Our Team

As CEO of CreateTO, Vic Gupta is focused on managing the City of Toronto’s real estate assets to unlock the potential of City-owned lands to be activated for the public good. This includes working with our City partners to offer strategic approaches that deliver program needs and support the advancement of Council’s public policy priorities, including building affordable housing within complete communities, creating cultural and employment opportunities, achieving our climate goals and driving economic prosperity.

Vic has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors. He served as Principal Secretary to Mayor John Tory during the Mayor’s first term in office. Prior to his time at City Hall, he ran Prime Strategies Group, a public affairs consulting business that he founded in 1999. When the company was acquired in 2011, he ran for elected office, twice as a candidate for the Member of Provincial Parliament in the riding of Richmond Hill.

He has a strong focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and was a founding member and the executive sponsor of CreateTO's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. He is passionate about the arts and entertainment and serves as Vice-Chair of the Board for the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall.

Vic has an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario.

Jaspreet Hansra-Kulasingam is CreateTO’s Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Port Lands Management.

She is a seasoned, multi-dimensional and versatile finance executive with over 20 years of real estate experience and extensive involvement in leading and advising organizations through complex transactions and growth. 

In her role as Chief Financial Officer, Jaspreet provides strategic leadership over financial planning, financial advisory services, accounting and financial reporting, treasury, procurement, information technology and insurance and risk management. In her role as Executive Vice President, Port Lands Management, she provides strategic and operational leadership for over 400 acres of City land in Toronto’s Port Lands including lease management and negotiations, area-wide operations and property management services, capital planning and stakeholder management.

Jaspreet has held several senior positions throughout her career, overseeing complex projects, while effectively managing cross functional teams to deliver financial and operational efficiencies. She is a passionate leader and is strong advocate of developing and mentoring individuals.

Jaspreet is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Masters of Accounting degree from the University of Waterloo.

Michael Norton is the Chief Development Officer at CreateTO where he is responsible for identifying and leading redevelopment opportunities for City-owned real estate, and providing real estate solutions to City divisions, agencies and corporations.

Previously, Michael was Chief Development Officer at Metrolinx, where he oversaw the Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Program for the GO Heavy Rail and LRT portfolios and managed the agency’s real estate portfolio and adjacent development reviews.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University in New York.

As the Chief Legal Counsel & Corporate Secretary at CreateTO, Mary Ormond oversees all legal and governance matters and provides strategic legal counsel to the agency and its staff pertaining to all aspects of CreateTO’s work, including development, real estate transactions and procurement.

Mary is an accomplished lawyer and executive with an extensive track record of success in development, affordable housing, purchase and sale transactions, lease drafting, negotiation and administration and environmental management.

Prior to joining CreateTO, Mary served as the Vice President, Real Estate Portfolio Management at Cara Operations Limited, where she was responsible for the management of an extensive real estate portfolio of owned and leased properties. Mary also served on the Planning Committee for the ICSC Canadian Shopping Centre Law Conference for several years, serving as Chair of the conference in 2017.

Mary received a Masters degree in Public Policy, Administration and Law from York University in 2019 and was awarded the Ian Greene MPPAL book prize for placing first in the graduating class.

Allison Mendes has over 18 years of Capital Markets experience. Most recently, she was Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager at Manulife Asset Management. She has served on multiple boards and has Chaired both the Audit and Governance committee. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and obtained her MBA from the Schulich School of Business, where she specialized in finance. She is a certified Corporate Director.

Marcie Zajdeman joined the energy industry in the late 1990’s, after practising law in international law firms. At Ontario Hydro and then Hydro One, she specialized in real estate, Aboriginal law and relations, secondary land use, and large project permitting and siting. During this time, she also worked as an instructor for the Law Society of Ontario.

From 2008-2015, Marcie was Vice-President, Legal and Regulatory with Brookfield Infrastructure, providing legal and regulatory advice and strategic and policy direction on matters for the North America Utility Platform and its growth strategy. She was part of the senior executive team of Great Lakes Power Transmission and was Brookfield’s representative on the Ontario Energy Association and Association of Power Producers of Ontario boards.

