In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam connect with Meggen Janes, Executive Director of the Canadian Brownfield Network and the principal at Geosyntec. Join them as they discuss the growing importance of addressing environmental contamination in commercial real estate. Meggen shares her insights on brownfield redevelopment, the challenges of navigating environmental permits, and the need for streamlined processes. The episode also highlights success stories and the lack of financial incentives for brownfield development in Canada compared to Europe and the US.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Craig Beattie, Founding Partner and CEO of Perimeter Development Corporation. Craig heads the Perimeter team, guiding them through all phases of development from initial acquisition to the completion of award-winning projects. With over twenty-five years in the industry, he recently held increasingly senior roles in leasing and development at First Gulf Corporation.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam connect with Kalen Anderson, CEO at UDI Edmonton Metro, the unified voice and expert resource for the real estate development industry in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Kalen discusses her urban planning background, her role at UDI, and her passion for housing. She highlights UDI’s advocacy for the real estate industry and its collaboration with municipal regulators. The conversation covers Edmonton’s growth, downtown revitalization, and Kalen’s vision for the city’s future, emphasizing the importance of a pro-business environment and attracting investment.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam connect with Denis Jones, President and CEO of the Deveraux Group of Companies. Join them as they delve into the fascinating world of commercial real estate. Denis, the President and CEO of Deveraux Group, shares his unique journey from being a doctor to becoming a successful real estate investor and developer. Discover how Deveraux Group has grown to be a major player in the rental market, with thousands of units in its portfolio and exciting development plans. Get insights into the challenges and opportunities in the market, financing strategies, and future expansion plans. Don’t miss out on this engaging conversation.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam connect with Donna Monkhouse, Executive Director of the Alberta Residential Landlord Association (ALRA). Donna discusses her real estate background, ARLA’s mission to educate and advocate for landlords, and the range of services ARLA provides, such as training and resources. They explore the negative perception of landlords, rental rate affordability in Alberta, and the potential impact of rent controls. Donna highlights the challenges faced by small landlords and the importance of education and communication for a balanced rental market. The conversation concludes with thoughts on Alberta’s rental market future and affordable housing needs.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam connect with Trevor Casey, Development Manager at Nch’ḵaỷ Development Corporation, the economic development arm of the Squamish Nation. Trevor discusses his work with the Squamish Nation, highlighting their economic development goals and recent equity partnership in real estate projects. He details the SNO development, a significant project involving 11 towers and 6,000 units, which emphasizes reducing vehicle dependency and improving transit. Trevor notes challenges like environmental contamination but praises the support from Vancouver and Westbank Development Corporation. He also mentions the Squamish Nation’s future land use planning and expresses pride in the SNO project’s impact.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview Sheila Botting, Principal and President of Americas Professional Services at Avison Young. Join us as we discuss the challenges of housing affordability in Canada and the current state of the office market. We explore potential solutions, such as converting older office buildings into residential units, and discuss the impact of remote work on office space requirements. Sheila shares her experiences and insights on creating a hybrid work model and designing office spaces for collaboration, professional development, and employee well-being. Don’t miss this engaging conversation on the future of housing and office spaces! 

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview John Baird, a retired politician and the ex-foreign Minister of Canada. John is currently a senior advisor at Bennett Jones and Eurasia Group. Join us as we delve into John’s career in politics, discussing his inspiration, challenges, and thoughts on the current state of the Canadian economy. John shares his concerns about low productivity, lack of innovation, and high debt levels, as well as his views on Canada’s relationship with the US and other countries. Don’t miss John’s insights and priorities for the next Canadian government.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview Randy Gladman, Senior Vice President, National Lead, and Development Advisory at Colliers. Join us as we discuss the challenges and opportunities in real estate development. We cover the need for more affordable housing in Toronto and Vancouver, the difficulties developers face in getting projects approved, and the negative perception of developers. Discover how collaboration between developers and the Government can help address the affordability crisis and meet the rising demand for affordable housing.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview Sarah Segal, CEO of simplydbs, a company that empowers CRE decision-makers with resident and user data. The company is a trusted third-party feedback platform for commercial real estate. Join us as Sarah explains how their products, such as “Shape Your Space,” improve property operations and amenities through resident feedback. She also highlights the positive impact of customer feedback on improving satisfaction and discusses the importance of educating residents about new technology like Wi-Fi thermostats. Overall, the conversation delves into innovative solutions and the value of data analysis in the real estate industry.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview Matt Young, President and CEO of Republic Developments, a Toronto-based city builder focused on creating transformative communities that enrich the lives of those who live, work, and play together. Join us as we discuss Matt’s journey in commercial real estate, his decision to start his own company, and the challenges he faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Matt shares his experiences with the city planning process and stresses the importance of presenting a clear vision for a project for quick approvals. 

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview Paul Chaput, Senior Vice President at Institutional Property Advisors (IPA), a company specialising in commercial real estate investment and sales, capital markets, and market research. Join us as we discuss the buyer-seller market in Alberta and Western Canada, including the impact of COVID-19, changing interest rates, and the influx of people moving to Alberta on demand and commercial real estate prices. We also delve into the differences between the Calgary and Edmonton markets, the profile of buyers and sellers in different markets, and the future of real estate in Western Canada. Don’t miss out on these valuable insights into the commercial real estate market in Alberta and Western Canada!

Anne has more than 20 years of professional experience in communications, government relations, and public engagement. She is the President and CEO of the Urban Development Institute (UDI), an association of the real estate and building industry that creates communities, supports thousands of B.C. jobs and drives billions of dollars in economic activity. Over her 20-year career, Anne has worked as the President and General Manager of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, as a Director of Communications at what is now Port of Vancouver, and as the President of the BC Salmon Farmers’ Association. She was also a Reporter at 107.1 Mountain FM in Squamish and what is now Global TV in Vancouver.

Emily is Managing Partner, Investments at Crown Realty Partners, overseeing the firm’s capital raising and ESG functions. She works with the acquisitions, finance, and asset management teams to develop Crown’s responsible investment strategies. Emily is Chair of Crown’s ESG Committee and a voting member of Crown’s Investment Committee, which provides oversight and governance over the firm’s investment decisions. An active member of the real estate community, Emily is a Past President of NAIOP of the Greater Toronto chapter and Toronto Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW). She also served on the Ted Rogers School of Management Real Estate Advisory Council. Currently, Emily is also a member of the Investment Committee of St. Clement’s School.  

Avtar founded Premise Properties, a privately owned real estate investment and development company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2012. He is responsible for its overall business, including the origination and execution of long-term investment strategies and objectives. Prior to establishing Premise Properties, Avtar spent over thirty years with Colliers International, most recently as Executive Vice President of the National Investment Team. During his tenure, Avtar represented clients with a particular focus on development and investment properties.

Julian Schonfeldt joined CAPREIT in 2022 and is the Chief Investment Officer. He brings tremendous capital markets experience, having already been a trusted advisor to CAPREIT in his most recent role as Managing Director in the Real Estate Group at RBC Capital Markets. At RBC Capital Markets, Mr. Schonfeldt was responsible for equity and debt capital market transactions, mergers and acquisitions transactions, strategic advisory assignments, and the valuation of major assets and portfolios. Julian has raised over $15 billion of equity and debt capital and advised on over $10 billion of M&A transactions in the real estate industry. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Carleton University and holds his Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Business Valuator (CBV), and US Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designations.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron and Adam interview Katie Maslechko, the CEO of the Rental Protection Fund. Katie is an award-winning real estate professional with a decade of senior leadership experience. She has an impressive track record of building strategic partnerships across the private development, non-profit, and government sectors to deliver innovative, community-building projects. As Director of Development for Vancouver-based real estate developer Beedie, she was at the helm of groundbreaking projects, including a unique public-private-philanthropic partnership to deliver affordable housing and childcare in the City of Burnaby. 

