From left, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Fairmont Château Laurier general manager Geneviève Dumas, Ottawa-born singer-songwriter Jamie Fine and Ottawa Community Foundation president and CEO Michael Maidment at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor's Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Château Laurier’s Gold Hearts Gala: When Ottawa said ‘enough’ to youth homelessness
On Friday night, the cold was unbearable; the kind that stings your face and makes you instantly regret stepping outside.
Yet 400 business and community leaders braved it, bundling up and heading to the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball hosted by the Fairmont Château Laurier. The sold-out evening was dedicated to ending youth homelessness in Ottawa by 2030, mindful that while attendees would return to warm homes and soft beds, some young people weren’t so lucky.
Organizers wondered how they could match last year’s inaugural Gold Hearts Gala, which included a surprise $1-million gift from the Ottawa Community Foundation. This year’s affair more than delivered, raising over $375,000 and rallying a room around a cause in urgent need of attention.
The gala was in aid of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Ending Youth Homelessness by 2030 Fund, created to support community-led efforts to ensure every young person in Ottawa has access to safe and stable housing. United Way East Ontario, Alliance to End Homelessness, Youth Services Bureau, Operation Come Home, YouTurn and others are working toward achieving this goal.
Nearly half of chronically homeless adults in Ottawa first experience homelessness in their youth, making early intervention essential to ending homelessness altogether, the room heard.
Ottawa success story Jamie Fine brought warmth, energy and swag to her role as gala emcee. She openly professed her love for her hometown, proudly declaring, “I ride for my city.”
The performing artist drew attention to the elegant ballroom where business and community leaders had gathered. “I think we can all agree this room has never looked more beautiful, along with everyone who’s filling it. Yes, I’m flirting; no, don’t call HR,” joked Fine, and won the crowd over that night by being unapologetically herself.
But Fine also addressed youth homelessness, speaking to the importance of every young person feeling seen and supported. “They all need to be able to live out their dreams the same way I am,” said the four-time Juno nominee, recently back from a music tour in South Africa. She’s also proudly gay.
Ottawa-born singer-songwriter Jamie Fine emceed the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier on Friday, January 23, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Brook Simpson, manager of economic development for Gold Hearts Gala sponsor Amazon, at the Fairmont Château Laurier with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and his wife Ginny Sutcliffe, and Jacob Glick, head of public policy at Amazon.ca. Photo by Caroline Phillips
GOHBA’s Soula Burrell, seen with her former board president, David Renfroe, co-owner of Ottawa Rapid FC, was at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball with four tables’ worth of attendees from diamond sponsor GOHBA. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Ottawa Board of Trade president and CEO Sueling Ching, Invest Ottawa president and CEO Sonya Shorey, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Syntax Strategic founder and CEO Jennifer Stewart and lawyer Bree Jamieson-Holloway, acting chairperson of the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Monica Gundu, director of ESG and business analytics at diamond sponsor Ottawa International Airport Authority, with her colleague, Michel Boyer, director of stakeholder engagement, and Lauren Watton, hub manager for Porter Airlines at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and gala emcee Jamie Fine seen laughing with the audience during the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball hosted by the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Shirley Kouri with Michael Mrak, dealer principal at diamond sponsor Mark Motors Group, Denise Amyot and François Guimont, also with the Mark Motors Group, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
While Fine, a singer-songwriter, didn’t perform, she led the entire room in a round of the Happy Birthday Song for birthday girl Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier.
Dumas shared the simple story behind the Gold Hearts Gala. The hotel asked Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to help launch a new charity gala in 2025. “Absolutely,” he replied. Back for its second year, the event is practically tradition.
For Catherine McLaughlin, the hotel events and activations manager, and guiding force behind the event, their hosting the Gold Hearts Gala has only made her love Ottawa even more. “We live in a fantastic city.”
Catherine McLaughlin, events and activations manager at the Fairmont Château Laurier, has been a driving force behind creating the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Ball, which returned Friday, January 23, 2026 in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Ending Youth Homelessness in Ottawa by 2030 Fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
To set the tone for giving, the mayor reflected on how fortunate he and his wife Ginny are to have two teenagers who are healthy, safe and happy. “At least, as happy as teenagers can be,” he joked.
He acknowledged that some young people start life so far behind they have “no realistic chance to catch up.”
He called the plan to end youth homelessness “bold” and “audacious,” adding: “But that’s what it takes if you want to change the world. I don’t want to live in a city where we play it safe. I want a city that aims high. We can do this. We can end youth homelessness. We can give every young person the chance to build a life and pursue their dreams.”
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe addressed a sold-out crowd of 400 in the grand ballroom of the Fairmont Château Laurier as part of the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa Community Foundation CEO Michael Maidment laid bare the stakes, warning that when young people don’t get the support they need, the consequences can linger for years to come.
