Two stages, two days, and 2,000+ attendees — here's what brokers need to know about MortgageFest
MortgageFest Canada is set to bring more than 2,000 mortgage brokers, lenders, executives, and industry innovators to the International Centre in Toronto on September 23 and 24.
The event marks a significant evolution of the Canadian Mortgage Summit, expanding its format, scale, and ambition to give Canadian mortgage professionals a dedicated two-day platform built around business outcomes, practical education, and high-value networking.
For brokers preparing to attend or still deciding whether to, here is a breakdown of what the programme offers and how to make the most of it.
The summit stage: big conversations for the whole industry
The main Summit Stage is where the event's broadest themes will play out. Sessions confirmed for 2026 include a panel on how the prime lending landscape has shifted and where deals are getting done, a candid examination of what brokers are getting wrong right now and what it is costing them in approvals and conversions, and a forward-looking discussion on artificial intelligence and the broker advantage.
The AI session, titled "AI + the Broker Advantage – Winning the Complex Deals," is particularly timely. As automation increasingly processes clean, straightforward files without broker involvement, the session will address exactly where human judgement continues to outperform algorithms and how top-producing brokers in Canada are staying essential in an automated market.
Keynote speaker Jessica Holmes, the Canadian comedian and motivational speaker known for performing alongside Ellen DeGeneres and Jerry Seinfeld at events including Just For Laughs, opens Day 2. Her address is framed around resilience and performance under pressure — topics that resonate strongly for brokers navigating a compressed margin environment and a renewal wave that is reshaping competitive dynamics across the country.
Derek Burleton, Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist at TD Bank in Toronto, is also among the confirmed speaker lineup, lending economic credibility and market context to the programme.
The insights stage: practical sessions you can act on immediately
Running parallel to the Summit Stage, the Insights Stage is designed for brokers who want tactical takeaways rather than broad market commentary.
Sessions cover tax structuring, business succession, fraud risk, and lead generation — all facilitated by practitioners who have worked through these challenges in their own businesses.
One session worth noting: "How to Protect Your Licence When Deals Go Wrong." With AI-generated fraudulent documents increasingly surfacing in the mortgage origination process, the session uses real cases and live Q&A to help brokers understand where their legal exposure lies and how to protect their licence in grey-area situations. This is the kind of content that Canadian mortgage professionals rarely encounter in a conference format and that has direct implications for day-to-day practice.
Networking and the expo floor: 2,000 reasons to work the room
Two full days on the expo floor with 2,000-plus attendees represents one of the more significant networking opportunities available to Canadian mortgage professionals in a single calendar year.
The event includes what organisers describe as all-new "surprise experiences," alongside an open expo environment designed to facilitate both structured and spontaneous conversations with lenders, technology providers, and peers.
The Women in Mortgage Summit Canada, which CMP has covered extensively as it builds momentum across the industry, runs alongside Day 2 of MortgageFest Canada on September 24 at the same venue. That concurrent event brings together more than 500 women in the industry for a separate programme of speakers and networking. Attendees at MortgageFest Canada who are registered for the Women in Mortgage Summit will move between both events across the day.
For brokers considering the return on time and registration cost, the density of content across two stages and two days — combined with direct access to lender representatives and technology vendors in one location — makes MortgageFest Canada among the more efficient professional development opportunities available in the 2026 calendar.
Sponsors and the lender presence
The event's sponsor roster reflects broad engagement from across the Canadian mortgage ecosystem. Diamond sponsors include HomeEquity Bank and the Real Estate and Mortgage Institute of Canada (REMIC).
Platinum sponsors include Haventree Bank, MCAN Mortgage Corporation, and Community Trust, while gold sponsors include Equitable Bank, First National Financial, and Glasslake Funding, among others.
Registration and full agenda details are available at mortgagefest.ca.
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