The bright idea behind lilies

Bulbs are typically associated with those planted in the fall, such as the famous tulips and daffodils. There is another world of colour and scent, however, and they emerge from bulbs planted in the spring. Known by their Latin name as Lilium, or more commonly as lilies, these unusual beauties aim to please any condo landscape from June to September.

The great flexibility with lily bulbs is that they can be inter-planted into existing landscaping. If a hole can be dug with a bulb digger or small shovel, three inches wide by six to eight inches deep, then a lily bulb can be planted.

Where they will not grow is in heavy clay or poor draining soil where they will inevitably rot. They will also grow in either full sun or part shade, which is usually the case for most established condo planting beds.

There is also a variety of heights ranging from 18 inches, which suits planting in containers, and up to 44 to 60 inches suitable for inter-planting around existing tall perennials and shrubs. They are all sure to please both condo residents and visitors as all their blooms are large and fragrant, outperforming any other summer flowers for visibility.

The Asiatic Group

These are the first group to bloom, usually emerging in late June and early July. They are winter hardy to Zone 2, which means they have no problem thriving as far north as Thunder Bay. The remaining groups are winter hardy to Zone 3. Colours usually have a dramatic burgundy or soft yellow ‘throated’ centre.

The Trumpet Group

These are the next in sequence to bloom in July. What is incredible about these varieties is their height, three to five feet, making them perfect to integrate with tall shrubs. Also worth noting is their intoxicating fragrance such as those pure yellow and white and purple varieties.

From left to right: Lilium Trumpet (white with purple ‘throat’), inter-planted with Butterfly Bush; and Lilium Trumpet ‘Golden Splendour.’ inter-planted with Purple Leaf Sand Cherry shrubs.

The Oriental Group

The Oriental Group blooms in late July into early August. Most famous for its extraordinary fragrance and four-to-six-foot mature height is the Oriental Casablanca. Pure white blooms suit any landscape colour scheme. Star Gazer is slightly shorter, but with stunning deep pink and pink speckled blooms and equally fragrant.

Tiger Lilies

These are the last to perform in mid-to-late summer, going into early September. These blooms face downward which is atypical to the other groups and in a variance of yellow with red speckles, and yellow and red striped. Coming into their own when most of the landscape starts to tire, fade and wane the Tiger group is a great pick-me-up.

Clockwise from top left: Lilium Tiger (red/yellow); Lilium Orientalis ‘Casablanca’; and Lilium Asiatic (various). Varieties in yellow with burgundy speckled ‘throats’ and white with yellow ‘throats.’

Maintenance

The ease of Lilium is their ability to do what is known as ‘perennialize.’ What this means is that the bulbs multiply with age by producing smaller bulb offsets. Some varieties will last for years and when weighed against the cost of bedding annuals that are planted year after year, the savings for the condo corporation can be significant over a 10-year period.

Planting in the spring involves the same level of skill from a landscape crew that would be required for fall bulb planting. Spraying for lily beetle and staking of taller varieties may be required. If inter-planted amongst sturdy existing perennials and shrubs, the need for staking can be by-passed. Cut the spent foliage down to the ground in the fall and the cycle will begin again the following spring.

Kent Ford is Principal Landscape Architect and Founder of KFDG Inc., a Toronto-based landscape design and project management firm specializing in condominiums. He can be reached at 416 368 7175, www.kentforddesign.com or by email at [email protected]

Feature photo: Lillium Orientalis ‘Star Gazer’

UFV student housing to triple in Abbotsford

Construction of new mass timber student housing at the University of the Fraser Valley’s (UFV) Abbotsford campus will triple the number of beds available and expand dining facilities.

The province is providing $70.3 million toward the $82.3-million project. The new housing will increase on-campus accommodations for students from 200 to 598 beds. The six-storey building will include 398 new student beds as well as common areas.

“We know that finding housing near UFV’s Abbotsford campus can be a challenge. That is why our government is working hard to deliver more than 8,000 new on-campus student beds throughout B.C. by 2028,” said Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang. “This fantastic project at UFV is part of the Homes for B.C. plan, and it will help so many students focus on their studies. With the new space at UFV, we now have more than 6,800 new student housing beds open or underway.”

Dining hall construction is anticipated to begin in early 2023, with completion in early 2024. Student housing construction is expected to also begin in early 2023, with the first students to move in by fall 2024.

“This beautiful and modern new building will transform UFV’s Abbotsford campus, and this means nearly 600 students will call our campus home during their studies. Their energy will revitalize our spaces and their presence will provide a lively key element in Abbotsford’s growing UDistrict,” said Joanne MacLean, UFV president. “UFV is grateful to government for its support of this important and community-focused project that fills a critical housing need in our region.”

The Cascade Café, an existing food service on campus, will also be expanded to add another storey and increased floor space. These changes will double the size of the dining hall and increase seating capacity from 121 to 350 seats. The completed space will offer greater food options and expanded operating hours.

Climate advocates warn of extreme heat fallout

A new report from The Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo is warning that extreme heat is set to cause devastating climate-related suffering in Canada that will be present for decades to come.

If left unchecked, the toll could surpass the 595 heat-related fatalities reported by British Columbia’s coroner in 2021, and 86 lives lost in Quebec in 2018.

Urban centres face the greatest risk because of the urban-heat-island effect, and some communities will be harder hit than others. The report states that preparedness should top Canada’s adaptation agenda and outlines 35 practical actions to reduce risks, which includes passive cooling that does not rely on power, expanding tree canopies and natural habitats, and watching over the most vulnerable, such as regular checks of the elderly and facilitating access to cooling shelters.

The report highlights three “red zones” in Canada that will be hardest hit by extreme heat: valleys between the West Coast and the Rocky Mountains in B.C., prairie communities bordering the U.S, and north of Lake Erie through the St. Lawrence River Valley in Ontario and Quebec.

“Warming and more intense extreme heat will be present for decades to come,” said study co-author Joanna Eyquem, managing director of Climate Resilient Infrastructure. “If an extreme-heat event coincided with an extended electricity outage — with no fans or air conditioning running — loss of life could easily jump to the thousands.”

Individuals, property owners and managers, and communities all have a role to play. Vulnerable groups such as those who live alone and those with fewer financial resources will require targeted support. Heat is also an inequality issue — marginalized or racialized communities are even more vulnerable.

