BOMA Canada introduces new industry awards

A troika of new industry awards for Canadian real estate professionals at various stages of their careers will be bestowed during BOMEX Virtual, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada’s annual conference, later this year. The Elaina Tattersdale Sustainability Champion will be chosen through an open nomination process, while local BOMA associations will play the key role in determining finalists for the two other individual achievement accolades, which recognize emerging leaders and outstanding contributions worthy of the year’s MVP.

“BOMEX is the place where thought leaders, industry insiders and innovators come together for a full program of inspiration and engagement,” says Benjamin Shinewald, BOMA Canada’s president and chief executive officer. “BOMA Canada is excited to introduce these three new awards, which will be presented for the first time ever at the National Awards Gala held during BOMEX Virtual 2021 on October 20-21, 2021.”

Named for the late Elaina Tattersdale, the national award for sustainability champions has been established through an endowment from her parents, Rick and Cheryl Gray. In keeping with their daughter’s outlook and aspirations, the award will celebrate efforts to reduce buildings’ impact on the environment at any organizational level and within any branch of commercial real estate. Candidates or their nominators are invited to submit summaries of their qualifications, outlining their commitment, achievements and ability to motivate others, along with a third-party endorsement.

Recipients of BOMA Canada’s Emerging Leader and Member of the Year Awards will emerge from a two-stage process, drawn from a field of candidates who have first earned the honour at their local association level. BOMA members working for either property management or supplier firms are eligible for the awards.

“As with other BOMA national awards, these awards are both ‘feeder awards’, meaning that only those who have successfully won at the local level are eligible,” Shinewald explains.

The Emerging Leader Award will recognize a fulltime employee aged 35 or younger who has attained profile and demonstrated potential within their own organization and/or the industry in general. Nominees will be evaluated on: job performance; professionalism; innovation; leadership; and team building.

The Member of the Year Award recognizes leadership, initiative and/or service to the commercial real estate industry over the course of a one-year period. Nominees will be evaluated on: leadership skills; BOMA participation; BOMA education; and contributions to the wider commercial real estate community. The BOMA Canada winner will be acknowledged with other regional winners at BOMA International’s annual conference.

Disinfectant and sanitizer poisoning spikes during pandemic

Hand sanitizers and disinfectants have become a ubiquitous part of life over the last 12 months. But it seems that increased usage has led to a sharp rise in the threat of disinfectant and sanitizer poisoning.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPC) has been working with poison control centres across the U.S. to track common exposures to sanitizers and cleaning products including bleach and disinfectants.

National Poison Data System (NPDS) data collected from the 55 U.S. poison control centres show that hand sanitizer, disinfectant, and bleach exposure cases have all risen significantly during the pandemic.

The data collected between January 1 and March 21, 2021 compared exposure cases to the same time period in 2019, and found:

7,854 hand sanitizer exposure cases, a 56 per cent increase
5,478 disinfectant exposure cases, a 29 per cent increase
9,572 bleach exposure cases, an 18 per cent increase.

More than 90 per cent of poisonings happen in people’s homes, but workplaces and facilities can play an important role in disinfectant and sanitizer poisoning prevention.

In Canada, a peer-reviewed study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology in December found high levels of airborne hydrogen peroxide, a household chemical commonly used in cleaning agents and disinfectants, from washing just a square metre of the floor.

Hydrogen peroxide can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, skin and throat, according to the U.S. CDC. The risk levels are significantly elevated for occupational cleaners and janitors who are exposed to the chemicals for long periods of time, said Tara Kahan, associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan and co-author of the paper.

“People who clean frequently are always at higher risk of various respiratory and heart issues because of exposure to cleaning solutions and the fumes from them,” she said. “Now, with cleaning taking place so much more frequently and often without proper safety training … that risk is amplified and something we should be concerned about.”

In May 2020, Health Canada had reported a 58 per cent increase in the number of accidental poisonings compared to before the pandemic. These included poisonings by exposure to bleaches, disinfectants, and hand sanitizers. Bleach was the most common culprit, comprising 38 per cent of calls to poison centres in March.

Meanwhile, in Alberta, there has been a 73-per-cent spike in the number of calls to Alberta’s Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS) since the start of the pandemic, according to the University of Alberta’s Injury Prevention Centre. Again, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and household cleaners are largely to blame. In particular, calls due to sanitizer poisoning went up 200 per cent in comparison to the numbers from 2019.

Tips to prevent exposure

When it comes to disinfectants, AAPCC offers the following tips to prevent harmful exposures:

Read and follow product label instructions before each use
Do not mix cleaning products
Practice safe storage habits, keep products up and away
Call the Poison Help hotline at 1-800-222-1222 immediately if you have questions or suspect a poisoning.

March 21-27 is National Poison Prevention Week, which offers facility managers and business owners alike an opportunity to promote poison prevention in their buildings and community.

For more tips and resources for what individuals and facilities can do during National Poison Prevention Week, visit the U.S. Health Resources & Services Administration website.

Air dryers can cause more contamination

A study suggests that high-speed air dryers are not doing the job well enough when it comes to avoiding contamination.

Automatic air dryers have become to go-to solution for many public washrooms in recent years, and these days are found in all kinds of facilities.