From 2017-2019, Marcie was an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, having developed a course on Energy Law, which she taught to a new generation of energy lawyers.  

Currently, Marcie continues to practice law, representing First Nation clients and coalitions and licensed transmission consortiums in regulatory and infrastructure development files, utilizing her unique practitioner, policy and academic perspectives, and leveraging her knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework, to achieve solution-oriented, profitable outcomes.

She also serves on the Board and the Human Resources, Nominating and Governance Committee of Grandbridge Energy.

First elected to Toronto City Council in 2003, Paula Fletcher now represents the newly created Ward 14, Toronto-Danforth. On city-wide issues, Councillor Fletcher has focused on creating a healthy city through her involvement in health, housing, recreation, environment, and community development issues. A widely recognized champion for Toronto’s highly successful film and digital media sector, she helped lead the campaign to defend employment lands in east Toronto’s studio district. She has also played a significant role in the revitalization of Toronto’s Port Lands with a focus on building a shared, accessible waterfront for all Torontonians.

Councillor Fletcher has worked with the real estate development industry, Toronto Community Housing and with local community organizations to provide a range of housing solutions in Toronto-Danforth including Toronto Community Housing’s first revitalization at Don Mount Court (now Rivertowne), WoodGreen’s First Steps to Home on Queen East and the establishment of the Red Door Shelter as part of the Harhay Condo Development on Booth Avenue – a first in Canada.

She also spearheaded the inclusion of Crow’s Theatre within Streetcar’s condo development, The Carlaw -another Toronto first.

Councillor Fletcher looks forward to bringing her real estate and city-building experience to the Board of CreateTO as the City of Toronto looks to maximize the use of its real estate assets.

Frances Nunziata began her distinguished civic career in 1985 as a School Board Trustee, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey in public service. Nunziata served as City of York Councillor from 1988 – 1994 and the Mayor of York from 1994 - 1997. With the amalgamation of Metropolitan Toronto, she transitioned to City of York Councillor in 1997. Since then, Frances has been the dedicated City of Toronto Councillor for York South-Weston, accumulating nearly four decades of continuous service to her community.

At Toronto City Hall, Frances Nunziata wields a powerful voice as the Speaker of Toronto City Council, a role she has been elected to for an impressive 14 consecutive years. As the longest-serving member of Council, Frances's effectiveness stems from her unwavering commitment to direct service to constituents, believing deeply in the responsibilities of elected officials.

Beyond her pivotal role as Speaker, Councillor Nunziata holds significant appointments on key committees and boards crucial to shaping Toronto's future. She serves as Vice Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee, which is pivotal in urban development and housing initiatives. Notably, the committee supports the Mayor’s ambitious goal of constructing 25,000 additional affordable rental homes by 2031, supplementing the 40,000 units already committed to.

Councillor Nunziata also contributes her expertise to the Etobicoke York Community Council, guiding decisions on planning, development, and traffic management within the district. Her leadership extends to the CreateTO board, where she helps harness the potential of City-owned lands for public benefit, aligning real estate strategies with Toronto's broader social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges.

Additionally, as a Toronto Parking Authority board member, Frances oversees strategic initiatives and capital investments, ensuring efficient management of city resources. Her responsibilities further include serving on the Audit Committee and the George Bell Arena Board of Management, where she maintains a vigilant oversight role.

Frances Nunziata's extensive experience and proactive leadership continue to drive meaningful change and advocate effectively for the residents of Ward 5 and Toronto.

Mark S. Bonham is the Executive Director of The Veritas Foundation and a Senior Fellow of Massey College at the University of Toronto.  Mark is also a member of the Global Board of Human Rights Watch.  He received his MSc (Economics) from the London School of Economics, a B.Comm from the University of Toronto, and was awarded his ICD.D designation in 2023 from the Institute of Corporate Directors.  In 2024, Mark received an Honourary Doctorate from Toronto Metropolitan University for his business, scholarly, and philanthropic contributions. 

