The rental market includes many different segments. From purpose built rental to extended stay hotels and everything in between. What trends and opportunities are coming forward that will impact investment decisions over the next 12-24 months? How have economic conditions impacted select communities nationally and what are owners doing to mitigate these risks? Can we leverage lessons learned at this point in the cycle and if so – what are they? From top to bottom – the multi-family market in Canada will be explored in this insightful session.

Moderator:
Aik Aliferis, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Primecorp Commercial Realty Inc.

Panel:
Brian Athey, Vice President, Development, Morguard

Henry Morton, President, Campus Suites
Carey Poon, Director, Altus Group
Jack Winberg, Chief Executive Officer, The Rockport Group of Companies

With an influx of Super Projects in various stages of planning, this session will provide an update and in addition showcase some key developments that will be shaping our cities in the years to come. The conversation will explore next steps in the process, how infrastructure will be integrated, how is mix-use playing a role in the overall plans and include discussion on how developers are getting creative with partnerships, design and architecture.

Moderator:
Lisa Borsook, Executive Partner, WeirFoulds LLP

Panel:
Derek Goring, Vice President, Development, First Gulf Corporation

Anna Madeira, Principal, Quadrangle Architects

Chris Phillips, Senior Advisor, West Harbour Waterfront Plan, City of Hamilton

Cory Wosnack, Principal, Avison Young

Transit is a hot topic that is gripping Canadian cities and is directly impacted by intensification policies at the municipal and provincial levels. Transit Orientated Development (TOD) seems to be the buzz phrase when looking at densification. How do you leverage existing systems to encourage municipalities to allow for creativity along already built lines and equally persuade buyers to invest in these areas? Creating communities around stations should be a key focus in addition increasing the current capacity of overloaded systems. What kinds of partnerships between government and within the private sector are being achieved to encourage TOD? What are other cities both nationally and globally that could be considered progressive and how can we learn and apply those techniques to our own city and community building initiatives?

How is climate change impacting real estate developments? How is this complex phenomenon adding increased risks and vulnerabilities to our cities? How can we leverage our understanding of environmental design, protective infrastructure and relocation strategies to offset risk?

Moderator:
Albert Engel, Partner, Folger Rubinoff

Panel:
Travis Allan, Partner, DeMarco Allan LLP

John Georgakopoulos, Partner, Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP
Francisca Quinn, Managing Partner, Quinn & Partners Inc.

Jiri Skopek, Managing Director, Sustainability, JLL

What type of debt, terms, rates and ratios are available today for development? This session will explore the construction and development debt market over the past 12 months and take a forward look at pending charges. What are the different considerations between commercial and residential debt and small and large developers? As non-traditional or alternative lending sources start to emerge, what are the implications, if any, for traditional lenders?

Moderator:
Charlene Schafer, Lawyer, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Panel:
Scott Cameron, President & Founder Cameron Stephens Mortgage Capital Ltd.

Paul Chin, Executive Vice President, Real Estate Lending, Otéra Capital Inc.
Chad Gemmell, Co-Founder, R2CROWD & Vice President, JLL

Bruno Iacovetta, Managing Director, MCAP Financial Corporation

Ari Silverberg, President, Harbour Equity Capital Corp.

Government policies to enhance the supply of affordable housing and improve the quality of community life are a high priority. This session will open with an insightful presentation examining key elements of the recently announced policy about inclusionary zoning, e.g. what is it; where has been used; what is fundamental to making it effective; how is the affordability of the units protected; who pays for it; and what are the roles of developers, municipalities and non-profits. There will also be some discussion about the Province’s framework to create community hubs, e.g. public spaces that offer co-located or integrated services such as education, health care and social services. Each hub is as unique as the community it serves. What do developers need to understand about these two initiatives and their implications for community development going forward.

