成人大片

Daniel Copeland has always wanted to use technology to help people. He鈥檚 also always wanted to give back to the Innisfil, Ont., community.

Now, thanks to the , he鈥檚 able to do both.

Copeland is co-founder of an app called - which stands for Spontaneous Paid Opportunities Today. 

Incorporated in July 2019, it鈥檚 an app that helps marginalized Canadians improve their skills, develop meaningful careers and reintegrate into the workforce, while providing employers with an on-demand, flexible and reliable labour force for jobs that are often hard to fill.

Copeland and co-founder Darren Perlman are building their startup with , an accelerator for tech startups. But, unlike many DMZ companies, they鈥檙e located an hour north of Toronto, in Innisfil, Ont.

鈥楢ccess to big-city resources鈥�

Launched in May 2020, the new arm of Ryerson鈥檚 business incubator was created in partnership with the DMZ and Innisfil Accelerates, a municipal government program. 

It鈥檚 part of a larger plan to create a tech ecosystem for the town of roughly 37,000 and boost the local economy. So far, it鈥檚 home to 15 startups.

Businesses are given access to many of the same resources as startups in the Toronto location - free space, mentorship, exclusive resources and a vast network of support, including partners, customers and investors. (In the pandemic, businesses can work remotely, and in the shared space, physical distancing rules are strictly followed).

But what they can also access in Innisfil is a four-season, lakeside lifestyle - a refreshing shift for those looking to escape city stress.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to be able to live in a smaller town and have access to big-city resources,鈥� said Copeland. 

The Richmond Hill, Ont., native was no stranger to the Lake Simcoe community. Growing up, he spent his summers there at his family cottage.

Now, he鈥檚 happy to be able to give back to the town where he has so many fond memories, while fulfilling his professional dream.

鈥淭he resources we have are invaluable. It鈥檚 also really cool to just be affiliated with the DMZ because they have such a phenomenal reputation,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t carries so much credibility, both here and in Toronto.鈥�

Program in synch with town trajectory

Andrea Khanjin, MPP Barrie鈥擨nnisfil and parliamentary assistant to the minister of environment, conservation and parks, says the DMZ Innisfil program is in perfect alignment with the town鈥檚 development - like other small bedroom communities, both its population and economy are undergoing major transformation.

鈥淲hile Innisfil鈥檚 past might seem quaint to some people today, the first settlers who came to Innisfil were innovators. They pushed the boundaries and farmed on Ontario鈥檚 frontier. Innovation is part of Innisfil鈥檚 DNA, from the past to the present and into the future. I鈥檓 delighted to belong to a community that has at its heart the innovation for which Ryerson and the DMZ are known,鈥� she said, also noting that sustainability must be at the forefront of change as well.

Other examples of how the town is shifting technologically include a transit system powered by Uber, app-based parking, crypto currency tax payments, cutting-edge libraries and sports facilities, and plans for a transit project called , which will make commuting to and from Toronto much more accessible, offering residents a smaller town lifestyle with urban innovations and conveniences. 

鈥極ur partnership with Ryerson DMZ is helping us transform our local economy,鈥� said Innisfil mayor Lynn Dollin. 鈥淭hrough DMZ Innisfil we are attracting and supporting technology startups and investment, and creating new jobs in our community.'

鈥楧eveloping a local technology cluster鈥�

Jelmer Stegink, program director of the DMZ Innisfil, agrees, noting that prior to Covid-19, 82 per cent of Innisfil residents left the town for work. Now, Innisfil hopes to build a connected community and provide more residents with the opportunity to work and live in the town.

鈥淭hrough the partnership with DMZ, we plan to establish a local technology cluster to create more local job opportunities and transform our economy,鈥� Stegink said, adding that since launching in May 2020, they鈥檝e onboarded 15 startups who have collectively raised $750,000 and created 70 jobs.

Bridging employment gap

Copeland鈥檚 SPOT is one of them. While the team is small, its very mission is to boost the employment of Canadians by connecting them with jobs they might not have otherwise have had.

Copeland was inspired to create SPOT while working as a lawyer for the Ministry of Community and Social Services. When he learned that only 10 per cent of individuals in the Ontario Works program reintegrate back into the workforce, he began brainstorming how to increase that number.

He also learned that the vocational service organizations that help marginalized Canadians find work are only funded based on offering work opportunities that are a minimum of 26 hours per week. With no incentive to promote jobs that fall short of 26 hours - for example, a 12-hour shift in a retail warehouse - he realized there was a need to connect on-demand workers with on-demand labour opportunities.

So, Copeland and Perlman, who, as director of store operations at Jean Machine, has experienced staffing challenges himself, joined forces to come up with SPOT - an app that connects those looking for work with immediate employment.

The platform offers the opportunity for employers to rate workers based on their reliability, along with the chance for workers to develop new skills to increase their hireability - for both the short- and long-term.

鈥淯nlike other gig economy apps, our app is designed to be deleted,鈥� he said, explaining that if an employer is pleased with a worker and wants to on-board them permanently, they can hire them 鈥渙n the SPOT鈥�, since the app doesn鈥檛 charge poaching fees.

鈥淭here's an app for dating, there's an app for food, so why isn鈥檛 there an app to help people earn money, continuously learn and find permanent work?鈥� said Copeland, adding, 鈥淚 truly believe that technology has a huge capacity to really improve the life of all Canadians.鈥�

Big fish, small pond

He notes that building the app and growing the company from Innisfil comes with plenty of benefits.

For one, he says it鈥檚 easier to forge connections and relationships with the local business community. 

鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 be able to achieve that so easily in a bigger city,鈥� he said.

For example, he recalls a moment during one of his first weeks in the incubator when Khanjin and other members of the Innisfil council were visiting the DMZ space.

鈥淚 thought that was exceptionally cool because, you know, we really want to get our message across politically. We鈥檙e an enterprise and we're trying to secure funding for our company,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou just wouldn't get that in the city of Toronto - you don't have MPPs hanging around like that.鈥�

Copeland also said when a business needs a helping hand, it鈥檚 easier to access that support.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a certain level of intimacy here that you just don鈥檛 have in Toronto,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he fact that you can ask and receive within a matter of days - in bigger cities, it鈥檚 a matter of months.鈥�

On the flipside, he also said it鈥檚 just as easy to tap into a larger network when needed.

鈥淎s a founder, it can get very stressful and lonely. But, to know you have other companies around you, who are also in the same position is very comforting,鈥� he said, referring to not only the other startups located in Innisfil but the businesses in DMZ鈥檚 larger ecosystem.

Plus, he says, being located in Innisfil doesn鈥檛 mean business is isolated to it.

鈥淵ou can start a business here and still operate across the province,鈥� he said.

Noting that he鈥檚 at a stage in life where he doesn鈥檛 desire the hustle and bustle of big city life, he adds, 鈥淚 get up in the morning, and I鈥檓 in my office within seven minutes. I don鈥檛 have to see one traffic light. There鈥檚 no honking, no cramming into a subway station. It鈥檚 the greatest thing in the world.鈥�

GovTech Accelerator program

Stegink says that allure is only going to grow as the pandemic continues and more and more people seek out a small-town lifestyle with big-city benefits.

As such, he says the town鈥檚 partnership with the DMZ is set to grow further. In early 2021, they鈥檙e pairing up to launch the GovTech Accelerator program, aimed at attracting and supporting startups building technology solutions for local government. 

鈥淭he GovTech accelerator program will position Innisfil as a leader in the Canadian government tech sector and create opportunities for the town to partner with startups to drive innovation,鈥� he said.

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