The Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation establish the Gluskin Chair in Real Estate at Laurier

Dec. 18, 2025
For Immediate Release

Wilfrid Laurier University supporters Ira Gluskin (LLD ’19) and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin have pledged $500,000 through the Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation to support the creation of the Gluskin Chair in Real Estate at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics.

“We’re truly grateful to Ira and Maxine for this visionary gift,” said Kyle Murray, dean of the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics. “Real estate is a driving force in the Canadian economy that makes a broad and significant impact across all areas of our communities. It is critical that we address opportunities and challenges in this area, and the Gluskin Chair in Real Estate will keep Laurier at the leading edge of this ever-evolving work.”

The Gluskin Chair in Real Estate will identify gaps in knowledge, develop a research program, work in collaboration with industry experts and practitioners to find solutions for current issues, and support teaching programs and visiting professorships.

Gluskin is the Chief Investment Officer of Irager + Associates Inc., a family office, overseeing strategy and investments and a director of European Residential Real Estate Trust and First Capital REIT. Gluskin was the Co-Founder of Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc. and a columnist for the Globe and Mail.

He is also a director of a number of other private and public organizations.

Granovsky Gluskin has served on the boards of Sinai Health Foundation and Sinai Health since 2018. She co-chaired the Foundation board from 2020-2023.

Granovsky Gluskin has been a long-standing member of the board of trustees of the Art Gallery of Ontario (since 2004) and chaired that board for four years from 2013-2017.

Together, through the Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation, they have donated more than $100 million over the past 30 years in support of a range of Canadian non-profits.

“Maxine and I are proud supporters of Laurier and the Lazaridis School,” said Gluskin. “For many decades, we have been impressed with the calibre of the university’s students and graduates, and have formed significant relationships with faculty, leadership and alumni. We are pleased to be able to help develop knowledge and professionals in an important area of the Canadian economy and look forward to seeing an impact for years to come.”

For many years, Ira and Maxine have maintained a longstanding and deeply valued relationship with Laurier. Their support includes establishing the Ira Gluskin Fellowship in Finance at the Lazaridis School in 2019, participating in Laurier’s 2022 Conversations with Leaders panel, and contributing directly to student learning through guest presentations. Since the 1990s, Gluskin Sheff and Associates has further strengthened this connection by hiring hundreds of Laurier co-op students.

“With this gift, Ira and Maxine ensure that Laurier students, faculty and researchers can make a difference in an area of our economy that affects many lives and communities,” said Laurier’s President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy. “Great decision-making depends on relevant and current research. We’re grateful for the opportunity this insightful gift provides to contribute as a university to this critical field.”

The Gluskin Chair in Real Estate is anticipated to begin in the 2026-2027 academic year and will be in place for five years.