Toronto Under Construction

In Episode 107 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben Myers sits down with Josh MacLeod of NBLC, Carlo Timpano of Capital Developments and Address Rentals, and Quinn Samardzic of Mattamy Homes for a discussion on how developers are responding to a housing market increasingly driven by end users rather than investors. The conversation explores the rise of bulk condo acquisitions, the growing divide bet...

In Episode 106 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben Myers sits down with Kiel O'Sullivan of Previon Capital, Duncan Smith of Oben Group and Anthony Staffieri of Fengate for a discussion on where capital is flowing as the housing industry adapts to a changing market. The conversation explores everything from construction costs, purpose-built rental economics and institutional investment to vertical i...

In Episode 105, Ben sits down with Jim Ritchie of Tridel and Hunter Milborne of Milborne Group for a wide-ranging discussion that blends market history with today’s realities. Drawing on research about the early 1990s real estate crisis, the post-recession recovery of the late 1990s, the Global Financial Crisis, and more recent commentary on demand and product mix, the conversation explores how le...

In Episode 104 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben Myers sits down with Ian Pinchin of Crestpoint, Kalliopi Karkas of RioCan, and Lee Piccoli of Fusion Homes for a wide-ranging discussion on the intersection of policy, capital and development strategy across Ontario’s housing market. The conversation moves from the province’s temporary HST elimination on new homes to bulk condo-to-rental conversion...

In Episode 103, Ben sits down with Cara Hirsch of Hirsch + Associates, Elliott Taube of Pivot Real Estate Group, and Sean Zahedi of SCOP Inc. for a roundtable discussion on the state of the new housing market from the people actively selling it. The conversation spans the immediate reaction to the proposed HST changes, the disconnect between condo pricing and fundamentals during the pandemic run-u...

In Episode 102, Ben sits down with Mike Czestochowski of CBRE, Josh Lerner of Harbour Equity, and Sharon Florian of Florian Group for a direct conversation about where the market actually stands. From lender behaviour and condo land receiverships to high-density resets, rental underwriting and product strategy, the discussion moves through the structural pressures shaping development decisions acr...

In Episode 101, Ben uses a series of provocative tweets as the jumping off point for a wide ranging conversation on immigration, millennials leaving the GTA, the growing divide between an owner class and a tenant class, declining fertility and what it will take for Canada to stay competitive. With Matt Spoke from Toronto Standard, Eric Lombardi, Liberal Party candidate, and Zoë Coombes of the Nept...

In Episode 100 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben is joined by Gus Stavropoulos of Tribute Communities, Stuart Wilson of Alterra and Amanda Ireland of Osmington Gerofsky Development Corp for a developer focused check-in on where the market actually sits in early 2026. The group digs into construction costs and financing, the rental pivot and what this slowdown means for land, staffing and the next...

In episode 99 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben is joined by Daniel Fama from GWL Realty Advisors, Adam Molson from The Daniels Corporation and Jason Shedletsky from Graywood Developments to unpack how purpose-built rental is reshaping the market. From condo sites pivoting to rental, to complex capital stacks, service-focused operations, family-sized units and succession at major development firm...

In Episode 98 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben goes solo with an unfiltered look at the state of the housing market. From shrinking unit sizes to investor pullback, shifting developer strategies, and the media’s misrepresentation of the industry, Ben calls out the narratives that need correcting, and urges industry leaders to step up and take control of the conversation. *Sponsored by: BCGi Baro...

In this episode of Toronto Under Construction, Ben welcomes the first-ever all-female panel to the podcast: Sarah Segal (Simplydbs), Jasmine Young (Zonda Urban), and Jane Renwick (RenwickCorp). From shifting consumer expectations to urban planning bottlenecks, generational change, and leadership at the executive level, this conversation unpacks where the real estate industry is headed—and the wome...

In this episode of Toronto Under Construction, Ben is joined by Bob Blazevski (Blaze Urban), Sasha Cucuz (Greybrook Realty), and Jake Cohen (The Daniels Corporation) for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of real estate development in the GTA. From the impacts of the 2025 federal budget to the shifting economics of condo and rental projects, they share candid insights into what’s working, wh...

In this episode of Toronto Under Construction, Ben is joined by three of Canada's top economists to break down the macroeconomic forces shaping the housing market in 2025 and beyond: Eric Lascelles (RBC Global Asset Management), James Marple (TD Economics), and Peter Norman (Altus Group). The conversation covers interest rate cuts, Canada’s economic slowdown, trade war fallout, household debt, and...

