Welcome to the web site for the Simcoe Chapter of Lambda Alpha International, an honorary society for the advancement of land economics. For more information about Lambda Alpha International, visit www.lai.org or click HERE to download a copy of Lambda Alpha's promotional brochure in PDF format.

It's that time of year again when you're asked to reflect on the importance of collegiality in our Simcoe Chapter and turn your mind to identifying those who you feel would enhance our group. In keeping with the guidelines set by Lambda Alpha International, nominees for membership must have: achieved professional distinction with a minimum of 10 years of work experience; made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of land economics; and distinguished themselves in the community through public service. If you would like more information on the history of LAI and how these guidelines fit the organization's goals, visit: http://www.lai.org/go/about. Our Simcoe Chapter members are drawn from a wide spectrum. That diversity of experience becomes most valuable when members attend the dinner seminars, become involved in Chapter activities and engage colleagues in discussions and debates on key issues of the day. When you're thinking about the attributes of possible nominees, consider also whether this person is likely to be an active member we can all look forward to seeing on a regular basis. Each nomination must be made by two Chapter members acting jointly. At least one of the nominators should not have the same employer as that of the nominee. The nomination package must include: a one-page statement from the nominators that outlines why they believe the nominee is a suitable candidate for membership. If the candidate is successful, the content of the statement will form the basis for introduction of the nominee at the annual general meeting. The statement must indicate the concurrence of both nominators. a current copy of the nominee's resume. These items must be e-mailed to susanschiller@earthlink.net or faxed to Kevin Harper at (416) 969-0266. The deadline is Friday, August 6, 2010. Once nominations close, the Board will review and assess each candidate. Since membership is not automatic, your Board considers confidentiality to be an important element in protecting the reputation and dignity of each nominee. In the event that a candidate is not selected for membership, the reason for this decision will be explained to the nominators on a confidential basis. Although it may occasionally be a bit awkward to do, nominators are asked to make every effort to ensure that the nominee is not made aware that he or she is under consideration for membership. Successful candidates will be contacted to confirm their interest in joining Lambda Alpha and acceptance of our invitation to join us. The broader Simcoe Chapter membership will then be advised of the new members who will, in turn, be inducted at our annual general meeting. Click HERE to download this notice in PDF format. Click HERE for more information on membership qualifications in Lambda Alpha International.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 "Has Anything Changed? Lessons the U.S. Financial Crisis Should Have Taught Real Estate Investors and Lenders" Speaker: Jim Clayton, Vice President, Research, Cornerstone Real Estate Advisors LLC, Hartford, CT Jim will be providing a list of five key lessons that should have been learned from the financial crisis, with an emphasis on real estate, and what they mean going forward for real estate finance markets, investment strategies and structures (and real estate cycles). Most of the lessons will involve the use and abuse (and ignoring or misunderstanding the full set of risk involved) of debt, with a comparison of the U.S. and Canadian markets. Have investors have learned anything or we back to business as usual? Click HERE for more information. October 5, 2010 Presentation by Dr. Enid Slack, Director, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto. Topic to be announced. Click HERE for a list of previous dinner meetings, including speakers and topics.

Day Long Field Trip to Waterloo June 3, 2010 Sponsored by Canada's Technology Triangle and the Simcoe Chapter.

"Why Even Michael Bloomberg Couldn't Make a Good Mayor of Toronto" with Jeffrey L. Davies, Partner, Davies Howe Partners (April 14, 2010)

February 9, 2010 Employment Lands: Do They Deserve/Need Special Protection? Moderator: Paul Johnston (Johnston Litavski Planning Consultants) Speakers: Stephen Diamond (Diamondcorp) Randy Grimes (IBI Group) Bruce Krushelnicki (City of Burlington) Mark Noskiewicz (Goodmans LLP) Ed Sajecki (City of Mississauga) Raymond J. Simpson

Planning by Design: a healthy communities handbook On January 12, 2010 Sue Cumming, President of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, presented an overview of Planning by Design, a new handbook produced by OPPI in conjunction with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Recognizing that the need to create healthy, sustainable communities is a top priority for Ontario’s planning profession, Planning by Design is intended to share and generate ideas on how places can be planned and designed more sustainably for healthy, active living and to retain and attract residents, investment and visitors. The handbook can be used by municipal decision makers, planners, policy makers, developers, architects, engineers, designers, landscape architects, health/public health, social care and law enforcement processionals, non-profit organizations, community groups and individuals interested in the connection between health and the built environment. Click HERE to download a copy of Sue's presentation. The Planning by Design handbook can be downloaded from OPPI's web site at: www.ontarioplanners.on.ca

Should Heritage Trump Planning Issues? Moderated by Lyn Townsend, with Patrick Devine, Michael McClelland, Catherine Nasmith, and N. Jane Pepino (October 6, 2009) "HST: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" with Frank Clayton, Executive Vice President, Economic Consulting, Altus Group (September 9, 2009) Tour of Artscape Wychwood Barns with Joe Lobko, Partner, Du Toit Architects Limited (May 27, 2009) "Regional Transit -- What's Next? Funding, Land Value Recapture and Revenue Tools" with Rob MacIsaac, Paul Bedford and Angela Iannuzziello (April 21, 2009) "What Are the Think Tanks Thinking?" with Prof. David Hulchanski (March 3, 2009)

FALL 2008 LAND ECONOMICS WEEKEND Hosted by the Simcoe Chapter of Lambda Alpha International October 23-25, 2008 Click HERE to view the photo gallery. Click HERE to view the final itinerary.