Mark has over 35 years of experience working in the Canadian financial industry. He founded and was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of two of Canada’s largest, publicly traded mutual fund companies that were subsequently sold to other companies. 

In 2017, Mark was recognized by The Financial Times of London (UK) as the OUTstanding LGBT Global Business Leader for the year. He also received the Association of Fundraising Professional’s (AFP) Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year recognition in 2018 for his charitable work. 

He is the author/editor of six books, including Trade-Offs: The History of Canada-U.S. Trade Negotiations (2019), Becoming 150: 150 Years of Canadian Business History (2018), and A Path to Diversity: LGBTQ Participation in the Working World (2017).   An active member of Toronto’s LGBTQ community, Mark is the benefactor of the Mark S Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto, and the Bonham Scholarships and Bonham Chair in International Finance at the Rotman School of Management.  He was the Capital Campaign Co-Chair for the new LGBTQI2S youth homeless shelter in Toronto and the Casey House Hospital campaign.  In 2002, Mark was admitted as a Member of the  Group of 175 most influential graduates of the University of Toronto. 

Marni is currently Executive Vice President, Infrastructure and Chief Legal Officer for the Canadian Premier League. In this role, she spearheads the development of infrastructure that is critical to the continued growth of the Canadian soccer ecosystem. Previously, Marni was Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Live Work Learn Play Inc. She led LWLP’s corporate and organizational growth, major infrastructure projects and anchor deal making on large scale real estate projects across Ontario and North America. Formerly, Marni was Chief Commercial Officer and General Counsel at Infrastructure Ontario where she was responsible for leading the Legal Services, Procurement, Transaction Finance, Commercial Projects, Business Strategy & Communications, Records Management, Insurance, Policy and Freedom of Information teams. Amongst other accolades, she has received the following awards:

• Urban Land Institute, Hall of Champions
• Canadian General Counsel Award, Business Achievement.
• Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Award.
• Women’s Infrastructure Network as an Outstanding Leader.
• The Premier’s Award of Excellence from the Province of Alberta for the Calgary Courthouse Public Private Partnership Structuring.

Prior to IO, Marni was Senior Vice President, Business & Government Affairs and Corporate Counsel for SNC-Lavalin Inc. and prior that, she was a commercial litigation lawyer with two well-known Bay street law firms. Marni is currently a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she devotes her time to the Ryerson Law Practice Program and Faculty of Law. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for Tarion Corporation, Technical Standards and Safety Association and CreateTO.

After practicing as an architect and affordable housing consultant in Canada and the UK, Mark now works primarily as an urban revitalization/affordable housing development consultant and member of the faculty at the University of Toronto's School of Architecture. He has been a partner with a large Toronto residential development company focusing on affordable housing; Special Advisor on Housing to the City of Toronto; Chief Development Officer for Toronto Community Housing, and senior project lead with HOK Architects.

Sheerin A. Sheikh has extensive experience in the Canadian and US real estate development industry and in strategic asset management consulting. Her expertise is also well honed in financial and ESG matters.

Sheerin is a committed supporter of public purpose organizations. She has served on numerous boards and corporate board committees. Starting with the Advisory Committee to the President at the Hincks Institute and serving on the boards of the Guild Inn, Women’s College Hospital, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Silver Birch Group (formerly Interfaith Social Housing), Toronto Lands Corporation and Friends of Ruby.

Sheerin has served as the Treasurer of Women’s College Hospital ($ 450M P3 Rebuild), member of its board executive committee, chair of its Equity & Diversity committee and Chair of its Board of the Management; Chair of the City Building Committee of Toronto Community Housing ($750M); Chair of Silver Birch Group (9 projects) and vice-chair of the board of Toronto Lands Corporation and member of the Finance Committee of Friends of Ruby.

Sheerin has studied at the Punjab University (BA); University of Toronto (BA equivalence); McGill University (Taping Capital Markets) and obtained her MBA from the Schulich School of Business of York University. She has taken numerous governance courses from the Maytree Foundation and the OMA.