Washington, D.C. law reinstates pandemic-hit workers

Washington D.C. continues to be progressive in its aims to combat the dire effects of COVID-19 on workers.

Many employees across North America have been furloughed, displaced, or laid off indefinitely or permanently due to the economic impact of the pandemic. Some nature of support for these workers exists in virtually every jurisdiction, but the U.S. capital is taking things one step further.

A law passed last month and set to take effect later this month or in March will reinstate displaced local employees as their former positions begin to become available again.

The Displaced Workers Right to Reinstatement and Retention Amendment Act of 2020 affects in-house and contract employees in a variety of industries including custodial and building maintenance, hospital, and nursing care facilities in the Washington, D.C. area.

It states that employers and contractors “must offer employees displaced by COVID-19 reinstatement to their previous positions or to a substantially similar position as positions become available.”

The law also stipulates that the only employees eligible for this right are those whose work at the relevant establishment or contractor was derailed due to COVID-19. In essence, the aim of this is to ensure that workers who were laid off through no fault of their own and due directly to the effects of the pandemic will be provided with an avenue to return to the work which is no doubt vital to their livelihoods.

For all relevant workers except hotel staff, the last date of employment must be between March 1, 2020, and the final day of the public health emergency order.

The law will be in effect for the foreseeable future, too, only expiring on June 30, 2023.

This follows another move by Washington D.C. a few weeks ago, when Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that workers including restaurant employees in the area should start receiving COVID-19 vaccines around Feb. 1.

Henriquez Partners announces new leadership

Henriquez Partners Architects have announced three new associates at the firm: Agnes Lapointe, Mackenzie Nixon, and Elena Vakhrameeva.

Lapointe joined Henriquez Partners in 2019, and quickly demonstrated exceptional dexterity and strength in project management while also adeptly leading the sustainability committee. With more than 18 years of experience in the industry, she holds degrees in Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies and Master of Architecture from Dalhousie University. She is a registered architect, a certified Passive House designer and an active contributor to the UBC School of Architecture and Women in Architecture.

Since joining Henriquez in 2015, Nixon has been working on various projects through all phases of the design process, most notably 1200 Stewart in Seattle, Oakridge Redevelopment, Main Alley, and 5th & Macleod in Calgary. She is a talented designer which is matched by her knowledge of building science. Mackenzie holds a Bachelor of Urban Studies, a Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary and is an active member of the UBC Sala Mentorship Program.

Vakhrameeva holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies and a Master of Architecture degrees from Carleton University in Ottawa. She is an active member of the BIM Committee and is committed to ensuring that the office benefits from her expertise through education, training, and continuous improvement of office standards and best practices. With more than 14 years of architectural experience she has contributed her skills to institutional, healthcare, public safety, mixed-use and high-rise residential buildings.

HASCAP low-interest loan rollout now underway

Financial institutions have begun the low-interest loan rollout promised for business operators experiencing pandemic-related financial stress. As announced in the federal government’s economic statement last fall, loans of $25,000 to $1 million will be available through the Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP), fully guaranteed by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC).

HASCAP is targeted to previously financially stable small and medium-sized businesses based in Canada that have experienced a drop in revenue of 50 per cent or more for reasons related to COVID-19. Loans are intended to support continuation or resumption of business operations and cannot be applied to paying down or refinancing existing debt. Businesses with more than one location, such as hotels, restaurants or retail outlets, could be eligible for multiple loans to a maximum of $6.25 million.

“We know that the second wave of this virus continues to weigh on many workers and businesses. HASCAP gives those in highly affected sectors — like tourism, hospitality, arts and culture — new support so they can weather this storm and be ready for a robust recovery,” says Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland.

Major financial institutions are set to begin administering HASCAP on February 1 with other lenders expected to come on board by mid-month. Loans will have a 10-year term at 4 per cent interest, and approved borrowers may be able postpone payments on the principal for up to 12 months from initial receipt.

To qualify, businesses can present evidence that they have been eligible for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and/or the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS) in at least three of the eight months prior to submitting their applications. Alternatively, some business that did not qualify for CERS or CEWS may be accepted if they can provide financial statements showing three months when year-over-year revenue slipped by at least 50 per cent within the preceding eight months.

Although prospective borrowers are required to apply through their primary financial institution, they will also be asked to complete an online form providing “high-level information” for the BDC. “This information will help the Government of Canada understand which businesses are seeking relief through this program,” accompanying information states.

