Join us in celebrating the strength, resilience, and leadership of women in the Ottawa homebuilding industry. Through a series of engaging events, workshops, and networking opportunities, HOWL aims to foster collaboration, inspire innovation, and elevate women's voices in the traditionally male-dominated field of homebuilding. Come be a part of our dynamic HOWL community!
HOWL - Women Breaking Ground
Building the Future, one Woman at a Time!
Women Breaking Ground is a community‑driven gathering that celebrates, uplifts, and empowers women across the housing industry—builders, developers, real estate professionals, lenders, designers, and advocates. This event brings together leaders and emerging voices who are shaping stronger, more inclusive communities from the ground up
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location TBD
Speakers:
Chief Warrant Officer Bouchard enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1996, becoming one of the first female Combat Engineers before remustering to the Military Police Branch in 2002. She has served across Canada and internationally, including as Mission Security Manager at the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta. A veteran of three deployments—two to Afghanistan (Operation Athena) and one to Haiti (Operation Hestia)—she received a VCDS Commendation for her service. She has held senior leadership roles, including Senior MP NCM Career Manager and Unit CWO for the Canadian Forces National Counter-intelligence Unit. Appointed Strategic Joint Staff Chief Warrant Officer in 2023 and invested into the Order of Military Merit in 2025, she is also a proud mother and devoted partner who values family and an active, healthy lifestyle.
Diana Matheson is one of Canada’s most legendary soccer players and is currently a driving force in the business of Canadian sports. She is most famous for scoring the iconic "Bronze Medal Goal" at the 2012 London Olympics, which ended a 76-year medal drought for Canada in summer team sports. Since retiring from professional play in 2021, she has transitioned into a powerful executive role, founding Canada's first professional women's soccer league. After hanging up her cleats, Matheson earned an EMBA from Queen’s University and a UEFA Master for International Players. She used this expertise to co-found Project 8, from the ground up with the mission of bringing a domestic professional league to Canada so players wouldn't have to go abroad to play.
Alyssa Stack is a seasoned professional with over 25 years in residential construction and land development. With expertise in sales, operations, financial planning, and team leadership, she spent 19 years as General Manager for a leading custom home builder. Now at Patten Homes, Alyssa brings a strategic, hands-on approach to delivering exceptional results and client satisfaction.
Moderator:
Siobhan LeCours is the Vice President of Mr. Foundation Inc., where she helps lead strategy, growth, and culture for the family-owned construction company. She’s passionate about building strong teams, serving the Ottawa community, and creating more opportunities for women in construction leadership.
View all sponsorship opportunities HERE
By becoming a sponsor, your company demonstrates a clear commitment to advancing women in housing and investing in the future of equitable, community‑centered development.
HOWL Summer Golf Tournament
HOWL: Leading Ladies - Holiday Edition
HOWL hosted a vibrant evening celebrating the power of women in business. This special event brought together a dynamic group of professionals for a festive evening filled with inspiration, networking, and holiday cheer.
Highlighting the evening were three extraordinary speakers—self-made women whose stories of resilience, innovation, and leadership captivated the audience, offering invaluable insights into their journeys to success.
The event was a celebration of empowerment, fostering connections and sharing ideas to uplift women in all aspects of business and life.
Thank you to all who attended, our inspiring speakers Melissa Kruyne (KOTT Inc), Nancy Graham (PWL Capital) and Kathryn Tremblay (Altis Recruitment), as well as our generous sponsors who made this event possible. Stay tuned for more exciting events in the HOWL series!
HOWL x The Honest Talk
On Wednesday, March 27, 2024 we welcomed over 250 guests at St. Elias Banquet Centre. It was an evening dedicated to fostering connections, celebrating achievements, and embracing the power that lies within each woman. HOWL featured engaging discussions, motivational speakers, and networking opportunities to uplift, inspire, and propel you forward.
GOHBA was thrilled to add Ottawa’s Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng to this HOWL event. Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng started off the evening inspiring us all with his leadership and motivation.
We also welcomed ‘The Honest Talk’ to our stage. Hosted by respected entrepreneurs and leaders Jennifer Stewart and Catherine Clark, The Honest Talk provided authentic, transparent, engaging conversations that help inform and inspire women in their journeys.
Thank you to our incredible panel of speakers for sharing their inspiring stories and insights: Tanya Buckley (Cardel Homes), Simran Kochar (Stone Design Concepts), Lianna Mackie (Mackie Homes), and Linda Oliveri Blanchard (Enercare).
HOWL - She Speaks Power
HOWL "She Speaks Power" , presented by Renfroe Land Management, was an inspiring event that took place on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, celebrating empowered women's voices and their impact in leadership, inclusion, and "girl power".
That evening we had the pleasure of listening to the empowering stories of:
Solange Tuyishime - President and CEO of Elevate International, an organization dedicated to advancing women’s leadership and economic empowerment.
Karen Brownrigg - iHR Founder, Certified Executive Coach, Certified Human Resources Expert, Business Advisor. Recognized as a solutions oriented and strategic leader with two decades of HR experience working in diverse industries.
Jenny Chen - Senior Advisor of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for BMO Wealth Management. Businesswoman, Disruptor, Change maker, North American Transformational Leader.
HOWL - Inaugural Event
You can tell who the strong women are; They’re the ones building each other up. HOWL was pleased to hold its very first event on Thursday, April 20, 2023. Our goal was to provide women leaders in the residential construction industry with a safe space to encourage leadership, support one another, learn new skills, and gain information to achieve success with our guest speaker Cathy Priestman.
