Mayoral Programs
Sitting atop the northern boundary of the GTA, Bradford West Gwillimbury (BWG) is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Canada. Situated on the rich black soils of the Holland Marsh, BWG has thrived on an agricultural legacy as one of the nation’s leading vegetable producers. As more and more industries converge on BWG for its available land and strategic location between Barrie and the GTA, BWG is determined to welcome new manufacturing while preserving – and enhancing – its agricultural bounty.
Mayor Rob Keffer and a panel will discuss the strategies put in place to enhance both agriculture and industrial development through the implementation of a new Official Plan and comprehensive municipal review at the County level. Panelists will highlight the investments in infrastructure that are necessary to ensure managed growth. Topics will include discussion of the Highway 400 Employment Lands, municipal servicing, and the Government of Ontario’s Highway 400-404 Link.
Moderator:
Raj Sandhu, Ward Councillor, Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
Panelists:
Alan Wiebe, Manager, Community Planning, Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury
Jody Mott, Executive Director, Holland Marsh Growers Association
City of Burlington with Mayor Meed Ward:
Join Mayor Marianne Meed Ward from the City of Burlington for a webinar focused on growth in one of the GTHA’s most desirable places to live and work. Supporting forecasted population growth requires a fine balance between encouraging and enabling development near mass transit to create complete communities and a desire to preserve the character and features that are so cherished by the community. As a city committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion, this discussion will also look at how the needs of newcomers can be factored into the planning process, as well as how to engage them in the broader development conversation.
Moderator:
Zee Hamid, Halton Regional Councillor, Town of Milton
Panelists:
Rebecca Lau, Planner, MCIP, RPP, City of Burlington
Gabriela Covaci, Co-Chair, Halton Newcomers Steering Committee
Ashwini Selvakumaran, Chair, Halton Newcomer Strategy Youth Advisory Council
City of Kitchener with Mayor Vrbanovic:
Rallying in the face of crisis is not new for Kitchener. Twenty years ago, the community was faced with a rapidly decaying downtown and a manufacturing sector that was losing jobs by the hundreds. Kickstarted by a $110 million Economic Development Investment Fund, the City of Kitchener rallied its public and private partners behind one of the most remarkable Downtown transformations in Canadian history, home to the leading tech industry and more than $1.5 billion in downtown construction.
As we face yet another crisis, the City of Kitchener is once again poised to kickstart a growth-driven recovery effort through a new $110 million investment fund and a Make It Kitchener 2.0 strategy.
Join Mayor Berry Vrbanovic and key partners who were instrumental in leading Kitchener’s resurgence and who will continue to play a key role in our future recovery. Learn about Kitchener’s focus on Health Innovation, residential intensification, and how the City is using its land assets to create an investment fund without raising taxes.
Moderator:
Cory Bluhm, Executive Director, Economic Development, City of Kitchener
Panelists:
Mike Maxwell, President, Maxwell Building Consultants
Sandra Banks, Vice-President, University Relations, University of Waterloo
Armen Bakirtzian, CEO, Director & Co-Founder, Intellijoint Surgical
Saj Jamal, VP, Marketing & Events, Communitech
City of Brampton with Mayor Brown:
As one of the fastest-growing, most diverse and youngest populated cities in Canada, Brampton is recognized as one of Canada’s Best Communities in 2021, a ranking of the best places to live in the country by Macleans Magazine. Under the leadership of Council and city-wide mobilization to realize the Brampton 2040 Vision, Brampton has climbed from 199th in 2020, to 13th of 415 cities.
Despite the impact of COVID-19, Brampton’s national and global reputation continues to guide this city of over 700,000 forward to build back better and stronger, making a green shift, addressing social inequity, and redefining resiliency through a health-focused city-building vision.
Join ULI Toronto to hear about Brampton’s insights on innovating “Build Back Better” through the lens of municipal leadership, reflecting on lessons learned from COVID-19, innovation, education, health-focused sustainable city-building, technology, arts & culture, and the unique collaborative of a modern, diverse city living the mosaic.
Speakers:
Mayor Patrick Brown, City of Brampton
Regional Councillor Rowenda Santos, City of Brampton
City of Ottawa with Mayor Watson:
Ottawa, like other major cities, is finding creative ways to manage the effects of COVID-19. The nation’s capital is projected to have a strong economic recovery and a solid employment rebound. Combined with expected population growth, immigration and significant infrastructure investments, Ottawa is expected to be among the earliest mid-sized cities in North America to return to steady and sustainable growth.
Join Mayor Jim Watson and local business leaders as they discuss the strength of Ottawa’s public administration and technology sectors, and the anticipated challenges to rebuild and sustain small business, as well as rebuilding the tourism and event sectors. Hear about efforts to attract talent and advance skills to support growth, and how affordability and housing supply are affecting that effort. The panel will discuss Ottawa’s efforts to support growth through infrastructure investment, including the deployment of LRT service citywide, the evolving real estate market for new businesses, providing support to small businesses, and the emphasis on women entrepreneurs and employment and entrepreneurship in racialized communities.
