Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (CAR-UN-T) announced the appointment of privacy and cybersecurity expert Jennifer Stoddart to its board of trustees.

She will assume the position vacated by Jamie Schwartz, who has stepped down to focus on his other endeavours. Schwartz served as a trustee of CAPREIT since 2018.

Stoddart is a strategic advisor in the privacy and cybersecurity group at Fasken LLP, where she advises on privacy matters. 

She was the privacy commissioner of Canada from 2003 to 2013.

Previously, Stoddart chaired the commission d'accès à l'information du Québec from 2000 to 2003. She has also held positions on the Human Rights Commissions of Canada and Québec.

Named an Officer of the Order of Canada “for her international leadership in privacy rights and for her exemplary public service as the Privacy Commissioner of Canada,” Stoddart was also honoured with the distinction of Advocatus Emeritus and the Christine Tourigny Award of Merit by the The Québec Bar among a number of other awards and honours.

She has been a member of the committee on the responsible conduct of research, reporting to the chief scientist of Québec; a member of the board of directors of Génome Québec; and a Visiting Scholar at the Centre of Genomics and Policy of the McGill University Faculty of Medicine.

AY names Loch valuations, advisory head

Avison Young has named Tim Loch to lead its investment valuation and advisory services in Canada.

As principal and senior vice-president and practice leader, Loch will be tasked with expanding Avison Young’s platform and services including appraisal of trophy assets, large-scale portfolio valuation, reporting, financing, due diligence, financial analysis and support on transactions.

Loch has more than 15 years of industry experience, including in the underwriting and valuation of larger-scale, income-producing commercial real estate assets, including office, industrial, retail, multiresidential and mixed-use buildings. He has held roles of increasing responsibility – most recently as executive director, valuation and advisory services within the Greater Toronto Area.

Loch’s significant achievements include managing national portfolios for some of Canada’s largest and most active investors. He also spearheaded the national cap rate report for a large national brokerage firm.

Loch holds the AACI, P. App. designation from the Appraisal Institute of Canada and has a bachelor of commerce degree specializing in housing and real estate management from the University of Guelph.

Bolté promoted at BTB REIT

BTB Real Estate Investment Trust (BTB-UN-T) has promoted Mathieu Bolté to executive vice-president, chief operating and financial officer.

Since May 2020, Bolté had assumed the functions and responsibilities of vice-president and chief financial officer of BTB.

In addition to actively participating in the acquisition and disposition process, Bolté oversees integration of all properties, directs (re)financing and coordinates the financial team.

O'Sullivan to head Great Gulf's Granden division

Kiel O'Sullivan has been named president of Granden Living, the Great Gulf Group's U.S. single-family, build-to-rent business.

O’Sullivan will be responsible for forming and executing the strategic direction of the business and overseeing the operations, capitalization and growth across major U.S. Sunbelt markets.

Since launching in 2021, Granden Living has entered seven markets, including Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Tampa, Dallas, Charleston and Orlando with 18 projects that will represent over 2,300 units at full build-out.

O’Sullivan joined the Great Gulf Group in 2019 and served on the leadership team as senior vice-president of strategy and corporate development, responsible for real estate development and investment opportunities across residential and mixed-use asset classes and for capital fundraising in the U.S. and Canada.

In that role, he led the underwriting, due diligence and execution of several acquisitions, dispositions, and investments.

He holds a bachelor of business administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Jurdi becomes CFO at Empire Communities

Rami Jurdi has been named the new chief financial officer at Empire Communities.

With a career spanning over 17 years in the asset management industry, Jurdi has held progressive leadership roles at Brookfield Asset Management in all aspects of finance including mergers and acquisitions, asset management, capital markets and treasury.

Jurdi was most recently a managing director of corporate finance overseeing global corporate reporting, financial planning & analysis, business planning, investor relations and valuations at Brookfield Renewable Partners. 

He has a bachelor of commerce in finance and accounting with the highest honours from the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University in Ottawa. He is both a chartered professional accountant and a chartered business valuator.

Longtime UCPG CEO Robertson resigns

James Robertson is resigning as the president and CEO at the University of Calgary Properties Group (UCPG), the developer for University District and University Innovation Quarter (UIQ) in Calgary.

James joined UCPG (then known as the West Campus Development Trust) in February 2012 as its first employee, paving the way for over a decade of leadership and an award-winning people-first community.

He played a pivotal role in the vision and launch of the first residential land-lease development in Calgary and advanced the growth and diversification of the organization with the addition of UIQ to UCPG's portfolio.

The university has launched a search for a new president and CEO for the group.

Simpson becomes partner at Magnum

Real-estate marketing firm Magnum Projects has taken on its first partner, longtime Bosa Properties’ executive Daryl Simpson.

He joins George Wong, who founded Magnum 32 years ago and remains at the helm of the company.

Simpson is celebrating 30 years in the real estate development industry. Over his 23 years at Bosa, Simpson helped shape and lead the brand and the firm’s notable projects. 

His expertise includes product design, revenue optimization, marketing and understanding customer needs.

Damour, Faratro head new The Agency office

Global real estate brokerage The Agency has launched its first franchise office in the Outaouais region of Quebec, the firm’s 13th office in Canada. It will be led by managing partners Maxime Damour and John M. Faratro.

Serving as managing partner of The Agency Ottawa and now The Agency Outaouais, Damour has over 13 years of real estate experience and a specialty in pre-construction sales and leasing. 

Originally from the Eastern Townships, Damour moved to Ottawa in 2007 to attend the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management. There, he studied business, quickly transitioning into real estate after graduating. 

With three decades of real estate and entrepreneurial experience, Faratro serves as managing partner of The Agency Montréal and now The Agency Outaouais. 

Having participated in more than $150 million worth of development projects and major commercial real estate transactions, Faratro is recognized as a top-producing agent in Montreal.

He is the founder and president of Struktur Real Estate Developments, and in 2019 acquired the Quebec master franchise for SVN. He is a chartered real estate broker and agency executive officer.

Artenosi installed as OREA president

The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) has announced Vaughan real estate broker Tania Artenosi is its new president and installed a new slate of directors.

Oakville-based real estate broker Rick Kedzior was elected 2023 president-elect and will also serve as director-at-large for the upcoming year.

The board of directors welcomed three new members: director-at-large Lisa Patel; Ontario director Andrew McAllister, and Northern Ontario director Kimberly Fairley.

The remaining board members are all returnees: past-president Stacey Evoy; directors-at-large Sandra O’Donohue and Paul Etherington; and regional directors Wasim Jarrah, Dwight Delahunt, Cathy Polan, Brian Santos and Donna Mathewson.