Major party leaders urged to prioritize housing crisis

Housing challenges across Canada remain urgent on the federal campaign trail. No city has been immune to the effects of a housing shortage over the past year—one that is expected to grow worse. Toronto, for instance, is on track to add one million people to its population by 2030.

The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) is lighting a fire under the promises federal delegates are making with a recently released statement on the crisis.

“We have a dire shortage of housing across the country which threatens to derail our economic recovery if the problem is not addressed immediately,” says RESCON president Richard Lyall. “I am glad the issue is on the radar of party leaders, and that they are now paying attention to this critical issue.

“The ongoing supply crisis is crippling younger families. We cannot grow the economy or build back better if we can’t build according to our demographic needs. Excessive costs imposed on developers and systemic red tape that delays construction of new housing developments must be eliminated.”

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau committed to a few measures if re-elected, including a “tax-free in, tax-free out” first home savings account, which would allow Canadians under 40 to save up to $40,000 towards their first home. Another promise is doubling the first-time home buyers tax credit from $5,000 to $10,000 to save on the closing costs.

Commitments to speed up supply include a $4-billion investment in a housing accelerator fund to grow the annual housing supply in the country’s largest cities every year, creating a target of 100,000 new, middle-class homes by 2024-25. The Liberal government says it will build and repair affordable housing and covert office space— left vacant by the pandemic—into residential units.

Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole is pledging to build a million homes over the next three years, stop foreign money from pushing up home prices, and make it easier for first-time home buyers to get a mortgage.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is aiming to build more than 500,000 units of affordable housing and offer immediate relief to renters in need and ban large investors from driving up housing costs.

Whatever party triumphs will have to contend with some dire facts. As RESCON stated, Canada has the lowest number of housing units per 1,000 residents of any G7 country, according to a Scotiabank report. This number has been declining since 2016.

In a healthy housing market, there would be about six months of housing supply, but that is not the case. Across Canada, there is about 2.8 months inventory, according to Statistics Canada. Meanwhile, The Toronto Region Board of Trade and WoodGreen Community Services recently revealed that the lack of affordable housing is costing the Greater Toronto Area up to nearly $8 billion annually, or up to almost $38 billion over a five-year period.

Another report from The Centre for Urban Research and Land Development at Ryerson University used a calculation from experts from the governments of Canada and B.C. and found an average of 79,300 units per year must be built from 2021 to 2031 in order to make homes more affordable. That’s up from 50,400 units per year that was forecast by Hemson Consulting in 2020.

“Canada’s population is expected to grow by up to 50 per cent over the next five decades, which will result in even more pressure to provide housing,” says Lyall. “There is clearly more work to be done to speed up the development approvals process. Thankfully, the federal parties appear to be listening.

“This is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed. We need a housing summit so those who build housing can be heard and find out what government expects of us to balance supply with demand.”

Pandemic relief for landlords

Being a landlord can be a challenge during the best of times. Throughout the pandemic, however, financial hardships and logistical obstacles have added to the stresses (and costs) of landlords and boards of directors responsible for managing residential and commercial properties.

It’s no stretch to say that the pandemic has elevated the risks (and headaches) of being a landlord. Today, landlords, boards, and property managers face more challenges on every front, including:

Stressed tenant relations: The landlord-tenant and condominium owner and board’s relationships have been under considerable strain for the past year and a half. On one side, there is a significant number of renters and owners who have faced — and continue to face — legitimate financial challenges that make it difficult to pay rent or condominium fees resulting in defaults and arrears. On the other side, however, are landlords and boards with their own critical expenses to bear. Both parties are doing what they can to weather the storm, but competing financial challenges created by pandemic conditions have added tensions to the relationship.

Health and safety necessities: Keeping renters and condominium owners safe has remained a top priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, investing in enhanced cleaning programs, health and safety technologies, staff training, and other measures, in addition to regular overhead for property maintenance, repair, and emergencies, adds considerable expense and cost to operations. Absorbing these additional costs can be difficult, particularly during the pandemic when landlords are unable to collect full rent.

Increased maintenance costs: The pandemic has underlined the need for reliable ventilation systems and consistently healthy indoor air quality (IAQ). In response, many apartment owners, condominium boards, and stakeholders have invested in more effective HVAC systems to keep their occupants safe. Paying for these upgrades or retrofits may be a necessity, but it’s stretching maintenance budgets to their limit and in some cases beyond.

Maintenance backlogs: A number of non-critical repairs and replacements have been put on hold over the last year and a half. Once we are past pandemic conditions, however, those same maintenance tasks will be waiting. Recognizing this, landlords, boards, and property management teams will face a tsunami of increased costs as they struggle to remobilize people and resources to tackle this inevitable backlog.

Limited contact: Social distancing protocols have made it more difficult for landlords and boards to interact directly with tenants and unit owners. And while e-mails, phone calls, and video streaming do the trick, lack of face-to-face contact and social distancing makes it hard for property managers and maintenance contractors to do their jobs effectively and efficiently, and often at additional time and cost.

Landlord support

These are difficult and costly days to be a landlord. And while Canada is making progress in its fight against the pandemic, property managers of every kind will likely find themselves balancing financial anxieties and tenant relationships well beyond the crisis.

