Espace Montréal Podcast

How do you go from being a tax lawyer to building a $1.2 billion commercial real estate portfolio? In this episode of the Espace Montréal Podcast, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Michel Léonard , President & CEO of BTB REIT , to unpack the real story behind one of Québec's most successful publicly traded real estate investment trusts. Michel shares the risks, doubts, and hard lessons behind launch...

Quebec's commercial real estate market has changed fast, and the old "local only" playbook does not hold up anymore. Louis Bergeron , partner at HPDG , joins Axel Monsaingeon to unpack what appraisers are seeing before the headlines: how developers now chase opportunities across the province, why 2024 felt frozen, and what shifted in 2025 to bring buyers and sellers closer together. Louis also sha...

Montreal commercial real estate is entering 2026 with a very different set of tailwinds and constraints. In this episode, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with James Papadimitriou, Senior Partner at McCarthy Tétrault and a long-time governance leader, to unpack what is actually changing beneath the headlines. They cover why "alternative" real estate is increasingly an operating business (hotels, senior...

The commercial real estate recovery everyone expected in 2025 did not arrive. Instead, investors are being forced to rethink risk, cash flow, and capital allocation heading into 2026.   In this episode of the Espace Montreal Podcast, Axel Monsaingeon speaks with Marie-Claire Laflamme-Sanders, Senior Vice President and Practice Lead within Avison Young 's Québec Capital Markets Team, about why net...

2025 was a turning point for Quebec commercial real estate, and the gap between winners and losers is getting wider. In this end-of-year conversation, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Andrew Cross to unpack what actually shifted across office, retail, and industrial, and what smart owners, investors, and tenants should watch as 2026 begins. They talk about why strong malls keep winning despite the...

Quebec retail is outperforming expectations. Triple-A centres are running near-zero vacancy, rents are stabilizing, and consumers are spending more time in places that feel like destinations, not just shopping stops.   In this episode, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with retail real estate leader Manon Larose to break down what is actually working right now: why retail is no longer "online vs in-store...

Cadillac Fairview has been shaping downtown Montreal for decades, but the next chapter is about turning legacy retail land into full neighborhoods. In this episode, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Jeroen Henrich, Senior Vice President of Development at Cadillac Fairview, to break down the shift from condos to rentals, why underutilized parking fields are now some of the most valuable real estate i...

In this episode of the Espace Montreal Podcast, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Lloyd Cooper , Executive Vice Chair at Cushman & Wakefield , to unpack the new era of downtown Montreal's office market. With 40 years in the business and over 4,000 transactions under his belt, Lloyd explains why 2025 is a record year for office leasing, why work-from-home and hybrid models are being pushed back, and...

Over the last year, Montreal's industrial market has gone from uncertainty to cautious Former pro hockey player turned top investment broker, Joe Rullier (Executive Vice President, Colliers), shares how he went from the NHL grind to building the #1 investment team in Canada and navigating one of the toughest markets Montreal has seen in years. In this episode, Joe breaks down how New York's high-p...

Over the last year, Montreal's industrial market has gone from uncertainty to cautious optimism. In this episode, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Mike Jager, co-founder and co-president of Rosefellow, to break down how one of Quebec's most active developers is navigating higher vacancies, tighter financing, and shifting tenant expectations—while quietly scaling into large-scale multi-residential p...

Is Montreal really "in decline"… or are we just stuck in a negative narrative? In this episode of The Espace Montreal Podcast, host Axel Monsaingeon talks with Luciano D'Iorio, Regional President of CDNGLOBAL Québec, about why he's so relentlessly positive about Montreal's future – and what he sees on the ground every day in commercial real estate.   They dig into: The real stories behind downtown...

Self-storage in Montreal is changing fast. Robert Vineberg , president of Pandora Self-Storage, breaks down the model behind their Class-A facilities—drive-thru access you can literally pull a cube truck into, humidity-controlled environments that protect high-value goods, and security that actually feels safe. We unpack how Pandora picks markets (population, storage per capita, rate comps), what...

