Government of Canada appoints Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation President, Chair of the Board of Directors, and new Board members

Ottawa, Ontario – June 14, 2024 

Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities, announced the appointment of Coleen Volk as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), as well as the appointment of Don Iveson as Chair of the Board of Directors.

In addition to the appointment of Ms. Volk and Mr. Iveson, Minister Fraser is also pleased to announce a number of appointments to the Board of Directors for CMHC, including: Laurie LeBlanc, Ray Williams, Darlene Hyde, Heather Tremain, and Nick Macrae.

Minister Fraser also took the opportunity to thank all of the outgoing members of the Board; Navjeet “Bob” Dhillon, Linda Morris, and former Chair of the Board of Directors Derek Ballantyne for their contributions and support to both CMHC and the Government of Canada’s housing priorities.  

Coleen Volk takes the helm of CMHC with decades of executive experience in the private sector and the federal and provincial public services. Her appointment as President and CEO marks a return to CMHC where she spent nine years in various leadership roles.

Don Iveson, founder of Civic Good, joins the CMHC Board of Directors as Chair with extensive experience as a strategic advisor on climate, housing, and civic innovation issues. Mr. Iveson served as Edmonton’s 35th Mayor from 2013 to 2021 and has recently served as the Co-Chair for the Task Force for Housing and Climate.

The new appointees to the CMHC Board of Directors bring a breadth of experience from across the housing sector including with private, public, and not-for-profit organisations and associations, regulatory agencies, as well as real estate and financial institutions, and credit unions. Collectively, these new Directors, along with the new Chair and the new President and CEO, will position CMHC to better address current and future challenges.

Ms. Volk, Mr. Iveson and the new Board of directors were all appointed in accordance with the Government of Canada’s open, transparent and merit-based selection process.

The Government of Canada, together with their partners, is investing in housing infrastructure to build resilient, inclusive communities, and affordable housing options that meet the needs of Canadians, and to solve Canada’s housing crisis. CMHC will continue to be a critical partner to deliver on Canada's Housing Plan to make housing more attainable and affordable – because everyone deserves a place to call home.

Quotes

“I am happy to welcome Ms. Volk as the new President and CEO of CMHC, Mr. Iveson in his role as Chair of the Board and all the new members of the CMHC Board of Directors. I look forward to working closely with both Ms. Volk and the CMHC Board in the coming years to progress on the government’s efforts to deliver on Canada’s housing priorities. I also want to thank the outgoing members of the Board for their hard work and dedication. Canada is better for your service.”

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

“I am honoured to be joining the CMHC Board of Directors as Board Chair and to be working with Coleen Volk, the new President and CEO. Along with my new Board colleagues, I hope to bring my experience and passion for housing to the goal of ensuring everyone living in Canada has a place to call home.”

Don Iveson, Chair of the Board of Directors, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

“I am thrilled to be returning to CMHC as the newly appointed President and CEO, and look forward to leading the organization in supporting Canada’s housing system with the dedicated group of people at CMHC. Together, we will work on today's challenges to build the housing system of the future.”

Coleen Volk, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Quick facts

About CMHC

CMHC is a federal Crown corporation that plays a critical role as a national convenor in the housing finance system, and through research, program development and delivery, and commercial operations, is a vital contributor to the sustainability and stability ​of Canada’s housing system. Its mandate is: “to promote housing affordability and choice, facilitate access to, and competition and efficiency in the provision of, housing finance, protect the availability of adequate funding for housing at low cost, and generally contribute to the well-being of the housing sector in the national economy”. Housing affordability has become an increasingly important issue to Canadians, and CMHC plays a key role in the federal government’s efforts to address this growing challenge.

Original Source: Government of Canada News Release