“We know that even the most resilient businesses continue to face incredible challenges,” notes Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

HASCAP will be open for applications until June 30, 2021.

New CIB chair is supporter of deep retrofits

The newly appointed chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) arrives with a record of supporting deep retrofits. Tamara Vrooman, current president of the Vancouver International Airport, brings leadership experience in the private and public sectors to the mantle of the crown corporation’s 11-member board of directors.

CIB has a mandate to invest $35 billion in complex and innovative infrastructure, while partnering with private and institutional investors to further leverage government funds and stimulate economic growth. Most recently, it has been tasked with rollout of the three-year, $10-billion Growth Plan, which includes $2 billion for large-scale building retrofits.

“Tamara is an excellent choice for chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. She brings a strong financial and infrastructure background, and important leadership skills to the role,” says Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. “Tamara clearly understands the critical role of infrastructure in building our country, growing our economy, creating jobs and attracting investment and tackling climate change.”

She is the former president and chief executive officer of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit unit, and has previously served as the British Columbia’s deputy minister of finance. In 2019, as co-chair of the federal government’s Advisory Council on Climate Action, she submitted recommendations that perhaps foreshadow her new role.

The advisory council’s final report called on the federal government to “accelerate the pace of deep retrofits” in its own assets and to develop standardized and widely available tools for measuring expected and actual performance of retrofits. “The Canada Infrastructure Bank should be operationalized with expertise to disseminate these best practices, and to build and aggregate pipelines of local retrofit projects,” it states.

Vrooman replaces Michael Sabia as CIB chair following his recent appointment as Canada’s deputy minister of finance.

“Because of my background in both the public and private sectors, I believe I can be useful in bridging between the two to help the CIB develop and finance public interest projects of national importance,” Vrooman observes. “We have a vitally important job to do in fostering economic growth in Canada at an especially critical time.”

Toronto bolstering enforcement of residential mask bylaw

The City of Toronto is conducting additional education and enforcement in residential apartment buildings and condominiums where multiple complaints have been received about people not obeying the mask bylaw in enclosed common spaces.

Since January 18, 2021, Toronto has received 1,950 complaints about improper mask usage in shared residential spaces. Of these complaints, 263 locations have received three or more complaints and 12 locations have received more than 10 complaints related to mask wearing. Seventy-five per cent of the complaints are related to residential apartment buildings and twenty-five per cent are related to condominiums.

The City’s RentSafeTO: Apartment Building Standards program’s enforcement team will be issuing letters to the landlords and property managers of each of these locations, reminding them about the requirements under the mask bylaw. The city will also follow up in-person with the landlords and property managers of the12 locations from where more than 10 complaints have been received, to examine the masking policy and documentation, ensure signage is posted throughout the building and conduct a follow-up inspection.

Implemented in August 2020, the by-law for apartments and condominiums requires building owners or operators to have a policy requiring everyone to wear a mask or face covering while in enclosed common spaces, such as elevators, hallways, lobbies, laundry rooms, and any other shared facilities. In addition, building owners are required to:

post signage at all entrances to enclosed common areas;
ensure that everyone working at the building has been trained in the policy and bylaw, and;
provide a copy of the policy for inspection by city bylaw enforcement officers, if requested.

Improving hotel sanitation with innovative new steps

Hotels, along with most other high-occupancy facilities, have undergone numerous cleaning and disinfection protocol changes in the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While many have utilized new equipment like electrostatic disinfectant sprayers and high-tech ultraviolet cleaning machines, one accommodation in Mexico has taken hotel sanitation to new levels.

Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf and Spa Resort, near downtown Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, is not only cleaning and disinfecting its rooms but also its guests.

The way it works is actually pretty simple. Each time a guest arrives, they must enter a cabin resembling a glass telephone booth. There, their temperature is taken and they are sprayed on all sides with an odourless antiseptic mist that can’t be absorbed or inhaled and has “broad-spectrum efficacy” proven against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes. Once that process is complete, they get the green light – literally – to leave the booth.

If that level of hotel sanitation wasn’t enough, their luggage and bags are also sanitized via a separate process.

The booths are stationed around the resort complex adjacent to any entrances to indoor space and must be used every time a guest enters or re-enters the property.

It’s an innovative attempt to bolster hotel sanitation, although the jury is still out on just how much of an effect they have in practice.