“I see extreme heat in a different category than all other climate perils,” said study co-author Dr. Blair Feltmate. “Extreme heat is more than inconvenient, it’s potentially lethal. If we don’t prepare for extreme heat, those who are vulnerable may die.”

Decision-makers are urged to recognize such events as natural disasters, build heat resilience into home inspections and valuation appraisals, provide proactive information on how to reduce heat-related risks, and harness public and private climate finance.

The full report can be viewed here.

Commercial leases attract political attention

Commercial leases have attracted political attention in Ontario. Both the NDP and Green parties float concepts for standardized lease agreements and rent control guidelines in their recently released platforms for the June 2 provincial election. However, some well-placed advocates for commercial tenants report they’ve experienced no groundswell of demand for either measure.

“It’s not something that we’ve heard asked for en masse,” affirms Ryan Mallough, senior director of provincial affairs, Ontario, with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). “It is something that we’ve heard from some individual businesses, particularly the set that were having challenges accessing CECRA (Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance) because that was the program that was done through the landlord, or businesses that saw sharp rent hikes when their leases came to an end during the pandemic.”

The NDP’s platform commitment is the more scoped of the two parties. It promises to “work with the business community to review the Commercial Tenancies Act, standardize commercial lease agreements and explore the creation of rent guidelines for small businesses” whereas the Green platform uses more definitive wording.

Notably, that’s the promise to “create rent control guidelines for year-over-year increases that apply to all commercial tenants, including new tenants, and implement a mechanism to enforce rules and resolve disputes”. The Green platform also refers to the creation of standardized leases and assurances that sitting tenants will be given priority when leases come up for renewal.

Insiders familiar with the intricacies of commercial leases stress that it would be no easy task to standardize them, nor would it necessarily serve tenants’ best interests. Lease terms are longer, while market conditions are generally more cyclical and more often in tenants’ favour than occurs in the residential sector. There’s also a long-established culture of lease negotiations, in which lessees bring a lawyer or someone like Anthony Dyson, a Toronto-based commercial broker with more than 30 years of experience as a tenant representative, to the table on their behalf.

“Everybody has a hard time with leases, especially smaller tenants. They are very complicated and there are a lot of factors in them,” he says. “Even if there was a standard lease, I think it would be difficult for most people to understand. For anyone to suggest that they are going to make them easy — that’s not very likely.”

Dyson and Mallough concur that tenants typically want flexibility to tailor lease agreements to their specific needs, which can vary with their business profiles and from market to market. “I guess you could have a standard lease with changes, but that would sort of defeat the purpose,” Dyson quips.

The political proposals also trigger concerns on the landlords’ side of the equation, where, for example, many years of work and responsive reading of evolving industry trends have gone into the voluntary model green lease for offices. Green lease proponents bristle at the spectre of outsiders presuming to barrel into that space.

“We do not believe government should interfere in commercial arrangements between arm’s-length third parties,” asserts Steven Sinclair, vice president, government relations and policy with REALPAC, which counts many of Canada’s largest commercial landlords among its membership. “Like most election commitments, the language is quite vague, and it is not clear what type of problem they’re looking to solve with this.”

Talk of rent guidelines arises at a time when many tenants are negotiating advantageous new deals or lease renewals due to a rise in vacancy rates, emerging competing options in short-term co-working space and uncertainty around the future of the formal office. Informed hypotheses suggest the COVID-19 pandemic could cause longer term upheaval for commercial landlords than for many of their tenants.

“We have heard from members who rent, who may be a bit more ‘pro’ for the concept, but we also have members who are landlords, who have flagged concerns around it,” Mallough advises.

For now, he speculates many small businesses would be more interested in help to address the pandemic-related debt they’re carrying — which CFIB membership surveys have found averages to about $160,000 — than rent control on a lease that may not be due for renewal any time soon.

“There are other proposed policies, including in the NDP’s own platform, for measures like small business recovery grants that would help to get some of that debt level down,” he observes. “Standardizing a lease agreement is not going to make the last two years of rent not due, or change the terms of the CECRA or CERS (Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy) programs. We’re encouraging all parties to remember, as we go through this election campaign, that you can’t make the last two years un-happen.”

Barbara Carss is editor-in-chief of Canadian Property Management.

Housing experts share rental market predictions for 2022

In the 4th annual Rental Market Predictions Report from Rentals.ca, 24 housing experts, economists and analysts share their thoughts and predictions for Canada’s rental market in 2022. The consensus? High demand and insufficient rental supply will continue to negatively impact renters as they search for a suitable place to live.

“The daily pandemic news put the housing crisis in the background for a while,” said Matt Danison, CEO of Rentals.ca Network, “But now as COVID-19 recedes, we are talking again about our lack of supply. This problem will keep rents on the rise in most of Canada for the rest of the year.”

The forecast calls for Toronto average monthly rents to bounce back 11 per cent by the end of the year; Mississauga monthly rents will be up 7 per cent by December; Vancouver average rents will increase 6 per cent; Montreal will post an annual increase of 5 per cent and Calgary rents will go up 4 per cent annually, according to Ben Myers, president of Bullpen Research & Consulting.

For the Toronto rental market specifically, Tony Irwin, president and CEO of the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) says he believes building infill development on existing sites, reducing taxes and fees on rental projects, and zoning amendments in areas such as transit corridors, could be the keys to boosting supply.

“We need to get all types of rentals built,” he said. “We’re starting to see more projects in the pipeline, but we need action from all levels of government to help solve the problem.”

Referring to the broader rental market, Max Steinman, CEO of Rentsync, predicts that vacancy rates will continue to drop as supply cannot keep pace with demand. Additionally, he says rents will continue to increase in most markets because of supply issues, and millennials will continue to migrate to secondary markets as employers remain flexible to working from home. Steinman projects that tighter supply will become a bigger issue in secondary markets, accelerating rental rates even greater than in many primary markets. In terms of solutions, he says he would like to see more office space converted to residential projects, and criticizes the bureaucratic processes that have hampered these conversions in most municipalities.

Jennifer Hunt, an international real estate investment expert, and chief intelligence officer at the Real Estate Wealth Lab, predicts that “rents will rise in nearly all markets in North America over the next 10 years,” adding that Canada needs unprecedented construction levels to address the supply problem which has been slowed by supply chain disruptions, government-imposed COVID restrictions, lumber costs and inflation.

