Finalized in 2025, the updated strategy illustrates ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s ongoing commitment and pursuit of health and well-being across our organization. 

The strategy includes themes that we heard during focus groups and interviews with interest holders across campus, including staff and faculty, managers and senior leadership.  

What Does a Healthy Workplace Look Like For You?Ìý

The Healthy Workplace Strategy serves to align programming, activities and resources as well as provide guidance and inspiration for workplace well-being at the individual, team, and organizational levels. We encourage you to review the strategy and reflect on how you see and contribute to a healthy workplace at ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´. What does a healthy workplace look like for you?Ìý

You can review the strategy in full here: 2025/2028 Healthy Workplace StrategyÌý

We’d like to thank the Healthy Workplace Strategy Task Force:  

• Cindy Taylor, Healthy Workplace Co-Chair (retired)Ìý

• Adrian Chan, Professor (Systems & Computing Engineering), Healthy Workplace Co-ChairÌý

• Kristie Tousignant, Associate Vice President (Student Health & Wellness)Ìý

• Robyn McQuaid – Assistant Professor (Neuroscience)Ìý

• Paul Mkandawire – Professor (Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies)Ìý

In addition, we’d like to thank the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ community for their ongoing support for Healthy Workplace at ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´. We couldn’t do this without you, and we look forward to continuing the journey together. 

January 28, 2026: Healthy Workplace Panel Discussion and Wellness FairÌý

Join us on Wednesday, January 28 for an afternoon dedicated to creating space for important conversations about the workplace health and well-being at ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University.   

This event will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Teraanga Commons Conference rooms (second floor) and will include a panel discussion on workplace health and well-being, and a Wellness Showcase. Panelists include Dr. Adrian Chan (Systems and Computer Engineering), Danielle Manley (School of Nursing), and Caroline Workman (Canada Life). The conversation will be moderated by Dr. Sarah Todd (Arthur Kroeger College, School of Social Work).Ìý

To RSVP, please visit the Healthy Workplace website. 

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Jennifer Sloan, founder of , will be joining us virtually to share an inside look at how Unexpected Journeys came to be during the pandemic.

Outline of this session:

• Introduction and Background of Unexpected Journeys
• Mini Slide Show – what an Unexpected Journey could look like
• Discussion – what have you discovered locally during the past few years?
• Q&A
• Draw to win a free Unexpected Journey!

Unexpected Journeys is a locally owned business that curates local experiences in Ottawa and the surrounding areas. You choose your starting point and they take care of the rest! It is a great way to take a day with family or friends to discover, appreciate and create memories that will last a lifetime.​
Uncover hidden gems, stunning scenery and delicious treats along the way​. .

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Congratulations to the Ravens for Mental Health Team on your tremendous run/walk achievement from this past weekend’s Run for Women in-person and virtual event. We hope everyone is feeling energized, inspired, and not too sore!

Together, our Ravens for Mental Health team has raised over $5560 for The Royal Ottawa ($40 from every registration + our teams current $3760 in funds raised). How AMAZING is that! It is a feat to take great pride in! We continue to show leadership as one of the largest Run for Women teams in the Ottawa region showcasing that what we value we do – as a ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ community we are whole-heartedly committed to Striving for Wellness at our very core and to the mental health and well-being of our community.

Thank you all for joining, for speaking up for mental health, donating your time and money, recruiting, and most of all for participating as a community and doing something equally good for yourself as it is for others.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s event!

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Throughout the month of June Sustainability ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ and Healthy Workplace are partnering to shine a light on all things two wheels. Everyone is encouraged to get on their bike and sign up to the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´  Team to win prizes and track your cycling progress. You are also invited to an excellent Family Cycling workshop, where our friends at Envirocentre will let you know about getting the most from cycling with the whole family. We will also have Free Bike-Tune ups available (TBC) and as a reminder you can also access a Bike Loan program in case you need to buy a new bike or want to replace your existing one. Here are 5 ways to get involved:

1. Sign up to Let’s Bike Ottawa.

 is an annual campaign that encourages people to try cycling as a fun and healthy transportation option. Participants in the campaign can:

• See the GHG averted by choosing to bike
• Are eligible to win individual prizes including vouchers to local Ottawa stores
• Join ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ colleagues in the Sustainability x Healthy Workplace team and engage in friendly competition
• Have access to free tools and resources

How it works

You can participate in Let’s Bike Ottawa as an individual or be part of the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ team:

• SimplyÌýÌýby creating a user name and password to access your personal profile page.
• Once you have registered, you can join the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ team, or if you prefer participate as an individual.
• Already a signed up? You can join the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Team click on thisÌý

