Québec will need eight times more public EV chargers by 2030

The International Council on Clean Transportation released a new study in February, stating that Quebec will need to significantly increase its amount of EV chargers to meet 2030 and 2035 targets the province and country have set to ban sales of gas-powered vehicles.

The province is already home to 45 per cent of Canada’s electric cars, with an estimated 1.5 million EVs coming to those roads by 2030. By then, Quebec will need eight times more public chargers compared to 2020 — an increase from 5,700 to 45,800 normal and 700 to 6,300 fast chargers.

“Reaching this target for public chargers represents a 23 per cent annual growth rate from 2020 to 2030,” the ICCT report highlights. “Additionally, 1.1 million private home chargers, 23,700 private workplace, and 18,900 depot chargers will be needed by 2030.

Multi-unit dwellings a ‘unique situation’ in Montreal

In Montreal, where density breeds more multi-unit dwellings than single-family homes (currently 87 per cent of housing is low-, mid- and high-rise buildings), the future of home chargers exists primarily within MURBs. Yet, as the report asserts, only 38 per cent of EV drivers are expected to have access to private home charging in 2030.

As such, boosting non-home chargers to the extent of 94,600 will be a must for Montreal, of which 52,000 would be public chargers and the remaining split between private workplace and depot chargers.

To meet the growing need for charging infrastructure, the ICCT is calling on the government to provide charger deployment targets, implement charging deployment strategies, establish zero emission zones, offer fiscal support with contingencies and mandate smart home and workplace charging.

The report also takes into account three variables that could affect projected numbers for EV chargers; for instance, if transition is accelerated and they reach cost parity with internal combustion engines more EVs will take to the roads, which requires amping up the number of public chargers.

A greater reliance on workplace charging could also unfold if more companies were to provide affordable workplace chargers. Lastly, the need for public chargers could increase by 21 per cent if policies and pricing structures encouraged more normal overnight charging and less fast urban charging.

The full report, Assessing charging infrastructure needs in Québec can be found here.

Sustained industrial rent growth foreseen

Investors are expressing confidence in sustained industrial rent growth. More than 95 per cent of respondents to an online poll conducted in conjunction with the recent release of the Canada Annual Property Index 2021 results agree that annual gains of at least 5 per cent are needed to justify current cap rates, and there’s broad consensus that threshold is achievable.

Coming off a year when industrial assets in the index delivered a 31.6 per cent total return, including a 26.4 per cent increase in capital value, neither market analysts nor portfolio managers foresee new supply will catch up with rampant demand any time soon. Looking at a breakdown of even higher reported capital growth in the western and northern suburbs of the Greater Toronto Area, Eric Plesman, head of global real estate for the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), cited evidence in his own portfolio.

“We have some assets in the Caledon area. We started last year with rents around $9 (per square foot) and all of sudden we saw leases being done at $14, $15, $16 by the end of the year,” he recounted. “That’s massive increases in a given year.”

“Those numbers that we put into the polling question about future rents weren’t just plucked out of the air: 2 per cent is the historic long-run average for rental growth for industrial in Canada; 2.5 per cent is the long-run growth in the U.S.,” advised Simon Fairchild, executive director with the index producer, MSCI. “So everybody is expecting the market is fundamentally different.”

On average, industrial assets in the index registered an 8.2 per cent increase in net operating income (NOI) in 2021, on top of a 1.2 per cent gain in the previous year. (In 2020, industrial assets were the only property sector in the index — which in 2021 encompassed 2,367 assets in 46 portfolios, collectively valued at $171.6 billion — to post an increase in NOI.) However, Fairchild underscored the much greater share of capital growth attributable to cap rate compression in markets like Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal.

“The exception is, of course, Alberta,” he noted. “What’s interesting there is actually the fundamental growth in NOIs is pretty comparable (to other Canadian markets), but it just hasn’t benefitted the strong investor demand pushing up values.”

Supply shortage driving cap rate suppression

Other industry insiders tasked with providing context for the 2021 index results tallied projected sources of industrial rent growth as both traditional warehouse users and the e-commerce sector jostle in increasingly tight markets everywhere. Jim Costello, MSCI’s chief economist and the director of its Real Capital Analytics subsidiary, reiterated that new development is still vastly lagging demand and warned that cap rates could continue to shrink, particularly until the market share for e-commerce levels out.

“Fundamentally it comes to the change in consumer behaviour and just how quickly the market can adapt to that. Prologis calculated that every dollar spent for consumption activity generates three times as much need for industrial space on the part of the people who ship these goods around. So the real unknown is how much longer does it (e-commerce) go up at an exponential weight?” he submitted. “Until we get to that point where it’s clear we’ve made enough of an adjustment, there is still going to be pressure in the space market.”

