Hidden dangers of antimicrobial building products

Have you been hearing advertisements on the radio, internet, or TV for products that claim to protect you from COVID-19? Maybe they include language like “made with antimicrobials” or “with added protection against the growth of bacteria and viruses” or similar phrases.

In building products, these claims usually mean that the manufacturer has added extra antimicrobials to their product for the purpose of marketing it this way. Such claims are usually very carefully worded to imply protection against COVID-19 or other diseases without explicitly stating this. While this may seem like a great innovation at first glance, it pays to take a closer look. It’s important to understand why antimicrobials are in building products and what they can do to help or harm us.

What are antimicrobials and why are they added to building products?

Antimicrobials are added to building products for one of two reasons:

1. To protect the product itself from degradation or spoilage from mould, mildew, or other molecules that can harm it – for example, preservatives in a can of paint.

2. To go beyond product preservation, often with the goal of marketing a product as “made with antimicrobials.”

The first is a common, legitimate use of antimicrobials and helps extend the product’s useful life. The second use, on the other hand, often goes hand-in-hand with marketing claims that imply that the product protects the user from disease.

Killing microscopic organisms on a surface should not, however, be equated with preventing disease. While federal laws regulate marketing claims about the ability of a product to prevent diseases, including COVID-19, it can be difficult to understand the language used and weigh the benefits of products labeled as antimicrobial.

Little evidence exists that building products containing antimicrobials actually prevent disease transmission and lead to healthier populations. By and large, good scientific studies that would determine whether or not they do reduce human disease transmission have not been conducted.

These types of studies rely on well-established methods like clinical trials to determine whether or not specific interventions – such as antimicrobial surfaces – can reduce the number of people who become infected with a disease. With the exception of a small number of studies on copper surfaces in hospital settings, these studies are virtually nonexistent to date when it comes to added antimicrobials in building products.

Why should we be concerned?

There are three main concerns about the use of added antimicrobial chemicals in building products:

1. They can have adverse health effects. Some antimicrobials used in building products can harm our health. For example, quaternary ammonium compounds can adversely impact the human respiratory system.

2. They can contribute to antimicrobial-resistant strains of bacteria. Antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria are real and kill tens of thousands of Canadians annually. There is evidence that the overuse of antimicrobials in consumer products and building materials can contribute to this antibiotic resistance.

3. They can create a false sense of security for users. People using products advertised to “keep you safe with antimicrobial technology” may become lax in essential practices such as handwashing, cleaning, and safely disinfecting surfaces that are proven to limit infection and spread of disease.

It is important to understand that infectious disease transmission is complicated, and there are many variables affecting how the viruses and bacteria that cause disease move between and infect people. Clean surfaces play an important role in preventing the spread of disease, but we simply don’t have much information that tells us whether or not using antimicrobial surfaces provides additional protection beyond what good sanitation and hygiene practices already offer. The bottom line is that there is no evidence of public health benefits to adding antimicrobials to building products, but there is evidence of harm that they can cause.

What can be done?

● Follow the lead of organizations like Healthcare Without Harm and prefer building materials that don’t make claims or imply that the antimicrobials are added to protect public health.

● Prefer products with public materials disclosures. Often, specific chemicals that are regulated and/or are known to be harmful get replaced by chemicals that can be equally as harmful or about which little is known. The good news is that there is a rapidly growing transparency movement in the building products world. By preferring products with published Health Product Declarations or Declare labels, you can make informed decisions and reward companies who participate in these initiatives.

● Learn more. To read more about the concerns related to using antimicrobials in building products and to see a list of leading architects, designers, and scientists who support the exercise of caution in their use, check out the Joint Statement on Antimicrobials in Building Products.

Ryan Johnson is a Materials Researcher for Healthy Building Network (HBN). He holds a BS in Chemistry and an MS in Environmental Health Sciences, and has a background in indoor air quality and epidemiological data analysis. He currently works with the HBN team, researching trends in building product formulations and generating guidance for selecting materials that reduce concerns related to human health and the environment.

Since 2000, HBN has defined the leading edge of healthy building practices that increase transparency in the building products industry, reduce human exposures to hazardous chemicals, and create market incentives for healthier innovations in manufacturing. A team of researchers, engineers, scientists, building experts, and educators work to reduce toxic chemical use, minimize hazards, and eliminate exposure, especially to those chemicals of concern that are deemed unnecessary or fail to improve product performance. HBN
promotes the development of affordable green chemistry solutions that support a healthy, successful, circular economy.

Decarbonizing buildings through innovation

Canada’s race to reduce carbon emissions is gaining speed. And while the focus of the Federal Government’s strategies has largely centered on fuel-combustion vehicles and environmental systems, there is a renewed focus on reducing a company’s supply chain carbon footprint (aka “Scope 3).

“Fresh off the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Canadian government is taking a closer interest in reducing Scope 3 emissions, and a lot of that has to do with finding ways to decarbonize buildings,” says Jeff Grabinsky, Vice President of Executive Mat Service (EMS).

EMS has made Scope 3 emission reductions its mission since the mat manufacturing and cleaning company opened its Calgary shop in 1996. Over the years since, it has pioneered several mat production and washing technologies that help property stakeholders eliminate CO2 emissions from their environment.

These innovations have helped property owners and managers make good on their ESG (environmental, social, and governance) mandates, and create healthier environments and bottom lines.

“Sustainability is absolutely part of our DNA, and it’s something we champion through all of our products, services, and client interactions,” adds Grabinsky. “It’s not just a bulletpoint we put on our website for the sake of getting business; it’s the reason we started doing business in the first place.”

Enter: The One Billion Point CO2 Challenge

It’s one thing to cite sustainability in a mission statement; it’s another to follow through. For its part, EMS has championed a host of eco-forward initiatives that are giving multi-family, facility, and commercial property owners the tools to reduce their environmental footprint.

