Ontario proposes pro-worker labour legislation

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario’s labour market experienced significant disruptions and a permanently shifted work landscape. Employers grapple with redefined work locations, rapidly changing public health standards, and the need for economic revitalization.

To aid the province’s recovery scheme, the Ontario government introduced Bill 27: the Working for Workers Act, on October 25, 2021. If passed, this Act will amend numerous pieces of legislation including the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), in efforts to improve protection and support for Ontario’s workers while maintaining a competitive advantage in attracting leading global talent.

Disconnecting from work policy

Significantly, Bill 27 amends the ESA by introducing a requirement for employers with 25 or more employees as of January 1 of any year to ensure, prior to March 1 of that year, that they institute a written policy for all employees with respect to disconnecting from work.

Disconnecting from work is defined as “not engaging in work-related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls, or the sending or reviewing of other messages, to be free from the performance of work.”

The policy must include the date it was prepared and the date(s) any changes were made to it. Employers will be required to provide a copy to each employee within 30 days of preparing this policy, or, if an existing policy is amended, within 30 days of any change(s).

The same 30-day window applies to providing new employees with the policy as well. Notably, employers will be required to retain copies of every policy for three years after the policy ceases to be in effect.

While the current draft of Bill 27 does not prescribe any mandatory content for such policies, it indicates forthcoming regulations that will prescribe certain elements that must be contained in the policy.

Bill 27 has passed first reading, and is expected to receive royal assent and be passed into law. In terms of compliance, an employer would have six months from that date (and not March 1) to put a policy in place. The date the employer would use for assessing whether it has 25 or more employees would be the January 1 preceding the date that is six months after the day the legislation receives royal assent.

The proposed legislation stems from recommendations made by the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee (OWRAC), which consulted with a range of community stakeholders including workers, employers, and unions. The OWRAC was established this summer to help position the province as “the best place in North America to recruit, retain, and reward workers.”

Implications for the real estate industry

The real estate and property management industries may face particular hurdles with respect to implementing the proposed disconnecting from work policy.

In order to oversee and manage projects with minimal disruption to commercial or residential properties, the flow of work or to people’s lives, employees in these industries are typically required to respond to work demands in real-time, at off hours, and across a wide array of physical settings.

While some oversight and management can be done remotely and within ‘reasonable’ working hours—for example, conducting virtual property oversight—the nature of each project may inherently require on-site staff, whether it be facility cleaners, property managers and/or maintenance staff, in order to ensure safety, compliance, and efficiency.

In addition, employees desperate to keep their jobs amid such economic uncertainty are intent on being nimble and available at all hours to respond to employer demands across all sectors. Technological advancements have more deeply entrenched the expectation of meeting real-time demands, thereby undermining the notion of a “typical work day” in sectors that require around-the-clock commitments.

As public health guidance around work landscapes (both physical and substantive) continues to shift, employer flexibility and adaptability to different forms, modes or methods of property management and oversight, predicated on transparency, will be key.

Bill 27 and its regulations have not passed into law, so employers cannot yet know the scope or extent of their obligations in respect of some of the proposed changes to the ESA or what this means for their workforces.

Many fear this legislation, instead of helping workers and/or promoting better work-life balance, may create a two-tiered workforce by which some employees would choose to disengage according to the policy in place.

Others could remain constantly available, hungry for additional work and intent on earning overtime pay, being considered for promotions and/or bonuses. The inadvertent prospect of reputational or financial punishment for those employees abiding by the policy could be significant.

The extent to which it is even plausible for the real estate and property management industries to fully disconnect in compliance with “regular” work days remains to be determined by the scope outlined in forthcoming regulations.

Important questions remain around implementation and enforcement. It may require these sectors to reconceptualize the ways in which management and oversight are carried out. This includes the possibility of streamlining processes to enhance efficiencies (including advanced technology), and/or the reconfiguration of tasks and the diversification of workforce composition to ensure work is completed appropriately while respecting employees’ rights—without reprisal.

Flora Vineberg is a lawyer at SpringLaw. She specializes in labour and employment law, with a specific focus on sexual assault, harassment and human rights litigation, and workplace investigations. Employing a client-centred and trauma-informed approach, Flora’s background in both criminal and civil law enables her to represent clients from all walks of life with compassion, tenacity and focus. She can be reached at [email protected]
www.springlaw.ca.

Taking risk out of future workplace strategy

As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, organizations are planning their future facilities and workplace strategy. With one of the highest vaccination rates globally, Canada is closer than almost anywhere else in the world to welcoming people back to the office. However, Canadians seem reluctant to return on a full-time basis.

In one Leger poll, 40 percent of Canadian employees who have worked from home during the pandemic said they would prefer a mix of office-based days and remote days after the pandemic. A permanent shift to this type of hybrid working model would transform the purpose and function of workplaces, forcing organizations to rethink their approach to facilities management and design completely.

Even so, those responsible for developing new strategies must resist the temptation to adopt new ways of working simply because everyone else is doing it. Right now, the world is awash with buzzwords, trends, and experts who claim they know exactly what the future workplace will look like. But the truth is nobody does because there is no precedent or data to forecast what comes next with any real accuracy.

The devil is in the details

The workplace has become a key recruitment and retention tool in the war for talent over recent years, especially in highly competitive sectors such as technology, demonstrating the risk involved in adopting a future workplace strategy that doesn’t meet employee needs.

Usually, one-size-fits-all solutions are built on guesswork and assumptions, leading to expensive mistakes in the long run. The outlay for many real estate and facilities decisions post-pandemic will be costly, whether that’s investing or divesting in property, redesigning or reconfiguring existing space, introducing new services and amenities, or installing more meeting rooms, focused work pods and video communications technology. So, the insights that inform these important real estate and facilities decisions need to be detailed, accurate and authentic.

That’s where occupancy and space usage data come in. By installing sensors in the workplace, organizations can measure utilization, monitor occupancy and identify trends. They can collect data on the movements of people throughout spaces, monitor where people congregate, identify when space needs to be reset or cleaned, measure how amenities are being used, and even send notifications if space capacity is exceeded.

Sensors produce real-time data that enable facilities managers to make changes to the workplace on the fly, such as reconfiguring space to support what employees need at any given moment or opening up extra workstations to the employee population. Increasingly, organizations want solutions that allow them to be agile and responsive. As workplaces become more modular, real-time occupancy data enables facilities managers to adapt quickly to events and crises.

When used in combination with sophisticated analytics platforms, sensors can help FMs identify historical occupancy and usage patterns, enabling strategic forecasting and planning. By installing occupancy sensors in newly built breakout rooms or huddle space, for example, organizations could analyze their use over time and then make an informed decision on their effectiveness.

Safety first

Despite the high rates of vaccination in Canada, the virus is still a real threat. A continued limit to how many people can congregate in buildings means employers still have a legal responsibility to manage occupancy and physical distancing appropriately. Moreover, it’s impossible to ignore employees’ concerns. As recently as June, a survey by Canada Life found that almost half of Canadians working from home are anxious about the threat of COVID-19 as they return to the office.

Real-time occupancy data can help organizations both manage the risk and allay staff fears. FMs can use sensors to identify when space has exceeded the occupancy limit and reconfigure floor plans and seating arrangements so there is enough distance between employees. Additionally, sensors can alert facilities teams to when a person vacates a workstation, allowing them to manage cleaning and preparing the space for the next user, particularly for flexible or hot-desking areas.

Anonymity is power

Nonetheless, security and privacy concerns represent one of the most significant barriers to the widespread adoption of occupancy sensors. Many organizations are reluctant to use the technology because they fear their employees will accuse them of spying. In 2016, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph was forced to withdraw occupancy monitors that it had installed under desks in its London headquarters after journalists reacted furiously to the move, describing it as “surveillance.”

But these fears are rooted in misunderstandings and bad planning. Many of the organizations that install occupancy sensors fail to do the necessary change management. To achieve buy-in, employees need to know the organization’s plans in advance. They also need to understand why the organization wants to measure occupancy and the collective and individual benefits in the long term.

