REIN Presenters

REIN Presenters

Notable speakers who have presented on the REIN stage recently.

Jared Hope

"The evolution of real estate investment education is here and there is no room for bullsh*t” With over 150 properties in his portfolio and having 400+ transactions under his belt, Jared Hope is the owner of Edmonton's most comprehensive real estate investment and property management company. He has developed a no bullsh*t approach to real estate investing that makes it easy for the average Canadian to own income property. Jared’s expertise is born of experience and focuses on action oriented, practical advice. He believes in cutting through the BS, evolving the way real estate investing education is provided, and supporting people in avoiding all the mistakes he learnt the hard way over the past 16 years.

Ben Myers

Senior Vice President of Market Research & Analytics, Fortress Real Capital
Ben Myers is the Senior Vice President of Market Research & Analytics at Fortress Real Capital. Ben has over a decade of real estate research experience with several firms in both the United States and Canada including Hanley Wood Market Intelligence in Dallas and Altus Clayton in Toronto. Most recently Ben was Editor and Executive Vice President of Urbanation, a condominium apartment market research firm. Ben was widely viewed as the voice of the condominium market in Toronto and made television appearances on CTV, Global, City TV and Rogers TV, as well as being quoted regularly in Canadian newspapers. Ben has a degree in economics from the University of Texas at Arlington and has taken additional courses in urban land economics from the University of British Columbia.

Benjamin Tal

Deputy Chief Economist, CIBC World Markets Inc.
Benjamin Tal is the Deputy Chief Economist of CIBC World Markets Inc. He is responsible for analyzing economic developments and their implications for North American markets. He also acts in an advisory capacity to bank officers on issues related to wealth management, household/corporate credit and risk. Recently described as one of Canada's leading experts on the real estate market by the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Tal is a regular commentator on financial and economic trends in the Canadian and American print and electronic media.

Brett Wilson

Dragon, Entrepreneur, Investor
W. Brett Wilson is a Canadian entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and –most recently – a panelist on the hit TV show, Dragon's Den. This big city player with small town charm helped turn a maverick startup into the energy industry's leading investment bank, brokering thousands of financing and M&A (mergers and acquisitions) deals worth over $225 billion. He is also Chairman of Canoe Financial, a privately owned investment management firm with over $1.5 billion in assets focused on providing investors with unique opportunities to profit from Canada's increasing prominence on the global stage.

Carl Gomez

Senior Vice President & Chief Economist, Bentall Kennedy
Carl Gomez is Senior Vice President, Chief Economist at Bentall Kennedy, with responsibility for Canadian real estate and capital markets research. Carl has over 12 years of experience in macroeconomic forecasting and real estate market analysis. Prior to joining Bentall in 2006, he worked as a senior economist at several financial institutions, including TD Bank Financial Group, RBC and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. He has been a frequent media commentator and speaker on economic issues and real estate related developments in Canada.

David Allison

President, Braun/Allison Inc.
David Allison is the President of Braun/Allison Inc., a multiple-award-winning real estate development branding and communications company. He has been in the business of providing strategic marketing and creative services since the early eighties for the biggest brand names and the largest advertising firms in Western Canada. David is the author of two books on real estate development marketing, holds a degree in Journalism, and has earned his CAAP certification from the Institute of Canadian Advertising.

Dianne Watts

Former Mayor - City of Surrey
Dianne Watts has been the mayor of Surrey since 2005. As Mayor of B.C.'s fastest growing city, her brand of civic leadership includes forming partnerships with other levels of government and the private sector in order to build healthy, vibrant communities. Mayor Watts recently unveiled Surrey's Economic Investment Action Plan, which is designed to foster strong economic growth through capital investment and support the expansion of clean technology industries. The plan includes the Build Surrey program, the most comprehensive capital works program in the City's history.