More topics explored in the report:

Is Canada’s Budget 2022 $10 billion plan to redouble housing construction realistic given supply chain issues, lack of skilled workers, and inflation among other constraints?
The types of amenities renters are looking for have change post-Covid, with features like pet-friendly units, in-suite laundry, access to outdoor space, larger unit sizes, and refrigerated delivery rooms becoming highly sought-after features.
As downtown offices, restaurants, bars, and venues reopen, renters are drifting back to city centres where rents are increasing. But some renters who made the move to smaller markets are staying, causing rents to rise there, as well.
The pandemic accelerated the work-from-home phenomenon, and it’s here to stay, even if just partially for some businesses. Companies will be shedding some office space as a result. How long will it take cities to rezone to convert some of this space into lofts for work, live, shop and play areas?
Will Baby Boomers begin moving and downsizing again or remain aging in place?
In Medicine Hat, the municipality has functionally ended chronic homelessness. What can be learned and applied from this success?
As supply becomes more of an issue, lot-splitting, infill development, “as of right” zoning, inclusionary zoning, laneway suites, and co-op housing will be terms we’ll be hearing a lot more of.

For the full report, click here.

Dream retrofitting 19 buildings to net zero standards

Dream Unlimited is transforming 18 buildings in Toronto and one in Saskatoon to net zero standards, with $136 million in financing from the Canada Infrastructure Bank as part of the Commercial Building Retrofits Initiative.

The buildings range from boutique historical buildings to downtown high-rises, with the oldest dating back to 1908. The project is set to create about 1,500 jobs in the process.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Thursday at Dream’s 36 Toronto Street building, which will be retrofitted to reduce carbon emissions by more than 40 per cent in the next 36 months and to net zero by 2035.

Work has begun on upgrading each buildings’ various systems—including boilers, heat pumps and cooling systems—to energy efficient systems and low-carbon heating sources. Once complete, the buildings will become healthy and more resilient workplaces for the 15,000 employees who work there.

“It is incumbent on us all in the industry to examine our real estate and ensure we are making positive impacts that contribute to a sustainable, low carbon future,” says Gordon Wadley, COO of Dream Office REIT. “There’s an urgency for real estate companies to create innovative partnerships and deploy solutions at an incredible speed and scale.”

The 19 buildings include: 80 Richmond Street; 67 Temperance Street W; 56 Temperance Street W; 350 Bay Street; 366 Bay Street; 74 Victoria Street; 20 Toronto Street; 36 Toronto Street; 6 Adelaide Street; 425 Bloor Street East; 438 University Street; 655 Bay Street; 2206 Eglinton Avenue E; 90 Sussex Centre (90 Burnhamthorpe Road W.); 50 Sussex Centre (50 Burnhamthorpe Road W.); 10 Lower Spadina Avenue; 349 Carlaw Avenue; The Residences at Weston Common; and Princeton Tower in Saskatoon,

With a portfolio totaling over $15 billion, the pledge represents one of the most ambitious targets in the real estate sector, aiming to achieve net zero 15 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

“Dream is tackling the climate crisis with a multi-faceted approach across our entire portfolio,” This includes collaborating with Government partners to bring innovative net zero communities – Quayside and LeBreton Flats – to Canada,” says Michael Cooper, CEO of Dream Office REIT. “We have an obligation to develop and manage our real estate to generate positive impacts and are committed to challenging the status quo as we set out to achieve net zero by 2035 or sooner.”

Photo: From Left to right: Lee Hodgkinson – Head of Sustainability & Technical Services at Dream, Ehren Cory – Chief Executive Officer at Canada Infrastructure Bank, Ana Bailão – Deputy Mayor, Gord Wadley – Chief Operating Officer at Dream REIT.

Demand sizzles for Canada’s recreational properties

Buyers looking for permanent homes outside of unaffordable big cities are driving up demand for recreational properties from coast to coast. Prices are anticipated to rise up to 20 per cent in those markets over the course of 2022, according to new data from RE/MAX Canada realtors and brokers.

This migration trend is likely to continue this year. A Leger survey conducted on behalf of RE/MAX Canada found that 24 per cent of Canadians who live in a large urban city would like to purchase a recreational property within the next two years.

Most residents who already live in these leisurely places intend to stay and are happy with their quality of life. In the survey, people said they appreciate the low-density feel and love the affordability factor and access to water and outdoor activities. But 54 per cent are concerned over the growing population and what that means for community charm and liveability, with 41 per cent also worried about future affordability.

“Throughout the pandemic, we saw a shift in consumer behaviour, where in many cases liveability and affordability trumped all other factors,” said Christopher Alexander, president of RE/MAX Canada. “Yet, many recreational properties, whether as a primary or secondary residence, afford buyers the best of both worlds, compelling Canadians to settle in these areas for the long term. This is putting upward pressure on these markets.”

Young couples and families, retirees, out-of-town buyers and investors are driving these sales. According to the brokers and agents surveyed, waterfront properties with open space living and large acreage are in greatest demand.

“Historically, recreational properties are held within and passed down through families, which has been a strong contributor to low inventory in those markets,” says Elton Ash, executive vice president, RE/MAX Canada. “With the prospect of declining affordability for many homebuyers across the country, more and more Canadians are choosing to live in recreational areas because of the relative affordability they offer.

“In many cases, this has resulted in heightened demand for homes in regions that were already experiencing low supply, and could soon be facing more acute challenges of a growing population.”

Markets such as Kenora/Lake-Of-The-Woods and Greater Sudbury/Manitoulin Island experienced exponential year-over-year price appreciation of 339.72 per cent and 116.73 per cent, respectively. These areas are expected to remain accessible for many looking to enter the housing market.

Here’s a look at what brokers and agents are seeing in their local markets and what they see on the horizon of 2022.

Atlantic Canada

Out-of-province buyers are expected to keep snapping up recreational properties in Atlantic Canada. As governments encourage local migration to the area, new immigrants will join the market.

Markets sitting in seller’s territory are Truro, NS, Charlottetown, PEI, Summerside, PEI, St. John’s, NL, Moncton, NB and Halifax, NS. Only Sydney is a buyer’s market. This trend can be attributed to the supply-demand imbalance that brokers expect to continue through the remainder of 2022. Average recreational property price increases are expected to increase highest in Truro and Halifax.