Among these initiatives is the Billion Pound CO2 Challenge (aka, the “Billion Pound Challenge”), an initiative that helps the property management community “identify and track meaningful reductions in carbon intensity across the supply chain” to eliminate 1,000,000,000 pounds of C02 emissions annually.

Launched in 2019, the program gives green-tech creators a platform through which they can verify that their technologies are effective in reducing Scope 3 emissions.

After, project owners that use these vetted technologies can have their CO2 reductions tracked via the Billion Pound Challenge online ledger, earning both industry recognition and additional incentives.

“Kim and I felt there was a gap in the Scope 3 objective in terms of validating green technologies and having a way to make those claims concrete in the field,” says Grabinsky, who played a large role in launching the initiative alongside EMS
founder, Kim Caron.

EMS has had several technologies vetted through the platform. They include:

• EMS’s decarbonized floor matting service.
• The CDF mat washing machine process, a patented technology created by Kim Caron which uses 95 per cent less water than industry standards.
• Eco Growth, a technology that can be used to collect a client’s food and paper waste and convert it into biomass brisket.

“Each of these innovations has been instrumental in helping our clients reduce their Scope 3 emissions and, in so doing, get their name up on the Billion Pound Challenge ledger,” adds Grabinsky.

Industry recognition is just one advantage of taking part in the Billion Pound Challenge. Through a collaboration with the makers of PeriCoin cryptocurrency, EMS can award one unit of the e-coin for every pound of CO2 its clients save through the use of its Scope 3-reducing services and technologies.

“At the end of the day, we’re trying to incentivize the property management community,” adds Grabinsky. “So not only do they get their building on a ledger, which helps them attract more business by having their CO2-reducing processes and methods validated, but they also get an e-coin they can use to pay for our projects or save in an electronic wallet for future trading.”

As Canada steps up efforts to fulfill its climate change promises, the country is relying on innovation to lead the way. Greening the built environment is no small challenge, but programs like the One Billion Pound CO2 Challenge and the technologies within it are doing their part to reach that goal.

Executive Mat Service is Canada’s only ISO14001 (Environmental) & COR Safety
Certified mat rental company in Canada. For more, visit www.executivemat.com, email
[email protected], or call 1-877-290-7711.

Digging Up the Past

Heritage buildings provide tangible connections to our historical roots, allowing us to step into the past and appreciate where we’ve come from. Whether it’s an old railway station, a beloved church, an ancient bridge or a storied residence, structures borne of an earlier era are like treasures of tomorrow and preserving them is a responsibility each generation must carry forward.

“To me, heritage buildings signify everything that brought us to the point we are at today,” said John Balla, Civil Project Engineer with RJC Engineers. “There would be no Confederation Bridge, no Hoover Dam, without all the past building experiences of our civil engineering community.”

But it’s not only about maintaining the structure itself; sometimes what you can’t see below the surface has equal importance. As Balla puts it, “Whether it’s the foundations of a 1970s-era home, or artifacts from an ancient civilization, pieces of the past can be found at just about every excavation site. When we’re digging up dirt, it’s important to remember that each bucketful might contain history.”

Code reconciliation

Aside from restoring the exterior façade and being mindful of the surrounding environment, some heritage restoration projects entail digging deeper to address the sub-terranean systems that no longer meet today’s codes—a process known as “code reconciliation.”

“In a civil environment, code reconciliation mostly means adding new water or sewer services to a building in order to update the usable life of a facility,” explained Balla. “Much of the work we are seeing today involves the replacement of services or the phasing out of old asbestos concrete pipes.”

What are the most neglected areas that should be brought up to code?

Here are Balla’s top three recommendations for prolonging the service life of your heritage property:

Services

Sewer services can degrade to a point where there are holes in the building’s pipes allowing water to infiltrate the systems. This leakage can cause the already strained systems to work harder to keep up with the increasing demands of today’s occupants. If not repaired, sewage and water can leak out and cause contamination of soils and soil erosion; if left unchecked, sinkholes and other damage to the building and infrastructure may result.

Grading

To keep water away from the building foundation, which can cause increased load on sumps and flooding of basements, grading needs to be maintained. Settlement can occur over time causing the slopes to change towards the building instead of away from it. While this unwanted shift typically occurs within the first 5 to 10 years of a structure’s life, factors such as climate change and increased storm frequency can accelerate the erosion process.

Combined sanitary and stormwater systems

Although municipalities have been phasing this out for years, a large portion of most cities’ infrastructure is combined sewer. Where possible, RJC recommends that any existing outlets to a combined system are abandoned, and new separate storm leads and sanitary services are installed in place of those combined lines. Not only will this lighten the load on sanitary systems, but it will provide cleaner storm overflow when it cannot be managed by water treatment facilities.

For more information on RJC’s civil engineering services, please visit www.rjc.ca or contact John Balla directly at [email protected].

Property security has changed – is your building up to speed?

Renewed activity, health risks, and work-from-home trends have placed a fresh focus on building security. And whether the goal is to protect physical occupants or safeguard data, property managers rely on the latest tech and best practices to keep critical assets secure.

Cetra Solutions is no stranger to the rising demand for physical and digital security solutions. The firm works with clients to bring their security measures in line with today’s challenges and expectations. Canadian Property Management reached out to Steven from Cetra Solutions for insights.

How has the pandemic sharpened the focus on building security?

The pandemic forced companies to adapt to new ways of working. Those that had employees work from home, for example, had to implement or increase their remote access and network security capabilities. They also had to ensure employees had secure access to company servers from home since their home networks were often more susceptible to network intrusions.

