Who's shaping the Canadian mortgage industry this September

The Canadian Mortgage Summit Toronto returns to the International Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on September 23 and 24, with a speaker roster and agenda that reflects exactly where the Canadian mortgage industry stands — navigating a rate environment that has plateaued, a renewal wave still working its way through borrower books, and a technology shift that is rewiring how brokers run their practices.

Produced by Canadian Mortgage Professional, the event draws more than 50 confirmed speakers from across the broker, lender, technology, and regulatory sectors.

The two-day programme spans six thematic tracks across dual stages, covering prime lending, alternative and private credit, compliance, artificial intelligence, client communication, commercial markets, and the growing role of women in shaping the industry's leadership.

Registration for MortgageFest Canada includes full access to the Women in Mortgage Summit Canada, which runs on September 24 at the same venue.

The economic backdrop brokers cannot afford to ignore

The opening keynote on Day One sets the tone immediately. Derek Burleton, vice president and deputy chief economist at TD Bank Group in Toronto, will map out where rates, housing activity, and credit quality are actually heading across the next 24 months. Burleton's appearance comes against a backdrop of a Bank of Canada policy rate that has held at 2.25% through multiple decision cycles in 2026.

That context matters directly to brokers managing renewal conversations. Leah Zlatkin, licensed mortgage broker and chief operating officer of Mortgage Outlet Inc. in Toronto, told CMP that "Canada is not in a mortgage default crisis but the pressure on homeowners is real," noting that many borrowers are still renewing mortgages taken out when rates were much lower, and that even a modest increase in the rate can change the household budget quickly.

Zlatkin serves as Day Two chair on the Summit Stage at MortgageFest Canada, a role that reflects her standing as one of the Canadian mortgage industry's most prominent voices on market conditions, broker strategy, and client communication.

With expertise spanning residential and commercial mortgage solutions, First National has built a reputation as a trusted leader in the Canadian mortgage market.

See them at #MortgageFest Canada 2026.

🎟️ Register now: https://t.co/0tPfEtqNlt pic.twitter.com/aUEzBs7k4K

— Canadian Mortgage Professional Magazine (@CMPmagazine) September 2, 2026

From compliance pressure to the AI tipping point

Compliance is woven throughout the MortgageFest agenda in ways that reflect the industry's current risk environment. Two dedicated sessions on Day One and Day Two examine what happens when anti-money laundering processes, know-your-client requirements, and disclosure standards break down, using documented cases, not hypotheticals.

Gina Stephens, director of mortgage brokering conduct at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) in Toronto, joins those sessions alongside practising lawyers and senior compliance officers.

The summit's technology programming is equally substantive. Dalia Barsoum, co-founder and chief executive of Wisely AI Technologies and founder of Streetwise Mortgages — which has funded more than $2 billion in real estate mortgages — leads a session on what an AI-powered brokerage looks like in practice, covering real workflows across lead management, document preparation, underwriting support, compliance, and renewals.

Swish Goswami, co-founder and chief executive of BrokerPlus in Toronto, follows on Day Two with a breakdown of where brokers lose hours on every file and how technology has begun to close that gap.

The question of AI competence versus confidence is addressed directly by Joe White, founder and chief executive of the Real Estate and Mortgage Institute of Canada (REMIC) in Toronto. REMIC has trained more than 90,000 students across Canada in mortgage brokering, life insurance licensing, and continuing education, and White has shaped industry standards since 2008.

Drawing on a REMIC national survey of 1,910 Canadians, his session will examine how many Canadians are already turning to artificial intelligence for mortgage advice, and how few understand that the advice they receive is unregulated. 

Lenders, private capital, and the broker at the centre

MortgageFest Canada's lending panels reflect the full spectrum of where Canadian deals are actually getting done in 2026. The prime lending panel on Day One brings together four of the country's largest broker-facing lenders:

• Devon Ajram, vice president of broker services and operations, TD Bank
• Jamie Doolittle, head of BMO BrokerEdge
• Elena Robinson, vice president of residential sales, First National Financial LP
• Rejean Roberge, vice president of broker channel and Optimum Mortgage, National Bank

The alternative and private lending sessions are equally well-resourced. The Day Two MIC and private lending panel draws on executives from across the capital stack:

• Nick Christopoulos, chief executive, Hosper Mortgage
• Jason Geall, chief executive and principal broker, Peerage Mortgage Capital Inc.
• Joe Flor, vice president of national sales, CMI Canadian Mortgages Inc.
• Sebastien Kuperhause, vice president of sales, Sequence Capital — which manages access to more than $1.3 billion in MIC funds across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario

Diamond sponsors HomeEquity Bank and REMIC are joined at the platinum level by Haventree Bank, MCAN Home Mortgage Corporation, Questbank, and TransUnion Canada.

The full sponsor roster, which extends to gold, silver, and exhibitor tiers, reflects the depth of lender and technology participation at the 2026 event.

Jessica Holmes, author and Bell Let's Talk celebrity ambassador, opens Day Two on the Summit Stage with a keynote on resilience and mental wellness designed specifically for professionals working in high-pressure environments.

Holmes, whose bestselling memoir on depression was named one of the top 36 books about mental health by Good Housekeeping, delivers sessions that blend lived experience with evidence-based strategies from applied positive psychology.

Registrations are open at mortgagefest.ca.