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with David Ward, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Canadian Urban. David brings over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate to his role at Canadian Urban, where he oversees all of the company’s service offerings, including strategy asset management, performance analysis, leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, financing, and property management. David is a former President of Toronto NAIOP and served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of NAIOP Corporate in Washington, D.C.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Andrew Joyner, Managing Director for Head of Multi-Family at Tricon Residential. Andrew leads Tricon Residential’s Canadian multi-family rental platform, where he designs and implements strategy, sources investment opportunities, and oversees teams responsible for development, construction, and asset management. Before joining Tricon in 2016, Andrew held senior roles at CPP Investments in Toronto, focusing on North American real estate investments, and at Hines in London, UK.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Tony Irwin, Director and Interim President at the Canadian Federation of Apartment Associations (CFAA). Tony is currently the President and CEO of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO). Before joining CCFA, he held several senior roles in the financial services and insurance industries. From 2005 to 2009, Tony was the Executive Director of the Justin Eves Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides scholarships and bursaries to young people with learning disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, Tony has played significant roles in politics, serving as a Senior Advisor to an Ontario Premier and Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Official Opposition.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Mark Rothschild, Analyst at Canaccord Genuity. Mark’s background includes positions on the real estate and lodging investment banking team at Salomon Smith Barney, as well as conducting credit analysis for U.S. REITs at Moody’s Investors Service in New York. Mark has been recognized as a top earnings estimator for real estate by Thomson Reuters StarMine. In 2023, he was ranked by TipRanks as the second-top analyst for the financial services sector in North America over the last decade.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Jason Castellan, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Skyline Group of Companies. Since 1991, Jason has been involved in buying, owning, managing, and financing real estate assets that generate income. His enthusiasm for acquiring, managing, and investing in assets has been key to his role as CEO of Skyline Group of Companies since its start in 1999.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Brad Keast, Head of Development and Construction at Dream. Brad is an experienced senior real estate executive and social infrastructure board director with a foundation in systems engineering and real estate development. He has successfully led internal teams across design, construction, engineering, investment analysis, and branding, as well as expansive external consultant groups. Brad’s diverse experience also includes managing software development projects for the Canadian Navy’s Command and Control System and overseeing complex mixed-use urban developments.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with John Peets, Vice President and Head of Office Leasing for Oxford Properties Group. John is an experienced business executive with 34 years of experience in commercial real estate, including 23 years as a Vice President for top corporations. He excels in delivering business results and engaging with senior executives, co-owners, stakeholders, and clients.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Jim Costello, Head of Real Estate Economics at MSCI. In his role at MSCI, Jim leads the real assets research team, focusing on the Americas, as well as leading capital markets research. Previously, he played a key role in U.S. research at Real Capital Analytics, acquired by MSCI in 2021. Before that, Jim spent 20 years at CBRE.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Celia Chandler, Deputy Executive Director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto. Celia’s career trajectory showcases her deep commitment to social service and legal expertise, beginning with her graduation in 1990 and rapid movement into a key role at the City of Toronto. This early experience laid the groundwork for her involvement with an environmental NGO before propelling her into law school at 35. Celia’s legal career flourished at Iler Campbell, focusing on nonprofit and cooperative housing, where she dedicated 17 years to resolving communal living complexities, notably in housing cooperatives.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Jonathan Gitlin, President and Chief Executive Officer at RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust. In his role at RioCan, Jonathan aims to improve Canada’s most flexible portfolio and increase value for its unitholders. His role is focused on achieving sustainable growth, reinforcing RioCan’s leadership in ESG practices, and promoting a culture of results. Before joining RioCan, he spent six years in real estate law at McCarthy Tétrault.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Chris Ballard, Chief Executive Officer of Passive House Canada. Chris has an impressive career in public service and consumer advocacy, notably serving as Ontario’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister of Housing. He was an MPP for Newmarket-Aurora (2014-18), a Town Councillor in Aurora (2010-2014), and has held leadership roles in consumer organizations.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Mark Kenney, President and Chief Executive Officer at CAPREIT. With over three decades of expertise in the multifamily industry, Mark plays a key role as President and CEO, shaping and executing the strategic vision for CAPREIT. He began his journey with CAPREIT in 1998 and climbed to President and CEO in 2019. As Canada’s leading publicly traded rental housing provider, CAPREIT owns or holds interests in around 67,000 residential units, including apartments, townhomes, and manufactured homes across Canada, the Netherlands, and Ireland. In 2020, the company earned a spot in the S&P/TSX 60 Index.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Antonia Botero, Principal at MADDPROJECT. Antonia is the owner of MADDPROJECT, a company that specializes in designing and constructing buildings. As a licensed architect in Florida, New York, and Utah, she builds teams that excel in these fields. Additionally, Antonia is involved in real estate development and focuses on both the construction and design aspects of her projects. Before that, she was a Senior Project Manager at MCR Hotels.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Brian Rosen, President and CEO of Colliers. Brian is an experienced executive renowned for driving success in Strategy and General Management who excels at reviving struggling organizations. He has a wealth of experience in drafting and executing strategies across Canadian, US, and global markets for S&P 500 companies, specifically in B2B Services and Commercial Real Estate sectors. His diverse background includes significant roles in Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, and General Management.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Kim Petrin, Deputy City Manager of Urban Planning and Economy for the City of Edmonton. Kim began her career as a planning technician for the City of Edmonton, where she was involved in creating maps as well as addressing and organizing community engagement events. After 15 years, she transitioned to private consulting at Stantec, which provided her valuable insights into the development community and the opportunity to influence projects at their initial stages. After 4 years with Stantec, Kim returned to the City of Edmonton.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Brady Welch, Founding Partner of Slate Asset Management. Brady brings more than three decades of real estate industry experience across North America and Europe. Before Slate, he served in high-ranking roles at Fortress Investment Group between 1998 and 2005, where he oversaw asset management strategies, financing, and the creation of direct real estate investments and debt portfolios.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Rob Murchison, Co-founder of Intelligent Buildings. Rob brings more than 25 years of expertise in strategy consulting, design, and IT implementation for real estate developers and commercial enterprises. His contributions have influenced the industry through collaborations with top-tier institutions such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, Georgia Tech, and Harvard, where he also serves as an instructor for continuing education.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Colin Lynch, Managing Director and Head of Alternative Investments at TD Asset Management. In 2020, Colin earned a spot on Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 list, celebrating his remarkable achievements among the country’s young leaders. Throughout his career, he has taken on key leadership roles at renowned organizations such as Toronto Community Housing, Greystone Managed Investments, Aimia, and McKinsey & Company.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Sherry Larjani, President at Spotlight Development. Sherry is a seasoned real estate developer and entrepreneur, well-known for her skill in constructing beautifully designed spaces that embody her creative visions. Her commitment to fostering gender equality in the field led to a groundbreaking partnership with Urban Capital in 2019 to launch Reina, a project distinguished by Canada’s first all-female development team. Over the years, Sherry has successfully completed a wide array of projects, collaborating with top developers like Liberty Development, Urban Capital, and CentreCourt, among others.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron speak with Ugo Bizzarri, Chief Executive Officer at Hazelview Investments. As CEO of Hazelview Investments, Ugo oversees a dedicated team of more than 650 professionals across 19 offices worldwide, including Canada, the US, Europe, and Hong Kong. Together, they manage over $11.8 billion in real estate investments.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron recall their talk with Glenn Way, President of GWL Realty Advisors, to whom they spoke at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference in September 2023 in Toronto.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron recall their talk with Nurit Altman, Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets, to whom they spoke at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference in September 2023 in Toronto.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron recall their talk with Amy Price, President at BentallGreenOak (BGO), to whom they spoke at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference in September 2023 in Toronto.

In this engaging episode of the CRE podcast, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk welcome a prominent figure in the real estate industry, Michael Broccolini, President, and CIO of Broccolini. The conversation delves into the rich history of Broccolini, their significant role in large industrial projects, notable partnerships with Amazon, and a keen focus on development with a targeted net return of 20% or higher.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron recall their talk with Jeffrey Charles, Founding Partner at Cavell Risk, to whom they spoke at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference in September 2023 in Toronto.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron recall their talk with Niall Finnegan, Partner at Finnegan Marshall, to whom they spoke at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference in September 2023 in Toronto.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron revisit their intriguing conversation with Jaime McKenna, Managing Director and Group Head of Real Estate at Fengate Asset Management. Recorded at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference in September 2023 in Toronto, this episode provides an insightful look into Jaime’s journey with Fengate over the past couple of years.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron sit down with Scott MacPherson, Executive Managing Director and Head of Capital at Cushman & Wakefield. The trio explore the dynamic landscape of capital markets in Canadian real estate, shedding light on the challenges, evolving investment strategies, and crucial insights for raising capital in today’s market.

In this compelling episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron engage in an insightful conversation with industry luminary Peter Senst. As the President of Canadian Capital Markets at CBRE, Peter brings over 30 years of experience to the table, leading the National Investment Team in Toronto and overseeing transactions valued at over $150 billion.