“While ultraviolet [and] antimicrobial ‘booths’ have become popular as a potential tool to help stop the spread of germs, facilities should focus on enforcing social distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing and frequent disinfecting of high-touch surfaces with an EPA-approved disinfectant,” said Saskia Popescu, MD, an infectious disease epidemiologist.

Kumi Smith, assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, added that the innovation has “a whiff of security theatre, since the [SARS-CoV-2] microorganism that we should be concerned about colonizes our nasopharyngeal passages, not our skin.”

The truth, it seems, is that if a traveller has already contracted COVID-19, these hotel sanitation booths won’t cure them.

What may be their main purpose in practice is that they are a highly visible and attention-grabbing way of announcing that a hotel or other facility is making health and safety adjustments in light of the pandemic. That plays a large role in boosting consumer confidence.

Having said that, when combined with multiple other more standard precautions like mask-wearing, hand-washing, and temperature screening, as they are at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica, the booths can fairly be seen as one more step in the fight to stop the spread of the virus.

Creating a condo sustainability plan for 2021

Forest fire smoke in west coast cities; warm balmy weather in late autumn; flooding in dense urban neighbourhoods. It’s undeniable that climate change is looming and it’s affecting our urban environments–including condominiums.

The more Canadian governments ramp up efforts to meet sustainability goals by 2030, the more apparent it is that all businesses and business operators, including condo managers and boards, should follow suit by planning and implementing a sustainability plan for 2021 and beyond.

What does a sound sustainability plan entail? Whatever your plan looks like, it needs to take into consideration all the moving parts that make up a residential building: occupants, staff, management, operations, facilities, common space and outdoor grounds.

This plan should have several goals that meet the condo’s specific needs, but overall, the outcome should be to achieve better environmental performance within the residential community. The plan should aim to include these strategies for smooth implementation:

Foster Innovation – Innovate beyond the minimum environmental performance standards. An LED light bulb is fine, but what other solutions are out there?
Raise the Bar – Building performance standards should look to increase current environmental performance. Where can we do better?
Build Capacity – Build more capacity and time for your staff and occupants with more access to information. Information like building operation insights can support owners and their managers to identify, approve and implement more sustainability projects more frequently.
Activate Upgrades – Access incentives to overcome challenges like grants or rebates; use the tools available to you.
Empower Communities – Focus on communities to lead the way. Value their environmental performance and encourage them to choose sustainable behaviours.

Where to Start?

A green strategy can start anywhere, but a few key areas of focus can include greenhouse gas reduction, waste reduction, energy efficiency and improved access to green living. Get creative and look at how you can tackle any of the following according to what works best for a building’s individual needs.

Perhaps one condo is limited to concrete surroundings and green space isn’t as accessible, but creating welcoming common spaces with indoor greenery can be a strong alternative.

Perhaps a building already works with eco-friendly product vendors, but there are ways to reduce the frequency of orders to reduce waste. With any existing or non-existing sustainability plan, be sure to audit the current status of your building’s footprint; this sets a guideline for areas that can improve.

Communicating A Plan

Another key component to consider is communicating the plan. There’s always an opportunity to improve communication and engage residents, boards and management to work together. Getting people on track to meet sustainable goals might seem daunting – especially when other parties like staff or management may see other tasks as a priority versus fostering sustainable action.

As with any good communication, this kind of ongoing dialogue is a marathon, not a sprint. Start with easy-to-use and accessible mediums to deliver the sustainability plan. Now that the world is virtual, hold a town hall or a bi-monthly sustainability meeting through a team-meeting software. Engage building occupants early and often before rolling out the plan’s deliverables. Ask if people are willing to volunteer or participate in managing the execution of the plan.

Encourage repetitive touch points and reminders of the plan by putting up physical marketing materials around the building’s common areas, like digital notices, TV slideshows in lobbies, email or newsletter blasts. The continuity of information helps everyone, no matter who the audience, adopt and accept the plan’s existence.

Budgeting A Plan

In determining a budget for this, there are creative and cost-effective solutions to implementing a sustainable plan. Yes, going green might result in fronting some up-front capital, but over the long term, that investment will result in significant financial savings, ultimately translating into being less expensive. A sustainability plan and budget should be made with the mindset of plan and prevent, instead of react and pivot.

Understandably, with the ongoing challenge of a global pandemic, condos have seen an uptick in expenses, such as more cleaning costs, higher utility bills and increased minimum wage to pay staff. With any strategic plan, the budget should be taken into consideration. Implementing sustainable action in 2021 is not exclusive to saving money; in many ways, both concepts intersect in ways which result in more cost savings because the plan should look to increase cost efficiency through operations, utilities and staffing.

