Canada
People & Companies News for Week Ending March 7, 2025
- Gord Hicks, CEO of Markham, Ont.-based BGIS, has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his decade-long commitment to Kids Help Phone and youth mental health advocacy across Canada. Hicks became involved in the cause after his son Cameron died in 2014 in a motor-vehicle collision, leading his family to establish the Cam’s Kids Foundation, which supported thousands of young Canadians before merging with Kids Help Phone in 2023. A Kids Help Phone board member since 2019, Hicks continues to champion mental wellness globally, including within BGIS, where he spearheads initiatives such as a global network of trained Mental Health Leaders. BGIS is also advancing wellness in real estate through its Blue Zone Buildings program, designed to create healthier indoor spaces.
- Jennifer Podmore Russell has been promoted to chief development officer at Nch’ḵaỷ Development Corporation. The Vancouver-based firm is the real estate arm of the Squamish Nation. She joined the company in late 2023 after serving on its board for 18 months.
- Top real estate leaders from the Greater Toronto Area will gather on March 17, 2025, for the 4th annual Dive In With Developers charity event, benefiting the SickKids Epilepsy Classroom and Project Horizon, a major initiative to build a new hospital. Founded in 2019 by Ryan Rabinovich of RARE Real Estate, the event aligns with Epilepsy Awareness Month and will take place at the Aga Khan Museum, drawing over 300 industry professionals. This year’s edition will feature a keynote by seven-time TED Talk speaker Chris Cummins, who will discuss adaptability in change and adversity, followed by a panel of industry leaders analyzing real estate market shifts and challenges.
- Neil Martin has been hired as head of retail investments at Vancouver-based Astria Properties. He was previously self-employed at Climate Control Canada.
- Mattamy Homes is providing a $250,000 contribution to the Edmonton-based Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and the Calgary-based Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). Calgary-headquartered Mattamy will provide $125,000 to each institution to support student scholarships and awards, youth engagement initiatives, and hands-on learning opportunities, aiming to strengthen the province’s skilled-trades workforce.
- Craig Mode has joined Toronto-based Great Gulf as chief operating officer. Mode moved to Great Gulf from Fitzrovia, where he was an executive vice-president. He is a former CEO of sport-drinks producer BioSteel.
- Cameron Dowell has been promoted to director at Toronto-based Peakhill Capital. Dowell joined the company as an associate in 2020 and rose to more senior positions.
- Unceded: Voices of the Land, a groundbreaking Indigenous-led contemporary architecture exhibition, will be showcased at Edmonton City Centre from March 8 to June 21. Originally created for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, Unceded is the first exhibition of its kind to be presented on the world stage, celebrating Indigenous architecture through the perspectives of 18 Indigenous architects and designers from across North America. More details are available at Unceded.org.
- Hazelview Properties has appointed Shelly Poulin as vice-president of national operations. She moved to Toronto-based Hazelview from Timbercreek, where last served as director of national operations.
- Peter Kuretzky has joined Starlight Investments as executive vice-president of development. He previously served as managing director at Toronto-based Tishman Speyer. Meanwhile, Starlight has named Alex Colborne as development. Colborne moved to Toronto-headquartered Starlight from Fitzrovia, where he held development analyst and associate positions.
- Giancarlo Spatoro has been elevated to vice-president of acquisitions and business development at Capital Development. In other moves by the company, Connor Roth has moved up to associate in the investors and finance business. And Caitlin Elliott, Sarah Chu and Justin Joseph have been promoted to development director posts.
- Cory Ostrowka has been named senior manager of environmental risk at RioCan REIT. He previously spent about nine years as an environmental manager and specialist at Infrastructure Ontario.
- Northcrest Developments has promoted Loren Shore to executive vice-president of investments and management, Kristy Shortall to executive vice-president of development and Catharine Barnes to vice-president of strategy and operations. Shortall is heading the company’s Downsview Lands redevelopment, now known as YZD.
- Calgary-based Taza Development has promoted Chris Brown to director of project and development services. He had served as a senior project manager since joining the company from Canderel in 2022.
- The City of Calgary has named Reid Hendry as its new housing manager. He moved from Beedie, where he held development manager positions since 2021.
- The University of Alberta has appointed Twyla Baker as head of real estate. She moved to the Edmonton post-secondary institution after serving as a real estate agent with Altawest in the Alberta Capital.
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