On this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Adam Powadiuk and Aaron Cameron sit down with Teresa Neto, Chief Financial Officer at Granite REIT, to discuss the current state of the industrial real estate market. Located in Toronto, Granite REIT’s portfolio consists of 134 investment properties representing approximately 55.9 million square feet of leasable area. During their conversation, the trio cover the challenges and opportunities in 2023-2024, Granite’s strategic approach to growth, and the necessity of balancing unsecured and secured debt.

We are joined by Ted Davis, Managing Director at Avison Young. Ted lives in Guelph, but makes the commute to Downtown Toronto several days each week. Ted explains why investors are increasingly interested in markets like Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph as opposed to the GTA. Later, he tells us how much investment in Southwestern Ontario comes from outside, along with why he is so excited about the future of the region.

Our guest today is Tim Kennedy, the Principal of Lowland Properties. Lowland is headquartered in Kitchener, and currently has three other employees (besides Tim). Tim takes us through his real estate background, including how his father, who was also in the real estate business, influenced his career. He’ll also tell us about the projects Lowland is currently working on and why he prefers living in Kitchener instead of Toronto.

Jason Castellan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Skyline Group of Companies and joins us on today’s show. The company is located in Guelph, but also has additional offices spanning throughout Canada. Skyline’s beginnings trace back to the early 90s when Jason and his brother started purchasing single-family homes in Guelph. Jason explains how the company has grown to the size it has today, and also talks about how they decide where and what to invest in.

Our guest today at the Toronto Real Estate Forum is Bill Bolender, Vice President, Country Manager at Prologis. Prologis is the largest global owner, developer, and operator of industrial properties. Bill has been in charge of their very large Canadian portfolio for 10 years. With his expertise in industrial, Bill tells us how unique Canada’s assets are in the portfolio of a global company like Prologis. He gives a run down of why industrial has taken off so much since the pandemic began, along with why he doesn’t see the demand ending any time soon.

Recorded at the Toronto Real Estate Forum, we’re welcoming Jan Kestle. She is the President of Environics Analytics, which provides various industries with analytic data and allows them to understand how different demographic factors influence decisions. Jan tells us all about the kinds of data collected at Environics, and then talks about the types that real estate companies are interested in lately. She also speaks to what she is seeing in data from the retail and office sectors.

Paul Morassutti, who recently became Chairman of CBRE, is our guest in this episode from the Toronto Real Estate Forum. When Paul started his career, he gravitated towards the appraisal and consulting field of real estate and is still in it 30 years later. After taking us through how he ended up in his current position, Paul gets into what he’s been seeing in the market lately. He reveals the most common questions he gets asked, along with his answers. We’ll also hear his take on how affordable housing is portrayed in the media along with solutions he would like to see.

We’ve got Craig Beattie with us today at the Southwestern Ontario Real Estate Forum. His company, Perimeter Development Corporation, focuses on investing in the region. Of course, Craig also lives in Southwestern Ontario as well. Craig tells us the reasoning behind moving to Kitchener, and what it was like to work with Google in Perimeter’s first transaction. We’ll also hear about why Craig welcomes more competition to enter the region.

Our guest on this episode at the Toronto Real Estate Forum is Rosemary Feenan. She is the Executive Vice President, Global Head of Research at QuadReal Property Group. Just before joining us, she held a panel at the conference about the vibrancy of downtowns. Rosemary continues the topics discussed at her panel, including how the pandemic has altered the vibrancy of cities around the world. We also hear her take on the most livable cities in Canada and the affordability crisis.

Recorded at the Southwestern Ontario Real Estate Forum, we’re welcoming Mitchell Blaine on today’s episode. He is the Executive Vice President at JLL, and was born and raised in Kitchener. Blackberry’s emergence in the mid-2000s was a huge economic driver for this region, and Mitchell explains the positive effects still being experienced from it today. He also talks about how just 10 years ago he wouldn’t have believed a Real Estate Forum would be taking place in Kitchener, as well as the many benefits of investing in this region.

Michael Cooper, President and Chief Responsible Officer of Dream Unlimited, sits down with us at the Toronto Real Estate Forum. Dream has a presence in Canada, the US, and Europe, investing both publicly and privately. Michael talks about how Dream has influenced affordable housing in Canada, and why 2020 was an inflection point for these kinds of initiatives. Later, he comments on the challenges that office is experiencing, plus the fundamentals that keep Canada positioned as a great place to buy real estate.

Coming at you from the Toronto Real Estate Forum we’ve got Hugh Gorman joining Aaron and Adam in this episode. He is the CEO of Colonnade BridgePort. Hugh started the company in 2009 after managing several real estate portfolios throughout Canada. Colonnade BridgePort is headquartered in Ottawa, so we’ll hear all about the real estate market in the nation’s capital. Hugh takes us through how each sector is looking right now and gives his thoughts on the influx of capital that Ottawa continues to see.

Adam and Aaron are at the Toronto Real Estate Forum and joined by Jon Love for his second podcast appearance. He is the Founder and CEO of KingSett Capital, which is a private equity real estate investment firm. Jon provides his opinion on why it’s best for employees to go back to the office, along with his thoughts on other industry changes that were fueled by the pandemic. He also talks about KingSett’s ongoing efforts to make their buildings greener and why he’s so passionate about doing so.

Mike Czestochowski joins the podcast for his second appearance, recorded at the Toronto Real Estate Forum. He is the Vice Chairman at CBRE and has a particular expertise in land. We’ll hear about the state of the land market in South Ontario right now, including why deals have slowed down yet there is no panic. Mike also shares his opinion on the recent changes announced for the Greenbelt, which will result in construction on formerly off-limits land.

At the Toronto Real Estate Forum, Adam and Aaron welcome Frank Magliocco back to the show. He is a partner in the Audit and Assurance Group of PwC Canada, and annually takes us through PwC’s Emerging Trends report. There were three large trends in the report this time around: price discovery, ESG, and housing affordability. Frank takes us through his thoughts on all of these, while also making predictions on how attitudes towards these areas will continue to evolve throughout the year.

Joining the CRE Podcast is Aly Damji. He is Managing Partner, Real Estate at Forum Asset Management. He’s all about multifamily properties in Ontario, so that’ll be what the conversation revolves around. Aly tells us about strategic decisions that Forum has made in the way it conducts business that allows them to have several advantages when taking on new projects. We also get his opinion on how housing affordability in Canada can be improved and what opportunities he sees in the current market.

Today we welcome back Shaun Hildebrand, President of Urbanation, for his fourth appearance on the podcast. His last time on the show was in June 2020, which was a starkly different time for real estate compared with where we are now in early 2023. After getting an update on Urbanation’s expansion, Shaun explains what the condo market looks like in the GTA and how we can expect to see it grow. He also talks about the number of assignments happening right now and the impact of condos being rented by a new demographic.

Peter Altobelli is back to once again go through his top five key takeaways from the 2022 Toronto Real Estate Forum. Peter is the Vice President of Yardi Canada, which provides many different solutions to the real estate industry. Unsurprisingly, the most common talking point at the forum was the Canadian economy. We’ll hear Peter’s take on how that will continue to affect real estate investment activity. Later, he explains the changes companies have been making to better accommodate their employees, along with the significance of ESG.

Dean Holmes joins us today at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference. He is Senior Vice President, Residential Operations at QuadReal, and will be talking in-depth about apartments in this episode. We hear about the contrasts between the Canadian and US market from Dean, particularly regarding rent control and tenant turnover. He’ll also talk about the incorrect approach some developers take towards amenities, plus how rent control can be positioned as an amenity.

Returning for his second guest appearance is Mike Bonneveld, President of Skyline Industrial REIT. Skyline’s portfolio is all industrial and spread throughout Canada, with particular attention being paid to Alberta as of late. Mike tells us about some of the deals Skyline has been involved in over the past few years, including a deal that they were completing on the day of recording. We hear about the demand and supply for industrial spaces, why it can be desirable to have a warehouse outside of the city, and what markets Mike is keeping his eye on.

We’re welcoming Don White, President and CEO of Private Pension Partners and Apartment Plus REIT, to the show today. In addition to apartments, the company also holds some street-front commercial space. The company is based in Winnipeg and holds most of its assets within the city as well. Don talks extensively about the differences between private and public REITs, including the benefits he sees from Apartment Plus being private. Later, the guys discuss issues in Canada with housing supply and what Don thinks needs to be changed to improve affordability.

