Sharon Lithwick

Strategic real estate and land development professional with 15+ years of experience spanning utility infrastructure, land acquisition, development management, municipal planning, environmental approvals, and real estate investment. Proven ability to advance complex, multi-stakeholder projects from feasibility and due diligence through approvals, acquisition, development, and disposition. Experienced in negotiating real property rights, establishing land valuation and acquisition strategies, managing multidisciplinary consultants, overseeing project budgets and schedules, and navigating municipal and regulatory approvals.

Strong track record working across public and private sectors with municipalities, government agencies, Indigenous communities, landowners, consultants, legal counsel, joint-venture partners, and senior leadership. Combines a Master’s degree in Urban & Regional Planning with a specialization in Land Use and Real Estate Development, GIS expertise, and hands-on experience delivering major infrastructure and real estate initiatives.

Real Estate Advisor - HYDRO ONE NETWORKS

(2024-01)

Provide real estate advisory and acquisition services supporting major transmission and distribution infrastructure projects across Ontario.

• Lead the acquisition of fee simple interests, easements, rights-of-way and other real property interests from public and private landowners to support transmission and distribution projects.
• Assess proposed and planned infrastructure projects to determine real estate requirements, property impacts, acquisition strategies and implementation considerations based on technical and operational needs.
• Develop acquisition cost estimates for large-scale transmission projects, supporting project budgeting, financial planning and executive decision-making.
• Analyze market sales data and property information to develop land value estimates, acquisition assessments and supporting real estate reports.
• Coordinate independent appraisers, surveyors and other external real estate professionals to support property acquisition and due diligence.
• Collaborate with engineering, project management, construction, legal, finance and other internal teams to align real estate deliverables with overall project requirements.
• Monitor acquisition activities against established project schedules, budgets and delivery objectives, proactively identifying issues and coordinating solutions.

Principal Planner – Contract - REGION OF PEEL

(2023-08 - 2023-12)

Provided senior planning expertise in the review and coordination of complex development applications with Regional and municipal implications.

• Led the review, coordination and consolidation of Regional comments and recommendations on Official Plans, Secondary Plans, Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments, Site Plans, Plans of Subdivision and Condominium applications.
• Prepared planning analysis and recommendations for consideration by the approval authority and, where required, Regional Council.
• Evaluated development proposals against Regional and Provincial planning interests, policies and requirements.
• Coordinated reviews with planners and technical professionals across Regional departments, area municipalities and external review agencies.
• Provided planning advice to Regional departments and supported special initiatives focused on process improvement, development review and service delivery.
• Managed competing priorities and complex development files within tight statutory and project timelines.

Development Manager – Ottawa - CANADA LANDS COMPANY CLC LTD. - Ottawa

(2021 - 2023)

Managed complex public-sector real estate development projects through the full property lifecycle, from feasibility and acquisition through planning, development, marketing and disposition.

• Managed multiple development files and ensured delivery against business objectives, budgets, schedules, milestones and corporate requirements.
• Directed multidisciplinary consultant teams across architecture, appraisal, market analysis, civil engineering, geotechnical, environmental, transportation planning, surveying, property taxation and urban planning.
• Led consultant procurement, proposal evaluation, selection, contract administration, scope management and change-order control.
• Managed project budgets and financial tracking in collaboration with Finance, providing senior management with accurate project status and financial updates.
• Coordinated municipal approvals including Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments, Consent Applications, Plans of Subdivision, Lifting of Part Lot Control and Development Agreements.
• Worked with architects and planning consultants to advance conceptual plans, development concepts and architectural guidelines.
• Supported environmental due diligence, site assessments and remediation strategies to identify and manage development risks.
• Negotiated and drafted licence agreements for the use of existing properties in collaboration with legal counsel.
• Collaborated with joint-venture partners, including Indigenous partners, to advance development initiatives and project objectives.
• Developed public engagement strategies with Communications and led engagement activities involving community associations, stakeholders and members of the public.
• Worked with real estate brokers to develop marketing strategies and supported property dispositions, including collaboration with legal counsel on Agreements of Purchase and Sale and closing documentation.
• Oversaw third-party property management activities, including site maintenance, landscaping, snow removal and security.
• Developed a SharePoint-based project management and reporting tool that provided the real estate team with centralized project tracking and high-level portfolio visibility.

Network Management Engineer – Value Growth | Mergers & Acquisitions Rotation - HYDRO ONE NETWORKS

(2014 - 2015)

Supported strategic investment, mergers and acquisitions, and network growth initiatives through financial, geographic and market analysis.

• Supported the Mergers & Acquisitions team in evaluating real estate and electrical investment opportunities.
• Developed an electrical distribution cost and revenue model integrating data from disparate customer and asset management systems into a GIS-based analytical framework.
• Built a systematic ranking methodology for Ontario electrical distribution companies based on strategic merit and model feasibility, supporting identification of potential acquisition targets.
• Analyzed financial models and valuation information associated with potential merger and acquisition opportunities.
• Conducted demographic research and statistical analysis to develop market profiles and inform investment strategy and business development decisions.
• Defined customer rate thresholds based on service-area density analysis to support a new rate application to the provincial electricity regulator.

Environmental Planner - HYDRO ONE NETWORKS

(2008 - 2013)

Managed environmental planning, regulatory approvals, stakeholder engagement and multidisciplinary project coordination for major electrical infrastructure initiatives.

• Coordinated multidisciplinary teams supporting the planning, permitting and approvals of transmission and distribution infrastructure, including interconnections associated with solar and wind generation.
• Evaluated transmission line corridors and station locations using environmental, social, economic and technical criteria to identify viable infrastructure alternatives.
• Worked closely with Real Estate teams to coordinate property rights and land requirements for new transmission lines and stations.
• Led public consultation activities, including Public Information Centres, to communicate project requirements and address questions and concerns from communities and stakeholders.
• Developed scopes of work and managed procurement, consultant contracts, project schedules and budgets for technical studies including geotechnical, archaeological and biological assessments.
• Coordinated consultation with landowners, municipalities, government agencies, First Nations, Métis communities and other stakeholder groups.
• Managed environmental approval requirements and worked to secure approvals within established project schedules.
• Reviewed technical specifications, construction documentation and environmental reports for submission to regulatory and approving agencies.
• Coordinated GIS analysis, mapping and spatial information management supporting infrastructure planning and environmental assessment.

Master of Urban & Regional Planning - Land Use & Real Estate Development - QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY

Post-Graduate Diploma - Geographic Information Systems (GIS) - SIR SANDFORD FLEMING COLLEGE

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Environmental Studies - UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO