CreateTO – the City of Toronto’s real estate agency – is pleased to announce Toronto City Council has appointed real estate industry executive Brian Johnston as the agency’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
In this role, Johnston will lead a team of strategists, planners and real estate experts who are continually looking for new and better ways to use those assets while ensuring a balance of both community and economic benefits, according to a press release.
Johnston brings with him more than 30 years of management experience in the residential real estate industry. He has held professional board roles across a variety of organizations including the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Ontario Home Builders’ Association. From 2012 to 2018, Johnston served as COO of Mattamy Homes, prior to joining Canada’s largest homebuilder, he worked in several management roles at Monarch Corporation from 1984 to 2012, serving as President from 2000 to 2012.
Johnston, a chartered professional accountant, currently serves as a director of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, the C.D. Howe Institute, the Mortgage Company of Canada, and is a member of the Board of Regents at Victoria University in the University of Toronto.
“I look forward to working with the Board and the talented team at CreateTO. The opportunity is unprecedented given the multi-faceted property holdings that CreateTO has been given as its responsibility. There is no shortage of everyday issues to address but perhaps the most pressing is responding to the City’s need for affordable housing. CreateTO will be a major participant in the Housing Now Initiative. In addition, I look forward to leading the agency in ensuring that there are creative and thoughtful approaches to better use the City’s real estate assets,” Johnston said.
“It is my belief that CreateTO, working with stakeholders, will have a major and positive impact on the City and its residents in helping to build a more livable City during this exciting time in its evolution.”
Reporting to the CreateTO Board of Directors, Johnston will be accountable for creating and executing a vision, strategy and business plan for the agency that is aligned with the direction of City Council.
