Stratosphere properties is incredibly honored to sponsor and co-organize alongside Concept One Financial Group, Western Canada's largest interactive real estate forum. Taking place on September 28th at the JW Marriott Parq hotel in Downtown Vancouver, Join us for a discussion on the future of economy, the real estate market, and how we can tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

We at Stratosphere Properties, like the rest of Greater Vancouver’s residents, want to see change! Our already broken housing market is in the midst of being caught in the centre of a macroeconomic environment hurricane. With Vancouver already being the 3rd most unaffordable city in the world and 1st in North America. More and more residents are unable to call this beautiful place home. The goal of this event is to create a space for discussion on real solutions to address this issue. We see so much opportunity in this city and I’m confident that we can keep it a welcoming place for all.

The main topics of discussion will revolve around Inflation, Housing Affordability, The Current Economic environment, Sustainability, and Future Transportation. It is clear today, that we are heading into one of the most challenging and uncertain economic times in most of our professional lives. With inflation spiraling out of control and interest rates rising at the quickest rate in 40 years, what implications will this uncertain macroenvironment have on one of the most unaffordable and stressed housing markets in the world? CMHC estimates that BC needs an additional 570,000 homes by 2030 to reach affordability. What changes are needed in government at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to address this situation? What fiscal policy tools can be used and what kind of monetary framework do we need to tackle these issues? Are changes needed in city planning, zoning and reforming the approval process to expedite the number of homes needed to be built to meet the ever-growing demand?

At the same time, how can we ensure that the way we build out this city maintains our role as a sustainability leader in the world? We want to be at the forefront of this revolutionary change and be a role model for other cities to follow. During the 2010 Winter Olympics, The City of Vancouver made a bold commitment to be the greenest city in the world. Though we are a leader in sustainability, there’s a lot of room for improvement, as we have recently lost that title to Copenhagen, Denmark. We've thrived when it comes to the use of sustainable energy, but lack in others. One area where we can really capitalize on is the future of our transportation. How can we improve and better integrate our transportation infrastructure, to not only make Greater Vancouver accessible to all, but also reclaim the title of Greenest city in the world?

These are the questions that need to be answered to create a more affordable and sustainable community for all. To help us tackle these challenges, we are so excited to bring together a wide range of leaders in real estate development, finance industry, policy makers, renowned professors, as well as the young emerging leaders of the next generation, for a day of proactive discussion. To name a few, we are proud to welcome Brendon Ogmundson (Chief Economist of the BC Real Estate Association), Professor Tom Davidoff (Director of the UBC Centre of Urban Economics and Real Estate), Hon. Anne Kang (MLA for Burnaby - Dear Lake), and Will Fan (EV entrepreneur and CEO of Smartcity and Emobility).

We look forward to them sharing their wealth of knowledge and engaging in insightful dialogue. Please don’t be shy. Think of questions to ask and don’t curb your enthusiasm to grow. By the end of the event, I hope that everyone will be able to foster new connections, learn a thing or two, or be inspired with a new idea. We hope through our event, everyone can take away valuable information that can help you navigate through these challenging times. As well more importantly initiate discussion that will bring much need change to our community. We hope to see you there!