New guide demystifies EV charging in MURBs

A new (and free) educational guide for property managers, unit owners and condo boards aims to demystify the complex process of installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in multi-unit residential buildings.

Demand for EVs is on the rise. KPMG Canada estimates that 68 per cent of Canadians will consider buying one as their next vehicle purchase. EV advocates are raising the flag that home charging infrastructure will need to keep up with demand.

Murbly, an online platform that offers educational resources and tools to simplify EV charging installation in MURBs, produced the nation-wide “EV Ready Planning: A Guide for MURBs,” with financial support from Natural Resources Canada. It contains guidance for making a building “EV ready,” depending on the region. Adding charging equipment in multi-unit dwellings doesn’t only affect EV owners.

“In recent years, we have noticed more and more concerns from multi-unit residential buildings’ residents regarding the charging possibility that their building offers,” says Marie-Pier Corbeil, co-founder of Murbly. “The requests come not only from electric vehicle owners, but also from residents who do not want their property’s value to drop due to lack of access to charging.”

The guide, produced by an all-female team, is about thirty pages long and attempts to detail all the steps necessary, in addition to giving a range of useful resources depending on the region.

Click here to select your region

Report cites construction innovation opportunity

A new report, Construction in a digital world, by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and KPMG in Canada, identifies significant opportunity for Canadian construction firms to adopt innovation.

As many as 75 per cent of construction firms surveyed by KPMG and CCA rated their digital maturity as fairly low relative to their competitors, the report finds. Further, almost three in five admit their organization “needs to moderately or considerably” adapt their digital strategy, with most unsure about which technologies and applications would offer them a competitive advantage.

“The industry is on the cusp of digital transformation with leading firms already adopting technology – from analytics to drones, robotics, 3D printing, and augmented reality – to yield improved productivity, safety and decision-making,” says CCA president Mary Van Buren. “Our survey reveals, however, that smaller and medium-sized firms are not yet capitalizing on the benefits technology can bring. For many contractors, the low bid model simply does not allow for innovation or to invest in new technologies.”

While some firms have invested in digitizing their front and back-office operations to reduce redundancy, cost and improve the employee and customer experience, the report suggests there is even greater opportunity to be gained from embracing technologies, such as predictive analytics, building information modelling (BIM), digital twins, wireless monitoring and autonomous equipment, and augmented reality (AR).

Construction companies embracing digital transformation will achieve greater efficiency, generate substantial productivity gains, improve onsite safety for workers, reduce the cost of goods sold, and modernize operating models, the report says.

“Digital innovation is a continuing process, not an end game,” says Lorne Burns, KPMG’s national industry leader, building, construction and real estate, based in Vancouver. “Many construction entities rely on legacy systems, and those that improve their competitive positioning will use this time as an opportunity to integrate disparate systems and adopt new ways of operating.”

Too often, companies implement a technology concept or software package to reduce costs or get a quick payback on a single project only to leave the tool with that project and never use it again. This issue is compounded when a company grows through acquisitions, each with their own set of legacy technologies, the report says, pointing out the necessity of having an integrated strategic digitization strategy.

Automatic floor scrubbers continue surging growth

The uptake in the use of automatic floor scrubbers has increased across numerous sectors in recent years as facility managers look for more effective and efficient ways to ensure cleanliness.

That growth doesn’t look like slowing down as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

The floor scrubbers and sweepers market is expected to keep surging in the coming years. A new report from market research firm Arizton Advisory & Intelligence suggests the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of over 8 per cent between 2020−2026. Key drivers include a growing demand for cleaning technologies, a greater inclination toward sustainability, and a rising call for cleanliness in industries like hospitality.

The scrubbers segment dominated over 57 per cent of the market. Contract cleaners, such as building service providers (BSCs), account for the majority share of the scrubbers and sweepers market at approximately 14 per cent of the global share.

And automatic or autonomous floor scrubbers are leading the way.

Another study, from ABI Research in 2019, found that autonomous mobile robots are likely to be the fastest-growing category in the mobile robot market between 2020 and 2030. ABI predicted a significant sector for mobile automation would be maintenance and cleaning, noting 5,000 autonomous floor scrubbers were already in U.S. retail stores and commercial buildings at the end of 2019.

Today, there are thousands of machine-powered “intelligent cleaners” deployed globally in facilities like retail and grocery stores, malls, airports, schools, hospitals, and other public locations.

“The main difference between those very early versions and the machines of today have to do with the quality of sensors and cameras for autonomous navigation, the sophistication of the artificial intelligence (AI), safety, ease of use, cleaning efficiency, and much more,” said Alan Butcher, Vice President of Global Client Services at Brain Corp., a provider of AI and robotics technology used in autonomous scrubbers, vacuums and other applications. “It’s literally night and day—probably what you would expect from two decades of innovation.”

The current versions of automatic floor scrubbers offer numerous benefits, including easy repetition of tasks, greater efficiency, reduced costs, and the ability to reallocate personnel and resources to other high-value tasks.

Facility managers vastly increase hand sanitizer stations

Increased visibility of hand sanitizer dispensers has been a marked trend of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it seems facility managers are greatly increasing their availability.

