Rob is a lifelong businessman who was appointed to the role of Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in March of 2025. He previously served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, as well as Associate Minister of Housing.

Prior to entering politics, he enjoyed a fulfilling career as CEO at Masterfeeds Inc. and held numerous industry and community leadership roles.

A dedicated advocate for his community, he has proudly represented Elgin-Middlesex-London since 2022. He looks forward to leveraging his career in business and local leadership to strengthen municipalities across the province and build more homes, faster.

Andrea Khanjin currently serves as Ontario’s Minister of Red Tape Reduction in Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet. Since her election in 2018 as the MPP for Barrie–Innisfil, she has been a driving force behind our government’s efforts to modernize public services, reduce regulatory burdens, and strengthen Ontario’s economic competitiveness.

As Minister, she leads our government’s ambitious red tape reduction agenda, which has eliminated over 14,000 regulatory compliance requirements since 2018 – saving Ontario families and businesses more than $1.2 billion and 1.8 million hours annually. In addition, under her guidance, Ontario now has the lowest regulatory burden per capita in the nation, with an A grade from the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses – Ontario’s highest grade to date.

Todd McCarthy is Ontario’s Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, Acting Minister of Infrastructure, and the Member of Provincial Parliament for Durham.

Minister McCarthy is a well-respected and established lawyer across Ontario. He served as a Deputy Judge presiding over Small Claims Court cases at the Durham Region Courthouse, and as a former President of the Durham Region Law Association. During this time, McCarthy taught as an Adjunct Professor at both Queen’s University Faculty of Law and the Durham College Faculty of Justice and Emergency Services. Furthermore, he has proudly served as a Trustee and Vice Chair of the Durham Catholic District School Board and is a founding donor and supporter of the Durham Abilities Centre.

Brian Lilley is a political columnist with the Toronto Sun, where he covers federal and Ontario politics. A veteran political journalist with more than two decades of experience, Brian has covered Parliament Hill, numerous federal and provincial elections, and major political events across Canada. He has worked across print, radio and television. In addition to writing columns for the Sun, Brian is also the host of Lilley Unleashed and the Full Comment Podcast and is a regular political commentator across Canada.

Stephen Crawford is Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. He was elected as MPP for Oakville in 2018 and was re-elected in both 2022 and 2025.

As Minister, Stephen is helping build a stronger future for Ontario through modern public services and policies that drive innovation, economic growth, and long-term competitiveness. Together with Premier Ford, he introduced the Buy Ontario Act to help public sector organizations prioritize Ontario and Canadian goods and services while supporting homegrown businesses and local jobs.

Stephen oversees the delivery of vital programs through ServiceOntario, ensuring Ontarians can access the government resources they rely on every day.

He has also led initiatives to strengthen consumer protection, enhance cyber security, and advance Ontario’s approach to artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. Under his leadership, Ontario has capped ticket resale prices, increased penalties for illegal resellers, advanced cyber security measures across the public sector, and strengthened protections for children’s data.

Before entering public service, Stephen held senior leadership positions in the financial and investment industry for more than 20 years, including roles at Acuity Funds Ltd. and O’Leary Funds LP.

He is a member of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce, 100 Guys Who Care Oakville, and the Royal Canadian Military Institute. He is also a vocal supporter of Plan Canada’s “Because I am a Girl” campaign to champion equality for girls worldwide.

Stephen studied Political Science at Western University and Business at the University of Toronto before earning his Chartered Investment Manager designation.

He resides in Oakville, where he lives with his wife Najia. Stephen is blessed to be the father of two sets of identical twin girls.

Joe Preston began his political career in 2004 when he served as the Member of Parliament for Elgin-Middlesex-London. He was subsequently re-elected for three additional terms until his retirement from federal politics in 2015. In 2018, Preston was elected as the Mayor of St. Thomas and is presently serving his second term. His focus as Mayor includes affordable housing, enhancing public transit, and economic development. Mayor Preston is well recognized for his commitment to his community and, in addition to his public service, has been a local businessperson for the last 45 years in St. Thomas.

Frank Campion is currently serving his third term as Mayor of the City of Welland and on Niagara Regional Council, following seven terms on Welland City Council.

