2017 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients
Eva Ligeti
Peter Tabuns
Michael Brooks
Michael is the Chief Executive Officer of REALPAC (1997 – 2012; 2014 - ), the senior Canadian trade association for large public and institutional investment real estate companies. Michael has represented the Canadian real estate industry in all major policy initiatives with government, including property tax reform in several provinces, the emergence of real estate investment trusts and enabling legislation, real property income tax issues, telecom deregulation and building access, bankruptcy and insolvency rights of landlords, energy deregulation, energy consumption measurement, Competition Act fees and thresholds, real estate broker registration requirements, government standards and incentives for the multi-family sector, the National Building Code and building code changes, financial standards, national accounting standards (IFRS), capital markets issues re REITs, capital market regulation, governance and development charges, to name a few. Michael has been a commercial real estate lawyer for well over 30 years, practicing with Aird & Berlis LLP before retiring in December 2015. His degrees are a Bachelors of Environmental Studies (Urban Planning) from the University of Waterloo, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario, a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business York University, and a PhD in Urban Planning again from the University of Waterloo. Michael is a certified Corporate Director, and a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Michael has been an Adjunct Professor at the Schulich School of Business 1996 to 2001, and at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University almost continuously since 2006. He currently teaches the capstone course (REM 800) in the new undergraduate major in Real Estate Management at the Ted Rogers School of Management.