The REF Club is accessible to Members on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops through a web browser like Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
Step 1: Access the Real Estate Forums Club - refclub.realestateforums.com
Step 2: To enter the REF Club, new members should input the email address used to create the Membership and create a personal password for the account.
Step 3: On the Home page, click the EDUCATION SERIES button and select the session.
Please note sessions will be launched daily from July 13 to 24 at 11:30 a.m., starting with:
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ON ALL FORMS OF DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY ACROSS CANADA?
Presented by Benjamin Tal, Managing Director & Deputy Chief Economist, CIBC World Markets Inc.
Jennifer Keesmaat
Rob Spanier
Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Executive Officer, Creative Housing
Rob Spanier, President, Spanier Group
We are honored to present a special conversation between Mayor John Tory, City of Toronto and David Gerofsky, CEO, First Gulf Corporation. Discussion will focus on city building, innovation, leadership and community. This important presentation will provide an overview of major issues and key insights facing our cities.
David Gerofsky
Mayor John Tory
With special attention to the development market including both residential and commercial sectors, Avery Shenfeld will offer his insight on global and domestic issues that are driving the broader economy. He will also comment on monetary policy, rate trends, demographic trends and how geo-political and geo-economic trends will impact economic growth. What is the outlook for employment and spending growth and what are the key economic engines driving job creation?
Avery Shenfeld, Managing Director & Chief Economist, CIBC Capital Markets
Adaptable and properly executed transportation networks help to drive residential and commercial developments. With proper planning, livable neighborhoods that are strong, healthy and prosperous integrate the needs of residents, commercial tenants and visitors in moving each profile through the area and across the city. What makes transportation successful and what can be done better? How does transit impact developments and land values? What are some examples of best in class that we should lean on when planning for the movement of large groups of people throughout our cities, regions and country?
Toni Rossi
Ken Greenberg
Lorraine Huinink
Rob Khazzam
Paul Kulig
Moderator:
Toni Rossi, President, Real Estate Division, Infrastructure Ontario
Panel:
Ken Greenberg, Principal, Urban Designer, Greenberg Consultants
Lorraine Huinink, Vice President, Corporate Real Estate, Metrolinx
Rob Khazzam
Paul Kulig
Rob Khazzam, General Manager, Canada, UBER
Paul Kulig, Principal, Urban Design & Transit, Perkins+Will
How do real estate funds make sense of development opportunities with varying time horizons? Which funds can participate along this level of the risk curve? What types of development deals are being included in current opportunity/value-add funds as they search for yield? What is important to these funds and how are deals being structured?
Nurit Altman
Don Manlapaz
Blair McCreadie
Stephen Price
Ari Silverberg
Jim Tadeson
Moderator:
Nurit Altman, Partner, Brookfield
Panel:
Don Manlapaz, Vice President, Development, Forgestone Capital
Blair McCreadie, Senior Vice-President & Fund Manager, Fiera Properties Limited
Stephen Price, President & CEO, Graywood Developments
Ari Silverberg, Co-Founder & President, Harbour Equity
Jim Tadeson, Founding Partner, Carttera
The market is changing and challenging the status quo of development and real estate operations/management daily. The speed change in technology and technology focused companies is significant along with the potential reach of these transformations. It can sometimes be a disruptive force to everything around us; but for those that embrace it, technology will be an accelerator. The impact of autonomous vehicles, co-sharing platforms, e-commerce, 3-D printing and changing workplace environments will be substantially felt over the near term. How are we able to adapt and integrate these changes?
Emily Hanna
Bart Corbett
Dave McLaughlin
Jenny McMinn
Jeff Thomas
Moderator:
Emily Hanna, Partner, Investments, Crown Realty Partners
Panel:
Bart Corbett, Executive Vice President, Cushman & Wakefield
Dave McLaughlin, General Manager, Northeast, WeWork
Jenny McMinn, Managing Director, Urban Equation
Jeff Thomas, Executive Director, Investments, KingSett Capital
Join this session as a panel of industry experts specializing in land sales and valuations, discuss current market conditions across Canada. What deals have been completed over the past 12 months and what sites are on the market, or coming to market? How has the market shifted over the past year in terms of investor profile, deal structure and capital sources?
Richard Diamond
Casey Gallagher
Bryce Gibson
Steve Keyzer
Mehdi Shokri
Moderator:
Richard Diamond, Senior Vice President, Canderel
Panel:
Casey Gallagher, Executive Vice President, CBRE Limited
Bryce Gibson, Senior Vice President, JLL Capital Markets
Steve Keyzer, Senior Vice President, Colliers International
Mehdi Shokri, Principal Investment, Avison Young
According to a report by JLL, Canada’s eight largest cannabis companies will need more than eight million SF to grow marijuana by the year 2020. That will cause pressure on tight markets and create opportunities across the country. Not only will they need space to grow, but the logistics sector and distribution hubs will also be required. When Cannabis became legal in Canada, a whole new industry was created over night that has large real estate demands from industrial, to retail, to distribution to office. The impact has yet to be truly measured.
