Who is he?
Michael Wood is a professor at Algonquin College, a business consultant and a passionate advocate for small businesses and improved 911 service in Ottawa.
What’s his background?
Wood grew up in the Craig Henry neighbourhood of Knoxdale-Merivale Ward. Before his consulting career, he toured as a guitarist with the rock band Circuit across Canada and the United States. He served as chief marketing officer at Ottawa Special Events, a private event rental and production company, for 12 years. Wood has taught at Algonquin College since 2007.
What is he known for in Ottawa?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ottawa Special Events saw a 97 per cent decline in business, losing more than $3 million. Realizing other businesses were also suffering, Wood became a vocal advocate for small businesses hurt by the pandemic, pushing for greater government support and resources.
He created a Facebook group for Ottawa business owners to share their struggles and met with politicians at different government levels to raise awareness of business challenges. “It’s not just Mike Wood that has this problem, there are [other businesses],” he told City News.
“For example, like the barbershop. People were crashing because they weren’t allowed to have any customers in,” said Wood. “That was a big challenge so I want to find out exactly what I can do to help them.”
Beyond advocating for small businesses, Wood has worked with government to improve 911 services, ensuring Ottawa residents can connect directly with emergency responders throughout North America in life-threatening situations. Wood has also started a petition — e-5069 — calling on the federal government to “more rapidly implement NG9-1-1 technology,” which would allow 911 calls to be transferred across Canada and enable all Canadians to send text, picture and video messages to emergency operators.
What do people say about him?
Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill describes Wood as an example of how Ottawa citizens can make their voices heard.
“Mike was a strong advocate for small business during the pandemic and is a very active voice,” Hill told the Ottawa Citizen last December. “As a result of that, he was quite aware of the value an individual voice can bring to an issue.”
In 2020, City News called him “a leader in the fight for Canadian small businesses during COVID-19.” He also received special recognition from the City of Ottawa for his efforts around opioid awareness and was named one of the city’s 50 most influential residents.
What’s something people don’t know about him?
Wood originally wanted to be a marine biologist because of a fascination with sharks. He also had a memorable encounter with Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in 1999, asking for an autograph for his son, “Mike Jr.” — although he had no children at the time.