“If we fail young people early, we risk entrenching them in homelessness. We pay for that failure for decades in hospitals, emergency rooms, the justice system and lost human potential.
“But the greatest cost is not financial; it is moral, because homelessness teaches young people the lesson no city should ever teach: that they are on their own. And that lesson changes how a city feels, how safe it is, how connected it is and how hopeful it becomes.”
He called the evening not symbolic but consequential. “Youth homelessness often begins quietly on couches, in borrowed spaces, out of sight and out of statistics,” said Maidment, sharing that there were 184 young people who did not have a safe and stable place to call home in Ottawa this past November. “This is solvable.”
He continued: “Your generosity tells young people clearly and permanently that Ottawa noticed and Ottawa acted. Years from now, when someone asks how Ottawa ended youth homelessness, the answer will not be a report, it will be this room, this night and the decision that we made together.”
YSB CEO Nina Gorka, YSB Foundation board chair Rebecca Murray and fellow board member Robert Rhéaume, and YSB Foundation executive director Patti Murphy at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From United Way East Ontario, Kelly Mertl, vice president of community impact; Mark Taylor, vice president of resource development; Rachael Wilson, president and CEO; and Jessey Bird, vice president of marketing and communications, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Upstream Ottawa Mental Health Community Support executive director Bo Turpin, Youth Services Bureau director of community services Darren Graham, Ottawa Community Housing Corp. senior advisor of corporate government and stakeholder relations Danielle McGee and Mark MacAulay, president and CEO of Ottawa Salus at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Attendees were extremely generous during the fund-a-need portion of the event led by Raising the Bid’s Ryan Watson, who was in step with the electric energy Fine brought to the event. After developer Rick Iafelice pledged $100,000 to the homelessness cause, the mayor walked over to his table and gave him a big hug.
Liza Mrak, from diamond sponsor Mark Motors, and her husband, Gary Zed, pledged a combined $25,000, followed by a $5,000 pledge from Jacob Glick from Amazon, the top Heart of Gold Sponsor.
Similar generous pledges were also made by a whole rising generation of community leaders, including businessmen Jake Levinson and Riaz Sidi, guests of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation, and pollster David Coletto. He was a guest of Jennifer Stewart, founder and CEO of Syntax Strategic. There was also a $2,500 raise from Gowling WLG partner Dale Hill. Folks at the CHEO table were seen raising their bid cards at the call for $500. Dr. Vera Etches, CEO of CHEO, attended, as did Dr. Rob Beanlands, CEO of the Heart Institute.
Jennifer Stewart was a successful live auction bidder, as were fellow businesswoman Nik Lemieux of Mirabel Management and Kammal Tannis on behalf of his family’s charitable Tannis 21 Foundation. Up for grabs were multiple stays at Fairmont hotels, a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino package and a gift certificate to Howard Fine Jewellers.
There were two standing ovations that night. The first was when Cassandra Bourgeois shared via video her personal story of overcoming youth homelessness to become a business owner. The audience was once again up on its feet clapping when Sutcliffe revealed the total so far raised, with non-profit leaders from the youth homelessness sector standing behind him on stage. “We are so grateful for everything you do every single day for our community,” he turned around and told them.
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe took a moment to recognize the non-profit leaders working to end youth homelessness, including Ottawa Community Housing CEO Michael Maidment (far left), United Way East Ontario CEO Rachael Wilson, Operation Come Home executive director John Heckbert, YSB CEO Nina Gorka and Alliance to End Homelessness executive director Kaite Burkholder Harris at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe embraces Ottawa businessman Rick Iafelice after he pledged $100,000 during the fund-a-need held during the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Intega IT CEO John Robinson, Mirabel Management owner and Atlético Ottawa CFO Nik Lemieux, Atlético Ottawa CEO Manuel Vega, Desjardin FSIN community relations manager Joanne Kudakiewicz, Yorkville Asset Management marketing associate Jesika Baranyai, Paradigm Commercial president and CEO Ashley Hopkins, Sussex & Co. Steakhouse co-owner Tony Garcia, and La Bottega Nicastro co-owner Pat Nicastro at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ryan Watson from Raising the Bid sold off exclusive experiences at Fairmont Hotels, among other packages, during the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Richcraft Homes executive leadership team, from left, Kevin Yemm, vice president of land development; CEO Steve Grandmont; COO Nicolas Bouquet; and CFO Stephane Chartrand at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of the cause of ending youth homelessness by 2030. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Catherine Clark and Jennifer Stewart, co-founders of The Honest Talk podcast and media platform, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s youth homelessness fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Kammal Tannis with his niece Chelsea, daughter Ashley and nephew Jordan, representing their family’s charitable foundation, Tannis 21, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe seen listening from his dinner table as Fairmont Château Laurier general manager Geneviève Dumas expressed her appreciation to him for his involvement in the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Nik Lemieux was all smiles after being the highest bidder on one of the live auction packages at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Chris Pierce, general manager of Les Suites Hotel Ottawa, with Geneviève Dumas, general manager of the Fairmont Château Laurier, alongside Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and