However, they leave up to 10 times the contamination on people’s hands as plain old paper towels, according to a study published in the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

That study found that air dryers leave contaminants on poorly-washed hands, which are then frequently spread to clothing and other surfaces.

Researchers in the United Kingdom assessed a variety of hand-drying methods to determine the impact of hand hygiene on the spread of germs.

Study volunteers dipped their hands in a nonharmful viral solution, shook them off without washing, then dried their hands using either an air dryer or paper towels. They took a predetermined path through a hospital, interacting with high-touch surfaces like elevator buttons along the way and wore an apron to test contamination on their clothing.

The results were dramatic.

On average, the levels of contamination found on surfaces was 10 times higher after the volunteers had dried their hands with an air dryer compared to instances where a paper towel was used. The study also found there was greater microbial transfer to the apron when volunteers used the air dryer.

“The study was performed in a healthcare setting and has important lessons for health institutions that still have high-speed air dryers in restrooms,” said one of the study authors, Ines Moura, Ph.D. “But the results are also relevant for public restrooms with high foot traffic.”

Why cleaning around urinals is vital

Cleaning washrooms has always been a given for facility managers, but new studies have highlighted the importance of proper cleaning around urinals as well as of the urinals themselves.

A study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases reports that traces of the pathogens that cause coronavirus can be found in an infected person’s urine.¹

Further, another study, published by scientists from China’s Yangzhou University, finds that when urinals are used by people infected with the virus, traces of coronavirus can become airborne when the urinal is flushed.²

The study noted that within 5.5 seconds after flushing a urinal, airborne droplets are released, potentially spreading the coronavirus. In the process, the pathogens can be inhaled by others in the restroom.

While the researchers did not conclude definitively that this would spread the disease, they indicted the potential is there. Certainly, common sense and best hygiene practices call for enhanced cleaning to avoid this.

Key findings also include:

During the 5.5-second period after flushing a urinal, about 60 percent of the droplets generated by the flush have travelled past the urinals’ exterior.
Within this period, droplets reach a height of approximately three feet.
The droplets form a trajectory, initially pointing directly at the urinal user.
After six seconds, the airborne particulates travel higher, coating walls, partitions, and other surfaces around the urinal.

“Even if the droplets do not contain traces of the virus, they still may contain germs and bacteria that can be dangerous if inhaled or touched,” says Matt Morison of Kaivac, developers of cleaning equipment engineered to fight the spread of infection.

Aware of this, the China News Service reports that staff members at some of China’s international airports are now spraying disinfectant liquids on the walls above, sides, and below urinals to help eliminate any pathogens on the walls.

“This type of cleaning and disinfecting should not be performed manually. That’s too slow and requires touching contaminated surfaces,” adds Morrison. “Instead, using what ISSA calls “spray-and-vac” (no-touch cleaning) systems will do the job faster, and [will] certainly be safer for the cleaning worker.”

^{1. Xiao, F., Sun, J., Xu, Y., Li, F., Huang, X., Li, H….Zhao, J. (2020). Infectious SARS-CoV-2 in Feces of Patient with Severe COVID-19. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 26(8), 1920-1922. https://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid2608.200681}

^{2. “Virus transmission from urinals,” by Ji-Xiang Wang et al., published in Physics of Fluids; August 18, 2020.}

New mixed-use project blends into Cambie Village

GBL Architects recently completed Heather & Seventeenth, a 28,000 square foot mixed-use development located in the City of Vancouver’s rapidly changing Cambie Village neighbourhood. The building bridges the quiet residential area along Seventeenth Avenue and the commercial zone along Heather Street. Through considered program distribution, this four-storey building supports both commercial and housing components.

The development’s commercial spaces located at grade and oriented towards Heather Street enhance the pedestrian realm by continuing the existing business datum along the street’s edge. In addition to the public program, several set-back residential units with landscaped private patios are also located at grade facing out towards the laneway.

Three stories of housing sit atop the commercial and partial residential base. The mixed-use development accommodates 16 apartments, a mix of two and three-bedroom units. These homes accessed through a welcoming lobby entrance on 17th Avenue face the adjacent residential neighbourhood.

Parking and bicycle storage spaces for the residents are situated within two underground levels while utilities including loading, parking ramp and a pad-mounted transformer are consolidated at the north end of the development. A sensitive landscape design mitigates the impact of these utilities on the housing units.

“A series of window boxes that project slightly outward are employed to break down the elevation’s scale,” explained Daniel Eisenberg, project Lead, GBL Architects, “offering a contemporary version of a bay window, a cornerstone of residential architecture in Vancouver.”

Working with both form and materials, the building’s mass is divided into three distinct horizontal stories. The building’s base houses the open, glass-clad recessed commercial area while the residential portions of the project convey a more monolithic expression through the use of exposed architectural concrete and wood-clad soffits.

The top residential storey is setback from the primary building facade and frames a large overhang that allows for a significant portion of the façade to be glazed, providing outward views while reducing solar gain during summer.

Building upgrade complete on Abbotsford campus

The first building upgrade in the University of the Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford Campus Building Renewal Project is complete.

