President’s message
If you live in the Greater Toronto Area, you know summer is coming to an end and school is about to begin when the Canadian National Exhibition opens its gates. At FRPO, as we look to the fall, we hope there are no further increases to interest rates and that inflation continues to ease, specifically related to building costs. This will encourage purpose-built rental projects currently on hold to move forward.
Speaking of building, Ontario needs to build, full-stop. This is particularly true in larger municipalities around the province. This spring, Toronto approved a by-law that adds density by allowing for multiplexes to be built across the city. Though not a panacea, this “gentle density” is more of what we need to address the housing and affordability crises. FRPO would like to see Toronto’s new mayor and city council look for new ways to add density and remove barriers to allow more homes. In particular, we would like them to approve the building of purpose-built rentals. Cities such as Toronto can no longer afford to allow NIMBYism to stand in the way of housing development.
We continue to support the province’s efforts to build more homes through its Housing Supply Action Plan. Important work has begun through Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act and Bill 97, Helping Homebuyers and Protecting Tenants Act, and this needs to be continued and scaled. A priority must be placed on purpose-built rentals and ensuring that there is a favourable environment to see new projects come online. Projects are being delayed and even shelved with the significant increase in building costs and existing permitting processes.
FRPO will continue to encourage all levels of government to prioritize and incentivize the construction of purpose-built rental housing by speeding up approvals, cutting red tape, and addressing government fees and charges to level the playing field.
I hope you made the most of your summer and enjoy what’s left before sending the kids back to school. If you’d like to refresh your knowledge on matters related to rental housing, or have some ideas for future seminars, don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to hearing from you.
Tony Irwin, President and CEO, FRPO, and Interim President, CFAA
Past events
2023 FRPO Charity Golf Classic
For the last two decades, FRPO has been hosting the Charity Golf Classic. This year’s event took place on July 18 at Lionhead Golf Course in Brampton. The event was a great success, selling out as usual, with 288 golfers taking part. Every year it seems like the golf tournament attracts more people wanting to play, meet other members, and support a great cause. The evening cocktail reception was also a hit, with more than 320 people attending the sold-out event. It was a great evening with amazing food, plentiful networking opportunities, stories about great golf shots, a lot of well-won prizes, and fundraising for a great cause. The charity auction provided some amazing options for attendees, including tickets for sporting events, golf and attraction passes, televisions, signed jerseys, framed art, and much more.
“We’ve built a reputation of putting on an efficiently run event with fantastic networking opportunities, and it’s an entertaining day for everyone,” said Lynzi Michal, Director, Membership and Marketing, FRPO. “Our members are also very engaged with Interval House and consistently show up to support this very worthy cause.”
new lives, free of violence.” Interval House can provide shelter to 12 women and 18 children at any given time, and they can connect them with the tools needed to rebuild and transform their lives and survive going forward.
The Charity Golf Classic has been helping to raise funds for Interval House for 15 years. FRPO is proud to announce that, with the support of its members, this year’s Charity Golf Classic has raised almost $69,000 in support of the charitable organization. This year’s total included $50,000 of direct support from FRPO, a $2,000 donation from Rogers Communications, a $1,000 donation from KG Group, and almost $16,000 from the raffle and silent auction sales.
Interval House is Canada’s first centre for women survivors of intimate partner violence and their children. Founded in 1973, the charitable organization takes a “holistic approach to helping women and children leave abuse behind and start
“Some of our members have had a relationship with Interval House, and it was also a good fit with FRPO,” said Michal. “Interval House helps women to get back on their feet, provides them with a valuable life and career skills, and helps to get them into housing, so it’s definitely a worthy cause that we’re proud to support.”
All the thanks go to the event’s sponsors, donors, participants, and volunteers for making this year’s event another grand success.
Upcoming events
FRPO MAC Awards
The MAC Awards Gala will take place on Thursday, November 30, alongside the Building Show. It is the premier annual event for FRPO’s members, attracting 1,200 attendees that include everyone from owners/managers to third-party managers and REITs. This gathering allows attendees to celebrate excellence in the residential rental housing industry and further the high standards championed by FRPO. We invite all types of member organizations to participate.
The deadline for award submissions is Wednesday, September 20 at 12:00 pm. Please allocate sufficient time to complete your submissions prior to the deadline, as late entries will not be accepted. As award criteria are updated annually, we kindly request that you carefully review each category. If you require any clarification, do not hesitate to contact us.
Submission information
We have implemented many changes over the last several years in an effort to streamline the submission process. Please review the requirements carefully before submitting your nominations. If you have any questions, please contact Lynzi Michal at lmichal@frpo.org
2023 requirements
All submissions must be completed directly through the online portal in the provided form fields specific to each award category. More information is provided below about this process. In addition, each organization will be limited to a maximum of two submissions per category unless otherwise noted.
Preparing your supplemental files
We have launched a new portal this year which has led to some minor updates related to the supplemental file uploads. Please review the following information carefully.
• All required fields must be completed and word limits adhered to in order to successfully upload your submission.
• Accepted file types include: .jpg, .pdf, .eps, .png, .psd, .doc, .docx, .ai.
• The individual maximum file size is 20MB. Each category also includes a maximum number of files that you may select for upload.
• Please ensure you have submitted ALL required supplemental files and photos to support your entry including your high-resolution company logo.
• Once you have selected your files, scroll to the bottom and click on submit.
• Upon successfully submitting your nomination, you will receive an on-screen confirmation as well as one sent by email.
• FRPO reserves the right to cancel or amend categories.
• Judging will take place in October and a list of finalists will be announced in early November.
Information about the submission process
The award submission portal will open at least two weeks prior to the deadline. Members will receive an email notification once the submission portal becomes available. Please note that most awards are exclusively open to rental housing providers. However, there is a community service award for suppliers, as well as the company
culture award, which welcomes participation from suppliers and rental housing providers.
The FRPO MAC Awards are inclusive of organizations of all sizes. Our judging panels comprise professionals with diverse expertise, who will narrow down the field to three finalists. The ultimate winner will be announced at the 2023 MAC Awards Gala. Finalists will be notified in advance. All nominations must be FRPO members in good standing. Additionally, any nominated buildings must be managed or owned by your organization at the time of submission, and they must be included in your FRPO membership dues. To streamline the length of submissions, each required answer has a maximum word count. Please refer to the individual questions for the specified limits. However, it is not mandatory to use the maximum word count. If your answer exceeds the designated word count, you will be unable to upload your submission.
Kindly note that hyperlinks are generally not permitted unless otherwise specified (e.g., website addresses). Judges will disregard any hyperlinks included in fields where they are not allowed. You will have the option to upload supplemental photo files in your preferred order for the judges to view. Please ensure that each photo is clearly labeled for the judges’ reference. Additionally, high-resolution versions of your company logo must be included for each award category you apply for.
We strongly encourage the submission of highquality, well-shot photographs. Poor-quality photos may potentially impact your submission. You may even consider adding text to your photos to assist the judging panel in assessing your application. Any photos included in your submissions may be used in the event production, promotional materials, partner advertising or other related activities.
Please be aware the company name on your application will be displayed during the awards presentation if you are named a finalist.
Ontario’s leading advocate for quality rental housing
FRPO is the largest association in Ontario representing those who own, manage, build and finance residential rental properties.
membership inquiries please contact Lynzi Michal, Director,
lmichal@frpo.org www.frpo.org