Facilities have responded to the pandemic by more than doubling the number of hand sanitizer units in their buildings, according to a new GP PRO survey of 425 individuals responsible for buying or maintaining those units in facilities.

The trend has been most prominent in office, industrial, and foodservice facilities.

Many commercial facilities already had hand sanitizer units dispersed throughout the buildings.

The survey found that pre-pandemic, foodservice, healthcare, industrial, residential, and office facilities had an average of 23 hand sanitizer units. That has risen to more than 40 units. Meanwhile, office buildings tripled the number of units and healthcare and lodging facilities now each average 85 units.

Looking ahead, the survey found that 85 per cent of people responsible for buying or maintaining units plan to keep most or all of them once the pandemic is over.

“Although we knew early on in the pandemic that there was increased demand for our sanitizer and dispensing products, this survey makes clear that those involved in facility management have come to greatly value the role hand sanitizer plays in improving hygiene,” said Julie Howard, vice president and general manager of GP PRO’s towel, skincare, and air care categories.

Additional findings of the survey include:

Hand sanitizer units increased by more than 50 per cent on average in healthcare facilities, and 91 per cent of healthcare respondents expect to leave most or all of their units in place after the pandemic.
Office facilities increased their number by 200 per cent on average, with 90 per cent of office respondents expecting to leave most or all of those installed.
The number of units increased by 180 per cent on average in industrial facilities, and 85 per cent of industrial respondents intend to keep most or all of them.
The number exactly doubled in foodservice facilities, and 79 per cent of foodservice respondents expect to keep most or all of those units.
Units increased by nearly 85 per cent on average in lodging facilities. Post-pandemic, 70 per cent of lodging respondents expect to leave most or all of their units in place.
Automated wall-mounted dispensers are the most common hand sanitizer format, with 61 per cent of survey respondents using them in their facilities.

BOMA BC lauds commercial real estate industry

Companies and individuals in B.C.’s commercial real estate industry were lauded for their superior service on May 20th at the BOMA BC Awards of Excellence.

The virtual gala featured a choice of five networking lounges and a photo booth. Keynote speaker Gregg Brown kicked off the formal segment of the event with a presentation on how to adapt for the future of work. Emcee Fred Lee then turned attention to the seven awards, presented by the staff of BOMA BC.

Known as the ‘TOBYs’, The Outstanding Building of the Year Award is the highest achievement for an existing building. It examines everything from tenant relations to sustainability. This year’s program was complemented with the Building Operations Team of the Year (with a focus on the people who operate buildings); Tenant Improvement of the Year (recognizing the best renovation project); Pinnacle Awards in the Above & Beyond category (customer-service related); and Member of the Year (for the volunteer who contributed to the success of the association or industry).

Most of the winners are now eligible to compete at the national level of competition, organized by BOMA Canada.

2021 BOMA BC Award Winners:

The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY): 250,000 – 499,999 s.f. category
401 West Georgia managed by Oxford Properties Group

TOBY: 100,000 s.f. to 249,999 s.f. category
The Slide (565 Great Northern Way) managed by Low Tide Properties Ltd.

TOBY: Historical Building category
Marine Building managed by Oxford Properties Group

Building Operations Team of the Year
Oxford Properties’ 401 W. Georgia & 402 Dunsmuir team

Tenant Improvement of the Year
Hudson Pacific Properties for renovation of Hudson Canada Management ULC

Pinnacle: Above & Beyond category
Bee-Clean Building Maintenance Inc.

Member of the Year
Kris Genest, Haakon Industries

Parsing Ontario’s electricity cost allocation

Ontario’s large commercial electricity customers can approach the looming annual decision about their billing structure for the 12 months beginning July 1 with the assurance of long-term relief on a portion of their costs. That’s to be weighed against uncertainties around energy demand and whether a locked-in cost allocation formula that looked favourable in pre-pandemic times will remain so until June 30, 2022.

“The biggest unknown is we just don’t know when the people are coming back,” Jon Douglas, director of sustainability with Menkes Property Management Services, reflected during a webinar sponsored by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Greater Toronto last week. “The occupancy in our office buildings this fall, and going into the new year, could really impact the outcome of the decision.”

After a year of operational upheaval and more modifications to provincial electricity pricing policies, BOMA Toronto’s regularly scheduled workshop ahead of the June 15 deadline for eligible customers to opt into the Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI) program had a lot of ground to cover. Notably, beginning in January, all commercial customers have seen a reduction in the global adjustment (GA) component of their monthly hydro bills after the Ontario government shifted costs associated with contracted non-hydroelectric renewable supply from electricity rates to the general provincial account — a move that trims approximately $258 million per month from the total GA charged to industrial and commercial customers. However, they won’t garner the full benefit of that until 2022 since they’re currently repaying about $333 million in GA costs that were deferred in April, May and June of 2020.

Renewable cost shift pares the global adjustment

For now, Ontario government officials estimate the renewable cost shift equates to a 12 per cent discount relative to 2020 prices. Once last year’s GA deferral is repaid at the end of 2021, they project the average Class A customer participating in the ICI program should realize a 16 per cent saving on the total hydro bill, while Class B customers paying the GA on a volumetric per kilowatt-hour (kWh) basis will see a slightly more moderate 15 per cent decrease.