“The landlords have been giving relief to the tenants to help them survive, and many will need to continue doing this as the economy takes time to recover,” says Winnie Tsui, Director of Operations with Living Properties, a GTA-based property management firm. “Having said that, it’s likely that landlords will still have trouble collecting full rent even after the pandemic and, at the same time, maintaining operating costs, repairs, maintenance, and any number of expenses.”

It’s enough to make any building management professional lose sleep. The good news, adds Tsui, is that landlords have access to their own supports: “Our President has insisted that our primary obligation is to share the burden with our landlord clients through this difficult time, which is why we’re prepared to offer new clients up to 30% discount on our services for two years.”

Think of Living Properties as a “one-stop property solution,” she continues. With its team of certified and experienced property managers, the firm provides a full suite of services, from leasing to rent collection to back-office accounting, unit inspections to maintenance management, managing inspections, regulation enforcement, and beyond.

Living Properties management package comes with 24/7 access to emergency service and support for all aspects of a tenant’s move-ins and move-outs, including conducting reference checks, arranging move-out/move-in dates, and issuing collection and eviction-related notices, when needed.

“The job of a landlord is always changing, which means we’re always keeping an eye on evolving regulations and trends, and employing the latest technologies and systems, to help landlords stay ahead,” adds Tsui.

“This 30% discount for new clients is just another way we’re helping them respond to today’s challenges,” she adds.

Experience is also an asset, especially as landlords look ahead at post-pandemic recovery. Established in 1983, Living Properties’ team has spent decades helping clients navigate an ever-changing landscape. Over those years, the firm has also aligned itself with industry partners, becoming a fully-licensed member of the Condominium Management Regulatory Authority (CRMAO) and the Canadian Condominium Institute (CCI), and a member of the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario (ACMO) and Federation of Rental-Housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO).

“We have the best resources for the landlord, and we offer a very competitive rate; but more importantly, we believe in applying a personal approach to property management that benefits both landlords and their tenants,” adds Tsui.

Living Properties Inc. is a full-service property management company providing investors, property owners, and condominium boards with peace of mind and quality service since 1983. Learn how new clients can receive 30% off Living Properties’ services. Visit www.livingproperties.com or call 905-477-2090.

Bird Construction consortium awarded P3 schools

Alberta Infrastructure has selected Bird Construction consortium as the preferred proponent for the design, build, finance, and maintain (DBFM) contract for five Alberta high schools.

Concert-Bird Partners is comprised of Bird Capital Limited Partnership, Bird Design-Build Construction Inc., Concert Infrastructure Ltd., Ainsworth Inc., BR2 Architecture and Wright Construction Western Inc. Financial close is expected in the third quarter of 2021.

Under the public-private partnership (P3) model, the consortium will deliver five new Alberta high schools including two in Edmonton and one in each of Blackfalds, Leduc, and Langdon.

The five schools in the P3 bundle include a grades 10-12 Edmonton public high school in the southeast, a 10-12 Edmonton Catholic school in Heritage Valley, a 10-12 Black Gold School Division school in Leduc, a 9-12 school in Blackfalds and a 7-12 school in Langdon.

Once complete, the schools will accommodate nearly 7,000 students and will include approximately 650,000 square feet of permanent structure space. Designs for the schools will include considerations for optimized building performance, energy conservation and other sustainable building features.

“Bird and Concert Infrastructure have a strong partnership and a proven track record of success in this market, including the delivery of other multi-school contracts under a similar model in Alberta and Saskatchewan. We are pleased to be considered for the opportunity to deliver such an important project that will leave a lasting and positive impact in these communities well into the future,” said Teri McKibbon, president and CEO of Bird Construction.

“Our experienced Bird Capital team has a robust performance record in the P3 market, and this contract will further contribute to Bird’s portfolio of projects with an appropriately balanced risk-reward profile.”

Calgary launches office conversion incentive

The City of Calgary is launching the Downtown Calgary Development Incentive Program to support downtown office conversions, office replacement, and new residential development.

An initial $45 million in funding is available to downtown office building owners who are interested in converting office space to an alternate use. The initial phase of the program will run from August to December 2021 and will focus on office to residential conversion, with a priority placed on the downtown core, which currently has the greatest level of office vacancy in the Greater downtown, which include the downtown core, Downtown West, Eau Claire, Chinatown, East Village and the Beltline.

“The city is excited to launch this program in order to begin to make an impact on downtown office vacancy and support vibrant downtown communities,” said Thom Mahler, program lead for the city’s downtown strategy. “This is an issue with wide-reaching impacts. High downtown office vacancy means low downtown property values which creates property tax burdens to residential and commercial properties outside the downtown core. This program is part of the city’s effort to stop that shift.”

Downtown office vacancy is approximated at 14 million square feet or 32.59 per cent (CBRE, Q2 2021). Downtown office property values have declined by $16 billion (60 per cent) since 2015, resulting in a tax shift that affects city finances as well as residential, commercial, and industrial property taxes throughout the city.

