Five independent judges will determine which brokers, lenders, and firms take home a 2026 Canadian Mortgage Award
The Canadian Mortgage Awards returns to Rebel Toronto on November 25 for its 20th anniversary ceremony — and the question of who earns recognition rests with five independent specialists assembled to keep the outcome impartial, defensible, and grounded in genuine expertise.
The judging panel is the final stage in a five-step process that begins with nominations and moves through independent research, shortlisting, and a confidential submission round before reaching the judges.
Understanding how that panel has been built and what they are being asked to weigh matters for any mortgage professional in Canada considering whether this year's programme is worth their attention.
What the judges are being asked to weigh
The 26 categories span broker, brokerage, lender, and industry segments, with each assessed against criteria specific to its field.
For broker categories such as Broker of the Year — Commercial and Broker of the Year — Regional, judges weigh loan volumes, year-over-year growth, lead generation, client retention, conversion rates, and overall customer service.
Brokerage categories carry additional weight on employee value proposition, growth strategy, and use of technology.
Two categories reflect where the industry is heading rather than where it has been.
The REMIC Award for Finfluencer of the Year recognises a financial content creator who has made a significant, positive impact on Canadian mortgage literacy, with judges assessing quality and accuracy of educational content, audience reach, creative storytelling, and compliance awareness.
The Mortgage Tech Innovator of the Year award recognises an individual who has driven the adoption or development of a significant new technology or digital solution within the Canadian mortgage industry, with judges focused on the significance of the innovation, its measurable industry impact, and its benefit to the wider market beyond the nominee's own organisation.
At the top of the individual awards sits the Canadian Broker of the Year.
Only winners from the specialist and regional broker categories — including Commercial, Private Lending, Reverse Mortgages, Alternative Broker Specialist, and the three regional designations — are eligible for that title, creating a tournament structure that rewards depth of performance across the full broker channel.
The highest honour on the night, the Haventree Bank Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Mortgage Industry, carries no shortlist process.
Nominations are evaluated directly by the CMA team, with the recipient contacted three to four weeks before the ceremony and announced live on November 25.
How winners are ultimately determined
Once the judging panel completes its review, winners are determined using a simple points system that aggregates judges' votes, with the excellence awardee holding the top score in each category named the winner. Voting commences in October and November.
Excellence awardees — the shortlisted nominees in each category — will be announced in September ahead of the November gala.
All submissions remain confidential unless otherwise marked and will not be shared with any third parties other than the judges.
For mortgage professionals who have not yet engaged with the programme, the feature on what winning a Canadian Mortgage Award means for practitioners and their businesses is a useful primer on why the recognition carries weight in the Canadian market.
And for those weighing whether their own performance over the past 12 to 18 months holds up to scrutiny, an earlier piece on how to nominate a colleague — and what the strongest submissions look like is worth revisiting before the shortlist is released.
A panel assembled for independence
All judges are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing the unauthorised disclosure of confidential information, including anything contained in submission forms.
Judges are assigned categories that reflect their expertise and are required to recuse themselves from any category in which a conflict of interest exists. c
The 2026 panel spans academic research, regulatory law, federal housing policy, and executive leadership across the Canadian mortgage and finance sector.
Dr. Kiana Basiri, Assistant Professor at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, brings research expertise in housing economics and credit markets, with prior industry experience as a Senior Specialist at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
Her academic work, published in journals including Real Estate Economics and Housing Studies, focuses on residential mortgage policy and household finance.
Samantha Gale, Chief Executive Officer of Veracite Trust Company Ltd. and the Canadian Private Lenders Association (CPLA), brings regulatory depth rooted in 15 years with the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) and earlier service as CEO of the Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association – BC and the Mortgage Brokers Institute of BC.
She holds a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School specialising in banking and financial law.
Andrey Pavlov, Professor of Finance at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, BC, contributes expertise in real estate risk management, mortgage securitization, and aggressive lending modelling.
He has consulted for the United States Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the Government of Canada, among other bodies.
Caroline Sanfaçon, Senior Vice-President of Insurance and Securitization at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in Ottawa, leads the delivery of CMHC's commercial products and brings more than 20 years of public and private sector experience in real estate credit risk and lending.
Steven Ranson, retired President and Chief Executive Officer of HomeEquity Bank, spent nearly 25 years leading the institution and is widely credited with transforming reverse mortgages from a niche product into a recognised financial tool for older Canadians.
He is the co-author of HomeRun: The Reverse Mortgage Advantage.
Nominations are closed. The next milestone is the September excellence awardee announcement. The ceremony itself takes place November 25 at Rebel Toronto.
Full category details and the judging process are available at canadianmortgageawards.com/process.
Make sure to get all the latest news to your inbox on Canada’s mortgage and housing markets by signing up for our free daily newsletter here.
