Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Byron Chard, President and CEO of Chard Development to unpack how specialized developers are reshaping Canada’s multifamily and hospitality sectors. Byron shares Chards’ shift from merchant development to long-term institutional partnerships, emphasizing transparency, operational control, and data-driven execution. 

He explains how retaining asset management creates a powerful feedback loop that improves design and cash flow over decades. The conversation also explores how AI is enhancing consistency across projects, why obtainable housing can de-risk development, and how evolving affordability dynamics are extending rental demand. Looking ahead, Byron outlines a cautious market outlook through 2026, with stabilization in 2027 and recovery building into 2028.

What you will learn:

Byron Chard is President & CEO of Chard Development, where he leads day-to-day operations and strategic growth across British Columbia. Since joining in 2014, he has expanded the firm beyond residential projects in Victoria to include purpose-built rentals, affordable ownership, and mixed-use developments across Vancouver and North Vancouver. Overseeing more than one million square feet in development, Byron focuses on operational excellence, long-term value creation, and delivering diverse housing solutions that support communities and help residents move up the housing continuum. 

Episode Timeline:

The post Beyond Supply and Demand: The Future of Canadian Real Estate with Byron Chard, President and CEO of Chard Development appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Sean McCrorie, Vice Chair and Practice Leader at Cushman and Wakefield,  to unpack why seniors housing is rapidly emerging as one of Canada’s most compelling real estate opportunities. 

They explore the massive supply-demand gap, with only a fraction of the 20,000 units needed annually being built, and how aging demographics are driving long-term growth. The conversation dives into operational realities, from labor shortages to extended lease-up timelines, and explains why patient capital is essential. As institutional money floods the sector and cap rates compress, seniors housing is transitioning from niche to mainstream, offering investors a rare, decades-long growth runway.

What you will learn:

Sean McCrorie is Vice Chair and Canadian Seniors Housing & Healthcare Practice Group Leader at Cushman & Wakefield. Based in Toronto, he advises owners and investors on valuations, acquisitions, and development strategy. Over the past decade, he has worked on many of Canada’s largest seniors housing transactions. Previously, he co-founded the practice at CBRE and held roles at Sienna Senior Living and a global investment bank.

The post From Niche to Necessity: The Seniors Housing Surge with Sean McCrorie, Vice Chair and Practice Leader at Cushman and Wakefield appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Tyler Ashby, Partner at GroundBreak Ventures, to unpack why residential PropTech remains underfunded despite a growing housing affordability crisis. They explore how industry fragmentation, regulatory complexity, and limited venture-scale outcomes have slowed innovation. 

The conversation highlights practical shifts already underway, including modular construction and panelization, and AI-assisted design and zoning digitization. Tyler explains why incremental efficiency gains, and not flashy breakthroughs, are driving real progress. With increased government focus and funding, the industry may finally be approaching an inflection point. This episode offers valuable insight for developers and investors looking to understand where meaningful innovation and opportunity actually lie in housing.

What you will learn:

Tyler Ashby is a Partner at GroundBreak Ventures, a $25 million PropTech venture capital fund focused on pre-seed to Series A investments in residential technology and housing innovation. With a background in construction engineering and project management spanning over a decade, Tyler brings deep industry expertise to early-stage companies solving critical challenges across the residential real estate value chain.

The post Is PropTech The Real Solution for Housing Affordability? Insights from Tyler Ashby, Partner at GroundBreak Ventures appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

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

This is one of our most-listened and most-shared episodes, and we’re bringing it back because the conversation deserves a wider audience. The fundamentals Adrian lays out are as relevant today as when we first recorded, arguably more so.

What if the biggest opportunity in Canadian real estate is hiding in plain sight? In this episode, hosts, Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk sit down with Adrian Rocca, CEO at Fitzrovia, for his fourth appearance on the show to unpack a contrarian view of today’s Canadian real estate market. Despite ongoing headwinds, Adrian explains why market softness may be the ideal moment to pursue core Class A rental development in downtown Toronto. The conversation explores how disciplined operators are positioning themselves ahead of a looming supply cliff that could drive the next rental growth cycle.