In addition, many people mistakenly believe that occupancy sensors identify occupants and collect personal information on their movements. With most modern workplace occupancy sensor technology, that is simply not the case. Low-resolution data is processed through the network and converted into totally anonymous information, while all raw data captures are destroyed. People are counted, not tracked.

This anonymity isn’t beneficial just because it ensures privacy; it’s also crucial for capturing and analyzing accurate and authentic data that is free from bias or coercion. Employees should not be forced to work in a certain way or use a specific space to generate new data. The goal is to understand macro trends in how occupants use the workplace to inform smarter facilities management.

Many organizations are using the return to the office as an opportunity to evaluate how to create environments that employees want to come to, including the design, facilities services, amenities and location. Accurate, detailed and authentic workplace data could be the difference between success and failure in the post-pandemic workplace.

Adrian Miller works in enterprise sales (Canada) at iOFFICE.

Skills Canada Nationals 2022 set for Vancouver

Canada’s most talented post-secondary students and apprentices will compete at the 2022 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) in Vancouver in May.

“The Skills Canada National Competition lets young people from across the country shine,” said Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang. “From bricklaying and carpentry to graphic design, computer animation and cooking, this event showcases talent, connects youth with employers and promotes careers in the skilled trades and technologies.”

Scheduled for the Vancouver Convention Centre, SCNC is the only national, multi-trade and technology competition for students and apprentices in the country. More than 300 competitors from all regions of Canada will participate in 37 skilled trade and technology competitions from May 26-27.

“Events like this provide an opportunity for competitors to show off their skills and encourages participants to pursue careers in good-paying, in-demand fields,” said Andrew Mercier, Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training. “As we wrap up a busy Apprenticeship Recognition Month, it is exciting to look ahead to the talent we’ll see in Vancouver this spring.”

Participants will compete in skill areas which represent six sectors: construction, manufacturing and engineering, transportation, information technology, services and employment.

High school students from across the Lower Mainland will be invited to come watch the competition in-person, visit the Indigenous showcase and the many industry exhibitors that will be on site. They can learn about the various career opportunities in the skills trades and technologies, while trying their hand at the interactive Try-A-Trade and Technology activities.

“Skills Canada competitions are always an exciting and positive experience for competitors as well as spectators. The skill levels, passion and pride demonstrated at the competition is inspirational to all, especially to students who are thinking about their career options, and we’re looking forward to meeting the next generation of bright, skilled tradespeople from across the country,” said Shelley Gray, chief executive officer, Industry Training Authority.

Condo market offers hope amid housing woes

Canadian real estate has been a resounding success story throughout the pandemic, often referenced as a measure of our nation’s economic health.

While the staggering gains seen in detached housing values have been a boon for existing homeowners, rising prices—a result of critically low inventory and rising demand—have made home ownership an elusive dream for many Canadians.

However, those seeking more affordable housing options are finding a cure-all in the condo market, which offers affordability, availability, amenities, and neighbourhood liveability.

A regional overview

One might argue that the condo market is the true success story. Despite a marked decline in the spring of 2020, condo sales made a comeback in 2021. When comparing year-over-year sales (January to August), RE/MAX brokers and agents reported that strong gains were seen in Western Canada, with condo sales rebounding 87 per cent in Greater Vancouver and 83 per cent in Calgary.

Meanwhile in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), condo sales increased by 71 per cent in 2021, followed by Halifax-Dartmouth (rising 30 per cent) and Ottawa (up 18 per cent). Young homebuyers have been driving demand for condos, with many looking to lock in low interest rates and buy property before prices climb beyond their means.

The greatest concentration of condo sales this year has been in Greater Vancouver, where they represented nearly half (48.2 per cent) of total residential sales in 2021, up from 46 per cent one year ago. Condominium apartments and townhomes in the GTA followed with a 34.5-per-cent share of the overall market, up from 30.8 per cent one year earlier.

Almost one in four properties sold in Ottawa between January 1 and August 31, 2021, was a condominium, compared to the same period in 2020 (24.3 per cent versus 23.3 per cent). Meanwhile, in Halifax-Dartmouth, the condominium segment represented 17.3 per cent of total residential sales, up from 15 per cent one year earlier. While overall condominium sales climbed in Calgary year-over-year, market share declined by just under one per cent in 2021, to 14.2 per cent.

What does this mean moving forward?

The condo market is expected to continue its upward trajectory, as more Canadians and new immigrants look to this segment of the market to fulfill their housing needs and wants. Are we prepared to meet this demand, or are we doomed to repeat the cycle of low supply and rising prices, in what may be one of the few affordable options left for home ownership?

Ultimately, Canada needs a collaborative national housing strategy; a plan that involves all levels of government, rather than relying on temporary band-aid measures, such as ending blind bidding or implementing new taxes.

In the meantime, home ownership in Canada continues to be one of the best investments a person can make.

Christopher Alexander is the president of RE/MAX Canada. He oversees operations for the company-owned RE/MAX Canada region, which includes Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. He also works closely with the leaders of the independent RE/MAX Quebec region.

Photo by PhotoMIX Company

The fatal flaws behind the Surfside condo collapse

In the early hours of the morning, on June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, suffered a collapse of the east wing, killing 98 people.

The 136-unit condominium, at 8777 Collins Avenue, was constructed in 1981. Most of the building was 12 storeys, with a last-minute 13th-floor penthouse added on the east side. The tower sat over a single-storey garage, the roof of which served as the pool deck. This pool deck was contiguous with the ground floor of the tower.

Building failures of this horrific scope are seldom seen in North America. But it is important to examine what happened so we can learn and prevent similar collapses in the future.

Anecdotal evidence from the scene allows us to recreate the sequence of events. About five minutes before the east wing of the tower collapsed, a large portion of the pool deck collapsed. Video evidence taken at the time, looking down the garage entrance ramp, showed concrete debris on the floor of the garage, and a sprinkler pipe in the garage sheared off and spraying water.

A unit owner was in the lobby and noted that the cars in the ground-floor parking lot outside the window had fallen into the parking garage below. A unit owner on the sixth floor, who went on to perish in the collapse, was on the phone with her husband at the time and reported a “sinkhole” in the pool deck.

Tragic triggers

Why would the collapse of a single-storey pool deck trigger the collapse of the adjacent 13-storey tower?

Fundamentally, it appears the single-storey failure disturbed the columns that were supporting the east wing. The fallen slab created two-storey columns, which would have been prone to buckling, or it may have been that the slab pulled laterally on the columns causing them to fail.

Two-storey columns could be seen at the base of the west tower after the collapse, where the pool deck had fallen around the columns. Those columns stood, and the west portion of the tower did not fall. This was likely due to a combination of factors: the columns in this area were larger because they supported the surface parking; there was no beam along the west tower columns, so the connection between the slab and the columns was weaker; and the west tower housed the elevator shaft, which was surrounded by very strong shear walls. Regardless, failure of the columns at the base of the east wing triggered its progressive collapse over a period of about 10 seconds.

There have been at least four similar failures of reinforced concrete parking garages in Canada over the last 30 years. In the mid-1990s, the garage roof deck of a Mississauga condominium collapsed. In 2008, a floor of parking in a Montreal garage fell to the floor below, killing one. In 2010, a floor of parking in a Kingston, Ont., hotel collapsed to the floor below.

And again in 2010, the garage roof deck over a single-storey parking garage collapsed in Windsor, Ont. In all four cases, the nearby columns withstood the failure without collapsing, and the adjacent towers remained standing. This was, however, good luck and not good management. If any of the adjacent columns had buckled or been pulled over, this could easily have triggered a similar progressive tower failure.

The Surfside building sat right on the beach. On the oceanfront, it was always exposed to salt-spray. Salt is kryptonite to reinforced concrete structures because it induces corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel, causing structural deterioration.

