Yorkton Group International Ltd. is a real estate company diversified across land development and construction, leasing, real estate brokering, hotel management, real estate investment, development and asset management.

Established in 1989, founders Ben Lui, Reg Liyanage and Gordie Mah, rebranded to Yorkton Group International in 2002 and opened to outside investors. 

Originally from Edmonton, Lui went to Toronto to further his education. After graduating from the University of Toronto with a major in computer science and commerce, he came back to the Capital City with just $500 in his pocket.

“It was a rough start. I couldn’t even afford to rent an apartment!” Lui remembers. “I had to stay at a friend’s house. However, as a fresh university graduate, I was lucky that I got a very good IT job quickly and was able to rent a small basement suite with my first paycheque.”

While pursuing his IT career, Lui started saving up and investing in real estate, generating a passive income stream and enjoying the exponentially escalating value.

“I was fully employed in computer software development, and I enjoyed that as much as investing in real estate,” he shares. “But as my real estate portfolio grew, I had to make a decision – IT or real estate. I finally made a difficult decision to give up my IT career and went into real estate full-time.”

At first he was on his own, but as the company grew, he was joined by business partner Liyanage, who started the real estate syndication and managed it until the time of his passing in early 2025. Lui and the team of Yorkton Group are grateful to Liyanage and the many contributions he made to the company.

“We started by purchasing condos and houses here and there. Then we consolidated them and focused our investments on multifamily apartment buildings,” Lui shares how the growth trajectory. “In 2020, the company went public in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gordie Mah joined us around that time, and now, we have grown our real estate portfolio value more than 10 times within five years.”

While the Yorkton Group of Companies has many diverse interests, since 2020 the focus has been mainly on growing the multifamily portfolio of Yorkton Equity Group Inc., a public company trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol YEG [TSX.V : YEG]. 

“In today’s market volatility, real estate is a lower-risk bricks and mortar investment with quite predictable results that builds long-term wealth for our shareholders,” shares Lui, “especially in Edmonton’s healthy economy where in-migration and the job market are strong.”

While Lui doesn’t mind higher risk investments for himself, he is very mindful of the low risk tolerance of the shareholders who place their trust in Yorkton Equity Group.

“My IT background helps me make smart decisions. We only take calculated risks and do very thoughtful and thorough analysis in support of our decisions. With more than 30 years of experience, including investing in commercial, residential, industrial, raw land, hotel and more, we have learned that multifamily is the best choice with lower risk, because it provides a basic necessity for everyone.”

Lui and his team’s conservative approach has empowered the company, its clients and its investors with very healthy levels of success.

Karl Miu, consultant and business development at Yorkton Group, points out that while Lui is humble, there is plenty of proof that when it comes to making investment decisions, “Ben is always right.”

Lui laughs at the suggestion but admits he is pleased that his deep understanding of real estate, analytical mind and calculated approach have translated into success and outstanding returns for our shareholders. This trajectory is set to continue since Yorkton Equity Group is at the point where it can leverage bulk purchasing and the strong supports from financial institutions providing attractive financing terms.

“With our proven results, we continue to grow our portfolio rapidly,” says Lui.

The passion the team has for real estate is matched by the passion they share for giving back to the community in truly unique ways. In addition to supporting the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Ronald McDonald House and Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS), The Yorkton Group of Companies is taking a very hands-on approach to address homelessness and the revitilzation of Chinatown.

The determination to achieve success for the business, its investors and the communities they serve has earned Yorkton Group the respect of peers and the business community. The team is proud to have won a development award for the Bentley condo project. Located near the University of Alberta, the Bentley’s steel and concrete construction, heated underground parking and striking brick and stone exterior make it a highly sought after residence in Edmonton. Yorkton Group also enjoys awards and nominations from organizations such Alberta Masonry Council, BILD Alberta and the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.

“I could never have done this without my team,” concludes Lui. “Without them, Yorkton Group would not be the company it is today. I am also thankful to our board of directors for their guidance, our consultants, suppliers and bankers for their support. Last but not least, I am grateful to my family, my wife Phyllis and son Terry, for their support and sacrifice about the focus work took away from family time as I built the business.”

Lui and his team look forward to continuing to grow the Yorkton Equity Group multifamily portfolio and helping our shareholders achieve returns and results.

yorktongroup.com
yorktonequitygroup.com

Business Overview

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, the Yorkton Group of companies (Yorkton) is a Canadian growth-oriented real estate company which primarily owns a portfolio of multi-family rental properties in Alberta and British Columbia. Yorkton‘s current geographical focus is in markets in Western Canada with diversified, growing economies, and strong population in-migration. The company continues to monitor economic trends across Canada and may expand its property acquisitions into other provinces in the future as opportunities align with its strategic objectives.

Strategy and Objectives

Yorkton is committed to meeting the needs of its customers which the company believes will provide the company’s shareholders with long-term growing assets and stable income.

Yorkton’s business objective is to create a portfolio of high-quality, multi-family rental properties that generate strong cash flow and appreciation for our investors, while offering attractive and comfortable housing options for our valued residents, guided by a customer-focused philosophy. To achieve this, the company targets high quality and affordable residential rental properties in Canadian markets characterized by strong growth potential, diverse and expanding economies, significant population in-migration, high housing demand and low vacancy rates. The company’s current focus is in Alberta, due to its affordable housing, low cost of living, fewer regulations around rent control, and strong job market, with the highest median income among all provinces and second only to the northern territories. The company finances these acquisitions with low-cost, long-term Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (“CMHC”) insured mortgage loans.