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The Starlight Impact

Starlight culture is about people who care and look to make a difference.

Social engagement is woven into our fabric and can be seen through our actions and enthusiasm. Our people play an active role in selecting the organizations we support, and giving back to the communities we serve is a key part of our culture.

We are proud supporters of organizations and charities making a difference every day.


The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation began raising funds for cancer research at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in 1982. Since then, the Foundation has raised well over $1 billion for one of the world’s top five cancer research centres. The Foundation has pioneered many successful types of fundraising, including mega lotteries and large-scale events recruiting thousands of participants and fundraisers such as the One Walk to Conquer Cancer and Ride to Conquer Cancer. 

Starlight is honoured to be the official title sponsor for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Journey to Conquer Cancer for the second year in a row. Starlight has a long history of supporting Journey — a fun-filled and inspiring day that emphasizes community, family and solidarity. During the event, Starlight employees participate by volunteering in various capacities throughout the route and by joining their co-workers and family members on our corporate Cancer Fighting Team to run or walk the one‑, three- or five-kilometre course. 

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation


The George Hull Centre for Children and Families is an accredited children’s mental health centre that serves children from birth to age eighteen and their families. By working together with families, and by providing the best possible help, The George Hull Centre makes a difference in the lives of children as they grow and develop into valued members of society. 

In support of children’s mental health, Starlight is proud to support various initiatives including the annual Laugh Out Loud event and Holiday Gift Family Support initiative. In 2022, Starlight helped four families with their holiday wish lists in order to give them a holiday to remember. 

George Hull Centre for Children and Families


The Daily Bread Food Bank is a registered charity that is dedicated to fighting hunger in Toronto communities. Every year thousands of people across Toronto rely on the support of food banks. As a distribution hub, Daily Bread provides food and support to almost 200 food programs across Toronto and is the largest provider of food relief in the GTA.

Starlight is involved on an ongoing basis with Daily Bread through onsite volunteering and various fundraising initiatives.

Daily Bread Food Bank


Founded in 1990, Earth Day Canada (EDC) is a national charity that inspires and supports people across the country to connect with nature and build resilient communities. EDC leads an annual Earth Day campaign in conjunction with free, year-round, award-winning programs that get people of all ages outside, interacting with the natural environment. This, in turn, fosters an intrinsically motivated, enduring commitment to stewardship and conservation.

EDC works closely with school-aged children and youth through the renowned EcoKids program and new EarthPLAY initiative and recognizes via the Hometown Heroes Awards those who are leading the way in making our planet healthier. EDC engages diverse communities in the environmental NGO sector with their Tapestry program and helps corporate partners achieve their sustainability goals with the growing employee engagement platform.

Starlight participates annually in the Earth Day Clean Toronto Together” event that engages businesses around the GTA to help clean up local green spaces where they live and work.

Earth Day Canada


Make-A-Wish® creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, and are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in Canada and more than 50 countries worldwide. Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Canada has granted over 35,000 wishes across the country, with over 1,000 last year alone.

Starlight supports Make-A-Wish® Canada through participation in multiple volunteer and fundraising initiatives such as the Golf for Wishes golf tournament fundraiser and Trees of Joy, an event to provide personalized Christmas Trees to wish kids and their families over the holidays. Both these events and other volunteer initiatives help to raise funds and awareness about Make-A-Wish Canada and the work that they do to help support and provide wishes to the children and their families.

Make-A-Wish® Canada


Habitat for Humanity Canada is a national charitable organization working toward a world where everyone has a decent and affordable place to call home. Habitat for Humanity brings communities together to help families build strength, stability and independence through affordable homeownership. With the help of volunteers, Habitat homeowners and 48 local Habitats working in every province and territory, we provide a solid foundation for better, healthier lives in Canada and around the world.

Starlight is proud to support Habitat for Humanity as a multi-year partner in their efforts to provide Canadians in need with affordable housing. Through this partnership, Starlight helps build much-needed housing in partnership with Indigenous families in Ontario and across the country through support of Habitat Canada’s Indigenous Housing Partnership. As part of the partnership, Starlight team members work alongside volunteers to help physically build safe and affordable housing for Indigenous families.