Adoption and deployment of new technologies in your building can often accomplish multiple objectives. On the energy use side, tools that may initially seem like an expense will actually lower your utility bills by minimizing the total amount of energy your building uses, the savings from which can be reinvested back into your condos reserve budget to offset increased costs elsewhere or even fund more sustainable projects. At the very least, they’ll be a major factor in reducing your condo’s carbon footprint, while injecting capital back into your corporation.

In sum, sustainability planning for 2021 should be forward thinking. Much like we had to pivot in 2020 to innovate beyond our normally scheduled programming, we now understand, more than ever, the importance of being prepared for the unexpected.

Much like our planet, our buildings can’t afford to wait to become more sustainable later. It’s imperative that boards, managers, staff and occupants implement environmental action in 2021 to maintain sustainable wellness within condos and the communities that live within them.

Brad Pilgrim is the CEO and co-founder of Parity Inc. Over the past three years, Brad has led the company to develop and deploy an AI-powered energy management platform for multi-residential buildings in order to eliminate energy waste in buildings and cultivate more sustainable urban environments.

Tamara Vrooman appointed new CIB chair

Tamara Vrooman has been appointed as the new chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB).

“Tamara is an excellent choice for chair of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. She brings a strong financial and infrastructure background, and important leadership skills to the role. Tamara is the CEO of the Vancouver International Airport, led Canada’s largest community credit union through the 2008 financial crisis, and served as B.C.’s Deputy Minister of Finance where she steered the Ministry’s $36 billion fiscal plan, resulting in three AAA credit rating upgrades. She has the right background and experience, and she knows how to get things done,” said Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.

Vrooman is one of Canada’s most respected executives. She brings to the CIB a wealth of experience in forming partnerships with domestic and global institutional investors on revenue-generating projects and engaging with public sector stakeholders.

“We have a vitally important job to do in fostering economic growth in Canada, at an especially critical time, through attracting and leveraging private investment for critical infrastructure projects,” said Vrooman.

The board of directors is responsible for governance and oversight of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. Vrooman will work with board CEO Ehren Corey, who was appointed in October 2020, as the CIB continues to deliver on the three-year, $10-billion Growth Plan.

The Growth Plan is focused on investing in projects in five key sectors, including transit, green infrastructure, clean power, broadband and trade and transportation. Vrooman replaces former CIB chairperson Michael Sabia, who was appointed Deputy Minister of Finance by the Prime Minister in December 2020.

“I’ve had the privilege of working directly with Tamara when she was co-chair of the 2018 Panel on Climate, advising myself and the Finance Minister. Tamara clearly understands the critical role of infrastructure in building our country, growing our economy, creating jobs and attracting investment and tackling climate change,” said Minister McKenna.

Construction rebar imports spur dumping inquiry

Some construction rebar imports to Canada could be skirting international trade agreements. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is currently investigating evidence that up to nine countries are dumping products that undercut domestic prices and are deleterious to Canadian manufacturers. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) concurs that there are grounds to pursue the issues in question, which could result in punitive duties applied to future imports.

The CBSA action is separated into two separate investigations. The first was launched in September 2020 following a written complaint from Canadian manufacturers, and is directed at Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam. The second is tied to what CBSA characterizes as a subsequent “surge of imports” from Russia and Oman, and was launched in December.

The investigations and the CIIT’s associated determinations are enabled under the federal Special Imports Measures Act (SIMA). If the CBSA concludes that dumping has occurred and the CIIT synonymously decrees that it has caused harm or threatens to cause harm to the domestic market then extra duties would be applied on imports from the offending countries for a five-year period. Retroactive duties could also potentially be applied on “massive importations” that occurred during the investigation period.

Notably, two decisions to apply anti-dumping duties have been rendered in recent years: in January 2015 on rebar originating in China, Korea and Turkey; and in May 2017 on rebar imported from Belarus, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Japan, Portugal and Spain.

The new investigations focus on uncoated rebar produced using ferrous scrap metal as the principal raw material and are concerned with dumping margins — i.e. the difference between the deemed normal value in the exporter’s home market versus the price attached to the imported products — and their related impact on Canadian producers. Fabricated rebar and 10-millimetre-diameter rebar coated to comply with CSA or ASTM anti-corrosion standards are excluded from the CBSA’s assessment.