“Industrial has become a consumption-oriented class in addition to its traditional, trade movement of goods orientation,” agreed Paul Mouchakkaa, managing partner and Canadian head with BentallGreenOak. “You have sort of a combination of great tailwinds. First, an increasing demand on the e-commerce side, but also on the movement of goods side. The traditional industrial segment is still a growing part of the economy. Then you combine that with low availability rates across Canada and a very old inventory in Canada.”

In reference to the latter, many assets managers are concluding it’s a good time to cull their portfolios and reinvest the windfalls. Plesman suggested portfolios with new facilities under development could be well positioned to “take advantage of the pricing environment”, while Jaime McKenna, managing director and global head of real estate with Fengate Asset Management confirmed her company is doing exactly that.

“It’s one thing to value your industrial, but anybody who has transacted in industrial over the last 12 months probably got paid significantly more than they actually had on the books,” she observed.

After some dispositions to “clean up” its industrial portfolio, Fengate is typically opting to build new projects rather than trying to acquire facilities that can meet current market demands. Turning to envisioned prospects for 5 per cent annual rent growth, McKenna sees plenty of room to manoeuvre.

“You have to look at industrial rents from the perspective of affordability for the tenant. If you look at a residential rent, it can make up 30, 40 or 50 per cent of the renter’s income, whereas the industrial rent can be 5 to 10 per cent of the tenant’s income so it’s a much smaller factor,” she maintained. “We’re still bullish for industrial.”

Asset mix reflected in index performance

Industrial returns are identified as a factor in the Canada Property Index’s performance in 2021 — with an average total return of 7.9 per cent — relative to the Canada Property Fund Index, which delivered a net fund level return of 14.6 per cent and a direct real estate return of 11.4 per cent. The fund index represents nine non-listed open-end core real estate funds collectively holding 1,026 assets in 2021.

“One of the reasons these funds have been so strong is because they have a lot more industrial than you see in the main index. They carry about 10 per cent more industrial assets and that’s having a meaningful impact on the fund performance,” Fairchild reported.

“Historically, if you didn’t have big office and super-regional malls, you didn’t perform at the same level. Well, guess what?, the institutions own most of that,” Plesman mused. “The funds picked up a lot of the assets that they could aggregate, and they have been the favourite asset classes through COVID.”

He sees similar underpinnings in the gap with the U.S. Annual Property Index, which posted a 2021 total return of 18.2 per cent. “It’s asset mix, I think, that’s the biggest contributor to the difference between us and the U.S., where I expect there is a lot smaller retail component,” Plesman said.

Looking to the future, institutional investors are expected to adjust their portfolios accordingly. Plesman notes that institutions are already “proactively” selling some iconic office assets and predicts that trend will continue. Mouchakkaa foresees more focus on office properties’ asset-level strengths and weaknesses with less emphasis on picking winning markets.

“In a systematic world you were really betting on a given metro’s GDP wealth for the future. That has traditionally really been a big driver in office rents,” Mouchakkaa explained. “Going forward in this pandemic world, in the next three to five years, investing in the office space will be really micro and a stock digger’s type of strategy.”

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

Centurion announces major acquisition in Quebec

Marking a busy month for Centurion Asset Management, the company announced in early February it had acquired two-thirds ownership in an apartment portfolio located in Montreal, Quebec, and has executed an agreement to acquire the remaining one-third ownership in the coming months. Since then, it has also acquired “Le Central” in Gatineau.

“Centurion is excited to announce the closing of the largest multifamily acquisition ever in Quebec. This acquisition supports our vision of developing rental apartments in well-located, rapidly growing suburban communities,” said Greg Romundt, Centurion President and CEO. “We will continue to focus on building our portfolio to include a diverse range of well-constructed, multifamily offerings in high growth, proven markets throughout the country.”

Built between 2016 and 2021, the Montreal portfolio includes 30 newly constructed, multifamily properties totaling 3,678 rental units in a mix of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom suites. The buildings offer numerous onsite amenities including outdoor pools, terraces, fully equipped fitness rooms, lounge areas, and meeting rooms. Coupled with each property’s attractive location, the amenity features have enabled the properties to attract a broad and significant appeal to both the mature and young professional demographic. They are all well-located within proximity to schools, entertainment, shopping, parks, and existing and future public transit developments.

“Le Central” in Gatineau, Quebec, is located in the city’s Plateau submarket. Construced in several phases between 2018 and 2020, the property is comprised of seven four-storey institutional-quality buildings totalling 345 apartment suites.

