Let's get housing
right
Canada’s housing crisis calls for building 5.8 million new homes by 2030. We need to get these homes right. That means building them to be affordable, resilient to climate change, and aligned with net-zero emissions.
The Task Force for Housing & Climate brings together Canada’s brightest minds to tackle this issue. We call on federal, provincial and municipal decision-makers to face down the twin challenges of affordability and climate change, and to unleash a historic boost in housing growth.
Stay tuned for new insights and sharp policy recommendations.
Meet the Task Force.
Don Iveson (Co-chair)
Principal, Civic Good
Don served as Edmonton’s 35th Mayor from 2013 to 2021 with a guiding leadership principle to make things better for the next generation. This long-term view is now embedded in: Edmonton’s smart-growth City Plan; City Council’s Energy Transition Strategy; and Edmonton’s nation-leading work on stormwater management and climate adaptation.
Since retiring from City Hall, Don continues to live in Edmonton. He works part-time with Co-Operators as Executive Advisor for Climate Investment and Community Resilience. Don is also ramping up Civic Good, a public policy advisory practice working on climate, housing, complex governance and civic innovation projects with like-minded clients ranging from startups to governments. He has accepted an appointment as a School of Cities Canadian Urban Leader at the University of Toronto, is a member of the Expert Panel on Adaptation at the Canadian Climate Institute, and volunteers as Board Co-Chair of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.
Principal, Civic Good
LISA RAITT (CO-CHAIR)
Co-chair, Coalition for a Better Future
The Honourable Lisa Raitt serves as the co-chair of the Coalition for a Better Future, a diverse group of Canadian leaders and organizations spanning business, labour and civil society – working together to achieve a long term plan for economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable.
Ms. Raitt brings a wealth of experience from both the public and private sectors. She was elected into the House of Commons in 2008, where she went on to hold three senior portfolios serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Labour, and Minister of Transport. Most recently, Ms. Raitt was the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada. Having joined CIBC Capital Markets in January 2020, her current role involves senior client coverage and business development, primarily within the energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. Prior to her current role, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority.
Co-chair, Coalition for a Better Future
MIKE MOFFATT (COORDINATOR)
Founding Director, PLACE Centre @ Smart Prosperity Institute
Dr. Mike Moffatt is the Founding Director of the PLACE Centre and the Senior Director of Policy and Innovation at the Smart Prosperity Institute. Mike’s research focuses on the intersection of regional economic development, building child-friendly, climate-friendly housing and communities, and clean innovation. In 2017, Mike was the Chief Innovation Fellow for the Government of Canada, advising Deputy Ministers on innovation policy and emerging trends. He has also previously held the titles of Director (Interim) of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, Directory of Policy at Canada 2020, and Chief Economist for the Mowat Centre at the University of Toronto. Mike has worked with politicians and policymakers of all political stripes in several countries to craft more effective public policy. From 2013 to 2015, Mike served as an economic advisor to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. Mike holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from Ivey Business School and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Rochester. Outside of his clean economy work at SPI, Mike is a disability-rights activist.
Founding Director, PLACE Centre
@ Smart Prosperity Institute
Kim Baird
Kwantlen Polytechnic University Chancellor
Chancellor, Kwantlen
Polytechnic University
SHEILA BOUDREAU
Principal Landscape Architect + Planner, SpruceLab Inc.
Sheila is the Founder and Principal of SpruceLab Inc. A Landscape Architect and Registered Professional Planner, she has over 28 years of experience. She established SpruceLab to be collaborative and nature-based with a community focus, and the intention to prioritize Indigenous voices and decolonize her practice (to honour her Mi’kmaq ancestors).
Professional experience includes: Senior Landscape Architect at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Urban Designer at City of Toronto (working across Divisions on projects she initiated and co-led, including Indigenous placekeeping, and Toronto Green Streets), Landscape Architect at DTAH (projects included Waterfront Toronto Water’s Edge Promenade, Evergreen Brick Works, and numerous university, institutional, commercial, and public art projects), and Parks Services Landscape Designer at the City of Waterloo (including co-leading public participation in high profile projects). A sessional professor, she has taught at Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Waterloo, and University of Toronto.
