Meet the Faculty

REDI Canada works with active industry professionals to develop and facilitate courses that meet industry and learner needs. Our instructors have expertise across a variety of industry areas and professional experience working across Canada.

Meet the Faculty Members

Aaron Forbes (he|him)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Senior Director, MCAP Financial Corp.

REDL: HSK 825 Real Estate Development and Finance 1; HSK 831 Real Estate Development and Finance 2
REDP: Real Estate Development Finance

Aaron Forbes Attended the University of Calgary, majoring in Economics and became a CFA Charter holder in 2013. He is a licensed member of the Real Estate Council of Alberta and has completed the Mortgage Associates Program and is currently a Senior Director with MCAP’s Development Finance Group. To date, he has been involved in the structuring of over $3.0 billion of real estate transactions throughout Western Canada, including 1st and 2nd mortgages and has completed syndications with most major Canadian Banks, Alberta based lending institutions, pension funds and life insurance companies. Aaron currently sits on the Board of Directors for KV Mortgage Fund Inc., a private Edmonton based lender, as an independent member and a member of the Lending Review Committee.

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Candace Cooper (she|her)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Partner, Daoust Vukovich LLP

REDL: HSK 827 Real Estate Law
REDP: Fundamentals of Real Estate Law

Candace is a partner and the practice lead of the Daoust Vukovich LLP commercial real estate department. Considered one of the best law firms in Canada for commercial property, leasing and development, Daoust Vukovich LLP has a team of highly qualified lawyers and ​paralegals serving the specialized needs of clients who acquire, develop and use commercial real estate. Candace’s practice encompasses all areas of commercial real estate law, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing and development of land involving commercial, retail and industrial properties. Her clients are diverse, and include entrepreneurial and institutional land developers, construction companies, commercial landlords, property managers, space users and commercial tenants. 
 
Candace is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and seminars including the Law Society of Ontario, the Land and Development Conference, the Canadian Apartment Investment Conference, and the International Council of Shopping Centres Law Conference. 
 
Candace joined Daoust Vukovich in July 2012 after practicing for several years at a full service Bay Street firm. Following her graduation from the J.D./L.L.B. joint degree law program at the University of Detroit in 2006, she was called to the bar in Ontario in 2007 and admitted to the New York State Bar in 2008. Prior to law school, Candace obtained her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.   

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Emma MacKenzie (she|her)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Director, Creative & Strategy at Chatterson

REDL: HSK 826 Real Estate Marketing
REDP: Marketing

Emma MacKenzie is Director, Creative & Strategy at Chatterson, a Calgary-based marketing agency with a specialization in Real Estate. Emma has spent the last 13 years planning and executing strategic marketing for a multitude of real estate development clients across Canada. Emma specializes in strategy development, project visioning, creative execution and the important connections between storytelling, target market motivations and marketing success.

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Iain G. McCorkindale (he|him)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Director, M3 Development Management Ltd.

REDL: HSK 835 Real Estate Development Management
REDP: Development Management
Iain McCorkindale has over two decades of experience in the real estate development sector and carries the professional accreditations of MRICS, PQS and LEED AP©️. Iain has worked on over 250 commissioned projects across the full asset class spectrum and provided advisory services for Project Lenders, Developers, Owners and Tenants across Canada and in select Locations. Iain is currently a Managing Director of M3 Development Management Ltd. and an Adjunct Instructor at the Real Estate Development Institute. Iain is also a Board Member of Homespace Society, Rundle College Society and a Committee Member of Calgary Economic Development’s Real Estate Sector Advisory Committee (RESAC).
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Jason Hardy (he|him)

Senior Director & Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Co-Founder & CEO at Ownly

REDL: HSK 836 Proptech: The Future of Real Estate
REDP: Proptech

Jason Hardy is the Co-Founder & CEO of the leading real estate e-commerce software, Ownly. Jason has spent the previous 18 years serving the real estate development sector in both Canada and the United States. An industry thought leader and speaker, Jason is the Chairman at Chatterson, a boutique real estate marketing firm headquartered Calgary, Canada. Jason is an instructor of Real Estate Marketing at the Haskayne School of Business’ Real Estate MBA program at the University of Calgary and holds the role of Senior Director of the Real Estate Development Institute of Canada. Jason also sits on the Management Advisory Committee (MAC) and Proptech Advisory Committee at the Haskayne School of Business and serves as Committee Chair at the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies.