“This is the biggest change to electricity pricing that’s happened since the introduction of ICI,” Tim Christie, director of electricity policy, economics and system planning for Ontario’s Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, told online workshop attendees. “The government is funding the out-of-market costs of renewables. It does tail off into the 2030s as those contracts (for wind, solar and biomass generation) expire, but over the next eight-ish years, it’s pretty steady at around just over $3 billion per year.”

Extrapolating from 2020 costs, he pegged average electricity costs at roughly 9.1 cents/kWh for Class A commercial customers and 13.2 cents/kWh for Class B. However, energy management specialists suggest actual 2021 numbers haven’t proved that out.

“In commercial buildings, we’re averaging 10 to 12 cents for Class A in 2021, and we’re seeing more than that for about 14, 15 cents for Class B,” reported Scott Rouse, managing partner with the consulting firm, Energy@Work.

GA costs for Class B customers dropped nearly 30 per cent in the first four months of 2021 compared to the last four months of 2020, when they averaged 11.8 cents/kWh. Thus far, though, there have been significant month-to-month fluctuations, with a low of 5.04 cents/kWh in February and a high of 10.9 cents/kWh in April contributing to the four-month average of 8.3 cents/kWh.

“In 2020, system-wide GA very often averaged more than $1 billion per month,” Rouse said. “This February it dropped to $500 million, which was really quite surprising. So it is a very volatile cost.”

Although welcome, the renewable cost shift does alter the payback on energy-saving investments, particularly for demand response mechanisms like energy storage. When combined with pandemic-related uncertainty and a series of policy and program reversals in recent years, the industry’s appetite for some more capital-intensive technologies appears to be flagging.

“Volatility puts a pause on some of the innovation,” said Terry Flynn, general manager with BentallGreenOak and chair of BOMA Toronto’s energy committee. “It could be a leading edge, but it might be a bleeding edge that won’t bear any fruit because the way the commodity costs are structured will change.”

“There’s kind of a wait-and-see approach on some of these bigger investments,” Douglas concurred.

Industrial Conservation Initiative underpins commercial class divide

Turning to the ICI, Class A customers — defined as those with average monthly energy demand of at least 1 megawatt (MW) — encountered some unexpected changes to the program rules during 2020. Meanwhile, Class B customers — encompassing the vast share of commercial properties smaller than about 350,000 square feet — confront the persistent reality of electricity cost allocation that offloads the burden from larger players onto them.

Through the ICI, participating Class A customers pay a share of the global adjustment that’s prorated to their energy use during the five hours of the period from May 1 to April 30 when the highest overall system demand is recorded. This gives Class A customers the opportunity to lock in a favourable factor for calculating their share of monthly system-wide global adjustment costs if they can successful project and curtail energy loads during those five hours of peak demand. On the flipside, Class B customers pay the remainder of those system-wide costs, on a straightforward per-kWh basis, once Class A payments have been reconciled.

“Class B has sometimes been regarded as the forgotten middle child of the customer classes in Ontario where all the shifted costs in the system kind of pile up,” acknowledged Mark Olsheski, vice president, energy and environment, with Sussex Strategy Group. “Likewise, there can be big unpredictable and uncontrollable swings in the global adjustment rate from month to month and, outside of pure energy efficiency, there really is precious little opportunity or empowerment for a Class B customer to take actions to lower their bills.”

Nevertheless, COVID-19 presents a few extra hiccups for Class A customers this year. Conventionally, late May is when they receive notification of the cost allocation factor that would be used to determine their GA for the upcoming July 1 to June 30 period. This year, though, all current ICI participants will retain the factor they secured by responding to the five hours of peak demand during the 12 months from May 1, 2019 to April 30, 2020 after the Ontario government placed a temporary halt on the peak demand response aspect of the program last summer. Regardless, eligible ICI participants must formally opt into the program by June 15 or they will be billed as Class B customers.

Peak chasing resumes for summer 2021

Since peak demand hours conventionally occur from June to September, Class A customers will once again be studying forecasts intently and preparing to respond as the heat wave season sets in. That should help alleviate some of the system stresses that arose last summer — prompting policy-makers to reject lobbying for a continued pause on peak demand response.

“The policy rationale was to allow consumers to focus on their operations when recovering from COVID as opposed to reducing peaks. The other issue was that we did not expect the peaks to be high last summer given COVID shutdowns,” Christie recounted. “But due to some hot weather, more people at home and also the lack of ICI response, we saw peaks we haven’t seen in many, many years come up last summer. So the peak hiatus has ended and this summer we’ll be back to responding to ICI as per normal.”

Among Class A customers, owners/managers of office and retail facilities generally have the most to lose from a billing formula tied to the energy demand of more densely occupied buildings in the summer of 2019. However, they could be much more competitively positioned for 2022-23 if their buildings remain below full occupancy and energy demand stays lower than usual this summer.

“Where we can improve is the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) and the LDCs (local distribution companies) need to help customers get their real-time data, interpret their bills and their Class A versus B scenarios much more easily and comprehensively,” urged Lee Hodgkinson, vice president, technical services, sustainability and ESG, with Dream Unlimited. “ I look for APIs (application programming interface) and direct data flow from the LDCs to the building owners so that we can access that data really easily.”