There have also been companies that continued in-person operations because they were deemed essential or had pandemic restrictions lifted. In both cases, they’ve had to implement ways of effectively tracking everyone entering the building for contact tracing while also validating that workers were sticking to safety protocols. This meant implementing or revamping guest logging and tracing/restricting practices, or perhaps limiting access to certain building areas via access control or facial recognition so they know exactly who is coming into contact with who.

What advice would you offer property managers who are looking to upgrade or replace their security systems?

Today, data is worth more than oil. Information is king. Property stakeholders — whether they’re with a multifamily residence, office building, or commercial building — need to make sure their systems can provide the security, control, and solutions that suit their operational needs and work at the speed of modern business.

Remember, the people looking to gain control of your systems are always using the latest tools and techniques, so you need to be adapting to stay ahead. Having the right security system can do that while saving costs by mitigating preventable losses.

How have security cameras, alarms, and access technologies evolved in recent years?

For one, artificially intelligent (AI) systems are almost the bare minimum. An AI system can detect and stop an incident faster than any human can through advanced facial recognition, license plate recognition, or other advanced functions. AI aside, tracking and tracing for recovery and reports are the next best thing.

The most reliable security systems have also become future-proof. Our systems, for example, allow for total scalability and flexibility. Clients can add or remove devices as needed without having to upgrade the entire system. They simply pay for the device to be added, and that’s it. Moreover, if a company has multiple buildings, their security systems can be controlled under one user interface (UI).

How important is it that these security technologies are connected and integrated?

Integration is key for system performance. The ability to collect and analyze data is great, but the ability to use that data across multiple technologies in real-time is where the best systems shine.

For example, imagine your cameras pick up someone you don’t want in approaching the building. Rather than waiting for the proper authorities to come, your systems could automatically lock the doors they are trying to enter from, thereby preventing an incident and giving property teams valuable time to react. Reversely, you may have a delivery person arrive with a package but no one is there to greet them. Here again, the system could be programmed to unlock the door only for them and display their interactions on a live feed to ensure things are done properly.

Integrated tech can also protect occupant health. For instance, an environmental sensor can be installed that detects harmful indoor air elements. Once detected, it can automatically trigger the alarm for everyone to leave and use facial recognition to identify and contact the people who may have been in contact with that dangerous element.

In short, we can collect, share, and react to real-time data across multiple security technologies. Doing so effectively only adds to the building’s safety and efficiency.

Once a system is installed, how can property management teams make sure they’re using it effectively?

I can only speak to what Cetra Solutions does to make sure clients make full use of their investment. Once our security equipment is set up, it can all be controlled with a user-friendly interface that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device. We also offer a 30-day free trial of the system and provide initial training to educate users on what to do in various scenarios. After that, our clients only need to accept software updates when they arise.

The important thing to know is that our systems never go out of date. Much like how a Tesla vehicle receives “over the air” updates, our systems receive consistent updates to stay ahead of risks and changes. We also provide an industry-leading 10-year warranty, and no annual maintenance is required. That goes a long way towards future savings.

Where do you see security systems evolving from here?

Live monitoring is gaining traction. In a traditional system, an alarm gets triggered and a security guard is sent to investigate. The challenge is that they may already be too late by the time they get there. Live monitoring, on the other hand, allows a person to view an incident immediately when it’s triggered and notify proper authorities depending on what the incident is. It also has the ability to detect if it’s a false alarm (e.g., stray animal) and avoid costly emergency services being called.

Otherwise, we’re always looking for ways to bring greater peace of mind to our clients, be it through a new piece of tech or more sophisticated data security solutions. It’s a changing world, so we have to be ready to react.

Sign up for Cetra Solutions’ free 30-day security system trial or learn more about its security, energy management, building automation, network, and other smart solutions. Visit www.cetrasolutions.ca. or contact [email protected].

Remember your smoke management system

Many know the proverb “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” but few may realize that smoke is often more deadly than the flames.

“More often than not, it’s not the radiant heat energy or direct involvement of fire that kills people. Instead, it’s the smoke that overcomes them when they’re sleeping or trying to get out,” says Eric Esselink, Chief Executive Officer with LRI Engineering Inc.

That’s not to say fire isn’t a significant threat, but that the impacts of smoke inhalation cannot be understated. Not only can smoke impede a person’s ability to breathe, but it may also contain toxic particles or vapours that affix themselves to the lungs and wreak havoc from within. It’s for these reasons that property managers must make the health and efficiency of their smoke management systems an ongoing priority.

Don’t take your system for granted

Given everything on a property team’s plate, it’s understandable for smoke management systems to slip under the radar. Nevertheless, ineffective system design, commissioning, installation or documentation can leave building teams and occupants in dangerous situations if unaddressed.

“Though property managers do have an obligation to test and maintain these systems, that’s not always what’s happening,” says Esselink. “Over my own career, I’ve seen a lot of smoke management systems that haven’t really been looked at since they were initially installed, or situations where regular maintenance is being missed.”

It’s also common for system testing to fall short. The initial design and installation of a smoke management system requires input from multiple professionals (e.g., fire safety, mechanical, electrical, architectural, etc.). And while each may verify their part of the puzzle, property managers often lack the documentation or training to test the system as a whole.

“It’s not enough to have various trades signing off on their portion of the system; you need to have your system tested in an integrated fashion to prove that it works the way it’s supposed to,” says Esselink.

Often, he adds, lack of adequate testing is a result of the fact that the fire safety protocol wasn’t developed in a holistic way from the beginning, if at all: “That’s why, when property managers call their fire safety partner to come in and test their systems, they may check all the equipment, but they’re doing it in a compartmentalized fashion. Those specialists are not reviewing how these things are supposed to work together, and they may not even understand how they’re all integrated, because why would they unless there’s some kind of document or protocol to go from?”

