Vancouver · Real estate & public policy
Real estate, public policy, and the systems between them.
I operate a $400M+ commercial real estate portfolio in Western Canada, have sat on the board of a $1.6B public university, and make films and essays about how cities, money and institutions work.
Latest
What I do
Three kinds of work on the same subject: how cities, housing and public money are run.
Real estate
I operate a $400M+ mixed-use commercial real estate portfolio in Western Canada, with day-to-day responsibility for tenants, municipal approvals, contractors and the people who keep large properties running. I've been a licensed real estate professional in Alberta since 2021, with $15M+ in residential, commercial and mixed-use transactions.
Public policy & governance
I was appointed by the Minister of Advanced Education to the University of Calgary Board of Governors, overseeing a $1.6B+ institution. I've worked in government relations across more than ten Alberta municipalities, lobbied and briefed elected officials at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, and written 15+ policy briefs as a research advisor.
Films, writing & speaking
I make documentary case studies and long-form conversations about housing, cities and public money, with companion essays that show the full numbers. I've spoken at conferences, lectures and community events across Canada.
Selected work
$1.6B+
University of Calgary Board of Governors
Minister-appointed governor of a provincially regulated public institution, 2024–2025.
$400M+
Commercial real estate portfolio
Operations for a mixed-use portfolio in Western Canada: tenants, approvals, capital projects and community events.
20,000+
Calgary city council campaign
In 2025 I ran for council in Ward 3: 20,000+ doors, 100 volunteers, and a full policy platform on housing, transit and safety.
Millions
Fundraising
Millions of dollars raised for charities and community causes, including as National Director of Charity Week Canada.
3 levels
Government relations
Lobbying and policy analysis at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, including housing, land use and taxation files across more than ten Alberta municipalities.
7,000+
Community leadership
President of the University of Calgary Muslim Students' Association; founder of Flatten the Curve Canada, a national volunteer public-health initiative.
About
About Siraaj
I grew up in Calgary and studied political science and international relations at the University of Calgary, where I spent as much time inside institutions as studying them: in student government, as president of a 7,000-member association, and eventually as a Minister-appointed member of the university's Board of Governors.
My work has always sat where real estate meets public policy. I've closed transactions as a REALTOR®, analysed housing and land-use policy for Alberta's real estate boards, and now operate a large commercial portfolio, where every bylaw and approval shows up on the ground.
In 2025 I ran for Calgary city council in Ward 3. We knocked on more than 20,000 doors with a team of about 100 volunteers and built a platform around housing, transit and safety. I learned more on those doorsteps about how the city works than I ever had from briefing notes.
Today I work out of Vancouver and live in the Lower Mainland. Alongside my work in real estate, I make films and write essays about how decisions on housing, land and public money get made, because most of the people affected never see that part.
Let's talk.
For Alberta real estate, commercial property, advisory conversations, speaking, or board and committee roles.
Get in touch