Burnaby gondola to SFU receives council approval

A proposed gondola for Burnaby Mountain moved one step closer to reality as Burnaby City Council voted to advance the project.

“The Burnaby Mountain Gondola project will create a safe and reliable transit option for Burnaby residents travelling to and from Burnaby Mountain. By taking cars and buses off the road it will be one of the many changes we must make in our city to achieve the aggressive targets we’ve set for reducing carbon emissions,” said Mayor Mike Hurley. “Before endorsing this project, council stressed the importance of consultation with residents, businesses and First Nations, and we expect that dialogue to continue should this project move forward.”

The Route 1 option is a straight-line route from Production Way-University Station to SFU’s Burnaby campus with a terminal near the upper bus loop. The alignment is TransLink’s preferred option and aims to increase ridership with reliable and frequent transit and reduce emissions while offering greater winter safety than the existing bus service.

The gondola is in TransLink’s Transport 2050 plan. With the approval from Burnaby Council, the gondola proposal will now be considered for inclusion in the Mayors’ Council next 10-year vision.

The need for the gondola was included as a planning project in the 2014 TransLink Mayors’ Council 10-year transportation vision. SFU is the largest travel destination in Burnaby that is not on a SkyTrain line, with 25,000 trips made daily by SFU students, staff, faculty, visitors and residents of UniverCity. Six of the top 10 busiest bus stops in Burnaby service SFU.

“This is tremendous news for SFU and for commuters across the Lower Mainland,” says SFU President Joy Johnson. “As university president, I want to thank Mayor Hurley and Burnaby City Council for their foresight and vision in moving forward with the Burnaby Mountain Gondola.”

Concord Pacific condo features tropical beachfront

Concord Pacific revealed that its new Brentwood development in Burnaby, Concord Oasis, will feature its own massive tropical beachfront and elevated track.

The 120,000 square foot outdoor Oasis beachfront and track, together with 30,000 square feet of indoor amenities is part of the new three tower park front Oasis neighbourhood within the 26-acre Concord Brentwood development.

Inspired and modelled after beachfront resorts such as Hilton Village and lagoon on Waikiki Beach, this bright 2.75 acre wellness escape will include an upper level 400 metre running and walking path and garden area above overlooking a lower-level lounging lagoon. The outdoor beachfront can also be viewed year-round from the indoor pool.

“Views of water, whether it’s a lake, the ocean, or a river, provide people with a sense of relaxation, which is why we all go in search of tropical and waterfront vacations,” said Concord Pacific senior vice-president, Grant Murray.

“We wanted to create an inspiring wellness escape that is light to look at and fun to experience. Regardless of the weather, it provides incredible water views for residents. In the summer, Club Oasis and the beach will provide a great place to lounge, and in the winter, when you’re swimming alongside it in the indoor pool or relaxing in the spa, it offers a tropical wellness experience.”

The first two towers of Concord Brentwood will be completed this year. Concord Oasis features three towers with more than 900 residences and street-level retail and commercial space. This phase will also contain Concord BioSpace touch and air management systems to promote healthier passage throughout the buildings.

Carpet cleaning in high-traffic facilities

Conducting the best possible commercial-grade carpet cleaning is vital for facility managers and operators to keep high-traffic areas in good shape.

Carpet offers many benefits: it’s adaptable to small or large areas, improves aesthetics, is sustainable, represents good value, and can help reduce slip-and-fall accidents, limit noise, conserve energy, enhance comfort, and improve environmental performance, according to the Carpet and Rug Institute.

Building owners and facility managers should understand the importance of adhering to a professional carpet cleaning and maintenance plan, notes Servi-Tek.

Maintaining clean carpets in busy commercial environments involves more than simply periodic use of vacuum cleaners or carpet extractors. Professional commercial carpet cleaners operate using a comprehensive approach that includes routine cleaning, interim maintenance, light cleaning, and deep restoration.

As with any professionally completed activity, proper carpet care requires having high-quality, well-maintained equipment, and a commercial-grade carpet cleaner. Significant advancements have recently been achieved in developing professional carpeting cleaning equipment that has bolstered performance and efficiency. Components and equipment are considerably more ergonomic, which reduces stress on users and limits the likelihood of injury.

Carpet cleaning experts recommendations

The CRI outlines a series of four critical steps that are central to performing professional carpet cleaning as follows:

Implementing a regular vacuuming schedule that targets high-traffic areas more frequently and is performed with professional equipment.
Using a Seal of Approval (SOA-certified) cleaning agent for “spot” cleaning as needed.
Performing a “deep” cleaning of the carpeting at least every 12 to 18 months using SOA-approved products to extract entrenched dirt.
Establishing preventive measures for capturing dirt and grime such as the placement of mats in primary entryways.