his wife, Ginny Sutcliffe, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball to end youth homelessness in Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Keynote Search co-founders Donna Baker (recovering from a snowboarding injury) and James Baker at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Ending Youth Homelessness in Ottawa by 2030 Fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Mark Motors Group executive vice president Liza Mrak, who pledged $15,000 to the youth homelessness cause, alongside Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and her husband, Canada’s Forest Trust founder and CEO Gary Zed, who also pledged $10,000 during the fund-a-need portion of the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Scott Phelan, the deputy chief of staff in the Ontario premier’s office, and his wife, Elizabeth Phelan, who works at Export Development Canada, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Yasser Ghazi, vice president of commercial financial services at RBC, with Heidi Duchesne, a private banker at RBC Private Banking, and Rob Cook, director of the corporate client group at RBC, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Liza Mrak from diamond sponsor Mark Motors Group was actively bidding during the live auction at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) Foundation vice president of corporate events and engagement Lindsay Firestone, UOHI president and CEO Dr. Rob Beanlands, UOHI Foundation president Lianne Laing, UOHI Foundation director of major gifts Jessica Roback, and UOHI Foundation vice president of transformational gifts, Elizabeth Rodgers, were out supporting the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data, donated $5,000 during the fund-a-need portion of the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball to end youth homelessness in Ottawa by 2030. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Dr. Anu Chadha, Danika Ahuja and Trexity co-founder and CEO Alok Ahuja take a selfie in front of the impossibly tall violinist during the cocktail reception at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Frank Spagnolo, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, Howard Fine Jewellers and True Bijoux co-owner Stephanie Appotive, Ginny Sutcliffe and Howard Fine Jewellers and True Bijoux co-owner Lindsay Appotive at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Namrata Goyes, director of development at The Ottawa Mission, with guest Leanne Cusack, at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball in support of ending youth homelessness. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Vicki Caughey, CFO/COO at Fidus Systems, pledged $1,000 during the fund-a-need portion of the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Ending Youth Homelessness in Ottawa by 2030 Fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Ottawa city councillor Laura Dudas (Orléans West-Innes), who chairs the community services committee, and Operation Come Home executive director John Heckbert at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Ending Youth Homelessness in Ottawa by 2030 Fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Jennifer Stewart, founder and CEO of Syntax Strategic, was a successful live auction bidder on a Fairmont hotel package at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s ending youth homelessness fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
A sold-out crowd of 400 filled the ballroom of the Fairmont Château Laurier for the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball in support of the Ottawa Community Foundation’s Ending Youth Homelessness in Ottawa by 2030 Fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Alliance to End Homelessness executive director Kaite Burkholder Harris, Cassandra Bourgeois and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of ending youth homelessness in Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Lianna Mackie (centre) from Mackie Homes was all smiles after she was the highest bidder on a one-night stay in the Fairmont Château Laurier’s Presidential Suite, with dinner and breakfast, at the Gold Hearts Gala hosted by the hotel. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, YouTurn executive director Marisa Moher, Gold Hearts Gala emcee and Ottawa-born singer-songwriter Jamie Fine and Youth Services Bureau CEO Nina Gorka at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of ending youth homelessness in Ottawa by 2030 Fund. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Dr. Vera Etches, CEO of CHEO, was among the attendees to donate to the fund-a-need portion of the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of ending youth homelessness in Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and Gold Hearts Gala emcee Jamie Fine shared great chemistry during the charity gala hosted by Fairmont Château Laurier on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026. Photo by Caroline Phillips
Gowling WLG law partner and businessman Dale Hill, seen with his wife Sonja, donated $2,500 during the fund-a-need portion of the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball in support of ending youth homelessness in Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s chief development officer, Jennifer Van Noort, National Arts Centre Foundation CEO Juniper Locilento, Alliance to End Homelessness executive director Kaite Burkholder Harris, and Chandos Construction director of regional development Jennifer Cross at the Gold Hearts Gala: The Mayor’s Charity Ball held in support of ending youth homelessness in Ottawa. Photo by Caroline Phillips
From left, Jerome Smith, who’s head of community affairs for Amazon, gave a wave alongside Chelsea Beliveau from the Fairmont Château Laurier and Jacob Glick, director of public policy for Amazon.ca, after Smith — a resident of the United States — won a Fairmont hotel package during the live auction. Photo by Caroline Phillips
This article is made possible through sponsorship from Star Motors, WCPD, Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties, ExecHealth, Infinity Convention Centre, Altis Recruitment, Bell Canada, First Avenue Investment Counsel, RBC, Welch LLP, Brazeau Seller Law.
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