Given Class A’s historic advantages, few eligible ICI participants are expected to migrate out to Class B. From a sustainability perspective, there’s perhaps more cause to question how the ICI’s 1-MW threshold encourages strategies to move in the other direction.

“You could jack up demand in some buildings and get them into Class A basically by firing up the chillers on the weekend and then pouring cooling outside to get rid of it,” Douglas noted. “That has nothing to do with climate change strategy or sustainability, but it’s a cost- saving strategy, and, sometimes, when you look at the math, it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars you can save.”

Brian Hewson, vice president, consumer protection and industry performance with the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), confirmed the OEB is currently scrutinizing the discrepancy that leaves Class B as the only consumer group with no flexibility to curtail energy load during higher-priced periods, and will be providing advice to the Ministry of Energy. In the interim, that status does, at least, simplify tactics.

“Just reduce your kWh and it doesn’t matter what time of day because you’re paying that fixed rate for 24 hours a day. So if you can curb your demand at night, you get a big bang for your dollar,” Rouse advised.

“We do talk about rates a lot, but if you’re not using it, you’re not paying for it,” Flynn agreed. “A lot of our focus is still on really to try to reduce the number of kilowatts that we use. That seems to be the best thing to do.”

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

Canderel acquires prime Toronto site for development

Canderel announced it has purchased the 1.91-acre vacant lot at 490 St. Clair Avenue West, located at the northeast corner of St. Clair Avenue West and Bathurst Street, next to St. Michael’s College School.

Building off the momentum of St.Clair Village, which is currently under construction at 900 St. Clair West, Caderel’s development plans at the new site include three residential towers, retail at-grade, a new public park and a daycare.

490 St. Clair West is a transit-oriented location adjacent to a major Loblaw’s supermarket and St. Clair West Subway. With an east-west dedicated streetcar route right outside its door, it is also a gateway intersection to many of Toronto’s prized ravine trails and neighbourhoods, including Forest Hill, Cedarvale, and Wychwood. Locally run businesses on St. Clair West are also within walking distance.

“The acquisition of 490 St. Clair West is a fantastic opportunity to revitalize a prominent corner that has been vacant for many years,” says Ben Rogowski, COO, Canderel. “We are excited about the potential of this site because we will be able to build a complete community in a part of the city we are already working in and know quite well. With increasing demand for public outdoor spaces and childcare, we look forward to working with the city and agency partners to create amenities that support the evolving needs of this neighbourhood.”

In addition to Canderel’s focus on community needs, the company has experience with multi-phased mixed-use projects in tight urban pockets. Examples include: DNA on King West, Residences of College Park at Bay and College, and the master-planned Tour des Canadiens in downtown Montreal.

“The look and feel of the retail and public spaces, and how they are integrated into the urban fabric is going to be a very exciting improvement to this vital intersection,” says Rogowski. “Our vision for this site is that it becomes a new community hub, serving the needs of the communities that live in and around St. Clair West.”

With the site already zoned, Canderel will be working on updated designs for the residential buildings and retail in the coming months. KingSett Canadian Real Estate Income Fund LP will contribute a portion of the debt financing to the project, continuing its long-standing relationship with Canderel.

Find out more at Commercial Property Management Canada – Canderel.

Biophilic design of new TRCA HQ puts wood first

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is getting a new head office that will holistically reflect the natural water and ravine systems it has been protecting for more than 60 years.

After breaking ground in January 2020, ZAS Architects in a joint venture with Bucholz McEvoy Architects, recently unveiled the final design of the wood office, which aims to be one of the most energy-efficient, mid-rise commercial buildings in North America.

An exposed mass timber structure built almost entirely out of wood will rise this September. Once occupants shuffle into the flexible workplace in 2022, there will be repeated visual reminders of the building’s connection to the natural environment.

Sitting adjacent to the Black Creek ravine system, the four-storey building’s geometry follows the natural topography creating terraces that move with the ravine edge. From each level of the south-facing façade are views of the ravine landscape for employees and visitors to enjoy.

“We envisioned TRCA’s new workplace as one that will inspire, motivate and support the culture of its employees, who are champions of the local environment,” says ZAS Principal Peter Duckworth Pilkington. “We approached the design as an opportunity to reimagine the TRCA’s relationship with Black Creek Ravine, of which TRCA is a guardian.”

The landscape integrates active transportation entry points, including connections to bike trails in the ravine.

Cedar wood cladding on the exterior is sourced from Ontario and references the heritage buildings in the adjacent Black Creek Pioneer Village, some that date back 150 years.

Other sustainable design features include a green roof, rainwater harvesting, low impact landscape development, and solar chimneys, which will generate five per cent of the building’s electricity. Using a combination of low carbon electrical power from Ontario’s grid, geothermal energy and roof mounted solar panels, the project is targeting Net Carbon Zero, LEED Platinum V4, Toronto Green Standard Level 2, and WELL Silver certifications. When compared to traditional office buildings of this size, carbon emissions along with operating costs are projected to be reduced by up to 50 per cent.

The atria on the ground floor. Large skylights allow daylight to penetrate deeply into the building.

