2024 COHS Digital Program Guide

Scott Andison, CEO, Ontario Home Builders’ Association

Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA), Scott Andison, is a seasoned leader with a diverse background in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

With executive roles in these sectors and notable positions within the Ontario government, including serving in ministries of Finance and Education, Andison demonstrates expertise in policy development, stakeholder engagement, and program implementation.

His tenure as President & CEO of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) solidified his passion for advocacy and association management within the housing sector.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Administration in Management and Business Administration from Laurentian University. His commitment to continued professional development is underscored by executive certificates in Negotiation from Harvard Law School, Management and Leadership from MIT Sloan School of Management, and Governance from Queen’s University.

MP Scott Aitchison, MP Parry Sound-Muskoka, Conservative Party of Canada, Shadow Minister for Housing

A small town Mayor at heart, Scott Aitchison is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Parry Sound – Muskoka. Scott was twice elected Mayor of Huntsville Ontario, and was first elected as Huntsville Town and Muskoka District Councillor at the age of 21.

Scott’s passion for housing comes from a proven track record of getting the job done. He was the Chair of Planning in his community for over 15 years where he helped grow Huntsville into the booming town it is today. He is still a licensed REALTOR. He is a strong supporter of Community Living, Habitat for Humanity, and YWCA, where as Mayor and Councillor he helped housing providers build the social housing people needed in Huntsville and the District of Muskoka.

Parry Sound-Muskoka first elected Scott as their voice in Ottawa in 2019, and today he serves as the Shadow Minister for Housing and Diversity and Inclusion in the Conservative Party.

Dave Wilkes, President and CEO, Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD)

Dave is the President and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association of the GTA (BILD), a position he has held since January 2018. The Association has 1,000 members and proudly represents builders, developers, professional renovators and those that support the industry. He is committed to supporting volunteer Boards and organizations. He has previously served on the George Brown College Board of Directors and Executive Committee, the Board of Directions of the Ontario Curling Association and the Black North Initiative (Housing Committee). He is a current member of R-Labs I+T Council. Dave was also a member of the Ontario Government’s Housing Affordability Task Force. Dave received his Bachelor of Arts (Applied Geography) from Ryerson University, now known as Toronto Metropolitan University.

Heljar Hansen, Owner, Pratt Hansen Group and President, Simcoe County Home Builders’ Association

Terry Kuipers, Director of Building & Planning Servicing, Town of Minto and Director at Large, OBOA

Terry has been a Building Official for 24 years and has served as the Director of Building and Planning Services (CBO) with the Town of Minto for the past 21 years. In addition to this position, he is also appointed as the Zoning Administrator, By-law Enforcement Officer and Municipal Prosecutor.

In addition to this, Terry also sits on the Board of Directors with the Ontario Building Official’s Association as a Director at Large, with his main portfolio as the Chair of the Education Committee. With the release of the 2024 Ontario Building Code, he is heavily involved with updating the numerous OBC Courses that the OBOA has as well as to create new Training and 2012/2024 Code Bridging courses. In his spare time, Terry has been an Instructor for the OBOA for the past 13 years and typically teaches several OBC courses per year.

Angela Baldwin, President, Baldwin Planning and Development Consultants

James Bazely, President, Gregor Homes

James has been involved with the SCHBA for almost 30 years.
He served as president of the then called “Barrie Home Builder’sAssociation” and served as president for 2 1/2 years in 2003-2005.
James then sat as president of the Ontario Home Builders Association in 2009-2010.
James has realized the challenging economic issues in todays economy with regards to housing as well as the many other challenges facing both the smallest renovators to the largest builders within our community and feels that his experience may help navigate our industry through challenging times.
He therefore has reacquainted with the board of directors of the SCHBA and sits as first vice president.
SCHBA builders and renovators are good people and we are members within an industry that is the largest employer in Ontario.

MPP Mike Schreiner, Leader of the Green Party of Ontario, MPP Guelph

Mike Schreiner, leader of the Green Party of Ontario, became Ontario’s first Green MPP when he was elected to represent the riding of Guelph in 2018. Leader of the OntarioGreens for more than a decade, Mike is known at Queen’s Park as a champion for climate action, affordable housing, local food and water initiatives, protecting Ontario’s farmland and green spaces, supporting frontline healthcare workers, and small business. He was re-elected in 2022 with an increased majority. Mike, his wife Sandy, and their two daughters like to spend their free time hiking, cycling and staying active in their community.

Tom McLaughlin, Vice President and Controller, Thomasfield Homes Limited; 2nd Vice President, OHBA

Tom McLaughlin serves as Vice President and Controller at Thomasfield Homes Limited, a family-operated residential home builder and land developer in Guelph, Ontario. He oversees real estate acquisitions, construction, and development projects. Tom is actively involved in industry leadership as the 2nd Vice President of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) and as a board member (and past president) of the Guelph & District Home Builders’ Association (GDHBA). He has also served on Guelph’s Economic Development Advisory Committee and Ontario’s Construction Health and Safety Action Plan Advisory Panel. Tom holds an Honours BES in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo, a Master of Urban Design Studies from the University of Toronto, and an MBA from the Ted Rogers School of Management.

