importance of the franchising industry to Canada. The business leaders were all armed with copies of the CFA’s Economic Impact Report.
According to the report:
- Franchises contribute $96 billion per year to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- Franchising’s contribution to the GDP represents 5% of the Canadian economy.
- The Canadian franchise industry accounts for 1.5 million full-time equivalent jobs and 1.8 million total jobs.
- These jobs represent $61 billion in household wages.
- Canadian franchises generate a total of $26 billion in tax revenue for both the federal and provincial governments.
- Based on GDP, the Canadian franchise industry ranks 12th among the largest industry sectors in the country.
The Economic Impact Report, the first of its kind in Canada, was published by the CFA in partnership with economic research organization the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis.
“The numbers clearly show that franchising is an important economic driver in every province in Canada,” said CFA President and CEO Lorraine McLachlan. “Through Franchise Awareness Day, we want to ensure government understands the contributions franchising makes to the economy, and recognizes the vital importance of franchising in the lives of Canadians.”
It wasn’t just the report that the franchise business leaders shared with politicians. They also spoke about their own franchising stories, outlining how the business model prompted them to open businesses because they knew they would be getting help with the difficult entrepreneurial journey.
“Behind these figures are thousands of everyday Canadians who achieved their dreams of business success through franchising,” McLachlan said. “Franchisees are the new mom-and-pop, and it’s their hard work and entrepreneurial spirit that helps drive the Canadian economy. That’s why it’s so important for franchise leaders to come together and share their stories through events like Franchise Awareness Day.”
The national convention itself had a plethora of events and speakers for attendees over the three days it ran. Workshops included things like harnessing the power of digital marketing, how to attract millennials to franchising, how to engage veterans in franchising, how to improve internal communications, choosing the best banking option and much more.
Along with all the helpful workshops, roundtable discussions and actional sessions, the CFA handed out its annual roundup of awards.
2018 CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising Grand Prize
At the convention, the CFA announced its grand prize winners for both traditional -- those with brick and mortar locations -- and non-traditional -- those that are mobile or home based -- franchising concepts.
Symposium Cafe took home the grand prize for traditional while Little Kickers won for non-traditional.
The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising is sponsored by the CFA and administered by the Portage Group, a third-party research firm.
“Franchising in Canada is very diverse, ranging from home-based children’s sports franchises like Little Kickers to full-service restaurants like Symposium Cafe,” McLachlan noted. “The CFA Awards of Excellence in Franchising truly set a benchmark for franchises throughout Canada and we are honoured to present the awards to this year’s winners. No matter what size a franchise system is, or what format it takes, a solid relationship between franchisor and franchisee is vital to the system’s success. Symposium Cafe’s and Little Kickers’ strong results demonstrate they offer outstanding support to their franchisees.”
2018 CFA Recognition Awards
On the awards front, the CFA also handed out its Recognition Awards in various categories.
“The CFA Recognition Awards are about excellence in the franchise community,” McLachlan outlined. “Franchising is a significant business sector in Canada making positive contributions to the Canadian economy and the community-at-large. Our prestigious CFA Recognition Awards celebrate these contributions. We congratulate all the winners on their achievements.”
The recipients of the 2018 CFA Recognition Awards at this year’s convention were:
Lifetime Achievement Award
- Randy Moore of Mister Transmission
Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award
- The Lunch Lady
Hall of Fame Award
- Kumon
Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award
- BioPed
Volunteer Leadership Excellence Award
- The CFA Changing Workplaces Taskforce
- Matthew Badrov, Sherrard Kuzz LLP
- Janice Beer, A&W Food Services of Canada
- Julie Breau, Restaurant Brands International
- Clark Harrop, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
- Joel Levesque, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
- Sherry MacLauchlan, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
- Carol Patterson, Restaurant Brands International
- Julie May Rogers, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada
- Michael Sherrard, Sherrard Kuzz LLP
- Peter Snell, Gowling WLG LLP
- Larry Weinberg, Cassels Brock LLP
- John Wissent, CFA Board of Directors
Congratulations to the winners in all the categories. The CFA’s annual convention was a complete success. If you would like in on this yearly extravaganza, you better join a franchise. Which one should you choose, though? FranNet can help! We are partners with the CFA. Sign up for a free FranNet franchise search and consultation today and let us help you on your way to business ownership.