TRCA’s new predominantly plant-based workplace will become a living model for TRCA to show their partners and visitors how projects can be built sensitively and responsibly next to ravine landscapes. A major focal point for the employee and visitor experience are four water walls in the main atrium. Encased in glass and extending to the height of the building, the water walls serve a dual function, symbolizing TRCA’s role of safeguarding the GTA’s watersheds while also being an integral part of the building’s HVAC system.

“Through the water wall feature, we’re making the building’s life support systems that are usually hidden infrastructure visible and tangible,” says Duckworth Pilkington. “Making the invisible, visible when it comes to energy use, serves as a very real reminder of the impact our daily lives and decisions have on the planet every day.”

An urban woodland will be included as a new public space adjacent to the main entrance of the building where visitors and employees can gather.

Building on this theme, the design combines cutting-edge sustainability technologies with traditional techniques. While a high-tech HVAC system and an automated exterior blind system manages the building’s heating and cooling, occupants will be engaged to become active participants, much like they are active stewards of resource management for the community. Under the right exterior conditions staff will be alerted by the building’s automation system through their personal devices, to either open or close windows to ensure the building is using energy most efficiently.

TRCA’s new office design was an organizational priority to both improve the efficiency and environmental impact of their workspace, while also improving employee wellness and their connection to the organization’s mandate. The holistic approach came together through an extensive collaborative process between ZAS, Bucholz McEvoy Architects, and TRCA employees.

“The sustainability approach is not a default approach; it’s been a holistic approach so that the whole building works as an ensemble from the use of mass timber to the ‘water walls,’ says Jed Braithwaite, manager, contract services and asset maintenance property, TRCA. “ZAS and the design team have been very successful providing a place where both TRCA staff and visitors are able to experience and understand TRCA’s mandate in a building that is functional, cost-effective, innovative and provides a healthy place for collaboration.”

First cleaning franchise earns GBAC STAR accreditation

Anago Cleaning Systems is the first commercial cleaning franchise to earn the GBAC STAR, the highest rating issued by the GBAC (Global Biorisk Advisory Council) for ensuring facilities implement strict protocols for biorisk situations.

“Anago Cleaning Systems is proud to be the first commercial cleaning franchise company in the nation to earn this significant benchmark in biorisk cleanliness and workplace safety,” said Adam Povlitz, CEO and president of Anago Cleaning Systems.

“As a leader in the commercial cleaning franchise industry, it is imperative to stay up-to-date with the most advanced and innovative cleaning and disinfection practices and adopt them in our South Florida-based international headquarters.”

Povlitz added that Anago had adopted the GBAC accreditation process into its international master and unit franchise program guidelines. Each business serviced by an Anago franchise is implementing the latest cleaning and disinfectant protocols learned through the COVID-19 experience.

Speaking about the GBAC STAR rating system, John Barrett, executive director of ISSA, said the accreditation program is precisely what facilities need to reopen and keep staff, customers, and communities safe. As the only nationwide commercial cleaning franchise to be accredited with the GBAC STAR award, Anago joins a huge number of high-profile facilities in achieving the certification.

“As a COVID-19 frontline industry, Anago was committed through each step of the pandemic by continuing to evolve and implement new disinfecting protocols when they became available. Since its inception, Anago has maintained a firm seat on the cutting edge of new technologies in both cleaning applications and processes, and in customer service as well,” said Povlitz.

Back in March, Colorado-based CCS Facility Services had become the first business in the world to achieve GBAC STAR Service Accreditation. That new program was announced in February and is designed for building service contractors and other outsourced cleaning service providers seeking third-party validation for their cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention programs.

Remembering former ISSA Canada leader Jean Larose

The Canadian cleaning industry recently lost an icon as former ISSA Canada president Jean Larose passed away on May 6, 2021 at the age of 85.

Larose was instrumental in building ISSA into the industry-leading organization that it is today in Canada.

In 1954, the inspiring entrepreneur and his father founded their Larose et Fils Ltée family business. Larose then joined ISSA Canada under its previous name of the Canadian Sanitation Supply Association (CSSA) in 1962. He was only the second member from outside Ontario.

In 1963, he became chapter chairman and worked diligently to build membership in the eastern region to establish CSSA as a truly national organization.

By 1975, he had become CSSA president, the first representative from Quebec to hold the position. With Larose at the helm, the CSSA formed new chapters in Thunder Bay, Ont., as well as in the Atlantic region in 1977.

In addition to his dedication to growing the association, Larose was also pivotal in the creation of an association publication geared towards bolstering communications across the country. The first issue of “Sanitation Canada” made its debut at the 1976 CSSA Convention in Toronto with Larose on the cover.

A leader, mentor, loyal partner, and close friend to many in the industry, Larose also heavily involved with ISSA in the United States. A member since 1960, he attended every ISSA Show North America convention from 1960 through to 2018. He also served as the association’s first International Director.

Acknowledged for “Outstanding Services in Growing ISSA Membership” (1979), Larose was influential in convincing ISSA to host its annual trade show in Montreal, Queb., the first and so far only time the convention was held outside of the U.S.

The Larose family invites industry friends to sign the guestbook through the memorial website.

PCL selected for new Lions Gate Hospital tower

PCL Constructors West Coast has been selected as the successful proponent for the new acute-care patient tower at Lions Gate Hospital. The official name for the new tower will be the Paul Myers Tower.