One primary consideration when choosing commercial carpeting and developing a cleaning and maintenance plan involves the amount of foot traffic. Areas of high traffic space require more frequent cleaning and the carpeting material must be durable and stain-resistant.

Assessing commercial-grade carpet cleaning options

Finding the best type of carpet cleaner for a commercial facility requires conducting an assessment of your specific needs. While commercial carpet cleaning machines are less bulky, their weight remains a common concern.

For example, lightweight machines are important in multi-floor buildings that require the machine to be carried up a flight of stairs. While the purchase price of the carpet cleaner is important, the affordability of the cleaning agents is a key ongoing expense.

A commercial-grade carpet cleaning machine should represent a good overall value rather than just a good purchase price. In many cases, a model that appears to be a good “deal” may have flaws i.e., lacking durability.

Look for machines with good internal heating mechanisms that will keep the water temperature high. Units with poor heating capabilities are less effective against dirt and grime and can increase the necessary drying time. For example, some carpet cleaners have an internal heater for clean water. This feature maintains a higher water temperature to provide a deeper cleaning experience.

The importance of adequate carpet cleaning

The importance of cleaning and maintaining commercial carpeting extends beyond simply the appearance of the environment. The carpeting may contain germs that can impact a business’ bottom line because of worker absences due to illness. A clean workplace environment has also been shown to boost employee morale and productivity while reducing turnover. All of these factors translate to substantial costs for businesses.

Keeping your commercial carpeting cleaned is an important factor in maximizing its expected service life. While the amount of foot traffic is an important factor, failing to regularly clean carpeting will also shorten its lifespan.

Among the most critical areas for regular cleaning are those that have the most foot traffic. This is of particular importance near entryways where people are tracking in dirt and moisture. While performing very concise cleaning of the carpet in high-traffic areas is important, the cleaning intervals are also key. Dirt and debris will continue becoming more deeply entrenched under continual foot traffic, making a routine very critical.

Via Servi-Tek

Ottawa protests stripping janitors of work and pay

SEIU Local 2 and Justice for Janitors have issued a statement saying that the ongoing Ottawa truck convoy protests are having a dire effect on the livelihood of janitors and maintenance staff.

Justice for Janitors states that large property owners, including the federal government and the City of Ottawa, and the cleaning companies they contract, are refusing to pay janitors, forcing families to make impossible choices. The occupation has resulted in the shutdown of many buildings in downtown Ottawa and blockades have, at times, prevented workers from getting to their jobs.

In addition, hundreds of incidents of intimidation, harassment, and targeted racism have been reported and made the downtown core unsafe for workers.

Even before recent developments, janitors have been working through the COVID-19 pandemic playing a key role in sanitizing the city. Their work has made it safer for everyone and they have continued to clean.

While cleaning and maintenance staff have in some respects received greater recognition for their work as a result of the pandemic, the statement notes that property owners never saw it fit to provide janitors with pandemic pay despite them having no option to work from home and often needing to work second jobs just to make ends meet.

Juliana Cruz, a member of SEIU Local 2 who has been working at the Rideau Centre mall for a cleaning company for 15 years, explained that the store at which she works had to be closed down. She estimates Juliana she will only see about $200 of the $1,100 plus she normally makes on her next paycheque, and she’s not sure when she will get another shift.

About one hundred SEIU Local 2 members have lost vital income because of closures, as well as countless other workers in the city. Justice for Janitors and the union call upon Ottawa’s property owners (including the City and the Federal government) and cleaning companies to stop turning their backs on working families who have already taken the brunt of the pandemic.

“Be good corporate citizens; show you respect Ottawa’s janitors and pay lost wages,” concludes the statement.

Image: Justice for Janitors

Know your way around indoor air quality improvement

It’s common knowledge that buildings and indoor spaces can aid the spread of infectious airborne diseases, and COVID-19 has only highlighted that risk over the last two years. As such, controlling indoor air quality and air purification is vital to health and safety in any facility.

Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a division of ISSA, writes that asking the right questions and knowing the right terms is vital.

For example, the ventilation rate is the volume of outside air provided per unit of time, whereas the air change rate is the rate at which outdoor air replaces indoor air, calculated by dividing the ventilation rate of a space by the volume of that space.

These minimum rates vary, often dramatically, depending on the type of activity occurring in the room, as does the “breathing zone”, defined by ASHRAE as the area within an occupied space between three and six feet above the floor and more than two feet from walls or fixed air-conditioning equipment.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standards 62.1 and 62.2 outline the best practices for ventilation system design and acceptable indoor air quality. The latter standard recommends that homes should receive 0.35 air changes per hour but not less than 15 cubic feet of air per minute per person in order to minimize health risks. In contrast, for a 1,000-square-foot classroom designed for 35 people, ASHRAE recommends a ventilation rate of 500 cfm of outside air. This means there are 13 cubic feet per minute per person, so if the ceiling height in the classroom is 10 feet, the room needs three total outside air changes per hour.