Joining us at the RealREIT conference today is Kevan Gorrie, who is the President and CEO of Granite REIT. The company is industrial-focused and holds property across Canada, the United States, and Europe. Kevan shares what Granite’s portfolio looks like today, along with changes that have been made to it in the past few years. He tells us about the high amount of value that can currently be found in the US compared to Canada, and also discusses the ever-changing cap rates of today’s market.

Nitin Jain is our guest on this episode recorded at the RealREIT conference. He is the President and CEO of Sienna Living, which offers housing for senior citizens. The senior living space has a great deal of intricacies compared to other segments of real estate, which Nitin discusses. Nitin explains why baby boomers have different expectations of what they expect when moving into long-term care, and we also hear about what Sienna residents have requested from the company.

Today we’ve got Salima Rawji, the Senior Vice President of Development at CreateTO. The organization was established by the City of Toronto to manage its portfolio of real estate assets, such as ensuring that single-use assets are minimal. Because CreateTO is government-owned, their operations are quite different compared to other real estate organizations in Toronto. Salima explains why, including the goals the city is trying to accomplish along with how they measure success.

Let’s welcome Phil Fraser for this episode. He is the President, CEO, and Founder of Killam Apartment REIT. Killam is based in Halifax and originally had operations only in Atlantic Canada, but now spans Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia as well. In addition to acquisitions, Killam has also constructed some of their own buildings, which Phil discusses. He also tells us about Atlantic Canada’s population growth hitting unprecedented levels and what Killam is implementing in its buildings to hit ESG targets.

Our guest today is Paul Lessner, who is the Senior Vice President, National Shopping Centre Leasing at JLL. Starting his career in commercial banking, he later decided to follow his passion for real estate. He joined the JLL team this year. Paul shares everything he’s seeing in retail recently, leading up to the busiest shopping season of the year. He tells us some of the surprising effects that the pandemic continues to have on retail locations, along with the impact that e-commerce is having on retailers.

This time we’re welcoming Tim Sanderson, the Executive Vice President & National Lead, Retail, at JLL. Throughout his career, Tim has always been involved with retail and real estate, making him the perfect person to gain insight from about the current state of retail in Canada. Tim takes us through different types of retail properties and explains how each of them are faring in this post-COVID world. He reveals why many shopping malls are back to pre-COVID sales levels, but also explains why some retail assets are having a difficult time recovering.

Curtis Way is back for his second appearance today, his first of which was three years ago at this same Edmonton Real Estate Forum. He is the CEO of RMS Group, which is a fully integrated real estate development company in Alberta. With the Alberta market behaving quite differently compared to Ontario and BC due to oil boom cycles, Curtis tells us about issues and advantages he has seen in the province. We also get his thoughts on what high oil prices are doing to rental costs and how long he expects this inflationary environment to last.

We’re welcoming Sherry Larjani to the podcast at the Land & Development Conference. She is the President of Spotlight Development, and just finished a panel at the conference regarding affordable housing and inclusionary zoning before recording. Sherry tells us about what it’s like to be a woman in real estate, and if her experience is different now versus when she first got into the industry. Later, we’ll hear all about Spotlight’s affordable housing project, which is extremely unique with many intricacies.

Recorded at the Global Property Market Conference in Toronto, we are welcoming José Pellicer who is Head of Investment Strategy with M&G Real Estate. His company is the second largest real estate investor in the UK, and one of the twenty largest in Europe. Shifting gears in this episode, we’ll hear about the current real estate market from a global perspective. José gets into why Europe is seen as the leader of real estate ESG and why he believes that value-add is going to be ideal for investment this year.

Chair of the Edmonton Real Estate Forum, Melanie Ducholke, is our guest in this episode. She is the CFO of Camgill Development Corporation, a real estate company which is based in Edmonton but also has a presence in Ireland. Melanie talks about how being chair on the forum has been going up until the point of recording this episode, and later reveals why she was hesitant to be a part of it at first. We’ll also get her insight on interest rates and what she thinks we’re in for during the rest of the year.

Brandon Donnelly, the Managing Director of Development at Slate Asset Management, is joining us in this episode. Apart from Slate, Brandon also writes a daily blog for city builders, and has been doing so since 2013. Today’s discussion is going to revolve around making development work and managing its risk in the inflationary environment we currently find ourselves in. Brandon gets into the extra caution involved in development these days and why he is still bullish on Toronto real estate.

Joining us right after her closing panel at the Western Canada Apartment Investment Conference is Shenoor Jadavji. She is the Founder and President of Lotus Capital Corp, and it’s her second appearance on the podcast. Lotus is a relatively small organization, and that’s how Shenoor likes it. She tells us the advantages that this provides before getting into how Lotus is thinking about ESG these days. We also hear about the supply side issues of housing in Vancouver.

At the 2022 Land & Development Conference, Aaron and Adam are speaking with Tsering Yangki. She is Head of Real Estate Finance & Development, Dream Unlimited. After moving to Canada as a refugee whose parents are from Tibet, Tsering realized she wanted to be a part of the decision people make to buy their first home. Dream Unlimited is a true leader in ESG, so that’s what we’re focusing on during this conversation. Tsering talks about Dream’s strict commitment to get to net zero emissions, along with struggles that the real estate industry has in adopting ESG.

We’ve got an expert in affordable apartments on the show today, Ron Lovett. Based in Halifax, he is the Founder and Chief Community Officer of VIDA. The company has rental unites in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Manitoba. VIDA’s goal is to revolutionize affordable communities, so Ron takes us through the many ways in which his company works towards that. We hear about how tenants are involved in the day-to-day operations of buildings, as well as what Ron has done to create a strong culture at VIDA.

We’re alongside Rohit Gupta today, President of Rohit Group of Companies. The group has several different divisions that work mostly in Western Canada: Rohit Land, Rohit Communities, Rohit Commercial, and Build Base. With Alberta’s economy picking up, Rohit explains how his company has been utilizing this opportunity in the market. He tells us about a project that Rohit Group is working on with Covenant Health along with how the company is dealing with inflation.

Jeremiah Shamess, joining us at the Land & Development Conference, is making his second appearance on the podcast. He is Senior Vice President, Private Capital Investment Group at Colliers. It’s been a long six years since Jeremiah was first on the podcast, and there’s been a huge amount of progression in real estate since then. He talks about the increased popularity of industrial land, what his prediction is for Toronto real estate, and why he thinks the way Canadians are living is changing.

Arjun Rao, Senior Director of Commercial with Yardi, is our guest today. The theme of today’s conversation is going to be tech enhancing real estate, with examples of how Yardi is pushing the boundaries regarding how you can optimize your real estate through technology. After telling us about what it’s like to work with both American and Canadian clients, Arjun discusses the post-pandemic return to the office. We hear about the power struggle between employees and employers, along with automation that is happening in the multi-family space.

Drago Farsang, Chief Innovative Officer at Wyse Meter Solutions, joins us for this episode. Today’s conversation is going to revolve around proptech meeting ESG. Drago’s work focuses on energy efficiency, and Wyse is in the process of rolling out a new software to help with this. We get an explanation on how Wyse meters provide meaningful data to property owners, and hear a few examples of the data can be used to improve efficiency. Drago also tells us why his philosophy motivates empowering end users and about how different asset classes can benefit from data.

Aik Aliferis, the Senior Managing Director at Institutional Property Advisors Marcus and Millichap, is our guest on today’s show. His career started in Ottawa, but he now sees Canadian real estate holistically. We get an inside look at what Aik is hearing from the biggest companies in Canadian real estate regarding the rapidly changing environment. Despite interest rate increases and inflation, Aik explains why the fundamentals of Canada are still very strong and attracting plenty of investment.

James Ha is with us today at the Western Canada Apartment Investment Conference in Edmonton. He is the President of Boardwalk REIT, which has 70% of its residential properties located in Alberta and Saskatchewan. With western provinces having gone through a very difficult time just a few years ago, James and his team have used that knowledge to navigate the current environment. We hear about what Boardwalk is working towards right now, such as improving renter experience and getting a stronger foothold in their most desirable markets.

At the Western Canada Apartment Investment Conference in Edmonton, we’re joined by Cynthia Jagger. She is Principal at Goodman Commercial, making her a specialist on everything about apartments in Vancouver, where she is based. After giving a rundown of how Vancouver’s real estate market fluctuated throughout the pandemic, we hear from Cynthia about what is currently happening in the city. She talks about positives and negatives of building in Vancouver, as well as her predictions for cap rates.