“With the selection of a preferred proponent for the design-build contract, we are now one step closer to getting shovels in the ground for the new acute-care tower at LGH,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “Our government is proud to move forward on our promise to British Columbians to deliver a new tower at LGH so that residents on the North Shore can access state-of-the-art, quality public health care.”

The new acute-care facility will replace aging infrastructure and will be a high-tech facility. It will serve as the hub for acute and virtual services for people on the North Shore and throughout the coastal region.

The facility will feature eight new operating rooms, a new pre-operative and post-operative care area (including anesthesia intervention and isolation rooms), 108 single-patient rooms with ensuite bathrooms, a telehealth centre and a primary care centre to give residents without a family doctor faster access to non-acute services. Construction is expected to begin in mid-2021.

Lions Gate Hospital provides a full range of general and many specialized acute-care services. The hospital is a recognized trauma centre and has 254 beds, eight operating rooms and a variety of diagnostic services and equipment. It is the fourth-busiest hospital in Vancouver and one of only five neurosurgery centres in British Columbia.

“This pandemic has brought to light how important it is for our communities to have access to high-quality health-care facilities,” said Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale. “The Paul Myers Tower has been made possible through generous community contributions as well as provincial government investments and will be a testament to our collective commitment to delivering better care for British Columbians.”

Commercial buildings named ENERGY STAR winners

Suburban office and corporate headquarters capture the limelight in the newly announced 2021 ENERGY STAR Canada awards for existing commercial and institutional buildings. Five buildings have received accolades as part of Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) annual recognition of energy efficiency champions among Canadian landlords, developers manufacturers, retailers, utilities and advocacy organizations.

This year, a total of 20 winners were named, including 15 in the products category and two new home builders, along with the five owners/managers drawn from registrants in NRCan’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager energy performance benchmarking program. Other honourees are manufacturers or retailers of ENERGY STAR-certified products or have played a leading role in promoting these products to Canadian consumers.

“When you see the ENERGY STAR label, you know it means energy savings. It saves money on energy bills, helps consumers and businesses make informed decisions and lowers energy use,” asserts Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources. “This year’s winners are building a more sustainable, energy-efficient and prosperous future.”

The four winning commercial buildings are:

Commerce South Office Park, Building B, a three-storey, 91,000-square-foot building located on Edmonton’s 51st Avenue. It was built in 1982 and is owned and managed by BentallGreenOak;
Sun Life’s 112-year-old Canadian head office, located in Waterloo, Ontario, managed by BentallGreenOak;
6985 Financial Drive, a five-storey, 180,000-square-foot office building in Mississauga, Ontario. It was built in 2006 and is owned and managed by QuadReal Property Group; and
Brian Canfield Centre, a 22-storey, 690,000-square-foot tower located at 3777 Kingsway in Burnaby, B.C. It was built in 1976 and originally served as the headquarters of BC Tel. It is currently owned and managed by H&R REIT.

Sunrise of Windsor was named the 2021 winner in the institutional building category. It is owned and managed by Sunrise Senior Living.

The two recipients of new home builder awards are also both located in southwest Ontario. WrightHaven Homes Ltd. of Fergus, Ontario was named in the small builder category, with mid-sized builder honours going to Doug Tarry Limited of St. Thomas, Ontario.

Atlantic Canada emerged as an influential player in energy efficiency programming and advocacy. Newfoundland and Labrador’s takeCHARGE! program was recognized for best program offered by a utility and the best promotional campaign, while, efficiencyPEI was named the 2021 energy efficiency program administrator of the year. That follows Prince Edward Island’s most improved performance in Efficiency Canada’s second annual provincial scorecard last year, when it climbed two places to take fifth spot.

Making a strong representation for the facilities management sector, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care was named ENERGY STAR advocate of the year for the fourth time. The not-for-profit organization works with a growing network of health care providers Canada-wide to respond to climate change and promote ways to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other waste.

“We have a strong commitment to improving energy management practices within the sector because of their impact on reducing health care’s carbon footprint,” observes Neil Ritchie, executive director of the Green Health Care Coalition. “This award recognizes the efforts of the Coalition that have been built over the past two decades to bring energy management to the forefront of health care.”

Unique childcare centres open in Vancouver

Two new Vancouver childcare centres, first of their kind in Canada, have completed in Gastown and will provide 74 much-needed spaces for families.

Designed by Acton Ostry Architects, the centres are designed to achieve Passive House Standard Certification and LEED Gold certification and to be net zero energy buildings with low carbon systems. Heatherbrae Builders was the general contractor.

These are the first childcare centres in Canada to be located atop a parkade, representing an innovative solution to underutilized space and the lack of space for childcare in Vancouver’s downtown core. This creative model is part of the city’s broader commitment to increasing childcare supply by reimaging how city space can be used.

“The location of the new facilities on the roof of the existing parkades is a unique approach to adding new childcare buildings to the downtown core and, in addition, has allowed us to offer no cost childcare solutions to families in Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside who would otherwise not be able to afford childcare,” said Mayor Kennedy Stewart.

The two single-storey centres will be operated by the YMCA of Greater Vancouver and feature a total of approximately 10,000 square feet of indoor space and 11,000 square feet of outdoor space. Twenty-four of the available spaces will be accessible at no cost to low income families.

