Congratulations to the NAIOP GTA 24th Annual REX Award Winners

Michael J. Cooper
Founder and Chief Responsible Officer,
DREAM

Mr. Michael Cooper is the President and Chief Responsible Officer of Dream, and founder of DAM.  He is also the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Dream Office REIT. He has an extensive track record in the real estate industry dating back to 1986. He helped found DAM in 1996 and continues to lead the business as President and Chief Responsible Officer. Under his leadership, the business has grown to approximately $28 billion of commercial real estate and residential development assets under management.  Among his accomplishments,

Mr. Cooper is responsible for the formation of two TSX-listed real estate investment trusts: Dream Office REIT, Dream Industrial REIT, and the formation of Dream Impact, the first publicly traded impact fund. Mr. Cooper was also involved in the formation of Dream Global REIT, previously a TSX-listed real estate investment trust, the assets and subsidiaries of which were sold in 2019 and Dream Residential REIT, previously a TSX-listed real estate investment trust, which was sold in 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Business Administration from York University. Mr. Cooper currently sits on the boards of Dream, Dream Office REIT, Dream Industrial REIT, Dream Impact and Rogers Communications Inc.

Jeffrey Friedman
Vice Chairman
CBRE

Jeff Friedman began his career with CBRE in 1991. He is a Vice Chairman and a member of the Toronto Downtown Office Leasing Group. Jeff has completed over 4,500 lease transactions totaling over 20 million SF, providing both Tenant and Landlord representation services. 

Jeff’s extensive experience covers the full spectrum of tenant advocacy and strategic occupancy planning on behalf of tenants to project leasing and disposition services for tenants and landlords. Jeff performs consistently at the highest level in the industry and is recognized by his peers as one of the Top 5 agents in the business. 

Jeff’s comprehensive product knowledge, market intelligence, and extensive experience provide high-level value to his clients. 

Jeff is a perennial Top 10 Performer nationally at CBRE and has been the recipient of every individual honor the company offers its sales professionals. 

Office Development of the Year

Project: Portland Commons
Team: Carttera Private Equities Inc., Sweeny &Co. Architects, EllisDon, Ecovert, Cavendish Management, National Bank, Otera Capital

Portland Commons is a 560,000 sf AAA class office development located in the King West Neighbourhood, designed for energy efficiency, wellness and an innovative workplace. Thirteen outdoor terraces, operable windows, ample
natural light, bicycle locker and spa-like shower facilities further enhance the user experience and overall employee well-being.

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Industrial Development of the Year

Project: Dixie Inspire
Team: Berkshire Axis Development, Fiera Real Estate, Dejardins, Lemay, Cecchini Group, Citi Brokers

Dixie Inspire is a contemporary industrial condominium development in Brampton spanning 19 acres across six buildings totaling 335,674 square feet. Completed in August 2025, it delivers flexible, high-functioning workspace designed to support businesses of all sizes in one of the Greater Toronto Area’s fastest-growing industrial hubs.

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Multi-Residential Development of the Year

Project: West House at 88 Bathurst Street
Team: Hines

West House introduces a new model for rental housing in Toronto – defined by curation, integration, and operational intent. By aligning architecture, retail, and programming from inception, it delivers measurable outperformance
while redefining how purpose-built rental is conceived, experienced, and valued.

Office Investment Deal of the Year

Project: 70 York Street
Team: Desjardins Global Asset Management Canadian Private Real Estate Fund, L.P., Desjardins Group Pension Plan, KingSett Capital, Private Vendor, Desjardins Capital Markets, TD Securities Real Estate Group, CBRE Limited, Bennett Jones, Aird & Berlis LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

70 York is an award-winning, 16-storey Class ‘A’ office building comprising 210,805 square feet, situated at the core of Toronto’s Financial District. The Property features exceptional transit and PATH connectivity and is leased to a diverse group of prominent tenants from the finance, technology and professional services sectors

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Industrial Investment Deal of the Year

Project: Dream CPP Investments Industrial JV
Team: CPP Investments, Dream Industrial, TD Securities, RBC Capital Markets, CBRE, Colliers Capital Markets, Stikeman Elliot LLP, King & Spalding LLP

CPP Investments and Dream Industrial created a $3B JV focused on Canadian urban industrial. The venture was
seeded with an $805M portfolio previously owned by Dream Industrial. Dream Asset Management will serve as the asset manager and pro-forma the transaction, DAM’s AUM will increase to $33B ($20B of industrial).

Multi-Family Investment Deal of the Year

Project: Litho Apartments
Team: LaSalle Investment Management, RioCan Living, Woodbourne Canada Management Inc, TD Securities Real Estate Group, CBRE Limited, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Goodmans LLP, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Litho Apartments is a premium, newly constructed apartment building located in central Toronto. Acquired
in 2025, Litho was the largest single‑asset multifamily transaction in the GTA. The property comprises 210 rental units and 30,000 SF of grocery-anchored retail space, fully tenanted by Farm Boy and the LCBO.

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Office Lease of the Year

Project: Creekbank Campus – 5115 Creekbank Rd
Team: Cushman & Wakefield, Bell Canada

Bell Canada’s Creekbank Campus in Mississauga delivered the GTA’s largest sublease in recent years, with 250,000 square feet leased to a global pharmaceutical tenant. The transaction united two major headquarters in a LEED
certified, innovative workplace, setting a new benchmark for large block office leasing

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Industrial Lease of the Year

Project: Volkswagen Parts Distribution
Center and Head Office
Team: Dream Summit Industrial, JLL Canada & US

A 342,000 SF lease renewal and 114,000 SF expansion for Volkswagen’s headquarters and primary parts distribution centre in Ontario. Executed through a competitive RFP during sector uncertainty, the transaction secured a longterm commitment from a global tenant while retaining operations at a single site, with total rental value of $80M.

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Retail Lease of the Year

Project: Pure Fitness at 4711 Yonge Street
Team: Menkes Developments Ltd., Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, Pure Fitness, Lennard Commercial Realty, CBRE Limited

Menkes signed a 15-year lease with Pure Fitness for 25,000 square feet at 4711 Yonge Street, anchoring the
building’s concourse level as part of a comprehensive repositioning that included a four-million-dollar lobby
upgrade, new building facade, and the addition of Vanta Cafe.

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Leslie Fang
Principal Investments, BGO

Leslie is a Managing Director, Investments at BGO, where he plays a senior leadership role within the firm’s Canadian real estate investment platform. He has been involved in more than $6 billion of transactions across all major asset classes, including multifamily, office, industrial, retail, and alternative sectors. His experience spans a wide range of investment strategies, from core to value-add, and includes complex transactions, joint ventures, and portfolio investments.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Leslie is actively involved with NAIOP Toronto, where he currently serves as Chair of the Developing Leaders program. He is also a mentor with Project Destined and a volunteer with the Canadian Forces Air Cadets. He is the co-founder of the Toronto Real Estate Rally, a flagship philanthropic event supporting community causes which has raised more than $400,000 to date. Leslie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, graduating with high distinction, and is a CFA Charterholder.