The old exterior of Building A-East, Phase 1, of UFV’s Abbotsford campus has been replaced with an upgraded exterior cladding system, improved insulation, energy efficient windows and other infrastructure, such as roofing, flooring, lighting and fibre optic networks. The new facility will provide open and flexible learning spaces, student consultation areas, new office and classroom furniture, and other necessary amenities.

Construction of Phase 1 of the project began in fall 2019. Phase 1 of the building upgrade project was originally meant to be completed in fall 2020 but was delayed due to COVID-19.

“Investing in better student spaces for in-demand courses offered by UFV enables us to improve access to education for students in communities across B.C.,” said Anne Kang, Minister, Advanced Education and Skills Training. “The renewed facility will continue to provide students an exceptional learning experience here in the Fraser Valley.”

The project has also extended the building’s lifespan with improved heating and cooling systems, digital infrastructure upgrades and better energy efficiency. Touchless entry allows access into Building A-East, flowing into the renovated Spirit Bear café area.

The total project cost of $7.7 million for Phase 1 was funded by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training. A few finishing touches, including landscaping, will complete the Building A-East component of the project.

The focus will now shift to upgrading Building D, Phase 2 of the project, a larger and more complex project that will implement similar upgrades to those of Building A-East. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed by early 2022.

“Students are our future, and the roles they take after studying will contribute to building a strong and resilient economy as we look towards our post-pandemic world,” said Pam Alexis, MLA for Abbotsford-Mission. “These upgrades mean students returning to campus in the fall in the Fraser Valley can pursue their education knowing they will be studying in a modern building with the latest technological infrastructure.”

Self-isolation centres get funding injection

The Canadian government has allocated $23.7 million to expand and underwrite self-isolation facilities in Toronto, Ottawa, Peel, York and Durham regions for the next six months. The initiative ties in with Ontario’s high-priority community strategy, which earmarks 15 designated neighbourhoods for a targeted intensified response to COVID-19.

The newly announced funding will add about 1,600 rooms to the existing complement of 374 in the GTA municipalities. Canada-wide, $100 million has been committed to help municipalities and health regions establish safe self-isolation sites for people who do not have accommodations to stay separate from others.

“The Safe Voluntary Isolation Sites Program will support communities across Ontario, providing direct assistance to those who are unable to safely self-isolate at home,” confirms Minister of Health Patty Hajdu. “As we work with the Province of Ontario and directly with communities to stop the spread of COVID-19 and variants of concern, we need to make sure that Canadians have tools available to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Typically, local public health officials refer eligible occupants and monitor operation of the facilities. Oversight bodies have also been urged to confer on service delivery and share best practices.

Zoning proposals attuned to Toronto musicians

Interim zoning adjustments could place Toronto musicians in a stronger position to return to their conventional workplaces once pandemic-related restrictions on public gatherings have been lifted. The city’s Economic and Community Development Committee will consider two music industry recommendations at its upcoming meeting later this week.

The proposals have been conveyed from the Toronto Music Advisory Committee, which has tagged them as priorities for 2021-22. They call on the City to allow other uses in currently shuttered clubs and live performance venues, and to enforce the noise bylaw more leniently for musicians who are forced to work from home.

In particular, the Toronto Music Advisory Committee notes that strict interpretation of the current noise bylaw “limits the ability for artists to thrive in working from home similar to other professionals who work from home”. The recommendation calls on City staff to review the bylaw and advise Council on possible adjustments.

Looking to the economic sustainability of live music venues, the Music Advisory Committee also asks for flexibility for them “to operate as dance studios, gyms, or other businesses that have been allowed to open under different measures or restrictions than live music venues, pursuant to Ontario’s COVID-19 response framework.”

Digging into the coming geothermal boom

A crop of condos in Canada already feature geoexchange systems, a type of electric heating and cooling that draws heat stored inside the Earth and uses it for warming or cooling buildings above ground. Often referred to as geothermal, it replaces conventional systems that run on exhaustible resources, from fossil-fuel powered boilers to cooling towers that reject heat into the atmosphere to make summer more bearable.

But while the relevance of this clean technology has been percolating for years, the current buzz is that more multi-residential developers are tuning in. As geothermal collides with carbon-free mandates and new third-party utility models, it’s expected to make strides, bringing along developers that will try to stay competitive.

“Two major hurdles with this technology in the past were the up-front capital cost and the long-term management of the system,” says Roya Khaleeli, director, sustainability and innovation at Minto Communities. “The new business models offered by geoexchange companies over the past five years address both of these challenges.”

North Oak condo, the fourth phase in the master-planned community of Oakvillage, in Oakville, Ontario, marks Minto’s debut into geoexchange technology. The developer is evaluating the system for other projects wherever appropriate—anticipating the stepped trajectory Canada is taking to higher-performing buildings.

Governments are ramping up low-carbon efforts over the next decade. As Toronto phases in its Green Standard (currently in Version 3) and requires all new buildings to produce near-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, it will eventually become impossible to design with gas heat, states non-profit Ontario Geothermal Association. Ottawa is working on a Green Standard, too, while British Columbia introduced its BC Energy Step Code to make all new buildings net-zero energy ready by 2032. Also on the horizon— updates with the federal government’s carbon tax.