Reduced occupancy, reduced risk

One way to reduce the risk of transmission is to reduce the number of people in a room, which not only reduces contacts and increases social distancing but ensures more outside air is provided per person, contributing to better overall indoor air quality. For example, using the classroom example, cutting the number of people from 35 to 17 would mean the ventilation rate provides twice as much outside air per person.

Increasing ventilation with outside air has been proven to reduce the transmission of airborne diseases by lowering the concentration of infectious particles in the air, writes Macgregor-Skinner.

If facility managers seek to increase the air change rates, there will be an investment required, as that process means moving more air and heating or cooling a larger volume of air. These added costs could be limited by using energy-efficient systems and “smart” systems that deliver air when the space is occupied, notes Macgregor-Skinner, aided by natural ventilation through windows.

An important strategy

Along with other measures such as air filtration and UVGI, increasing air changes per hour is an important and valuable infection control strategy that can be utilized to help reduce risk within an indoor space from infectious diseases. Macgregor-Skinner notes that higher ventilation is often overlooked as part of a risk-reduction strategy.

A recent report found that homeowners and builders often lack awareness of indoor air quality health risks. The more you know, the more power you have to improve your building.

Contracts awarded for Massey Tunnel replacement

Nine contracts worth $56 million have been awarded for technical and engineering expertise to support B.C.’s Highway 99 Tunnel Program to replace the Massey Tunnel.

“We are moving ahead with a new toll-free tunnel to replace the George Massey Tunnel, and these contracts will support the ministry’s work as we move from development to construction,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure. “The new tunnel, along with a new Steveston Interchange and Highway 99 improvements, are being designed to improve safety, reliability and connectivity while aligning with regional interests.”

The next step in the Fraser River Tunnel Project is to initiate the environmental assessment process. This includes ongoing engagement with Indigenous groups and stakeholders and preparation for procurement. The new tunnel is estimated to cost $4.15 billion and is scheduled to be complete in 2030.

In the interim, improvements to transit and cycling infrastructure along Highway 99 are underway. Construction of the new Steveston Interchange is scheduled to begin this year.

The following contracts were awarded:

Owner’s Engineering Service (Immersed Tube Tunnel):
COWI North America Ltd.
Value: $15,000,000

Owner’s Engineering Service (Highway and Civil Works):
R.F. Binnie and Associates Ltd.
Value: $15,000,000

Archaeological Services:
Golder Associates
Value: $2,100,000

Environmental Services:
Golder Associates
Value: $14,771,000

Independent Environmental Monitor for the Corridor Improvement Projects:
Sartori Environmental Inc.
Value: $725,000

Marine Navigation Advisor:
TyPlan Consulting
Value: $322,000

Communication and Engagement Services (Highway 99 Tunnel Project/Steveston Interchange Project):
Lucent Quay Consulting Inc.
Value: $4,187,690

Hydrotechnical and River Hydraulics Services:
Northwest Hydraulic Consultants Ltd.
Value $4,400,000

Marine Construction Advisor:
RAM Engineering Ltd.
Value: $202,000

Transportation Investment Corporation is leading the delivery of the major elements (eight-lane tunnel and Steveston Interchange) of the Highway 99 Tunnel Program on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and will provide the controls, practices and other oversights essential for this complex project.

Design team named for Calgary’s Arts Commons

Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), together with partners Arts Commons and City of Calgary, have named the design team for the expansion and renewal of Arts Commons, one of Canada’s largest and most vibrant arts centres, through the Arts Commons Transformation (ACT) project.

Toronto-based KPMB will lead the team which includes Tawaw Architecture Collective Inc., Calgary-based Hindle Architects, and SLA, a design studio out of Denmark.

KPMB has expertise in major arts and theatre projects, including Toronto’s Massey Hall and the Allied Music Centre, the Royal Conservatory TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, Minneapolis’s Orchestra Hall, Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox, Boston University’s Center for Computer and Data Sciences, and the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity. Tawaw, which is headed by Calgarian Wanda Dalla Costa, Canada’s first female First Nations architect, will ensure the Indigenous perspective is thoughtfully and meaningfully woven into all aspects of the design. And Hindle Architects is a local firm with a history of successful projects around Calgary.

