Heather Tremain, a Vancouver-based development consultant and Harvard Fellow, has been named the new chief executive officer of Options for Homes, a non-profit affordable home developer.
Tremain steps into the role vacated by Mike Labbé, the founder and leader of Options for Homes for 21 years. Labbé has moved into the president and director general role at Options International, which delivers affordable housing internationally, primarily in Africa.
“I am delighted I was able to recruit Heather to Options for Homes,” said Labbé, in a press release. “She brings the right mix of development smarts and social conscience that Options needs to reach the next stage of growth.”
Tremain has already stated that, “within three years, we expect to be delivering 1,000 condo units a year, priced under the average market price of housing in the GTA. People should have the chance to buy a home, at an attainable price, and build equity for their futures. With the Options for Homes model, it is possible to make the dream of affordable home ownership a reality. We want to reverse this unfair trend towards wealth inequality in our society.”
Prior to her role at the Toronto head office of Options for Homes, Tremain was a principal of Urban Fabric Group, a Vancouver-based consultancy that advises non-profits on their real estate strategies. She also helped found Vancouver’s first green building development and consulting company, reSource Rethinking Building, which created a ground-breaking model for affordable ownership.
Tremain’s projects have received awards from the Urban Development Institute (BC), Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Mayor’s Environmental Award in Vancouver. She was also the creator and producer of the HGTV series Healthy Homes.
Tremain, who grew up in Ontario, has returned to the province for this new role. “I am excited to be in Toronto. I think the conditions are ripe here to really raise the bar and make beautiful and affordable condominium homes available to even more people in this dynamic city,” she said, in a press release. “In Toronto, I sense that we have all the necessary building blocks to scale up affordable housing production – demand, political support and a strong developer in Options for Homes.”