Tapping into geoexchange could mean changing condo life for the better. As Khaleeli states, owners will be sheltered from expected annual increases in utility costs.

“The condo owner shouldn’t see condo fees that are any higher than the market,” she says. “Condo owners will not operate their heating and cooling any differently from a typical condo, making it easy to live a low-carbon lifestyle. Geoexchange systems also allow for year-round heating and cooling—meaning there is no more system switchover required, much improving resident comfort on those days with unseasonal temperatures.”

Contrary to the belief that geoexchange systems work forever once installed, managing them is crucial.

“Expertise is needed to ensure that the heat extracted and inputted over the course of the year is balanced; otherwise there is a risk that the system no longer works,” advises Khaleeli. “ With the business model around geoexchange, the system is professionally managed and maintained, ultimately reducing equipment maintenance and replacement costs.”

A group of experts gathered recently to distill other myths and truths as industry considers the technology more readily. Last month, Wilkinson Construction held a webinar exploring the potential for geothermal in condo buildings.

“We’ve always thought about energy efficiency, and more recently, we’re thinking about operational or even embodied carbon,” said Bram Atlin, principal at Smith + Anderson, a consulting engineering firm. “The truth is that the implementation of certain technologies really doesn’t pick up steam until it’s no longer leading edge, and mandated by some kind of legislation or code or standards. And that day has come.”

Early implementors of geothermal did so to get ahead of a “learning curve,” ahead of future mandates, Atlin explained. “There’ve been successful projects and you look to your peers and see that it’s happening.”

Tim Weber, co-founder and CEO of Diverso Energy, a geothermal utility company, says developers have also recognized that being both environmentally sustainable and profitable are no longer mutually exclusive. In the past couple months, he’s witnessed serious interest. The conversation is morphing from “why geothermal” to finding the right application and partner. “What that tells us is they are actively pursuing this technology. They are looking at it, doing it, treating it like any other technology.”

Leona Savoie, senior vice-president of development at Hullmark and panel moderator, concurs. She sees this “geothermal attraction” picking up over the next five years. More institutional players with ESG mandates will be looking to elevate buildings from a sustainability standpoint, looping in other developers.

Typically regarded as a static industry, one that has always favoured a go-to proforma, multi-res developers are now recognizing a broken formula and are trying to adapt, said Weber. “They see changes coming. Larger developers don’t want to be caught flat-footed.”

Costs have traditionally hindered geothermal applications. The capital cost is high, development charges have more than doubled in the last four years and land is becoming rarer—hence more expensive, Weber pointed out. Third-party utility models, such as Diverso’s, were created to remove upfront construction costs of geothermal, turning it from a capital to a long-term operating expense that is off-flowed to occupants.

The added benefit of displacing boilers and cooling towers brings annual capital reserve savings, including less water, maintenance and repairs. It also opens up creative solutions. “If we can free up roof space, that’s an additional amenity space that could help with sales and marketing,” said Weber. “Or, [developers] can differentiate themselves from the other projects in the area.”

“The impact of eliminating the mechanical penthouse is probably greater than anyone would intuitively estimate,” added Jeff Wilkinson, president of Wilkinson Construction. As a builder of mainly mid-rise residential buildings set in quieter neighbourhoods, he points out the various design issues related to less passive solutions—one being noise that spills onto adjacent homes.

“Also the noise from the inside. These cooling towers are at the penthouse levels, so your most expensive suites are beside the noisiest equipment.” Ultimately, all walls and floors must be treated acoustically, and the vibration addressed.

Geothermal is less complicated these days. Drillers have upped their skills and are faster at what they do, keeping development on schedule. According to Weber, depending on site conditions, what used to take several months now takes a few weeks. “They’ve become more sophisticated; they understand the importance of integration and sequencing and, if the site permits, in many cases, they are able to drill at the same time as shoring and excavating.”

“Geothermal is incredibly simple,” said Wilkinson. But he cautions anyone considering it not to underestimate the importance of pre-planning.

Ushering in geothermal takes time, as Khaleeli echoed in a separate correspondence with CondoBusiness. Her team integrated the technology for North Oak over the past 18 to 20 months.

“As you can imagine, there are a number of teams that need to be involved, from the architect to the construction team to the financing team,” she says. “My suggestion is to start early and be prepared to spend on the analysis (think of it like R&D). Also, really get to know the companies on the market offering the system and how they will manage it.”

Note: The term geothermal used within this article is not to be confused with geothermal power generation.

Sustainability on Display

Promoting sustainability is key to leaner, greener, and more resilient facility operations. Getting occupants to notice and take part, however, can be difficult. For this reason, facility managers/owners are increasingly turning to digital signage to get their messages across.

Digital signage is nothing new, but its capabilities are expanding. In the days of energy-saving directives and eco-forward attitudes, however, it is proving to be a valuable tool for boosting sustainable activities.

“People typically think digital signs are only there to help visitors navigate their way around the building. That’s one use, but more and more facilities are also using them to increase awareness about their environmental activities and encourage occupants and visitors alike to get involved,” says Scot Martin, CEO of youRhere.

Today, for example, digital signs are being used to advertise sustainability campaigns, promote special events (e.g., Earth Day), broadcast water and energy consumption statistics, or even display real-time public transportation information to encourage alternative forms of transit.

