Omar Gandhi was lost. It was his first day of high school and he found himself wandering in circles through the halls of Mayfield Secondary School, in the town of Caledon. For anyone else, this might have been standard first-day-of-grade-9 stuff — a minor embarrassment. For Gandhi, one of Canada’s foremost young architects, however, it proved to be a formative experience.

Meet three Canadian architectural firms who are using their talents to make an impact on society. In this age of mounting social and political activism, architects are making a powerful statement in their own right. They’re tackling issues close to their hearts, from helping the homeless to supporting the cause for sustainable food and building better cities through design. We’ve rounded up three leading Canadian architectural firms who are boldly breaking new ground — with a conscience.

August appears to have cemented the Toronto region’s real estate recovery, with average resale home prices up 4.7 per cent year over year to $765,270, including single-family homes and highrise apartments. That is about $34,000 higher than the average a year ago.

In the most exclusive oasis with pink sand shores, impeccable service, and unmatched style of St. Regis, The Residences offer character and comfort that discerning owners desire. Enjoy unique access to amenities and the dedicated expertise that only the St. Regis can offer.

Toronto architect Brian Brisbin wanted to look behind the curtain on one of the world’s buzziest buildings, Milan’s Bosco Verticale, two towers that are widely acknowledged as the world’s first vertical forest — green buildings designed specifically to counteract the smog and heat of a city.

Toronto’s tech ecosystem is receiving endorsements from two of the world’s largest technology companies, with both Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp. unveiling plans to expand in the city.

Chip-maker Intel is getting back into making dedicated graphics processing units (GPUs) for the first time in two decades, and on Wednesday the company will announce that the key engineering and design work for the project will happen in Toronto.

It goes without saying that architects leave indelible marks on our lives; they are the masterminds behind the homes we live in and the homes we aspire to. From time to time, architects soar above the baseline notoriety of their peers, pushing the envelope, and creating pieces of live-in art that alter the landscape of their industry.

Time is precious—particularly when it comes to squeezing in family time or taking that extra hour at the beach. No one enjoys waiting around in airports or being stuck in traffic gridlock. The best way to avoid inevitable travel delays? Take things to the sky. From private hangars to convenient helipads, these homes make it easy to get from point A to point B.

With roughly 70% of the earth’s surface covered by water inhabited by some 230,000 documented species of marine life, there’s a whole world under the sea waiting to be explored. If you’re interested in regular dives becoming part of your lifestyle, consider setting up a permanent home base nearby. Take a look at some of the best scuba destinations on the globe.

New York has lost its crown as home to the most ultra-rich people, beaten out by the rising tide of extreme wealth in Asia.

Hong Kong surpassed the Big Apple as the city with the highest population of people worth at least $30 million, according to a new report. The former British colony saw its number of ultra-wealthy increase 31 percent last year, to about 10,000, research firm Wealth-X found, higher than the nearly 9,000-strong population of the U.S.’s largest city. Tokyo came third, while Paris beat out London to take the European crown as Brexit weighed down the U.K. capital.

This year’s TIFF is showcasing 46 breakout films from 50 international storytellers, marking a record year for the programme. Twenty-nine of them will make their World Premieres at the Festival, including 48% being directed by women. 

Which do you prefer, privacy or intimacy? The quiet stillness of an open-air balcony with views, or the rush of the city streets? Proximity to the very best dining, shopping, and culture a city has to offer, or plenty of space? With Canada’s top luxury condos, you don’t have to choose. Suspended above the hustle and bustle of the everyday, these five stunning homes offer a respite from—and access to—every convenience of urban living.

Over the years, home staging has graduated from necessary afterthought to elevated art form. Investing the effort to redesign and rearrange rooms in your home can reduce the amount of time a property is on the market. While the fundamentals of home staging are widely known and practiced—cleaning, decluttering, and making repairs, for instance—experts in the luxury real estate market employ a number of tricks that go beyond the basics. In order to conduct a stellar home staging, take into consideration these five expert tips for making your home the most attractive on the market.

The surrounding city lights, fine dining on your doorstep, and a short commute to the financial district—condominium living is chock-full of conveniences. But when it comes time to refresh your space or put it on the market, it can be a challenge to know where to focus your efforts. For those looking for a return on investment, these condo upgrades are worth the effort.

Toronto-area home buyers are gaining greater access to transaction records for properties, and to track records for agents, after the Supreme Court ended seven years of legal wrangling between the Toronto Real Estate Board and the Competition Bureau.

Canada’s top court on Thursday declined to hear an appeal from the board over a federal Competition Tribunal order on the restriction of home-sale data.

While secluded private islands certainly have their merits, you don’t have to venture to a far-flung locale to enjoy the privacy and relaxation island life affords. Even in urban centers, the splash of island light, the waving branches of island trees, and the slower pace of island life can be achieved. These airy lofts offer islands of luxury of their very own.

Fasten your seat belts for the Pierre Bergé sale this October. Described as “a passionate and voracious collector” by Madison Cox – Bergé’s widower – the businessman was as legendary for his taste as he was for his sharp tongue, fierce feuds and quick wit. The sale will consist of 800 lots taken from what Cox terms “rue Bonaparte and other homes that made up Pierre’s private universe”. Featuring exceptional pieces by Jean-Michel Frank, Francois-Xavier Lalanne and Pablo Picasso, as well as paintings by Bernard Buffet, Jean-Baptiste Debret and Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte de Nouÿ, it promises to be as eclectic and exciting as the man himself. Short, powerful and pugnacious, the Savile Row-clad Frenchman was ever aware of his reputation, claiming, “people may hate or love me, but they all want to brag that they once sat next to me.”

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce’s prediction of a mortgage slowdown has come true.

Mortgage balances rose 2.5 percent to C$208.5 billion ($160 billion) in the fiscal third quarter from a year earlier, the Toronto-based bank said Thursday in announcing earnings that beat analysts’ estimates.

When Lisa Acker and her late husband Walter decided to purchase the property in 1995, it wasn’t much more than a concrete husk of its former glory. As recently reported in Bloomberg, “by the mid-1950s, the mining economy in Jerome collapsed, and the hotel fell into disrepair, along with the rest of the area.”

Every day, all kinds of different properties are bought and sold in cities across Canada, from humble homes to mighty mansions. Although prices vary wildly, the average price in each area gives us a sense of where to find Canada’s most expensive real estate. Here’s a look at the Canadian cities where homes cost the most.