Best builders in GTA named at annual award ceremony

The 38th BILD Awards gala recognized 51 winners, including Hugh Heron of Herity as winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, writes Dave Wilkes.

Thestar.com
May 5, 2018
Dave Wilkes

Last night more than 1,300 building industry members came together to recognize the GTA’s top builders at the 38th annual BILD Awards gala. Creating new communities requires years of careful planning, original designs and strategic marketing. All three of those qualities were on display as 51 winners were recognized, along with the announcement of Builders of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The title of Home Builder of the Year in Low-Rise was awarded to Mattamy Homes Ltd., while Great Gulf Homes won Home Builder of the Year in the Mid/High-Rise category. Home Builder of the Year recognizes the developer that sets the industry standard through their professionalism and dedication to excellence, and both Mattamy and Great Gulf are leaders in those categories.

The award for Green Builder of the Year in Mid/High-Rise went to Tridel, which has a long history of winning this honour. Dunshire Developments Inc. won in the Low-Rise category.

Hugh Heron, of Herity, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for his 50 years of leadership in the building industry. In 1967, he immigrated to Canada from Scotland and by 1979 was off on his own with a group that he is still in business with today. Herity has gone on to build more than 8,000 homes in 50 communities across Ontario and has built more than one million square feet of commercial and retail space.

Heron’s goal has always been to make the new homebuyer comfortable -- in both their choice of location and, just as importantly, during the building experience. He’s also well-known for his community and charity work, having established The Mikey Network of defibrillators that have saved 39 lives.

The prestigious People’s Choice Award was decided by consumers’ online ballots and went to Transit City, a CentreCourt Developments Inc. and SmartCentres project in Vaughan. Transit City received 1,930 ballots of the 5,700 votes cast this past March among projects that showcased the best in community building.

For its work on Harbour Plaza and One York Street, Menkes Development Ltd. won the award for Best New Community (Built), recognizing the expert planning and outstanding community design while embodying the province’s Smart Growth principles.

The Daniels Corporation won the award for Best New Community (Planned/Under Development) for Lighthouse East Tower. Located at Lower Jarvis St. and Queens Quay E., the Lighthouse East Tower is a live, work, play, learn and create community that will change Toronto’s waterfront forever.

To see more of the winners, and their great work in the GTA, please visit bildawards.com

Dave Wilkes is President and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), the voice of the homebuilding, land development and professional renovation industry in the GTA. For the latest industry news and new home data, follow BILD on Twitter, @bildgta, or visit bildgta.ca.