Commercial Real Estate Podcast

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. AI is reshaping commercial real estate, but the biggest barrier to adoption may not be technology; it may be fear. 

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk welcome Jennifer Podmore Russell, Chief Development Officer at Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation, about the Squamish Nation’s ambitious approach to Indigenous-led development. Jennifer shares how Sen̓áḵw’s 6,000-home vision is balancing commercial performance with community, cultural, and economic priorities through a triple bottom line approach. 

She also explores car-light development, large-scale rental lease-ups, hospitality-driven property management, and how Indigenous-led development can create generational wealth through procurement, workforce participation, and long-term economic opportunity. 

What You Will Learn:

Jennifer Podmore Russell is a real estate strategist and development advisor with more than 20 years of experience across strategy, portfolio planning, and development in British Columbia. She founded MPC Intelligence and has held senior roles at Rennie and Deloitte, helping turn development and portfolio strategies into successful outcomes. Jennifer also contributes to the broader community through leadership roles with the Urban Development Institute, Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, and Arrowleaf Real Estate Holdings Board, and previously served as Vice-Chair of the Vancouver Economic Commission.

Episode Reference:

The post How Indigenous-Led Development Is Reshaping Vancouver: Jennifer Podmore Russell, Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. AI is reshaping commercial real estate, but the biggest barrier to adoption may not be technology; it may be fear. 

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk welcome William Lépine, Senior Director of Operations at Lépine Apartments, to explore the principles behind his family’s three-generation, 1,500+ unit portfolio in Ottawa. William shares how he established credibility within the family business, why Lépine prioritizes larger rental units and suburban communities, and how long-term fixed leases can create stability for both tenants and owners.

He also explains the thinking behind pacing development through softer markets, balancing conventional financing with alternative debt strategies, and maintaining strong lender relationships. 

What You Will Learn:

William Lépine is a member of the Lépine family and the Senior Director of Operations at Lépine Apartments, a renowned multi-residential developer based in Ottawa, Ontario. Having grown up in the real estate industry, William has developed expertise across construction, marketing, operations, and finance. He plays a key role in managing the company’s financial health, including cash flow, leverage, and liquidity. His broad experience and strategic approach contribute to the continued growth and operational strength of the family business.

Episode Reference:

The post Why Bigger Units and Longer Leases Win in Real Estate with William Lépine of Lépine Apartments appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. Vancouver’s multifamily market is navigating a dramatic pricing reset, driven by punitive demand-side policy, interest rate shifts, and severe land value contractions.

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, recorded live at the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference 2026 and powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk welcome Mark Goodman, Owner and Principal Broker at Goodman Commercial Inc. and publisher of The Goodman Report. Mark breaks down how Metro Vancouver sales volume has plummeted while transaction counts rose, signalling a shift toward smaller deal sizes. The conversation dives into the structural reset in pricing per door, land values dropping over 50%, political friction under BC provincial leadership, and why disciplined family offices are stepping up to buy the dip with positive leverage spreads.

The discussion also covers Mark’s evolution into podcasting inspired by New York CRE legend Bob Knakal, capital flight from British Columbia toward pro-business markets like Calgary, and the legal and psychological uncertainty surrounding Aboriginal title rights decisions. Mark explains how the highest and best use dynamic has flipped upside down, reverting speculative high-density development sites back to existing cash-flowing apartment assets.

Mark Goodman is one of Canada’s leading commercial real estate brokers, known for his innovative approach to marketing properties and closing deals. With over $5 billion in sales of apartment buildings, investment properties, and development sites across more than 700 transactions, Mark has built a distinguished career in the field.

As the founder and principal broker of Goodman Commercial, Mark has been instrumental in positioning the company as an industry leader. His forward-thinking strategies have kept his firm ahead of the market curve.

In addition to his brokerage expertise, Mark publishes the Goodman Report, a cutting-edge platform that delivers the latest news and marketing insights for the industry. This publication has helped cement his reputation as an authority on apartment building sales in British Columbia and throughout Canada.

Mark is regularly quoted in major publications such as The Vancouver Sun, National Post, The Globe and Mail, Business in Vancouver, Western Investor, Daily Hive, RENX, Green Street News, ConnectCRE, Storeys, and many more. He is also a sought-after speaker and moderator, having participated in key events such as the Urban Development Institute, Vancouver Real Estate Forum, and the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference.

The post Values, Land Resets & BC Policy Friction with Mark Goodman, Owner and Principal Broker, Goodman Commercial appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. AI is reshaping commercial real estate, but the biggest barrier to adoption may not be technology; it may be fear. 

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk welcome Mike Bonneveld, President at Skyline Group of Companies, back to the show and examine how tariff uncertainty and economic volatility reshaped tenant behavior and stalled growth. Mike breaks down the Canadian markets gaining momentum, including Calgary and Edmonton, and explains why tight cap-rate spreads are forcing REITs to become more disciplined about acquisitions. 