Recording at the Land & Development Conference, Aaron and Adam are welcoming Benjamin Tal in this episode. He is the is the Deputy Chief Economist of CIBC World Markets Inc., and a staple at the forums. Fresh off of his market outlook session at the conference, Benjamin talks to us about all things inflation. We hear about if he thinks the Bank of Canada’s moves will be effective in controlling inflation, what’s impacting home valuations the most, probability of recession and why he is generally bullish towards the market.

Paul Chaput is back for his second guest appearance from the Edmonton Real Estate Forum. He is the Senior Vice President at Institutional Property Advisors, a division of Marcus & Millichap. Paul is a leader in western Canada brokerage, which we’ll be focusing on today. We get taken through how BC, Alberta, and the rest of the real estate markets in the west have performed before the pandemic as well as during it. Paul also shares his thoughts on what the rest of the year should look like for these markets, including more growth in Alberta.

We’ve got Mark Rothschild with us in this episode, back for his second appearance. He is Managing Director, Real Estate Analyst at Canaccord Genuity. He has been with the company for 17 years, and has been covering Canadian REITs for even longer. Mark guides us through Canaccord Genuity’s latest report on Canadian real estate while also providing his thoughts on the increasing interest rates. He tells us some sectors he is excited about and how his company arrives at their real estate valuations.

Aaron and Adam are on their own today to talk about the rising interest rates currently being seen in Canada. It is the first time in many peoples’ careers that we’re seeing an interest rate environment like this. We’ll hear about the implications on the conventional market, on the CMHC-insured product, and on construction. The guys give advice towards different scenarios that higher interest rates are causing and also let us know what we can be happy about regarding the market.

Joining Aaron and Adam at the Toronto Real Estate Forum is Rob Kumer. He is the President and Chief Investment Officer at KingSett Capital, having originally joined the company in 2004. Rob takes us through KingSett’s investment strategy, including why different funds can participate in the same deal at KingSett, while they sometimes can’t at other institutions. He also explains why getting back to the office has been so important for company culture.

Back for his third appearance on the show is Michael Betsalel. He is Executive Vice President, Capital Markets, Multifamily with JLL. Formerly focusing on Ontario, Michael now has a large team spread across Canada. This makes himt he perfect guest share teh view of the apartment market at a national level. After giving an overview of Canadian apartments as a whole, Michael gets into specific markets. We hear about what has been driving investment in Southwestern Ontario, why the Prairies could begin seeing more institutional investment, and how markets will be affected by Ukrainian refugees settling in Canada.

Frank Magliocco is back in this episode to break down all the findings of the heavily researched Emerging Trends in  Real Estate 2022 report. He is a partner in the Audit and Assurance Group of PwC Canada, and has been on the podcast to discuss emerging trends for several years in a row. After giving a background on the methodology used in the report, Frank reveals the three main themes this year: the changing world of work, the prominence of ESG, and the impact of costs and competition.

Today, Peter Altobelli is with us again to do a recap of the 2021 Toronto Real Estate Forum. Peter is the Vice President of Yardi’s Canadian operations, having been involved with the company for about 35 years. Yardi is the largest software provider of real estate technology worldwide. Some time has passed between the Forum taking place and getting together to discuss it, so we hear about the guys’ thoughts back then compared to now. Peter explains what he sees happening with return to work, and we hear about how quickly technology is advancing real estate.

Andrew Joyner is our returning guest in this episode. He is the Managing Director at Tricon Residential and head of their Canadian apartment platform, tasked with trying to create thousands of brand-new apartment units in the Greater Toronto Area. We hear about what elements Andrew looks for when considering a new area to invest in and why there is little need to do new research on what amenities tenants want. He also gets into different types of financing and tells us why relationships are so important in this space.

We’re welcoming a doctor onto the show for the first time in CRE Podcast history. Matthew Trowbridge is the Chief Medical Officer of the International WELL Building Institute and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Melissa Jacobs, Senior Director of ESG at First Capital REIT, joins us as well. Matthew and Melissa explain their perspectives on health and wellness in buildings. We hear their thoughts on why more and more tenants will demand WELL certification in the near future, along with why they’re both so passionate about health and wellness in our built environment.

We’ve got a full house of guests in this episode: Ray Wong (Vice President of Data Operations and Data Solutions at Altus), Wendy Waters (Vice President of Research Services and Strategy at GWL Realty Advisors), and Phil Stone (Principal and Head of Canadian Research at BentallGreenOak). These three have been invited onto the show today to discuss 2022 real estate trends. They’ll break down four different asset classes and predict how these will perform in 2022, along with how external factors will impact them.

In this episode, we’ll be getting into the evolution and future of industrial. Joining the conversation is Allan Perez, CEO of CanFirst Capital Management. Furthermore, he is a Sessional Instructor at Schulich School of Business at York University. Industrial has become the hottest asset class over the last little while, so Allan takes us through different factors causing that to happen. He’ll also explain why the market might find some relief in the next little while and how automation will play into the space.

Bringing us his data and insight once again today is Ray Wong. He is Vice President of Data Operations and Data Solutions with Altus Group. This time, we’ll be talking about the last few transactions of 2021 and what this year has looked like. Ray dives into the sustained drop in office deals, and explains why retail has been doing comparatively better. He takes us through some transactions from across the country and tells us if we can expect some COVID trends to undo themselves.

Today we’ve got two fascinating guests who will give us a great look at the changes transpiring in commercial real estate: Paul Scialla and Brandon Crombeen. Paul is the Founder of both Delos and the International WELL Building Institute, while Brandon is the President of Delos Canada. Paul and Brandon explain the WELL building standard, which combines real estate with personal well-being. We hear about how the pandemic has increased the public’s concern with indoor well-being and what it has been like expanding the global standard into Canada.

Last joining us in 2018, Chris Spoke is back on the show. He is the editor of Skyline, a newsletter focused on housing in Toronto. We’re going to do a deeper dive on a topic that Chris touched upon during his last appearance: inclusionary zoning. After examining what has changed regarding supply issues since Chris’ last appearance, he explains inclusionary zoning and why it isn’t necessarily the best option. He talks about how policies in Toronto could be adjusted to better serve affordability and what solutions he thinks will be proposed in the near future.

As part of the Real Estate Forums series, Aaron and Adam are alongside Rosa Lupo. She is a Partner with Gowling WLG in the Corporate Commercial Group based in their Waterloo Region office, one of seven offices in Canada. Rosa talks about the Waterloo housing market before getting into the Tarion new home warranty program. She explains the provisions it offered at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, why the program exists, and how changing prices in commodities are affecting Tarion.

Today we’re talking about the top 5 key takeaways from the recently held RealREIT Conference. To help Aaron and Adam as he often does, Peter Altobelli from Yardi is back on the show.
Of course, the main theme of the takeaways is the pandemic and how returning to some kind of normalcy will affect the real estate market. We’ll hear about what tenants are demanding more now than before COVID-19, and which type of real estate is the hottest

Peter Altobelli from Yardi is back on the podcast in today’s episode. He’s been with us numerous times to do post-conference wrap-ups, and that continues today as the guys discuss the  2021 Canadian Apartment Investment Conference. We’ll be hearing several results from the Multi-Res Tenant Survey presented at the CAIC, along with analysis on where the results came from. Many trends have been accelerated because of the pandemic, leading Peter to explain the shifts that we are seeing happening in the apartment space.

Ray Wong, Vice President of Data Operations for Altus Group, is our invitee once again in this episode. Today, he’ll be talking about office space in the Toronto and Vancouver markets with Aaron and Adam. We’ll start with Ray going through some current office statistics compared to those of a year ago, most of which are positive indicators. He talks about how office trends differ between downtown cores and the suburbs, and later discusses some big transactions that have happened in 2021. We also hear about how Altus is currently utilizing their office space.

Our guest today is Courtney Renaldo, Manager of Presales for Yardi. The discussion in this episode will revolve around the business case for optimizing energy in buildings and managing government requirements. With over 20 years of experience in this industry, she has seen substantial changes. Courtney explains why real estate plays a pivotal role in making the world a greener place, along with why efficiency improvements result in many positives for building owners. She provides insight on easy changes that buildings are making along with what benchmarking metrics are becoming commonplace.

Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO of RioCan, is making his third appearance speaking with Adam and Aaron. Jonathan gained the CEO title since his last episode after being the President of the company since 2019. We get deep into RioCan’s operations, including how the company has performed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and dealt with the false “retail is dead” narrative. Jonathan also discusses why RioCan is excited about new condo builds and what is needed to aid Canada’s housing affordability crisis.