Collectively, the seven countries covered in the first investigation accounted for more than 69 per cent of total imports to Canada in the period from June 2019 to 2020. That’s up from 54 per cent in the 12 months from January to December 2019 and 19.4 per cent in 2018. CBSA gauges the countries’ dumping margins from a low of 11.4 per cent for Egypt to a high of nearly 59 per cent for Italy.

Perhaps accordingly, Italy’s share of the Canadian market grew from an estimated 2.8 per cent in 2017 to 10.6 per cent in the June 2019 to June 2020 period. The seven countries captured a 34 per cent share of the market in the same period, gaining sales from both domestic producers and other exporters.

“The CBSA finds that the evidence discloses a reasonable indication that the dumping of the subject goods from the named countries has caused injury to the domestic rebar industry in Canada,” the rationale for the investigation states. “The nature of the injury is well documented with respect to lost sales and price depression, price undercutting, price suppression and erosion, lost market share, reduced profits, reduced production and capacity utilization.”

Meanwhile, CBSA attributes the sudden emergence of Oman and Russia largely to this investigation. Construction rebar imports from the two nations grew from negligible volumes in the Canadian market prior to June 1, 2020 to 8 per cent and 6 per cent respectively during the following six months. CBSA estimates dumping margins at 7.2 per cent for Oman and 42.5 per cent for Russia.

Along with undercutting Canadian producers, prices for the Oman and Russian rebar imports were deemed “well below the average” for the seven countries named in the earlier investigation. Additionally, it has previously been determined that Oman was dumping carbon steel pipe into the Canadian market; the United States has instigated trade remedies on steel products against both Oman and Russia; and the European Union has also made findings against Russia for “multiple steel products” — signalling what the CBSA terms “a propensity to dump steel exports”.

Citing “unusually difficult” circumstances, CBSA has enacted an allowable 45-day extension for completing its investigation of Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, moving the initial December 21 deadline to no later than February 4. A decision related to Russia and Oman is also expected next week, with the CIIT scheduled to announce whether there is reasonable indication that dumping and injury has occurred.

If so, that would trigger the next step, which would call on CBSA to make a preliminary determination of whether dumping has occurred by March 4. Reading between the lines of CBSA’s observations, it might also be reasonable to expect that the issue could arise again as steel producers worldwide face a downturn.

“The CBSA agrees that the evidence shows that the international economic outlook is generally weak, and the market and demand for rebar is weak and pressured by massive global overcapacity in the steel industry combined with global rebar prices in decline,” it states.

ISSA members recognized for sustainability, equality

ISSA members take pride in their achievements in the field of cleaning and maintenance, and many of them win recognition for their efforts.

Just this week, nine ISSA member companies have been honoured for their achievements in key areas.

Firstly, five member companies have been named to media and investment advisory firm Corporate Knights’ 2021 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations Index.

The 17th annual edition of the list was compiled using a quantitative methodology to rank global corporations on a variety of sustainability metrics. Those include overall sustainability disclosure rates and penalties for sustainability related violations.

The five ISSA-affiliated organizations included in the list of 100 organizations include:

Cascades PRO
Essity
Henkel AG & Co KGaA, parent company of Dial Professional
Novozymes
Unilever Plc.

Sustainability prowess wasn’t the only factor that earned recognition for ISSA’s members this week, though.

Four ISSA member companies have been named to Bloomberg’s 2021 Gender-Equality Index (GEI).

Bloomberg’s annual list recognizes the financial performance of public companies committed to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation, and transparency.

The GEI measures gender equality across five pillars: female leadership and talent pipeline, equal pay and gender pay parity, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies, and pro-women brand.

This year’s GEI included 380 companies across 50 industries, drawn from a pool of more than 6,000 companies.

The ISSA members included in the 2021 GEI include:

Dow Chemical Co.
Ecolab Inc.
Procter & Gamble (P&G), the parent company of Procter & Gamble Professional
Sodexo

In addition, 17 members achieved a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) 2021 Corporate Equality Index.

First published in 2002, HRC’s annual list rates companies on their internal policies regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees, consumers, and investors. This year, more than 1,100 companies actively participated in HRC’s survey, with 767 businesses earning a perfect score.