Overall, says Martin, there is a growing trend towards using digital signage to capture attention and gather support: “For example, you could program your sign to display information about a major energy-saving campaign project you’re launching and upload energy usage stats every month to keep people invested. At the same time, you can use that same screen to share energy-saving tips and updates on anything else you’re doing.”

After all, he adds, sustainability is a team effort: “And to keep everyone invested, you need to keep these messages top of mind.”

Setting the Standard

The sustainability journey is one of continual improvement. Putting environmental programs in place is only step one; the next is tracking and reporting on your programs to continue making gains.

Here again, digital signs are an effective way of sharing one’s progress and keeping the momentum alive. Facilities can upload monthly updates or celebrate important achievement milestones, and opportunities exist to link digital signs to a facility’s control systems and display results automatically or even in real-time.

These modern communication strategies can also help facility teams hit their eco-certification targets. Programs like BOMA BEST and LEED, for example, require “Tenant Communications” or “Awareness and Education” initiatives on the part of program participants, awarding points if they are conveying their sustainable activities effectively.

“In other words,” notes Martin, “not only do they want certified buildings to be environmentally conscious, but they also want to know there’s a communication plan in place to achieve buy-in and make them an ongoing initiative, not a ‘one and done’ activity”.

Of course, it helps that digital signs are an eco-friendly asset in their own right. For its part, youRhere signs include options such as automatic start-up/shut-down controls to reduce energy usage when buildings are closed and, increasingly, screens are being produced with built-in sensors that allow them to automatically adjust the brightness of the display based on the ambient light in the room real-time (aka “Eco-Mode”). Moreover, the use of digital signage over posters and paper-based signs decreases printing requirements, reduces waste, and lessens their environmental impacts.

Sign(s) of the Times

There are many benefits to sustainable operations. And for facilities, they extend beyond saving costs and achieving industry certifications. With more and more individuals seeking eco-conscious lifestyles at home and where they work, there’s value in displaying one’s green ambitions for all to see.

“Several surveys have shown that employees would prefer to work for an employer that is environmentally conscious, and tenants would rather populate a building that has those same goals,” says Martin. “Anything you can do to demonstrate that you’re listening and taking action is bound to draw attention.”

Scot Martin is CEO of youRhere, a leading provider of digital signage solutions for commercial, retail, healthcare, and educational properties across Canada. For more information, visit www.yourhere.ca.

Calgary begins major road, bridge upgrades

Site preparations have begun for a major pavement restoration and bridge rehabilitation to improve safety and traffic flow along the 16 Ave. and Barlow Trail N.E. corridor in Calgary.

A $17 million investment will be used for lifecycle maintenance including pavement restoration and reconstruction of Barlow Trail N.E. from 4 Ave. to Sunridge Blvd., including the 16 Ave. ramps. The city said to help minimize traffic delays due to construction, rehabilitation of the deteriorating bridge deck and structure supports of the 16 Ave. bridge over Barlow Trail will occur simultaneously.

A new multi-use pathway will also be built on the east side of Barlow Trail along Meridian Rd., from Centre Ave. to 28 St. N.E. The addition of this missing pathway link will enhance safety and connectivity for all travel modes and improve pedestrian access to businesses along the busy corridor. The estimated timeline for completion of these improvements is Fall 2021.

“Business access will not be impacted, however there will be some delays for drivers in the area as we undertake these important life-cycle projects,” said transportation project manager Peter Rudolf. “The 16 Ave. bridge over Barlow was built in 1978 and has reached a point where it needs an intervention. We’d like to thank area residents and local businesses for their patience and understanding during this construction period,” he added.

On Barlow Trail during the two major construction stages, traffic will be shifted to either side of the road; however, two lanes will be available both north and south during peak times. Commuters are advised to allow extra travel time to accommodate speed reductions and lane shifting.

NB scrutinizes rental income streams and strains

New Brunswick housing providers are invited to share insight on their rental income streams and strains as part of a recently launched provincial review. Tenants, prospective developers and other stakeholder groups will also be consulted on their experiences in and expectations of the private rental housing market.

Comments and data gathered through the online surveys will help provincial analysts identify themes of concern and gain a more complete picture of how current market conditions affect social well-being, business viability and potential for new supply. During his 2021 budget speech, tabled in the New Brunswick legislative assembly last week, Finance and Treasury Board Minister Ernie Steeves called the review an effort “to better understand the housing issues facing New Brunswickers”, while also pledging $10.8 million for the provincial share of the Canada Housing Benefit.

“Living in a vibrant and sustainable community means being able to find safe and affordable housing. However, it is becoming all too common to hear about the lack of affordable housing and the growth in homelessness around our province,” Steeves said. “We will not wait for this review to be completed before acting.”

Participating landlords and property managers will be required to indicate the region or regions of the province where their holdings are located, but the remaining 10 questions are optional. These solicit details about portfolio size; unit types; percentage of subsidized units; rental rates; inclusion or exclusion of utilities in rent; timing of the most recent rent increases; and reasons for rent increases, which can be indicated on a multiple choice checklist.