“Quality child care requires passionate educators for every child, and we will certainly have that at Water View YMCA Child Care and Portside YMCA Child Care. We can’t wait to welcome new families to these two first-class facilities, and provide their children with the opportunity to connect with others, learn, and develop the skills needed to become confident kids today and contributing, engaged adults in the future,” said Kim Adamson, general manager, Child Care Development.

The project cost of $17 million was funded by a $1 million major capital grant from the provincial government and the Union of BC Municipalities, and $16 million through Community Amenity.

Deal makers might avoid needless FOI requests

Deal makers may be able to shave some time off real estate transactions in Ontario through a proposed digital channel for submitting property-related information requests to the Ministry of the Environment. An outline of the envisioned service, now posted on Ontario’s regulatory registry for public comment, promotes it as an efficient alternative to the current paper-based system, which requires prospective purchasers to submit freedom of information (FOI) requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) to discover if the ministry holds any environmental records on a property.

“Due to the volume of FOI requests received by the ministry, and the manual search process that is required to retrieve information, requests can be slow to fulfill,” it acknowledges.

The proposed new digital service promises to streamline and speed up the process of verifying whether a property is listed with the ministry. However, requests could still be submitted via an FOI if proponents prefer that approach.

Through the digital option, information seekers could pay a $65 fee to submit an online request form, and would receive confirmation of the existence of any records within five business days. From there, they would still have to file an FOI request to find out more details about any records the ministry did hold.

“Property-related information requests are used by requesters to facilitate real estate transactions in Ontario with an estimated annual value of $40 billion,” the proposal states. “This will reduce delays for the real estate industry and property developers by allowing them to make faster and better informed decisions to support property transactions.”

Interested parties can submit comments on the proposed service until May 31.

P3 to expand Alberta’s Deerfoot Trail improvements

Alberta Transportation is qualifying companies to bid on improvements to Deerfoot Trail as a P3 project. Alberta’s government has committed $210 million to the construction phase for the improvements and expects almost $200 million in additional private investment.

“Deerfoot Trail is Alberta’s busiest road and Calgarians know it’s congested and needs improvement,” said Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Municipal Affairs. “Alberta’s P3 model means we double the taxpayer’s investment with private money, to upgrade twice as many bridges and intersections. Improving Deerfoot Trail creates good-paying jobs and boosts our growth in the future.”

Tanya Fir, MLA for Calgary-Peigan said accidents and traffic jams are all too common on the Deerfoot. “This announcement is a major step forward to upgrade even more of a route that many Calgarians rely on. Quicker and safer travel will support growth in our city.”

Deerfoot Trail improvements could include: Ivor Strong Bridge twinning; Anderson Road/Bow Bottom Trail Interchange; three through-lanes in each direction; interchange reconfiguration, including new bridges and ramps; twinning the bridge over Glenmore Trail Interchange. Other improvements include reconfiguring the 17 Avenue SE and Memorial Drive Interchanges and eliminating weaving traffic and widening between 17 Avenue SE and Airport Trail to four lanes in each direction.

Alberta’s government recently updated the P3 framework to provide greater flexibility in building infrastructure, creating jobs and stimulating the economy while making the most of limited taxpayer dollars.

The approximate timeline for the project is:

- Spring/Summer 2021 – RFQ process proceeds
- August 2021 – request for proposal is posted to solicit bids
- July 2022 – proponent selected and contract awarded.

Construction is set to start in fall 2022 with completion anticipated for fall 2026.

Investing in the workplace growing more pivotal

The workplace has always been a critical component of the ecosystem of any business, and even more so today. Challenges during the pandemic have created a unique opportunity to rethink the workplace—putting people, health and innovation first. Such knowledge can be a catalyst to proactively examine the path forward and the unique impacts to different organizations.

Business aspirations, culture, processes and relationships continue to provide the foundation to inform strategic workplace decisions. The workplace is an investment in the business, and an organization should expect a return. But in order to do that, companies need to understand how having their people together in a specific physical space impacts their business—their ability to deliver services or products, to create new knowledge, to mentor their people and to grow and develop as a company.

Understanding the way employees work and interact contributes to a business’ success more than deciding how much physical space is needed. Carefully crafting an inclusive workplace response, requiring integration of people programs, implementing technology tools and systems, rethinking work processes and interactions, and building shared experiences all accelerate business outcomes. By incorporating these aspects into a cohesive solution, an organization can make rational and effective decisions that will result in a return on their investment in office space.

Impact of COVID-19 on the business

No doubt organizations today, and post-pandemic, are wondering what the impact of this experience will have on their real estate decisions. There are two significant components here: how to bring people back into the workplace safely in the near-term and innovations and changes needed in the long-term.

For both, it is important to understand the gains and losses during the work-from-home experience. How have the business and its people struggled and how have they excelled? While most organizations were able to adjust quickly as a short-term reactive strategy, it should not be assumed that these temporary fixes translate easily into enduring solutions. The longer the pandemic causes companies to operate in a climate of lockdowns and uncertainty, the more cracks will show.

Independent tasks and the coordinated aspects of work are benefiting work-from-home arrangements. People feel more productive, most leaders are supportive, and technology is helping to navigate all this. In fact, Colliers’ recent global survey confirms that 54 per cent of people feel more productive working from home. However, when feeling connected, the picture is less rosy: almost 40 per cent of people feel less connected to their teams, and of those, 85 per cent feel their productivity has decreased.