Error in the code

Building upgrades, ownership or management changes and technological retrofits may also put smoke management systems at risk. True, automation and artificial intelligence offer a wealth of advantages for property management, but giving these tools dominion over existing systems opens the doors for both human and technical errors.

“It doesn’t take much in the way of programming to get something wrong,” warns Esselink. “For example, if an input/output correlation on a matrix is incorrect, all of a sudden the smoke management sequence doesn’t work the way it should.”

Seemingly harmless decisions may also have negative impacts. In a bid to conserve energy, for example, property teams may program a piece of mechanical equipment to shut down after hours when they assume the office will be empty. The risk of doing this is that people may still be in the building, and that piece of equipment could be a critical part of the smoke management system that won’t kick in if something occurs.

Maintenance oversight

One of the most common reasons smoke management systems fail is they are not well maintained. This can be attributed to property stakeholders who aren’t aware of how the system is supposed to operate, or aren’t testing them in a full, integrated fashion during the mandatory testing.

“It’s important to remember the big picture,” reminds Esselink. “That means making sure your fire safety system will start the fans, release your magnetic door hold-open devices, open and close the dampers, and perform any number of integrated functions when a fire occurs.”

Here again, it’s important to refer back to initial documentation or call upon fire safety engineers who can help test the system holistically and develop the protocols to help property managers tackle their life-saving maintenance responsibilities.

“We realize that smoke management systems don’t always take priority, which is why we’re here to make sure it does what it’s supposed to,” adds Esselink.

Under control

There are many reasons why a smoke management system requires attention. Whether the reason is inadequate commissioning, testing, or maintenance, it’s important to identify and address those gaps. It’s not only a matter of upholding one’s legal liabilities, but ensuring a safer environment for all.

Adds Esselink: “These systems are there for a reason: to save lives. That’s exactly what they’ll do, but only if they’re properly installed and maintained.”

To learn more about LRI Engineering Inc., visit www.lrifire.com.

Fire safety systems: Have you checked your water?

The worst time to discover your fire safety system lacks adequate water supply is when an emergency strikes. And yet, it’s not uncommon for negative impacts to a building’s water sources to go unnoticed by property management teams until that system is needed most.

“The property owner or manager has certain responsibilities to make sure their fire safety systems are working according to spec in order to protect the public. Part of that means being aware of any changes to your municipal water sources that might impact your building, and making sure your supply matches the system’s demand,” says Jean-Nicholas Bader, Regional Manager for Quebec with LRI Engineering Inc.

There are internal and external factors that might impact a building’s water supply. Aging equipment or leaking infrastructure can reduce pressure, while new developments in the area may strain existing supply.

For example, says Bader, “You could have a building that was built in an area where there wasn’t much water demand and then have new industrial buildings come in years later that suddenly need a lot of water to function. That’s going to make an impact, and though it might result in a small reduction in pressure, it could mean that pumps and systems you had in place aren’t enough anymore to support your fire safety equipment.”

It’s also possible for municipalities to drop water supply for a myriad of reasons.

Property owners and managers may be notified well in advance in such cases, but the change could trigger the need for system upgrades or replacements.

This was a recent scenario that played out in the City of Montreal. In 2019, the Montreal Fire Department issued an announcement to building stakeholders that the City was sectorizing the drinking water network to measure its consumption and regulate pressure in various sectors in its efforts to mitigate water breakage and loss, noting, “This sectorization and regulation could lead to reductions in static pressure and, in some cases, hydraulic capacity.”(1)

Bader advises stakeholders to take this action, as their cue to get ahead of potential changes, noting, “While the City’s letter did not mandate that building owners assess the impact of the ‘sectorization’ on their properties, not doing so does put their portfolios – and more importantly, the building occupants – at risk. Whether in response to a letter such as that issued by the City of Montreal, or as part of regular due diligence to ensure conformance with Fire Code maintenance requirements, LRI recommends that owners be proactive, get ahead of the curve and have their systems evaluated by a professional engineer specialized in fire protection system design.”

Raising the pressure

Initial fire safety system designs and specs may have sufficed at the time of a building’s construction. As the years tick by, however, any number of factors can impact that system’s ability to provide adequate protection in the event of a fire. These factors could include, for example, the age of the fire safety system, changes in use within the building, expansions, or other significant design modifications.

Annual and other periodic testing as required by fire code regulations should identify symptoms of a potential water supply change, prompting a more detailed review of the affected system. These system reviews are also a good time for property managers to get ahead of future upgrade requirements.

“Maybe your municipality will never alter supply pressure, but if you do get that letter one day, it’s worth knowing in advance the implications of potential required changes,” says Bader.

Of course, obtaining potential solutions and pricing is more than about protecting one’s budget. Neglecting water pressure and supply issues until it’s too late can put building occupants in danger during a fire. And while that alone is enough motivation, there are also legal and logistical repercussions for failing to ensure fire safety systems are working as intended.

“If your water supply drops, and you’ve delayed implementing mitigating measures until the last moment, you’re going to be competing with everyone else around you who also needs services and materials,” says Bader. “That’s going to mean higher prices and more stress.”

Flexible solutions

Sooner or later, all fire safety systems need fine-tuning. When that time comes, there are advantages to working with specialized fire safety consultants who can see — and respond to — the big picture.

“The advantage of calling on a specialist like LRI, for example, is that we aren’t bound to any one system. We can reassess the fire safety system as a whole and offer a range of solutions that fit the client,” says Bader

True, some buildings may go a long time before water supply becomes an issue. But as with anything related to life safety, it pays to think ahead and know your options.

“The fire code already requires regular testing, but any time you suspect changes to your system, or simply want to make sure it’s still working effectively, it pays to have a look sooner rather than later,” adds Bader.

(1) City of Montreal Fire Department letter.