Throughout his municipal career, he has held numerous leadership roles and currently serves on the Welland Hydro-Electric Systems Corporation Board and Niagara Region’s Planning and Corporate Services Committees.

Outside of public service, Campion has been President and Owner of Campion Marketing Services Limited since 1977. He also spent more than 20 years as an Adjunct Professor at Niagara College, teaching courses in business, entrepreneurship, marketing and advertising.

Cam Guthrie was re-elected Mayor of Guelph in 2022, after serving two terms as Mayor from 2014 to 2022, and as a Councillor for Ward 4 from 2010 to 2014.  He completed a 3-year term, serving as the Chair of Ontario’s Big City Mayors (OBCM), a group of 29 Mayors of cities with 100,000 people or more, who collectively represent 70 per cent of Ontario’s population, in December 2022.  In March 2022, he was appointed to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) Board of Mayors, representing North America.

Christina Giannone is Senior Vice President at Fram+Slokker, a mid-sized community builder based in Mississauga.

As the 5^th generation in her family to be in the construction industry, and with almost 20 years of experience in real estate development, Christina has successfully delivered complex, multi-phased projects spanning brownfield redevelopment, large-scale master plans, affordable housing, luxury condominiums, and transit-oriented communities.

Christina’s passion and commitment to the building industry are reflected in her industry participation. Christina currently serves as Chair of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) – and is the first female Chair, after having served on its Board since 2019. She has also served as a member of the Home Construction Regulatory Authority’s (HCRA) Industry Advisory Council from 2022 to 2025, where she previously also served as Vice Chair. Her leadership has been recognized through various honours, including the 2023 BILD Member of the Year, the 2024 Canadian Women in Real Estate Award (Ontario) by Connect CRE, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Ontario’s Business Excellence Award for Next Generation Leaders.

Christina holds a Master’s Degree of Business Administration in Real Estate and Infrastructure from the Schulich School of Business at York University, where she graduated on the Dean’s List. She also earned an Honours Bachelor of Commerce & Finance (with Distinction) from the University of Toronto.

Jacqui Collier is a dedicated community builder and leader with more than 25 years of experience in Ontario’s residential development and construction industry. As Vice President of Brookland Homes, she combines deep industry expertise with a strong commitment to building and strengthening the communities she serves.

Jacqui’s extensive leadership includes serving on the Regimental Senate of The Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment; as Chair of the Boards of the Boys and Girls Club of South East Ontario and Habitat for Humanity Kingston Limestone Region; as Vice-Chair of the City of Kingston’s Housing and Homelessness Advisory Committee; and as a Director on the Boards of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation, the Great Lakes Museum, and EnerQuality Corporation. She is also a Past President of the Kingston Home Builders Association and has held leadership roles with numerous charitable and community organizations.

Her contributions have been recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the Kingston Economic Development Corporation’s inaugural 40 Under 40 Award in 2023, and EnerQuality Corporation’s Ontario Builder Achievement Award in 2018.

For more than a decade, Jacqui has hosted a weekly news segment with Global News, now titled Welcome Home with Jacqui. The segment is a finalist in the Social Media category at this year’s OHBA Awards of Distinction. Jacqui is also the proud mother of two daughters, Summer and Scarlett.

Christopher Smith is the founder of Woodsmith Construction Inc., a design-build renovation company that has specialized in older homes in Toronto’s east end since 2001. That work began in childhood, on Victorian homes in Cabbagetown alongside his architect-builder father. A Red Seal Carpenter and BCIN licensed designer, he takes projects from first sketch to final trim — full-home renovations, additions and restorations.

Christopher is the incoming Chair of the Renovator Executive Committee at BILD, sits on its Government Relations Committee, has been a RenoMark member in good standing since 2016, serves on the OHBA Renovators’ Council, and is a featured contributor to Canadian Contractor.

Over the past two years he has rebuilt how Woodsmith runs its day around AI — not as a pilot, but as the working operating system of a small renovation company. AI now drafts his client correspondence, files and codes every vendor invoice, prepares his bank feed and bills for approval, checks City of Toronto permit and zoning notices against the OBC and By-law 569-2013, builds site statistics and takeoffs, lays out the crew and trade schedule each week, and turns site-meeting recordings into project logs. Nothing leaves unreviewed — every draft, entry and post waits for him — and that approval discipline is what made the scale possible.

