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Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc.
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Private pediatric clinic puts spotlight on fee-for-service healthcare loophole
A private pediatric clinic called Healthy Kids Urgent Clinic is looking to the province to step up with funding through OHIP. The clinic, located in a commercial building at 850 Oxford Street West (pictured), was founded last year by nurse practitioner Kevin Zizzo, and charges between $65 and $85 per visit. But since Zizzo and his team are nurse practitioners, they are blocked from billing OHIP directly for their services ― something Zizzo is hoping will change in the near future. “Clinics like ours are trying to provide solutions to people,” Zizzo told CBC News London. “I don’t think any Canadian wants to or should have to pay for healthcare. I think people are frustrated with the current healthcare system and the lack of resources that are available to them.”
The upshot: The issue of nurse practitioners (NPs) charging for medical services in Ontario has been one that both provincial and federal governments have expressed concerned about. In April, the provincial government promised to close the loophole that allows NPs to charge for services ― but indicated to the federal government that it wants to do this by having the feds prohibit nurse practitioners from charging fees, rather than by funding their services, which is more in line with what the nurse practitioners’ profession is looking for. It’s leading some NPs to question why the province won’t just fund them, as Zizzo suggests they should. In an interview with Global News, Chris Savard, a nurse practitioner who runs a similar clinic in Hamilton, said, “For years and years and years we’ve been asking for funding models. We don’t know why they’re not being provided.” The federal government is expected to issue a new interpretation of the Canada Health Act to provinces in the coming weeks, so watch for potential changes ― if any ― to be coming out of that process.
Read more: CBC News London | Global News
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Strong pace for homebuilding sector continues in Q2
The number of building permits for new home construction issued by London city hall in the first half of 2024 more than doubled from the same period last year. To the end of June, the city issued permits for 1,565 new home units, compared to 601 for the first six months of 2023 (the city’s five-year average for the first half of the year is slightly more than 900 permits). “The demand is coming back. it’s not 100 per cent but it’s better,” London Development Institute executive director Mike Wallace told The London Free Press. “Part of it is due to interest rate reductions. We’re seeing growing demand as London is still attracting people. This is moving in the right direction.”
The upshot: In the concerted push to bring more housing to the London market, it’s important to note the distinction between permit issuance and approved construction. In total, the city approved construction of 8,020 new homes in the first half of 2024 (many of them represented by proposed higher-density projects such as highrise towers and townhouse developments), but for many of those homes, it could be years before a builder receives a building permit and breaks ground on a project (if they opt to move ahead at all). On the other hand, when permits are issued, it’s generally an indication of imminent construction. “No one pulls a permit and sits on it,” said Wallace. “A permit means a builder is moving forward with the development of a home. It’s a clear indication construction will begin.”
Read more: London Free Press
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Budweiser Gardens moves to Ticketmaster, new GM takes over
With the Knights’ season in the rearview mirror, there are a few changes going on at Budweiser Gardens this month. The first is the retirement of the arena’s long-time general manager Brian Ohl, who stepped down at the end of June, taking a job as a project manager with Oak View Group, a sports venue and real estate firm which manages over 125 North American facilities, including Bud Gardens. Kelly Austin, a veteran of the rink (she started as a marketing coordinator back in 2009) is the new GM. The second big change is that Bud Gardens revealed in early July that it was switching its main ticketing provider to Ticketmaster ― a bit of a controversial move, given that Ticketmaster has been in the spotlight recently regarding criticisms around anti-competitive business practices. “We did go through a competitive bidding process and in the end, Ticketmaster was the one that we felt offered the strongest platform for both ourselves and our customers,” Austin told CTV News London this week (the facility had previously used Paciolan as its ticketing solutions provider). “We are confident that Ticketmaster is going to be great for this facility and great for our customers.”
The upshot: The Ticketmaster switch has been eliciting some grumbles from fans ― and even some local politicos got in on the griping. “These ticket agencies engage in a lot of sharp practices, and consumers need better protections,” Councillor Sam Trosow told CBC News London. Ticketmaster is also facing a major anti-trust suit in the U.S., where the Justice Department is seeking to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation’s so-called “illegal monopoly.” But the Ticketmaster deal isn’t the only thing Austin has on her plate this summer with long-awaited renovations now underway. “When customers come into the building after this summer, they’re going to see a brand-new score clock,” she told CTV. She added that the concession stands will be “totally different” next year, as the rink is “going away from that traditional belly-up counter style and more to a market grab-and-go self-checkout.”
