Canada’s Housing Crisis Isn’t What You Think: Mark Kenney, Former President and CEO of CAPREIT

Welcome to the CRE podcast. 100% Canadian, 100% commercial real estate.  What can we learn about life, leadership, and the Canadian real estate landscape from someone celebrating his retirement after nearly three decades as the President and CEO of Canada’s largest publicly traded apartment landlord? In this celebratory episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Mark Kenney, former President and CEO of CAPREIT. Following his recent retirement after nearly three decades with the company, Mark shares his candid perspectives on Canada’s housing affordability crisis, rental markets, immigration, and the forces shaping apartment performance.  He explains why national housing narratives often overlook critical local differences, and why employment, population growth, and supply are essential to understanding market health. He also reflects on leadership, retirement, building strategy, and where investors can find value as capital markets, replacement costs, and housing fundamentals continue to shift.  **What you will learn:** - How to recognize when it’s time to leave a role - Why the “affordability crisis is solved” narrative is dangerously wrong - The three-pillar framework for assessing apartment market health - Why your most expensive apartments are paradoxically your most affordable - The optimal apartment building size is 130 units, not 200+ - How to identify the real inflection point in real estate **Mark Kenney** is the former President and CEO of Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (CAPREIT), with nearly three decades of leadership in Canadian multi-family real estate. During his tenure, he led portfolio modernization, geographic expansion, strategic acquisitions, and capital allocation across Canada, the Netherlands, and Ireland. A respected voice on housing, investment, and market fundamentals, Mark has served on the boards of REALPAC and FRPO and remains a frequent contributor to BNN Bloomberg and other media outlets, offering candid perspectives on Canada’s housing market. The post Canada’s Housing Crisis Isn’t What You Think: Mark Kenney, Former President and CEO of CAPREIT appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.