Habitat for Humanity Canada

The holiday season is a time meant for communities to get together and support one another. At Starlight, we have always felt strongly about supporting our communities and there is no better time than the holidays.

For the past 15 years, Starlight has run our annual Starlight Days of Cheer campaign, where employees get together to raise funds and support a host of our partner organizations — local charities and community organizations doing incredible work for those less fortunate. As one of our longest running home-grown philanthropic campaigns, we look forward to continuing to support our partner organizations through the holiday season for years to come. 


2023 marked the first year of Real Estate Rally, a charity ping pong tournament hosted by Starlight Investments and BentallGreenOak. Through the generous donations of the participating companies and people in attendance, the event raises money for charitable organizations, with 50% of donations going to Habitat for Humanity and 50% going to a charity chosen by the winning team. 

In the inaugural tournament, teams from 16 real estate companies came together for a night of fundraising and friendly competition. $60,000 was raised and the winning team donated their half to Kids Help Phone. Based on the success in 2023, the tournament is set to be an annual event.

Starlight is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with like-minded organizations dedicated to making a positive impact and contributing to meaningful causes. This exciting initiative is our newest way of giving back to the communities in which we operate.

Building communities for everyone.

As Canada’s population continues to grow, we are committed to creating inclusive rental communities and providing safe and well-maintained housing options. We recognize that housing affordability is a national priority. As such, 40% of Starlight’s family-sized suites are deemed affordable” in their region, and more than half our suites are positioned close to current affordability benchmarks.1

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1 Based on 30% of the area’s median rental household income.

OFFERING SUPPORT

1000+ families supported through our Resident Rent Assistance Program.

At times, our residents may encounter unforeseen financial difficulties and we empathize with them. To help alleviate the burden, we have established the Resident Rent Assistance Program (RRAP). If a resident is experiencing difficulties, they can apply for assistance through their respective Property Manager. We are here to assist where we can and are committed to serving our communities better. We also offer support in fourteen languages to make the application process as seamless as possible.

A hands-on community approach.

We actively work with community stakeholders, social groups and all levels of government to provide Canadians of all means a chance at stable, secure and tenured housing options. Starlight is currently engaged with nearly 40 different social housing organizations and provides more than 1,100 units to assist the vulnerable and at-risk communities they serve.

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BGC Ottawa logo, Starlight
Crime Prevention Ottawa logo, Starlight
Toronto Community Housing logo, Starlight
Provinicial Youth Outreach Worker logo, Starlight
Cota logo, Starlight
George Hull Centre Logo, Starlight
Canadian Mental Health Association logo, Starlight
Britannia Woods Community House logo, Starlight

Supporting Ontarians

Starlight is proud to work directly with SHIP and have provided the non-profit with 50+ rental suites for those who are considered at-risk. Through this partnership we provide stable and secure housing options to increase the quality of life of many Ontarians in need of affordable and supportive community-based housing and services.

Building a greener future.

Making an impact means affecting lives in a way that is both meaningful and measurable. Our future-conscious projects have garnered over 75 awards and certifications to date. In 2021, Starlight:

  • Reduced carbon emissions in our residences by 7%
  • Reduced water intensity by 3%
  • Reduced energy intensity by 8%

Today, over 50% of Starlight’s commercial portfolio boasts green building certifications.

Inclusivity means everyone.

Diversity and inclusion have always been fundamental to the way we conduct our business. It is reflected in our hiring practices and how we treat each other and our external partners. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Allyship (IDEA) permeates throughout our organization and the communities we serve. It is our collective responsibility to create a fair and equitable space for each other, and we look forward to the exciting initiatives that lay ahead.

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Working at Starlight means making an impact.

Our people have the opportunity to make a positive impact on our company, our industry and our communities. Our entrepreneurial culture empowers employees to help drive our company forward with a focus on sustainability and driving positive change.