"Exploring a New Urban Format for Old Land Intensive Retail" with Gregg Lintern and John Livey (September 23, 2008) "Another Layer of Development Review and Approval? The New Reality of Native Land Claims" (May 6, 2008) "Planning our Communities in an Age of Diversity: Front Yard Cabbages, Funeral Parlours Next Door and Four Grandparents Under One Roof" (April 8, 2008) "Just What Are We Getting Into? The Impacts of the GTA's Condo Boom" with Barry Lyon (February 25, 2008) "Understanding the Dimensions of Prosperity: How Rotman's New Prosperity Institute is Going to Measure Success" with Kevin Stolarick (January 30, 2008) "Potentials, Problems, Pitfalls and Perils:International Projects in Russia and China" with Philip Weinstein (June 12, 2007) "The Economics of Going Green: Why Telus Decided to Build a LEED Project" with Trish Clarry and Ian Jarvis (April 25, 2007) "Getting There: Responding to Transportation Challenges in the GTA" with Rob MacIsaac and Paul Bedford (March 7, 2007) "The Real World Challenge of Getting Jobs to Toronto's Waterfront" with John W. Campbell (January 31, 2007)

DINNER MEETING: May 6, 2008 "Another Layer of Development Review and Approval? The New Reality of Native Land Claims" There’s a new wind blowing from Caledonia to Tobermory and beyond as native bands rethink their options and approaches to development. Planning departments? Official Plans? Development permits? Approval requirements? When is consultation required and how must it be carried out? Who must consult? With whom? And when? Consultation and application fees? What are the emerging standards and procedures? And how does this all fit with financing plans and timelines for investors, proponents and third party landowners? Our expert panel included Honourable David Crombie, President, David Crombie & Associates Inc.; Joanne Davies, Director of the Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and Richard Brookes, Solicitor with the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

DINNER MEETING: April 8, 2008 "Planning our Communities in an Age of Diversity: Front Yard Cabbages, Funeral Parlours Next Door and Four Grandparents Under One Roof" Moderator: Russell Mathew, Partner, Hemson Consulting Speakers: Sandeep Agrawal, Director, Graduate Program, School of Urban and Regional Planning, Ryerson University Gary Gregoris, Vice-President, Land-Halton Division, Mattamy Homes Limited

DINNER MEETING: February 25, 2008 "Just What Are We Getting Into? The Impacts of the GTA's Condo Boom" Our February 25 session with Barry Lyon on the condo market in the GTA was an eye-opener on where that market is going, what we're doing right and what we still need to work on. Attendance topped 70 members and guests. Click HERE to view Barry's PowerPoint presentation. Click HERE to download Barry's presentation in PDF format.

DINNER MEETING: January 30, 2008 "Understanding the Dimensions of Prosperity: How Rotman's New Prosperity Institute is Going to Measure Success" On January 30th, Kevin Stolarick spoke at the Simcoe Chapter dinner meeting. Kevin is the Associate Director of the recently established Martin Prosperity Institute directed by Richard Florida. The Institute is part of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. The following comments from a news release of the School note: “Richard Florida will be a professor of business economics and the Academic Director of the newly established Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School. Prof. Florida is well known for his work on economic competitiveness, demographic trends, and cultural and technological innovation. In the last five years, he has penned the international bestseller, The Rise of the Creative Class and also The Flight of the Creative Class, which launched an intellectual revolution that has changed the way companies, nations, and communities compete and thrive. The Martin Prosperity Institute, a $120 million project, was made possible by a cornerstone $50 million grant to the Rotman School by the Province of Ontario. The Institute will take an integrative approach to the study and creation of jurisdictional advantage. Currently, the study of how jurisdictions, including provinces, become magnets for companies to start-up, locate and grow, and for talent to study, live and work, has been fragmented across many diverse fields. Over the past decade, the Rotman School has assembled the largest academic research group in Canada dedicated to the study of jurisdictional advantage and prosperity.” Kevin further elaborated on the purpose of the Institute and some of its current research. Following his comments there was an intriguing Q. & A. session with Kevin and the about 50 Simcoe Chapter members and their guests. Kevin gave some interesting previews of Richard’s soon to be published new book ‘Who’s Your City?’ More information on the book can be found at www.WhosYourCity.com.

DINNER MEETING: June 12, 2007 "Potentials, Problems, Pitfalls and Perils: International Projects in Russia and China" Speaker: Philip Weinstein, Partner, The Planning Partnership Click HERE to download the text of Phil's presentation in PDF format. Click HERE to view Phil's PowerPoint presentation.

DINNER MEETING: April 25, 2007 "The Economics of Going Green: Why Telus Decided to Build a LEED Project" Speaker: Trish Clarry, Director of Real Estate, Telus Corporation, with an introduction by Ian Jarvis, Chair, Canada Green Building Council Click HERE for more information about the Canada Green Building Council.

DINNER MEETING: March 7, 2007 On March 7, 2007 Rob MacIsaac (Chair of the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority) and Paul Bedford (the City of Toronto's Citizen Representative on the GTTA Board) addressed the Chapter. The topic of their discussion was "Getting There: Responding to Transportation Challenges in the GTA". Click HERE to download a summary of Rob's remarks in PDF format. For more information about the GTTA, visit: www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/news/statements/gtta.htm

DINNER MEETING: January 31, 2007 On January 31, 2007, John W. Campbell, President and CEO of the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation, addressed the Chapter. The topic of John's talk was "The Real World Challenge of Getting Jobs to Toronto's Waterfront". Click HERE to download John's presentation in PDF format. Click HERE to visit the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation's web site.