Buildings exposed to salt, whether from the ocean, from de-icing chemicals, or because it was added to the concrete during construction (a practice which was discontinued in the late 1980s but which continues to plague some older buildings) must always be protected using waterproofing materials and monitored closely so that structural deterioration can be repaired as it arises.

Governing flaws

The cause of the collapse of the single-storey garage is unlikely to be single-faceted. When learning from this failure, it is important to separate the factors over which the condo board had no control from those over which they had full control.

The investigators are likely to uncover defects in the original design and construction. Settlement of the site may also be a contributing factor, as may have been the construction of an adjacent development. None of these were under the control of the board.

However, there is also clear evidence from the site that some factors within the board’s control are likely culprits.

The pool deck was originally constructed with a tiled finish on the concrete slab, acting as the only waterproofing. When leakage originally occurred, rather than strip the tile to permit the slab to be properly waterproofed, the corporation, possibly following less-than-ideal advice, installed a membrane on top of the tile and then covered this with sand and concrete pavers.

This may have proved a temporary fix, but it added load to the pool deck slab. We can assume that a structural engineer was engaged at the time to ensure the slab could withstand the additional loads, but regardless, the extra load related to the pavers, and to the addition of some planters not shown on the original drawing would not help as the structure aged and deteriorated.

It also appears that the drains added when the pavers were installed drained at the level of the surface of the pavers, rather than being bi-level drains that drained both the surface and the level of the original tile/slab. Ponding water is evident in many photos of the site, adding further load and helping salt penetrate the structure.

When further leakage occurred, the corporation attempted repair by injection-sealing the leaking cracks from below, again, possibly following poor advice. Injection from below is never appropriate if the slab above is exposed to salt. This simply plugs the crack but provides no protection to the top surface of the slab above. The salt water continues to access the structural slab, where it can drive deterioration that is invisible—hidden below the surface finishes.

The structural deterioration was readily visible in some areas, even to a lay-person. There were chunks of missing concrete and rusted reinforcing steel, visible in both the garage and on balconies. This would have developed over years, not weeks. Yet no, or at least insufficient, action was taken until the 40-year recertification process was started. Then, a plan was initiated to address the issues, but this plan could not be implemented because there were insufficient funds in the corporation’s reserve fund.

A typical story of poor governance ensued, with one board resigning before a second board came in and was able to start the $15-million special assessment needed to fund the deferred maintenance. However, the three-year delay in moving forward allowed ongoing deterioration and prevented the repair from being completed on time.

This failure could have been prevented.

Exposing the top surface of the slab and proper waterproofing would have addressed leakage as it developed. As deterioration occurred, structural repair should have been completed periodically. Occasional condition evaluations, completed during the life of the building, could have identified hidden concerns.

Proper reserve fund studies, relying on the condition evaluation reports, would have ensured that the corporation set aside the money needed to complete the work, and in a timely manner. Good governance should have existed so that boards had the clout to implement the appropriate, but potentially painful fee increases that were needed.

Reserve fund diligence

In Canada, there are no 40-year recertification programs, nor any mandatory structural reviews except for parking garages in Quebec. After the 2012 collapse of a portion of the steel framed Algo Mall in Elliot Lake, which killed six, the Building Safety Technical Advisory Panel recommended mandatory periodic structural evaluations of medium- and high-risk buildings in Ontario. However, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has not yet implemented these recommendations via the Building Code.

Most provinces and territories require periodic reserve fund studies. While the individuals completing these studies may have the technical know-how to spot a developing structural concern, this is not always the case.

In Ontario, a recent guideline, published by Professional Engineers Ontario, suggests that reserve fund studies for certain high-risk buildings, including all high-rise buildings, should involve a professional engineer, notwithstanding the laxer list of reserve fund study providers included in the Condominium Act.

This shift to engineers as reserve fund study providers for high-risk buildings should help reduce risk, as Ontario engineers are required to regard their duty to public welfare as paramount. This means that they can’t notice an imminent structural concern and simply report it to the client, as appears to have been the case in Surfside. They must ensure that action is taken to address the concern.

Reserve fund studies aren’t the only solution. There are many forms of structural deterioration the study’s visual review cannot evaluate, such as wood-framed buildings and steel buildings that often have coverings over the structural connections.

Post-tensioned buildings, which are relatively common in condominiums, particularly in Toronto, Alberta and British Columbia, can suffer corrosion of the embedded steel cables, even without the presence of salt, which can result in rapid progressive failure without any visible surface deterioration to provide a warning.

As such, condominium corporations should exercise due diligence and complete periodic component evaluations—balconies, cladding, parking garages, post-tensioning cables and even electrical systems—as the building ages.

A good reserve fund study will set out the necessary component evaluations to complete, as these can be paid for from the reserve fund. Subsequent reserve fund studies can reference these evaluations to ensure funds are available in time to complete the required repairs.

Diligent boards will also avoid any activity that adds excessive additional load to a structural slab, whether in the form of adding more finishes, allowing large vehicles onto a suspended slab, or even allowing trees to grow unchecked on top of a structural slab. Boards should promptly implement fee increases to adequately support the reserve fund. Delaying, deferring and ignoring seldom end in success.

Canadian condominiums have every opportunity to avoid a catastrophe like the Surfside collapse; however, this requires diligent oversight by the board, good governance, and proper funding of their reserve funds.

Sally Thompson is a managing principal at Synergy Partners and past-president of CCI Toronto.

Fort Edmonton Park receives international award

The Indigenous People’s Experience at Fort Edmonton Park has been recognized with an international award.

The park has received a Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement – Heritage Center for its immersive exhibit currently on display.

The Thea Award program is internationally recognized for celebrating outstanding work on educational, historical and entertainment projects.

“We are truly honoured with this award recognition, but without the support of our MOU partners none of this would have been possible. We want to express our deepest gratitude to the many Indigenous voices from the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and the Métis Nation of Alberta for their partnership and collaboration in bringing this amazing experience to life,” says president and CEO of Fort Edmonton Management Company, Darren Dalgleish. “The Indigenous Peoples Experience at Fort Edmonton Park is a one-of-a-kind, immersive experience that engages our guests in Indigenous customs, and traditions and highlights the inspirational stories of First Nations and Métis people, who have resided on these lands for hundreds and thousands of years.”

The Indigenous Peoples Experience was created through consultation with MOU Partners, the Métis Nation of Alberta and the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, alongside Elders and community members. The exhibit explores the rich cultures of local First Nations and Métis Peoples while encouraging guests to seek out truths lived by Indigenous Peoples before and after Canada’s founding. This opportunity to uplift Indigenous communities comes at a critical time in Canada’s reconciliation with Indigenous people. It is the first exhibit of its kind in Canada.

Stantec was appointed the portfolio project manager, representing the project owner to manage the design and construction of the Fort Edmonton Park expansion project portfolio. Stantec also performed work as the local Architect of Record under Nassal-nFusion, who was the prime cnsultant for the Indigenous Peoples Experience.

“We are so excited to have played a role in such an important project, for so many reasons,” says Heidi McGurk, major projects lead, Stantec. “At the outset of this project, we focused on a collaborative approach to the creation of a space that would educate, spark conversation, and most importantly, recognize and celebrate the knowledge, culture and experience of Indigenous Peoples. We are humbled to have been provided an opportunity to listen to the stories of the Elders who contributed content to this important project.”

Stricken asset classes now shaking off COVID

Office and retail were diagnosed as stricken asset classes early in the COVID-19 pandemic. With some properties already suffering from pre-existing conditions, fears of looming work-from-home and e-commerce conquests abounded. However, after 20 months on the disabled list, conventional venues for labour and shopping are rallying to fight for market share.

Speaking at an online event earlier this fall, in conjunction with the release of the 2022 Emerging Trends in Real Estate report from PwC and the Urban Land Institute (ULI), commercial real estate insiders advised that investors are engaged and most tenants aren’t going anywhere. In the Greater Toronto Area and farther afield, there’s general optimism that health-related uncertainties are abating, along with recognition that today’s challenges are instead tied to the economic and cultural upheaval the pandemic either unleashed or accelerated.