Marlon Bray, Senior Director of Cost Consulting at Altus Group, is our guest in this episode. This role has Marlon as a jack-of-all-trades throughout the development life cycle, and he says he’s all about adding value and reducing risk. There has been a huge increase in hard costs as we’ve progressed through 2021, so Marlon explains why this has happened and where we can expect prices to go from here. He also touches upon affordable housing in Canada and why he thinks revenues will continue to rise.

We are welcoming Matt Picken, Head of Capital Markets for Canada at JLL, as our guest in today’s episode. In addition to being involved in the execution of investment transactions in every asset class, mentoring is another area that Matt is passionate about. Matt goes over how the real estate market is performing today compared to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with how he believes the future will look. With so much expertise in land transactions, he explains what types of land are popular right now before talking about the networking he facilitates..

First National’s Darryl Bellwood is this episode's guest. He is best known for working with some of the biggest borrowers in the country, as well as having a major presence in Ottawa. Darryl gives an overview of how multi-unit properties have performed throughout the pandemic along with different strategies used by private versus public companies. He explains why Ottawa is such a great market for real estate and the type of growth he expects to continue there as we exit the pandemic.

Returning for his third podcast appearance today is Jim Costello, the Senior Vice President at Real Capital Analytics. As an economist, Jim looks at the commercial real estate world and helps people understand the intersection between the performance of the market and the capital that flows into it. With a far-reaching knowledge regarding global flows of capital, Jim gets into how that flow into real estate has changed since his pre-pandemic guest appearance. We hear about why Canadian real estate is so sought after and how its current market stacks up against the rest of the world.

On the podcast today is Colin Johnston, President – Research, Valuation & Advisory, Canada at Altus Group. With such a large volume of data going through Altus Group, Colin discusses how his company uses data to increase performance and yield of real estate. Several important real estate metrics are compiled and released annually in Canada, but Colin explains why the instantaneous data collected at Altus Group is so much more valuable. Colin also analyzes the current market for retail properties, including the rebound in foot traffic around and the world and how tenants are minimizing risk.

In this episode, Aaron and Adam are joined by another member of the First National family: Andrew Drexler. He is the Assistant Vice President and possesses a skillset gained from participating in large, complex deals. He has done some of First National’s biggest deals, including The Well in Toronto. Andrew starts off by discussing construction in the midst of the pandemic, along with why cap rates are not as important as some may think. He gives us a rundown on some of First National’s biggest projects and explains why student housing is an attractive area for investment.

Today we’ve got Daniel Marinovic on the show. He is the CEO and Managing Partner of Forest Gate, a newly created private equity, private debt real estate investment firm. David left his very successful career in institutional real estate and traded it in for an investment thesis, raising some capital and launching his own shop. He’ll give us insight on what it’s like starting a new entity in the industry in 2021. Daniel talks about why he wanted to form Forest Gate and what he envisions for the young company. We hear his thoughts on the moves that have happened from big cities to smaller areas and what the future of working from home will look like.

Our guest today is Colin Baryliuk, Executive Managing Director of Investments at KingSett Capital. He has been with the company since 2008 and he shares how tthe company has grown and evolved over that time. We learn about the different funds managed by KingSett, their investment strategies and yield targets. Colin explains the biggest drivers in the success of the funds he manages along with where he sees great opportunity for real estate investment.

Darren Cash joins Adam Cameron and Adam Powadiuk on this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, to discuss what’s transpiring in the development market across Canada and the recent turbulence in construction costs. He explains impact of the higher costs of labour during the pandemic, the increase in the cost of lumber throughout 2021 thus far and what he anticipates will happen to construction in Q3 2021.

Today’s episode is focused on leadership and how the brokerage industry has evolved, and Chuck Scott is here to share his wisdom. He is the Chief Executive Officer, Canada, at Cushman & Wakefield. Chuck talks about the impact COVID-19 has had on his company and the whole real estate industry, as well as how he sees the next few years unfolding. He explains why office space is still going to be needed and what Cushman & Wakefield are doing to keep employees safe.

In a REF Club episode, today’s episode is with George Przybylowski, the Vice President of Real Estate at Informa Canada. Aaron and Adam believe that the impact George has had on this industry is paralleled by none, making for a particularly interesting episode. George first brings us through the deep history of how the Canadian Real Estate Forums began. He shares challenges he faced in building the forums, stressful moments at events, and a decision he feels some regret towards.

Michael Williams is with us in this episode presented by REF Club. He is the Regional Vice President of Quebec and Atlantic Canada at First National. Michael is here to give insight on the state of the financing industry around the country and what is going on specifically in Quebec. He explains how COVID-19 has affected the rental market in Montreal, along with why he thinks it will be the first major city in Canada to fully recover. Michael, Adam and Aaron discuss how Quebec’s unique culture impacts their rental market, and we hear details about the market in some other cities in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

Latest Episode

Aaron and Adam host this episode by themselves as they give us insight on the world of lending. They focus on five main topics: debt as an investment product, security, underwriting, why commercial loans are not a commodity, and CMHC versus conventional loans. As the guys go through their five topics, we hear about different levels of risk tolerance that clients have and what First National thinks about when choosing where to deploy capital. We also hear Adam’s reasoning on why looking at just the interest rate a lender offers won’t provide the best experience for anyone.

Today’s conversation was recored at a recent REF Club “ThinkIn”  with featured guests Nick Gaganiaras, Vice President of Supply Chain & Logistics Consulting at Colliers International and Alistair Pickering, Vice President of Industrial at Oxford Properties Group. Our guests focus on real estate in Toronto and Vancouver, getting into the lack of supply and how assets in these cities are attracting a massive influx of tenants. We also hear about the increased growth of ecommerce in the past year and some unique challenges in Canada.

As a part of the REF Club series, Ray Wong is back on the podcast today. He is the Vice President of Data Operations at Altus Group. In this episode, his focus will be on market trends and top deals thus far in 2021. Ray starts by sharing some data on the five biggest Canadian markets, comparing stats from this year to 2020 and 2019. He explains the reasons why he expects commercial real estate to recover in 2021 and talks about what can be learned from the large number of land transactions happening.

Courtney Cooper is welcomed back to the podcast in this REF Club episode. She is the Principal at Alate Partners and Co-Founder of Proptech Collective. Courtney recently helped produce the Proptech Canada Report, which she’ll be discussing today.We begin by hearing about the cities with the most robust proptech innovation in Canada, and why there is one surprising absentee from the list. Courtney explains types of businesses that have benefitted and suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic and shares her outlook on the current proptech scene.

Andrew Freitas, Head of Canada Markets for WiredScore, is our guest in this episode. WiredScore is the only global connectivity rating platform for real estate. They assess the infrastructure that enables a well-connected building.There are several different scoring systems offered by WiredScore, and Andrew will take us through them and explain which ones are used and why. He talks about the need for high quality internet in new and old buildings, and how COVID-19 has changed real estate.

Fraser Roberts talks with Aaron and Adam in today’s episode. He is the CEO of INTECH Risk Management. Fraser has worked with the company for over 15 years, taking over the business from his father in 2014. With the COVID-19 pandemic causing a large impact on the insurance industry, Fraser gets into his thoughts on the current state of the market. We hear about the turbulence that insurance companies continue to face, the challenges posed to property owners and what Fraser thinks needs to happen for rates to see a decrease.

In this podcast we’re talking about environmental, social, and governance (ESG). To help out, we’ve got an expert in this topic: Catherine Marshall. She is a Principal at RealAlts, and has had her finger on the pulse of ESG for over ten years.Catherine tells us about R4 Advisors, a new ESG management consulting company that she has formed. She explains the impact that investors’ desire for ESG has had on real estate in recent years and provides examples of companies that are outperforming with ESG.

Brian Kimmel is making his second appearance on the podcast. He is THE expert in finance on retirement homes and senior living, and has been part of the First National team for decades. We begin with Brian painting a picture of how long-term care and retirement homes looked before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world. He explains why this asset class has been stable throughout the pandemic and discusses challenges that these homes will be facing in the coming years.

Wendy Waters is back for her fourth appearance on the podcast. She is Vice President, Research Services & Strategy at GWL Realty Advisors, and will be bringing us through the 2020 Canadian Office Tenant Preference Survey. With survey answers being heavily influenced by the COVID-19, Wendy analyzes each category and theorizes why participants answered the way they did. Aaron and Adam have a slew of questions, as office tenancy is the big question heading into a post-pandemic world.