Panel:
Stephen Diamond, President & CEO, Diamond Corp.
Heather Grey-Wolf, Vice President, Development, Realstar Group

Karen Pitre, Special Advisor on Community Hubs, Community Hubs Secretariat

Fifteen years can be life changing. According to McKinsey & Company, in 2000 only 12% of the world’s population owned a mobile phone – that now stands at 60%. Facebook, that currently has some 1.5 billion users, hadn’t even launched 15 years ago. The rapid changes of the world economy are no ordinary disrupters and the logistic and retail markets are at the forefront of these changes. The way we consume is changing before our eyes! It appears that after lagging behind other sectors, logistic companies are advancing towards their tipping point. This panel will provide an overview on the Canadian logistics market and commentary on how what we can expect to see over the next few years.

Panel:
Matthew Brown, Senior Vice President, CBRE Limited
Matthew Johnson, Executive Director, Investments, KingSett Capital
Jeff Miller, Vice President, Industrial, Oxford Properties Group Inc.

What is in store for cities in terms of water, health, biodiversity, food, pollution, resource consumption and waste management to name a few? How can we design and implement sustainable outcomes for cities to reduce their dependence on our pressured resources, live in a more symbiotic relationship with nature resulting in healthier environments.

Moderator:
Albert Engel, Partner, Certified Specialist in Environmental Law, Folger Rubinoff

Panel:
Joanna Kyriazis, Policy Director, Zizzo Strategy Inc.
Julia Langer, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Atmospheric Fund

Jiri Skopek, Managing Director, Sustainability, JLL

Stuart Lazier, Partner & CEO, Fiera Properties
Sam Mizrahi, President, Mizrahi Developments

This panel will point out key design elements making streets successful and desirable destinations for pedestrians, retailers and cultural city life. How can we design new buildings with the quality, scale and textures that produce walkable and lively pedestrian experiences, while still offering flexible commercial spaces and density above? Whether designing a new condo, a restaurant, office space or retail, the discussion will focus on design strategies for new buildings that can create great city streets at ground level.

Moderator:
Peter Halsall, Executive Director, Canadian Urban Institute

Panel:
Steven Alikakos, President Canada & Broker of Record, RKF
Sam Barbieri, Senior Vice President, Asset Management, LaSalle Investment Management

Mark Emery, President, Weston Consulting

Jeff Hull, President, Hullmark Development Ltd.
Gianpiero Pugliese, Founding Principal, Audax Architecture

This time last year it was projected that Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary would add an additional 11 million sq. ft. of new product to the Canadian market over the near term. Where are we with that prediction and what opportunities and challenges of note have surfaced over the past 12 months? How are tenant requirements changing and on what should we focus? This session will concentrate on notable trends, opportunities and challenges in the overall office space nationally over the near to medium term.

Panel:
Nick Macrae, Senior Portfolio Manager, Real Estate, HOOPP
Sandy McNair, Data Curator, Altus Data Solutions
Hugh Clark, Vice President, Development, Allied Properties REIT

Condominium development in the Greater Vancouver and Toronto markets continues to boom. Calgary has seen the bottom fall out of its housing market and a number of projects have been mothballed. Various degrees of activity are continuing in Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton as well as mid-markets like Winnipeg. Foreign investors appear to be fueling a lot of the continued investment in the hottest areas. Does the condo market still have legs and where should developers be looking for the best opportunities in the GTA or elsewhere? Where and what type of projects does the market have an appetite for? Join our national experts for some insight into the 22 year condo bull market in GTA along with development activity in other urban areas.

Panel:
Devon Cranson, Founder & President, Cranson Capital
Mike Czestochowski, Senior Vice President, Land Service Group, CBRE Limited
Ilan Gewurz, Executive Vice President, Proment Corporation
Ben Myers, Senior Vice President, Market Research & Analytics, Fortress Real Developments
Jim Ritchie, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Tridel Corporation

Urban problems are unique to different geographic, social and economic regions of the world. No one solution can fit all situations and so be universally applied. With global urban populations on pace to expand exponentially into 2050, this panel will share some new models that can be implemented to disrupt current inefficient paradigms of city-making?

Interviewer:
Brad Keast, Vice President, Development, Osmington Inc.

