The Empire Club of Canada
Hybrid
Friday, October 2, 2026
Housing affordability remains one of Canada’s most pressing challenges. Meeting it will require more than funding alone. It will require new partnerships, new approaches, and a renewed focus on delivery.
As Canada’s newest federal Crown corporation, BCH was established to help unlock affordable housing supply by activating public land, deploying flexible financing, supporting modern methods of construction, and building stronger partnerships across the housing ecosystem. Its first year has been focused on creating the foundations for long-term impact and identifying the barriers that continue to stand in the way of building more homes, faster.
On October 2nd, 2026, The Empire Club of Canada is proud to host Ana Bailão, CEO of Build Canada Homes for a keynote address followed by a fireside chat on the future of affordable housing delivery in Canada, the lessons emerging from BCH’s first year, and the actions needed to translate ambition into homes.
Ana Bailão is a recognized leader in housing policy, development and delivery, with extensive experience bringing together governments, the private sector and community partners to advance housing solutions at scale.
As Chief Executive Officer of Build Canada Homes, Ana leads the organization’s mandate to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing across Canada by leveraging public lands, mobilizing investment, strengthening partnerships across sectors, and advancing innovative approaches to homebuilding.
Prior to her appointment as CEO of Build Canada Homes by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ana served as Head of Affordable Housing and Public Affairs at Dream Unlimited Corp., where she led the company’s affordable housing strategy, advanced housing developments that integrated affordability and sustainability, and built partnerships with governments, industry and community stakeholders.
From 2010 to 2022, Ana served on Toronto City Council, including five years as Deputy Mayor. As Chair of the Planning and Housing Committee and a member of the Toronto Community Housing Board, she played a leading role in advancing major housing initiatives, modernizing planning and zoning policies, and expanding the supply of affordable housing. Her leadership included the creation and implementation of initiatives such as Housing Now and the establishment of CreateTO to better leverage public land and assets to deliver city-building priorities.
Before entering public office, Ana held senior roles in the financial and technology sectors. Throughout her career, she has also served on numerous boards and advisory bodies focused on housing, municipal governance, arts and community development.
Ana brings more than two decades of public, private and community leadership experience to Build Canada Homes, with a demonstrated record of turning ambitious housing policy into practical solutions that increase housing supply and improve affordability for Canadians.
