About Us - Mid-Rise.Ca - Resources for Professionals & Developers

At MID-RISE.CA we believe that supporting Mid-Rise Real Estate Development projects is the key to creating a decentralized solution to Canada’s housing crisis.

Our mission is to empower small entrepreneurs and real estate developers to thrive in the Mid-Rise sector by providing them with the resources they need to define, plan, and execute successful projects. We understand that the housing crisis is a complex and urgent problem that requires bold action, and we’re committed to being part of the solution.

WE NEED AN ARMY OF MID-RISE DEVELOPERS TO HELP SOLVE CANADA’S HOUSING CRISIS

About the FOUNDER

Payam Noursalehi

Payam is a Project Management Professional (PMP) with over a decade of experience in real estate development and construction projects. His expertise comes from his exposure to multiple aspects of the industry, such as Engineering, Management Consulting, Construction Management, Development Management, and Private Equity Investments.

Contributers

What started as a personal passion and endeavor very quickly grew into a vibrant and dynamic discussion among passionate, like-minded experts. At MID-RISE.CA, our mission to tackle Canada’s housing crisis is fueled by the collective expertise and dedication of our team of contributors. Their invaluable insights, experience, and commitment empower us to offer expert guidance, customized solutions, and comprehensive industry knowledge to aspiring entrepreneurs and real estate developers in the mid-rise sector.

We highly appreciate the contribution of the following experts and professionals to our community.

Podcast - Guests

Shakeel Walji, P.Eng.

Shakeel has over 32 years of planning experience in the Real Estate industry. Founder of Sher Corporation and the Walsh Group, Shakeel has an unparalleled understanding of development that is uncommon in today’s marketplace. Possessing both a strong background as a professional engineer as well as a creative flair for design, he fully understands the development process from concept to execution.

Jonathan Diamond, PhD

Jonathan Diamond is a principal at Well Grounded Real Estate, a family-run firm that owns and operates a portfolio of multi-family and retail properties throughout Ontario. He has been instrumental in driving purpose-built rental developments, showcasing a commitment to scalable strategies for building design, development, and execution.

Michael Testaguzza, MCIP, RPP

Michael is a Registered Professional Planner and Partner at The Biglieri Group. He leads multi-disciplinary teams to streamline the preparation, submission and approval of land use planning applications, including Site Plans, Condominium, Subdivisions, Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-Law Amendments, Minor Variances, and Consent Applications.

Robert McQuillan

Robert is a Planner at The Biglieri Group and a Candidate Member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. His range of project experience spans Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments for large-scale, master-planned communities, minor variances for infill multiplex projects, academic research, social planning for culturally specific long-term care, and more.

Jack Keays, P.Eng.

Jack, the principal of Vortex Fire Consulting, is an accomplished fire safety engineer, building code expert, and mass timber innovator with extensive project experience in Canada, Singapore, the Middle East, and North Africa.

He has served as a committee member for the development of building standards and for the advancement of the field of fire science as it applies to the built environment. Jack provides building and fire code consulting services from the conceptual design stage through to successful construction completion.

Phil Silverstein, MAATO, LEED AP BD+C

Phil is a principal at Moriyama Teshima Architects. Since joining the firm in 2001, Phil has worked on projects such as Limberlost Place, Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Urban Innovation, the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Innovation Complex, Victoria University’s Goldring Student Centre, and three projects for Humber College, including their Athletic Centre, Student Welcome & Resource Centre, and the Centre for Entrepreneurship.

Raymond Van Groll, P.Eng.

Manager, Building Structures Division – MTE Consultants is a multidisciplinary engineering firm providing services in civil and structural engineering, building and environmental science, toxicology and land surveying.

Raymond specializes in mid-rise structural buildings and light gauge steel construction, and has assisted in the development of CSSBI’s Light Weight Steel Framing Design Manual.

Andrew Ferancik, MCIP, RPP

Andrew has over 20 years of planning experience in the public and private sectors. A Principal at WND Associates Planning & Urban Design, Andrew is involved in a broad range of projects in the City of Toronto and throughout the Greater Toronto Area with a particular emphasis on urban redevelopment and intensification projects, including low-, mid-and high-rise residential, office, mixed-use, retail, institutional, and plans of subdivision.

