Generous Futures: Revitalizing Spaces & City Building

David Amborski is a Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, and a professional urban planner.  He holds graduate degrees in both Urban and Regional Planning and Economics. He is the founding Director of the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development (CUR) and was the founding Academic Director of the City Building Institute, both at Toronto Metropolitan University. His research and consulting work explore topics where urban planning interacts with economics including land and housing markets. His specific interests include the area of municipal finance, land development, housing, and land value capture tools. 

Amborski has served as president of the Association of Canadian Urban Planning Programs, is an academic advisor to the National Executive Forum on Public Property and is a member of Lambda Alpha (Honourary Land Economics Society). He has undertaken studies for the Federal, Provincial and a range of municipal governments. At the international level, he has undertaken work for the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) World Bank, the Interamerican Development Bank, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and several other organizations in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia. He also has undertaken work in South Africa advising the National Treasury on their new Development Charge legislation, and working with the Development Action Group, an NGO, and the City of Cape Town in developing an Inclusionary Housing Policy. He is currently working with OECD on the development of a land value capture compendium.

Andrea DelZotto understands that building is as much about creating community as it is about construction. As a member of the founding family of Canada’s leading condominium developer, Tridel Group of Companies, Andrea has been immersed in the residential construction industry for most of her life. She also served as an executive at Tridel for 25 years and is currently a Director on the Tridel Group Board. 

Andrea has always been very focused on driving innovation and helping to re-imagine the way people live. This led her to start Concrete Cardinal, a research, innovation and investment group that champions the well-being of communities —with special attention given to the experiences and voices of those not often heard. Concrete Cardinal supports the invisible aspects of community building, like belonging, engagement, opportunity, physical and mental health and resilience, which are becoming the new criteria for defining what a successful community looks like.

As Head of Sales and Marketing at Dream, Krystal oversees the marketing and communications for Dream and its four public entities. This includes the design, vision marketing and branding of new communities, the sales of residential and rental units and the community activation and programming once built and occupied. She is also responsible for all office, retail, industrial, multi-family, Impact and community marketing a Dream.

Krystal has extensive experience in developing master-planned communities. She has marketed and sold the award-winning Canary District, a master-planned community that has transformed Toronto’s downtown East. She is also currently working on Zibi, the largest urban redevelopment in the National Capital Region, which will be transformed into Canada’s most sustainable mixed-use community. Krystal is also currently working on the West Don Lands Affordable Rentals development which will be one of Canada’s largest affordable developments, and Forma, designed by famed architect Frank Gehry, which will change the Toronto skyline forever. She was also a part of the teams to recently be awarded Quayside, 12-acres on Toronto’s waterfront and LeBreton Flats an inclusive new community in the National Capital Region.

Krystal also leads the Sales and Marketing team for the Western Canada Land and Housing Divisions, where she oversees the initial planning and design of large-scale communities as well as the marketing of single family and multi-residential homes. The Land and Housing teams currently have over 486 acres of land under development. Krystal leads the Homes by Dream Sales and Marketing Team on Alpine Park — Calgary’s newest master-planned 476-acre mixed-use development. From inception of the community branding and ensuring that the brand aligns with Dream’s core values and business goals to developing the sales and marketing strategy, as well as working on the development of the community, amenities, and parks to bring Alpine Park to market in 2021.

She also oversees all social media and PR communication strategies and execution for all Dream entities as well as collaborating on site animations and programs to enhance the community. For example, under her leadership the Distillery District continues to grow as a local and international destination ensuring that Dream’s retail tenants are thriving. The Distillery’s success directly helps Dream’s neighbouring communities Canary District and West Don Lands as an exciting area amenity for future development.

Heela is Vice President, Social Impact at The Daniels Corporation, one of Canada’s largest and pre-eminent builder/developers. Heela is responsible for corporate mandates and strategic initiatives that look beyond the bricks and mortar to ensure that the social, cultural and economic infrastructures of communities built by Daniels are as strong as the new buildings. 

Since 2009, Heela has been working on Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the revitalization of Regent Park in Toronto’s Downtown East. The revitalization of the 69-acre social housing neighbourhood to a mixed-income and mixed-use community is looked to around the world as a model for creating healthy, inclusive, and resilient communities. 

Heela strongly believes in the potential of real estate development industry to positively shape how communities and cities come together to foster inclusion and resilience. 

Heela’s passion for social change and community impact comes from her lived experience as a new immigrant to Canada at a young age and growing up in a vibrant social housing community in Toronto’s inner suburbs. Heela is a Fundholder at the Toronto Foundation and sits on the Board of Directors of Start2Finish, a national charitable organization committed to promoting the health and wellness of children in Canada through literacy and fitness education. Heela is also a member of the Management Committee of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Toronto Chapter and Co-Chair of the Program Committee. 

Heela has an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree, specializing in History and Political Science from the University of Toronto.

Ray Williams is a financial services executive with more than 35 years of experience in Global Capital Markets. His expertise is in debt capital markets and has held leadership roles in marketing, trading, risk advisory & execution as well as securitization.

As a Financial Services executive, specializing in global capital markets, Mr. Williams has extensive experience in Cash and Derivatives products in multiple asset classes, Infrastructure Financing, Provincial & Federal Liability Management, and Mortgage Finance Companies (MFC) Financing and Hedging of Securitized Product.

Mr. Williams currently holds the position of Vice Chairman, Financial Markets at National Bank Financial, one of the top six investment dealers in Canada. In this role, he is responsible for facilitating engagements with strategic accounts, working closely with all the Financial Markets business lines to promote the Bank’s client-centric approach.

He also represents the Bank in several Sustainable Finance forums and transition initiatives. He is also a key contributor in the elaboration of the Bank’s Affordable Housing commitments.

Mr. Williams is also committed to community engagement, particularly in the area of diversity and inclusion efforts. He has a fundamental belief in such reflected in his continuing charitable contributions and engagement, to various non-profit and charitable organizations such as 100 Strong.ca an organization focused on changing the narrative around young black boys and one that inspires excellence without excuses in those boys, as well as Black Opportunity Fund where he is both Chair & Co-Founder.