The real estate world is shifting — and Quebec is at the center of it. In this episode of the Espace Montreal Podcast , host Axel Monsaingeon sits down with David Cervantes to unpack how power teams are transforming brokerage, why Quebec's green power advantage is attracting global data-center investment, and what's next for commercial real estate in the AI era.   🎯 In this episode: How the broke...

Retail is back — and stronger than most expected. In this episode of the Espace Montreal Podcast , Axel Monsaingeon talks with Ian Quint (President, Brasswater ) about the renewed momentum behind retail real estate across Quebec and the U.S. They explore how population growth, limited new construction, and rising land and building costs have created a tight, high-performing retail market — and wha...

Montreal's Sherbrooke conversion is a masterclass in adaptive reuse: keeping the pink-granite look, re-engineering the windows for fresh air and exhaust, and turning a 1962 steel-frame office into bright, efficient apartments with 9-ft ceilings. George Armoyan explains the strategy—buy right, move fast, over-prepare for "unknowns," and win on cost without sacrificing quality. We also cover LaSalle...

Montreal's industrial real estate market has faced dramatic shifts—from pandemic-driven rent spikes to today's cautious stability. In this episode of the Espace Publication Montreal Podcast, host Axel sits down with Jean-Marc Dube, Executive Vice President at Colliers, to unpack what's really happening in Quebec's industrial sector and where it's heading through 2026.   Jean-Marc shares how rents...

In this episode of The Espace Montréal Podcast, Axel Monsaingeon sits down with Brett Miller, CEO at Canderel Group, to discuss how AI, technology, and hospitality principles are transforming property management in Canada. From the launch of Okkto and the Halo app to the shift from "tenant" to "employee" as the true customer, Brett shares insights on innovation, capital challenges, and the future...

The Espace Montréal Podcast kicks off with a special conversation that marks a new chapter for commercial real estate dialogue in Quebec. Axel is joined by Andrew Cross, publisher and owner of Espace Publication, the magazine that for over 30 years has been the voice of the industry in Montreal and Quebec City.   Andrew shares the story of how Espace began in the early 1990s, survived recessions a...

This episode marks a major milestone: five years and 265 episodes of meaningful conversations on real estate, entrepreneurship, and community. I take you behind the scenes of how the podcast began during the COVID-19 lockdowns, starting on Zoom and eventually evolving into in-person studio recordings that brought a new energy and depth to each discussion.   I reflect on the lessons learned from hu...

What if the skills you built in real estate could unlock success in any business?   In this episode, I sit down again with Bava Srinivasan to explore his leap from property investing into entrepreneurship across multiple industries. From buying into a downtown Montreal restaurant franchise to acquiring a group home and launching a social media agency, Bava shares how each venture came from curiosi...

What if your first rental property became the spark for a much bigger journey?   In this episode, I sit down with Bava Srinivasan to hear how he went from buying his first single-family home in Brossard to building a diverse real estate portfolio across Quebec and the Maritimes. Bava shares how a mindset shift—from consumer to investor—helped him see opportunity differently, and how mentors, commu...

What if tenant problems weren't solved with calls—but with clear expectations from day one? In this episode, I sit down again with Cory Friedman to explore the art of tenant management and how landlords can avoid most conflicts before they even start. Cory shares why detailed lease annexes and building rules are essential, how setting expectations upfront creates healthier relationships, and why r...

What if the housing crisis wasn't just about supply—but about outdated policies holding us back?   In this episode, I unpack the latest OECD report on Canada and what it reveals about housing affordability. From skyrocketing rents and home prices to stagnant incomes, the report paints a sobering picture of why so many Canadians feel locked out of the market. But it also points to solutions we can...

What if the most expensive mistake in real estate wasn't the deal you lost—but the one you closed too quickly?   In this episode, I dive into the due diligence process and why it's the single most important step before committing to any investment. We unpack the financial, legal, physical, and market checks that protect you from surprises, and how overlooking even one detail can turn a promising p...

What if scaling a real estate empire was less about taking big risks—and more about knowing when to adapt?   In this episode, I take a closer look at Brasswater, the Montreal-based firm that has grown from a startup to managing over 12 million square feet of property in just 10 years. We explore their strategic shift from aggressive value-add acquisitions to a more cautious approach focused on sta...