Host: Mary Rowe, President & CEO, Canadian Urban Institute
Guests:
- Karen Chapple: Director, School of Cities and Professor, Department of Geography & Planning, U of T
- Nouman Ashraf: Associate Professor, Rotman School of Management, U of T
- Lisa Helps: Executive Lead BC Builds, former Housing Solutions Advisor to B.C. Premier, former mayor of Victoria
- Jordan Soggie: CEO FSJACL, Founder, Homeway Benefits
With all the solutions out there, what do professionals really need to know in order to lead change in housing and transportation?
This fall the federal government will be launching Build Canada Homes with a pledged historic investment of $26 billion to stimulate and accelerate home building. In April 2026, the federal Canada Public Transit Fund will begin rolling out $3 billon per year. Are you interested in learning how to advance your transit, housing and complete communities projects, overcome obstacles, and seize the moment?
Karen Chapple, Nouman Ashraf, Lisa Helps, and Jordan Soggie join Mary Rowe to take a deep dive into urban change in a rapidly evolving policy landscape. They will also explore this fall’s Leading Urban Change course at School of Cities, focussed on housing, sustainable mobility, and transit-oriented communities.
Leading Urban Change is project accelerator. Participants will focus on a current workplace initiative or challenge, explore strategies and mechanisms to overcome barriers and identify growth opportunities. The program offers engagement with industry practitioners, faculty experts, and peers from across sectors, opportunities to expand professional networks, and one-on-one coaching. Registration closes September 26th 2025. Leading Urban Change runs October 15 – December 12th mostly on line with two full day in person sessions at the School of Cities.
