Economic Outlook

Robert Hogue, Assistant Chief Economist, RBC 

Robert Hogue is responsible for providing analysis and forecasts on the Canadian housing market and provincial economies. His publications include Housing Trends and Affordability, Provincial Outlook and provincial budget commentaries. In his functions, he is frequently called to comment on the economy both internally within RBC and externally with clients and the media.

Robert joined RBC in May 2008 after spending 15 years with another Canadian financial institution as a senior economist specializing in industrial analysis. At the outset of his career, he spent four years as an economist with Ontario Hydro, where he specialized in industrial and macroeconomic analysis. Robert holds a Master’s degree in economics from Queen’s University and a Bachelor’s degree from Université de Montréal.

Emerging Trends in Real Estate Canadian Overview Panel

Frank Magliocco, National Leader, Private Clients, PwC Canada

Frank Magliocco is a partner in the Assurance Group of PwC Canada and the Vaughan Office Managing partner. He is also the national leader for the Canadian Real Estate practice and a member of PwC’s Global Real Estate Leadership team.  

With more than 30 years of experience in the professional services industry, Frank specializes in auditing, accounting and regulatory matters for real estate companies. He provides advice to clients in the broad real estate sector including property developers, residential construction companies, large national office, industrial and retail property owners, and property managers. In addition, Frank’s experience in the real estate sector includes instructing courses at the Real Property Association of Canada (RealPac), where he was a member of RealPac’s Financial Best Practices Committee.  

Frank has been a board member and Chair of the Finance committee for Providence Healthcare Foundation, Camp Ooch, and the Italian Contemporary Film Festival as well as a board member for the Building and Land Development Association and the Urban Land Institute.   

Frank began his career at PwC in 1989 and became a partner in 2001. Prior to focusing on real estate, he provided assistance with acquisitions, reorganization and debt and equity offerings to a number of private and public companies.   

Frank is a CA and CPA and holds a BComm from the University of Toronto. 

Emerging Trends in Real Estate Panel

Fred Cassano, Partner, National Real Estate Tax Leader, PwC Canada

Fred is a trusted business advisor to many owners of private companies located in the GTA.

Fred provides strategic business and tax advice, including structuring of personal and corporate transactions and reorganizations, assistance with shareholder/owner remuneration and designing tax-effective strategies for wealth preservation and accumulation in the context of tax, estate and succession planning.

As the National Real Estate Tax Leader, Fred dedicates most of his time servicing the real estate sector and has experience in effective tax planning for the acquisition, ownership, leasing and disposition of real estate and structuring / restructuring partnership and joint venture arrangements. His real estate clients are involved in residential, industrial and commercial development and the ownership of office, industrial and residential properties.

Together with technology partners, Fred also assists in developing strategies and structures for PropTech related ventures.

Fred is a Chartered Accountant and a graduate of York University’s Schulich School of Business.

Janet Chung, Director, Real Estate Investments, CPP Investment

Janet is a Director in the Real Estate group at CPP Investments, Canada’s largest pension fund investor. Janet leads CPP Investment’s Canadian real estate portfolio and investment activity, spanning all asset classes including office, retail, multifamily, and industrial assets. She has experience across a breadth of investment strategies including development and end to end lifecycle investing, executing over $5B of transactions to date. She has held previous roles at CPP Investments covering US retail investments and Real Estate Credit. Janet holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto, specializing in Finance and Economics.

Veronica Maggisano, Vice President, Development, Oxford Properties Group 

Veronica Maggisano is a community builder with two decades of experience in large scale property development projects. Currently, Veronica is Vice President Development with Oxford Properties where she leads development activities across select assets in Oxford’s Canadian portfolio including the Square One District, Union Park West, and Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Veronica also dedicates her time in service of the broader community.  She sits on the Board of Trustees for CAMH, Canada’s leading mental health hospital. She is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Toronto’s Downtown West BIA.  Other organizations that have benefited from Veronica’s contributions include the FORA Network’s Rise on Board program, and the Schulich School of Business.

Veronica studied Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University, and she holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.  She also holds her Professional Engineering designation.

Pouyan Safapour, President and Co-Founder, Devron Developments

Pouyan Safapour has a succinct vision and passion for changing the perception of condo living and is on a mission to create condos that people can be proud to call ‘home’, and that Toronto deserves. That is the purpose with which Devron was founded.

With a portfolio of notable condominiums like The Vanguard, The Winslow, 101 Spadina, and the upcoming 1140 Yonge and South Station projects, Devron is committed to elevating the industry and

building a better more livable future for housing in Toronto. Devron projects aim to do this through high-quality architecture, long-term minded building sciences, sustainability features, and a focus on larger more livable homes that allow people to live comfortably for generations.

Pouyan and the team at Devron believe that Toronto deserves better housing, and they believe that it is our responsibility to build that future now. Pouyan has been working in the real estate and home building industry since 2009, and holds a Bachelors and Masters in engineering from McMaster University.

Peter Senst, President, Canadian Capital Markets, National Investment Team, CBRE 

Peter Senst is one of Canada’s foremost investment sales and advisory experts with more than 30 years of experience. He has completed some of Canada’s most significant joint ventures and advisory assignments in all property sectors totaling over $150B.

Peter heads the National Investment Team in Toronto with a focus on office, retail, Industrial, multi-family, and land. The National Investment Team consists of more than 25 real estate experts.

Peter is also a member of CBRE’s Global Capital Advisory Team. The Global Team consists of key leaders and heads of the Capital Markets for the different geographic regions. In this role, Peter has completed multiple major joint ventures totaling more than $10B. He is also a member of CBRE’s Canadian Board of Directors, Executive Management Committee and Canadian Executive Council.

As an industry leader, Peter is frequently quoted by the media. Over the last 20 years, he has been featured in STOREYS Real Estate’s Most Influential, as a speaker on BNN, the Toronto Real Estate Forum, NAIOP, CBRE Americas Summit, CBRE European Capital Markets Conference, numerous property forums and industry events across North America and beyond.

Closing Discussions

Salima Rawji, President and Chief Executive Officer, York University Development Corporation

Salima Rawji is an accomplished city builder with a passion for purpose-driven solutions. In her current leadership role, she looks to bring a multi sector approach in using Real Estate to advance the academic mission of York University. As the former Senior Vice President of Development for CreateTO she led the agency’s development team, managing a pipeline of over 200 sites, which leverage City-owned lands to build affordable housing, mixed-use, mixed income communities.

Salima’s commitment to city building extends beyond her professional work. Throughout her career, she has served on several non-profit boards committed to inclusive and resilient cities. Currently, she is a member of the ULI Toronto Advisory Board, the R-LABS Industry Issue + Transformation Council and serves on the Board of Directors for the YMCA GTA, as well as for the Toronto Foundation, where she chairs the Social Impact Investment Committee.

Salima holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto and is Valedictorian of her undergraduate class at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

Salvatore Iacono, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cadillac Fairview

As President and CEO of Cadillac Fairview, Sal is responsible for the continued operation and management of Cadillac Fairview’s portfolio and its growth strategy to support the long-term investment focus of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Prior to becoming CEO, Sal held the position of Executive Vice President, Operations at Cadillac Fairview, and has more that 30 years of experience in senior roles across real estate development, investments and asset management.  Sal holds a Master of Business Administration degree from McGill University and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Concordia University.