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Introduction of the Forum Chairman
Carla Towstego-DeSousa, President,
    BOMA Edmonton

Forum Chairman:
Randy Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer,
   Procura Real Estate Services Limited

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A leading economist will offer forecasts and insights on the short-term and long-term outlook of the North American economy.  What is the impact on Canadian Real Estate — How did we get here and where are we going? A range of related issues will be presented: Canadian and U.S. interest rates for the next 12 -18 months, the outlook for the Canadian dollar, market liquidity, energy prices and the rates of inflation and bond yields. When will the capital flow return and at what cost?

Warren Jestin

Speaker: Warren Jestin, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist, Scotiabank (download presentation)

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A panel of leading experts will provide an extensive discussion on current investment trends. Who are the most active buyers in this changing economy? Who are the sellers? Where are the pools of money and when are they coming back on the market? Which product types are currently most favoured by investors? What can we expect to see with REITs and Pension Funds over the short and long term? Which asset classes are “top of mind” and why?  What have been some of the most significant transactions? How do investor attitudes vary from institutional vs. private and domestic vs. offshore? What is the outlook for investment activity in 2009 and beyond and what will be required for an increase in deal flow? How will recent activity in the US impact on investment potential and confidence?

Moderator: John O’Bryan, Vice Chairman, CB Richard Ellis (download presentation)

Panel: Jason Cottle, Managing Director,
   RBC Capital Markets Real Estate Group
Micheal Dal Bello, Senior Vice President, Real Estate,
   Alberta Investment Management Co.
Dave Young, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis

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So far Alberta has been somewhat buffered more than other parts of Canada from the recession. What can we expect in terms of capital spending, infrastructure initiatives and developments? With reduced energy prices, how will Alberta weather this storm? Will the heavy oil industry be sufficient to buoy Alberta through turbulent times? What price does oil need to be at and how is the current price of oil affecting the economy?

Premier Stelmach

Speaker: Premier Stelmach, Province of Alberta

TOPIC A1:
OFFICE MARKET: IS THE GAP CLOSING?

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In recent times, there has been a flight to the suburbs for office space. With lower rents, increasingly accessible transportation and expanded amenities, the suburbs provide an attractive alternative to the downtown market. However, with the downturn in the economy, the gap between suburban and downtown office space seems to be closing. Will this trend continue or is it a blip on the radar? This session will examine the trends in the suburban office sector and how they compare and differ with the downtown market. The session will end with a brief overview of the outlook for Edmonton’s suburban office market for 2009 and beyond.

Moderator: Sandy McNair, President, Altus Insite

Panel: Ken Cantor, Commercial Manager, Qualico
Peter Cohos, Principal, Tonko Realty Advisors Ltd.
Dave Schultz, Senior Leasing Manager, Oxford Properties Group
Cory Wosnack, Principal, Avison Young Canada Inc.

TOPIC A2:
INDUSTRIAL MARKET — WHERE IS THE MARKET GOING?

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With a slowing economy, industrial real estate development has been directly affected as various sectors tighten their financial belts. How will lower commodity prices affect the marketplace? How much have land prices, lease rates and industrial development been affected? When will it make sense to be a buyer again? What are the projections for 2009/10 industrial development and activity?

Moderator: Rod Connop, Vice President, Industrial Division,
    Colliers International (download presentation)

Panel: Terry McRobb, Director, Leasing & Property Management,
    ING Real Estate Canada
Brad Hoffman, Development Manager, Panattoni Development Company
Shaun Wuschke, Vice President Edmonton, Bentall LP

TOPIC A3:
THE MYTHS & REALITIES OF GREENING NEW AND EXISTING BUILDINGS

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Over the past few years, green building has become a $25 billion industry in North America. What have been the key factors responsible for the rapid acceptance, development, implementation, and acceleration of these practices? Why are institutional investors among some of the strongest advocates for green investment and see this as a value proposition? What tangible results have been offered on the quantifiable value of higher performance buildings? While developers and landlords are aware of various green initiatives, how do we as an industry market the concepts and create awareness with tenants so that the development of green projects and the greening of existing buildings becomes a recognized standard? While considerable focus has been on greening office buildings, does it also make economic sense to green industrial and retail projects? Will tenants pay more to be in a green building? Discussion will also focus on the comprehensive green lease – the first of its kind – that has been produced for the industry by Real Property Association of Canada. (download presentation)

Moderator: Mike Turner, P. Eng, Partner, Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.

Panel: Brandy Burdeniuk, Sustainable Building Materials Specialist,
    ECO Ammo
Curtis Loblick, Mechanical Engineer, Stantec Consulting
Ian O'Donnell LEED AP, Manasc Isaac Architects Ltd.

TOPIC B1:
MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL: WHERE IS THE MARKET GOING?

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Despite a slowing economy, Edmonton still has the lowest rental vacancy rate in the country. Is this expected to continue? What will be the effect of major condo completions coming up over the next eight months? How will that affect the rental market? What are the issues with closing and are buyers walking away from their investments? Is the conversion of buildings to assisted living the next major trends in multi-unit residential?

