2011 Award of Excellence

John D'Eathe

The Real Estate Institute of British Columbia presented John D'Eathe, RI the 2011 REIBC Award of Excellence during our 2011 Recognition Dinner held at the Terminal City Club on June 16, 2011.  The REIBC Award of Excellence is presented to the REIBC member who best demonstrates outstanding leadership and contributions within the real estate industry, his or her community, and/or our broader society.

John D’Eathe became an RI some 39 years ago, completed a law degree at the London University and studied at the Harvard Business School in Advanced Management.

His working experience in Real Estate spans multiple continents where he was founding president of Douglasdale Estates in Calgary; a company which developed a 1,400 acre community with homes, shopping, offices, industrial, a golf course and riverside parklands. He was a director of Taylor Woodrow California and Kilroy Realty Corporation LA, as well as being chairman of Bentall US. This RI has held positions with Maritime Life and was the owner of Freehold Development Properties which was subsequently sold to Marathon Realty.  Other companies he has been associated with include the Hong Kong Land Co, Penreal Advisors as well as serving as senior Vice President of Grosvenor International.

John currently owns Freehold Development Canada Ltd and has developed property in BC and Alberta.

This RI has dedicated his life to the Real Estate profession locally, nationally and globally. But as previously stated, the Award of Excellence exemplifies the balance between career and community.

John’s voluntary work is almost more impressive than his career. He has held a wide variety of positions in civic, charitable and business organizations in Canada and currently, he is chairman of the Marineview Housing Society which is dedicated to providing safe, affordable housing for people on the North Shore living with mental health issues.

He has also been involved at an executive level, with organizations such as the Hong Kong Jaycees, the Hong Kong Red Cross Society, the Downtown Business Association, Community Planning Association of Canada, West Vancouver Advisory Planning Commission, Vancouver Legacies Program, the Canadian Citizenship Court, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and the Vancouver Arts Club Foundation.

In his free time this member lectures in the UBC Geography planning department and continually supports real estate programs. In 2003 he was honored for services to UBC with the establishment of the John D’Eathe Award in Urban Land Economics.

Adapted from presentation given by
Calvin G. Ross, AACI, P. App, RI
JOHNSTON, ROSS & CHENG LTD.