Getting to the Heart of Home Building
A LEGACY FROM THE GROUND UP
Founded in 1984, by our visionary Chairman, the late John H. Daniels, The Daniels Corporation was born from a desire to shape more than just structures. In a career that spanned nearly seven decades, the former CEO of Cadillac Fairview Development Corporation left an indelible mark on the quality of places in which people live, work, play, create, learn and shop.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Daniels played a key role in the development of Canadian landmarks such as the Toronto Eaton Centre and TD Centre, the 4,700-acre Erin Mills community in Mississauga and the brownfields reclamation of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber plant in Etobicoke.
Mr. Daniels was committed to building a legacy of impact. His sense of social responsibility is vividly captured in the various philanthropic activities he has supported personally and through both The Daniels Corporation and The John and Myrna Daniels Foundation. For 25-years, The Daniels Corporation has acted as Presenting Sponsor of Toronto Taste, Second Harvest’s primary fundraising event. He was also responsible for the single largest land donation ever made to Habitat for Humanity (Canada) by a private company.
The John and Myrna Daniels Foundation has made significant donations to community institutions, including the the University Health Network (UHN) and the University of Toronto. The John and Myrna Daniels Foundation donated a lead gift of $52 million to establish the Myrna Daniels Seniors Emergency Medicine Centre at UHN. This is the largest single donation to emergency medicine in Canada that will elevate the standard of urgent care for older adults across the country. The University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design and the iconic Daniels Building at One Spadina Crescent are a fitting testament to Mr. Daniels’ contribution to our city and country. In 2017, John and Myrna Daniels were honoured with an Outstanding Philanthropist Award.
Mr. Daniels drive to innovate and add value to every community we build in is a principle that all Daniels team members are guided by today in their day-to-day work.
BUILDING HOMES WITH HEART AND PURPOSE
We are an all inclusive, fully integrated company creating vibrant communities since 1984.
Under the leadership of President and CEO, Mitchell Cohen and Chief Operating Officer, Jake Cohen, Daniels is shaping master-planned communities with a keen focus on city building and social impact, driven by our core values at every step:
WE DO WHAT’S RIGHT
We stand behind what we build, and we make it last. By approaching what we do with the highest standards, we create exceptional homes and resilient communities.
WE PUT PEOPLE FIRST
By putting people first, we build strong and diverse communities in which we can all reach our full potential together.
WE BUILD FOR THE FUTURE
We make positive change possible. Our sustainable practices and long-term thinking drive us to build a healthy future for all.
WE LOVE WHAT WE DO
We go above and beyond, because our passion pushes us to take action. We love what we do so people love where they live.
With our core values guiding everything we do, we also plan, design, develop and build all of our communities in-house, and manage our rental communities and commercial properties. This enables a streamlined service and quality control at every stage. We see each project through to construction completion and beyond.
For four decades, Daniels has been a beacon of community transformation. With nearly 40,000 award-winning homes and apartments, our footprint extends beyond traditional home building, embracing communities that integrate mixed-use, mixed-income and fosters multi-generational living, along with cultural, institutional, commercial and retail spaces.
INNOVATION IN MASTER-PLANNING
We transform underutilized land into vibrant and sought-after master-planned communities with a focus on transit-friendly locations. Our planning centres on harmoniously integrating with the urban landscape, creating neighbourhoods that attract a diverse range of people, retailers, and commercial businesses.
Our ongoing project with Toronto Community Housing is revitalizing 53 of 69 acres in Regent Park and is recognized as a global gold standard for transforming challenged urban neighbourhoods into healthy, sustainable communities.
The World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park – Powered by Daniels is a collaboration between the Urban Economy Forum Association and UN-Habitat with the support of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and The Daniels Corporation. The Pavilion is a global knowledge exchange hub focusing on best practices in inclusive urban development. It shares science, research and innovation, supporting cities and countries around the world to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 by 2030.
Daniels Waterfront – City of the Arts, a nexus of art and innovation at Toronto’s East Bayfront, offers a multifaceted blend of residential, cultural, and professional spaces. A partnership with filmmaker Ivan Reitman led to the unveiling of Festival Tower atop TIFF Bell Lightbox, a dynamic hub in Toronto’s Entertainment District.
In Mississauga, our collaboration with Sun Life led to the creation of Skyrise, the first significant rental development in the Erin Mills area in over twenty years. Similarly, our partnership with the Region of Peel has delivered a thriving mixed-income community in Mississauga’s City Centre, featuring affordable rentals for Peel Living alongside market-value condominiums.
Our partnerships with industry trailblazers like Oxford Properties, Choice Properties, DiamondCorp, Kilmer Group, and BAIF Developments has further accentuated our community blueprint.
A PEOPLE-FIRST APPROACH TO BUILDING
We are passionate about creating inclusive communities that offer a diverse range of housing options at all levels of the market – in ownership and rental, seniors, and student housing.
CHAMPIONING AFFORDABLE LIVING
We are a champion of affordable housing, having built more of these homes than any other private-sector company in Canada.
We were the first developer to offer purpose-built rental housing in the GTA in over 25 years through Daniels Gateway Rental Communities. In partnership with Sun Life, vibrant rental buildings sprouted in Toronto’s Regent Park, and Erin Mills, Mississauga.
Our Daniels FirstHome™ Communities across the GTA are ideal destinations for newcomers to the real estate scene.
PARTNERSHIP DRIVEN COMMUNITIES
Partnering with esteemed names like Amica, Chartwell and WellTower, we’ve built a continuum of housing options for older adults. Meanwhile, our collaboration with the University of Toronto is bringing an innovative student residence to life.
EMPOWERING FIRST TIME BUYERS
With initiatives offering financial flexibility and our Homeownership 101 seminars, we demystify home buying, guiding first-timers every step of the way.
BUSINESS THRIVES HERE
We create outstanding opportunities for a variety of businesses, from global brands to local start-ups and not-for-profit agencies focused on community improvement, helping them all find a place to thrive.