Annual Conference & Trade Show
March 27, 2025
EARLY BIRD TICKETS END ON FEBRUARY 7
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Agenda
8:00 AM
Registration and Continental Breakfast
Kick off the day with networking over a light breakfast.
Registration Desk Sponsor: Alta West
Breakfast Sponsor: Haventree

9:15 AM
Opening Remarks
Welcome from CMBA Ontario and our Title Sponsor, Community Trust

9:30 AM
Economic Update
Gain valuable insights into the current and future economic landscape.
Speaker:
- Douglas Porter, Chief Economist and Managing Director, BMO
10:00 AM
Lender Panel
Panelists:
- TBA
10:45 AM
Panel Title Coming Soon...
Speaker:
- Tanya Woods, Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs & Policy Counsel, Questrade Financial Group
11:30 AM
Coffee Break and Trade Show Floor Opens
Enjoy refreshments and explore the trade show.
Coffee Break Sponsor: Home Trust

12:30 PM
Lunch on the Trade Show Floor
Network with colleagues and visit exhibitors during the lunch break.
Lunch Sponsor: First National

2:30 PM
Keynote Presentation: Inside the Mind
Speaker: Kevin Hamdan, Mentalist & Psychological Illusionist.
Get Inside the Mind with Toronto’s Top Mentalist Kevin Hamdan.
Blending the art of Mentalism with powerful insights into human psychology, Kevin will be sharing tips on understanding people and leveraging psychological techniques to enhance your sales interactions with clients.
Understand client behaviour and gain actionable tips
Elevate your business to the next level
Transform your approach to the mortgage business with a touch of magic
Keynote Sponsor: Community Trust

3:15 PM
Mortgage Titans Debate: Insights from Industry Leaders
Debators:
- Ron Butler, Founder and Mortgage Broker, Butler Mortgage Inc.
- John Webster, Former President and CEO, Scotia Mortgage Corporation
Moderator:
- Leah Zlatkin, President, CMBA Ontario
4:00 PM
Closing Remarks and Prizes
Wrap up the day with final thoughts and exciting prize giveaways.
Thank you for choosing CMBA Ontario as your Association.
Our Sponsors
Thank you to all of our generous sponsors!











Meet Our Speakers
Our speakers bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from various sectors of the mortgage industry. Get to know the professionals who will be sharing their insights at our event.

Douglas Porter
Chief Economist and Managing Director, BMO
Douglas Porter has over 30 years of experience analyzing global economies and financial markets. As Chief Economist at BMO Financial Group and author of the popular Talking Points, he oversees the macroeconomic and financial market forecasts and co-writes the firm’s weekly flagship publication, Focus. Mr. Porter manages the team that has won numerous forecasting awards. Most recently, Douglas led the team to a #1 ranking for Top U.S. Forecaster among 60 global firms in the 2023 Focus Economics Survey, and #1 for Top Canadian Inflation Forecaster among 28 firms. Also, his team took the #1 spot in the StarMine Awards for Most Accurate Forecasters for Canada in 2022.
As a respected commentator on economic and financial trends, he is regularly quoted in the national press and often interviewed on radio and television. Douglas’ career began at the Bank of Canada; then, before joining BMO, he held the positions of Economist and Country Risk Analyst with other Canadian financial institutions. He has been a member of C.D. Howe’s Monetary Policy Council since 2008 and serves on the Investment Management Committees of the Bank of Montreal’s Canada Pension Plan and Western’s Endowment Fund.

Kevin Hamdan
Mentalist & Psychological Illusionist
Kevin Hamdan is an award winning Mentalist & Psychological Illusionist. He has become Toronto’s Top Mentalist and Canada’s Top Mentalist. His style of magic creates the illusion of Mind Reading and influence. Using psychology and suggestion, he will make you believe that he is really in your head. At the age of 6, Kevin’s father showed him his first Magic trick. This is what inspired Kevin to devote his life to learning the art. He has spent his life refining his craft by focusing on creating unbelievable moments of astonishment and intrigue. He focuses on connecting with his audience to ensure they have an unforgettable experience.
Kevin has also created a very strong social media presence and has been viewed over 100 million times online! This has led Kevin to becoming one of the go to performers for celebrity parties, private events and corporate events. His goal is to connect with his audiences and provide them with an unforgettable experience.”

Ron Butler
Founder and Mortgage Broker, Butler Mortgage Inc.
Ron Butler is a veteran mortgage broker. In his multi‐decade career, he has been involved in every facet of the broker channel from private mortgage lending to direct to consumer digital mortgage origination. His eponymous brokerage:Butler Mortgage Inc. a family business founded with his sons. With mortgage origination volumes of well over $1 Billion per year for many years and after personally reviewing tens of thousands of mortgage applications his insights on Residential Mortgages in Canada are both granular and wide ranging Ron has served on FSRA’s TACC Committee and has been a main platform speaker at numerous Mortgage Professionals Canada events Ron’s perspective on industry trends is sought after by news media: Reuters, CBC, CTV, The Report on Business, Financial Post, The Toronto Star @ronmortgageguy is the most followed mortgage professional on Twitter.

John Webster
Former President and CEO, Scotia Mortgage Corporation

Tanya Woods
Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs & Policy Counsel, Questrade Financial Group
Tanya Woods leads Government and Regulatory Affairs at Questrade Financial Group, a successful private Canadian company with $45B+ AUA and a portfolio of leading companies offering innovative financial, home, lending, and insurance services online to help clients become more financially successful. She is a dynamic and specialized technology, regulatory, and trade lawyer, former trade negotiator, and technology policy expert who advises governments and companies on issues such as intellectual property, open finance, emerging technologies and digital trade. She has served in advisory, board and C-suite legal and executive roles for over 20 years, successfully advancing the commercial and regulatory agendas of technology companies, including Microsoft, Nintendo, Interac, and BCE Inc. Woods also launched and led Canada’s first blockchain and digital assets trade association, was General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the listing of Canada’s first digital asset miner on NASDAQ, advised on the development of the first global charity-led algorithmic (AI) literacy program, and sat on the Board of Canada’s first publicly traded 4D “metaverse” studio. Tanya’s leadership and contributions have been published and recognized as leader in technology and global impact by the Government of Canada, IT World, the Obama Foundation, Toastmasters International, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, amongst others. Woods studied law at the London School of Economics, American University, and Ottawa University and received her ICD.D from Rotman School of Business at the University of Toronto.
HOTEL ACCOMMIDATIONS at ELEMENT VAUGHAN SOUTHWEST
Booking Instructions:
- Reservations for the Group Block can be made by booking online using this link: Book your group rate for CMBA Attendees Room Block (Select date and enter search) OR by calling our reservations department toll-free at 1-888-236-2427 or the hotel directly at 905-264-6474.
- When making reservations, Travelers must refer to the “CMBA Attendees Room Block” OR group code “ATE”at the time of booking.
- The Guest Service Agent will require this information in order for your guests to receive the block group rate.
- Reservations MUST be made before the cutoff date Feburary 26, 2025 to receive group discounted rate. (Rate is based on single and Double occupancy plus applicable taxes. There will be an additional fee of $10 per person per night for the 3 and 4 person per room. Children 18 years and under stay free of charge.)
Rate Includes: Free Breakfast, Free Parking and Free WI-FI.