Adrian also shares insights on portfolio diversification through student housing and seniors living across multiple provinces, and why these asset classes are attracting long-term conviction capital. The episode goes further, tackling the policy reforms needed to unlock foreign investment and meaningfully address Canada’s housing shortage.

What you will learn:

Adrian Rocca is the CEO at Fitzrovia and a visionary real estate developer and investor known for his expertise in purposeful rental housing, student accommodation, and senior living developments across Canada. With a track record of strategic expansion into new markets and asset classes, including his recent entry into retirement housing through a programmatic JV partnership and aggressive growth in student housing across Ontario and British Columbia, Adrian has established himself as a thought leader in the multifamily sector.

Whether you’re discovering this one for the first time or coming back for a second listen, tune in. This is the kind of episode that gets better with context.

The post Greatest Hits: Building Against the Cycle: A Contrarian CRE Case with Adrian Rocca, CEO at Fitzrovia appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Carl Gomez, Chief Economist at Centurion Asset Management Inc., to unpack the slow-moving “great reset” in Canadian real estate. Carl challenges the gap between market sentiment and reality, explaining why recovery is taking longer than expected and why waiting for cap rate compression is a losing strategy. 

Instead, he emphasizes operational discipline, NOI growth, and prudent leverage. The conversation explores how immigration is reshaping rental demand, why affordability, and not supply, is the core housing issue, and how structural differences make Canada’s correction more gradual than the U.S. This episode reframes the current cycle as an operator’s market, where clarity, patience, and execution matter more than timing.

What you will learn:

Carl Gomez is the Chief Economist at Centurion Asset Management Inc. bringing nearly thirty years of industry experience to the commercial real estate sector. With deep expertise in market analysis, economic forecasting, and investment strategy, Carl is recognized for his ability to distill complex economic data into actionable insights for real estate professionals. 

The post Is the Real Estate Reset Stalled, or Just Slower? Insights from Carl Gomez, Chief Economist at Centurion Asset Management Inc. appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Craig Hippern, President and CEO of Mantella Corporation, to unpack the growing opportunity in small-bay industrial condos. Craig explains why converting traditional industrial properties into owner-occupied units is creating a powerful path to equity for small business owners, while delivering strong, risk-adjusted returns for investors. 

The conversation explores Mantella’s approach to identifying prime assets, structuring value-add conversions, and leveraging an “alpha plus beta” strategy that blends stable income with upside from unit sales. They also discuss absorption timelines, tenant-to-owner conversion dynamics, and why fragmented small-bay assets can be more resilient than large-scale warehouses in uncertain markets, and what this shift means for the future of urban industrial development.

What you will learn:

Craig Hippern is the President and CEO of Mantella Corporation, one of Canada’s largest privately owned industrial real estate developers. With an extensive background in alternative investments, private equity, venture capital, and real estate across Canada and offshore markets, Craig brings a sophisticated capital markets perspective to industrial real estate strategy. At Mantella, he leads the company’s evolution into a scalable, partnership-driven organization focused on value-add industrial opportunities, including condo conversions, asset repositioning, and owner-occupier transitions.

The post Why Industrial Condos Are Beating Rentals with Craig Hippern President and CEO of Mantella Corporation appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Dennis Mitchell, CEO & CIO at Starlight Capital, to unpack the forces reshaping real estate investing in 2026. With billions locked inside gated private real estate funds, Dennis explains why the industry is facing a liquidity crunch, and why it may also signal a turning point for patient investors. 

The conversation explores the risks of extreme market concentration in the S&P 500, the investment framework of yield, growth, and multiple expansion, and why real estate’s steady income profile is becoming increasingly attractive. Dennis also outlines how new liquidity structures, such as Starlight Capital’s Real Assets Trust, are helping unlock trapped capital while enabling fresh deployment. 

What you will learn:

Dennis Mitchell is the CEO and CIO of Starlight Capital, a boutique asset management company delivering innovative investment solutions for individual and institutional investors. With more than 17 years of experience in investment management, he specializes in asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk management across multiple asset classes. Dennis previously held senior leadership roles at Sprott and Sentry Select Capital Corp. He holds both the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Business Valuator (CBV) designations and is focused on creating long-term value through differentiated investment strategies.