Lisa Borsook
Richard Carleton
Gaurav Mathur
Sony Rai
Jeff Ryan
Moderator:
Lisa Borsook, Executive Partner, WeirFoulds LLP
Panel:
Richard Carleton, Chief Executive Officer, CNSX Markets Inc
Gaurav Mathur, Research Manager, JLL
Sony Rai, Architectural Lead, SvN Architects and Planners
Jeff Ryan, Vice President, Government & Stakeholder, Canopy Growth
From housing costs to minimum wage – Ontario witnessed sweeping changes to the workforce, rental market and planning process including the Ontario Municipal Board changes, in 2017. What were the true costs of these changes to the development community and real estate? How do you even start to calculate these impacts on our sector?
Salima Rawji
Mike Czestochowski
Stephen Diamond
John Fox
Hon. Peter Milczyn
Moderator:
Salima Rawji, Vice President, Development, CreateTO
Panel:
Mike Czestochowski, Executive Vice President, Land Service Group, CBRE Limited
Stephen Diamond, President & CEO, Diamond Corp.
John Fox, Partner, Robins Appleby LLP
Hon. Peter Milczyn, Minister of Housing, Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Already real estate companies are replacing traditional roles with artificial intelligence, blockchain technology is also starting to integrate into the sector. What are the short- and long-term implications of these two technologies on the industry? How will an online ledger that records transactions change the market – the options are numerous. How will artificial intelligence that can easily do a variety of traditionally human roles, impact our current team structures and roles within organizations – it already is.
Greg Peacock
Kyle Collier
Monika Jaroszonek
Brad Keast
David Winterstein
Moderator:
Greg Peacock, Managing Director, Private Capital Investment Group, Broker, Colliers International
Panel:
Kyle Collier, Founder, Frezy Rewards
Monika Jaroszonek, Co-Founder & CEO, RATIO.CITY
Brad Keast, Vice President, Innovation & Development, Dream Office REIT
David Winterstein, Director, Strategic Growth, Blanc Labs
The midrise market is fast becoming part of the conversation on type of housing. Vancouver and Toronto are leading the charge. What are the designs that work best? Why does it seem to work some communities and others there may be issues? How are business cases being made in this type of development? What is being built, supported and approved? What does midrise look like in Canada today?
Peter McFarlane
Paula Gasparro
Laurie Payne
Michael Tucci
Shonda Wang
Richard Witt
Moderator:
Peter McFarlane, Vice President, Pooled Funds, Fiera Properties
Panel:
Paula Gasparro, Manager, Multi-Unit Mortgage Insurance, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Laurie Payne, Vice President, Development, Diamond Corp.
Michael Tucci, Vice President, Acquisitions & Development, Rockport Group
Shonda Wang, Urban Design Lead, SvN Architects and Planners
Richard Witt, Executive Principal, Quadrangle
The office sector is shifting with the increased impact of technology and the sharing economy. From the amount of office space being added to the types of buildings being built and the profile of tenant occupying – the market is on the move. Where in the cycle are we and what opportunities and challenges have surfaced over the past 12 months? This session will concentrate on notable trends, opportunities and challenges in office space nationally.
Andrew Frontini
Terry Fraser-Reid
Charlie Musgrave
Katya Shabanova
James Shea
Moderator:
Andrew Frontini, Principal, Design Director, Perkins+Will
Panel:
Terry Fraser-Reid, Vice President, Development, Cadillac Fairview
Charlie Musgrave, Senior Director, Office Leasing, Ivanhoe Cambridge
Katya Shabanova, Associate Vice President, Office Leasing, Cushman & Wakefield
James Shea, Director, Multiplex Canada
The Century Initiatives goal is to collectively transform the country through a coordinated action and thought leadership plan. It was originally started by a group of Canadians concerned about what the next generation is being left with in terms of a country. Arising from much research the main focus now lands on increasing the population of Canada to 100 million by 2100. A change in demographics of this nature will significantly impact all aspects of the economy domestically and on the world stage.
Goldy Hyder
Jennifer Keesmaat
Rob Spanier
Keynote Speaker:
Goldy Hyder, President & CEO, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Post Presentation Questions By:
Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Executive Officer, Creative Housing
Rob Spanier, Partner & Principal, Live Work Learn Play
The retail sector is being turned on its head. What does that mean for all the retail space from plaza, to enclosed mall, to street front, to big box to popup? How does the next 5 to 10 years look as we go across the country? Global retailers like Amazon are leading the way in terms of e-commerce delivery and warehousing in addition to their multi-faceted sales approach. While the traditional shifts, new opportunities are also opening with same day delivery and experience retail outlets. How do you capitalize on these shifting markets and make strategic decisions on asset plans for your retail properties? What role does place-making play in this new retail reality?