Deal includes Ottawa’s tallest office tower

Ottawa’s tallest office tower has new owners. Crown Realty Partners and Crestpoint Real Estate Management have jointly acquired Place de Ville, a four-building Class A office complex in the downtown Parliamentary district.

Place de Ville’s two-block configuration, with buildings facing onto Queen, Kent and Sparks Streets, also includes a development site. The Canadian government is a major tenant, with about 7,000 workers in the buildings prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The complex offers direct access, via the concourse, to Ottawa’s light rail transit (LRT) line, known as O-train, and was Well-Health Safety rated earlier this year. It also boasts an ENERGY STAR score of 85 and is a designated BOMA 360 performer. Sightlines, particularly those from the 29-storey Tower C on Queen Street, take in the downtown core, the Parliament buildings, the Ottawa River and Quebec beyond.

Crown Realty will act as property manager for the joint ownership. The deal boosts the company’s Ottawa portfolio to more than 2.5 million square feet, all which has been acquired in roughly the past two years.

“We see an amazing future in this market with access to a highly diverse labour market including one of the highest technology focused talent pools in North America, amazing cultural offering, growing transit and access to affordable living,” says Scott Watson, partner, acquisitions and leasing, with Crown Realty.

Oxford Properties enters Vancouver multifamily market

Oxford Properties and Intracorp Homes announced they have entered into a joint venture to develop 649 rental apartments at the site of the Ashley Mar Housing Co-operative in South Vancouver. Of the total new units, 125 will be part of the housing co-op, more than doubling the number of homes available at the co-op today. Current residents will be relocated during construction, then moved back into their new units after completion in 2024.

“We’re very pleased to partner with Intracorp and make our first residential investment in Vancouver through a project that promises significant economic and social benefit for the local community,” said Tyler Seaman, Head of Hotels & Multi-Residential, North America at Oxford Properties. “As Oxford continues to scale our residential business across North America, we have high conviction in the Vancouver market, driven by its sustained favourable demographic trends and expansion of global tech firms.”

Located steps from the Canada Line at 8495 Cambie Street and 8460 Ash Street, the nearly 1.5- acre site will offer a range of bachelor, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom and townhome layouts to accommodate a wide array of renters, including families. The development includes two new market high-rise rental towers and the 16-storey co-op tower.

Situated within the Marpole-South Cambie transit corridor, residents will be steps from the Marine Drive Skytrain Station. The modern complex will feature several sustainability-oriented amenities, including EV charging stations and hundreds of bicycle parking stalls. The project is slated to break ground in spring 2022, with first occupancy anticipated by the end of 2024.

“We’re excited to bring the largest co-op rental development ever to Marine and Cambie and provide much needed rental housing opportunities to this transit-oriented neighbourhood,” said Evan Allegretto, President, B.C. at Intracorp Homes. “We couldn’t have asked for a better team to be working alongside in Oxford Properties and are proud to be delivering over 524 rental homes and 125 co-op renewal homes in our first project together.”

Oxford is targeting a significant pipeline of opportunities in Vancouver as a core, long-term market, primarily through new development projects to deliver critical new supply of professionally managed rental product.

“Today’s announcement signals Oxford’s commitment to deliver much-needed, high-quality, professionally managed rental apartments to Vancouver,” commented Randy Hoffman, Senior Vice President, Canada at Oxford Properties. “As we scale our business in the region we will continue to look at a wide-array of opportunities, including partnerships with co-investors that share both our conviction in the asset class, and a desire to deliver a broad range of solutions to suit a diverse and growing Vancouver market.”

Graham grows to third largest builder in Canada

Graham announced it has finalized an agreement with global infrastructure consulting firm AECOM to take over the North American assets of AECOM’s energy operations and maintenance division (EOM).

The acquisition is expected to boost employee-owned Graham’s annual revenues by more than $550 million, making it the country’s third largest construction company and one of North America’s top 50 largest construction companies.

“The acquisition of AECOM’s EOM Division is part of Graham’s strategic plan for expanding and diversifying our industrial operations across North America,” said Andy Trewick, Graham’s president and CEO. “It dramatically enhances our ability to provide one-stop services for major industrial clients, from initial construction through lifetime asset maintenance.”

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals which are expected to be completed by the end of January 2022. The acquisition will significantly expand Graham’s capacity to provide maintenance, turnaround, fabrication and sustaining capital services for major energy, industrial and petrochemical companies in Western Canada, Ontario, and the U.S.

“Through more than nine decades in the construction business, Graham has a long and proud history of building industrial infrastructure – the mines, refineries, pipelines, petrochemical plants, power generation and hydroelectric facilities that have driven economic growth and prosperity across the continent,” said Cecil Dawe, executive vice president of Graham’s Industrial Division.

“Graham was an early pioneer in building alternate energy infrastructure. The addition of the EOM Division expands our capability to build and maintain the energy and industrial infrastructure of the 21st century, building on Graham’s expertise delivering wind farms, LNG plants, biofuel refineries and carbon capture and storage facilities. Bringing in EOM’s operations and skilled workers to our team of allied subcontractors raises our game to a whole new level for our clients and our Indigenous partners, and firmly establishes our company as a leader in North American industrial construction and services.”

Leveraging your parking during lease-up

Anyone in the multifamily industry knows how crucial the lease-up period is for ensuring a building’s long-term success. With these periods lasting longer in the era of COVID, apartment owners in some cities are attempting to mitigate their profit losses by temporarily using their empty units as short-term rentals. But this strategy isn’t permitted everywhere, and it only leverages a building’s most obvious asset—the apartment units. What about all those empty parking stalls?

Most multifamily buildings in lease-up have at least as many unused parking spaces as they do unused apartments. Finding creative ways to use them has never been easier, thanks to current trends and technology. The key is to know the zoning laws and restrictions for your area that may impact your approach.

