Tom Hunter
CEO, Toronto Seniors Housing
Tom is a passionate and experienced leader in affordable housing and service for seniors. His work across these sectors has enabled him to understand the benefits of integrated service models to promote wellness and a better quality of life.
Tom has extensive experience in seniors’ health and the long-term care sectors with a focus on dementia and mental health. He has led various organizations including long-term care homes in both the Niagara Region and City of Hamilton and opened the home care services for St. Elizabeth Health Care in the Niagara and London Regions. During his time in Niagara, Tom played an instrumental role in the expansion and management of the T. Roy Adams Regional Centre for Dementia Care. His leading work in Geriatric Psychiatry at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute and the Regional Geriatric Program of Toronto instilled in him the drive to better support seniors across the continuum of care.
As CEO at CityHousing Hamilton (CHH), Tom championed innovative redevelopment and renewal projects. This included four new builds, a high-rise retrofit, two neighbourhood revitalization projects, and a $194 million dollar renewal across the entire portfolio to sustain deep affordability, increase accessibility and optimize energy efficiency. In 2021, CHH completed the largest multi-residential Passive House (i.e. high performance) tower renewal in the world which demonstrates that low energy retrofits are not only sustainable, but also realize the best outcomes for tenants’ health, safety and comfort.
With Tom’s leadership, CHH strove to create integrated service models that were founded on the voices of tenants, health and wellness information, and extensive community partnerships. As well, improving the well being of vulnerable seniors and marginalized populations through relationship-building to provide services and designated housing has assisted CHH to better meet the needs of the community. Tom has worked with the staff at CHH to actively participate in community collaborations such as CityLab Hamilton, an innovative hub that brings together student, academic and civic leaders to address complex social challenges.
Tom incorporates his care and wellness experience into delivering housing services to tenants whose needs are increasingly complex and demanding. Ensuring that staff are engaged and motivated to foster a high-performance culture and focussed on best practices, helps to best meet the increasing demands and needs of individuals and families.
Tom completed a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Human Nutrition at McGill University and a Master’s degree in health administration at the University of Toronto.