Out-of-province buyers are settling into the area for the long-term and are leading market activity in Atlantic Canada among other stakeholders, with waterfront properties being most sought after by consumers.

Between January and March of 2022, year-over-year average residential sale prices have increased by 46 per cent in Truro; 22 per cent in Sydney; 18 per cent in Charlottetown; 20 per cent in Summerside; 38 per cent in Moncton; and 26 per cent in Halifax, NS. The only region that experienced a decrease in year-over-year average residential price was St. John’s, which declined by approximately seven per cent.

Ontario

Residential sale prices in recreational markets are expected to grow by 10 per cent in Windsor-Essex; five per cent in Kenora and Lake-Of-The-Woods; five per cent in Greater Sudbury and Manitoulin Island; nine per cent in Southern Georgian Bay; 18 per cent in Muskoka; and eight per cent in Rideau Lakes.

Orillia is expected to cool slightly, with a 10-per-cent decline anticipated through the end of 2022, compared to the 34.5-per-cent price growth experienced in the first quarter of the year.

Ontario recreational market activity is coming from out-of-province buyers, singles, millennials, retirees, families and young couples.

Investors are also showing particular interest in waterfront properties. Brokers in Windsor-Essex, Peterborough & Kawartha Lakes, Southern Georgian Bay and Orillia are reporting them as primary players in their regions. Despite accelerated buying activity in the wake of the pandemic – particularly by Southern Ontarians – some markets such as Kenora/Lake-Of-The-Woods are expected to regain balance in the remainder of 2022, as Canadians return to the office and activity wanes in some markets.

Western Canada

Western Canada’s recreational markets are all skewed toward sellers, including British Columbia’s Tofino, Ucluelet, Whistler and Penticton/South Okanagan regions, as well as Canmore, Alberta.

Demand in these areas has continued to thrive. Recreational properties for sale In Whistler and Canmore are receiving multiple offers amidst dismal inventory.

Canadians as shifting attitudes and high gas prices are prompting many to vacation closer to home. Average sale prices are estimated to increase by five per cent in Tofino, Ucluelet, Penticton/South Okanagan and Canmore in the remainder of 2022.

The full report, Cabin and Cottage Trends Across Canada (2022), can be found here.

Ontario contenders embrace energy conservation

The Ontario Liberals and NDP are making similar pledges to inject more funding into the energy conservation programs that have been downscaled during the current provincial government’s tenure. Both parties have also affirmed targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Broad strategies for doing so are outlined in their recently released campaign platforms, ahead of the June 2 Ontario election.

Meanwhile, the 2022 Ontario budget, which was introduced just before the provincial legislature adjourned for the election campaign, touts “energy transition and electrification” initiatives such as investing in the development of hydrogen-based generation and small modular nuclear reactors, as well as upgrading electricity transmission infrastructure and expanding natural gas delivery networks. There is a hint of a future voluntary registry for clean energy credits, which could support Ontario-based companies in efforts to meet their GHG-reduction and/or net-zero emission commitments, but no new spending is contemplated for energy efficiency or GHG reduction measures in buildings beyond the $692 million over four years that has been allocated for the 2021-24 conservation and demand management (CDM) framework.

The Liberals promise to “improve carbon pricing” and tie it to more aggressive emission performance standards, including a new standard for methane output. All proceeds would be matched with government funds and dispersed as grants, tax credits and loan guarantees for low-carbon initiatives. The NDP promises a new cap-and-trade system, from which 25 per cent of revenue would be channelled to low-income residents and rural and Northern Ontario.

Under its proposed conservation spending agenda, the Liberal party would allocate $300 million annually to help individuals and businesses cover low-cost energy retrofits and climate response measures. That’s envisioned as 100,000 grants of up $3,000 for investments such as “new windows, insulation, heat pumps and flood protection”.

Interest-free loans would be offered for “deeper retrofits” and $1,500 rebates would be available for the installation of electrical vehicle (EV) charging equipment. Across the broader public sector, the Liberals also target “schools, hospitals, colleges, universities, social housing and other public sector buildings” for energy and climate adaptive retrofits.

On the policy front, the Liberals promise to update the Ontario Building Code to meet “leading energy-efficiency and climate resiliency standards” by 2025 and to make it easier to build tall wood and prefabricated structures. They would also eliminate set-up connection fees for rooftop solar charging panels and bi-directional electric vehicle charging.

The Liberals would develop a long-term energy plan, establishing a targeted mix of nuclear, hydroelectric and other renewable sources of generation. The platform also affirms the Liberals would “renew the Ontario Electricity Rebate”, which currently provides a 17 per cent before- tax discount on residential and small business customers’ hydro bills.

The NDP is signalling more dramatic policy upheaval with its plans for an expert panel that would be charged with studying and recommending how to restore the electricity system to public ownership. Like the Liberals, the NDP is promising comprehensive energy planning with an emphasis on renewable generation and conservation. To enable the latter, it envisions “a single-window of service for energy efficiency and conservation planning, program promotion, delivery and upfront financing”.

While the Liberals estimate they will create 25,000 jobs through investments in energy efficiency and climate response, the NDP predicts a fourfold escalation of that tally as it pursues a goal to retrofit at least 5 per cent of Ontario’s building stock every year via an upfront- financing program. The NDP also promises to build a province-wide network of EV charging stations and — although not offering rebates specifically for EV charging equipment — its proposed $10,000 rebate for the purchase of a non-luxury electric vehicle is more generous than the Liberals’ pledge of $8,000.

Similar to the government’s in-progress consideration of discounted electricity rates during the overnight hours, the NDP proposes to “create measures to make better use of Ontario’s wasted off-peak surplus by making it available for the benefit of Ontarians”. Elsewhere, the Liberals voice support for green hydrogen generation, transportation and storage in line with the government’s position.

Turning to what’s new in current energy conservation options, Rob Edwards, business manager, private sector, with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) recently sketched out the suite of existing and pending CDM programs during a webinar sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Greater Toronto. New incentives to encourage commissioning, recommissioning and retro-commissioning of existing buildings are expected to become available this fall. Realignment of the popular program that formerly subsidized salaries of in-house energy managers is set for next year.

“We’re going to be implementing, in 2023 and 2024, a strategic energy management program. It’s more along the lines of enhanced technical resources to any organizations that have a dedicated energy manager,” Edwards explained.