“Converting office to residential uses is complex and expensive, with incentives being required to stimulate investment,” said Trent Edwards, president, Canada Land & Housing, Brookfield Properties Development and co-chair of Calgary Economic Development’s Real Estate Sector Advisory Committee. “Similar public investments have also been made in cities such as Denver, Nashville, Austin, Pittsburgh, Houston and Detroit to successfully improve vibrancy, private investment and tax base. The status quo or “do-nothing” scenario for Calgary’s downtown office vacancy rate is the biggest risk to downtown vibrancy, Calgary’s economic competitiveness, and the city’s fiscal sustainability.”

Approximately six million square feet of office space needs to be removed from the market through leasing, conversion, adaptive reuse, and/or demolition to help address downtown office vacancy and stabilize downtown office property values over the next decade.

Property owners within the Greater Downtown Plan area can apply for funding between August 16 and September 15, 2021. A priority will be placed on properties within the downtown core. The program is offering a grant for office to residential conversions of $75 per square foot, based on the original gross building area of existing office space that will be converted. The grant will be up to a maximum of $10 million per property unless city council approves a greater amount for a particular application.

Henriquez Partners Architects creates scholarship

Henriquez Partners Architects has established a $2,000 scholarship at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in memory of Brock Douglas Cheadle (1950–2020).

The Brock Douglas Cheadle Graduate Scholarship in Architecture has been made available to outstanding students entering UBC’s Master of Architecture program for five consecutive years. Preference will be given to students who are entering the M.Arch. program at least five years after completing their undergraduate degree.

Cheadle (B.Arch. 1988) practiced as an architect for 30 years. He was inspired to pursue architecture in his thirties after designing and constructing his family’s home on a rural property near Grand Forks, British Columbia.

During his seventeen year tenure at Henriquez Partners Architects, among the many projects he worked on, one of the most notable was as the lead architect for the Guest House in Gordon B. Shrum’s residence, a project that was awarded the Canadian Architect Award of Merit in 2002. Cheadle served as a mentor to anyone who had the privilege to work alongside him throughout his career.

The scholarships are made on the recommendation of UBC’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. The first award will be available for the 2021/2022 winter session.

Hub to acquire assets of National Home Warranty

Hub International Limited (Hub), a global insurance brokerage and financial services firm, has signed a purchase agreement to acquire the assets of National Home Warranty Group Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Aviva Canada Inc. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

National Home Warranty is one of Western Canada’s leading home warranty providers, with offices in Alberta and British Columbia. Partnering with more than 3,500 registered builders, they provide new home warranty coverage to 15,000 homes and homeowners every year.

“Our investment in National Home Warranty rounds out Hub’s capabilities in Western Canada to offer a more complete and comprehensive solution to make builders stronger and help homeowners better protect their assets,” said David Moon, President of Hub International Canada West (Hub Canada West). “Their builders and clients will have access to an additional layer of risk management, specialties, resources and services with Hub.”

Following the acquisition, the National Home Warranty team will join Hub Canada West, continuing to service and support clients.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

StorageVault targeting property acquisitions

Two newly closed property acquisitions with a relatively modest $8.7-million price tag have pushed StorageVault Canada past the $140-million milestone for deal value thus far this year. The listed company, which is traded on the TSX Venture Exchange, now owns and operates 226 storage locations in seven provinces and recently reported a 22.5 per cent year-over-year increase in revenue between the second quarters of 2020 and 2021.

Those same Q2 results confirm the company is targeting another $60 million worth of holdings before 2022. “The market continues to be extremely strong and we are well positioned to take advantage of this for the balance of the year,” says Iqbal Khan, StorageVault’s chief financial officer.

That’s perhaps emblematic of the general surging investment activity in alternative asset classes, which also include seniors’ housing, life sciences, data centres and cold storage.

“I think we just understand those sectors way better than we used to. Those are specialized asset classes that have traditionally been held by a relatively small portion of owners, and institutions now understand the asset classes better,” Paul Morassutti, vice chair of CBRE Canada’s valuation and advisory services, reflected during a recent webinar. “Looking at self-storage as an example, the industry in Canada was (previously) incredibly Mom & Pop, and the change in the last five years has been remarkable. The compression in cap rates has been remarkable.”

With the recently announced completions of deals for properties in the Greater Toronto Area and Alberta, the StorageVault portfolio encompasses more than 10.2 million square feet of rentable space on 600 acres of land. The Toronto acquisition also comes with a rooftop solar panel system, complementing the company’s commitment to implement sustainable environmental practices.

Senate of Canada Building wins International Architecture Award

Diamond Schmitt, in joint venture with KWC Architects, has won a 2021 International Architecture Award for its design of the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa, Ontario.

The Senate of Canada Building received top honours in the Government Buildings category. It was among 130 projects chosen from the final shortlist of 450 projects presented to an international jury composed of distinguished architects, designers, critics and educators.

Completed in 2019, the project presented a challenging set of opportunities: restore the historic Beaux Arts train station; upgrade the facility into a modern, secure 21st-century building; and give voice to a narrative of Canadian culture and identity through craft.

The project ultimately embraces innovative and inclusive/collaborative approaches to craftsmanship and fabrication, invokes a contemporary approach to new interventions, and both complements and juxtaposes the character-defining elements of the original building.

