This webinar brings together three leading voices on Canadian housing policy—Eric Lombardi (More Neighbours Toronto, Build Toronto), Sabrina Maddeaux (journalist and public policy expert), and Chris Spoke (Toronto Standard, Missing Middle Summit)—alongside Cardus’s Brian Dijkema to explore the real tradeoffs and the overlooked possibilities at the intersection of housing and land conservation.

The conversation will focus on the pressing need for family-friendly housing—homes with enough space for kids and a yard—and how policies protecting greenbelts, farmland, and conservation areas can both challenge and, in some cases, complement that goal.

Drawing on recent debates in Hamilton, where residents have championed greenbelt protection while resisting new housing in their own neighbourhoods, the panel will dig into the nuance missing from most public discussions: not all conservation land is equally valuable, and not all housing growth requires paving over nature. Panellists will discuss where genuine tradeoffs exist, where win-win solutions are possible, and how thoughtful policy can meet housing needs while preserving the natural spaces that make our cities more livable and beautiful.

Meet Our Panellists

Eric Lombardi is a finance and technology entrepreneur who founded More Neighbours Toronto in 2021 to push for zoning reform and previously chaired Build Toronto as part of the national Build Canada movement. He stepped down from that role to run for leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, building on his work shaping the party’s housing platform.

Sabrina Maddeaux is Associate Vice President of Strategic Communications at Global Public Affairs, with over a decade of experience covering Canadian politics and public policy for outlets including the National Post, the Globe and Mail, and The Hub. An award-winning journalist and broadcast commentator, she also co-hosts The Missing Middle podcast with the Smart Prosperity Institute.

Chris Spoke is a partner at Toronto Standard, a real estate development firm building midrise rental housing across the city, with more than one hundred new units starting construction this year. He hosts the annual Missing Middle Summit and co-hosts the Hogtown podcast, where he writes and speaks widely on housing policy.

How can we best steward the gift that is the Earth? How can we be fruitful and multiply, while also caring for creation? The Kennedy Stewardship Conversations event series is made possible by the estate of Wilhelmina Kennedy and will help unpack these questions this fall, while also equipping the next generation to take up this important mandate.

The Kennedy Stewardship Conversations series is also strengthened through an institutional sponsorship from A Rocha Canada. A Rocha is an international Christian organization which, inspired by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education, community-based conservation projects and sustainable agriculture.

About Wilhemina Kennedy

Wilhelmina Margaretha Kennedy (1933–2025) (née de Groot) was a Dutchborn Canadian artist whose life was shaped by faith, creativity, and a deep love of nature. Born in the Netherlands on June 18, 1933, she grew up in the Mauritshuis Museum, where her father was curator and her mother a classical singer—an upbringing that fostered her lifelong passion for the arts.

After immigrating to Canada in 1952, she later earned a Fine Arts degree from the Ontario College of Art and continued her studies in Art History at McMaster University.

A devoted teacher, Wilhelmina inspired many students and her eight grandchildren with her love of art. Her work—ranging from landscapes and still lifes to abstract pieces—often reflected her Christian faith and can be found in private collections and public spaces, including Redeemer University. She played an instrumental role in founding the Colborne Art Gallery and supporting its exhibitions.

Wilhelmina cherished God’s creation, spending time camping in Killarney and walking the forest she loved—soon to be preserved as Wilhelmina Woods through the Northumberland Land Trust. She passed away on January 16, 2025, at the age of 91, leaving behind a legacy of beauty, faith, and community.