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John Fisher (he|him)

Senior Director & Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Executive Vice President, CBRE

REDL: HSK 830 Commercial Real Estate Development
REDP: Commercial Real Estate

John Fisher is an Executive Vice President, Advisory & Transaction Services at CBRE in Calgary, a Sessional Instructor at the Haskayne School of Business, a board member of NAIOP, North America’s largest commercial real estate development member-association, an instructor at the Real Estate Development Institute and an advisor to The City of Calgary, Calgary Economic Development, The Calgary Stampede, The Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies and a variety of private real estate firms, associations, and corporations. John has worked on a variety of notable projects across Canada and is frequently called upon for industry articles, speaking events and publications.

John has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University) /Schulich School of Business (York University) and a BA in Economics (University of Calgary).

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Mark Seasons (he|him)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Professor at School of Planning, University of Waterloo

REDL: HSK 824 Real Estate Development and the Planning Process
REDP: Planning

Mark Seasons is a Professor and the Director of the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, which he joined in 1998 following almost 20 years in planning practice. He is a Fellow, Canadian Institute of Planners and a Registered Professional Planner (Ontario). Mark’s education includes a BA (Honours Geography – Queen’s); MEnvDes (Planning – Calgary); and PhD (Regional Planning – Waterloo). Mark has practiced as an urban planner with the City of Calgary, the New Zealand federal government, the Province of Ontario, and the Canadian federal government’s National Capital Commission. Throughout his professional career, he has worked in the areas of urban renewal, long-range planning, neighbourhood revitalization, regional planning, and non-profit housing. Mark’s research interests include plan evaluation, planning for climate change, strategic planning, and planning for slow-growth or declining cities. He has designed and delivered courses in land use planning, research methods, planning theory, program evaluation and regional planning. As a researcher, Mark has written and had published numerous articles in a variety of peer-reviewed journals. He’s also a member of the editorial boards of several academic journals for which he regularly reviews and evaluates articles that are submitted for publication. Mark was editor-in-chief of Plan Canada, the Canadian Institute of Planning’s practice-oriented journal, from 2005-10. In 2021, he published a sole-authored and peer-reviewed text on plan monitoring and evaluation (Evaluating Urban and Regional Plans: From Theory to Practice, UBC Press).

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Robert Spanier (he|him)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

President, Spanier Group

REDL: HSK 828 Mixed-Use Real Estate Development
REDP: Mixed-Use

Rob Spanier is an international real estate development expert with two decades of experience dedicated to creating innovative, next-generation destinations and places. By playing an integral role on multi-disciplinary project teams, Rob commits his extensive knowledge in large-scale mixed-use development, master planning, specialty leasing and deal making as well as programming and activation in order to create vibrant and prosperous communities. Most notably, Rob has helped to develop Lakeview Village on Mississauga’s waterfront, the Woodbine Districts in Toronto, and the Canary District, the 2015 PanAm Games Athletes Village. Rob is an active member and leader with the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

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Sano Stante (he|him)

Adjunct Instructor, REDI Canada

Founder of Sano Stante Real Estate

REDL: HSK 829: Sales Management and Strategies in Real Estate Development
REDP: Fundamentals of Real Estate Development Sales Management (Coming Soon)

Founder of Sano Stante Real Estate and jointly responsible for opening the first ReaL Broker in Canada. 

Sano has 38 years of experience in the real estate industry, and is the current Chair of the Residential Council or RECA, past President of the Calgary Real Estate Board, past Chair of Attainable Homes Calgary, an Honorary Life Member, a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Manager), a member of the RE/MAX Circle of Legends, and a savvy real estate developer and investor in his own right. Sano consults to government, institutions and businesses on the real estate market and assists builders in developing and marketing unique real estate projects. He has matched thousands of residential clients and their lifestyle to fine real estate and helped craft their real estate into a fine investment.  

  

Sano teaches Real Estate Sales Management & Strategies through the Real Estate Development Leadership certificate. 

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Meet the Team Members

Kirsty Gruber (she|her)

Director, Programs & Operations, REDI Canada

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Amanda Blacktopp (she|her)

Manager, Industry Relations, REDI Canada

Amanda has been managing property for over 15 years as a RECA-licensed Property Manager. Originally specializing in condominium management, Amanda achieved her Registered Condominium Manager designation in 2011. Beginning in 2014, she made the transition to commercial real estate, managing properties in all asset classes both as a third-party manager and an institutional landlord. In 2016, Amanda completed her Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation the pinnacle designation in property management.


Currently, Amanda is on the Board of Directors for Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Calgary Chapter and works on the Calgary Chapter Government Affairs Committee with the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA).

Amanda is passionate about improving public safety, promoting inclusive & diverse spaces, and educating future real estate professionals.In her spare time, Amanda enjoys time with her friends & family, skiing, mountain biking, and golfing.

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