A few questions also delve deeper — asking respondents to outline in up to 400 words how they determine the timing and the increment of rent increases, and to summarize their general experiences managing rental properties and enacting rent increases. All participants will remain anonymous, but quotes from their submissions may be used in the provincial report.

The tenant survey similarly asks for a mixture of short and longer answers about renters’ housing circumstances and affordability challenges, while developers are queried on their target markets — i.e. types of units, resident demographic and openness to affordable components — and asked for their perspective on the definition of affordability.

The online portal will open for submissions until April 7. The review is scheduled to be completed by May 10.

Optimizing floor and carpet care in a pandemic

We are now entering year two of the pandemic. As during the first year, proper and effective cleaning strategies remain some of our best tools in slowing the spread of the disease. Further, these “proper and effective cleaning strategies” do not just apply to those high-touch surfaces we hear so much about. They can also apply to floor and carpet care.

Understanding how we clean and maintain these floor surfaces, with the goal of minimizing or eliminating the spread of the virus, can become a bit more complicated than that.

Here, we assess some frequently asked floor and carpet care questions as they relate to COVID-19.

Can COVID-19 be found on carpets?

The answer is yes. For instance, studies have shown that the pathogens that cause the disease can collect on shoe bottoms. If contaminated and then walked over carpet, not only can soils on shoe bottoms be transferred to the carpet but so can the virus. Also, most coronavirus pathogens start out as airborne. Before gravity eventually pulls them down to surfaces, including carpet. The carpet welcomes them. Studies completed since the 1970s report that carpet absorbs all types of airborne impurities, just like a sponge absorbs water. It has been suggested the pathogens that cause the virus can potentially survive on carpet for as long as a few days.

Can carpet be disinfected?

The answer, which many facility managers and cleaning contractors may be surprised to hear, is no. According to the (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency, only hard and nonporous surfaces can be disinfected. Carpet is a soft surface and is porous. As a result, we can only sanitize carpet. Sanitizing removes most, but not all, pathogens from the carpet. It is enough to protect human health.

How do we sanitize carpet?

What cleaning professionals can do is pre-spray the carpet with a disinfectant approved by Health Canada,¹ proven to eliminate* the pathogens that cause the virus. In the U.S., the EPA has created the “N-List.”²These disinfectants have also been tested and proven to eliminate or inactivate the pathogens that cause the virus.

When we pre-spray carpet, we properly dilute water with a cleaning solution or a disinfectant, before spraying it over the carpet. This allows the chemical to dwell on the carpet per time specified on the label, which is necessary when using a disinfectant, and begin breaking down soils and eliminating pathogens so that they can be removed from the carpet. We do this by using a carpet extractor or, as an alternative, what are called “no-touch” cleaning systems with a carpet extractor attachment. These machines will remove the disinfectant, as well as all moisture, soils, and pathogens from the carpet. This is the most effective way to clean and sanitize the carpet.

Should the carpet be cleaned first before sanitizing?

Yes. Whenever we disinfect or sanitize a surface, we must always clean it first. Cleaning removes soils so the disinfectant works more effectively. Disinfecting or sanitizing eliminates pathogens. In fact, the label of every EPA-registered disinfectant marketed in the U.S. states that it’s a violation of federal law to use the product inconsistent with its labeling, which requires the surface to be cleaned first before using the disinfectant.

Floors and COVID-19

Just as the pathogens that cause the coronavirus can find their way onto carpet, so can they be found on hard surface floors.

Again, the only variable is how long they’re able to survive on hard surface floors. But, unlike carpet, we can disinfect floors, using disinfectants certified to eliminate the pathogens that cause the coronavirus.

Can COVID-19 pathogens be removed from floors with mopping and a proven disinfectant?

We should never mop floors, and especially now with concerns about the virus. Mops become soiled and contaminated as soon as they are applied to the floor. If the floor is contaminated, the pathogens can collect on the mop, in the mop water, and then spread on the floor. This is based on studies that have focused on looking for ways to prevent healthcare-acquired infections. Not only that, as the mop is used, the soils and contaminants collected on the mop and in mop water reduce the efficacy of the disinfectant.

What alternatives can be used to clean floors?

For exceptionally large surface areas, automatic scrubbers can be used. As discussed earlier, the floor must be cleaned first with the “auto scrubber” and then disinfected. Then a Health Canada or N-List disinfectant can be pre-sprayed on the floor. Allow for proper dwell time as dictated on the disinfectant label.

For most other floors, no-touch cleaning or “dispense and vac” cleaning systems can be used. At least one manufacturer has developed an N-List disinfectant engineered specifically for these systems, which is both a cleaner and a disinfectant. This eliminates the second step necessary with an auto scrubber, which is a time and cost savings.

Does the equipment used to clean and sanitize carpet or disinfect floors need to be cleaned and disinfected as well?

Yes. All precautions must be taken due to COVID-19, including making sure cleaning equipment is cleaned and disinfected. Further, this should be performed frequently. With carpet extractors, no-touch, and dispense and vac systems, the process is fairly easy. These machines will have a dump hose, which can be placed in a toilet or floor drain. Fill the tanks of the machine with a properly diluted cleaning solution and then flush out, through the dump hose, the water and solution. Repeat with a Health Canada (N-List) disinfectant. Wipe clean and disinfect all exterior parts of the machine and allow the machine to air dry.