The conversation also explores shifting rent dynamics, the return of speculative development in Alberta, and why data center tenants are proving exceptionally valuable and sticky. With tariff uncertainty beginning to ease, Mike shares why pent-up demand could drive a stronger industrial rebound through late 2026 and into 2027. 

What You Will Learn

Mike Bonneveld is President of Skyline Industrial REIT, where he leads strategic growth, portfolio performance, and investment initiatives across Canada’s industrial real estate markets. He joined Skyline in 2009 and brings more than 30 years of Canadian real estate experience spanning acquisitions, asset management, corporate finance, M&A, brokerage, and valuations. Previously, Mike led Skyline’s Acquisitions team, overseeing transactions across multiple REITs and SkyDev. He holds an Honours BA in Urban Development from the University of Western Ontario and serves on the Board of Trustees of Inovalis REIT.

The post Is Industrial Real Estate Finally Ready for a Rebound? Mike Bonneveld, President, Skyline Group of Companies appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE Podcast: 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate.

Today we are re-running an episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, to celebrate Brad Bradford’s Mayoral run for Toronto by revisiting the episode record with him earlier. 

Brad discusses the pressing challenges in Toronto’s housing market and the intersection of politics and housing policy in Toronto.  Fresh off his removal from key housing-related roles by Mayor Olivia Chow, Brad unpacks the political tensions shaping the city’s approach to affordable housing and development. 

He shares his candid perspective on the mayor’s decisions, which he describes as prioritizing “politics over progress,” and offers bold alternatives for addressing Toronto’s housing crisis. He delves into his advocacy for ambitious housing solutions, including multiplex developments and increased density on major streets, which he argues were met with resistance by the mayor and her allies. The conversation dives into the challenges of navigating bureaucracy, overcoming political resistance, and fostering collaboration between government and private sectors to tackle the housing crisis. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in Toronto’s real estate landscape and the policies driving its future.

Here are the key talking points from the episode:

Brad Bradford is a Toronto City Councillor representing Ward 19, Beaches-East York.  He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Urban and Regional Environments from York University and a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo. With a background in urban planning and years of experience in local government, Brad is a tireless advocate for housing, transit, and infrastructure solutions.

The post Building Toronto: A Public Showdown on Housing Policy with Brad Bradford, Toronto City Councillor appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. AI is reshaping commercial real estate, but the biggest barrier to adoption may not be technology; it may be fear. 

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Stephanie Wood, VP at Alate Partners, to explore how CRE professionals can move beyond uncertainty and start using AI strategically. Stephanie shares practical examples of high-ROI applications, from lead-to-lease automation to underwriting, while explaining why subject matter expertise becomes even more valuable as AI takes on repetitive tasks. 

The conversation also explores data security, change management, software investment cycles, and why Canada’s cautious approach could become a competitive disadvantage. Most importantly, Stephanie explains how organizations can start small, experiment safely, and build the confidence to turn AI into a competitive advantage. 

What You Will Learn

Stephanie Wood is Vice President at Alate Partners, where she supports deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio management. Before joining Alate, she worked at CPP Investments in the Real Estate group, helping assess and implement a technology platform for the fund’s global real estate portfolio. She also spent three years in the Valuations group, gaining experience across asset classes. Stephanie holds an Honors Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business and an Honors Specialization in Urban Development from Western University.

Episode Reference:

The post The Real Risk in CRE Isn’t AI: It’s Waiting Too Long with Stephanie Wood, VP, Alate Partners appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the down cycles everyone fears are actually the best entry points for disciplined capital?

Canadian shopping malls today may be one of real estate’s most overlooked opportunities. In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined once again by Julian Schonfeldt, Chief Investment Officer at Primaris REIT, who explains the forces driving retail’s unlikely renaissance, from a decade-long shortage of new shopping centres to growing institutional demand for high-quality assets. 

Julian shares how Primaris is targeting dominant malls at attractive implied cap rates while pursuing 3-4% NOI growth, monetizing underutilized land, and concentrating its portfolio in high-traffic markets. The conversation also examines changing pension fund sentiment, the gap between backward-looking NAV valuations and current market fundamentals, and how retailers’ shift toward selective, high-productivity locations is strengthening the outlook for Canada’s best enclosed shopping centres. 

What You Will Learn

Julian Schonfeldt is a seasoned real estate investment and capital markets executive with nearly 20 years of experience. He is the Chief Investment Officer of Primaris REIT, a position he has held since April 2026. Previously, he was the Chief Investment Officer at CAPREIT, where he executed over $6 billion in strategic transactions before leaving the company in April 2026. Prior to CAPREIT, he spent over 11 years at RBC Capital Markets as a Managing Director in Global Investment Banking, following roles at Solaris Capital Advisors, KPMG, and PwC. .