“It’s more apparent in the U.S. where you see 150,000 people going to a college football game, but they won’t go back to the office,” reflected Ashley Lawrence, managing director and head of Canadian real estate with Brookfield Property Group.

It’s become the de facto premise that, given the option, many people will choose to continue working outside formal office settings, and that employers bent on attracting and retaining talented staff will accommodate those wishes. Yet, it’s also assumed that many people who adapted to working from home over the course of the pandemic could be open to readapting to an office workplace, at least some of the time.

What’s been termed “the great resignation” to describe a recent escalation in career moves in some sectors could bolster the latter likelihood, as new hires are introduced into and seek to forge relationships within organizations. Lawrence predicts it will also place a priority on enticing valued employees to stay, ultimately reorienting the purpose of the office.

“If they work for Company A in their offices at home, they have the exact same environment as if they work for Company B in their offices at home. Those two or three days when they’re in the (formal) office, that’s where you’re going to set the culture,” he maintained. “If you have employees who are only in the office two days a week, those 8-hour or 9-hour days become much more vitally important to engagement with the company.”

Employers still readying for workforce return

It’s expected that many office buildings, particularly in downtown locations, will be sparsely occupied for the remainder of 2021, but increasing numbers of corporate tenants will bring their workforces back in-house in the new year. Lawrence hypothesizes employers have been using the third and fourth quarters of this year to suss out staff needs and demands, and plan for new arrangements.

“Some of the delays we’re seeing in return-to-office are about figuring out how and when and who is going to be back in the office, and for what purpose,” he said. “It’s not easy to switch up an office configuration if you’re a bank. It’s a lot of money and a lot of time.”

Players in the suburban space, such as Jaime McKenna, managing director and group head of real estate with Fengate Asset Management, suggest the low-density, car-friendly characteristics of office parks gained stature with employers and employees over the course of the pandemic. Companies with satellite hubs outside the downtown could provide a less congested office environment and — noteworthy for those who shunned public transportation in pre-vaccine days — minimized driving frustrations.

“We’ve already seen activity pick up substantially in 2021 and that’s because of satellite office,” she reported.

The next challenge is holding that interest when downtown locations regain their attractiveness — one that Fengate has tackled with the introduction of a food delivery service and by working to identify other opportunities to bring urban conveniences within easier reach.

“If we’re going to get people out of their homes and into the office again, it’s got to be a little bit less disruptive than what we were used to pre-pandemic,” McKenna said. “I’m very bullish on the suburban office market if you can combine that convenience with the availability of satellite office space to reduce commute times.”

Investment sentiment positive with no signs of tumbling values

Canadian executives surveyed for the Emerging Trends in Real Estate study have a similar outlook on downtown and suburban office assets. Both property types rank as “fair” investment and development prospects — at below 3.5, above 2, on a scale of 1 to 5 — with suburban office nudging slightly ahead. As well, the niche sub-class of medical office, which is not differentiated by location, garners a “good” assessment — above 3.8; below 4 — from prospective investors and developers.

Opinion is somewhat more split on acquisition and disposition with just 15 per cent of respondents agreeing that it’s a good time to sell centrally located office, versus 24 per cent expressing that opinion about suburban stock. Additionally, 55 per cent favour buying medical office and just 9 per cent endorse selling it.

Colin Johnston, president, research, valuation and advisory, for Altus Group in Canada, pointed to the number of office building deals in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver this year with no sign of discounted values. In Toronto, 10 million square feet of new office space currently under construction is about 65 per cent pre-leased, and the city was one of North America’s tightest office markets prior to the pandemic. He pegs today’s higher vacancies — with a downtown Class A rate of 9.9 per cent as of the third quarter — as within an acceptable range.

“Lease availability did rise, but we saw rental rates not really eroding much. We saw TIAs (tenant improvement allowances) and landlord packages. With a lot of institutional ownership of office buildings in all the major markets, these owners can ride out the storm pretty well. As long as you’ve got term and you’ve got covenant, values will continue to hold,” Johnston maintained. “A lot of people are continuing to bet on office. People still believe there is a need for office in the future and that’s why people are stepping up with investment dollars.”

Investors have shown robust renewed interest in almost all asset classes. Johnston cited the 56 per cent uptick in activity for first six months of 2021 compared to 2020 and, perhaps more tellingly, the 30 per cent increase over the first six months of 2019. That’s a trend that Canadian respondents to the Emerging Trends survey project will continue, with 62 per cent of them foreseeing an oversupply of equity capital for investing in 2022.

Retail assets aren’t expected to capture the bulk of that, as outlet centres, power centres and regional malls were the three lowest ranked investment prospects among 24 asset sub-classes. However, only regional malls were actually rated “poor”, with a score of 2 on the scale of 1 to 5, and neighbourhood/community malls cracked the “good” rankings, with a score of 3.77.

“I’m a big fan of our opportunities in grocery-anchored retail going forward. It’s an asset class that’s really weathered the storm through the pandemic,” concurred Andrew Duncan, chief investment officer with RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust.

Retail regroups from dire days of 2020

RioCan REIT’s move into the multifamily rental sector in the years prior to the pandemic now looks particularly well-timed. Within its retail base, pandemic-related business curtailments had varying repercussions. As of Q3 2021, Duncan confirmed those assets were 60 per cent occupied with tenants proffering 95 per cent of owed rents, which was on par with pre-pandemic trends.

“What the pandemic’s done is created further bifurcation of retail in terms of sub asset classes, like grocery-anchored strips versus enclosed versus unenclosed,” he said. “They’re all very different assets and are underwritten in value very differently. We’ve got all of that, and we’re responding to each of those asset classes differently.”

“The owners of retail need to reimagine their retail assets to stay relevant and, more importantly, to really just preserve value,” asserted Frank Magliocco, partner and national real estate leader with PwC Canada. “In PwC’s recent study of Canadian consumer shopping trends, it found many consumer behaviours that became entrenched during the lockdowns are really persisting. As retail landlords look to adapt in response to these changes, the focus is shifting toward repurposing spaces to stay relevant for consumers, and finding new ways that they can bring value to retailers and their customers, such as sharing data and offering more diverse experiences, shared community services and a better retail mix.”

Johnston offered the 16 per cent increase in year-over-year bricks-and-mortar retail sales for the first seven months of 2021 as evidence that it’s no longer ceding market share to e-commerce at the same spiking rate as in 2020. Nevertheless, e-commerce now accounts for an estimated 12 to 15 per cent of total Canadian retail sales compared to 7 to 8 per cent two years ago.

“What’s nice to see is that clothing has bounced back in a significant way,” he observed. “Clothing and fashion was one of the categories most hit, and most associated with enclosed shopping centres, so to see that rebound has been encouraging.”

For now, restaurants and food halls still have a lot of ground to recover, but, for the survivors, their post-pandemic allure is something of a given. “Food is one of the things we like. We like going out,” Johnston reiterated.

Abandoned sites are more of a rarity in Canada than the U.S., where he tallies 24 so-called ghost malls encompassing about 8 million square feet of space that have been wholly transformed into distribution centres. Canada’s lower ratio of retail space per capita is comparatively favourable to U.S. scenarios, but it remains a tough market for malls in need of renewal. Meanwhile, many sit in prime locations that could be highly in demand for other purposes.

“The strong have gotten stronger and the weak have gotten weaker. I think we’ll just see that acceleration toward redevelopment for some of those assets,” Johnston concluded.

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

BSCAI names 2021 BSCAI CLEAN Award winners

The Building Service Contractors Association International (BSCAI) has announced the winners of its 2021 BSCAI CLEAN Awards.

The BSCAI CLEAN Awards recognize building service contractors who demonstrate excellence in a number of categories ranging from image and safety to community service and much more. They represent recognition from peers for a company’s work to elevate the image of the cleaning industry.