Speaker:
Patrice Derrington, Director, Real Estate Development Program, Columbia University

The conversation around suburban nodes is on the rise as we see revitalization increasing in both popularity and creativity. What are the underlying forces that are shaping older suburbs and industrialized cities? This panel will showcase best practices in fostering growth and providing new life to established communities. It has been said that in order to revitalize older suburbs and improve living conditions for residents that municipalities need to regionalize, re-purpose or restructure. This panel will explore all the above and share insights into this important area of development.

Moderator:
Neil Rodgers, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions & Land Development, Tribute Communities

Panel:
Larry Kotseff, Senior Executive, Land Development, Fusion Homes

Lisa Lafave, Senior Portfolio Manager, Real Estate, HOOPP
Sheldon Levitt, Principal, Quadrangle Architects

Glen Norton, Manager, Urban Renewal, City of Hamilton

Ed Sajecki, Commissioner, Planning & Building Department, City of Mississauga

The saga of the single-family home in urban nodes continues as new sites become difficult to find and more expensive. The economics of land are forcing the low-rise developers to take dramatic shifts in terms of built form, location and product design. How are developers adjusting to market changes and what opportunities and challenges are surfacing? What decisions are being made to counteract these challenges? Join this session as we examine where, what and how new supply in the low-rise sector is being brought to market.

Panel:
Andrew Brethour, President, PMA Brethour Realty Group
Rohit Gupta, President, Rohit Group of Companies
Gary McIlravey, Manager, Market Research, Empire Communities
Steven Weisz, Principal, Executive Vice President, Paradise Developments

Omni-channel retailing is defined as the process of integrating all shopping touch points into one unified customer experience. Brick and mortar, print and digital are being redefined; this is having a disruptive impact on the traditional real estate investing and leasing market. Global retailers like Amazon are leading the way. Strategic locations and marketing techniques are becoming increasingly important in this new competitive landscape. The impact is filtering down to the logistics market which has its own challenges and opportunities to address. The one segment of the retail landscape that seems to be insulated is the high street and luxury segment. Understanding what are the latest and most important conversations to be aware of in this space is imperative for successful investment.

Moderator:
Vanessa Oliver, Principal, Broker of Record, Regent Street Commercial Corp.

Panel:
Fabienne Lette, Asset Manager, LaSalle Investment Management
Mark Meredith, Director, Acquisitions, Main and Main
Rob Spanier, Partner & Principal, LiveWorkLearnPlay & Chair, Toronto District Council & Urban Land Institute
Kevin Salsberg, Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Plaza Retail REIT

SESSION D4:
TECHNOLOGY & URBANISM: WHAT ARE THE MAJOR DISRUPTERS ON THE HORIZON AND HOW WILL THEY IMPACT OUR CITIES

Technology within the real estate sector is proving to be a formidable disruptive force across the entire spectrum. As new strategies and models are created to deal with this changing industry dynamic, the effects of technologies being implemented in metropolitan areas, buildings, and big data are causing the old guard to be torn away, propelling the smart city movement. Technology is pushing the boundaries on traditional forms of built environments, urban space and community building with substantial socio-economic and cultural consequences. The focus of this session will be to discuss the results of these forces and explore the anticipated.

Moderator:
Brad Keast, Vice President, Development, Osmington Inc.

Speaker:
Amy Erixon, Principal & Managing Director, Investments, Avison Young

A panel of respected senior executives representing a diverse cross-section of development activities and interests will provide their insights and perspective on development locally, nationally and internationally over the next 12-18 months. How do you stay resilient to disruptive forces in the industry and at the same time capitalize on them? How they apply their area of expertise within a new context to take advantage of emerging opportunities and create dramatic effects industry wide? With a focus on thinking outside-the-box, this panel of strategic thinkers will answer questions that push the traditional and expect the exceptional.

Moderators:
Brian McCauley, President & COO Concert Properties Ltd.
Dermot Sweeny, President, Sweeny &Co Architects Inc.

Panel:
Will Fleissig, Chief Executive Officer, Waterfront Toronto
Mark Reeve, Partner, Urban Capital Property Group
Fred Waks, President & CEO, Trinity Development Group
Garnet Watchorn, Chairman, Graywood Developments Ltd.