Principal Landscape Architect + Planner, SpruceLab Inc.
Cherise Burda
Executive Director at City Building TMU
As Executive Director at City Building, Toronto Metropolitan University, Cherise advances sustainable urban solutions with research collaborations and knowledge mobilization. Specializing in relevant policy research and strategic communications to drive impact, Cherise has authored over 40 policy reports, book chapters and academic publications. Twenty-five years as a thought leader, Cherise’s previous roles include Pembina Institute’s Ontario Director, program director with the David Suzuki Foundation, and Senior Researcher with University of Victoria’s Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy. She holds a B.Sc. in environmental science from University of Toronto, an MA in environmental studies from University of Victoria and a B.Ed. from OISE. Her many appointments have included the Ontario Premier’s Transit Investment Strategy Panel and the City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board.
Executive Director at City Building TMU
Mark Carney
Chair, Brookfield Asset Management
Mr. Carney is an economist and banker who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, and Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 until 2013, before joining Brookfield Asset Management. He was also the Chairman of the Financial Stability Board from 2011 to 2018. Prior to his governorships, Mr. Carney worked at Goldman Sachs as well as the Canadian Department of Finance.
He is a long-time and well-known advocate for sustainability, specifically with regard to the management and reduction of climate risks. He is currently the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance and Co-Chair for the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero.
Mr. Carney is also an external member of almost a dozen other organizations that include Harvard University and the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, as well as Senior counsellor of the MacroAdvisory Partners, Advisor of the Watershed, Chair of Chatham House and Chair of Bloomberg LP’s Board of Directors.
He holds doctorate and master’s degrees from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University.
Chair, Brookfield Asset Management
Jennifer Keesmaat
Managing Director, Markee Developments
Jennifer is the former Chief Planner for the City of Toronto, where she led a team of over 375 planners overseeing unprecedented growth and urban development. As a founding partner of the Office for Urbanism and subsequently Dialog, Jennifer has worked in municipalities across Canada and around the world on urban design guidelines, official plan reviews and strategies for creating 21st century cities. She is a recognized expert in transit planning, heritage preservation, strategy development, sustainable economic development, and the creation of walkable, complete communities. A Distinguished Visitor in Residence Emeritus at the University of Toronto, Keesmaat continues to advance cities of the future. Keesmaat is on the Advisory Board of the Urban Land Institute, Toronto, and is appointed to the International Panel of Experts, Singapore Urban Redevelopment Authority. Through Markee Developments, Jennifer is currently leading the redevelopment of over 2,000 new rental homes in the GTA.
Managing Director, Markee Developments
Leila Ghaffari
Assistant Professor, Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University
Leila Ghaffari is an assistant professor at the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment of Concordia University. She holds a joint Ph.D. in Urban Studies from the University of Québec in Montreal and in Urban Planning from the University of Tours. Her research interests include neighbourhood transformation, gentrification, territorial inequalities, housing policies, and social aspects of urban spaces. She has developed a framework for the social acceptability of gentrification with a place-based look at the Right to The City. Lately, she has been working on the post-pandemic redefinition of Third Places, as well as on housing policies for fostering housing affordability. Her research on housing policies has benefited from her experience as a Housing Policy Advisor at Vivre en Ville. The study of the bylaw for a diverse metropolis of Montreal is the focus of her current research project.
Assistant Professor, Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University
Richard Joy
Managing Director, Markee Developments
Richard is Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Toronto. Since his arrival as the first full-time Executive Director in 2014, the organization has more than tripled its membership – now the largest chapter in the global network. ULI Toronto’s multidisciplinary professional network extends across the private and public sectors to advance the global ULI mission to “shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.”
Prior to joining ULI, Richard served as the Vice President Policy and Government Relations at the Toronto Region Board of Trade (2008-2014) following a tenure as Director of Municipal and Provincial (Ontario) at Global Public Affairs, a leading Canadian Government Relations firm. Richard’s extensive public policy knowledge and experience comes from over a decade of service at Toronto City Hall and Queen’s Park.