Business leaders are increasingly frustrated with the pandemic pace. While few doubt the monumental effort their people are making, it’s increasingly more difficult to streamline work and to ensure cross-functional collaborations are occurring effectively, and that tacit knowledge is shared and understood.

These challenges then begin to lead to issues related to culture, cohesion and relationships—the imperceptible aspects of how work happens in a knowledge-based organization. The more complex the problems that need solving, the more difficult this exclusively home-based situation becomes. As one senior executive recently said, “We can run our business from home, but we’re not growing our business from home.”

How do we prepare for the post-pandemic future?

Preparing for the long-term should begin now. This includes creating a strategy with objective analysis:

What has been learned. An honest look at the good and the bad;
How, where and when all aspects of work are performed best;
What matters most to your people. How different scenarios will impact employee health, wellness and engagement;
Organizational dynamics; the less obvious aspects of how teams and groups function at their best;
The financial impacts of various options.

Out of this comes a cohesive plan to address programs, policies and business practices that reinforce business goals. An evidence-based real estate strategy will emerge, one that creates a positive impact on business outcomes and reduces risk.

More importantly, creating a plan ensures a complete solution that suits the unique needs of a business and is both feasible and viable, rather than a reactive solution based on “what is everyone else doing?” This conversation is not new; however, its priority has accelerated within almost every organization. Now it’s time to realistically evaluate the benefits and barriers of workplace options to design the best path forward.

Robyn Baxter is the senior vice-president and co-managing director of workplace advisory at Colliers Canada. She is a client-focused, results-oriented workplace strategy leader with more than 30 years of experience, developing effective workplace, change and engagement strategies.

Photo by Daria Shevtsova

Ottawa hockey facility a zero carbon first

AMPED Sports Lab and Ice Complex in Ottawa, Ontario, is a one-stop facility for hockey development, training, and treatment. The facility caters to elite athletic training, as well as recovery and treatment of injuries or chronic problems. It houses a physiotherapy clinic, a 4,000-square-foot gym, and a 120-foot by 65-foot ice rink. And, most recently, the facility became the first Zero Carbon Building Performance Standard certified arena—achieved through the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building Program. Modern Niagara, a national contractor and building service provider, led AMPED on the journey.

For context, limiting the building’s impact on the environment was the primary objective. Initially, the set goal was to reduce the overall energy consumption in the building by at least 40 per cent. This smart goal would drive the strategy for designing the building’s mechanical, electrical, and building technology systems. A project timeline was established to account for benchmarking, design, installation, and measurement. To help fulfill the objective while limiting costs, the project has qualified for two sources of government funding, the Climate Action Incentive Fund and Save On Energy, with a combined value of up to $265,000.

To benchmark the building’s energy use, detect faults, and collect energy use data over time, the team installed an electric metering system, implemented a cloud-based, real-time data monitoring solution, and upgraded the building automation system. In the meantime, the team began to brainstorm and weigh the costs and benefits of a variety of energy conservation measures that would shape the design of the new building systems. The options that were initially brought forward to help achieve the goal included installing a CHP system, reclaiming heat from the ice plant, retrofitting the lighting, and installing rooftop solar panels with battery storage.

Rooftop solar panels with battery storage.

To ensure that the ideas put forward would result in a 40 per cent reduction in energy consumption, executive leaders in renewable power generation and energy storage from engineering firms escorted the team through a technical deep dive.

From their insights we learned that batteries are expensive and would only be useful in the event of a loss of power at the scale and cost we were contemplating For a facility of this type, the most beneficial strategy was to tie into the existing electricity grid via a “net metering” connection where the grid becomes the “battery” for storing energy produced by the solar panels when the building does not need the volume of energy being produced. With this information and to overcome this challenge, installing a CHP system would no longer help achieve the goal.

It was concluded that the initial design’s costs and prolonged timeline far outweighed its benefits. The team explored other ways to limit the building’s impact on the environment and set a new goal: to eliminate as much carbon-based energy consumption as possible and move towards a zero carbon facility.

This could be accomplished by targeting the areas of the building that consume natural gas, which is a fossil fuel and consequently emits the highest amounts of carbon into the atmosphere at this facility. Those areas are the ice rink dehumidifier, the domestic hot water heater, and the rooftop air handling units. As part of the new solution, custom AHUs were manufactured through a design process involving the VRF supplier. In the meantime, the existing dehumidifier was switched from a desiccant wheel made up of a corrugated solid material that absorbs moisture to a liquid desiccant in the form of a counterflow of air blown through a waterfall over a media material.

As the work begins to take shape, data on energy use throughout the building continues to be collected and evaluated, with the overall goal to eliminate natural gas consumption and ultimately limit the building’s impact on the environment.

Kevin Spencer is vice-president of energy solutions at Modern Niagara

Renewable cost shift pares the global adjustment

Industrial Conservation Initiative underpins commercial class divide

Peak chasing resumes for summer 2021

Impact of COVID-19 on the business

How do we prepare for the post-pandemic future?

Heat Happens: Lessons on Cooling and Comfort

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