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In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, powered by First National, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are joined by Sean McCrorie, Vice Chair and Practice Leader at Cushman and Wakefield, to unpack why seniors housing is rapidly emerging as one of Canada’s most compelling real estate opportunities.

They explore the massive supply-demand gap, with only a fraction of the 20,000 units needed annually being built, and how aging demographics are driving long-term growth. The conversation dives into operational realities, from labor shortages to extended lease-up timelines, and explains why patient capital is essential. As institutional money floods the sector and cap rates compress, seniors housing is transitioning from niche to mainstream, offering investors a rare, decades-long growth runway.

What you will learn:

Why the 20,000-unit-per-year supply target reveals a critical market imbalance
How to evaluate the continuum-of-care development model
The structural reason seniors housing lease-ups take 2-3 years
How the boomer demographic tail never fully stops wagging
Why the caregiver-to-senior ratio is becoming the sector’s most underestimated constraint
The investor arbitrage opportunity hiding in cap rate compression

Sean McCrorie is Vice Chair and Canadian Seniors Housing & Healthcare Practice Group Leader at Cushman & Wakefield. Based in Toronto, he advises owners and investors on valuations, acquisitions, and development strategy. Over the past decade, he has worked on many of Canada’s largest seniors housing transactions. Previously, he co-founded the practice at CBRE and held roles at Sienna Senior Living and a global investment bank.

The post From Niche to Necessity: The Seniors Housing Surge with Sean McCrorie, Vice Chair and Practice Leader at Cushman and Wakefield appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.