From there, you will be able to:

• Log your bike rides during the campaign
• Track your progress and see the positive impact you are making
• Learn how much money you have saved and pollution you have averted

2. Attend a Free lunch time Bike Workshop. 

Family Cycling â€“ June 21st, 3pm-4pm

Cycling is a fun activity for the whole family! Whether going on a leisure ride or heading to the library, cycling is a great choice for folks of any age. This workshop will cover everything you need to know to make family cycling a success.  Our friends at Envirocentre will cover kid-carrying bikes, adaptive cycles for adults, route planning considerations, and real-life tips from someone who’s been there! This workshop is adapted for people of all ages and cycling abilities. 

Please register with the below link. A Zoom link will be sent out to participants 24 hours, 1 hour, and 10 minutes before the start of the virtual workshop (and you will also find it in the calendar invite so that you and anyone else can join). 

3. Get a Free Bike Tune-up

June 28th – All Day

During the month of June, Sustainability ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ will be hosting a Free Bike-Tune up event for the community. This day long event run by VeloFix, will allow Staff, Faculty and Students who need their bike ready for the summer to get a free Tune-up and receive qualified advice on their bike. 

We anticipate that this event will be oversubscribed, and as such will draw random names, should those interested exceed the number of slots available on the day. Please note that the tune-ups last unto 1 hour and you are responsible for bringing the bike to campus and collecting at your allocated time. There is no guarantee that bikes can be held beyond your time slot. 

For more information and to register visit here.

4. Take advantage of the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Bike Loan program.

ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ has extended its Employee Purchase Loan Program. The program is intended to assist continuing employees in financing certain categories of products. The program previously only including financing for technology purchases but has now been extended to support the university’s sustainability goals, with financing for active forms of transportation.

This means that you can now finance the purchase of bicycles, including electric bicycles and additional eligible items such as pannier bags, trailers, and security products, up to a loan value of $5,000. Each loan shall be from one to three years and is repaid from your post-tax salary on a per-pay basis.

5. Read more about cycling plans on campus.

ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s first-ever Outdoor Space Master Plan has been finalized. This plan will help the university identify and prioritize improvements to the urban environment on campus and support improvements to pedestrian and cycling pathways. 

The plan was developed by consultant Brook McIlroy, in consultation with all members of the campus community. The plan’s focus is in alignment with a number of university strategic plans including the Strategic Integrated Plan (SIP), Kinàmàgawin, the Indigenous Strategy, the Transportation Plan, as well as the university’s Sustainability Plan.

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This talk will be presented by Associate Professor Cheryl Harasymchuk, from the Department of Psychology.

Relationships are fundamental for our health and well-being. Indeed, people with higher quality relationships tend to have greater life satisfaction and lower mortality rates. Although romantic relationships usually take the spotlight, scholars have argued that friendships are an important source of social connection and well-being. In this talk, Dr. Harasymchuk will first define friendship and include a discussion about differences as a function of gender, culture, and online context. In the second part of the talk, Dr. Harasymchuk will answer the question, ‘What makes for a satisfying friendship?’ and describe evidence linking friendship with physical and psychological well-being.

Mental Health Speaker Series

This session is part of the Healthy Workplace Mental Health Speaker Series 2021/2022. Find out more.

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This workshop will explore how to recognize your specific workplace tasks and how you complete them. We will also include a focus on some remote and in-person work habits. Presenters will provide some personal accessible hacks that have been compiled from various professional development workshops and why it is important to be metacognitive in your own workflow. This session will allow the opportunity for participants to share and learn their own workplace hacks with one another. This session will be facilitated by Amanda Blais, Senior Disabilities Learning Support Coordinator and Jessie Gunnell, READ Projects Officer and is part of the Accessibility & Wellness Series.

Presentation Outline:

1. Tasks & Software
2. Some hacks we use
3. Work-share in breakout groups

ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ the Accessibility & Wellness Series

The intended outcomes of the Accessibility & Wellness Speaker Series are to:

• Increase awareness within members of the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ community about accessibility issues and how they relate and contribute to wellness of individuals and the community as a whole;
• Encourage awareness into action approach through the provision of concrete strategies, resources and connections for participants;
• Highlight the connection between accessibility and accessible practices and the wellness of individuals;
• Increase the conversations about accessibility.

Find out more here!

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Learning Objectives:

• Understanding the what and why of Estate Planning.
• To understand various tools of Estate Planning
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Wills
  • Joint Accounts
  • Gifting
  • Trust
• Define dying without a will

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