Carl Gomez
John Crombie
Stephanie Maignan
Kiran Marok
Madeleine Nicholls
Jodi Shpigel
Moderator:
Carl Gomez, Senior Vice President, Research & Strategy, QuadReal Property Group
Panel:
John Crombie, Senior Vice President, Retail Canada & National Business Development, Triovest Realty Advisors Inc., Brokerage
Stephanie Maignan, Senior Design Associate, B+H Architects
Kiran Marok, Partner, LWLP
Madeleine Nicholls, Vice President, Retail, Dream Unlimited
Jodi Shpigel, Senior Vice President, Development, First Capital Realty Inc
This session will examine the construction and development debt market over the past 12 months and take a forward look at where the industry is heading. Are cap rates finally moving up? 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?
Devon Cranson
Scott Cameron
Nelson Da Silva
Frank Margani
Jeremy Wedgbury
Moderator:
Devon Cranson, Founder & President, Cranson Capital
Panel:
Scott Cameron, President & Founder, Cameron Stephens Mortgage Capital Ltd.
Nelson Da Silva, Chief Investment Officer, Harbour Mortgage Corp
Frank Margani, Executive Director, Mortgage Investments, KingSett Capital
Jeremy Wedgbury, Senior Vice President, Commercial Mortgages, First National Financial LP
Key Canadian cities are currently experiencing booms in residential development from Condominiums to purpose built apartments? What do new projects look like? How are developers getting creative in their designs? Are family friendly designs being factored into the developments? This session will also explore what is happening in the condo and purpose built apartment market over the next 12 months.
Matthew Boukall
Alexandra Khazzam
Anne Morash
Matthew Slutsky
Shamez Virani
Tara Welat
Moderator:
Matthew Boukall, Vice President, Product Management, Altus Group
Panel:
Alexandra Khazzam, Director, Hines
Anne Morash, Senior Vice President, Multi-Residential, GWL Realty Advisors
Matthew Slutsky, President & Co-Founder, BuzzBuzzHome
Shamez Virani, President, CentreCourt
Tara Welat, Associate, Robins Appleby Barristers & Solicitors
It is a market of extremes. Some cities and regions have homes on the market for years before they are purchased, others are sold before a shovel is in the ground. What are traditional single family home developers planning for the next 12-48 months? What does land supply look like and are they being forced to look elsewhere or into a different format to make profits in today’s market?
Phong Ngo
Andrew Brethour
Steve Deveaux
Frances Martin-DiGiuseppe
Peter Politis
Steven Weisz
Moderator:
Phong Ngo, Director, National New Homes Research, Altus Group
Panel:
Andrew Brethour, Chairman & CEO, PMA Brethour
Steve Deveaux, Executive Vice President, Land Development, Tribute Communities
Frances Martin-DiGiuseppe, Principal Architect, Q4 Architects
Peter Politis, Chief Executive Officer, Greybrook Realty Partners, Partner, Greybrook Capital
Steven Weisz, Principal, Executive Vice President, Paradise Developments
Focused discussions with senior real estate executives as they provide a view into their personal and professional world. These industry icons will offer insights on how they arrived in their current positions and their strategic thinking on where real estate is heading.
Vincent Chiara
Mark Sinnett
Vincent Chiara, President, Groupe Mach
Interviewed by:
Mark Sinnett, Real Estate Broker, Executive Vice President, JLL
Sasha Cucuz
Tony Reale
Sasha Cucuz, Chief Executive Officer, Greybrook Securities, Partner, Greybrook Capital
Interviewed by:
Tony Reale, Managing Director & Group Head, Property Brokerage & Real Estate Advisory, BMO Capital Markets
Sam Mizrahi
Fred Waks
Sam Mizrahi, President & Founder, Mizrahi Developments
Interviewed by:
Fred Waks, President & CEO, Trinity Group
Adam Blinick
Josh Sirefman
Josh Sirefman, Head of Development, Sidewalk Labs
Interviewed by:
Adam Blinick, Director of Public Policy & Communications, Canada, Uber
Amazon announced the finalists in the bidding war for its new headquarters and Canada was included. Out of 238 applications, Toronto made the final 20 and is still in the running to be the winner. Amazon’s new campus, called HQ2, is expected to bring 50,000 jobs with it. In addition, Amazon has said it will invest $5 billion in the project's construction. This capital infusion would make this one of the largest corporate-civic opportunities in North America. It is no wonder that many Canadian cities submitted bids. What were the details in these bids and how did each submission shape and frame their respective metropolitan area to compete with the best of North American centres? This session will look at how the Amazon bid process helped to challenge our current perspective on the evolution of city building.
Jennifer Keesmaat
Rob Spanier
Bryan Buggey
Toby Lennox
Blair Patacairk
Moderators:
Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Executive Officer, Creative Housing
Rob Spanier, President, Spanier Group
Panel:
Bryan Buggey, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Economic Commission
Toby Lennox, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Global
Blair Patacairk, Vice President, Global Expansion, Invest Ottawa