Meet your BWA Team
The Better Way Alliance is a small and mighty group creating opportunities for business owners to tell their stories about creating better employment.
Aaron Binder
Director | Communications
Email Aaron
Focusing On: Coffee Meetings, Partnership Outreach
Who I Am
I’m the Director of Communications at the Better Way Alliance, where I connect with small business owners, policymakers, media, and everyday Canadians. As a 4x business owner and current partner at Segway of Ontario & Go Tours Canada, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t – and now use that on the ground knowledge to help governments and other businesses make smarter decisions.
What I Do
My main job at the BWA is talking. Most of our social + media communication happens through me. I also advocate for commercial rent reform and better jobs with elected officials, bureaucrats, community leaders and other business groups.
In 2023/24 I served on the City of Toronto’s Economic Advisory Panel and saw the BWA’s impact on commercial rent and decent work across the important Sidewalks to Skylines report which will guide Toronto’s next 10 years of economic planning.
The most fun I have every year is executing the BWA’s annual advocacy day at Ontario’s Queen’s Park where we meet with politicians from every political stripe and introduce them to business owners creating good local jobs across the province. In 2025 we hope to bring the show to Canadian Parliament.
What I’m Proud Of
I’m a former business association President, current advocate for local economies, and firm believer that the best solutions come from kitchen party conversations. Almost two decades of business ownership has proven that putting employees first isn’t just right – it’s smart business.
Media
In media I’m known for highlighting the real stories of local businesses. As a business owner myself, I deeply understand how important challenges and successes impact Canada’s business owners.
>> ‘We were shocked:’ Why Canadian business owners are sounding alarms over skyrocketing rent | Globalnews.ca
>> Saving Main Street: Local businesses need community support to stay afloat
Radio + TV
>> Le cinéma Revue, ouvert depuis 1912, menacé de fermeture, à Toronto | Radio-Canada
>> Make downtown Windsor great again: protect small businesses – Mornings with Mike and Meg – Sound Bites | iHeart
Podcast
>> Designing a Humane Future Episode 5: Supporting Main Street — TrickleUp Design
Liliana Locke
Director | Knowledge
Email Lili
Focusing On: Research, Policy, Economics
Who I Am and What I Do
I am the Knowledge Director at the Better Way Alliance. My role is to ensure that we are producing helpful resources for business owners to implement good employment practices, and to drive research that informs our advocacy on employment and rent.
I also have a knack for writing grant and project proposals and love exploring partnerships for action-oriented collaborations.
What I’m Proud Of
I built a few calculators to estimate the cost of implementing paid sick days programs and wage raise programs for a business, and then because I’m an economist, of course thought we needed another calculator to find out how much a business could gain by preventing unhappy employees from leaving.
These tools are the highest-visited pages on our website, and a cult-favourite hotel in Toronto used them to create a new employment program for 300 employees. Because I’m a nerd, I wrote the business case for investing in good employment policies (really – it’s here – based on research done by our colleague and long-time research owner Gilleen Pearce).
I’ve also been invited to be a Fellow with Social Capital Partners which will give the BWA a bigger platform to explore innovative ways to make commercial spaces more affordable for small independent businesses – protecting the jobs and culture that make our neighborhoods vibrant and wonderful places to live and work.
Media
I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of making our work relatable to Canadians in the media.
TV
>> Beloved Annex bookstore Presse Internationale closing due to huge rent hike
>> Minimum wage falls short | CTV
Print
>> ‘Race for space’ squeezes retailers amid rising rents – The Globe and Mail
>> Extending CEBA deadline would help marginalized businesses, groups say – The Globe and Mail
Podcast
>> What She Said! Podcast – Apple Podcasts
My future ambitions are to share our work in more podcasts, summits, and prime media outlets. It helps our work build momentum, builds our network, and demonstrates its relevance to policymakers.
Membership Growth Manager
Email Jess
Focusing On: National Membership Growth, Storytelling
Jess is a well-known Ottawa Entrepreneur. Her business, Bread By Us, is renowned for their Focaccia and industry leading employment practices. Her years of experience as a community organizer (and original BWA Member!) are helping shape the next chapter of the Better Way Alliance.
THE WORK WE DO
The Better Way Alliance is dedicated to improving the future of work for everyone. Our Members are business leaders in every industry who deeply believe our workers are our greatest assets.
The BWA Team works closely with government agencies, political parties, business owners, and business groups. Through discussion, meetings, and statistical analysis, we’re developing a long-term business case for ethical employment.
When workers are paid well and offered benefits, businesses reap the rewards of more sales, longer-term employment, and a strong resilient team that will go to bat for that enterprise.
Our advocacy extends to one of the biggest issues facing businesses in Canada and Ontario – unpredictable and volatile commercial rent prices. Traditional market-based thinking around this industry is starting to fail as property ownership becomes more monopolized by a smaller group of people. Visit commercialrent.ca to find out more about our campaign.