This podcast is another interview that Aaron and Adam recently conducted as part of their partnership with the Real Estate Forum. This time the expert is Ray Wong of Altus Group. He previously appeared on the podcast in June 2020 to discuss the state of the industry during the pandemic. Though we’re still dealing with COVID-19, Ray is now able to analyze what the pandemic has brought thus far and share data about the largest real estate transactions of 2020. He outlines his expectations compared to what actually transpired, as well as what he expects to see happen in 2021.

Two guests are with us in this episode: Brett Miller and Casey Witkowicz. Brett Miller is the CEO of Canderel while Casey Witkowicz is the Founder of RYCOM Corporation. Their discussion with Aaron and Adam is about how real estate and technology strategies are working together in the COVID-19 pandemic to lead into an economic recovery. We start off by hearing the effects that the pandemic has had in the businesses of both guests, along with what technologies have thrived during this period. They get into arguments for why people will want to return to work in an office and the need for integrated data across all real estate.

Robin Kelley, Partner at Groupe Denux based in Victoria, is joining us in this episode. He is a second-generation investor in his family, and owns and manages apartments all across the country but with a focus on the Victoria, BC market. A regular listener of the podcast, Robin takes us through how his family-owned company came to be. He talks about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on different markets, including both positive and negative trends happening in Victoria.

Today we are welcoming Tom Dicker to the show. He is the Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Equity Income Team at Dynamic Funds. A member of several Canadian Real Estate Forums panels in 2020, Tom shares his knowledge on Canadian real estate and its relation to the broader investment world. We hear about why Canada is one of the best countries for REIT investment, which then leads into a discussion around the COVID-19 pandemic. Tom explains his thoughts on the future of office and retail space, along with investment opportunities that the pandemic has presented.

In a Canadian Real Estate Forum webinar, Aaron and Adam are joined by Patrick Armstrong. Although he is not directly involved in commercial real estate, his company, Snaile, provides automated smart parcel locker solutions which can be found in office buildings, apartment buildings, and more.ECommerce deliveries have exploded in 2020 with social distancing measures put in place since COVID-19, but even before the rapid adoption of on-line shopping, package delivery space and security was an issue.  Combining physical property level space limitations with on-site staff workload compounded the challenges facing multi-residential and commercial owners and operators. Leveraging technology and the IoT, Snaile has seen huge adoption in the space. We also hear about challenges unique to the office space and the effects that the pandemic has had on adoption of smart lockers.

For the second time, we’re joined by President and CEO of The Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO), Tony Irwin. His first appearance came early on in his role at FRPO, so he shares how the oranization has grown over the past few years. Tony gets into the effects of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the apartment industry, speaking to the difficulties that both tenants and landlords are experiencing. He also talks about challenges in the supply of apartments and what he’d like to see to combat this issue.

In conjunction with the Canadian Real Estate Forum, our guest today is Michael Turner. A speaker at the 2020 Toronto Real Estate Forum, he is the president of Oxford Properties Group. With 2020 being a challenging year for so many, Michael explains why people are integral in getting through the pandemic and why we will all become more savvy because of this experience.

We have Amy Price joining us in this episode. She is the Managing Partner, Co-Head of US for BentallGreenOak. Given her position, Amy is able to provide us with a look at how real estate investing looks amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and trends that might follow in Canada. BentallGreenOak is active in many countries, but Amy explains why the US is of particular importance. She gives details on some of the biggest transactions that BGO has completed during the pandemic and discusses shifts that she has seen in demand for various asset classes. We also hear comparisons between the US and Canadian markets.

The largest event of  the year just took place virtually, and Peter Altobelli is welcomed back to discuss the top five highlights from the Toronto Real Estate Forum. Peter is Vice President of Yardi Systems and a regular guest on the podcast. With so much good content, it’s hard to narrow it down to just 5 highlights. Aaron, Adam, and Peter focus heavily on thoughts expressed by the industry-leading guests in attendance and why 2021 is poised to be a great year for real estate.

In a Canadian Real Estate Forum webinar, Aaron and Adam are interviewing Colin Lynch today. Colin is Head of Global Real Estate Investments at TD Asset Management. He is responsible for the execution of his company’s global real estate strategy across 120 cities. We hear about Colin’s unique background that provides him with a meaningful perspective in the real estate industry. After talking about the effects of the pandemic this year, Colin explains what it is like being in this space as a black person and the diversity he is advocating to see in the future.

Mark Fieder is our guest in this episode. He is President, Canada at Avison Young and has been with the company for 31 years. With such a long tenure in real estate, Mark is no stranger to market crashes like the one experienced in 2020. After providing a history of his time with Avison Young, Mark explains how his company has performed throughout the coronavirus pandemic and initiatives they have implemented. We hear about why Mark is positive about the 2021 real estate market as well as his prediction for office space.

The Founder and CEO of Allied Properties REIT, Michael Emory, is welcomed by Aaron and Adam in today’s show. The Allied portfolio is centred around “distinctive urban workspace” and Michael has brought his signature asset sub-type to markets across Canada. After discussing how he got into real estate and the formation of Allied, Michael explains the importance of ESG and his company’s inaugural ESG report. We also hear his thoughts on REIT during 2020 and why he believes they will recover to reflect their underlying value.

Anthony Lanni, Executive Vice President, Residential with QuadReal, is with Adam and Aaron today for another Canadian Real Estate Forum webinar in the Thought Leadership series. Anthony represents a portfolio valued at over $4 billion plus more than 30,000 suites in development in 9 cities across Canada. QuadReal has assets in 17 countries, but Anthony explains why the Canadian market excites him the most. He also talks about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the multi-residential space and what amenities are becoming more relevant to tenants.

Today, Frank Magliocco is back for his third appearance on the podcast. He is the National Real Estate Leader at PwC Canada. Frank is here to discuss key insights from the Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2021 report that was recently published by PwC and the Urban Land Institute. Unsurprisingly, this year’s trends have been impacted greatly by the COVID-19 pandemic and yet some of the core fundamentals remain unchanged. Frank touches on why investor sentiment was so divergent for 2021, along with the positives and negatives of investment in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

President and CEO of Tricon Residential, Gary Berman, is joining Aaron and Adam in this episode. The third representative from Tricon to appear on the podcast, today we get to hear about how Tricon was grown from a small business to a multi-billion-dollar operation. Gary discusses the large investment that has recently been made in his company, along with why Tricon’s stock has recovered so quickly amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He also shares what Tricon is doing to nurture a more diverse workplace and real estate industry.

Continuing their coverage of the Canadian Real Estate Forums, Aaron and Adam have Peter Altobelli on the podcast again today. In this episode, they will be discussing the top five takeaways from the Alberta Real Estate Forum. Alberta had begun remodeling itself before the COVID-19 pandemic began, which is integral in how the province will look for years to come. Peter explains why both primary and secondary cities are set up for success, along with trends that align with the rest of Canada.

Our guest today is Brad Cutsey, President of InterRent REIT. After covering the oil and gas sector for TD Securities after university, a merger brought Brad into the real estate sector and he hasn’t looked back since. Brad now oversees all of InterRent’s capital markets activities and shares how he interacts with REIT Analysts and investors. Brad discusses the reasons why he joined InterRent, with their organizational culture being a key driver. 

Aaron and Adam are here alongside Mark Rothschild in today’s podcast. Mark is an Analyst at Canaccord Genuity with a focus on real estate and REITs, and has an impressive track record with the stocks he covers. Mark talks about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on REITs and what he believes the recovery from all the shutdowns will look like. He provides insight on how he assesses REITs and gives tips on what potential investors should look for when evaluating a REIT.

Courtney Cooper is a Principal at Alate Partners. She is a leader in the rapdily growing proptech sector with a growing roster of investments through her company. With her company “empowering entrepreneurs who are rethinking real estate”, Courtney takes us behind the scenes of Alate’s investment decisions. She shares some exciting companies that Alate has invested in and makes predictions about the future of proptech in real estate.

In their third time covering the Fall 2020 forums, Aaron and Adam welcome back Peter Altobelli today to discuss the top five takeaways from the Montreal Real Estate Forum. Peter is the Vice President and General Manager of Yardi, a property management software company. Many of the takeaways apply to most cities in Canada, but Peter explains why Montreal is unique in many respects. These include the low rental rate for industrial buildings and the city’s very vibrant downtown core.

Joining us on today’s episode is Mark Goodman. Introduced to the podcast by the Canadian Real Estate Forums, he is the Principal of Goodman Commercial and publisher of the Goodman Report. He has been part of some of the biggest real estate transactions in Vancouver.

