Chair's Reception - Wednesday October 15th, 2025
This is the 2023 agenda. The 2025 agenda will be posted in due time.
Within the Canadian context, Saskatchewan is once again the national leader in several key economic indicators, and is best positioned to experience softened effects of the global recession on its economy. This presentation will examine the most significant elements of this unique market including some global, national trends, economic fundamentals, and their potential implications for Saskatchewan. It will also examine how the resilience of its diverse economy has helped Saskatchewan to continue to grow and how the prospects for this market compare with other Canadian provinces.
From education and employment to recreation and amenities, people need to see themselves having opportunity in Regina to live a full life. The City of Regina’s purpose is to create the environment for developers to build, businesses to thrive, and residents to have a great quality of life. The success of our city, and of our growth, depends upon the City exercising its authority over land use, housing, infrastructure, and the regulatory system to serve this purpose.
Over the past few years, we have seen a spike in commodity and resource pricing driven by inflation, the ongoing war, supply bottlenecks and pandemic related production slowdowns. Despite the global challenges, Saskatchewan has remained well positioned for growth. It has the world’s largest potash industry and is one of the top oil producers in Canada. On the agri-business front, Saskatchewan continues to be the world’s largest exporter of food products, including 68% of lentils and 56% of durum wheat. The panel, from various Saskatchewan economic engines, will provide insights from their respective vantage points and what the future holds for their growth in the province.
- Grant Kook - President & Chief Executive Officer, Westcap Mgt Ltd.
- Murad Al-Katib - President & CEO, AGT Food and Ingredients
- Susanna Laaksonen-Craig - Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy and Resources, Government of Saskatchewan
- Pam Schwann - President, Saskatchewan Mining Association
This session will examine the current and future trends for the office markets in Regina and Saskatoon. What is the predicted outlook on WFH and Hybrid working models and the effects on this asset class? With a strong demand and flight to quality, what does this mean for Class B and C properties and how can they be repositioned to provide value? What new industries are being attracted to these markets that may increase the demand for space? What are tenants looking for? What does the future hold for the downtown and suburban office markets in both cities? Where are leasing fundamentals heading?
Residential development markets in Regina and Saskatoon have experienced some softening, driven mainly by the inflationary environment, rising interest rates, labour shortage and higher construction costs. Notwithstanding these factors, Conference Board of Canada predicts good GDP growth for the province at around 7%. This paired with the incoming immigration and national housing shortfall begs the question, how are the Regina and Saskatoon residential development markets preparing? What is the price and inventory of residential land? Where are land values heading for 2023 and beyond? What is the outlook for housing demand over the longer term? Will single-family homes or multi-family be seen as more viable given the current economic environment? What infrastructure and improvement projects are needed to help growth in these communities?
Given the strong investor sentiment in the Canadian market, major opportunities have emerged for entrepreneurialism in the real estate industry. Who are they and what are they doing? They are experienced at seeking innovation and accessing lower priced capital. While they do not dismiss risk, they often can see value and reward where many others do not. What have been the most significant challenges that they have had to endure? How do they see opportunities unfolding in the future?
- Richard Jankowski - Managing Director, Saskatchewan Brokerage, Colliers
- Beth Barber - Development Manager, Pinnacle Developments Inc.
- David Calyniuk - President, DCAL Developments
- Trevor Jacek - Chief Financial Officer, Mid-West Group of Companies
- Mike Sazynski - Vice President, Saskatchewan, Colliers Project Leaders, Colliers
Join Rosanne Hill Blaisdell as she interviews the Honourable Deputy Premier Donna Harpauer, Minister of Finance and Honourable Gene Makowsky, Minister of Social Services on their vision for Saskatchewan’s growth. This interview will cover the province’s economic plans, Saskatchewan’s unique competitive advantage, and the vision for the future.
Over the past year, the industrial markets in Regina and Saskatoon have seen continued positive rates of absorption and very low vacancy rates. With upcoming local industry expansion slated, what is the projected need for industrial space? What preconditions are needed to support new development? What type of product is in highest demand? How much availability of land is there for additional development? What effects will high interest rates and the looming recession have on this asset class? What is the outlook for the industrial sector over the next 12-24 months?