The post Why Canadian Shopping Malls Are Making a CRE Comeback with Julian Schonfeldt, CIO at Primaris REIT appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast, 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the down cycles everyone fears are actually the best entry points for disciplined capital?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk welcome back returning guest Jeremiah Shamess, Executive Vice President at Colliers and head of the Private Capital Investment Group. Jeremiah revisits his previous market calls from 2016 and 2022 to examine where Canada’s commercial real estate market stands today. He unpacks why income-producing properties and urban residential land are reaching their bottoms, how private capital and family offices are navigating current yield compression, and why patient long-term planning will set up operators for success as supply deficits loom later this decade.

The conversation explores structural shifts in capital allocation, comparing the risk-averse posture of institutional capital against the agile approach of family offices who are positioning for the next cycle. Jeremiah breaks down the realities of development land economics, the impact of high absorption rates in purpose-built rental markets, and the historical duration of Canadian real estate cycles. From street-front retail challenges to suburban office opportunities, this episode provides a data-grounded overview of how operators can navigate today’s pricing discovery phase to capture long-term value.

What You Will Learn

Jeremiah Shamess is an Executive Vice President at Colliers and heads the Private Capital Investment Group. With over a decade of experience in commercial real estate brokerage, Jeremiah specializes in asset sales across development land, multifamily, urban office, retail, and industrial properties across the Greater Toronto Area and Canadian markets.

The post From 2022 Signals to Today’s Bottoms: Navigating Canada’s Real Estate Reset with Jeremiah Shamess, Executive Vice President at Colliers appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. 

What can we learn about life, leadership, and the Canadian real estate landscape from someone celebrating his retirement after nearly three decades as the President and CEO of Canada’s largest publicly traded apartment landlord?

In this celebratory episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Mark Kenney, former President and CEO of CAPREIT. Following his recent retirement after nearly three decades with the company, Mark shares his candid perspectives on Canada’s housing affordability crisis, rental markets, immigration, and the forces shaping apartment performance. 

He explains why national housing narratives often overlook critical local differences, and why employment, population growth, and supply are essential to understanding market health. He also reflects on leadership, retirement, building strategy, and where investors can find value as capital markets, replacement costs, and housing fundamentals continue to shift. 

What you will learn:

Mark Kenney is the former President and CEO of Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (CAPREIT), with nearly three decades of leadership in Canadian multi-family real estate. During his tenure, he led portfolio modernization, geographic expansion, strategic acquisitions, and capital allocation across Canada, the Netherlands, and Ireland. A respected voice on housing, investment, and market fundamentals, Mark has served on the boards of REALPAC and FRPO and remains a frequent contributor to BNN Bloomberg and other media outlets, offering candid perspectives on Canada’s housing market.

The post Canada’s Housing Crisis Isn’t What You Think: Mark Kenney, Former President and CEO of CAPREIT appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE Podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate.

This is one of the episodes our audience keeps coming back to, and we’re putting it back in front of you because it deserves a wider audience than it got the first time. The arguments Dermot makes are just as sharp today as when we first recorded them, arguably sharper.

What if the biggest barrier to solving Canada’s housing crisis isn’t capital or construction capacity, but zoning itself? In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk sit down with Dermot Sweeny, Founding Principal at Sweeny&Co Architects, for a provocative conversation challenging the fundamental assumptions behind how Canadian cities regulate development. With nearly four decades of architectural practice spanning office, residential, hospitality, and institutional projects, Dermot argues that zoning has become the single greatest impediment to building livable, affordable, and sustainable cities.

The conversation explores why front yards represent wasted land, how Victorian-era fire codes still dictate modern building design, and why corner stores require council debates in 2026. Dermot shares lessons from Tokyo, Rome, and Paris on density done right, explains how industrial design principles from boats and trains could transform micro-unit living, and makes the case for why eight-story mid-rise buildings on underutilized employment lands could solve Toronto’s housing shortage without touching farmland.

What you will learn:

Dermot Sweeny is the Founding Principal of Sweeny&Co Architects, an architecture firm he started in his twenties that now employs over 55 people across a diverse portfolio of work. With 38 years of practice, Dermot has led design on over 7 million square feet of high-performance office buildings, innovative residential projects, and landmark institutional developments. His firm was responsible for Toronto’s first two-story open loft new build in 1987 and has pioneered green technology, raised floor systems, and tenant-driven workplace innovation across major projects including TELUS House, Loblaw’s headquarters, and BMW’s Canadian headquarters. Known for challenging conventional thinking around zoning, density, and sustainability, Dermot brings both sides of his brain—technical rigor and creative vision—to every conversation about the future of Canadian cities.

First-time listener or repeat visitor, this is the kind of conversation that rewards a second look.

The post Greatest Hits: Rethinking City Building: A Radical Case Against Zoning with Dermot Sweeny, Founding Principal at Sweeny&Co Architects appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.