“Drawing from our deeply rooted practice and our extensive experience in this realm, our strong, creative and responsive project team is energized by the opportunity to revitalize Arts Commons and create an inclusive, vibrant and resilient place that will serve as both a catalyst for cultural growth and a healing force for Calgarians and the city—especially during these challenging times,” said the design team in a statement.

Arts Commons, currently home to five theatres and the world-class Jack Singer Concert Hall, will be transformed over two phases. The first phase—now fully funded—will see the expansion of Arts Commons, adding new performance venues and support areas with thoughtful connections to the current building. The second phase, the modernization of the existing Arts Commons, will follow once funding is secured. The project scope for KPMB and the design team encompasses both phases.

“A thriving creative sector is essential to making Calgary a more resilient city. Arts Commons is one of the main pillar projects that will give our city a much-needed boost — it will catalyze growth, diversify our economic drivers and draw even more people to the downtown core,” stated Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

Calgary-based PCL Construction, which was awarded the contract for the project’s pre-construction services, will work alongside the prime design team to ensure the design process is aligned with future construction planning.

The team expects to reveal the new design in fall 2022. The first phase of construction is scheduled to begin in 2024

Bluevale acquires former hotel in St.Catharines, Ontario

Bluevale Capital Group announced it has acquired the former Queensway Hotel in St. Catharines, Ontario, for $8.2 million, and intends to revitilize the property as affordable housing for the region.

According the press release issued February 10th, Bluevale plans to invest $2.6 million to upgrade the existing interior, the facade, and to add an additional seven units in the basement. The former hotel was first converted into low-income housing in the late 1990s, and has been in a steady state of decline ever since. The upcoming renovations aim to improve and expand low-incoming housing in St. Catharines.

Located at 8 Queenston Street, the 52-unit building is Bluevale’s largest, most ambitious investment in Ontario to date, and marks its first acquisition of 2022.

“We see a lot of opportunity for transit-oriented development in St. Catharines, especially in this area given its proximity to Brock University and the Go Transit Station,” says Co-Founder and Managing Director Samuel Karamanis. “It is also well situated for students and employees of the area with various direct bus routes. Additionally, we are looking forward to the Go Train service expansion to the Niagara region from St. Catharines that should be operational by 2023, creating better routes for employment in the region.”

As Niagara Regional Housing amassed a 7,700-long waitlist for affordable housing, the Bluevale team plans to work with the City of St. Catharines to expand the much-needed supply.

“We’ve taken this project on as we felt that the building was underutilized,” adds Co-Founder and Managing Director of Bluevale, Jefferson Huang. “This improvement and conversion project will not only invigorate the building, but it will also provide more affordable housing opportunities for the community, which is something our team is passionate about,”

Huang is known for his contributions to the affordable housing market in Ontario and has received a 2021 Emerging Leader award from Chartered Public Accountants (CPA) Ontario for his work in this space. The Bluevale team says it believes in a community-forward vision and aims to bring growth to the St. Catharines region.

This acquisition is the fourth major multi-residential complex in Bluevale’s portfolio. The team, based in Toronto, is working actively in its expansion plans throughout Ontario and has plans to enter other provinces and new markets with affordable housing and transit-oriented development throughout 2022.

For more info, visit: Bluevale Capital

Minto Communities acquires two new sites in the GTA

Minto Communities GTA has acquired two new development sites, including plans for a multi-tower, 1,300-unit high-rise development near Mimico GO Station in Etobicoke and a 27-acre new low-rise community in Durham Region’s Brooklin community.

The 5.5-acre Etobicoke site is zoned for 1,080,000 square feet and will offer a high-rise community with three towers, 1,260 units, retail at grade, and a public park. Located just west of the downtown core, Union Station is accessible in 15 minutes via GO service.

The 27-acre greenfield site in the Brooklin community is located at the northwest corner of Columbus Road and Baldwin Street N, with tentative plans for 190 new residences in a mix of single-family, traditional townhomes, and rear-lane townhomes incorporated into a pedestrian-friendly community with a system of walking trails, parks, and green spaces.

This news comes on the heels of the company announcing plans for another low-rise community in another Durham Region’s Clarington’s Courtice, as well as a boutique eight-storey condominium in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood.

“It’s very inspiring to look back at the hard work and success of our team over the last few years as we’ve grown our business while continuing to deliver high-quality homes across the GTA,” said Jeff O’Reilly, vice-president, urban development and acquisitions at Minto Communities GTA.

These announcements are part of Minto’s effort to continue to find new places in and around the GTA to add much needed housing.

Andrew Tong joins Concert Properties c-suite

Andrew Tong has been promoted to the newly created position of chief investment officer for Concert Real Estate Corporation and Concert Properties Ltd. The new role continues a 27-year pattern of assuming more senior responsibilities within the organization he first joined in 1994.

