Katie Lafferty and Scott Watson are two people deeply invested in healthcare — they have immersed their lives in it.

Katie has been an integral part of The Ottawa Hospital, as the former chair of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and she served as a board member for ten years. She’s also a Founding Executive Member of the executive team for the Campaign to Create Tomorrow.

For 23 years, Katie has dedicated her professional life to the field of stroke. Today, she’s the Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, a national organization focused on collaborative research, training, and knowledge translation in stroke recovery. Her connection to the illness took a personal turn when a loved one suffered a stroke.

“My grandmother was a doctor, a cardiologist, and an internist,” explains Katie. “She had a stroke back in the 90s, before the drug TPA was available. So, she knew everything that was happening to her, but there wasn’t an answer to it. She gradually degenerated after that, but she was cared for at The Ottawa Hospital.”

In early 2000, Scott, originally from Alberta, moved to Ottawa, and that’s where this couple’s love story began. He initially worked at the Ottawa Life Sciences Council, but by 2006, Scott and Katie opened Watson’s Pharmacy on Main Street — now a staple in the community. By 2012, they opened a second store on Wellington St. West. “We can see the importance of investing in that business, and we also can see the importance of investing in a hospital,” explains Scott. “I know so many people that work at the hospital, and I see so many patients that come out of the hospital who are happy with the care they’ve gotten. We just wanted to be part of that, especially in this new build.”

“I know so many people that work at the hospital, and I see so many patients that come out of the hospital who are happy with the care they’ve gotten. We just wanted to be part of that, especially in this new build.”

– Scott Watson

Their largest philanthropic gift ever

Together, Katie and Scott made their largest philanthropic gift ever when they supported the Campaign to Create Tomorrow. While their $50,000 donation was larger than anything they’ve considered before, it was the importance of this particular project and the impact it would have on the community that influenced their decision in the end.

“I think we probably also wanted to set an example, because we know there are a lot of other people in the community, like us, who have good jobs. We’re fortunate to have the means to help. We wanted to lead and show it’s possible.”

– Katie Lafferty

“The scale of this one was different, for sure, but we didn’t hesitate,” says Katie. “I think we probably also wanted to set an example, because we know there are a lot of other people in the community, like us, who have good jobs. We’re fortunate to have the means to help. We wanted to lead and show it’s possible,” says Katie.

Their personal connection to the hospital was also a contributing factor to their generous support. Both of their children were born at the Civic Campus. “Those were the happiest days of our lives. A lot of people associate hospitals with being sick and that’s true. But for us, those joyous moments far outshine anything else,” shares Katie.

“It’s not just investing in yourself; you’re investing in the future of Ottawa.”

– Scott Watson

When it comes to once-in-a-generation opportunity, Scott says sometimes you just must take the plunge and think about the future. “We are all probably going to need the hospital someday. And if we can all help that realization of a new hospital, I think it’s not going to just benefit us, it’s also going to benefit our community. So go for it. Just think about the future. It’s not just investing in yourself; you’re investing in the future of Ottawa.”

Katie concurs, adding it will take our entire community to make this a reality. “What we must do as a community is rally and support this campaign because we’re getting there, but there’s a long way to go still. And people shouldn’t sit back and say somebody else is going to look after this for us. We need to look after this ourselves and make this a reality for our community. We’ve got to be proactive. Don’t wait.”

In 2021, when Kathryn Tremblay received the CEO of the year award in Ottawa, she was asked what her billboard sign would read. “What’s possible?” was her answer. Those two words — that simple question — have helped guide her professionally and personally over the years.

As co-founder and CEO of Canada’s leading independent staffing firm, Altis Recruitment, Kathryn grew the company from the ground up with her business partner, Toni Guimaraes. The pair were in their early 20s when they started the company in an apartment in the Byward Market with no employees, but they had big dreams.

Over the years, their business prospered, their relationship grew, and they welcomed four daughters. In 2016, Kathryn and her family were devastated when Toni passed away from advanced prostate cancer. He was just 51 years old.

Those two words, which had helped Toni and Kathryn build their business into the success that it was, would now hold new meaning. “After Toni passed away, I had to reimagine what was possible for me. When we were starting out, we looked at what’s possible as entrepreneurs, and what’s possible to become great employers,” explains Kathryn. “But the distinction there is that once I was on my own, it was different.”

When it came time to redefine what was possible, she explored what it’s like to be an equitable employer, a single mom, as well as an ally for diversity. “It’s how you light up that possibility for others,” says Kathryn.

“I’d encourage anyone to get involved at any level that you can. That financial contribution will mean a new, well-designed, state-of-the-art facility that will make a difference to you as you age, and it will make a difference to your children and grandchildren. I think of it as a kind of generational give back.”

— Kathryn Tremblay

Devoted parents instill desire to help others

Philanthropy also plays an important role in this business leader’s life, and The Ottawa Hospital is a charity close to Kathryn’s heart. Giving is a quality she learned as a young girl growing up in Orleans. “I had extremely devoted parents. We didn’t have a lot financially, but emotionally, in my home, it was a special place,” she recalls. “My parents told me every day they believed in me. Telling me, ‘We stand with you, we stand behind you, we’re here to lift you up.’ And on a difficult day, my dad would be the person who’d come to sit with me and give me some encouragement.”

Kathryn utilized that encouragement as a springboard to help others. “It’s not enough for me to be grateful for what I have. But it’s about how I can show that gratitude towards others, like newcomers to our country, to The Ottawa Hospital or Christie Lake Kids, which was where my husband went as an underprivileged child. And when you give, you get back because you’re making a difference to someone else.”

On May 24, 2022, Kathryn combined her love of art and desire to give back to support our hospital through Art for Impact. It was a week-long online auction featuring a wide range of art from 21 local artists. All proceeds supported the Campaign to Create Tomorrow, and the event raised more than $25,000.

“When you’re attracting talent, you need great schools and state-of-the-art healthcare. So those two things are almost like the pillars that lift the possibility of wanting to live here in Ottawa.”

– Kathryn Tremblay 

“What a great opportunity to give back to the next generation.”

Thankfully, Kathryn’s interest in the Campaign didn’t stop there. She’s donated $200,000 to the Campaign in support of the new campus development on Carling Avenue and world-leading research.

“The hospital and the new campus are a major pillar for our entire city,” says Kathryn. “I’d encourage anyone to get involved at any level that you can. That financial contribution will mean a new, well-designed, state-of-the-art facility that will make a difference to you as you age, and it will make a difference to your children and grandchildren. I think of it as a kind of generational give back.”

When it came time to consider a gift to the Campaign, Kathryn just had to look to those around her — starting with her four daughters, who were all born at the Civic Campus — and to her late husband. “We needed so much around us in terms of advisors and a team of doctors,” she explains. “I felt they really cared to save my husband’s life. Now, he had very advanced and aggressive cancer, so that was not to be, but the effort that the entire team put into trying to save his life was special. That would be the primary reason why I give.”

But she also looks at what’s possible for healthcare in the future. “I would like to see that our city has something new and modern. And when you think of the aging population, we have this 100-year-old hospital — doesn’t it make sense that the hospital is modernized?” And when Kathryn puts her CEO hat back on, there are big possibilities as well. “When you’re attracting talent, you need great schools and state-of-the-art healthcare. So those two things are almost like the pillars that lift the possibility of wanting to live here in Ottawa.”