The post Liquidity, Risk, and Real Estate’s Comeback with Dennis Mitchell, CEO & CIO at Starlight Capital appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Thomas Mueller, is a Founding Director of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and became President & CEO of the Council in 2005, to unpack how Canada’s green building movement is shifting from ESG rhetoric to hard financial reality. As capital tightens and climate risks intensify, sustainability is no longer a branding exercise; it’s a determinant of asset value, insurability, and long-term returns. Thomas explains how government taxonomies, lender expectations, and rising insurance costs are accelerating demand for decarbonized, energy-efficient buildings, while much of the market still lags behind. 

The conversation highlights a growing performance gap between what tenants and investors require and what developers are delivering. From valuation blind spots to climate resilience planning, this episode reveals why integrating sustainability into the pro forma from day one isn’t optional; it’s essential for competitive advantage in Canada’s evolving commercial real estate landscape.

What you will learn:

Thomas Mueller is Founding Director and President & CEO of the Canada Green Building Council, where he has led Canada’s national green building strategy since 2005. He also serves as CEO of Green Business Certification Inc. Canada, advancing high-performance building standards. A global sustainability leader, Thomas has held roles with the World Green Building Council and other international bodies. Widely recognized for his climate advocacy, he is a Clean50 recipient and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.

The post Climate Risk, Capital Pressure, and CRE’s Inflection Point with Thomas Mueller, President & CEO at Canada Green Building Council appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Lachlan MacQuarrie, Industry Fellow at Intelligent Building LLC, to unpack the growing cybersecurity risks hidden inside today’s smart buildings. Recorded live at the Toronto Real Estate Forum, the conversation explores why operational technology (OT) demands a different security mindset than traditional IT systems. Lachlan explains how overlooked devices, HVAC, elevators, and access controls can expose owners to serious financial and reputational damage. 

He outlines practical steps, from asset inventory to zero-trust architecture, and shares how institutional landlords are approaching governance through emerging industry frameworks. The key takeaway: cybersecurity is no longer optional overhead. With the right strategy, owners can reduce risk, improve tenant confidence, and even unlock operational savings without major capital outlay.

What you will learn:

Lachlan MacQuarrie is an Industry Fellow at Intelligent Buildings, specializing in the intersection of operational technology, cybersecurity, and institutional real estate management. With a background in engineering, urban planning, and real estate acquisitions, Lachlan brings over two decades of experience across asset management, development, and property operations, including his tenure as Global Head of Platform Services at Oxford Properties and SVP at EPIC Investments.

The post Beyond Locks and Cameras: Cyber Risk in CRE with Lachlan MacQuarrie, Industry Fellow at Intelligent Buildings LLC. appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate. What if the global geopolitical churn is actually creating opportunities to realign your portfolio?

In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Jose Pellicer, Co-Founder and Partner at Evonite, for a timely conversation on how geopolitical disruption is reshaping global property markets. As traditional economic anchors, from U.S. dollar dominance to democratic stability, face mounting pressure, Jose outlines what this uncertainty means for investors in 2025 and beyond.

He shares a resilience-focused investment thesis built around inflation protection, highlighting why necessity-based retail and food-anchored centres may outperform in a structurally inflationary environment. The discussion also tackles the growing regulatory risk in multifamily housing, where rent control and anti-“financialisation” narratives are influencing policy worldwide. Jose explains how capital is increasingly flowing toward infrastructure and real estate debt, forcing equity managers to sharpen their differentiation.

What you will learn:

Jose Pellicer is the Co-Founder and Partner at Evonite, an established European real estate team, and brings deep expertise in global real estate investment strategy and macro-economic analysis. With a background spanning multiple continents and previously as Managing Partner at M and G, Jose has established himself as a thought leader in identifying mispriced real estate opportunities across European, Canadian, and Asian markets.

The post How to Build Inflation-Proof Real Estate Strategies with Jose Pellicer, Co-Founder and Partner at Evonite appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.