The 2021 recipients were recognized at the BSCAI 2021 Contacting Success Conference held November 17-19 in Las Vegas in conjunction with the ISSA Show North America 2021.

4M Building Solutions won the Cleaning for Health Award, which honours BSCAI BSCs that have Cleaning for Health programs focused on reducing levels of allergens and asthma triggers in the indoor environment.

This year’s other award winners include:

Arthur C. Barraclough Company Community Service Award: Bolana Enterprises Inc.
New Member of the Year Award: CClean
James E. Purcell Leadership Award: Michael Diamond AffinEco, LLC
Walter L. Cook Award for Distinguished Service: Jamie Henry, Bee Line Support
Building Service Employee of the Year Award: Dontez L. Hobbs Sr., ESS Clean Inc.
Industry Service Award: TEAM Software Inc.
Emerging Leader Award Presented by Contracting Profits: Terell Weg, MSNW
Skip Marsden Education Award: ESS Clean Inc.

A complete list of winners can be found on BSCAI’s website.

Cleaning for health and hygiene in long-term care

Over the past two years, it’s no secret COVID-19 has posed unique challenges to long-term care facilities — and magnified the challenges they already face. Lack of funding, staffing shortages, and outbreak prevention are hot-button issues that will persist past the pandemic.

The question is: how can long-term care facilities tackle these challenges without adding additional labour and resources? The answer is by implementing more efficient and effective cleaning and hygiene tools, training, and procedures.

These key tips will help you design a specialized program that improves cleaning and hygiene while addressing the specific challenges faced in long-term care.

Challenge 1: Lack of funding

While long-term care facilities saw funding increase during the pandemic, underfunding is still an issue. That makes it even more critical to provide environmental staff with the necessary tools, training, and education to perform cleaning both efficiently and effectively.

Here is how to choose cleaning tools effectively:

Work with your supplier to help ensure access to the supplies and tools best suited to your specific facility.
Train environmental staff on performing cleaning tasks and procedures effectively to help improve all cleaning, from day-to-day to deep cleans. A combination of online, virtual, and in-person training sessions will help set your environmental staff up for success.

Challenge 2: Staffing shortages

While the demand for long-term care has increased, there has been a decline in the nursing workforce which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Outbreaks hit facilities hard, and as of July 2020 48 per cent of long-term care homes in Ontario had declared at least one outbreak. This resulted in the sector peaking with 38 homes reporting critical staffing shortages in a variety of roles, due to issues that included staff contracting COVID-19, the fear of contracting COVID-19, and concern about accessing appropriate PPE.

With fewer staff members, finding inefficacies in cleaning procedures is critical to keeping facility residents and staff healthy and safe. With limited staff and resources, it’s critical to clean effectively without increasing cleaning time. The easiest way to clean more efficiently is to look for areas being over-cleaned. While cleaning effectiveness is critical, over-cleaning can lead to wasted time and resources.

Here are three key ways to avoid over-cleaning:

Clean based on soil level: Soil level refers to the amount of dirt on a surface. More soiled surfaces will require more friction during cleaning to remove surface dirt, debris, and pathogens. Train environmental staff to focus efforts according to soil levels for more effective and efficient results.
Focus on critical touchpoints: No matter the facility, people come into contact with high-touch surfaces numerous times a day. While keeping high-touch surfaces completely free from germs is not possible given their high frequency of use, regular cleaning and disinfecting is critical to minimize pathogens and the risk of disease outbreaks. Some examples of critical high-touchpoints include bed rails, bedside tables, overhead tables, call buttons, remote controls, and touchscreens.
Leverage innovation: Innovative cleaning technology can help optimize resources and improve results. By looking to automation solutions and offloading repetitive cleaning tasks, environmental staff have more time to focus their efforts on more complex tasks. One area that can be easily offloaded is floor cleaning. Autonomous floor sweepers and scrubbers like the SC500 by Nilfisk help save time and money in cleaning routines. These machines automatically control water and detergent flow with the speed of the machine, ensuring that the cleaning solution is used efficiently and allowing large areas to be cleaned more cost-effectively.

Challenge 3: Outbreak prevention

Outbreak prevention is essential in long-term care. The average age in Ontario long-term care facilities is 83 years old, placing residents into the highest-risk category for illness. They are also more susceptible to complications from these illnesses, so outbreak prevention is a critical concern.

The best way to address outbreaks is to put proactive measures in place before they occur. These measures include promoting effective hand hygiene practices, performing proper cleaning and disinfecting, and effectively donning and doffing PPE.

While prioritizing proper cleaning is one thing, verifying and validating cleaning effectiveness is another. One way to track cleaning is through digital cleaning program management. These systems keep a log of cleaning activities in real-time to ensure that proper cleaning is being done, including tracking tasks that need to be performed multiple times a day such as high-touchpoint cleaning and disinfecting. They also have powerful reporting tools to help refine resource allocation and task scheduling to improve cleaning program performance and efficiency.

Digital cleaning program management systems help environmental staff:

Verify cleaning compliance with established cleaning protocols
Proactively clean areas based on specific traffic volume thresholds
Track supply use and proactively replenish essential hygiene products based on automated alerts
Validate cleaning quality and effectiveness through audit and reporting features

Software features and capabilities vary – some, such as the wandaNEXT™ software by Visionstate, include task lists, compliance reporting, scheduling heat maps, space utilization metrics, and more.

David L. Smith is the Cleaning, Hygiene & Sanitation Director at Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene, Canada’s largest specialist distributor of cleaning and hygiene products and equipment. For more information or to book a comprehensive Facility Assessment please contact [email protected].

First Nations development planned for Burnaby

A new proposed master plan for the redevelopment of the Willingdon Lands in Burnaby will see the creation of a mixed-use, contemporary Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh urban village. It will provide approximately 5,000 housing units and include a film studio and a childcare centre.

The master plan was unveiled by Musqueam Indian Band, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Aquilini Development.

“This project is the first of its kind in Burnaby,” says Ryan Seminoff, president of Aquilini Development. “We are very grateful to have been invited by the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations to be a partner on this important project, which will celebrate Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh culture in Burnaby and add to the growing portfolio of Indigenous-led development projects.”

The site’s design will incorporate a number of elements inspired by the nations’ history, culture, and connection to the lands and waters such as entry portals, artwork, native plants, a medicine garden, and wayfinding signage in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and English. At the heart of the development will be a Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh cultural centre and an outdoor hearth that will serve as a gathering place for both the nations and the wider community.

“Our vision for the Willingdon Lands is to create a contemporary Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh urban village that provides a cultural experience, is interconnected with nature, and allows us to tell our stories through placemaking and design,” says Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow. “This is an opportunity for us to continue our legacy as land developers and economic forces within the modern landscape. With this project, we will continue to advance reconciliation and accommodation and create a positive legacy for future generations.”

Located on the southwest corner of Willingdon Avenue and Canada Way, the Willingdon Lands lie on the shared territory of the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations. In 2014, the Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations along with Aquilini Development purchased the lands from the provincial government.

Post-COVID infection prevention strategies

As we inch our way out of the pandemic, we should remember that pandemics and epidemics of infectious diseases have occurred throughout history. Reports from ancient Greece and Egypt describe epidemics of smallpox, leprosy, tuberculosis, meningitis, and a host of other infections. In fact, there is now evidence that even Ramses V, who ruled Egypt in the mid-1100s BCE, had smallpox and possibly died of it.

In ancient times, few knew what was causing these infections, how they spread, or more importantly, how to protect people from becoming sick. Today, we understand infections more thoroughly. Furthermore, as we have seen with COVID-19, scientists know how to develop vaccines and medicines to help prevent and treat infections that once killed thousands, even millions.

Nevertheless, as COVID-19 moves into the background, one thing we have learned from the pandemic is to never let our guard down. History tells us that infections will continue to be a troubling problem around the globe. What’s more, we cannot always depend on science to come to the rescue as quickly as it did with COVID-19.