He is candid about what has worked, what quietly broke, and what it cost to tell the difference. His interest on this panel is practical: what a small builder can actually put into production, and where the failure modes hide.

Patrick McManus is Executive Director of both the OSWCA and GTSWCA, providing strategic leadership and direction on issues affecting Ontario’s civil construction industry. Together, OSWCA and GTSWCA champion sustainable clean water and wastewater infrastructure through advocacy, education, labour relations, and environmentally responsible practices. Patrick also serves as a Director of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO).

Mike’s career spans decades, always with a keen focus on building communities and helping others achieve home ownership across Ontario.

Based in Thorold, Ontario, Mike is Co-Owner and Operations Manager at Mountainview Building Group, where he leads a team dedicated to building high-quality residential and commercial properties across the region. Mike became co-owner of Mountainview Building Group, founded by his father and two uncles over 40 years ago, in 1994. Today, the company builds more than 250 homes per year in the Niagara region.

A man of many passions, Mike considered careers in programming, game design, music, and law before choosing to stay with his primary passion of building communities. With more than 30 years in the industry, Mike started as a construction labourer when he was a teenager and moved up through the ranks of Mountainview Building Group.

As a strong advocate for OHBA’s mission, Mike has volunteered his time and resources to the association for over 25 years, holding numerous positions on the Board of Directors and in various committees over the years, including serving as the 56th Chair of the Board of Directors. His greatest impact, however, has been through his work guiding building code, Tarion, and HRCA policies – which he is an expert in.

Miyoko Oikawa is the Director of Training and Strategic Initiatives at OHBA, where she leads the OHBA Futures Faster program. She specializes in workforce development and sector collaboration, bringing together industry, government, and educators to advance innovation and support the long-term growth of Ontario’s construction industry.

Dr. Mojgan Jadidi is Chair of the Civil Engineering Department at the Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, and a leader in geospatial intelligence, spatial digital twins, AI, smart cities, and construction innovation. As Chair of ISPRS Working Group W8/TC IV: Spatial Digital Twins for Buildings, Cities and Regions, she advances international collaboration in housing innovation and the digital transformation of the built environment. Her research integrates GIS, BIM, AI, sensor and IoT data, and digital twin technologies to enhance construction productivity, infrastructure resilience, urban sustainability, and data-driven decision-making. She is committed to fostering innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the development of future engineering leaders.

Mara Samardzic has spent 20 years building communities across Ontario with a career-defining stretch of it on both sides of the approvals table.

She started in land management, working alongside some of Ontario’s most sophisticated landowner groups, before moving into government relations at BILD, advocating directly with municipalities and the Province on development charges, green development standards, and approval process reform.

Today, as a land development leader with over 15 years of in-house, hands-on experience, Mara takes sites from acquisition through assumption, directing low-rise residential portfolios spanning thousands of units across the GTA.

Her dual perspective of regulator-facing and builder-facing is what makes Mara’s voice on the future of development approvals distinct.  She knows not just what the process is, but how and why it got that way, and what it will take to change it.

Mara is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP), a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and a Professional Land Economist (PLE).

Peder Madsen is the Owner of CCR Build + Remodel and a Red Seal Carpenter with more than 20 years of experience in the residential construction and remodeling industry. His passion for building and design has driven him to deliver projects of all sizes—from small bathroom renovations to whole-home remodels and custom builds—each with the same commitment to quality, creativity, and client satisfaction.

A leader in his field, Peder is the current Chair of the Ontario Renovator Council, is a Board Member of the London Home Builders’ Association (LHBA), and has served as Past Chair of the LHBA RenoCouncil, and President of the LHBA. Through these roles, he has helped advance industry standards, supported local communities through volunteer projects, and championed initiatives such as promoting the work of quality contractors across Canada.

At CCR, Peder is known for his forward-thinking concepts, bold approach to problem solving, and collaborative spirit. He thrives on tackling new challenges, whether it’s advancing energy efficiency, integrating universal design, or bringing together talented professionals to create award-winning projects.

With deep roots in the London building community and a passion for innovation, Peder continues to shape the future of residential construction while delivering exceptional experiences for CCR’s clients.