Canada’s mortgage industry lost one of its most influential voices, advocates and leaders after the passing of Christine Buemann following a lengthy battle with breast cancer.
She is remembered by friends and colleagues as a “rare gem,” a “powerful inspiration,” and someone who had an enormous impact on the industry as well as those who were fortunate to know her personally.
Buemann first got involved with real estate investment in Northern British Columbia in 2005 and founded the Christine Buemann Mortgage Team in 2010. In 2020, she became co-owner of The Collective Mortgage Group and joined Mortgage Professionals Canada’s (MPC) advisory council.
“Christine was deeply committed to supporting the association and its members,” reads a statement issued by MPC. “She was always willing to lend her time, insight, and encouragement and she consistently showed up for her peers with generosity and professionalism. Her contributions and dedication made a meaningful and lasting impact on our community.”
In a video tribute, colleague and friend Dustin Woodhouse described Buemann as “ridiculously upbeat all the damn time,” and “someone who mattered to our industry on many levels.”
“Despite being in the ICU ward, Christine Buemann was hopeful, Christine was optimistic, Christine was upbeat, which Christine joked to me may well have been attributed to the different drugs the doctors had her on at the time,” he recalls. “But for those of us lucky enough to have known Christine, we knew this is simply who she was.”
Woodhouse goes on to describe Buemann as someone who “probably had a world record level EQ (emotional intelligence), with an IQ not far behind,” and a “brilliant listener” who expertly created space for others, a sentiment shared by many in the industry who knew her best.
Quiet strength in a loud industry
“Every so often, if you are truly lucky, a mirror appears in your life, a reflection of another soul shining so brightly that it reveals parts of yourself you may have forgotten were there,” says Tribe Financial Group co-founder and CEO Frances Hinojosa. “Christine was that mirror to anyone that came into her presence.”
Hinojosa first met Buemann in passing at an industry event in 2019 and — like many who entered her orbit — felt an immediate connection.
“What stood out most about her was her quiet resilience and her remarkable ability to find goodness in everything and everyone,” Hinojosa says. “Conversations with her expanded your thinking, not through force, but through depth, curiosity and emotional intelligence that far surpassed most.”
In an industry known for big personalities and loud voices, many describe how Buemann stood out for her quiet wisdom, insightful questions and ability to tease out the true feelings of others without forcing her own perspective.
“Christine taught me and so many others that true leadership is not a title. It is not hardness or force,” Hinojosa adds. “Real strength is soft, quiet, unassuming and full of love. To care deeply about people is not only how we should lead in business, but how we should live our lives.”
Others echoed that sense of quiet presence.
“In an industry that often moves fast and talks loudly, Christine was thoughtful, present, and kind,” says Veronica Love, CRO of TMG The Mortgage Group and former MPC chair, who met Buemann soon after entering the industry in 2010. “Our friendship was rooted in honesty and mutual respect, and I was always better for having spoken with her.”
The people she lifted
Love describes how Buemann not only built “one of the most unique brokerages in our industry,” but also gave her time and energy generously to the people and causes that mattered to her.
“She was a powerful inspiration to women in the mortgage space, consistently encouraging them to speak up, take up space, and participate fully,” says Love. “Even while fighting cancer, Christine continued to show up—for her business, her clients, her colleagues, and most importantly, her family.”
Love says that above all else, Christine was an “incredible mother” to her two sons, whom she spoke of often with immense pride. “It was clear that motherhood was at the very centre of her heart,” she says.
“She was a visionary, always willing to create and enact change, the first to help others, provide tools, support and education to better our industry as a whole,” says Catherine Melville, who met Buemann through MPC’s B.C. Chapter in 2020. “She loved fearlessly, without worrying what she would receive in return. The world needs to be more like her.”
“Christine did more in her short life than more people accomplish in a lifetime,” says colleague and friend Sabeena Bubber, a broker with Xeva Mortgage. “Christine was a deeply valued member of the Brokers Who Care community — an active and dedicated board member who generously gave her time, energy and resources to support families in need.”
Bubber adds that Buemann was one of the few with whom she shared her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2022.
“Having cancer can be isolating,” she says. “I was honoured to be there to support her when she went through her journey. She was so strong and she fought her battle with hope and optimism.”
“Simply put; to know her was to love her,” says Sarah Almond of First National Financial. “{She was endlessly present for the people she loved; and I am forever grateful I was one of those people.”
Almond says she, like many, bonded instantly with Buemann, who quickly became “an incredibly important person in my life,” with whom she shares countless memories filled with “laughter,” “chaos” and “love.”
“Her absence is felt in ways that are hard to put into words,” she says. “Christine was love and light, right to the very end. Her legacy lives on in the people she supported, believed in, and loved so fiercely.”
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Brokers Who Care Catherine Melville Christine Buemann Dustan Woodhouse Frances Hinojosa mortgage professionals canada obituary Sabeena Bubber Sarah Almond The Collective Mortgage Group veronica love
Last modified: February 7, 2026