This means, going forward, building managers and cleaning professionals need advanced infection control and prevention strategies in place to help stop the spread of disease. This is where the book Protecting the Built Environment: Cleaning for Health by Dr. Michael Berry comes into the picture.

Published two decades ago, it has become the bible for the professional cleaning industry when it comes to effective cleaning. And while many infectious diseases such as COVID-19 are spread by inhalation, Berry reminds us that many are also spread by touching contaminated surfaces.

A perfect example, affecting many parts of the world this time of year, is norovirus. Norovirus outbreaks can happen anywhere: in schools, offices, restaurants, and many other types of commercial facilities. Furthermore, while we hear about norovirus most frequently on cruise ships, there are more cases of norovirus on land than at sea. The virus is highly contagious and typically spreads when someone who has the disease touches surfaces that are then touched by others. This is a common form of cross-contamination.

Components of an effective infection prevention program

Managers and cleaning professionals who wish to develop an effective infection prevention program can do so by following the steps listed below. While these steps can vary depending on a variety of factors – age groups of the people using the facility, how the facility is used, what type of facility it is, how often it is used, and so on – in most cases, the following apply:

Identify high-touch areas. This is where the risk of spreading infection is highest. Beyond the typical areas such as doorknobs and light switches, consider walkway ledges, railings, and floors. According to Mark Warner, formerly a custodial trainer at ISSA, we have an estimated 50 direct and indirect contacts with floors every day. Indirect contacts are situations where we touch a surface that has been in contact with the floor, such as picking up a pen. This means contaminated floors can spread disease.
A fresh set of eyes. It’s often wise to have a third person, such as a janitorial distributor, inspect the facility as well. Many times, these fresh eyes can find problem areas not noticed by those using the facility every day.
Chemical selection. Due to COVID-19, some facility managers and cleaning professionals believe that all high-touch surfaces must be cleaned and then disinfected. That is not necessarily the case. “In most situations, regular cleaning of surfaces with soap and detergent — not necessarily disinfecting those surfaces — is enough to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread,” said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky in a directive issued on April 4, 2021. (See Sidebar: Using disinfectants properly)

Also included in an effective infection control and prevention program are the following:

Using the proper cleaning procedures and systems. Studies now suggest that comprehensive cleaning systems such as spray-and-vac (no-touch) are far more effective at removing germs and bacteria from surfaces than sprayers, cleaning cloths, and certainly mops and buckets. Spray-and-vac systems are one machine that can be used to apply cleaning solutions to surfaces, rinse the same surfaces, and then, with at least one type of system, used to vacuum up moisture, cleaning solution, and contaminants. This allows just-cleaned areas to be opened for use in minutes.
The use of ATP systems to evaluate surfaces both before and after cleaning. Before tells us how potentially contaminated a surface is. After indicates how effective the cleaning process has been. Further, if evaluating a tabletop, for instance, it is a good idea to test several areas on the tabletop. Although ATP systems do not tell us what type of bacteria, virus, or microorganism, if any, is on a surface, a high ATP reading does indicate that contaminants may be present. If so, staff must clean or reclean those surfaces.*
Begin ongoing training and educational programs for cleaning professionals, reviewing protocols, and updating the cleaning staff on new infection control products, techniques, and procedures. Training may take place in classroom-type settings or through new training technologies such as those mounted on some cleaning equipment, or which can be accessed via smartphones.

Facility managers should also take part in training programs so they can fully understand the infection prevention strategies in place in their facilities. And something more. Along with the ongoing training and educational programs, many managers find it helpful to let building users know the steps they are taking to keep them healthy.

This is another lesson we have learned from the pandemic. Transparency is crucial. Everyone using the facility needs to be aware of the ongoing infection control measures in place.

*Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is an energy molecule found in all microorganisms and considered an indicator of life. When detected on a surface, it can indicate the presence of health- and life-threatening microorganisms.

Sidebar: Using disinfectants properly

The two-step. Staff must clean surfaces first to remove germs and soils on a surface and then apply a disinfectant. Removing the soil helps the disinfectant work more effectively. This two-step process is usually not necessary when using a spray-and-vac method.
Kill claims. Every EPA-registered disinfectant in the United States and most used in Canada will have “kill claims” on the product’s label or packaging materials. This identifies exactly what pathogens it is designed to eliminate.
Dwelling and staying wet. Disinfectants must dwell on a surface for a few minutes to work effectively. However, during this time, they must remain wet. If they dry, the entire cleaning and disinfecting process must be repeated.
Quat binding. Quat binding occurs when the key ingredients in most disinfectants – quats – become absorbed into the cleaning cloth or mop. When this happens, the efficacy of the disinfectant declines. Clean surfaces where possible with flat-surface cleaning systems and avoid the use of mops whenever possible. Quat binding is not an issue with spray-and-vac systems.

Drew Bunn is the Canadian Director of Sales for Kaivac Canada, a manufacturer of professional cleaning tools, equipment, and systems engineered to help protect health and stop the spread of infection. Reach Bunn at [email protected]

Team chosen for Cowichan Secondary School

The new Cowichan Secondary School is one step closer to reality with the selection of the successful proponent in the design-build process.

Urban One Builders along with architecture firm HCMA will deliver the new building which will be approximately 11,975 square metres and built for 1100 students. It will include purpose-built learning communities with collaboration spaces and incorporate spaces for technology and innovation throughout.

“We are thrilled to welcome Urban One Builders to the Cowichan Valley. Their innovative and carefully crafted design for Cowichan Secondary School will be an architectural centerpiece of our district, and will serve our learners in exceptional ways for decades to come,” said Candace Spilsbury, chair of the board of education for the Cowichan Valley School District.

The new seismically safe Cowichan Secondary School will be a three-storey building with several architectural features that will complement the surroundings and will honour the unceded Quw’utsun lands where it is situated. The grounds will offer beautiful outdoor learning spaces that pay homage to the past, while providing spaces that allow students to focus on creating their future.

The board announced in May 2020 that an Indigenous Language and Culture Centre would be the cornerstone of the Neighbourhood Learning Centre that will also house Health and Wellness facilities, and a high-tech boardroom / meeting room.

Architectural features include:

Incorporation of Cowichan culture, heritage, and design throughout to tie the school to the rich history of the Hwulmuhw Mustimuh (first peoples) and this unceded land.
Break out work spaces to foster collaboration and creativity.
Outdoor gathering spaces so learning can take place in a variety of places.
Incredible natural lighting and views to inspire and energize students and staff alike.
Use of wood to create strong, warm, and welcoming spaces for all.

Subpar waste diversion trails Ontario target

Subpar waste diversion results in Ontario’s ICI and multi-residential sectors are hobbling ambitious targets to conserve existing landfill capacity. Newly released recommendations from provincial Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk call for more outreach, enhanced data and firmer oversight to improve compliance with recycling regulations.

It’s currently estimated that about 50 per cent of waste generated from Ontario’s single-family households and other sources eligible for municipal collection services is diverted from landfill through recycling programs for various inorganic and organic materials. In contrast, about 85 per cent of waste from an array of businesses, public institutions, residential buildings with six or more units and construction/demolition sites ends up in landfill, including a vast amount of recyclable material.

The value-for-money audit of waste reduction and diversion — one of five released earlier this week as part of the Auditor General’s annual environmental review — concludes that Ontario came close to meeting its 2020 objective to divert 30 per cent of generated waste from landfill on the strength of the residential contribution. However, it is well off-pace to achieve stated targets of 50 per cent diversion by 2030 and 80 per cent diversion by 2050.

“If Ontario continues on its current trajectory of waste generation and disposal, existing landfill capacity in the province will be filled within the next 11 to 14 years,” the audit report projects. “Our audit found that improving waste management in the IC&I sector — which generates and disposes of the majority of Ontario’s waste — holds the key to meeting the province’s waste goals, as well as to avoiding Ontario’s looming landfill shortage.”