The architectural precedents included the Gothic language of the existing parliament buildings and the Beaux-Arts Classicism of the existing train station. New approaches to techniques, technologies, fabrication, craft, procurement and implementation were used to manifest the final result. This included saving and consolidating the extraordinary plaster ceilings of the general waiting room and concourse.

“We are thrilled that our design of the Senate of Canada Building has received an International Architecture Award from the European Centre and The Chicago Atheneum,” says Don Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt. “It’s especially wonderful when Canadian excellence is recognized globally by our peers.”

The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies is presenting the award at a ceremony on September 10, near the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.

On the same day, the presenting partners will open a special exhibition, “The City and the World,” at The Contemporary Space Athens. Diamond Schmitt’s winning project will be featured in this exhibition.

The International Architecture Awards are the largest and most extensive global architecture awards program in the world, honouring new skyscrapers, commercial buildings, urban plans, private residences, and real estate projects that achieve a high standard of excellence in design, construction, planning and sustainability.

The full list of winning projects is available here.

IIDA announces 2021 Leaders Virtual event

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) announced a new ideation of the annual Leaders Breakfast: the 2021 Leaders Virtual. More inclusive due to its virtual nature, the IIDA Leaders Virtual event, supported by International Benefactor Herman Miller, will celebrate the importance of design in the global marketplace and honor seasoned and emerging industry professionals who are influencing the legacy of design at large.

Due to the past year’s changing landscape, the Leaders Virtual event will take place in eight cities simultaneously, further expanding its reach and impact, with the in-person Leaders Breakfast formally returning in 2022. Elaine Welteroth, co-host of CBS’s “The Talk,” will serve as this year’s marquee keynote speaker, joined in conversation with IIDA executive vice president and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst to discuss leadership, the wherewithal of women, and equity, diversity and inclusion.

“Hosting our Leaders Virtual in a public, digital capacity represents everything we are working toward—a global connectedness and increased accessibility to interested participants across varying geographies and capacities,” said Durst. “We’re honoured to have Elaine join us as this year’s keynote. Her leadership in the diversity and equity space is an example for all and will showcase how the power of design transcends beyond our industry.”

The event will take place on Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. Central via the Socio platform and feature regional programming from eight cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, as well as the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC). Open to IIDA and non-members, including those outside of the design industry, participants will have the opportunity to virtually network with other guests in breakout rooms, attend the keynote, as well as participate in the Leadership of Excellence award presentation.

Launched in New York in 1989 by Jeannie Bochette of Steelcase, the IIDA Leaders Breakfast series began as a single event. The goal was to introduce IIDA to the business world as a leading association of commercial interior design and to inform IIDA members about the major issues affecting them and the industry. The event established a forum where members and their clients could participate and network with their peers.

Is the construction supply chain ready?

Nothing impacts the construction industry quite as negatively as material shortages or supply price increases, and in Canada the industry has been dealing with both of these issues in spades since the onset of the pandemic.

For an industry so reliant on strict adherence to schedules and pre-set pricing, this is a major issue.

Headlines have focused heavily on the lumber shortages – and rightly so, as that is one of the biggest issues affecting the construction industry in Canada – but those shortages have been experienced by builders across the board, not just in lumber.

This has all contributed to the year-over-year costs of construction in Canada rising massively, with some pointing to an increase of up to 5 per cent in overall construction costs in Toronto and a rise of between 1- 4 per cent in other areas of Canada, according to research from Altus Group.

And because these various price increases are mostly the direct result of material shortages, it truly begs the question: as we see lockdowns continuing to ease up and construction sites returning to normal, will they have the materials they need to operate at full capacity?

Recent research would suggest that there exists at least a couple of issues within supply chains that will keep that from being possible.

Device downtime a primary concern

When looking for the major issues currently holding back the supply chain from operating at peak efficiency or being resilient enough to deal with a major disruption like a lumber mill shutdown, there are a couple areas that should be of primary concern.

The first being the number of days of productivity lost due to technological issues. Put another way: device downtime.

In this category, according to SOTI’s Mobilizing the Delivery Workforce: State of Mobility in Transportation and Logistics 2021 study, Canada ranked dead last.

While the other countries that were surveyed – which included the U.S., Mexico, UK, Germany, France, Sweden, and Australia – clocked in at around one day per month of lost productivity due to technological issues, Canada for some reason doubled that rate at around two days per month.

So while in years past, a lack of technology has been the main issue, these companies are still struggling with the technology they do have.

Of the T&L professionals surveyed in SOTI, 70 per cent of them pointed to device downtime as a primary concern in their industry and 80 per cent said they had plans to invest in new mobile technology, such as devices, wearables and IoT sensors.

Systems must be integrated

Sticking to the theme of technological issues in the T&L industry, one of the other top concerns among decision-makers and professionals alike is a lack of integration in the technology they deploy.

So as businesses look to invest in new technology to create the efficiencies they need in the supply chain, they must do so in a strategic manner. If they do not do so, they run a major risk of ending up with a patchwork of technologies that do not integrate with each other and do not operate together efficiently.

To put it succinctly, a failure to plan your technology investments will create many more problems than it could ever possibly solve.