Moderator:
Jon Willing, Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Speakers:
Sonya Shorey, Vice President, Strategy, Marketing and Communications, Invest Ottawa
Sueling Ching, President & CEO, Ottawa Board of Trade
James Beach, Director, Real Estate Development, Broccolini
City of Barrie with Mayor Lehman:
With the housing affordability crisis and now COVID-19, more and more people are looking beyond Toronto and the GTA for a place to call home. As part of this, Barrie is maturing and setting the stage for what it will be in the future. A significant amount of the city’s growth is being directed through intensification and Barrie’s Urban Growth Centre (UGC) is playing a key part.
Join us for a candid discussion on the evolving future of Barrie, and the role the UGC will continue to play in helping transform Barrie into a destination. We will discuss the city’s growth from not just a planning and economic lens, but a cultural and social one, too.
Moderator:
Andrea Miller, RPP, General Manager, Infrastructure & Growth Management Division, City of Barrie
Speakers:
Michelle Banfield, RPP, Director, Development Services, City of Barrie
Michèle Newton, President/Acting Chair and Co-Founder, Making Change
Stephannie Schlichter, Director, Economic & Creative Development, City of Barrie
City of Markham with Mayor Scarpitti:
Internationally renowned for decades of leading-edge city building, the city’s vision for Markham Centre is electrifying. Building on the momentum established by the City and its Development and Business community – including renowned Pan Am Games civic infrastructure investments, Markham District Energy, and the technology sector, Markham Centre’s story is about to take off.
Propelled by a new campus of York University, two way all-day GO service, and the burgeoning mobility hub, the incredible natural geography of the Rouge River and the opportunities of Markham Centre seem boundless.
Join ULI Toronto for the latest in our city-building series featuring the Mayors of the Greater Golden Horseshoe and drivers of its urban transformation
Moderator:
Arvin Prasad, Commissioner, Development Services, City of Markham
Speakers:
Gary Brewer, President, York University Development Corporation
Ken Greenberg, Principal, Greenberg Consultants
Randy Peddigrew, Senior Vice President Land Development, The Remington Group
Mary-Frances Turner, President, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation
City of Hamilton with Mayor
Often cited as a comeback city, Hamilton is consistently ranked one of Canada’s most diversified economies and best places to invest. It’s time to see the city in a new light and get a bigger picture of the lands of opportunity for investment and creativity.
Join us as we speak with Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger about the exciting economic changes underway in Hamilton and learn from key staff persons at the City of Hamilton about the areas of great growth. Highlights include:
- Hot Industrial Market: Over 3 million sq. ft. currently under construction across the many business parks across the City.
- The Downtown Core: Rejuvenation through adaptive reuse, affordable office space and a well-educated millennial workforce.
- Ambitious plans to revitalize the industrial Bayfront and West Harbour Waterfront district.
Moderator:
Paul Berton, Editor-in-Chief, The Hamilton Spectator
Speakers:
Karol Murillo, Senior Business Development Consultant, City of Hamilton
Sue Rimac, Business Development Consultant, City of Hamilton
Tiffany Singh, Planner, Planning Division, City of Hamilton
City of Mississauga with Mayor Crombie:
The GTA’s most active waterfront story is taking off, with the city and industry aligning to inspire the most advanced city-building innovation in the region. Bookended by the 2019 and 2020 community of the year projects (BILD) of Lakeview and Brightwater – with a vision for a world-class marina in between – Mississauga’s waterfront is fusing its natural and infrastructure assets with urban design excellence. What is emerging is a global showcase of modern urbanism that is the result of political leadership and progressive development.
Moderator:
Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner, Planning & Building, City of Mississauga
Speakers:
Christina Giannone, VP, Development, Brightwater
Ben Phillips, Manager, Official Plan Review, City of Mississauga
Jodi Robillos, Director of Parks, Forestry, & Environment, City of Mississauga
Robert Trewartha, Director, Strategic Initiatives, City of Mississauga
City of Pickering with Mayor Ryan:
The City is in the midst of a transformation from a suburban community to a sustainable City and is projected to double its population and surge to 68,000 jobs by 2031. With over 9,600 acres of land designated for a future airport, the world’s largest nuclear plant decommissioning project, the enviable economy of the City is driven by its advantageous location, an educated and skilled labour force, exceptional infrastructure for business, and a supportive municipal government.
Pickering has the highest diversity rate in Durham and continues to attract residents and businesses from all over the world. Filled with opportunity, captivating with natural beauty and small-town charm, alongside an emerging new downtown, the City of Pickering has something for everyone!
Moderator:
Emma West, Partner, Bousfields Inc.
Speakers:
Johan van ‘t Hof, President & CEO, Tonbridge Corporation
Paula Bustard, Executive Vice President, Development, SmartCentres
Fiaz Jadoon, Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects, City of Pickering
City of Vaughan with Mayor Bevilacqua:
In less than a decade, the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre has transformed from a low-rise retail and industrial neighbourhood to a Mobility Hub with 6.5 million square feet of residential, office, and retail space and another 23 million square feet on the books. How is Vaughan managing this rapid growth? Has the pandemic slowed it down? The Mayor of Vaughan and other government leaders respond to these questions and more.
Moderator:
Michelle Samson, Economic Development Officer, City of Vaughan and Host of the Vaughan Rising Podcast
Speakers:
Christina Bruce, Director, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Program
Mary-Frances Turner, President, York Region Rapid Transit Corporation