As recommended, that would involve a three-pronged approach of: 1) expanding the base of regulated entities required to recycle, conduct waste audits and implement waste reduction plans; 2) providing more resources for compliance and beefing up enforcement of regulations; and 3) mandating a broader range of materials to be recycled.

Many businesses and institutions exempt from recycling obligations

The current triggers for imposing mandatory recycling and waste reduction obligations are meant to target the largest waste producers, but the audit report calculates that up to 98 per cent of organizations in the ICI sector are not captured. Exempt entities are believed to be collectively responsible for generating more than half of the sector’s waste volume.

For example, while the six-unit threshold arguably brings the major share of multi-residential properties into the scheme, office buildings and retail malls, plazas or stores are exempt until they surpass 107,000 square feet (10,000 square metres) in size. The same goes for construction and demolition sites smaller than 21,500 square feet (2,000 square metres), hotels and motels with fewer than 75 rooms, and schools with fewer than 350 students.

“More than 98 per cent of businesses and institutions are not required to recycle, so they often don’t,” Lysyk submits. “Sending waste to landfills is relatively cheap, so even easily recyclable products from places like offices, restaurants, movie theatres, retail stores and warehouses end up as landfill garbage.”

The remaining 2 per cent encompasses about 7,000 office buildings, 3,000 educational facilities, 1,500 manufacturing facilities, 1,500 to 4,000 retail venues, 800 hotels/motels and 100 hospitals. The report estimates that 100 to 600 qualifying construction or demolition sites in 2019 represented less than 1 per cent of such worksites in the province that year.

The audit reveals varying commitment to compliance among those players. Data for approximately 1,260 inspections the Ministry of Environment conducted in the five-year period ending in 2019 shows an overall 88 per cent compliance rate with building-level requirements to separate out recyclable materials from the waste stream, with office and multi-residential buildings both surpassing that average.

Waste audit figures for the same period provide more insight. Multi-residential buildings are not subject to requirements for self-reported audits and waste reduction plans, but office buildings demonstrate a wide range of performance — from a low of 36 per cent to a high of 90 per cent waste diversion. That’s a pattern seen elsewhere, with universities exhibiting one of the widest swings from a low of 11 per cent to a high of 81 per cent diversion.

Neither quality control nor record-keeping enforced through inspections

The report notes that inspectors look for designated bins for recyclable materials and waste as evidence of source separation, but typically do not check to ensure recyclable material is uncontaminated with waste or organics. Nor do they require record-keeping to show that recyclables are shipped to legitimate recycling facilities.

“Broad compliance with the Source Separation Regulation does not necessarily result in higher waste diversion. The regulation does not require establishments to achieve a specific performance outcome, such as a diversion target, only to make ‘reasonable efforts’ to divert collected materials,” the audit report states.

It suggests the government’s pullback on requirements for audits and reduction plans could be part of that disconnect. Since April 2019, Ministry inspectors have focused only on the rules for separating recyclable and waste materials, downplaying the documentation and planning exercises that are meant to steer participants’ attention to opportunities to curb waste and increase diversion.

The audit also raises serious concerns about where much of the recyclable material goes after it is sorted out at buildings — deducing that it often ends up in landfill because it is taken to transfer stations that aren’t equipped to handle it. In response, the report calls for more data and transparency.

“Establishments do not have access to information about waste industry activities to verify where recyclables are taken or to make informed decisions when contracting waste services,” it states. “The Ministry does not compile or publish information about waste management companies’ operations, such as their diversion rates, the types of materials they divert, or what they do with the materials they handle.”

The Ministry is urged to update its 25-year-old list of mandated materials for recycling to add the coffee cups, compostable packaging and an expanded range of plastics that it is now feasible to recycle, and to more actively promote looming targets for diverting organic waste in the ICI and multi-residential sectors. The latter were invoked through the 2018 organic waste policy.

“The policy requires multi-residential buildings and large establishments to reduce and divert organic waste by either 50 per cent or 70 per cent, depending on their size and subsector, by 2025,” the audit advises. “This could result in added costs for the affected multi-residential buildings and establishments that require budgeting, but the Ministry has not yet provided essential guidance on how to calculate the baseline for the target, nor undertaken outreach activities to promote compliance with the policy.”

MCAC supports B.C. flood recovery with donation

In response to the extreme rainfall and flooding in British Columbia, the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC) has announced a donation of $10,000 to the Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia (MCABC) fundraising efforts, and is encouraging members, if they are able, to consider their own donations to help British Columbians recover.

“The tragic and devastating effects of the severe weather in British Columbia will have a lasting impact on the province and the rest of Canada,” said Dave Holek, president and chair of MCAC. “Our industry has stepped up in the past to help those in need, and these events in B.C. are no exception. We stand beside the people of British Columbia who have been affected by these extreme weather events, and encourage all Canadians to give what they are able to help our fellow Canadians.”

The Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia has created a portal through the Canadian Red Cross, where individuals and firms can make a contribution to this fund and support these fundraising efforts.

“The extreme rainfall that has impacted our province has demonstrated just how powerful weather events such as these can be,” said Wayne Davidson, incoming president of MCAC and MCA BC representative. “It is great to see our industry and sector step up once again to assist in recovery efforts. I know that British Columbians appreciate the support the province has received from across Canada, and I am proud to represent an industry that has so quickly stepped up to help.”

MCABC will match, up to a maximum of $10,000 overall, donations made by MCABC member companies to the Canadian Red Cross: BC Floods & Extreme Weather Appeal.

CP Railway reopens key line after B.C. storm

Canadian Pacific (CP) has reopened its railway line between Kamloops, B.C. and Vancouver following a severe rainstorm. The first trains going to Vancouver arrived Wednesday morning. They were loaded grain trains and a train carrying fuel.

Crews have worked around the clock after the Nov. 14 atmospheric river rainstorm hit B.C., dumping nearly 200 millimetres of rain over two days in some areas. Thirty locations across CP’s Thompson and Cascade subdivisions were damaged with 20 resulting in significant loss of infrastructure.

“I am extremely proud of the CP team. Their extraordinary dedication, grit and perseverance in the face of extremely challenging conditions are the reasons we are able to restore our vital rail network in only eight days,” said Keith Creel, CP president and CEO. “The following 10 days will be critical. As we move from response to recovery to full service resumption, our focus will be on working with customers to get the supply chain back in sync.”

To repair the railway infrastructure, CP crews moved 150,000 cubic yards of material to rebuild the damaged areas, equivalent to 10,000 tandem dump truck loads or 30,000 one-ton dump truck loads of earth, riprap (rock) and other construction material. This was accomplished with more than 80 pieces of heavy work equipment and mobilizing hundreds of CP employees and contractors from across the network

While the railroad may have reopened, there remains a difficult road ahead for B.C. residents and businesses impacted by this event. CP continues to work closely with local and B.C. authorities and Indigenous communities in the Fraser Canyon to coordinate the delivery of critical materials, equipment, food and fuel.

CP teams arranged food delivery to the Spuzzum First Nation, secured 10 portable generators to be delivered to the Cooks Ferry First Nation and arranged meals, milk and baby formula for the Boston Bar Food Bank.

“The force and impact of this event were extensive and evolved from hour to hour,” said Creel. “CP worked in lock-step in partnership with the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Transport Canada and contractors to identify damage and priority locations to get highways and our network reopened. We are committed to continuing to support the recovery with our experience, expertise and resources as we do our part to resume critical transportation services for Canadians and the North American economy.”

Measure of Success

Measure Architecture has been making bold statements with its design sensibility since its inception in 2007. The Vancouver based firm had the kind of start that many young architects dream of – earning early accolades that not only drew widespread attention but validation of their high quality and bespoke design work.

In its first year, the firm received a Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Award of Merit for a Mayne Island retreat and Western Living Magazine’s inaugural Architecture Designer of the Year. Measured also won the Architectural Institute of British Columbia Emerging Firm Award in 2015.