As it stands, this issue is already having a major negative impact on supply lines, as 72 per cent of professionals surveyed in SOTI’s study answered that their company’s systems were not integrated, and consequently, 45 per cent claimed that updated information was not being shared with their team and staff had to manually update multiple systems.

Preparing for the next disruption

So as companies look forward and strategize how to prevent future disruptions from affecting the supply chain so negatively they must truly evaluate every step along that supply line; speaking with every employee along the way to find out where the efficiencies can be created.

Applying those lessons learned into their strategy for technology investment will help them create a roadmap to success, and prevent them from falling into the traps of unintegrated systems or ill-fitted technology.

As it relates specifically to device downtime, businesses should be researching and investing in remote control software, which allows your IT department to deploy, manage, and service any of your organization’s mobile devices remotely. This not only eases up the burden on your IT team – who no longer need to scramble to get on site – but also the end user who no longer loses countless hours to downtime awaiting a technician.

Moving forward, it will take some time for the supply chains responsible for the construction industry to catch up and return to normal; this is unavoidable.

But if those responsible for managing the construction industry’s supply chain are able to better prepare themselves for major issues with strategized and meaningful investments in technology, they will be able to navigate the next crisis with very little disruption to the construction sites that rely on them.

Shash Anand is vice president of product strategy at SOTI. SOTI is a provider of mobile and IoT management solutions, with more than 17,000 enterprise customers and millions of devices managed worldwide.

Eight-lane tunnel to replace George Massey Tunnel

A new $4.15 billion eight-lane immersed-tube tunnel will replace the George Massey Tunnel on Highway 99 in B.C. In 2017, Premier John Horgan scrapped the previous B.C. Liberal government’s 10-lane, $3.5 billion toll bridge.

“A new crossing to replace the George Massey Tunnel will improve traffic flow and make travel by transit, walking and cycling more convenient and attractive, without costing commuters hundreds of dollars a year in unfair tolls,” said Rob Fleming, minister of transportation and infrastructure. “We’ve worked hard to make sure this is the right project for the region, and along with the other Highway 99 improvements getting underway, we’re getting people moving around in the region.”

The new eight-lane tunnel will be in operation in 2030. Two of the eight lanes will be dedicated for bus rapid transit, and there will be separated pathways for cyclists and pedestrians. In the interim, the province has started work to reduce traffic congestion by launching projects to improve transit and cycling infrastructure along the Highway 99 corridor and replace the Steveston Interchange.

“This new crossing will ensure a strong and reliable connection along one of British Columbia’s most important trade corridors, while also providing people and families with more choices about how they travel in their day-to-day lives,” said Bowinn Ma, minister of state for infrastructure. “Dedicated transit lanes and fully separated active transportation pathways are an exciting addition that will give more people safe and competitive alternatives to travelling by car.”

The next step is to initiate the environmental assessment process, including ongoing engagement with Indigenous peoples and preparing for procurement. In the interim, improvements to transit and cycling infrastructure along Highway 99 will begin this fall, as will work on the new Steveston Interchange, which will be completed in 2025.

Transportation Investment Corporation will lead the delivery of the George Massey Crossing Project on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and will provide the controls, practices and other oversight essential for this complex project.

Civic building inventory lags on capital repair

Ontario’s civic building inventory has fallen the farthest behind on capital repair and renewal among seven categories of municipal infrastructure assets scrutinized in a newly released report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO). The analysis, which is part of the FAO’s efforts to identify vulnerabilities to climate change hazards, concludes that about 55 per cent of total municipal infrastructure is in a state of good repair, but fewer than 42 per cent of the assets in the “other buildings and facilities” category merit that rating.

That encompasses a varied roster of social housing, government administrative buildings, cultural/recreational/sports venues and solid waste handling facilities, with a current replacement value (CRV) pegged at nearly $75 billion. These assets represents about 15 per cent of the total value of locally held infrastructure throughout the province. Additionally, many large buildings such as transit terminals, water and wastewater treatment plants are itemized in other infrastructure asset categories.

The FAO estimates the current replacement value of all of Ontario’s municipal infrastructure at approximately $484 billion. Roads represent the largest share at that tally, at $130 billion or 27 per cent of CRV, followed by wastewater infrastructure (20 per cent) and potable water infrastructure (17 per cent). Transit accounts for the smallest portion — 2 per cent — of infrastructure value. However, nearly 30 per cent or $1.8 billion worth of assets in this category are identified as “building-type” structures, including commuter stations, route-side shelters, garages and other maintenance/storage depots.

Within the buildings/facilities category, approximately 122,770 social housing units are valued at more than $23 billion. Administrative headquarters and cultural/recreational/sports venues each carry a CRV of more than $19 billion, with the remaining assortment of buildings for justice, health, social services or solid waste management purposes estimated at $13 billion.

Reflective of broad-based municipal responsibilities, building/facility assets include 1,332 community centres, 813 libraries, 382 museums and archives, 76 galleries, 184 materials recovery facilities, 129 composting facilities and 18 anaerobic digestion facilities. Meanwhile, illustrative of the ongoing challenge to manage solid waste and resultant greenhouse gas emissions, Ontario municipalities currently own 242 dump sites, 181 active engineered landfills and 625 inactive engineered landfills and dumps, which are also tallied in this category.