Moderator: Richard Goatcher, Senior Market Analyst,
    Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation (download presentation)

Panel: Paul Chaput, Senior Broker, Avison Young Canada Inc.
Bard Golightly, Chief Operating Officer, Christenson Developments Ltd.
David Kent, President & CEO, Nearctic Group
Dale Klein, President, Canada ICI Capital Corporation

TOPIC B2:
CONSTRUCTION COSTS — HOW MUCH LOWER WILL COSTS GO BEFORE IT MAKES SENSE TO BUILD AGAIN?

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As the residential sector has slowed along with the general economy, demand on the construction industry has dropped considerably. With reduced demand, costs are following suit with substantial decreases already. In addition, the supply of construction labour is finally available. How much lower can prices go before this trend turns around? How much further do prices need to drop in order for it to make sense to build again?

Moderator: Gary Klassen, General Manager, Planning and Development,
    City of Edmonton

Panel: Roger Dootson, Vice President Northern Alberta,
    PCL Construction Management Inc.
Andrew Megson, Partner, Springwood Developments
David Schoonjans, Director, Altus Group (download presentation)
Paul Verhesen P. Eng, President, Clark Builders

TOPIC B3:
SHOW ME THE MONEY! WHEN WILL CAPITAL BE AVAILABLE AGAIN, WHAT ARE THE COSTS? WHAT LIES AHEAD?

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Access to capital is crucial for real estate developers and investors, and for their customers or clients. As the cost of borrowing goes up, affordability is affecting the ability to continue to do business. How long will the credit crunch last and what will it cost to borrow? What strategies are businesses adopting with reduced access to credit? The panel will clarify what needs to happen in order for the mortgage market to regain its past liquidity.

Moderator: Jeffrey Lastiwka, President & CEO, Jaycap Financial

Panel: Richard Brownscombe, President, Montrose Mortgage
Randy Garvey, Executive Vice President, Canadian Western Bank
Andrew Huntley, Vice President, Mortgage Investments,
    Alberta Investment Management Co. (download presentation)
David Majeski, Vice President Commercial and Real Estate Markets,
    Royal Bank

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Patrick Laforge

Speaker: Patrick Laforge, President, Edmonton Oilers

TOPIC C1:
RETAIL — WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIES FOR THIS ASSET CLASS?

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Though the retail sector may shrink over the next year, some retailers are showing growth. Who are they and what are their strategies? How long is this period of adjustment? What do some of the major retailers have to say about this? How will the real estate retail market fare in the midst of closing retailers? Will rates drop? How will Southgate and South Edmonton Common fill up the new space and development, how will they find tenants? How long will the period of adjustment take?

Moderator: Doug Fogg, Partner, Cushman & Wakefield LePage (download presentation)

Panel: Eric Carlson, President & CEO, Anthem Properties Ltd.
Stephen Knight, President, Sitings Realty Group Ltd.
Tom Munro, Vice President, Real Estate & Store Development,
    Overwaitea Food Group
Cameron Naqvi, Vice President, Leasing & Development,
    Cameron Development Corp.

TOPIC C2:
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR GREATER EDMONTON AND NORTHERN ALBERTA

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This presentation will look at northern Alberta. With specific details from the oil & gas industry, education and health, this session will look at where the province is going in terms of jobs, employment, expansion and funding. Plans for these industries and what can be expected going forward as we navigate through the challenging and changing economy will be discussed.

Presenter: Ron Gilbertson, President & CEO,
     Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (download presentation)

TOPIC C3:
APARTMENT SECTOR: WHERE IS THE CYCLE HEADING?

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Notwithstanding some concern about vacancy rates, the multi-unit residential sector continues to attract capital and investor interest because of its historical stable returns. Some new apartment construction is continuing across Alberta, the institutional investors are back, and lenders like the asset class as well. Where is this sector going, what are the opportunities, and where are the risks? What impact is condominium development having on this market? What are current investor attitudes towards apartment buildings vs. other asset classes? Who is buying and who is selling apartment properties at this time? Where do cap rates appear to be heading?

Moderator: Ray Townsend, Senior Vice President, CB Richard Ellis (download presentation)

Panel: Greg Christenson, President, Christenson Developments
Russell Dauk, Vice President of Land & Communities, Rohit Group
Kevin Screpnechuk, Senior Vice President, Western Canada,
    Boardwalk REIT
Bill Zigomanis, Vice President, Commercial Mortgage Group,
    TD Bank Financial Group

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Given the broad range of issues that were raised during today’s conference and the current economic turmoil, a panel of well respected senior real estate executives will have the last word. They will give us their insights and perspectives on what they believe are the most critical issues and market trends facing their business plans and the industry in general over the next year. What course of action should be taken?

Moderator: Randy Ferguson, Chief Operating Officer,
    Procura Real Estate Services Limited

Panel: Bill Butler, President, Springwood Developments
Leo de Bever, Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Investment Management Co.
Scott Hutcheson, Chairman, President & CEO, Aspen Properties Ltd.
Jon Love, Managing Partner & CEO, KingSett Capital
Phil Milroy, President, Westcorp Inc.
Kevin Pshebniski, President, Hopewell Development Corporation