The ISSA-affiliated organizations that achieved perfect scores on the 2021Corporate Equality Index include:

3M
Aramark
CBRE
The Clorox Co., the parent company of Clorox Professional Products Co.
Cushman & Wakefield
Colgate-Palmolive Co.
Dow Chemical Co.
Eastman Chemical Co.
Ecolab Inc.
Newell Brands Inc., the parent company of Rubbermaid Commercial Products
Office Depot
Procter & Gamble (P&G), the parent company of Procter & Gamble Professional
SC Johnson, the parent company of SC Johnson Professional
Sodexo
Staples Inc.
Unilever
W.W. Grainger Inc.

total, ISSA has more than 9,300 members including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, building service contractors, residential cleaners, in-house service providers, and associated service members.

Companies can apply to become members here.

Simple upgrades for winter resilience

What are some simple and cost-effective upgrades a condo corporation can implement to make their building more resilient in winter?

When we think about resilient buildings, we often think of the worst-case scenarios: catastrophic flooding, wildfires, wind or tornado damage. What we often fail to consider is that sometimes it’s the little things that can cause the biggest issues, especially over time.

Similarly, we are all guilty of thinking, “winter is not like it used to be” and, “it really doesn’t get that cold anymore.” While our changing climate certainly makes these statements feel true, often it is extreme fluctuations in temperature that can cause larger issues for our condominium buildings than a sustained deep freeze.

As winter approaches, consider the little things around your building that can add up to major savings. Condo corporations and property managers should focus on building envelope issues, heating and ventilation and access/entry controls.

When we think about our buildings, we must remember that in some places the protective skin of a building can be weak and require regular attention. Simple things like clearing gutters, drains and catch basins of leaves and debris can dramatically reduce the risk of flooding later in the winter, especially when the spring thaw comes. Another weakness of that protective skin is often the sanitary drain lines. Installing back-flow preventers can be a relatively simple and economical way to minimize the risk of flooding, while at the same time often warranting a discount from insurers or even potential grant funding from the government.

An additional enhancement that may be eligible for discounts and funding is upgrading windows. While this seems like a major endeavor (and it certainly can be), if properly planned and managed, these projects can be done in small segments over time. This not only makes it more affordable from a budget standpoint but also less intrusive to the owners and occupants. Remember, upgrading to the latest in thermal window technology can result in more than 15 per cent in annual energy savings.

Often when we think about the heating and ventilation in our buildings it is because something is wrong. Additional maintenance (especially during the pandemic) can go a long way toward having a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone inside. Consider not only enhanced duct cleaning but also upgrading the filtration to remove additional airborne allergens and particulates. Simple things like ensuring the system is properly balanced, providing even heating to all areas, can help toward the health and comfort of a building. Even something as simple as uneven ventilation can lead to condensation issues in the winter. While this may seem innocuous, it can often lead to water damage and mould issues if left unresolved.

The often overlooked and generally overused front door of a condominium is another area that can always use an upgrade. With high traffic, and the moving of goods through a single-entry point, comes additional maintenance. Given enhanced cleaning protocols and a focus on energy efficiency this is another great area to investigate.

In older facilities, there is often only a single stage entry (without a vestibule) and some simple winter floor mats. This allows for a great deal of heat loss as well as considerable mess from wet feet in the winter. Adding a second set of doors, automation to control them and a walk on/walk off system, can greatly increase energy efficiency, security and accessibility for everyone, not to mention eliminating the hourly mopping of the entire lobby. This can also help with that “clean feeling” we are all striving for, with less hands touching the doors and glass.

While complete replacement and redesign of these systems can be costly, simple things from replacement of weather stripping and caulking, to adjustments of the hardware can make a big difference on energy efficiency for a very marginal cost.

Building resiliency into our homes and businesses sometimes seems like a mammoth task. When we take the issue apart and address it in smaller pieces, the road to resiliency gets a lot smoother. Having a plan (and a good supporting cast of contractors and responders) can help make every building more resilient and, in the case of something catastrophic, allow it to bounce back much faster and more easily.

Jim Mandeville is the senior project manager — Large Loss North America at FirstOnSite Restoration.

Building energy leaders

The race towards a greener and more energy efficient built environment is on, and every joule matters. Such is the philosophy behind Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)’s ENERGY STAR for Buildings programming that includes ENERGY STAR Certification, a new program designed to recognize those Canadian buildings that stand out as assets whose energy performance is amongst the top 25 percentile.

Introduced to Canada in 2018, the ENERGY STAR Certification program targets a wide range of building types including: office buildings, K-12 schools, hospitals, medical office buildings, hotels and motels, warehouses, and others.

