The Quay - 100 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON
In Person
The Toronto region’s housing crisis has been decades in the making, but today, we are facing a perfect storm - surging construction costs, supply chain disruptions, labour shortages, high interest rates, increasing government charges, and unprecedented population growth. We’re facing a dramatic slowdown in market-driven development and growing competition for what’s already built. Making the situation even worse, we’re building the wrong kinds of housing for our residents and workers, impacting our region’s place as one of the most sought-after business centres in the world.
Join us for "The Housing Symposium: Unlocking Solutions to a Generational Crisis," where we’re going to get to the heart of the causes and drive a conversation to spur action on the solutions still missing from our region's housing strategy. From modular options to missing middle density in existing communities, are we hesitating to embrace innovation and ignoring the obvious?
Not just another housing conference, this is an essential forum for business leaders, policymakers, and innovators to drive bold, actionable solutions to this critical challenge.
- Fresh Perspectives: Understand the forces behind Toronto’s housing crisis and the steps needed to build more of the right housing, right now.
- Actionable Insights: Learn how emerging public-private business models and innovative technologies can streamline processes, cut costs, and accelerate construction.
- Influence Advocacy: Help shape the Board’s housing agenda as we push for policy changes, streamlined approvals, and smarter growth.
- Strategic Networking: Collaborate with government leaders, industry peers, and innovators to spark new ideas and partnerships.
Agenda
8:30 – 9:00 am: Registration and Networking
9:00 – 9:10 am: Welcome Remarks
- Giles Gherson, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
9:10 – 9:40 am: Lightning Talks
Leading experts explore the alarming realities of the Toronto region’s housing slowdown and its ripple effects on economic growth, talent retention, and affordability. Leveraging unique data and perspectives, discover the volume and mix of housing currently being built in the Toronto region, and the long-term impact of evolving policy and market forces.
- Coleen Volk, President & CEO, Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC)
- Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist, CIBC
9:40 – 10:20 am: Emerging Business Models to Boost Housing Supply
Discover how emerging business models including public-private partnership can address the gap in the availability of all types of affordable and attainable housing. This includes family-sized purpose-built rentals and condominium homes, missing middle, mid-rise and student housing.
- John DiMichele, CEO, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB)
- Dr. Carolyn Whitzman, Author, Adjunct Professor, School of Cities, University of Toronto and member of Government of Canada’s Export Panel on the Homebuilding Industry
10:20 – 10:30 am: Networking Break
10:30 – 11:10 am: Harnessing Innovation in the Building Sector
Learn how cutting-edge technologies like on-site and off-site robotics, prefab construction, and AI-powered modular design are reshaping the industry—and what’s needed to make an industrial approach to housing construction mainstream. Can innovation in home building lead to building new industry expertise that we can export to the world?
- George Carras, Founder and CEO, R-LABS Canada Inc.
- Nhung Nguyen, CEO, Horizon Legacy
11:10 – 11:35 am: Fireside Chat
11:35 – 11:55 am: Closing Keynote
Hear from one of the world’s leading builders of modular housing, as he shares groundbreaking insights into how industrialized building methods can revolutionize housing solutions. Drawing from decades of expertise in sustainable prefabrication, this keynote will explore actionable strategies to address our housing crisis. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how international best practices in innovation and collaboration can unlock the future of affordable, efficient, and scalable housing for our region.
- Stefan Lindbäck, CEO, Lindbäcks, Sweden
11:55 am – 12:00 pm: Closing Remarks
- Giles Gherson, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
Speakers
-
George Carras
Founder & CEO, R-LABS Canada Inc.
-
John DiMichele
CEO, Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB)
-
Stefan Lindbäck
CEO, Lindbäcks, Sweden
-
Nhung Nguyen
CEO, Horizon Legacy
-
Benjamin Tal
Deputy Chief Economist, CIBC
-
Coleen Volk
President and CEO, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
-
Dr. Carolyn Whitzman
Author, Adjunct Professor and member of Government of Canada's Export Panel, School of Cities, University of Toronto and Homebuilding Industry
Tickets & Registration
Individual:
- Member: $129
- Non-Member: $179
Table of 10:
- Member: $1,290
- Non-Member: $1,790