Dr. Sherry Cooper

Chief Economist, BMO Financial Group
Dr. Sherry Cooper is in constant demand as a speaker and writer because of her ability to simplify and de-mystify the complex subjects of economics and finance. Sherry received the Lawrence Klein Award for U.S. forecasting accuracy in 2010, beating out a panel of 50 economists predicting the four-year period from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Cooper leads a highly respected team of economists and has been repeatedly cited as one of the most influential women in Canada.

Dr. Paul Stoltz

President, Peak Learning and Contributor to Harvard Business School
Dr. Paul G. Stoltz is considered the world's pre-eminent thought leader on the science of Mindset and its applications to the emotional realities of investing. His theories and methods have helped define the leading edge of behavioral finance, and investor resilience. Today, Adversity Quotient (AQ) is the most widely adopted method of its kind in the world, currently in use by industry-leading companies and many governments across the globe. Dr. Stoltz is frequently featured in the world's top media, and has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

George Stroumboulopoulos

TV Personality, Host of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
George is the host and co-executive producer of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight. A six Gemini Award and Canadian Screen Award winner for best host in a talk series, George Stroumboulopoulos has interviewed a who's who of entertainment icons, world leaders, and respected thinkers. Along the way, George has interviewed Hollywood legends such as Oprah, Tom Cruise, and Michael J. Fox as well as political leaders such as Hillary Clinton, Stephen Harper and Jimmy Carter.

Gregory Klump

Chief Economist, Canadian Real Estate Association
Gregory Klump is Chief Economist of The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), a position he has held since 2005. He is also a member of the National Housing Research Committee and a contributor to the Economic Research Committee of the Canadian Homebuilders Association. He knows the economics of Canada's housing market and his analysis and forecasts for the Canadian resale housing market are covered on a regular basis by news media across Canada. Gregory has a graduate degree in economics from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Jonathan Chevreau

Editor, MoneySense Magazine
Jonathan Chevreau has been writing about personal finance since 1996. He spent the 90s writing for the finance column of the Financial Post, eventually becoming the paper's senior personal finance columnist. Over his time at the Financial Post, Jonathan authored nine books on mutual funds, stock markets and investing. Jonathan is currently the editor of MoneySense Magazine, Canada's top personal finance magazine.

Les Hewitt

Founder & President of The Power of Focus Inc.
Les Hewitt, Founder and President of The Power of Focus Inc., is one of the top performance coaches and business speakers in North America. An entrepreneur for more than 30 years, Les understands the real world of business and the challenges associated with staying focused. His passion is helping people achieve exceptional profits and productivity while enjoying an excellent balance between work and family. Les has created and facilitated more than 700 workshops and training programs that have been successfully utilized by thousands of business executives from a broad cross-section of industry.

Maurizio Bevilacqua

Mayor of Vaughan
First elected to the House of Commons in 1988, Maurizio Bevilacqua served as Vaughan's Member of Parliament for 22 years, holding several prominent positions in the federal government including Minister of State for Science, Research and Development, Minister of State for International Financial Institutions and Chairman of the influential House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. A well-known and respected community leader, he is nationally recognized for his consensus building abilities and his expertise in the areas of social, economic and fiscal policy. Mayor Bevilacqua represents a new generation of political leadership who believes in the important emerging role of cities within the regional, national and global context.

Michael Ferreira

Managing Principal, Urban Analytics
Michael Ferreira is Managing Principal at Urban Analytics with 20 years of insight and experience in the residential real estate industry. Michael helps clients understand not only what is currently happening, but more importantly, what is likely to happen in the residential real estate market. His experience includes the completion of many comprehensive land studies for significant development properties, from conception to completion.

Michael Lipkin

Speaker, Author, Motivational Coach
Mike Lipkin is a speaker, author, motivator and persuasion coach who has worked in 22 countries with over 1,000,000 people. He is the President of Environics/Lipkin, the specialist motivation and persuasion company in the Environics Research Group, one of Canada's largest and most sophisticated research houses. By combining Environics' Social Values Research with his personal expertise and experience, he provides people with the confidence and insights to connect with others at the deepest level. His mission is to help people play big so they can expand their capacity to produce remarkable results.