A platform for change
ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® is the cornerstone of its certification program for buildings. The Canadian adaption of the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA)’s online benchmarking tool helps users measure, track, and optimize energy consumption by comparing their building’s performance against itself as well as similar buildings. In Canada, much of that data comes from Statistics Canada’s Survey of Commercial and Institutional Energy Use (SCIEU), which is conducted every five years and generates a timely and accurate snapshot of building characteristics and energy usage across the commercial and institutional sectors.

“The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool is designed to give Canadian users an easy, secure, and cost-free way to benchmark a building’s energy and to generate a wide array of performance metrics.” explains Mike Dennison, Senior Program Officer, in NRCan’s Office of Energy Efficiency. “A key value component of benchmarking in the tool is the ability to compare your building’s performance against a similar, national reference building that has been modeled from the SCIEU data.”

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is also the gateway to ENERGY STAR Certification. Eligible building types that achieve a score of 75 or higher (top quartile) on the ENERGY STAR 1-100 score scale are able to submit an application for certification through the Portfolio Manager tool. Building set-ups and data must be verified by an in-house or third-party Licensed Professional.

“The verification process exists to protect the integrity of the certification,” adds Dennison. “The sign-off by a licensed engineer or registered architect, in their professional capacity, means buildings that earn the ENERGY STAR have done so authentically.”

Once approved by NRCan, buildings receive an ENERGY STAR Certification decal and branding materials. With the owner/manager’s permission, they are also added to NRCan’s online registry of certified buildings and have an opportunity to be promoted alongside other energy efficiency leaders.

ENERGY STAR Certification is not a one-and-done process. To maintain status as ENERGY STAR, a building is required to re-certify on an annual basis, thus ensuring that the building continues to maintain its top-quartile energy performance on the ENERGY STAR 1-100 scale and is keeping pace with industry changes.

“The playing field is always changing, as is the data from the SCIEU survey. The need to re-certify annually means that your building continues to prove an ability to innovate and improve how energy is managed,” notes Dennison.

A multi-purpose tool
While ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager was designed with a focus on energy benchmarking, its potential doesn’t end there. Recent enhancements to the tool have added the ability to track water and solid waste usage. Additionally, the tool’s features and functionality have seen it integrated as the reporting platform for an increasing number of programs and initiatives such as the Ontario Large Building Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) regulation.
“ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is not intended to “compete” with other market (some more sophisticated) benchmarking tool options,” says Dennison. “I always use the old saying that goes: usually when you get something for nothing, that’s what it’s worth. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager bucks that trend; it is a tremendous complementary benchmarking tool that offers a wealth of benefits.”

Power of the brand
There are perks to a building being certified as ENERGY STAR. At last check, ENERGY STAR enjoys upwards of 90 per cent market recognition, making it a brand that denotes leadership in energy conservation. This is an advantage for today’s building owners, managers, and investors who are looking for ways to stand out from among their competition.

“From a tenant’s perspective, certification can be a differentiator – especially if it means I may pay less for my utilities,” says Dennison, noting, “Not only that, but some tenants and organizations are starting to focus on being in a building that is part of the solution on climate change and carbon reduction.”

First Steps
The journey towards ENERGY STAR certification is as easy as a click. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager can be used to input building data and gauge one’s standing free of charge, and it can also be used to answer virtually any question participants have about the program and the certification process.

“There is no cost. Someone can open a Portfolio Manager account within a matter of 15 minutes, and instantly set up a sample building to see what their building will look like when it’s set up. A new user can then easily explore the robust functionality of the tool,” Dennison explains.

Moreover, both NRCan and the EPA conduct introductory Portfolio Manager webinars throughout the year, the latter of which includes a wealth of content applicable to Canadian building stakeholders as well.

Launch success
To date over 300 new and re-certified buildings have been welcomed to the ENERGY STAR family with more in the pipeline. And with that number growing, NRCan is confident that its ENERGY STAR Certification program for commercial and institutional buildings will reach new heights in the year ahead.

Says Dennison, “We’re very happy with where things have evolved since we launched this program, and we’re extremely happy with the uptake for ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager itself, which has in excess of 26,000 buildings in Canada benchmarking their energy, representing approximately 35 per cent of the commercial/institutional floor space.”

Building owners and managers who are ready to begin their ENERGY STAR certification journey, and benefit from using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, are invited to visit www.energystar.gc.ca/batiments.