He suggests commercial landlords may also want to point their tenants to the newly launched incentive program for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees. It provides up to $4,500 to subsidize the cost of eligible upgrades, with a maximum of $2,000 available for lighting measures and up to $2,500 for HVAC and refrigeration equipment.

Bringing family values to cleaning at Scandinavian Building Services

Amid everything that’s happened to the world and the cleaning and maintenance industry over the last two years, it should not be forgotten that family values are important in business as well as in the home. Treating employees and customers with familiarity and empathy is a long-heralded approach to conducting operations in good faith and fostering a warm, welcoming, and inclusive environment. For Scandinavian Building Services, that ethos is rather literal, too.

The company, which started as a small janitorial company in Edmonton in 1956, was purchased by Terry and Wilda Hay in 1982. The Hays quickly set their sights beyond the Alberta city and before long, Scandinavian had established a solid presence across Western Canada, ultimately growing further east.

Today, it is a second-generation family-owned and -operated business run by Terry and Wilda’s son, President and CEO Russell Hay, and his two sisters, VP of procurement Candace Elford and VP of HR Melanie Brooks. The trio of siblings dedicate their time and their lives to maintaining their parents’ professional values of high work ethic, dedication, and respect for others.

Started from the bottom

That is easier said than done, of course. But Terry and Wilda applied those values to their own children as well as their staff and customers and, as a result, Russell and his sisters have firsthand experience of just what is needed to succeed in this industry at all levels on the ladder.

Russell Hay

Growing up, Russell and his sisters spent time working in all roles —maintenance managers, janitorial staff, mechanics — to learn important life skills while better understanding the fundamentals of the business and the industry at large.

Russell started out working with his father when he was in high school during the summers as warehouse help, then becoming an account manager and since holding virtually every operational role until he ascended to president. He describes that wide range of experience and exposure as a gift.

“You don’t realize it’s a gift at the time because it’s a hard road and a very difficult business, the janitorial industry,” Russell says. “There are so many facets to it – cleaning, maintenance, accounting, risk management, HR – and you’re only as good as what you did yesterday. There is that expectation for results every single day. My sisters and I have seen that firsthand – we all went from the ground up, and I think that has really helped us as leaders. It means we can relate and understand each division and each role, and we understand how difficult it is to be a cleaner.”

Tackling the challenges of retail and hospitality

Scandinavian Building Services provides a broad range of janitorial and facility maintenance services for a wide variety of markets, including retail, commercial, public sector, construction, and sports and entertainment facilities. The housekeeping services offered run the gamut from disinfection services and sanitization to landscaping, and so much more. Having swept across Canada over the decades, with operations now in every province and territory and in both urban and rural areas, the Hays-led company now has its sights set on opportunities in the northwestern United States.

Among their many clients are some of the biggest names in big-box retail and grocery as well as prominent leaders in the hospitality and events space, although that barely scratches the surface. Each facility poses its own particular challenges, especially in the context of many areas of Canada finally reopening with little or no restrictions after two years of limited business.

Russell notes that Scandinavian’s clients, particularly large-scale sports or event facilities or educational campuses, provide a range of challenges due to the mixed and varied nature of their operations. “You have hospitality facilities, foodservice, washroom, retail, etc. all on one site,” he says. “So many different people and businesses and challenges all in one facility. Making sure you’re hearing and listening to and working with all of these various parties takes a lot of time and effort, but it can be done with diligence and dedication.”

A refocused approach

COVID-19 has proven to be a huge challenge worldwide for just about everyone. Certainly, it has specifically impacted the janitorial industry in critical ways that could not have been adequately prepared for, no matter the plans that were in place before the pandemic.

While Scandinavian Building Services already had a thorough emergency plan, Russell explains that the company pretty much “tore up” what was “nominally” a pandemic plan. “We knew we had to create a new one for an actual pandemic,” he admits. “We certainly did that; we’re proud of the extensive plan we formed, and we gave that plan to many of our customers.”

Understanding each individual industry was important. Restaurants have a very specific set of needs, as does retail, as does hospitality. Catering to those needs with empathetically and attentively was vital for the company. “It was our job to consider the needs of each industry and what the pandemic plan needed to look like for them and to fulfill those needs for now and in the future.”

Scandinavian Building Services, Russell adds, wanted to make sure it was on the cutting edge, keeping abreast of new innovations and findings or different practices. Naturally, many basic procedures needed to be changed or enhanced. Things like high touchpoint cleaning, electrostatic spraying, and handling, to name a few, needed reinforcing, and health and wellness procedures also became vital for not only Scandinavian’s own staff but contractors, customers, and end users alike. Training was also overhauled, with the company increasing the regularity of its refresher training from monthly to several times a week in some cases.

“Ultimately,” continues Russell, “making sure our plan was a live item and we were communicating those changes to our staff and our customers was vital.” Customers were asking for more visibility of cleaning teams and increased frequency of high touchpoint cleaning to put their consumers’ minds at ease during this pandemic.

That resulted in shifts in scope of work and allocation of hours on a client-by-client basis was seen, and the company’s reporting protocols were amended – for example, QR codes were implemented in various areas of a site to be scanned by cleaners to allow for efficient confirmation and communication of disinfection.

All told, moving forward, businesses will need more visibility of all cleaning procedures and frequencies that are occurring daily on site in order to provide transparency to the customer and accountability from the provider.

Maintaining diligence and recognition

Early in spring 2022, there is cautious optimism, with most restrictions lifted and two years of knowledge behind us, that society is relatively stable again. Reopening at full capacity and moving on with life is undoubtedly a good thing at the big-picture level, but continuing the plans made and building on the lessons learned, though, will be invaluable.

Naturally, one of the most defining trends in the cleaning industry today is the increased public concern over health and the transparency and efficacy of cleaning and disinfection. “As the industry’s understanding of viral disease has progressed, so has public perception,” Russell adds. “Whereas at one time people didn’t want to see cleaning while they are in a building, it’s come 180 degrees now. People appreciate seeing cleaning for their safety. That’s unlikely to change.”

He adds that he believes the basic framework for future progression is simple, built around investment into cleaning and building and maintaining visibility for psychological satisfaction for the public. “This pandemic has affected every human being and every corner of the world. We don’t want to go through that again.”