Since 2016, he has guided Concert’s open-ended property fund and will continue to serve as managing director of the CREC Commercial Fund LP, which has built a portfolio of more than 11 million square feet of industrial and office properties in 72 properties, representing more than $2.2 billion in asset value. As well, he has worked in almost all facets of the company including, sales and marketing, acquisitions, development and asset management for commercial and residential properties.

“Andrew’s critical and strategic thinking will be necessary as we continue to grow and enhance Concert’s income-producing assets,” observes Brian McCauley, president and chief executive officer of Concert Properties.

“Concert is an exceptional place where you are always learning and being challenged to grow,” Tong says. “It has been my privilege to work on best-in-class projects and innovative transactions that drive value and returns for the pension funds and institutional investors who entrust us with their hard-working capital.”

Canada makes podium for LEED certified space

Canada ranks third globally for the amount of LEED certified space added to its national building inventory in 2021. The United States tops the list for uptake of the U.S.-based accreditation program for high-performance buildings, adding more than 280 million square feet of LEED certified space last year. China and Canada follow with 152.3 million and 34.5 million square feet of newly designated LEED space respectively.

“The owners and teams with certified LEED projects have made tremendous progress and are an inspiration as we build our way forward to a more sustainable and low-carbon future,” observes Thomas Mueller, president and chief executive officer of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). “Certified green buildings support our economy, create jobs and are better for both people and the planet.”

In total, 205 Canadian projects gained LEED certification in 2021. That’s about 19 per cent of China’s tally of 1,077 projects, but in a country with roughly 2.7 per cent of China’s population. India, with 30.3 million square feet certified in 146 projects, and Republic of Korea, with 16.8 million square feet certified in 42 projects, round out the top five.

BSCAI announces 2022 Board of Directors

The Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) has announced its newly elected officers and directors on its board.

The following directors were elected to officer positions on the BSCAI Board of Directors in 2022:

President: Nathalie Doobin, Harvard Services Group Inc.
President-elect: Paul Taylor, ESS Clean Inc.
Vice president: Philippe D. Mack, Bee-Clean Building Maintenance
Treasurer: Steve Shuchat, Clean All Services Inc.
Immediate past president: Eric Luke, MG Capital Maintenance.

In addition, BSCAI installed the following new directors to its board for 2022:

Charles Keenum, The Budd Group
David Murphy, Supreme Maintenance Organization
Dennis Richards, Puritan Commercial Cleaning and Services
Terell Weg, MSNW.

These new appointments will join the BSCAI board members who are continuing their service in 2022:

Peter Cain, Marsden Holding LLC
Chase Carlson, Pioneer LLC
Steve Crain, 4M Building Solutions
Jason Lee, Lee Building Maintenance
Paul Senecal, AffinEco LLC
Marc Vaughn, Team MJV
Bill Warnecki, Omega Services Group
Scott Weintraub, SMG Corporate Services.

BSCAI represents a worldwide network of more than 1,000 member companies throughout Canada, the United States, and countries worldwide that provide cleaning, facility maintenance, security, and other related services to building owners and managers.

Rebuilding B.C.’s highways for future resiliency

The impact to B.C.’s key highway corridors caused by the November atmospheric river events was devastating. Bridges and roads were heavily damaged by washouts, flooding or landslides following record-breaking rainfall.

“The November weather event caused unprecedented and catastrophic damage to our highways, resulting in communities cut off and major supply chain disruptions,” said Jennifer Fraser, executive project director for the Highway Reinstatement Program.

Fraser was a speaker at this year’s Transportation Conference, hosted by the Association of Engineering Consulting Companies. Representatives from the B.C. Ministry of Transportation (MoTI) provided an overview of the damage and repairs completed after the storms and discussed the long term strategy to ensure resiliency.

“Since the event there’s been a massive mobilization of people and equipment. Contractors set to work with engineers to assess the damage and formulate a plan,” said Fraser, who discussed the work completed on Highway 1, the Coquihalla and Highway 8.

Repairs included installing temporary bridges, rep-rap, temporary spans and reinforcing and rebuilding embankments and more. On the Coquihalla alone, the repairs required more than 200 pieces of heavy equipment and 300 workers going around the clock. They moved 400 cubic metres of fill and blasted more than 130 cubic metres of rock (equivalent to 50 Olympic size pools)

“The level of effort, creativity, and real time engineering to repair this site was repeated throughout the corridor with the Coquihalla opening to commercial vehicles on December 20,” said Fraser. “Key to achieving this milestone was the planning that went into figuring out how we could, as quickly as possible, develop designs and mobilize equipment past the first damaged bridges on either end…to work on this 130km stretch.”