Easy ways to profit from your parking

In simple terms, a lease-up period is the time between when a multifamily apartment community announces its launch until about six to twelve months after its official opening. With lead-up time, a lease-up period can last up to fifteen months, during which your occupancy is expected to reach above 90 per cent with residents paying rent at market rate. Building owners typically use the lease-up period to establish their property’s brand and website, and to become a presence within the community. But it is often a period in which the building isn’t performing to its full capacity and may even need to be run at a loss.

Yet, each empty parking spot represents an opportunity for the owner. Ideas for use include renting the spaces out to local restaurants for valet parking, curbside pickup, or even a specialty food truck. Retail stores may also rent out spaces to serve as designated parking for customers, or for a temporary “pop-up” location. And how about those entrepreneurs offering car-centric services like car washes and detailing, minor repairs and diagnostics? A location in a parking lot couldn’t be more ideal.

All of these uses have the added benefit of creating a sense of community around your building. Those once-empty concrete spaces are now serving a purpose, bringing more foot traffic and interest to your property while giving residents a deeper attachment to their new home. Not only that, but visitors lured by an exciting pop-up might just fall in love with the location and inquire about living arrangements. Of course, all of this depends on zoning restrictions and neighbourhood regulations governing such amenities, but by finding good uses for parking, building owners can attract new renters and thus reduce the time spent leasing up to full capacity.

Smart parking: the simplest solution

While it is lovely to imagine your unused parking spaces serving as the site for hip pop-ups and tasty food truck eats, the most straightforward way to monetize those free spaces is by offering them up to non-tenant drivers. Building owners looking to unlock a new revenue stream to help keep a property solvent during the lease-up period may want to consider “smart parking” first.

Smart spaces are created when technologies like augmented reality, the internet of things (IoT), and mobile communications partner with data, analytics, and machine learning to create guided, next-level experiences of moving through a location. Smart parking applies this concept to the act of parking one’s car using automated processes to make finding and reserving a spot easy and painless, and payment intuitive or even automatic. These principles (or at least the infrastructure to install them) should already be in place in any new construction, and they can vastly improve the ability of parking spots to generate income.

Smart parking lots can include digital signage to help people find their spots faster, the ability to reserve online, and navigation to make finding spots easier. By fitting your parking spaces with sensors to detect the presence or absence of cars, building owners can create an automated, efficient parking lot that will serve you well for your property’s lifetime.

Choosing the correct application

Ultimately, turning a parking lot into a profit generator is as easy as choosing the right parking app to administer the process. By interfacing with the sensors, and using the data available from past driver behaviour, a parking app can help individuals reserve their spots, navigate to their empty space, and pay for their parking, all in one seamless interaction. These apps can even be flexible enough to adjust parking availability day by day as residents come and go. Choosing the right parking app can mean the difference between an expensive, high-maintenance headache and a minimum-friction source of unexpected income.

Even long after building lease-up is complete, the right parking plan paired with the right parking app can ensure any unused spaces remain reliable sources of revenue, sevring you and your building well for the long haul.

Jeremy Zuker is the co-founder of WhereiPark, a technology company that enables multifamily residential and commercial property owners to discover new revenue sources through innovative solutions that leverage unused parking spaces.

Feds give $4.1M to B.C. port to ease supply chain

The Government of Canada is contributing up to $4.1 million to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority under the National Trade Corridors Fund to provide relief in the aftermath of the floods in British Columbia.

The initiative, led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, will help ease supply chain constraints and bottlenecks in the Lower Mainland. It will address current supply chain disruptions, which have created delays and service challenges at the port’s container facilities, by delivering additional container storage capacity, through the preparation of an undeveloped 40-acre parcel land within the Fraser Richmond Industrial Lands for the handling and storage of empty containers.

Transport Canada is actively engaged and working with the Province of British Columbia, along with port, terminal, railway, air, and trucking sectors, to provide any support required in response to the damages caused by flooding in British Columbia. Of paramount concern is supporting those who are displaced or being evacuated as a result of the landslides.

Through the National Trade Corridors Fund, the federal government is investing in well-functioning trade corridors to help Canadians compete in key global markets, trade more efficiently with international partners, and to keep Canadian supply chains competitive. It represents a long-term commitment by the Government of Canada to work with stakeholders on strategic infrastructure projects to address transportation bottlenecks, vulnerabilities, and congestion along Canada’s trade corridors.

“All Canadians stand with British Columbians. Our government is taking steps to resolve transportation and supply chain issues, and we commend the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority for its leadership. We will continue to work with local partners in the coming days, weeks and months to address transportation issues as they arise,” said the federal Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.

Dream to deploy CIB funds for deep retrofits

The Dream group of companies has obtained $136.6 million in financing from Canada Infrastructure Bank’s commercial buildings retrofit program to be deployed toward the goal of portfolio-wide net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2035. If achieved, the global portfolio of industrial, office and development properties, currently valued at more than $13 billion, would be 15 years ahead of Canada’s and the Paris Agreement’s 2050 target.

“We believe that we can stop the growth of carbon emissions from our properties and reduce our emissions dramatically,” declares Michael Cooper, chief responsible officer with Dream Unlimited Corp. “It has never been more urgent to act swiftly. We can challenge the historical status quo and transform our business to meaningfully tackle these complex issues and pave the way for a resilient future.”

In Canada, the new retrofit financing will be applied to deep retrofits in 19 buildings in Ontario and Saskatchewan. Under the parameters of the commercial buildings retrofit program, loan recipients must contribute at least 20 per cent equity, and must achieve at least a 30 per cent reduction in GHG emissions across a portfolio of buildings with no less than a 25 per cent reduction in any one building.

“By working with leaders in the Canadian real estate sector, we support economic growth while making our communities greener and more sustainable,” says Ehren Cory, chief executive officer of Canada Infrastructure Bank. “We are proud to collaborate with Dream through its net zero emissions initiative.”