Today’s episode is part of the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference series, run by the Canadian Real Estate Forums. Austin Joynes, Vice President of Marketing and Training at Rhapsody, joins Aaron and Adam.

The Vancouver Real Estate Forum recently took place in a digital format. Today, we’re going to hear about the top five highlights from that conference. We have the pleasure of once again welcoming Peter Altobelli, Vice President and General Manager of Yardi, to go through these five key takeaways.

We are welcoming Brian Rosen in this episode of the podcast. He is the President and CEO of Colliers Canada, the company where Adam started his real estate career. Brian had just one year with Colliers before he was promoted to President and CEO in March of 2020, just as the world got hit with the COVID-19 pandemic, so he tells us how important the relationships he built in that time have proven to be. 

Peter Altobelli of Yardi is back for his second appearance on the podcast. He’s here with Adam and Aaron to do something that’s a little different: they’re going through the top five highlights from the 2020 Canadian Apartment Investment Conference.

We are welcoming back Derek Lobo for his third appearance in today’s episode. He is the Broker of Record at SVN Rock Advisors, having expertise in managing apartments and apartment construction. Derek gets into the coronavirus pandemic and explains in detail why apartments have been such a resilient asset class. 

Our guest today is Greg Speirs. He is the Executive Vice President, Portfolio Management at Realstar, one of Canada’s largest private owner-operators of rental properties, with over 25,000 units coast-to-coast. Greg shares his experience working in real estate internationally prior to taking on the Canadian market. 

Founder of The Valuegraphics Database, David Allison, is welcomed in this episode. He is best described as “The Human Behaviour Expert,” and these skills have formed the foundation of his company and what they do. The data that David and his company has collected is of great interest to anyone involved in real estate. 

Kevin Green, President of Greenwin, is our guest in today’s episode. Greenwin started off as a construction company in 1948 founded by Kevin’s grandfather. Now, they own and manage thousands of properties in Ontario and Quebec. We are taken through the fascinating history of Greenwin and the many pivots the company has made. Kevin talks about the partnership his company has formed with First National as well as successful crime prevention efforts in their apartment buildings.

Aaron and Adam welcome Andrew Joyner. He is the Managing Director of Tricon Residential, overseeing all Canadian apartment activities for around 4200 units. Andrew has a wealth of experience in both the North American and European real estate markets. The presence that Tricon has in the US allowed them to be relatively well prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew discusses this situation along with his company’s focus on providing housing options for people in the middle of the market.

Adrian Rocca is the CEO of Fitzrovia Real Estate and joins us today for his second CRE Podcast appearance. The world has changed since Adrian was on the show in December, so he tells us how the pandemic has affected his business and projects. Though Adrian believes it will take years for the Canadian economy to get back to normal, he is optimistic and has been making the best of his time. He tells us about deals that he has closed, the types of properties his company has been looking to buy, and the positive culture that helps his team thrive.

Our guest is Clifford Fraser, who is the Chief Business Development Officer at Equiton Inc. After working with several financial firms, he was brought on to Equiton when a close friend wanted his help in starting a real estate company.Equiton has unique ways of finding deals which allows them to avoid bidding wars with larger companies, so Clifford takes us through their process. He also compares the stock market crash we have seen in 2020 to the one he experienced as a new lender in 2008.

Today’s episode brings us Brian Sutherland. He is the Industry Principal of Commercial at Yardi and started his own e-commerce company when he was sixteen years old. After getting tired of competing with Amazon, he sold his business and found a new career with Yardi. Based in Santa Barbara, California, Brian provides us with an American perspective on how the coronavirus is impacting the real estate market. He reveals what he thinks will permanently change in the industry because of the pandemic and later discusses how 5G will influence real estate transactions.

Mike Czestochoski, Executive Vice President of CBRE, joins Aaron and Adam in this episode. He specializes in land, and has been buying and selling it for the last thirty-six years. Mike is here to discuss what to expect from land in the near-future and beyond. With such a long career, COVID-19 is certainly not the first market crash that Mike has witnessed. He points out reasons to be optimistic towards real estate and talks about the kinds of deals he is seeing happen right now.

Our guest today is Charlie Deeks, Chief Investment Officer at PIRET (Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust). PIRET is a Blackstone and Ivanhoe Cambridge portfolio company headquartered in Toronto. Industrial assets have been the strongest through COVID-19, so Charlie discusses this trend and talks about some deals his company has transacted during the pandemic. He gets into how screening tenants will change because of everything that has happened in 2020 and more trends that he is seeing in the industrial space.

Aaron and Adam are speaking with John Fox, Partner at Robins Appleby LLP, in this episode. He has a long-standing relationship working with both public and private housing sectors on developing affordability. Because of John’s expertise, today’s episode focuses on affordable housing in the Greater Toronto Area. The guys discuss the time John spent working with the TCHC, how COVID-19 has made an impact on affordable housing, and the challenge of finding appropriate land for development.

Back with another Canadian Real Estate Forums webinar, Aaron and Adam welcome Blair Welch in this episode. He co-founded Slate Asset Management in 2005, which currently has $6.2 billion of assets under management in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Blair explains the three key areas that Slate looks at when considering the purchase of an asset. He gets into how his company’s culture was built, how it is being kept in place despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s distancing requirements, and the role of diversity.

Paul Finkbeiner is the EVP & Global Head of Real Estate at Great-West LIFECO and joins the podcast in this episode. He oversees $27 billion in real estate assets and was previously the President of GWL Advisors for 18 years.We start off by hearing about Paul’s storied career in real estate after leaving his engineering job. Having been through several market downturns, Paul compares the COVID-19 pandemic to previous dark times. He explains why this one is unique and the importance of staying positive.

Featured on today’s episode is John Duda. He is the President of Collier International’s Real Estate Management Services across Canada, which has a net asset value of $17 billion. He has held a variety of progressive roles throughout his career, developing a strong reputation for business growth. The discussion in this episode revolves around the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on real estate in Canada. John will also look to the future and share what he believes we will see in the real estate market, along with how the reopening of certain buildings has been going.

Our guest today is Raymond Wong, Vice President of Data Operations and Data Solutions with Altus Group. He’s going to take us through current statistics that apply to the four main asset classes as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic.Industrial, multi-res, retail, and office have all been impacted by the pandemic, but the degree of change has been different for each. Ray talks about these impacts, makes predictions for the recovery of real estate, and reveals what his data is showing will happen later in 2020.

Alan MacKenzie returns for his second appearance on the podcast in this episode. He is the CEO of JLL Canada, and was the President of Triovest at the time of his last appearance. Alan starts off by taking us through his thought process when choosing to leave Triovest.The leadership approach of Alan was so well received in his previous episode that Aaron and Adam ask for more insights in this episode. We also hear about the cultural building that Alan has taken part in at JLL and his thoughts on the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on real estate.

Aaron and Adam welcome Mandy Sutherland on today’s show. She is the Senior Consultant of Applied Research and Consulting at Steelcase. Additionally, she is part of a team which is responsible for helping clients discover what they should be doing next with their workplace. With such a debate on going in the real estate industry about the change in office space demand due to physical distancing rules, Mandy gives her opinion on this and many other return to work measures. She speaks to the importance of leadership and addresses challenges that she has been seeing.

The Executive Vice President of the National Apartment / Investment Properties Group Team at CBRE, Lance Coulson, is featured in this episode. He operates in Vancouver and specializes in apartments; a perfect skillset to provide us with insight on how that asset class is performing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lance explains some unique aspects of CBRE and provides a look at how the Vancouver market was performing in 2019. He tells us what he has been seeing in the city during COVID-19 and what he thinks the market will look like in the coming months.

Today’s topic is insurance, and joining the discussion is Jeffrey Charles. He is the Managing Director at Arthur J. Gallagher Canada. Jeffrey joined the insurance business because of its resilient nature after he experienced the 2008 crash while working in the travel industry. We take a deep dive into insurance, with Jeffrey providing helpful analogies to make the complicated world of insurance a little easier to understand. He reveals some of the stats examined to determine an insurance premium and tells us how COVID-19 is affecting the insurance industry.

Vanessa Oliver, founder of Regent Street Capital Corp, is our guest in this episode. She is a retail brokerage expert and has closed a large number of lease deals with restaurants as the tenant. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted restaurant owners and their landlords in a deep and likely long lasting way. Vanessa shares her thoughts on how the market is responding and the future of restaurants.