In this episode of Toronto Under Construction, Ben is joined by three of the GTA’s most influential names in real estate sales and marketing: Andy Brethour (PMA Brethour Realty), Riz Dhanji (RAD Marketing), and Debbie Cosic (In2ition Realty). The conversation covers the current downturn in the condo market, investor behaviour, affordability, and how sales strategies need to shift in a more end-use...

In episode 93 of Toronto Under Construction, host Ben Myers is joined by three industry insiders to unpack how financing, data, and design innovation are shaping the future of Canadian housing. Henry Chung (First National), Jason Marks (Collecdev-Markee), and Mitch Abrahams (Benvenuto Group) bring candid insights on everything from CMHC's evolving financing programs to the new frontiers of missing...

In episode 92 of Toronto Under Construction, host Ben Myers is joined by two seasoned development leaders to discuss what’s really happening in Canada’s housing market and how their firms are responding to current headwinds. Geoff Matthews (Senior VP, Capital Development) and Kathy Black (Head of Real Estate Development, Fiera Real Estate) break down how land owners, capital partners, and develope...

In episode 91 of Toronto Under Construction, host Ben Myers is joined by three commercial real estate experts to unpack the current market turbulence, and more importantly, where developers are heading next. Matt Kingston (VP, Asset Management at H&R REIT), Jeremiah Shamess (Executive Vice President, Colliers), and Joshua Marlowe (Principal, Berkshire Axis) dig into the shifting economics of p...

In Episode 90 of the Toronto Under Construction, host Ben Myers sits down with three major developers who are helping reshape how Toronto grows: Gabriel Leung of Concord Adex, Derek Goring of Northcrest, and Anton Katipunan of RioCan. From transforming airport runways into walkable communities to building Toronto’s most iconic mixed-use developments, the trio shares hard-earned insights into urban...

In Episode 89 of Toronto Under Construction, Ben Myers is joined by three of the most candid and experienced voices in the development world: Paul Golini of Cardea, Leith Moore of Assembly, and Julie DiLorenzo of Mirabella. All three have held leadership roles at BILD and continue to advocate for better planning, faster approvals, and housing policies that actually work. This episode dives into si...

In Episode 88 of Toronto Under Construction, host Ben Myers is joined by Ilana Altman (The Bentway), Brandon Donnelly (Globizen), and Rob Spanier (Spanier Group) for a lively exploration of what makes great public spaces, how Toronto is evolving under infrastructure like the Gardiner, and what it means to design cities with people at the forefront.  *Sponsored by: BCGi Baron Consulting Group Execu...

In Episode 87 of the Toronto Under Construction podcast, host Ben Myers is joined by Max Steiner (Elm Developments), Mark Zaky (Greenwin), and Todd Nishimura (Baker Real Estate) for a candid conversation about the current state of purpose-built rental housing. From taking over distressed sites to launching rental-first divisions and navigating public-private partnerships, the episode explores how...

In Episode 86 of the Toronto Under Construction podcast, host Ben Myers welcomes three of Toronto’s most respected architects—Clifford Korman of Kirkor Architects, Richard Witt of Quadrangle Architects, and Gabriel Fain of Gabriel Fain Architects—for an in-depth conversation about how we shape the city we live in. From policy hurdles to design philosophies, the episode covers the tension between d...

In Episode 85 of the Toronto Under Construction podcast, host Ben Myers is joined by three leading voices in real estate journalism: Danny Roth of Storeys, Ed Skira of Urban Toronto, and Garry Marr of CoStar. This episode takes a fascinating turn into the media world—tracking how real estate reporting has evolved over the last two decades, and how the rise of digital platforms, clickbait culture,...

In Episode 84 of the Toronto Under Construction podcast, host Ben Myers invites guests Adam Sheffer, Originate Developments, Ty Diamond of Diamond Kilmer, and Pouyan Safapour of Devron Developments, to navigate a series of real-world development hypotheticals. Through tough calls, creative thinking, and brutal honesty, the episode offers an inside look at the decision-making pressures builders fac...

In Episode 83 of the Toronto Under Construction podcast, host Ben Myers is joined by Realtors Roy Bhandari and Brian Persaud for a deep dive into the evolution of the pre-construction investor market in the GTA. From the early days of platinum access to the shifting profiles of today’s condo buyers, this episode tackles misconceptions, market dynamics, and the essential role investors play in gett...