With its 2035 target, Dream Unlimited has also joined the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, which now encompasses 220 signatories globally, all focused on hitting net-zero targets by or before 2050. Dream is among the early Canadian joiners to the group that collectively holds USD $57.4 trillion in assets under management.

Beedie Luminaries offering 105 scholarships

Beedie Luminaries, the scholarship foundation founded by Vancouver developer Ryan Beedie, is offering 105 scholarships in 2022.

The foundation is encouraging Grade 12 students in B.C. facing financial barriers to apply, with recipients each receiving up to $40,000 towards post-secondary studies at any public university, college or trade school in B.C.

“We are excited to begin accepting applications for the fourth year of the Beedie Luminaries scholarship program. Our existing community of 332 students has been so inspiring. We cannot wait to connect with more promising students from all over B.C. and support them as they further their education. This year, in light of the labour shortage within the skilled trades sector, we would like to particularly encourage students considering a career in the trades to apply,” said Beedie.

Last year, students from 26 municipalities across the province were awarded a Beedie Luminaries scholarship. Among the 2021 recipients, more than 70 per cent live in rental or social housing, 75 per cent come from single-parent or foster families, and 35 per cent are the first in their family to attend post-secondary.

Scholarship recipients are also given access to mentors, student coaches, peer support groups, paid summer internship opportunities and access to the Beedie Luminaries online community.

Grade 12 B.C. students looking to apply for a Beedie Luminaries scholarship can do so online at BeedieLuminaries.ca. The deadline for applications is Jan. 13, 2022 and successful applicants will be announced in mid-May 2022.

Beedie Luminaries launched on November 13,2018 with a $50-million donation from Ryan Beedie to coincide with his 50^th birthday.

CMRAO raises the bar for condo management licensing

On November 1, 2017, Ontario introduced mandatory licensing for all current and prospective condominium managers, as set out in new legislation introduced to protect condominium consumers. Fast-forward to today, and the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority of Ontario (CMRAO) is taking the province’s licensing training and education to the next level.

“The educational path to professional condominium management in this province is about to evolve in several important ways,” says Sandy Vizely, Deputy Registrar of the CMRAO. “These changes will help shape the new generation of condominium managers who will be well-prepared to support the massive growth in Ontario’s condominium industry.”

The changes in question are four years in the making. When mandatory licensing was first brought into effect, the Minister of Government and Consumer Services identified specific education requirements for a General Licence and did not set education requirements for a Limited Licence. The Minister also set November 1, 2021, as the date when the authority for defining education requirements would transfer to the Registrar of the CMRAO, which the CMRAO took as an opportunity to take industry training to the next level.

“We knew that developing an education program would be challenging, but we also knew it was important to invest in extensive consultations with the condominium management community in order to develop this program,” says Sandy Vizely. “What we discovered is that there were areas to expand and update, and so we sat down with sector stakeholders and experts to find ways of filling certain gaps.”

The first step in the process was to develop and publish a condominium manager competency profile – the first of its kind in Ontario. From there, the CMRAO worked with a group of industry subject matter experts to develop a course curriculum that addresses the 79 core competencies outlined in the competency profile.Launched on November 1, the CMRAO’s education program includes a mandatory course that must be completed before receiving a Limited Licence, and an additional five courses that must be completed to qualify for a General Licence from the CMRAO.

Each course is designed to address all facets of working in today’s condominium management sector, and include:

• Excellence in Condominium Management
• Condominium Management – Law
• Condominium Management – Relationship Building
• Condominium Management – Building Operations and Maintenance
• Condominium Management – Financials
• Condominium Management – Operational Quality

”The curriculum we have designed for condominium managers is informed by feedback we heard directly from the sector and addresses areas that experienced condominium managers felt were most important when they first started their careers”, says Sandy Vizely. “We feel that the combination of in-class learning coupled with on-the-job experience will ensure that managers clearly understand their role and obligations, which ultimately serves to protect consumers.”

The courses for the General Licence are being developed by Humber College, the CMRAO’s education partner. In its April 2021 partnership announcement, Rani Dhaliwal, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships, Humber College, said the College was eager to help the CMRAO implement new standards for Ontario’s condominium management leaders, noting, “Humber has a long history of offering non-post-secondary, continuous professional learning and corporate training across multiple areas of expertise, including Real Estate education and Property Management. Our partnership with CMRAO will benefit learners as they will be taught, trained and have access to an up-to-date curriculum designed to meet the needs of the growing condominium management market.”

Beginning the journey

The first step in CMRAO’s new curriculum is its Excellence in Condominium Management course, a 16-hour course with a final proctored exam that potential condominium managers must pass to receive their Limited Licence. The goal of this introductory course is not only to equip condominium managers with a foundational knowledge of the condominium industry and a firm understanding of the role of a condominium manager in Ontario, but also to provide a real-world view of life as a condominium manager in an ever-shifting sector.

The Excellence in Condominium Management course tackles numerous core competencies spanning customer service to time management, financial statements to legal documents, operating procedures to board relations, building fundamentals, and beyond.

“This whole curriculum was designed from the ground up to elevate the profession,” says Sandy Vizely. “There are a lot of ethical, legal, and leadership responsibilities that come with the job, and it’s not a profession you can just simply walk into anymore.”

The course can be completed online and includes live instructor-led sessions with facilitators and a final exam. Completing this initial course satisfies the education requirements for a Limited Licence, allowing people to begin working onsite and gaining experience while they move through the next five courses. And while the CMRAO acknowledges that its new curriculum asks more of Ontario’s condominium managers than before, it is confident that its curriculum will benefit the industry.“

It is an extra step, but at the end of the day, it’s about ensuring the best consumer protection for Ontario condominium owners,” says Sandy Vizely, adding, “We want condominium management stakeholders and Ontario condominium residents to know that when people earn a General Licence through the CMRAO, that they’ve met a number of high standards related to their knowledge, skills, and character.”