Rod Rowbotham, OAA

An award-winning architect and recognized business leader with more than 30 years of experience. His vision to provide a unified professional service results in the formation of onespace unlimited, where he leads a passionate team to craft architecture and interior design with excellence and best business practices of both industries.

Hoordad Ghandehari, OAA

A registered architect in Canada, is one of the two founding partners of Icon Architects, specialized in multi-family and mixed-use high-rise, midrise and low-rise architecture. Their firm has won numerous design awards, and is considered one the leading firms in the city.

Dr. Murtaza Haider, PHD

Murtaza Haider is a Data Science and Real Estate Management professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. He also serves as the research director of the Urban Analytics Institute and is the Director of Regionomics Inc., a boutique consulting firm specializing in the economics of cities and regions.

Kostadin Demirov

(a.k.a. Kosta) came to Canada as a refugee from Bulgaria. From humble beginnings, through hard work, long-term planning, and resourcefulness, he managed to work his way up to becoming a real estate developer.

Simon Edwards, M.Eng, P.Eng,

An Acoustical Engineer at HGC in HVAC Noise Control, including the development of internal modelling resources based on continual emerging theoretical and experimental research publications. He is also an expert at conducting sound transmission testing and is a member of both the ISO and ASTM Technical Committees on Building Acoustics.

Joey Giaimo, OAA, MRAIC, CAHP

With more than 25 years of experience in the architectural, heritage and engineering professions, he is the founder of Giaimo Architects with an approach to architecture that sources the value and characteristics of existing buildings and spaces. His projects have received numerous awards, he has been acknowledged with a Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation.

Blair Davies, P.Eng.

An Expert and Agent for High-Performance Facade Systems that are innovative, aesthetic, sustainable, constructible, affordable and proven. Blair has been growing engineering-based businesses for 25+ years in multiple industries including construction. He has seen that designing things right, making the complex simple and getting the right people, ideas, and things on the job as seeds of success.

Sheldon D. Rosen

The founder of the SDR Group is an Architect turned Real Estate Developer. Over the past four decades, The SDR Group has been at the forefront of leading design and development. Endeavors revolve around creating and participating in exciting projects and ground-breaking opportunities involving sustainability, re-purposing, and imaginatively implementing fascinating and creative solutions.

Cara Sloat, P.Eng, LEED BD+C

A Toronto-based mechanical engineer and principal at Hammershlag and Joffe, a M&E firm delivering work across Canada. She has more than 20 years of mechanical design experience and a focus on low-energy, decarbonized multi-unit residential and commercial buildings. Her experience in ventilation includes exploring innovations in fresh and clean air delivery. She also serves on the board of Toronto’s 2030 District.

George Popper, OAA

An architect since 1975 and the president and founder of Urban Fabric and a principle at Grid Developments. With decades of experience as an architect & real estate developer George has the vision and experience to manage a residential development at every stage, from site analysis and planning approvals through to design and construction.

Blog Contributers

Raymond Van Groll, P. Eng.

Samuel Briet, PHD

Eastern Canada Director – Menard has helped contractors, engineers, developers, and architects develop and implement tailored geotechnical solutions to each project’s specific ground improvement requirements since 1971.

John Bell, C.E.T, BCxP, LEED Green Assoc.

RWDI’s Technical Director of Commissioning and helps new and existing buildings achieve their full potential. John is an award-winning building commissioning professional with more than 20 years of testing and commissioning experience and hundreds of projects across diverse sectors and industries, including data centers, laboratories, institutional, and residential projects

Blair Davies, P.Eng.

Simon Yee, MCIP, RPP

is an Associate Manager with Arcadis with over ten years of professional planning and development experience. Simon has led multi-disciplinary teams and oversees the completion of highest and best-use assessments and the securing of planning approvals for a wide range of development types, including mixed-use, residential, commercial office, institutional, and industrial.

David Fleischer, MCIP, RPP

Is a Planner with Arcadis with nearly 10 years of professional planning and development experience for a range of public and private sector clients. He has worked on transportation and transit-oriented projects and a variety of development (Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendments, Site Plan approvals) projects.