Even though society is understanding infectious disease much better and how it is spread, it’s certainly true that the cleaning industry is held to higher standards in 2022 than it was in 2019, and heightened recognition of cleaners as the first line of defence has followed. That is perhaps one of the shining positives from such a difficult time for the cleaning industry – that their work is now acknowledged.

Russell believes that recognition will hold “for a very long time to come” and it is a core value of Scandinavian Building Services to make sure that the company’s staff, clients, and customers understand and acknowledge that work. It all ties back to that ethos of promoting family values at work – recognizing and appreciating what it takes to succeed in this industry and what we can do for our peers, and ensuring the respect is mutual and ever-present.

“Cleaners in our country are incredible in what they do every day,” he concludes. “They are exceptional, and their job can sometimes be thankless if they are not hearing appreciation. Too often in the past, cleaners have only heard the negative side of things; what hasn’t been done. I know what that feels like personally and how hard it is. One great stride the industry has made is highlighting and thanking these workers for what they do every day.”

This article first appeared in the Spring 2022 issue of FC&M.

New high acuity unit opens at Lions Gate Hospital

The new $9 million high acuity unit (HAU) at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver has opened its doors. The HAU is located on the hospital’s second floor, next to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), bringing all of the hospital’s inpatient critical care services together where patients can be cared for by specialized teams of staff and medical staff.

The new HAU has 12 individual patient rooms providing a new level of care between the one-on-one care of the ICU and a general acute ward. The unit includes vital-signs monitoring equipment and other technology to support high acuity care, built-in patient lifts for patient comfort and staff safety and care cubbies that accommodate mobile workstations that allow nurses to monitor patients at the same time.

“The new high acuity unit at Lions Gate Hospital will help critically ill patients get improved access to the care they need,” said Minister of Health Adrian Dix. “I thank the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation and all those who donated to this project to make it happen.”

The HAU will serve patients who need more complex care than available on the medical and surgical units, but do not need the level of life support care provided in the ICU. Patients treated in the new unit will be cared for in a comfortable family-friendly space as well as supported by a multi-disciplinary team and the most up-to-date innovations in patient care and technology.

The HAU’s physical space has also been designed to welcome and accommodate families who are supporting their loved one and participating in their care, including large patient rooms to accommodate family visits, private patient-physician meetings and rehabilitation activities. The unit will serve approximately 1,400 patients each year.

The Seaspan High Acuity Unit is named in honour of a $1.5-million donation towards the unit from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.

Extending the lifespan of floor scrubbers

Floor scrubbers are an increasingly popular — some would now say essential — piece of equipment for janitorial and maintenance staff, tackling a range of surfaces and soils and reducing labour hours. However, they are expensive, often costing thousands of dollars, and require stringent maintenance to ensure their lifespan is as long as it has the potential to be.

Failure to properly maintain them can lead to wasted time, money, labour, and other resources for management teams, even before things get bad enough to incur the high cost of replacement.

But if they are well-maintained, they will last longer, work better, and produce the quality results that are expected of it.

Janitorial Manager recently summarized for CleanLink 10 key steps users can take to ensure that floor scrubbers live up to their potential.

Daily or after every use:

Read the owner’s manual. Each machine will have specific maintenance and operation guidelines. Reading the manual may sound simple, but it’s a crucial first step.
Check the battery. Again, check the owner’s manual for the specifics, but also look for signs of battery corrosion or leakage.
Check pads, brushes, and squeegee. Worn-out or dirty parts aren’t going to work properly, so clean them after each use and replace them as needed.
Clean and check tanks, hoses, and filters. The same goes for tanks, hoses, and filters. Empty and clean the solution and recovery tanks after each use and make sure filters and hoses are clean and clear, as well as checking for any cracks or signs of wear.
Clean floor scrubbers. Give flor scrubbers a good wipe down to remove any dirt, grime, or other marks.
Recharge the battery. Different batteries have differing requirements and users may or may not need to recharge the battery after each use.

In addition to these daily tasks, Janitorial Manager recommends some monthly floor scrubber maintenance items to consider:

Lubricate hinges, wheels, chains, and pivot points using an approved lubricant.
Clean and deodorize tanks and supply lines, following the owner’s manual for the specific instructions. Dirty tanks can give off unpleasant odours.

Users can also extend the floor scrubber’s life by following some preparation and usage tips:

Clean the floor before using floor scrubbers with a quick sweep or dry mop to pull up any larger debris and dirt. Watch for any sharp edges or loose tiles that could damage the equipment.
Be easy on the machine. A floor scrubber does plenty of hard work already; don’t make its life harder.

Ultimately, the bottom line is to keep cleaning tools and equipment clean in order for them to work better, last longer, and prevent unexpected costs.

Source: Janitorial Manager/CleanLink

Warding off water damage

As the rapid growth of condominium living in Canada continues, corporations and their suite owners need to be on alert for an omnipresent danger: water damage.

According to Statistics Canada, the share of condominiums among newly built dwellings has increased five-fold since 1980 with as much as 30 per cent of residents in cities like Vancouver and Toronto residing in condos by 2016. For condos housing hundreds of residents, easily addressable leaks of some form can occur at any given moment, whether from a leaky faucet, drain, or appliance. As buildings age, however, there is increased risk of more significant leaks and floods that can result in considerable water damage.

A KPMG study for the Canadian Institute of Actuaries highlights two primary areas of concern related to the increase of property damage claims: the rise of people living in condominiums and aging infrastructure. Many condo residents reside in late-twentieth century buildings that grapple with underlying plumbing and mechanical systems reaching or surpassing their estimated useful life.

The Autorité des marchés financiers in Quebec identified water damage as the leading cause of insurance claims, while internal data from Aviva Insurance found water damage claims doubled over a ten-year period ending in 2012.

While residential home and commercial owners reported 40 per cent of insurance claims being related to water damage, the share for condos is between 60 per cent and 90 per cent, according to KPMG’s study. Unlike in single dwellings where the impact is limited to that home, leaks in condos can become more substantial and widespread.

Sprawling water damage

Even mid-size condos often have more than 100 suites, all with their own set of appliances, plumbing fixtures, and HVAC systems. A broken washer, or leak in the fan coil or vertical heat pump of a suite on the ninth floor, can impact suites several floors below.

Recent news reports of sprawling water damage in Canadian condos have illuminated troubling causes such as faulty gaskets, frozen pipes and plumbing failures, all of which impacted multiple units.