Learn more about the CMRAO’s Excellence in Condominium Management course or contact the CMRAO for more information at [email protected] or by phone at 1-866-888-5426.

RFQ issued for new Surrey hospital

People in Surrey are a step closer to the new Surrey Hospital and Cancer Centre with the issuing of the request for qualifications (RFQ).

“This is the first stage of the procurement process and invites teams to express their interest and qualifications for designing and building the hospital, which will help meet the public health care demands of the fast-growing community,” said Adrian Dix, minister of health.

Through the RFQ process, Fraser Health will identify a short list of up to three qualified proponents who will be invited to participate in the next step of the competitive selection process, the request for proposal (RFP) stage. That determines which proponent will be chosen to lead the design and construction of the project.

The RFQ process is expected to be finalized in early 2022, followed by the RFP process. Construction is expected to start in 2023 with the facility being ready for patients in 2027.

The hospital is expected to have 168 in-patient beds, a surgical/perioperative suite with five operating rooms, four procedure rooms, an emergency department with 55 treatment spaces and virtual care options in all clinical service areas. The facility will also have a medical imaging department, including three CT scanners and two MRI machines, a pharmacy, laboratory and academic space.

The new integrated cancer centre will include an oncology/ambulatory care unit with 50 exam rooms, 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces and room for six linear accelerators for radiation therapy to provide care and support for people diagnosed with cancer.

“By 2030, we expect that almost 40,000 British Columbians will be diagnosed with cancer every year, with one of the largest increases in the Fraser Health region,” said Dr. David Byres, president and chief executive officer, Provincial Health Services Authority. “Through our partnership with Fraser Health, we’re building our provincial capacity, ensuring British Columbians continue to experience some of the best cancer outcomes in Canada. B.C. Cancer provides an invaluable service improving these outcomes and providing the support patients and their families need.”

The project also includes a child care centre and approximately 730 parking spots, which includes 375 surface spaces and 355 underground.

The total project cost for the Surrey Hospital and Cancer Centre is estimated at $1.66 billion and is currently funded by the province.

Acton Ostry Architects announces new partners

Acton Ostry Architects (AOA) announces new partners and an expanded leadership team for the Vancouver-based practice. Founding principals Russell Acton and Mark Ostry welcome principals Alex Percy, Mark Simpson and Matt Wood as new partners, and congratulate Milos Begovic, Ruth Chau, Stewart Child, Derek Fleming, and Michael Fugeta as associate principals, and Gregory Aunger and Matthew Fellows as associates.

Since the inception of the practice in 1992, Acton and Ostry have nurtured a careful and considered approach to design that, with its particular blend of poetry and pragmatism, will provide a firm foundation as they lead the practice into the future.

“The enduring commitment of our new partners to design excellence, combined with the consistently high quality of work of our leadership team will serve our clients extremely well as AOA embarks on our next phase of expansion and growth,” says Russell Acton.

Adds Ostry, “The values embodied in AOA’s work will guide the way forward for our new partners and leadership team and assist to expand the legacy of Acton Ostry Architects.”

Alex Percy has been with AOA since 1999 and has overseen the design, development, and construction of numerous large-scale community and education projects, including the renewal and expansion of the award-winning UBC Sauder School of Business, as well as a recent study for a significant expansion to the nationally renowned business school. He is currently leading the design of the first phase of a major redevelopment for the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver that will feature a nine-storey community centre, high school, and rental housing.

Matt Wood joined AOA in 2007 and has led several innovative projects including, the ground-breaking Brock Commons Tallwood House at UBC, which at the time of its completion was the tallest mass wood building in the world, and the recently completed Gastown Child Care Centre, a first of its kind certified Passive House project located atop two existing parkades. He is currently the lead for Woodland Park, a mixed-use residential development located in Port Moody that features an innovative mix of affordable rental, market rental, and market housing typologies.

Mark Simpson joined AOA in 2007 and has overseen the design of many notable education and community projects including, the St. Augustine School and Child Care in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, the Ucluelet Community Centre on Vancouver Island, and the Kitasoo Health Centre and Spirit Bear Lodge for the Kitasoo / Xai’xais First Nations in the remote community of Klemtu. He is currently completing Lord Tennyson Elementary School and Child Care, an innovative joint initiative between the Vancouver School Board and City of Vancouver.

B.C road builders respond to flooding damage

The BC Road Builder & Heavy Construction members are working tirelessly to assist the provincial and local governments to safely re-open transportation corridors for communities impacted by the recent storm and flooding.

Highway maintenance and heavy construction members from across the province have stepped up, notifying the province and local government and emergency services with equipment and operators ready and willing to assist in any way necessary. Public safety is the top priority at this time.

The association said that roadways have to be not only cleared, but safe for use. Experts from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are actively assessing the scope of the damage, and members are ready to get transportation corridors and infrastructure working and open for public use again.

“If anyone had any doubts about the challenges of climate change, the extreme weather and wildfire events of 2021 have certainly demonstrated the seriousness of the challenge that lies ahead, especially for our highway maintenance members,” said association chair Paul Simpson.

Highways, bridges and roads are vital to communities across the province, connecting British Columbians to each other, facilitating the delivery of essential goods and services, and connecting the province to the rest of Canada.

The association said members are dedicated to ensuring safe transportation infrastructure in the province is maintained and restored after the effects of the storm, and standing ready to help in any way possible.

Due to the effects of the storm, the association’s December 2021 AGM taking place in Victoria will move forward with a focus on building B.C.’s road to recovery, and developing a path towards rehabilitating the affected transportation infrastructure and supporting impacted communities.

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