Inconsistent data complicates interpretation

Province-wide, the FAO concludes there is a $52-billion backlog of required spending, based on 2020 costs for bringing assets to a state of good repair. That presumption is drawn from multiple sources: municipally supplied data and/or local asset management plans (AMPs) where available; Statistics Canada’s Canadian Core Public Infrastructure (CCPI) survey; the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs’ Financial Information Return (FIR); and the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure’s Municipal Asset Inventory. FAO researchers then derived their own scale to support more consistent interpretation. Notably, too, no condition data was available for more than $47 billion worth of infrastructure assets, or roughly 10 per cent of the total CRV.

“There is a considerable degree of uncertainty associated with the reported condition data. In some cases, reported condition data was based on engineering site inspections, while in other cases the data may be imputed based on the asset’s age or may simply reflect the municipality’s judgement in the absence of a site inspection. Additional uncertainty comes from the standards by which condition is assessed across municipalities. For example, an asset assessed to be in ‘Good’ condition in one municipality might be assessed as ‘Fair’ based on another municipality’s framework,” the report acknowledges. “To account for this uncertainty, the FAO defined a broader boundary for the condition of each asset. For instance, an asset reported as ‘Good’ could take on a condition from ‘Very Good’ to ‘Fair’. Based on this approach, the FAO developed a range of condition estimates.”

The report also reminds municipal officials that they now have less than 11 months to meet the first reporting deadline in a 2017 Provincial regulation, which mandates them to prepare publicly available asset management plans that report the condition of their current infrastructure assets, projects future needs and sets out a strategy for capital upkeep. These are to be filed by July 2022 for core assets related to water, wastewater, storm water, roads and bridges/culverts , and by July 2024 for non-core assets, which include other buildings/facilities.

Generally, the FAO analysis found that potable water, wastewater and storm water infrastructure is in the best condition, with more than two-thirds of assets in the three categories classified in good state of repair. After the civic building inventory, roads are the in next worst shape on a percentage basis with more than 56 per cent considered in an inadequate state of repair.

On a dollar basis, roads account for 41 per cent of the spending backlog, requiring an estimated $21.1 billion of capital investment to achieve a full state of good repair. Buildings/facilities are estimated to need a $9.5-billion capital injection, equating to 18 per cent of the spending backlog.

Backlog-to-CRV ratio a telling metric

Roads and buildings/facilities also emerge notoriously when viewed in terms of the ratio of required repair costs to the current replacement value of the assets in the infrastructure category. The average ratio across all assets in all categories is 11.9 per cent, while the ratio is 17.2 per cent for roads and 13.5 per cent for buildings/facilities.

“The backlog-to-CRV ratio indicates the relative state of disrepair of assets. The higher the share, the worse condition assets are in,” the FAO report explains.

Interestingly, too, while transit and bridges/culverts contribute relatively modestly to the overall spending backlog — with 2 per cent and 8 per cent quotients respectively — their backlog-to-CRV ratios are much more pronounced at 11.3 and 11 per cent. Potable water infrastructure has the lowest backlog-to-CRV ratio at 7.3 per cent, with ratios for wastewater (8.8) and storm water (9.8) on the next rungs up.

Regionally, the Greater Toronto Area boasts both the highest percentage of assets deemed to be in a good state of repair (62.3 per cent) and the lowest ratio of repair backlog to CRV (9 per cent). Ottawa has the most catching up to do with just 38.7 per cent of infrastructure assets considered in good repair, while the collection of counties making up the neighbouring Kingston-Pembroke region registers the highest backlog-to-CRV ratio at 19.7 per cent.

“Keeping assets in a state of good repair helps to maximize the benefits of public infrastructure, and ensures assets are delivering their intended services in a condition that is considered acceptable from both an engineering and a cost management perspective,” the FAO report advises. “Maintaining public infrastructure in a state of good repair is generally the most cost-effective strategy over an asset’s life cycle but is not the only consideration for asset managers with multiple budgetary priorities. However, further postponing repairs raises the risk of service disruption and increases the costs associated with municipal infrastructure over time.”

Selecting the right industrial vacuum cleaner

An industrial vacuum cleaner can be a critical element to keeping a facility clean, but choosing the wrong vacuum can be costly and dangerous.

Industrial vacuums are available in all shapes and sizes and such a saturated field can make picking the most appropriate option overwhelming for maintenance personnel.

So how can facility managers ensure they are selecting the best solution for their facility?

Goodway Technologies, which provides innovative maintenance solutions for a wide variety of industries including commercial HVAC, food and beverage processing, power generation, and manufacturing, has offered five tips on how to select the best industrial vacuum cleaner for the job.

Determine the application

An industrial vacuum cleaner delivers the best performance when the features and specifications align with the intended application. Using the wrong vacuum will lead to poor performance and vacuum burnouts — a costly mistake. It’s essential to understand what kind of materials will be collected — from the smallest grain of powder to the largest piece of scraps.

