The Alberta Real Estate Foundation (AREF) is pleased to formally announce that Doug Leighton has joined our Board of Governors for a three year term.

Prior to becoming involved with AREF, Doug was aware of the positive effects of AREF’s counterpart in BC: “I served on the Planning Institute of BC and we co-sponsored a successful bi-annual ‘Land Summit’ with the Real Estate Foundation of BC.”

As a result, when he arrived in Alberta, Doug was quick to become involved with AREF. He is pleased to join AREF’s Board of Governors as his personal and professional interests are highly aligned with the Foundation’s values and objectives.

Doug is one of the three Public Appointments sitting on the Board of Governors and hopes to contribute his experience in the private and public sectors. He has a strong background in housing, urban design and sustainable development as well as connections with the land development and housing industries.

“I think that communication and collaboration between all the players involved in real estate, land and housing is critical,” Doug says. “I feel privileged to join the AREF Board and to help advance its mandate to the benefit of Albertans.”

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Doug is Vice President, Sustainability for Brookfield Residential Properties, a leading North American homebuilding and land development company. A proponent of good planning and urban design, he has more than 30 years international experience as a professional planner and architect in the public and private sectors.

A graduate of the University of Calgary (BA Geography and Masters Environmental Design), Doug initially worked as an architect and planner in Calgary and Vancouver. He moved to the public sector as Senior Planner for the Resort Municipality of Whistler. He was founding Director of Planning and Development for the Town of Banff, where he led the Downtown Enhancement Project and helped establish the Banff Housing and Heritage Corporations.

In 1997 Doug moved to New Zealand and became principal of a leading consultancy. He helped develop the NZ Urban Design Protocol and advised clients as diverse as Housing New Zealand, Waterfront Auckland and Shania Twain.

Doug returned to Canada in 2008 to represent Carma Developers (now Brookfield Residential) on Vancouver Island; and finally ‘came home’ to Calgary in 2012.

Doug has served as a Director of the Alberta, New Zealand and British Columbia Planning Institutes. He currently serves on the Board of ULI Calgary and was appointed to the Board of Governors of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation in November, 2015.