Happy holidays! With the holiday season upon us, it’s a good time to reflect on the past 12 months and look ahead to 2023. ORION wouldn’t be where we are today without all of you, so we asked members of our community to share something they are grateful for this year.
We’ll start by saying how grateful we are for the opportunity to collaborate with many incredible individuals and organizations across Canada. We have been inspired by the ground-breaking work of researchers, educators, and innovators this year, which is why we are excited to continue empowering innovation going forward.
I also want to thank the ORION team for collaborating with each other as well as our community. I appreciate your hard work all year round to cultivating engagement within the industry, supporting world-class research, and building trusted community partnerships. Your dedication and determination helped us get to where we are today.
2022 offered many exciting opportunities for our community from making new friends to reconnecting with old ones, from collaborating together to travelling again, and everything in between.
What is the ORION community grateful for?
“I am grateful to these friends (professionally and personally, both!) who kept us sane…Especially over the past two to three years and I’m grateful for all the new friends I’ve met virtually during the pandemic and are meeting in person now.”
Martin Bernier, University of Ottawa
“I am grateful for the chance to wake up every day to do what I do. There is a lot to unpack around this, but it begins with family and being a father to three wonderful children, living life well, even in times of darkness and despair, to walk and bathe in the forests and in the country I live, working with amazing people and organizations to make the world a better place one step at a time, and the opportunity, with the world opening up to reconnect, build connections, and be a global citizen. And thankful for the privileges, freedoms and the health to do all this.”
Steven Liss, Toronto Metropolitan University
“I am grateful for an enjoyable career where I have opportunity to work alongside a dedicated team that tackles every issue with enthusiasm.”
Scott Elliott, Wilfrid Laurier University
“I am most grateful that the pandemic is (apparently) over, and we can once again resume living something that resembles a normal life; free to gather in large groups and travel without restriction and enjoy our lives.”
Ian Winsor, SNOLAB
“I am grateful for all Laurentian technical partners. When we needed them, they were there with truthful and compassionate advice, and thoughtful and deep knowledge that allows us to navigate with confidence the rough waters. ORION is one of them.”
Luc Roy, Laurentian University
“I am grateful to all the faculty, staff and students who make dedicated contributions to Waterloo and to our communities each and every day; to our Indigenous communities for supporting us in, and teaching us about, our journey forward together in renewed relationship; and to all those who help each other create a positive and healthy environment by giving of themselves, supporting others and bringing fun and laughter to the world.”
Charmaine Dean, University of Waterloo
“I am most grateful for the continued health and wellness of family, community, staff, students and partners.”
Rebecca Jamieson, Six Nations Polytechnic
“I am so grateful to all my ON-CHEC and CUCCIO (Canadian University Council of CIOs) colleagues for always being available to share the trials and tribulations of everyday tech lives in Higher Education. They help me keep calm and carry on.”
Nela Petkovic, Wilfrid Laurier University
“I’m immensely grateful for my team and colleagues at York whom have been so universally supportive and positive throughout challenging times and rapid change. The James Webb Space Telescope for giving us deeper insight into mysteries of the universe. And Elon Musk for making Twitter interesting again.”
Chris Russel, York University
“I am grateful for a great 2022: Working with professional teams and customers’ organizations. Contributing to the education community by connecting different remote campus sites, providing students, faculty and researchers access using best in class network.”
Omar Alkorani, Nokia
“At the start of each meeting I run, I ask everyone to share what they are grateful for that day. This question creates connection and a shared sense of gratitude. My gratitude for today is the hundreds of stories of gratitude I heard over 2022. I carry them all in my heart as I go into 2023, and I am already looking forward to the hundreds of moments of gratitude that will be shared in 2023!”
Meghan Kirwin, Kirwin Group
As always, we are grateful for every member of the ORION community. We’re excited to support researchers, educators, and innovators in Ontario for many more years to come.
Wishing you all the best in 2023!
Alfonso Licata
President and CEO, ORION