Mortgage brokers will gather at Rebel Toronto on November 25 for the program’s 20th-anniversary gala
Canada’s mortgage brokers will gather at Rebel Toronto on Wednesday, November 25, for the 20th Canadian Mortgage Awards (CMAs), the national recognition program presented by Canadian Mortgage Professional (CMP).
The shortlist is already set. In September, CMP named its 2026 excellence awardees, the final shortlisted candidates across 23 competitive categories. That makes the gala the night the results go public, and much of the broker channel’s networking happens there too.
The business case for mortgage brokers
1. A milestone edition two decades in the making
The 2026 gala marks 20 years of the program recognizing the professionals, firms and leaders moving the Canadian mortgage industry forward. An event that has lasted two decades has outlived several rate cycles. That longevity is the reason a CMA carries weight with clients and lenders.
2. The shortlist resolves live
Readers can already review the 2026 Canadian Mortgage Awards excellence awardees. Among them in Eastern Canada are Anthony Di Feo of Multi-Prêts Mortgages, Nicole Farrugia of Vine Group and Paul Meredith of PMT Mortgage Corp.
Winners in all 26 categories will be revealed at the gala, so attendees see the results first.
3. The results are independently judged
The outcome is not decided by popularity. Winners are chosen through a points system that tallies the judging panel’s votes, and the excellence awardee with the highest score in each category takes the award.
CMP has profiled the five independent judges scoring this year’s submissions. Their backgrounds span academic research, regulatory law, federal housing policy and executive leadership in Canadian mortgage and finance.
The panel includes Andrey Pavlov, professor of finance at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business in Vancouver.
4. A benchmark for your own 2027 plan
The judging criteria double as a business review. For broker categories, judges weigh loan volumes, year-over-year growth, lead generation, client retention, conversion rates and overall customer service.
Broker of the Year is awarded in three regions: Maritimes/Atlantic Canada, Eastern Canada and Western Canada. Only category winners advance to compete for the overall Canadian Broker of the Year title.
5. Your lender partners in one room
The program recognizes business development managers (BDMs) and underwriters, not just brokers.
In the BDM categories, nominations coming directly from the broking community carry considerable weight.
The 2026 sponsors include CMI Canadian Mortgages Inc., Equitable Bank, Haventree Bank, MCAN Mortgage Corporation, RFA Mortgage Corporation and Real Property Solutions Inc.
With renewal volumes still elevated, a face-to-face conversation with a lender’s leadership team can be worth more than a dozen emails.
6. The industry’s decision-makers, all in one place
The gala draws hundreds of leading mortgage professionals and senior executives from top organizations. Few other evenings put brokerage principals, network heads and lender executives in the same room.
7. A preview of where the broker’s role is heading
Two categories are new this year: Mortgage Tech Innovator of the Year and The REMIC Award for Finfluencer of the Year.
The finfluencer category judges entrants partly on compliance awareness and adherence to Canadian regulatory and advertising guidelines for mortgage promotions. That is a signal of how digital advice is expected to mature.
What to expect on the night
8. Recognition for the whole team
Brokerage and team categories are split at 25 employees, so smaller shops compete with peers of a similar size.
The evening also includes the Haventree Bank Award for Lifetime Achievement, the program’s highest honour, which has no finalists and is announced only at the ceremony.
9. Recognition that pays off after the gala
Past winners say the award works long after the trophy is handed out. “Developers and investors need confidence in their advisor from day one,” said Akshay Gupta, a commercial real estate mortgage agent at Foundry Mortgage Capital Corp. in Toronto and the 2025 Young Achiever of the Year.
Kyle Benzies of DLC AIMI Collective Mortgage Group put it more directly: “Being a part of this, it’ll actually change the trajectory of my business.”
10. A well-run evening
The cocktail reception will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It will be followed by the awards ceremony and seated dinner until 10:30 p.m., then a post-awards celebration. The host is broadcaster Sonia Mangat, who appears on eTalk and CP24 Breakfast.
Entertainment will come from the five-piece band Soulfire and a Frank Sinatra tribute by Jesse Posa.
Registration is open at canadianmortgageawards.com/register-now.
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