Roadmap - Pathways to Progress - Lab

In this curated interactive session, on September 19th, 5:30 - 8:00pm at the KPMB Architecture Studio, you will collaborate with leaders who have taken steps to advance progress scaling the protection and generation of affordable housing and community spaces as required to meet community needs.

Contribute to movements built by grassroots and non-profit leaders, planners and architects, land use planning and human rights program administrators and government representatives, academics, and philanthropic sector leaders advancing progress for the economy to align to actualize the right to adequate housing.

For this evening, our focus will be on refining tools and processes that have emerged as the keys to accelerate progress. This includes strengthening cross-sectoral and cross-community collaborations, workforce development, and economic resources.

Your insights on solutions will be documented and summarized in a report shared to attendees of the Lab, and will be further synthesized with all engagements and knowledge generated to produce the deliverables launched at the 2024 Roadmap Annual Party this November.

Doors Open 5:15pm

Food served 5:30pm - 6:00pm

5:15pm: 

• All Attendees: Registration, Reception w/Refreshments, and Networking 

6:00pm: 

• Cheryll Case:  Opening remarks and summary of the Roadmap achievements November 2022 to present  and the key deliverables launching November 2024 

6:25pm:

• All attendees: Interactive discussion on effective ways to unlock the power of community.
• Guest Speakers
  • Amina Yassin-Omar: Weston Mt Dennis example of addressing the issue of displacement through community-led planning and affordable housing development. 
  • Kirk Johnson: Cross-sector Collaborations: ULI Panel & Report in Jane and Finch advancing low carbon, equitable & affordable Transit & Development solutions. 

7:05pm:

• All attendees: Interactive discussion on the impact of collaborative implementation & funding. 
• Guest Speakers
  • Steffan Jones: Alberta & Ontario case studies of collaborative approaches securing investments for affordable housing.

7:45pm:

• Closing remarks from CP Planning, and reception

8:00pm

• Doors close

Amina Yassin-Omar: Vice-President, Community and Placemaking | The Learning Enrichment Foundation

As a first-generation refugee from Somalia to Canada, Amina Yassin-Omar's professional experience has been driven by her passion to ensure equitable opportunities for diverse and immigrant communities; particularly young people. Her commitment to social justice has led her through an exciting 20-year career in the nonprofit, public and corporate sectors. She is currently the VP of Community and Placemaking at the Learning Enrichment Foundation. She works across the organization to ensure the development, integration, and use of LEF's physical, virtual, and capital assets are sustainable and effectively promoting LEF’s commitment to participatory placemaking.

Steffan Jones: Chief Executive Officer | Partners for Affordable Housing Foundation

Home is central to Steffan Jones’ health and well-being, and to that of his family. And after a 25-year career in the housing sector, he understands that not everyone shares his good fortune to have a safe, secure place to call home. Believing that everyone has a right to safe housing that they can afford, Steff is propelled every day to find innovative solutions to accelerate our response to the growing affordable housing crisis in Canada.

In 2023, Steff helped create the Partners for Affordable Housing Foundation. The Foundation seeks to connect private, public and philanthropic funding with community housing providers more effectively, to provide additional affordable housing choices for everyone in Canada. Based in Ottawa, he retired from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in 2023 after 25 years of service. He also has advisory roles with several organizations in the housing sector, including Peakhill Capital, Sparrow Living, Horizon Legacy Solutions, and Key Living.

Kirk Johnson: President | Eco-Efficiency Consulting

For more than 15 years, Kirk Johnson has led the design and delivery of over $300M in market transformation, decarbonization, and workforce development programs across Canada for funders such as Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), City of Toronto (CoT), Ontario Power Authority (Now IESO), Province of Ontario (MOE/ GreenON), Environment & Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Innovation Science & Economic Development Canada (ISED), Humber College, University of Waterloo, and Toronto Hydro. 

Select market transformation work includes adapting the US EPA’s ENERGY STAR Multi-Family High-Rise building standard for Canada with NRCan and leading the energy performance criteria development for the Toronto Green Standard (TGS) V1. As a Community Energy Planner, he chaired the Mayor’s District Energy working group and managed the Lawrence Allen/ Westwood/Mimico Community Energy Plans and city-wide Tower Renewal Archetype Design initiative in the City of Toronto’s Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) unit. Portfolio Management includes concurrent design/delivery of $100M+ decarbonization programs such as Ontario’s High Performance New Construction (HPNC), Toronto Multi-Family, and BOMA CRE incentive programs. Kirk has created & delivered capacity-building programs in 25 municipalities. His two co-designed workforce development programs with University of Waterloo recently secured $3.1M from ISED Canada for 2024-2025 delivery. Kirk is the former Chair of Earth Day Canada and a 2024 Efficiency Canada Trailblazer. 

Kirk’s projects portfolio covers all commercial/residential typologies and building systems upgrades, creation of the 1000+ building GREEN UP Carbon, Energy & OpEx Business Intelligence platform for CaGBC, and re-design of a CoT $40M revolving fund to finance institutional/community renewable/decarbonization projects.