From the size of the particles to whether or not they are flammable or combustible, understanding the environment and the material will assist in making an informed buying decision. Examples of the common substances an industrial vacuum cleaner is designed to handle safely include scrap metal, metal chips, coolant, dust, debris, paint powder, food particles, and floodwater.

The application’s consistency alone can help determine whether a wet vacuum, a dry vacuum, or a combined wet/dry vacuum is required. Dry vacuums are designed to pick up lighter particles, while wet vacuums use heavy-duty pumps to move dense, heavier liquids.

It’s recommended to purchase a vacuum that meets the primary application — whether it be for dry or wet applications. However, if there is a need to pick up both wet and dry substances, wet/dry vacuums can perform in both cases.

Identify the appropriate filtration system

One of the most frequently asked questions when purchasing an industrial vacuum cleaner for dry pickup is which filter is the best. The environment and the application strongly influence whether to use a HEPA or a Standard filter.

HEPA filters

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a HEPA, or high-efficiency particular air filter, is defined as a filter that is at least 99.97 per cent efficient in removing particles of 0.3 micrometres in diameter. To provide context, that’s much smaller than a coffee ground or even one single grain of cayenne pepper. HEPA filters were created to capture microscopic substances, like dust mites and other airborne particles that can be hazardous or cause health issues. Depending on the industry, there are strict maintenance guidelines that must be adhered to in order to clean a facility properly.

Standard filters

Standard filtration generally filters to around 10 microns and performs well for filtration of larger material pickup or areas where fine or hazardous materials aren’t being picked up. Standard filters would not be sufficient for higher-risk areas. While standard filters can certainly be effective, they don’t offer the same amount of filtration as HEPA filters. This is where understanding the environment can help determine which is the best solution.

Find out how much power you need

Some might assume that the motor’s horsepower rating automatically determines its ability to pick up materials. However, the horsepower of an industrial vacuum isn’t the primary factor that should be assessed.

Airflow speed – If the application requires the pickup of dry materials, the airflow is a vital detail to consider. The airflow speed is measured by cubic feet per minute (CFM), and this force draws and collects particles inside the vacuum. The higher the CFM of the airflow, the more volume received when picking up fine powders, such as flour or dust particles.
Static lift – The static lift is directly related to the power of the airflow and its ability to lift the material. Vacuums designed for lifting liquids or heavy metals will have high lift specifications. When suctioning fluids with heavy density, such as water, it requires a higher static lift and a lower CFM to allow the vacuum to lift these substances.

Understand the necessary capacity

An industrial vacuum cleaner doesn’t utilize small collection or dust bags that need to be frequently replaced. They are designed with a larger capacity to simplify the process and typically come in various sizes to meet different needs.

In addition to the size, the canisters where the debris or liquid is collected may also come with different features. For wet vacuums, consider an option with a tilting tank or pump to make it easier to remove the accumulated liquid.

Does it require special features?

An industrial vacuum cleaner has specific needs depending on what you’re vacuuming. The machine has to handle different substances that may cause problems if not appropriately handledm such as flammable or combustible substances. A good practice for choosing your industrial vacuum cleaner is assessing what materials and voltage you will use to maintain safety protocols. When cleaning areas where hazardous dust or liquid is present, vacuums should be explicitly certified for those material pickups. Using products that are not certified could result in catastrophic explosive results.

Finding an industrial vacuum cleaner that matches the environment and application will result in more effective and safe cleaning.

SmartCentres unveils largest digital art gallery of its kind in Canada

SmartCentres unveiled Canada’s largest low-res LED art installation, with permanent status, in SmartVMC, its flagship 100-acre master-planned city centre in Vaughan.

At 10,000 square feet, PXL Gallery adorns the façade of one of SmartVMC’s condominium towers and features rotating exhibits of curated moving artwork created by acclaimed digital artists. The LED canvas is integrated into the building’s design and overlooks the on-site SmartVMC regional bus terminal and the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre TTC subway station.

Digital art has been getting trendier over the past decade as technology evolves. As a medium, it offers much versatility. As the City of Vaughan’s Senior Art Curator, Sharon Gaum-Kuchar, explains, “public art is an urban design mechanism that brings vibrancy to the forefront, and gives a personality to the city.”

“The PXL Gallery is theatrical and dynamic,” she adds. “It is not a static entity. The artist’s work is constantly morphing and evolving, and the resulting effect is a sense of transformation that really aligns with the vision for SmartVMC.”

An open call for submissions invited artists to submit proposals of their vision. Artists Jim Campbell, Rafaël Rozendaal and Rob King were awarded commissions, and their artwork will be the PXL Gallery’s first three rotational features.

San Francisco-based artist and digital pioneer, Campbell, was instrumental in the design and development of the PXL Gallery. Known for his contemporary, low-resolution LED lightworks, Campbell worked alongside SmartCentres, Diamond Schmitt Architects, Studio F Minus and Mulvey & Banani Lighting to investigate LED technology, glass, frit patterns and input standards while conducting substantial testing on the infrastructure supporting the gallery.

Photo courtesy of SmartCentres.

Best viewed after sundown, the PXL Gallery’s summer hours are daily between 9:00pm and 12:00am. It is located on the west side of Millway Avenue between Portage Parkway and Apple Mill Road in SmartVMC.