MPP Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minster of Municipal Affairs and Housing, MPP Perth-Wellington

Matthew grew up on his family’s dairy farm just north of Harriston. From a young age, he was instilled with a strong work ethic and the importance of service to one’s family, community, and country.

He is a graduate of The University of Guelph, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

More recently, Matthew has worked for both John Nater, Member of Parliament for Perth-Wellington, and Randy Pettapiece, the former MPP for Perth-Wellington, at separate times. Prior to being elected in June 2022, he worked for an education non-profit focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and entrepreneurship.

Matthew is an active member of the community serving on multiple local boards and committees.

As an MPP, Matthew’s continued participation in a variety of local initiatives allows him to remain keenly aware of the issues his constituents face. Among those, housing accessibility and affordability presents itself as one of the most pressing challenges for Ontarians of all ages and walks of life.

As a first time homeowner in Mitchell, Matthew is well equipped with the perspective and firsthand experience navigating the housing market to support those across the province through his work as Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Prior to being Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, he was Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education, the Honourable Stephen Lecce. He is also Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

Outside of work and volunteering in the community, he enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, whether it is hiking, skiing, or camping.

His Worship, Alex Nuttall, Mayor of Barrie

Mayor Nuttall was a leader even in high school, where he served as student mayor before graduating in 2004. At the age of 21, Alex began his political journey on Barrie city council and in 2015, he shifted gears to federal politics. He successfully ran for the Barrie—Springwater—Oro-Medonte riding and served his constituents until 2019. He returned to municipal government three years later, winning the Barrie mayoral race, becoming the 47^th mayor in the City of Barrie.

His Worship, Cam Guthrie, Mayor of Guelph

Cam Guthrie was re-elected Mayor of Guelph in 2022, after serving two terms as Mayor from 2014 to 2022, and as a Councillor for Ward 4 from 2010 to 2014He completed a 3-year term, serving as the Chair of Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), a group of 29 Mayors of cities with 100,000 people or more, who collectively represent 70 per cent of Ontario’s population, in December 2022. In March 2022, he was appointed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Board of Mayors, representing North America.

Cam was a licensed insurance broker and local entrepreneur for 16 years before becoming Mayor. An avid community volunteer, Cam has served on the Boards of several local not-for-profit organizations and mentored startups and small business owners through the Business Centre of Guelph-Wellington. He holds a business diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming College.

Josh Kaufman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Innodev Partners Inc. and Past President, Guelph & District Home Builders’ Association

With over 20 years of real estate development experience, Joshua has been involved in some of the country’s most ambitious development projects including several master planned mixed-use communities, retail shopping centres, commercial and residential subdivisions and condominiums.

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Western Ontario and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University.

Marlon Bray, Executive Vice President, Clark Construction Management

20 years of practical, hands-on construction advisory experience. With expertise which encompasses countless sectors of the industry with a focus on private sector developments including residential, office, and industrial projects over the past seven years. Many of the commissions have been on very complex and larger-scale projects, including numerous mixed-use developments in the GTA . Heading our pre-construction and contract administration services team for Eastern Canada – our Cost & Project Management Group provides independent advisory services on hundreds of projects per year (over 1,500 residential projects with a combined construction value in excess of $87B in our historical database alone). Altus Group’s Expert Services are supported by cutting edge technology and software solutions, including in-house data solutions which allows our experts to empower clients to analyze, gain market insight and recognize value on their real estate investments

Anthony Passarelli, Lead Economist, Market Insights, CMHC

Anthony Passarelli is CMHC’s Lead Economist for Southern Ontario housing markets. Anthony’s been with CMHC since 2008, having covered regions such as Hamilton, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Windsor. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, with a major in both Commerce and Political Science.

Alex Beheshti, Urban Planning and Land Economist

Alex is a specialist in urban planning and land economics. Over the years, he has dealt with issues ranging from development charges to growth management and everything in between. He has authored or co-authored several major research papers that have influenced the discourse on development and planning. These include the 2020, 2022, and 2024 Municipal Benchmarking Studies, the Toronto CAO Benchmarking Study, and the Use It Or Lose It Policy Discussion Paper, among others.

You can find Alex in newsprint and on radio, podcasts, and TV. He’s been featured in the Globe and Mail, the Grady Brady Show, The Missing Middle podcast with Mike Moffat and Cara Stern, and TVO’s The Agenda, where he has provided insights and expertise on housing-related discussions.

Jessie Helmer, Senior Research Associate, Smart Prosperity Institute

Jesse Helmer is Senior Research Associate at SPI, where he focuses on climate-friendly housing policy and the real costs of urban sprawl. Based in London, Ontario, where he has served two terms as a city councillor, including six years on the planning and environment committee, two years as deputy mayor (2018-2020) and eight years on the transit commission. He is particularly interested in the intersection of housing, mobility and climate policy and actionable strategies to build cleaner, greener and more affordable cities and communities. He was named one of London’s Top 20 Under 40 in 2019.