Ugo Bizzarri, Founder and Executive Chair of Hazelview Investments, was presented with the Rental Housing Canada Lifetime Achievement Award at the Rental Housing Canada National Conference in Ottawa. The award recognizes individuals who have made an enduring impact on the rental housing sector through leadership, advocacy, and a commitment to building better communities across Canada.
Bizzarri co‑founded what is now Hazelview Investments in 1999, growing the firm from a domestic real estate investor and operator into a global investment management company with $11.2 billion in assets under management and more than 600 professionals across 19 offices in Canada, the United States, Europe, and Hong Kong. Over that time, Hazelview has owned and managed approximately 34,000 rental homes across six provinces and 21 Canadian cities — expanding the country’s rental housing supply by delivering 1,442 new purpose‑built rental homes to date, with more than 20,000 additional units in the development pipeline.
For more than 25 years, Bizzarri has been a defining voice in shaping Canada’s rental housing industry through public policy engagement, industry governance, and a deeply held belief that real estate is ultimately about people.
Beyond building Hazelview, Bizzarri has served as Chairman of the Federation of Rental‑housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) and founded — and continues to serve on the Board of — the Hazelview Cares Foundation, a not‑for‑profit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities in which Hazelview operates. Its work focuses on housing support, education and employment, health and well‑being, and local community initiatives. Together, these commitments reflect a career defined as much by community impact as by investment performance.
“Ugo has been one of the most influential figures in Canadian rental housing for more than two decades,” said Tony Irwin, President and CEO of Rental Housing Canada and FRPO. “He has led by example, building a world‑class organization while never losing sight of what this industry is really about; providing people with homes they are proud to live in. This award is a recognition of a career spent doing things the right way.”
The Rental Housing Canada Lifetime Achievement Award is among the industry’s most prestigious honours, presented to leaders whose contributions have shaped the rental housing landscape at a national level.
Reflecting on the recognition, Bizzarri said, “I’m deeply honoured to receive this award, and I want to be clear, everything we’ve built has been a team effort. Canada’s rental housing sector has never been more important, and I’m proud to have played a part in its growth. This recognition belongs to every person at Hazelview who has shown up every day committed to creating real value — for residents, investors, and the communities we’re part of.”