Now that temporary repairs are in place, the province is looking at the next phase for permanent repairs and establishing engineering standards.

Ian Pilkington, chief engineer for the ministry, spoke about what engineering standards should be used to ensure resiliency in infrastructure for future climate events. It’s a question the ministry asked a decade ago.

“At that time, future climate projections for the world were being created by international scientists but they were at a very high level,” he said. “This gave us a sense of the future climate conditions but not to the level of detail to analyze how climate change would impact our infrastructure here on the ground in B.C.”

He explained the Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee established by Engineers Canada, assesses the vulnerability of public infrastructure to climate change impacts.

“Using this protocol a public body can determine how future climate events will affect their infrastructure and subsequently how you can mitigate these event,” said Pilkington.

The protocol was used in five different regions in the province to understand vulnerabilities and what climate information was needed for analysis.

“What we learned was our design formulas and methodologies were still valid but what really changed is input data. We can no longer rely on historical data. We now must use future climate prediction models for the right design parameters,” he said.

The ministry created a policy several years ago that all designs undertaken on provincial highway infrastructure must consider future climate events including new structures, rehabilitations or rebuilding after an event like the three damaged corridors.

Pilkington advised an online interactive portal is available to assist designers and municipalities in their infrastructure planning and other various materials are regularly updated.

What comes next for B.C.’s highways was addressed by Kevin Volk, MoTI assistant deputy minister.

“Central to that is the ministry and the province having a strategy for reconstruction, for resiliency and constructing a system that will stand the test of time, future impacts of storms and climate change on our system,” said Volk.

The ministry is considering five principles to balance current emergency work to restore the system and long-term projects needed to strategically improve corridor-wide resiliency. Volk said decisions and prioritization are based on B.C.’s highways as an integrated system.

“When we’re assessing and prioritizing investments and also how we’re going to design and build our highways in the future, the role of the individual corridors in the highway system and the impacts to the highway systems need to be considered and lead to prioritizing,” he said.

Vulnerability is a key principle and the flooding event demonstrated clearly the highways in the southwest linking the coast to the interior needed to be addressed. These are areas that link to the bulk of the Lower Mainland’s population and Canada’s busiest port.

“It was essentially the western coast of Canada being cut off from the rest of the province,” said Volk. “The economic and community impacts of what happened in November were catastrophic and warrant the immediate prioritization of work….mainly for Highways 99, 3, 5 and 1.”

Volk said the focus now is on what reconstruction work can be planned and completed this year. RFQs for prequalified firms closed in December. RFPs will be coming out in the next couple of months.

“As projects are identified, we will quickly put out RFPs — much shorter RFPs — where design and construction firms would partner and submit a proposal,” said Volk. “It would be a collaborative process where the ministry, designer and builder work to finalize scope, budget and schedule together. Time is of the essence and that is the most cost and time-effective process to get these projects rolling as quickly as possible.”

Cheryl Mah is managing editor of Construction Business.

Burnaby approves major new facilities program

The City of Burnaby has approved the most ambitious capital program in its history with a $504 million investment to complete five major new facilities within the next five years.

“To deliver on our vision of being a world-class city we must provide world-class facilities for our residents,” said Mayor Mike Hurley. “This is a pivotal moment for Burnaby. Over the next five years, we will begin opening outstanding new facilities which serve the needs of our growing city both today and into the future.”

City council unanimously endorsed the city’s 2022-2026 financial plan at its regular meeting in January. It sets out city priorities, highlights the achievements of the past year and includes an outline of the major capital projects to be built in Burnaby.

These projects include:

Replacing the aging CG Brown Pool and Burnaby Lake Arena with a new Burnaby Lake Sports Complex, which will include multiple pools, multi-purpose rooms and an NHL-sized arena;
Building a new Cameron Recreation Centre and Library, which will feature a new leisure pool, gym and weight room, as well as an outdoor public plaza;
Redeveloping Confederation Park Community Centre to connect with the Eileen Dailly Pool and McGill Library;
Completing the Rosemary Brown Arena, which incorporates sustainable design features and water conservation strategies, in addition to twin pads and public meeting spaces; and
Designing a new community centre to serve the emerging Brentwood Town Centre.

In addition, the city will construct a new pedestrian and cycling overpass over Highway 1, which will provide a safe link between Burnaby Lake and Deer Lake. Funding for these projects will come through the city’s reserves without incurring any debt.

Burnaby is the third-largest city in B.C., and is among the fastest-growing municipalities in the province. Statistics Canada estimates Burnaby’s 2021 population as 260,918, an increase of more than 13,000 residents since 2017.

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