With an automatic scrubber, the process can be more complicated and because these machines are complex, the cleaning process can be difficult. Further, some cleaning solutions/disinfectants may not be compatible with different parts in the auto scrubber. They can corrode metals, plastics, and rubber.
Always check with the manufacturer of the auto scrubber before cleaning and disinfecting the machine. Other than that, all exterior areas of the machine can be cleaned with a cleaning solution and then cleaned again, using a disinfectant.

Is this the way carpet and hard-surface floors will need to be cleaned beyond the pandemic?

Most public health and cleaning experts suggest yes. COVID-19, once again, has changed everything. Cleaning for health is real and has now become the mantra of the professional cleaning industry.

Robert Kravitz is a frequent writer for the professional cleaning industry.

^{1, Hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers (COVID-19): List of disinfectants with evidence for use against COVID-19 – Canada.ca.}

^{2. List N: Disinfectants for Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Pesticide Registration | US EPA.}

^{*Currently, we no longer say a disinfectant “kills” pathogens. Not all disinfectants work the same way. Instead, we now say it “eliminates” them or “inactivates” them.}

Ontario ramps up long-term care spaces

On the heels of a third wave advisory, Ontario is granting 11,707 long-term care spaces to be built through 80 projects across the province.

The province is investing $933 million, on top of the $1.75 billion already earmarked for the delivery of 30,000 new spaces over ten years. The goal is to end hallway medicine and reduce waitlists. In December 2020, more than 40,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed.

More than 60 of these newly announced projects involve constructing brand-new buildings and 35 involve campuses of care where multiple services will be provided on the same site. Eighteen projects serve cultural groups, including five projects that will serve Indigenous communities and seven that will serve Ontario’s francophone population.

Just a few of these sites include a Mon Sheong Long-Term Care in Scarborough, which will bring 320 additional spaces to a new complex. Chartwell – Gibson in North York will add a 256-bed home through the construction of a new building. Ottawa’s Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre has been issued 156 spaces to build a long-term care home and Rainy River First Nations has been allocated 64 new spaces to create a net new long-term care home in Emo. For a complete list of projects refer to the Ontario government website.

With this new allocation, Ontario now has 20,161 new and 15,918 redevelopment spaces in the development pipeline.

Llanos nominated for YWCA Women of Distinction

Diamond Schmitt principal Ana Maria Llanos is nominated for a Women of Distinction Award from the YWCA Metro Vancouver.

The YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honour extraordinary women leaders and businesses that are making a difference across Metro Vancouver over 12 categories. The Women of Distinction Awards is also the YWCA’s signature fundraising event.

Llanos has been nominated in the Arts, Culture and Design category, recognizing women who enrich the community through their talents and commitment to arts and architecture and who have made a significant and sustained difference in Metro Vancouver.

“Architecture has given me the opportunity to collaborate with hundreds of people from diverse backgrounds in meaningful ways over the last 25 years. It is a privilege to assist communities in the process of shaping their environments and to support them in realizing their vision. It is a true honour to be an architect,” she said.

Llanos leads the Vancouver studio of Diamond Schmitt. Her work is focused on western Canada, including institutional, health care facilities, performing arts, residential, commercial, restoration and academic projects.

Each YWCA Women of Distinction nominee is eligible to win the Connecting the Community Award. The recipient is selected by public vote, and the winner chooses a YWCA cause that is important to her, donating $10,000, courtesy of Scotiabank, to the YWCA program of her choice.

An external, diverse panel of judges, including community leaders and members of the public, will evaluate nominee applications to decide each category recipient. Winners will be announced at the Women of Distinction Awards on June 7, 2021.

Report reveals skilled trades earning differences

A new report finds that women in the skilled trades, on average, earn about half what men do, because they’re concentrated in lower-earning trades.

Across all Red Seal trades, in the first year following certification, women earn on average 47 per cent of what men earn, and 46 per cent eight years out.

Individuals in Red Seal trades earn, on average, $64,000 in their first year, compared to $55,500 for non-Red Seal trades. Those certified in ‘mechanical trades’ earn the most in their first year ($76,500) followed closely by ‘electrical trades’ ($74,200).

Women represent less than 10 per cent of all Red Seal trade certificate holders, and within each category of certificate holders, women account for less than 2.5 per cent.

The report from the Labour Market Information Council (LMIC) and the Education Policy Research Initiative (EPRI) analyzes earnings from Statistics Canada’s Education and Labour Market Longitudinal Platform (ELMLP) with a focus on those with certification in the Red Seal trades, which have common national standards and account for 75 per cent of all those who gain certification.

“These strong earnings patterns demonstrate how skilled trades can be an attractive career path for many,” said Steven Tobin, executive director at LMIC. “Our report acknowledges the sizeable differences in pay between men and women which, among other factors, may contribute to why few women participate in the trades.”

The report also found that gender earnings differences hold even within the same broad trade category. When looking at broad trade categories, the largest earnings difference between men and women is in the ‘other’ category, where women earn 54% of what men earn. The lowest earnings gap is in the ‘mechanical trades’ category, where women earn 89% of what men earn.