A discussion focusing on the debt market and examining what borrowers can expect for the remainder of 2023 and beyond. While real estate continues to attract strong amounts of investment capital, how are lenders and sources of debt capital viewing the Saskatchewan market? Who are the most active lenders in this province, what are they looking for and how are they approaching assessment and pricing? How will strategies vary among the various types of debt lenders? How available are mezzanine financing and other secondary sources of debt?
- Ron Margolis - President, Margolis Capital - Commercial Mortgage Professionals
- Todd Andries - Vice President, Business Banking, Conexus Credit Union
- Franca Cerqueti - Vice President and Managing Director, Western Canada, Real Estate Finance, CMLS Financial
- Greg Gordichuk - Senior Mortgage Officer, iA Financial Group
- Brian Moskowitz - President, Moskowitz Capital
Both Regina and Saskatoon are focused on maintaining, facilitating and growing vibrancy into their downtowns and surrounding areas. Municipal planning, infrastructure support and development are key to make this happen and to keep investment capital flowing. What is required from an infrastructure standpoint to accomplish growth and to drive investment? What plans does each city have? How are Regina and Saskatoon viewed as cities with effective growth management and planning policies? What do the public and private sectors need to understand about each other to improve community competitiveness? This session provides the opportunity to discuss the importance for strong collaborative dialogue between the public and private sectors to promote economic growth.
An insightful discussion about investment activity in the Saskatchewan market. The session will open with a brief overview of some of the bellwether transactions over the past year. The panel will address a range of questions including: What have been the major challenges facing investors trying to buy assets in Regina or Saskatoon? What is the profile of investors that are looking at these markets? With some investors deciding to dispose of their assets, is there any disconnect between supply and demand of product? Where are cap rates likely to be by 2024 relative to today’s prices? Which product types appear to most strongly favoured by investors? How do the investment markets in Regina and Saskatoon compare with other Canadian cities?
Canadian consumers are returning to shop physical retail after two years of pent-up saving. This increased interest is echoed in Saskatchewan, translating to overall stable tenant demand. However, is this the case for all retail? Are some locations seeing more demand than others – i.e., suburban malls versus downtown core? This session will examine retail activity in Regina and Saskatoon and the extent of investor, developer and tenant interest in these markets. What is top of mind of tenants as we approach a recessionary environment? How is the industry meeting those concerns? Is there an interest in new development? How do the Regina and Saskatoon markets compare with one another? What key differences does existing buildings versus newer projects offer and how are they performing? Which formats and innovations are growing in popularity? What lies ahead for the retail market in Regina and Saskatoon for 2023 and beyond?
An overview of the performance of the office, industrial, retail, and multi-unit residential markets in mid-market communities throughout Saskatchewan. Where are demand and vacancy rates trending currently? How much development activity has been completed during the past year? How much is ready to be undertaken? What impact will it have on vacancy? Can the various markets in Saskatchewan absorb all the new space? What underwriting criteria are providers and borrowers of capital using in these markets? Where are cap rates and prices trending? What are examples of bellwether transactions? What is the outlook for 2023 and beyond for secondary markets?
A discussion with top executives as they provide their perspective on real estate market fundamentals for 2023 and beyond for Regina, Saskatoon and the overall Saskatchewan market. They will offer their insights on what they see occurring over the next twelve months, and their strategic thinking going forward. Among the other questions to be examined:
- What are the major trends in the Saskatchewan market?
- What are the most significant challenges, risks and opportunities for investors and owners in the Saskatchewan market?
- What is their outlook for the growth of key engines of the Saskatchewan economy?
- Where are valuations likely heading in each of the major property classes?
- Which ones will likely offer the best possible returns in 2023?
- What can be expected with respect to investment velocity and deal flow in Saskatchewan?
- What challenges do the leasing markets face in Regina? In Saskatoon? What about development?
- What needs to change for the real estate markets in Saskatchewan to reach their ultimate potential?