Ron Legrand

Internationally Recognized Real Estate Expert & Coach
Ron LeGrand is an internationally recognized real estate expert and trainer with 25 years of experience in both residential and commercial properties and a 20 year history of hard money lending and brokering. For the last 20 years he's been helping thousands of ordinary people take their lives back and create financial freedom by implementing his systems for success as real estate investors. Ron now passes on his experience at live training events to audiences of up to 20,000, held in various parts of the country.

Russell Westcott

Chief Communications Officer
Russell Westcott is the Chief Communications Officer as TriUrban Real Estate Inc. He is a full-time veteran Canadian-based real estate investor, author, and an inspirational public speaker. Russell is part of the movement encouraging people to do what inspires them to make a measurable impact in other peoples’ lives. He is an optimist, believing in a bright future and our ability to build it together.

Stephen Mandel

Mayor of Edmonton
Serving Alberta’s Capital City for a third term, Mayor Stephen Mandel has led the City of Edmonton since October 2004. Mayor Mandel is a strong advocate for Alberta municipalities, ensuring they receive a fair share of funding to pay for vital infrastructure and community services. His bold vision to improve the integration of services in the Edmonton region encouraged the Province to create a new governance body responsible for building a more effective regional plan.Mayor Mandel also celebrates Edmonton’s arts community and multiculturalism as great strengths of our City and his inclusive vision reflects Edmonton’s our vast energy and character. He is a strong advocate and voice for low-income families, seniors and those in need. As Mayor, Stephen is a steadfast steward of numerous green initiatives and remains committed to preserving Edmonton's reputation as a global environmental leader. He has been married to wife Lynn for 39 years. They have two grown children and one grandchild.

Susan Biali

Medical Doctor, Life Coach
Susan Biali is a medical doctor, wellness expert, speaker, life coach, author and flamenco dancer who has been studying self-development for over 20 years. After suffering depression and burnout, Dr. Biali decided to take back her life and health. Today she draws from her wide range of to offer hope and practical tools to people worldwide. An award-winning physician and general practitioner in part-time practice, Dr. Biali holds both a Doctorate of Medicine and Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from the University of British Columbia. She is regularly consulted by and appears in international media.

Todd Hirsch

Chief Economist, ATB Financial
Todd Hirsch has been the Senior Economist of ATB Financial since 2007. As the bank's top economic expert, he tracks and analyzes developments in Alberta's and North America's economy. Todd delights in digging deeper to share the interesting stories that lie behind all the charts and graphs. He appears regularly as an economic commentator for CBC Radio, The Business News Network, CTV News and The Globe and Mail, as well as various other news outlets. Todd received his BA Honours in Economics from the University of Alberta and an MA in Economics from the University of Calgary.

Will Dunning

Economic Analyist
Will Dunning has been analyzing housing markets since 1982. He spent 16 years at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and has been a consultant for 12 years. In September 2000, he opened his own consulting company. Will provides economic analysis relating to housing markets, including economic and housing market forecasts, demographic studies, housing project feasibility studies, and expert witness testimony. Will has a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of British Columbia (1981) and A Bachelor of Arts degree (Economics) from McGill University (1979).

David Goncalves

REIN Finance Centre
David has been in the industry for 12 years. During this time he has funded approximately $1.2 Billion in mortgages. He was Rookie of the year at RBC, and later received Gold and Platinum Club awards. He has consistently been recognized as a top Mortgage Professional and convention winner year after year. Last two years he has received the Presidents Club award from Mortgage Alliance. Most recently, He has founded Vine Group and leads a team of experience mortgage professionals. David has been a mentor to many Mortgage Sales professionals during his career. He always refers to the industry not as a sales industry, but rather a 'people business'. His goal is always to find customized solutions for his client's needs.