This new research comes at a time when jobs in skilled trades have rebounded above pre-pandemic levels and labour shortages among the skilled trades have already re-emerged as an issue.

“By providing new information on the early career earnings of those who obtain certification in the skilled trades, our research can help individuals make critical training, education and career decisions, especially when these findings are placed alongside our previous study on the earnings of post-secondary education graduates” said Ross Finnie, professor at the University of Ottawa and Director of EPRI and lead author of the report.

Iconic sites convey spinoff real estate value

Niagara Falls, Ontario and Jasper, Alberta make a list of select global locales where property owners enjoy spinoff real estate value for proximity to celebrated attractions. The consumer credit broker, money.co.uk, includes the two Canadian entrants in a largely European and American field of rare real estate markets that border on iconic buildings/sites, renowned national parks and popular theme parks.

The resulting Lucrative Landmarks report ranks real estate markets in each of these scenarios, with Niagara Falls and Jasper slotted toward the back of the pack in their respective categories of 32 iconic buildings/sites and 20 most visited national parks. No Canadian markets are represented among the 11 surveyed theme parks.

“Our report has found that, globally, landmarks can be a fantastic selling point, but there are so many other things to consider,” says Salman Haqqi, the author and a personal finance expert with money.co.uk, which offers online mortgage rate comparisons among its services. “It does depend on the landmark. Some homeowners will love being next to an iconic tourist attraction; however, others might find the pollution, traffic and footfall overwhelming.”

Rankings are based on: average house prices in the surrounding postal code zone; average house prices within a 10- to 20-mile radius or, in the case of national parks, the next closest city/town; the gap between those two averages; property demand based on the regional population; and traffic and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission levels in the area.

Real estate ripple effects are considered strongest in the environs of Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Château de Chillon in Vaud, Switzerland and Buckingham Palace in London. Three-bedroom dwellings in the vicinity of these top-three iconic buildings/sites command average prices of CAD $9.3 million, CAD $5.6 million and CAD $9.4 million respectively. While the first and third ranked landmarks rest in two of Europe’s most populous cities, Château de Chillon’s setting on the shore of Lake Geneva translates into one of the best traffic and CO₂ scores among the 32 iconic buildings/sites.

Completing the top 10 are: Palaces of Westminster, London, UK; Eiffel Tower, Paris, France; Times Square, New York, U.S.; Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany; The Louvre, Paris, France; Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia; and Prague Castle, Prague, Czech Republic. Meanwhile, in the 11th spot, the U.S. Whitehouse stands out for the whopping 2,395 per cent differential in the average CAD $12 million price-tag for nearby three-bedroom dwellings versus the CAD $484,000 average in outlying Washington D.C. neighbourhoods.

Niagara Falls is slotted in 21st position, sandwiched between Scotland’s Edinburgh Castle and New York’s Statue of Liberty. Average house prices near the falls are pegged at about CAD $1.38 million or a 101 per cent premium over the CAD $688,000 average elsewhere in the city.

Proximity to the falls is something of a bargain in the overall context of the list, earning Niagara Falls 13th spot on the list of 15 landmark locations where average prices fall below 1 million UK pounds — at £799,000. The most affordable real estate surrounds the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, where the average three-bedroom home goes for about CAD $62,800 (£36,270), followed by homes near Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France, at CAD $300,400 (£173,660) and the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Krakow, Poland, at CAD $320,000 (£185,000).

On average, three-bedroom homes in the vicinity of the 32 iconic buildings/sites command prices that are 246 per cent higher than similar properties at a 10- to 20-mile distance. However, exceptionally wide gaps in a few cases skew that overall ratio.

In addition to the chart-topping premium for living near the Whitehouse, proximity to New York’s Times Square exacts a 1,060 per cent toll with the average three-bedroom dwelling costing nearly CAD $7 million more than three-bedroom units elsewhere in the city. Premiums for living near the Acropolis in Athens, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin or the Trevi Fountain in Rome range from 857 to 409 per cent.

In contrast, average housing prices bordering Edinburgh Castle, Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Roman Baths in Bath, UK, are actually lower than elsewhere in those surrounding cities. Notably, the Lucrative Landmarks report fingers traffic and pollution among the factors undermining prices near Edinburgh Castle.

Presumably for different reasons, housing near the 20 most visited national parks is less valuable than in the closest city in half the cases. Nevertheless, the spinoff enhanced value is so significant in the other 10 locales that it pulls the overall average up.

Despite its 16th ranking, Jasper is part of the latter group, with nearby housing prices averaging CAD $812,000 compared to CAD $169,000 in the closest city/town. This 381 per cent premium is one of the widest gaps recorded on the list.

Dolomiti Bellunesi in Belluno, Italy, tops the list for its real estate ripple effects. Housing in the vicinity carries an average price of CAD $2.14 million, equating to a 76 per cent premium over average prices in the nearest city. Two American national parks — Arches in Utah; and Glacier in Montana — are ranked second and third, with Vanoise in Mondane, France, and the Peak District of Derbyshire, UK, filling out the top five.

Two other national parks of the UK — Broads in Norwich and the Lake District of Cumbria — bracket Jasper. Average housing prices bordering the two parks are both lower than in Jasper or the closest UK city.

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