Executive Director, ULI Toronto
Adam Mongrain
Housing Policy Director, Vivre en Ville
Adam is Housing policy director at Vivre en Ville, a public interest non-profit organization advocating for sustainable land use and thriving communities. Vivre en Ville has established itself as an innovative and indispensable broker for local governments, developers and community stakeholders in Quebec, and is increasingly looked to as a promising model across Canada.
Adam’s team is researching the disconnect between median prices and median incomes in the housing market and looking into ways to improve neighborhood quality without provoking exclusionary price increases. Vivre en Ville’s report “PORTES OUVERTES” identifies four core problems and sixteen practical solutions for a sustainable end to the housing crisis.
Housing Policy Director, Vivre en Ville
Greg Moore
President & CEO, Icona Properties
Greg is President and CEO of Icona Properties and an owner of Patina Brewing Company in Port Coquitlam, BC. He previously served as the Interim President and CEO of BC Lottery Corporation and held public office as the Mayor of Port Coquitlam from 2008 to 2018, simultaneously chairing the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors from 2011 to 2018.
Prior to his mayoral tenure, Greg served on the Port Coquitlam Council and worked as a City Planner for a decade. His accomplishments in public service are extensive, including leading the development of the Translink Mayors’ Plan, a 10-year $7.5-billion transit and transportation plan, and founding the National Zero Waste Council to advance waste prevention and reduction in Canada. He also chaired the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Housing Committee, resulting in the release of crucial reports such as ‘A Home For Everyone: A Housing Strategy for British Columbians’ (2018) and ‘Strong Fiscal Futures, A Blueprint for Strengthening BC Local Governments’ Finance System’ (2013). His leadership extended to the creation of the cross-sector Regional Prosperity Initiative, a collaborative effort to enhance the regional economy under the initiative of Invest Vancouver. Mr. Moore currently servers as Chairperson of BC Lottery Corp, the Recycle BC Board and the Eagle Ridge Hospital Foundation Board.
President & CEO, Icona Properties
Celyeste Power
President & CEO, Insurance Bureau of Canada
As President and CEO of IBC, Celyeste works with Canadian governments and key stakeholders to build a strong, stable property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry and a stronger and safer Canada. Previously, Celyeste served as Executive Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives and Advocacy at IBC, where she advanced national advocacy priorities through foresight for and strategic management of issues affecting Canada’s P&C insurance industry.
Prior to joining IBC, Celyeste honed her political and strategic acumen with the Government of Canada where she held a number of senior roles, including Issues Manager to the Prime Minister. As a consumer advocate, Celyeste works toward maintaining affordable insurance across Canada. As IBC’s Vice-President for Western Canada, she led several successful advocacy initiatives, including improvements to the auto insurance system for Alberta’s 3 million drivers.
President & CEO, Insurance Bureau of Canada
Ren Thomas
Associate Professor, Dalhousie University
Ren is an Associate Professor at the School of Planning at Dalhousie University and a Founding Fellow of the MacEachen Institute of Public Policy and Governance. Prior to Dalhousie, Ren did consulted and worked with a variety of organizations, including BC Non-Profit Housing Association, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Infrastructure Canada, Government of Nunavut, the Ontario Growth Secretariat, University of Oregon, University of Amsterdam, TransLink, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. She is the author of two books: Planning Canada: A Case Study Approach, and Transit-Oriented Development: Learning from International Case Studies.
Associate Professor, Dalhousie University
Tsering Yangki
Associate Professor, Dalhousie University
Tsering is Executive Vice President, Real Estate Finance and Development, for Dream Unlimited Corp., an impact-driven and fully integrated real estate development and asset management company. With over CAD 23 billion of assets under management, Dream has a diverse portfolio ranging from condominium, purpose-built rentals, office, retail development, industrial, and income producing properties across Canada and the USA.
Tsering has over 19 years of experience in real estate development, finance and private-public partnerships. She holds a Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy, with a focus on International Finance & Economics from Fletcher School, Tufts University, USA, MPhil in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India. She is on the Board of Civic Action and Dream Community Foundation.
In 2022 Tsering was recognized with The Globe & Mail Report on Business’s Best Executive Award and, in 2021, was recognized as WLI Champion, Toronto.
Executive Vice President, Dream Unlimited Corp
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Eric Campbell
Task Force for Housing & Climate
eric@cleaneconomyfund.ca