Feature photo courtesy of SmartCentres.

New handbook proposes designs for safe outdoor dining

Researchers at Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism have created a design handbook that envisions new ways to enjoy safe outdoor dining in Ottawa during and after pandemic restrictions.

Titled Dinner in the Street: Dining Safely and Socially in the Pandemic City and Beyond, the project aims to help the restaurant industry and enhance public life while maintaining physical distancing for public health. It also looks for opportunities for local food production and better serving the underserved.

The illustrated 28-page handbook proposes closing select streets to traffic and offers design concepts for five Ottawa neighbourhoods. It also contains ideas for structures, physical distancing strategies, zoning changes, and themes that reinforce neighbourhood identity.

The research was funded by the MITACS Accelerate Grant Program, which opened a special category for COVID-19-related research last year. The researchers were recent master of architecture graduates Shelby Hagerman and Rehab Salama, working under the direction of Jill Stoner, former director of Carleton’s Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism.

They studied international precedents for outdoor communal dining and consulted Ottawa community leaders and restaurant owners to develop the following proposals:

Argyle Avenue in Centretown could be closed for weekly communal feasts for the underserved beneath colourful umbrellas decorated with patterns inspired by flags of the world and Canada’s provinces and territories.
Daly Avenue in Sandy Hill could be periodically closed for artist-themed benefit dinners, hosted by the Ottawa Art Gallery and food from Daly Avenue restaurants.
George Street and York Street in the ByWard Market could be permanently closed to traffic, and host large numbers of people dining out in a festive atmosphere. New paving or paint that graphically adds a pattern can help establish physical distancing.
The cul-de-sacs off Preston Street in Little Italy could reduce the width of their traffic lane and develop community gardens for a farm-to-table experience. Meals can be delivered from Preston Street restaurants.
One block of Hazel Street in Old Ottawa East could be planted as a wheat field, softening a large nearby housing development edge. Small mowed circles provide an area for physically-distanced tables for solo diners.

The authors also propose a “Winter Street” of cabins and tents that can be set up outside restaurants. They come in three sizes: Date Cabins for two people; Social Cabins for three-to-four people; and Family Cabins for five-to-eight people.

Photo by Los Muertos Crew

Ottawa arena revived into accessible hub

The Lois Kemp Arena in Ottawa’s east end has reopened as a new community hub that makes it more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

The expansion work entailed a 6,700 square-foot addition on the south side of the arena and a 6,000 square-foot renovation of the existing building. The almost $5-million investment was made possible through the City of Ottawa and Canada’s Enabling Accessibility Fund.

Some new features include: four full-size player dressing rooms; two alternate needs dressing rooms; an expanded lobby; a seating area in the addition; a new entrance vestibule with automated sliding doors; a meeting/multi-purpose room; a universal washroom; a bleacher seating area with an accessible ramp, six accessible seating spaces, companion seating, adaptive seating, and a mobility aid storage space.

In addition, the new dressing rooms have enhanced showering facilities with accessible shower, water closet stall, sink and mirror. Each dressing room is also equipped with a deeper accessible seat with grab bars. The accessibility features also expand outside with five accessible parking spaces in its new 100-space parking lot and accessible sidewalks leading to the building.

The entire project was designed to meet LEED Silver certification and the City of Ottawa’s Accessibility Design Standards.

City Council approved the commemorative naming of the former Blackburn Arena as the Lois Kemp Arena and the naming of the rink inside the arena as the Eldon Kemp Rink in 2019.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Trades nurture skilled construction workforce

The Manitoba Building Trades Institute (MBTI) has begun welcoming the next generations of a skilled construction workforce. The newly opened $15-million training facility in central Winnipeg represents the largest single private investment in skilled trades training in Western Canada, and is equipped to provide work-readiness training with an emphasis on technology, sustainability and diversity and inclusion.

“A coordinated model of skilled trade recruitment and training is something that our province is in desperate need of, and the building trade unions are no strangers to significant investments in training,” says Sudhir Sandhu, chief executive officer of Manitoba Building Trades. “MBTI is just another piece in the training network our unions have been offering Manitoba for decades.”

“The building trades have long held training as a top priority, to turn out the highest-skilled, most well-trained workers in the industry,” concurs Sean Strickland, executive director of Canada’s Building Trades Unions. MBTI will augment a Canada-wide network of 195 skills training centres and support efforts to awaken high school graduates to the wide possibilities of construction careers.

In addition to five technology classrooms, a computer lab, an aquaponics greenhouse and 30,000 square feet of practical training space, MBTI houses cultural and networking amenities. That includes an 80-seat auditorium, an exhibition hall and the 1919 Centennial Atrium, which is the slated venue for a curated exhibit chronicling Winnipeg’s 1919 general strike.

Training is expected to serve the recruitment needs of the unionized construction trades and support capacity building across the entire industry. Programming on offer includes: safety and first aid certifications; unionized professional development; and pre-employment and pre-apprenticeship outreach to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) recruits.

“Skilled trades are high paying jobs; you work with your head and your hands; you physically see your accomplishments daily,” observes Marc Lafond, president of Manitoba Building Trades. “Of course I’m biased, but the skilled trades are where it’s at.”

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