Connect Canada 2026

Canada’s housing market is at an inflection point. As population growth remains strong and supply struggles to keep pace, developers and owners face a complex mix of rising construction costs, capital market recalibration, evolving buyer and renter preferences, and shifting government policy. Experts break down where development pencils in 2026—and where does it not, construction financing realities, CMHC-insured versus conventional debt strategies, and how capital is being allocated between condo and purpose-built rental. Find out how immigration trends, policy shifts, incentives, and affordability mandates are reshaping demand, valuations, exit strategies, and overall investor appetite.

After several years of market recalibration, institutional capital is selectively returning to Canadian real estate — but with new expectations around structure, risk, liquidity and performance. From pension funds and sovereign capital to private equity, REITs and credit platforms, the capital stack is evolving. Investors are underwriting differently, sponsors are rethinking structures, and cross-border flows are reshaping pricing across multifamily, industrial, retail, office and alternative sectors including data centres, student housing and self-storage. Institutional investors, capital raisers, lenders and advisory leaders explore how capital is actually being deployed nationally in 2026.

The Canadian commercial and multifamily middle market — defined by acquisitions, developments, and recapitalizations in the $10 million to $50 million range — remains a vital engine of real estate activity. Between shifting capital costs, evolving tenant demands, and localized supply dynamics, underwriting assumptions and execution playbooks look materially different at this scale than they do at institutional deal sizes. This panel brings together practitioners with direct middle-market experience across multifamily, industrial, office, and retail to explore how investment criteria, development feasibility, and lease-up performance are shaping real returns in today’s market environment.