Just as condo corporations and suite owners need to cautiously maintain their plumbing and appliances, proactive maintenance of in-suite HVAC systems is also critical. The Canadian Institute of Actuaries, Chubb Homeowners Study, and the Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange all identify in-suite HVAC systems as a leading area of concern for water damage. Looking at fan coils, for example, here are some of the ways leaks and floods can occur:

1. Over time, drain pans rust and corrode, potentially creating holes for water to escape.

2. Deteriorating insulation within the fan coil cabinet can lead to debris falling into and potentially clogging the drain pan, drain hose, and condensate lines.

3. When turned off for extended periods of time during the winter, the pipes and coils can freeze and burst, leading to significant water damage.

4. As risers expand and shrink throughout the year, considerable strain is placed on the valves which can lead to leaks and cracks over time.

Water damage claims climb

As water damage claims rise exponentially, insurers are taking note. The BC Financial Services Authority reports that in 2020, insurance premiums for strata (condominium) corporations in the province increased by about 40 per cent while a Deloitte report on B.C.’s insurance market found water damage deductibles increased by 135 per cent.

According to a 2021 Home Insurance Price Index published by LowestRates.ca, condo insurance rates for suite owners also increased, with year-over-year increases in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. of 8 per cent, 23 per cent, and 34 per cent respectively, all while residential home insurance rates decreased.

To get water damage claims and rising insurance premiums back under control, corporations and suite owners need to take preventative measures. Unfortunately, while the damages can be catastrophic, adequate in-suite care remains low.

A 2019 Chubb Homeowners’ Risk Survey found that only 20 per cent of homeowners completed even a single water-related risk mitigation activity, and only 19 per cent completed regular inspections of their HVAC systems. In truth, this is more an issue of awareness rather than purposeful neglect. A lack of knowledge was among the principal reasons for inattentiveness, highlighting the need for increased guidance so corporations and suite owners can use preventative measures to strengthen their protection.

Educating communities about risks

Evidently, education is the key to getting ahead of the curve. In addition to actively maintaining plumbing and mechanical systems under its purview, a corporation should take an active approach to educating its community on the need for each suite owner to properly maintain their appliances, plumbing, and in-suite HVAC systems.

Many suite owners are unaware of simple, yet vital, safety tips like keeping their HVAC systems running while on extended absences. Corporations can share knowledge and best practices through notice boards or interactive displays, newsletters, general meetings, and welcome packets provided to new owners.

Corporations should also raise awareness for necessary maintenance, repair, and retrofit work where needed. Semi-annual maintenance services for fan coils often include the removal of debris and water tests for clogs and leaks. Modern components like flood sensors and automatic shut-offs can be added to older plumbing and mechanical systems as helpful safeguards.

Corporations can engage the original equipment manufacturer to provide condition assessments of aging equipment and estimate its remaining useful life.

In aging buildings where a complete retrofit is the best course of action, owners should be alerted to the risks of inaction before it’s too late.

Ultimately, while the risk of water damage is pervasive, so too are the preventative solutions. And through increased knowledge, shared community awareness and due diligence, many of the risk factors of water damage can be avoided.

Ayman Ashebir is currently the director of sales at Unilux CRFC Corporation. He can be reached at [email protected] / Company Website: www.uniluxcrfc.com

Gas station in Upper Beaches being converted to condos

Windmill Developments is transforming an existing gas station and garage into a bike-centric, mid-rise development at Kingston and Courcelette Roads in the Upper Beaches area of Toronto’s East End.

Named for the street upon which it will rise, Courcelette will be an eight-storey, 57-suite boutique community, with neighbourhood-focused retail on the ground level and a balcony for every suite.

Designed to embrace outdoor living and facilitate a sense of community among residents, Courcelette will follow the One Planet Living framework, which comprises ten principles, including measurements around active transportation, health, and happiness.

The development is targeting LEED Platinum certification and aiming to meet the Toronto Green Standards, Tier 2. The building features a high-performance envelope and a geo-thermal system for heating and cooling. It will also have electric vehicle chargers and infrastructure.

In addition to one bike parking space per suite, the building has a dedicated bike entrance and a bike repair/wash station. Residents, tenants, and the neighbouring community will have access to a car share program.

Programmed amenity spaces will be designed to facilitate opportunities for people to get to know one another. Residents will also have space for herb and vegetable gardens on their balcony, communal outdoor kitchens, and at least one bike parking spot per suite to encourage active transportation.

“Courcelette is a fantastic case in sustainable development, one where we are reimagining a gas station and car-centric business into a sustainable, bike-centric community,” says Jonathan Westeinde, CEO and founder, Windmill Developments. “Not only that, but a lot of thought was put into the design and amenities, where we asked ourselves how we could make happiness an amenity in an intimate building in a unique corner of the city.”

The interiors, designed by TACT Design, take cues from the surrounding neighbourhood and the building’s proximity to green space and the lake. The building features rich, yet simple, stone- and wood-like materials to create a calm and comfortable oasis.

The lobby features small nooks and seating for residents to work or socialize. Adjacent to the lobby, and connected through glazing, is a gathering room, which can be used as an extension of residents’ living and dining rooms to have dinners, meetings, or social events.

The lobby at Courcelette in the Upper Beaches area is connected to a gathering room through glazing.

The ground-level gym includes a light-filled yoga space, cardio equipment and weights. On the seventh floor, small internal amenities support large outdoor common terraces with barbecues, dining, seating, and a fire pit, all with views of Lake Ontario.

“We paid close attention to how the spaces will be used and how people will interact, optimizing them for livability and comfort,” says Michael Krus, principal, TACT Design. “Using simple, natural materials, we’re creating a feeling of elegance akin to the English countryside, making Courcelette a calm space for residents to come home to.”

Courcelette’s amenity program includes a large outdoor common terrace with barbecues, seating, dining, and a fire pit.

With architecture by RAW Design, masonry cladding knits the building seamlessly into the community. The textures and materiality are respectful to the surrounding neighbourhood, naturally integrating it into the evolving fabric.

“Courcelette has been designed to complement the neighbourhood character along Kingston Road, one that has grown and evolved in the last several years,” says Roland Colthoff, director of RAW Design. “The building is respectful of its surroundings, becoming a piece of the puzzle in the Beaches community that people are eager to be a part of.”