“We were very lucky with our start, getting noticed and receiving accolades from our peers,” says principal and founder Clinton Cuddington.

And the firm continues to earn recognition for design excellence, winning Western Living’s Interior Designers of the Year in 2020 and most recently earning a 2021 Special Jury Award from the Architecture Foundation of BC for Shift House.

The award winning Shift House is a good example of the firm’s work, standing out as a modern and innovative take on the classic Vancouver Special with ingenious use of materials to create a distinct and playful identity for this family home.

“Shift House is definitely a stand out for us because of its coarseness, and meeting the vision of its client,” says Cuddington.

He explains part of their success is that they are engaged in every phase of a project from concept to completion, creating environments that meet the goals of clients. Collaboration is key to their design process where every key stakeholder is brought together early on to help execute the project vision.

“We’re deeply passionate and care about our clients’ problems. It’s about creating strong relationships, and those clients who want to follow us down that collaborative road are a good fit,” says Cuddington, who graduated from UBC with a Master’s degree in architecture.

Growing up in Saskatchewan, Cuddington was a prairie kid surrounded by art, culture and activism. He was inspired to pursue architecture by Prairie modern architect Clifford Wiens, the father of a childhood friend, who then later mentored him as thesis adviser and in his professional work.

“I’ve always gravitated towards mentors – people that I admired in the field because they are pioneers in certain vernaculars – mid-century modern being one of them,” he says.

Cuddington obtained a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Manitoba in 1992, followed by his Masters in 1997. He did short stints at different firms including studying abroad in Cairo, but spent much of his formative years working for Bing Thom Architects in Vancouver. He spent 10 years under the renowned architect’s wing, working as project lead on the redevelopment of the Arena Stage Theatre in Washington, DC, and the Surrey Campus of Simon Fraser University.

“Bing taught me a ton. He put me in positions to learn. He was tough as hell on me, but it was an exceptional experience,” recalls Cuddington.

In 2007, he founded Measured Architecture, fulfilling his ambition to have his own studio that concentrates on smaller scale work. The material driven firm is residentially focused with a 50/50 split between new builds and renovations.

“I’ve always been drawn to residential and not just luxury based work. I want to figure out how problems can be solved for every financial demographic,” says Cuddington.

The full-service practice of 15 focuses on contemporary designs that integrate architecture, interiors and landscapes. As a boutique firm delivering with big firm experience, the design journey is collaborative and champions a client-oriented process.

“We’re very material centric. We refer to ourselves as situational modernists,” explains Cuddington. “We hope our work comes out of the traditions of Scarpa …where we’re focused on material studies to create humanity, space, warmth, texture – set pieces to generate holistic architecture.”

Piers Cunnington joined the firm in 2009 (after interning with Toronto’s Shim-Sutcliffe Architects) and became a principal in 2014. Both principals serve as leads on projects, bringing their own unique perspective and extensive experience to the creative process.

“We both share the same sensibilities in the work but we come at it from different angles,” says Cuddington. “Piers brings his rationalism to the problem set and tends to focus on the larger projects, and I continue to run problems through the rigour of architecture traditions. It’s worked very well for us.”

And that success has continued to grow over the last 14 years with the firm extremely busy – so much so that they “could easily be 25-30 tomorrow and still not meet our workload,” he says.

Currently, the firm is working on several residential projects across the Lower Mainland, building off a long list of groundbreaking and thoughtful projects like the Wolfe House (his own family home), Cloister House, Shift House and the Veil House.

The firm recently completed its first net-zero ready home on Salt Spring Island, a new space for Equinox Gallery in Vancouver and is working on a new 120-seat beer garden for Parallel 49 Brewing Company. Design services for retreat properties have also risen during COVID, notes Cuddington, who is working on his own personal artist collective retreat property on Mayne Island in the southern Gulf Islands.

While the COVID pandemic has impacted every aspect of life, it did not slow down the amount of work the firm was doing. In fact, it validated that their types of residential living space designs were on the right path, says Cuddington.

“We had already challenged the typology of living, so our spaces had breakout environments for people to cohabitate and use Zoom. Breaking down barriers between prescriptive room definitions, our buildings responded quite well to COVID,” he says. “People are invested in their places at an unprecedented level and we now don’t have to push as hard on the merits of what was previously perceived as nice to haves. Architecture can fulfill the desire to create something uplifting in difficult times.”

The firm is also increasingly being sought out for their contemporary solutions to “perceived historic problem sets like the Shaughnessy neighbourhood and preservation of mid-century work”, adds Cuddington, who sits on the board of the Arthur Erickson Foundation and Vancouver’s Urban Design Panel. He was also on the City of Vancouver’s First Shaughnessy District Advisory Panel.

“We’re known for how to build design rationales that describe that we are meeting goal sets of context and place in lateral ways,” he says. “People are calling and asking for guidance to steer through difficult territory where individuals that are not invested in the problem set are pushing to a compromised outcome.”

As for the future, Cuddington says the firm is facing pressure to think about growing into the world of large scale architecture.

“We’re good at what we do as a boutique firm and don’t want to dilute what we do. But I know we need to start moving to affect change on a larger scale. So I think that’s going to be the next step but it’s scary,” he says.

Although both principals (Cuddington, 54, Cunnington, 51) are still young, succession planning is another focus moving forward.

“We’re thinking about succession planning – not that I’m ever going to retire,” says Cuddington with a laugh. “But we hope to begin empowering individuals and moving them into identifiable roles for growth in their careers. There is some serious talent in this office. They deserve their time and to have their voices heard.”

Cheryl Mah is managing editor of Design Quarterly.

GWL Realty Advisors opens “Chronicle” in Vancouver

GWL Realty Advisors announced it has officially opened Chronicle, a 21-storey, 128-unit market rental tower located at 825 Nicola Street at Robson. The new purpose-built rental building adds significant rental stock to the Lower Robson neighbourhood, which has not seen a new rental property open in decades.

“GWL Realty Advisors is proud to have brought new rental housing to Vancouver’s West End,” said Ralf Dost, President, GWL Realty Advisors. “Chronicle is a reflection of our focus on building strong, engaged, liveable communities in cities like Vancouver. We’re looking forward to welcoming individuals and families who want to love where they live, build a life in the downtown core, and enjoy all that connected urban living has to offer.”

Described as “more than a collection of rental units,” Chronicle was designed to be a community for its residents. More than a third of Chronicle’s units are two- and three-bedrooms in response to the shortage of family-oriented rental housing in the area.

The property offers indoor and outdoor amenities including fitness and yoga rooms, a rooftop patio with an outdoor fireplace, seating area and dining space. Chronicle is pet-friendly with amenities geared toward pet owners that include a pet spa with dog washing and grooming facilities and a “bark park”, an outdoor space for pets on the building’s second floor rooftop.

“In a city where over 50 per cent of people are renters, increasing our supply of secured market rental apartments is critical. The completion of Chronicle represents an important next step in expanding the range of rental options in downtown’s West End,” said Mayor Kennedy Stewart. “By increasing the supply and diversity of housing in highly desirable, family-friendly, transit-connected neighbourhoods—as this project does—we are taking a step in the right direction and moving closer towards making Vancouver a city that works for all of us.”

Chronicle was the first project on the Robson corridor approved under the new West End Community Plan, and it delivers on the City’s efforts to increase rental housing density in the area. The Lower Robson neighbourhood has some of the highest land costs in the city and, until now, new developments have tended to take the form of luxury condominiums. As a purpose-built market rental tower from an institutional developer that intends to hold and manage the building on a long-term basis, Chronicle has broken that trend.

GWL Realty Advisors developed the project on behalf of the project owner, The Canada Life Assurance Company. Chronicle was designed by architect the IBI Group. The building will be professionally managed by GWL Realty Advisors Residential.

Click here for more info: https://rentchronicle.com.