Read more: CBC News London | CTV News London
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HRdownloads rebrands to Citation Canada
Local HRIS platform HRdownloads officially rebranded to Citation Canada this week, following its acquisition last May by The Citation Group. “Today marks a significant milestone in our history,” said Richard Stabbins, managing director of Citation Canada, headquartered at 727 Exeter Road (pictured). “Our dedication to delivering best-in-class HR solutions remains unwavering. We are the same great team, providing the same great service through our market-leading HR platform. However, our new name signifies the beginning of an exciting chapter for our business.”
The upshot: The Citation Group, based out of northeast England and providing HR services to over 100,000 businesses across the UK, Australia New Zealand and Canada, has been pushing into the Canadian market fairly aggressively in the past year or so, starting with their 2023 acquisition of HRdownloads, which was originally founded in 2008 by Tony Boyle. Last month, it also acquired Agendrix, a Quebec-based staffing scheduling software company, a deal that Citation Group CEO Chris Morris said “aligns perfectly with our growth strategy and to further expand in Canada.”
Read more: Citation Canada
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Digital Extremes commits to long-term downtown lease
The trendlines haven’t been great for downtown office space lately ― the vacancy rate for office space downtown has hit a record 30-plus per cent as the lingering potency of remote and hybrid work models has twisted the supply-demand balance of physical office spaces. But the sector received a nice boost this week with the news that the city’s biggest game dev company had made a long-term commitment to the core. Digital Extremes inked a 10-year lease at Citi Plaza, keeping them in their 70,000 square-foot space (pictured), where they’ve been for the last 14 years. “This is our home. This is where the company has grown,” president Sheldon Carter told The London Free Press. “We know there are challenges downtown, but we want to be part of the solution.” The announcement comes ahead of TenoConn, Digital Extremes’ annual convention centred around its popular Warframe title, which will be held at RBC Place London next weekend.
The upshot: According to Digital Extremes, there decision was helped along by Mayor Josh Morgan and police chief Thai Truong, who have been pounding the pavement lately in an effort to assure core-area businesses that efforts are being made to ensure downtown workers feel safe and secure. “We really liked the fact that the mayor and chief reached out to us,” Carter said. “We worry about safety, we want our people to feel safe and comfortable.”
Read more: London Free Press
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Imagine Cinemas brings back Cheap Tuesdays
It’s not cheap to go to the movies anymore, but one local multiplex is bringing back a long-time fan favourite: $5 Tuesdays. “Cheap Tuesdays has been a beloved tradition among our patrons, and we’re excited to bring it back with even greater value,” said Gina Facca, COO of Windsor-based Imagine Cinemas, which operates 11 theatres in Ontario, including Imagine Cinemas London in Citi Plaza (pictured), the only downtown movie theatre. “In these tough economic times, we believe in making high-quality entertainment accessible to everyone and these new pricing options reflect our commitment to our community and movie-lovers everywhere.” They’re also lowering their matinee pricing to $8 per ticket for all movies before 6 p.m.
The upshot: It’s no secret that movie theatres are having a tough go of it lately, and a lower-cost pricing strategy may be one attempt to lure patrons back to the cinemas. Cineplex reported a $9-million fourth-quarter loss in February. The Hyland, London’s indie rep theatre is, like most other indie rep theatres, just scraping by. And a 2024 release schedule that is relatively bereft of any big draw films (and with nothing even close to the level of last year’s Barbenheimer phenomenon) isn’t helping. Industry analysts are saying that the big-event movies ― Barbie, Oppenheimer, etc. ― is what draws people back to theatres, but question whether that will be enough to sustain the business model in the streaming age. What the theatre industry really needs is more regular customers who will come to see whatever is playing, which is where something like the return of Cheap Tuesdays and lower-priced matinees should help.
Read more: London Free Press | To Do Canada
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Dispatch: July 12, 2024
A summary of recent business appointments and announcements, plus event listings for the upcoming week.
View listings here
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