Industrial condos promised for tight GTA market

Developers are planning to bring industrial condos to the space-starved Greater Toronto Area market. Nicola Wealth Real Estate (NWRE) and First Gulf have jointly acquired a 13.4-acre site near Highway 403 in Oakville to accommodate a series of small bay industrial buildings with units ranging from 2,500 to 4,000 square feet.

“The property is situated in a strong industrial node and we look forward to launching a unique industrial condo project, leveraging our experience and success with similar projects in Western Canada,” says Ron Bastin, director of acquisitions at Nicola Wealth Real Estate.

First Gulf president David Carreiro predicts strong interest in the condo concept from owner-occupiers confronting the GTA’s sparse industrial supply. “The offering provides users optionality to the rapid and ongoing increase in lease rates,” he maintains.

NWRE and First Gulf are also partnering on the nearby Bronte Station Business Park, a 365,000-square-foot industrial distribution centre.

Vancouver Indigenous centre concept approved

A concept plan for a new Indigenous centre is moving forward on the territories of the Coast Salish peoples in Vancouver.

Located at the corner of East Hastings Street and Commercial Drive, the new centre will be a permanent purpose-built home for the Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) and the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) Vancouver campus.

It will include a youth centre, a post-secondary education and skills training campus, affordable homes, a child care centre and cultural and support services.

“This centre represents a significant step forward to addressing the legacy of residential schools, intergenerational trauma, and the realization of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The provisions of Indigenous programming and services by Indigenous organizations founded on Indigenous cultural values and principles are a foundational step forward and away from the ongoing legacy of colonialism,” said Matthew Norris, UNYA president.

Guided by the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the B.C. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, this centre will provide opportunities for Indigenous students and youth to learn and move forward in a culturally safe and supported environment.

“With more Indigenous people choosing to call Metro Vancouver home, there is a growing demand for community-based, culturally relevant services,” said Premier John Horgan. “This new centre will help meet the need and seize the opportunity, serving as a national example of Indigenous-led, transformational change. By working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, we are building a stronger province where everyone has access to opportunities today and for generations to come.”

The new centre is envisioned to provide a welcoming and centralized space for UNYA’s youth programming, including classrooms, media labs, art studios, community spaces for Elders, traditional ceremony spaces, health and wellness clinic, and gym and recreation areas.

With the approval of the concept plan, government will also provide $2.5 million for the business-case development to finalize the project’s scope, timelines and funding sources.

Inflation impacts condo budgeting

If you’ve shopped at the local supermarket recently, you probably noticed items are more expensive than they were not too long ago. Or maybe you’ve ordered an item online for next day delivery, only to be told it would take much longer to arrive and at a higher cost than expected. Welcome to our new and unfortunate reality.

This phenomenon of price increases and shortage of items is also affecting every aspect of daily life, including common element fees, which are paid each and every month to both new and old condominium corporations.

A short time ago, corporations were preparing their yearly condo budgets, relying on historical actual expenses, which were almost in line with past expenses. After taking into consideration a reasonable inflation rate, such as C.P. I., a new budget was created.

As well, the reserve fund contribution, representing one of the largest expense items in the budget, was based on the reserve fund study, prepared by the corporation’s engineer. This deals with the major repairs and replacement and is updated every three years, based on the costs available to the engineer and taking the inflation rate into consideration. However, the corporation’s engineer will have to update the study in order to reflect the new reality of costs, of which there are various contributing factors.

The pandemic has heightened the cost and shortage of labour, in turn impacting delivery and cost of materials, as well as other company expenses like wages and salaries. Boards and management companies are now required to reduce and control the impact of these costs on common element fees.

To start, they should identify what expenses they can control, while at the same time, recognizing costs such as insurance which also will be affected because the insurance companies will take expenses into consideration when determining the premium and the cost of replacement. Utility prices are expenses which we cannot control and, therefore, will be an issue to the condominium corporation to be dealt with.

The board of directors, together with its management company, should explore all the possibilities, for instance, LED retrofitting of the light fixtures and installing energy efficient equipment. In doing so, they should inquire about any available government incentives and if it would be worthwhile and beneficial to the condo corporation to take advantage of them.

As well, the board should review all its existing contracts, noting the expiration day and the cost for each service. The corporation should then enter into negotiations with the contractors to see what possibilities there are to get the best price possible and what is currently available, while exploring if the contract can be extended for a longer period in exchange for a better price.

In doing so, the corporation should also consider if the contract still has a few years left, to blend the past contract price with the current contract price. To be in a position to negotiate any price, it may also require the corporation to obtain new quotes to better understand the new reality costs.

With the shortage of labour comes an increase in the cost of labour. This new reality might affect almost every aspect of the operating expense. Condo corporations that employ a superintendent should see if certain maintenance can be done in-house or consider the possibility of hiring an in-house maintenance worker (if you find one). Of course, a corporation would have to consider if the liability of hiring an employee outweighs costs of outsourcing repairs.

To avoid unnecessary expenses that will come at a higher cost, it is ever more important to maintain the various physical aspects of the building due to the inflationary factors of the operating expense. This new reality requires attention to details and competence to work through this difficult time.

Shlomo Sharon is the CEO of Taft Management Inc.

IICRC launches Mold Uncovered campaign

The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a global standards developing and credentialing organization accredited through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has announced a new Mold Uncovered campaign which emphasizes the importance of proper mould remediation through accredited industry standards and certifications.

Mould is a pervasive yet largely unregulated issue worldwide. Left unchecked, it can cause issues in indoor facilities and environments that can have significant and lasting health impacts.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the rise in extreme weather conditions associated with climate change has led to and will continue to lead to more growth of indoor fungi and mould. Moreover, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mould exposure can lead to upper respiratory issues, especially among children and those with immune suppression or respiratory issues.

In the face of this increasing threat, accredited standards and certifications are essential to ensuring that mould remediation is performed correctly. The IICRC’s Mold Uncovered site features an interactive map that tracks which states have taken legislative or regulatory action incorporating accredited standards and certifications, and which are falling behind. The website also features recommended legislative language.

“Mould issues continue to destroy healthy homes and displace families,” said Michael Dakduk, IICRC president and CEO. “Virtually every state in the US requires individuals to attain a license to cut hair. We need the same level of commitment to mould remediation and mould assessments. Lawmakers must take action by adopting accredited standards and certifications.”

Found out more at molduncovered.org.