Affordable Apartments builds and manages affordable, sustainable rental housing in the heart of Vancouver Island, with projects in Duncan and Chemainus, British Columbia. If you would like to learn more about our company and how to get involved, this page explains who we are, where our projects stand today, and how to reach our team.
Who We Are
Affordable Apartments is a British Columbia real estate development company. It brings together construction, finance, design, engineering and legal professionals to plan and deliver multifamily rental housing, with projects in Duncan and Chemainus.
Affordable Apartments earns revenue from rental income on the homes it builds and manages, from property management, and from its share of the projects it develops with joint-venture partners.
Leadership
Jess Watt
President
Jess leads Affordable Apartments, overseeing strategy, financing and project operations. She coordinates the construction, finance, design, engineering, legal and operational professionals on each development.
Joel Thompson, CPA, MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Joel brings more than 30 years of senior financial and executive experience with construction, manufacturing and energy-services businesses in Western Canada. He is a principal of Redline Management Services Inc. and has served on the boards of the Merit Contractors Association, Merit Canada and the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance.
Greg Zemrau
Head of Construction
Greg is a principal of Emerge Modular Ltd. and founder of Zemcore Construction Management. He previously served as Vice President of Construction for Canada at Bosa Development and Vice President of Construction at Intracorp Projects Ltd., delivering high-rise, mixed-use, rental and modular projects in British Columbia.
Advisers
- Sir Darren Jacklin: first independent board member of eXp World Holdings (Nasdaq: AGNT), where he served for a decade; sits on international boards in real estate, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and travel; General Partner at Smashing Numbers. Has trained executives and teams from 157 Fortune 500 companies.
- Dr. Bruce M. Firestone: real estate developer, broker, author and educator; founder of the modern Ottawa Senators NHL franchise; Ph.D. in Urban Economics.
- Jon Connelly: Manager of Investment Strategy at the Connelly Group of Companies, which owns commercial, retail and industrial real estate in the Ottawa region.
- Derek Gullmes: Director of Business Development, Advantage One Group of Companies.
- Daven Michaels: entrepreneur, author and publisher; founder of 123Employee and CEO of Michaels Press.
Our Projects
Status as of November 2026.
| Project | Location | Stage | Homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumina on Gibbins Road | Duncan | Under construction | About 100 one- and two-bedroom units, retail below |
| Paddle Road | Duncan | Under construction | Studio, one- and two-bedroom |
| Ford Road | Duncan | In design | One- and three-bedroom townhomes |
| Fairfield Street | Duncan | In design | Multifamily |
| Norcross Road | Duncan | In design | Multifamily |
| Esplanade Street | Chemainus | Pre-development permit | Multifamily |
Renderings on project pages show planned designs and may change.
Contact Our Team
Have a question about Affordable Apartments or our projects? Send us a message and a member of our team will reply within two business days.
Please do not send identity documents, banking details or payment information through this form. If you choose to move forward, our team will explain the next steps and how information is handled securely.