ENERGY STAR eligible properties
ENERGY STAR Certification is currently available to the following property types in Canada:
● K-12 Schools
● Hotels / Motels
● Warehouses
● Medical Offices
● Hospitals
● Ice / Curling Rinks
● Commercial Offices
● Senior Care Communities and Residential Care Facilities
● Supermarket and Food Stores
● Retail Stores

Learn more about ENERGY STAR Certification for Buildings and take your first step by registering for the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

Chefs de file en matière d’efficacité énergétique des bâtiment

Dans la course pour créer un environnement bâti plus écologique et écoénergétique, chaque joule compte. Telle est la philosophie à l’origine du programme ENERGY STAR pour les bâtiments de Ressources naturelles Canada (RNCan), un nouveau programme de certification conçu pour reconnaître les bâtiments canadiens qui se démarquent en raison de leur rendement énergétique se situant dans le quartile supérieur.

Mis en œuvre pour la première fois au Canada en 2018, le programme de certification ENERGY STAR cible un grand éventail de bâtiments, notamment les immeubles de bureaux, les écoles du préscolaire au niveau secondaire, les hôpitaux, les centres médicaux, les hôtels et les motels, les entrepôts et bien d’autres encore.

Une plateforme pour le changement
L’outil ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® est la pierre angulaire du programme de certification pour les bâtiments. L’outil d’analyse comparative en ligne de l’Environmental Protection Agency des États-Unis (adapté pour le Canada) aide les utilisateurs à mesurer, suivre et optimiser leur consommation d’énergie en comparant le rendement énergétique de leur bâtiment par rapport à ses propres statistiques, mais aussi par rapport à celles d’autres bâtiments comparables. Au Canada, une grande partie de ces données proviennent de l’Enquête sur l’utilisation commerciale et institutionnelle de l’énergie (EUCIE) de Statistique Canada, une enquête menée tous les cinq ans fournissant un aperçu exact et à jour des caractéristiques des bâtiments ainsi que de la consommation d’énergie dans tous les secteurs institutionnels et commerciaux.

« L’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager est conçu pour offrir aux utilisateurs canadiens un moyen facile, sûr et gratuit permettant d’effectuer une analyse comparative de la consommation énergétique de leurs bâtiments et pour proposer un large éventail de mesures de rendement », explique Mike Dennison, agent de programme principal à l’Office de l’efficacité énergétique de Ressources naturelles Canada. « Un des avantages clés de cet outil d’analyse comparative est qu’il permet de comparer le rendement énergétique d’un bâtiment à celui d’un bâtiment de référence national similaire, modélisé à partir de données de l’EUCIE. »

« L’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager constitue également la porte d’entrée de la certification ENERGY STAR. Tout propriétaire de bâtiment admissible ayant obtenu une cote de 75 et plus (soit au quartile supérieur) sur l’échelle de 1 à 100 correspondant aux cotes de rendement ENERGY STAR peut soumettre une demande de certification par l’intermédiaire de l’outil Portfolio Manager. Les installations et les données du bâtiment doivent être vérifiées par un professionnel agréé tiers ou interne.

« Le processus de vérification sert à protéger l’intégrité du système de certification, ajoute M. Dennison. La signature d’un ingénieur ou d’un architecte agréé, dont la compétence professionnelle est reconnue, signifie qu’un sceau d’authenticité a été apposé aux bâtiments ayant obtenu la certification ENERGY STAR. »

Une fois approuvés par RNCan, les bâtiments reçoivent un autocollant de certification ENERGY STAR ainsi que le matériel de promotion de la marque. Avec l’autorisation des propriétaires ou des gestionnaires, les bâtiments sont également inscrits au répertoire des bâtiments certifiés de RNCan et ont la possibilité d’être promus au même rang que d’autres chefs de file en matière d’efficacité énergétique.

La certification ENERGY STAR n’est pas un processus que l’on doit suivre une seule fois. En effet, pour conserver son statut ENERGY STAR, un bâtiment doit renouveler sa certification chaque année, de façon à ce qu’il continue à maintenir son rendement énergétique le plaçant dans le quartile supérieur sur l’échelle de 1 à 100 des cotes ENERGY STAR et à suivre l’évolution de l’industrie.

« Le terrain de jeu est en constante évolution, tout comme les données de l’enquête EUCIE. L’obligation de renouveler la certification signifie qu’un bâtiment continue de prouver sa capacité à innover et à améliorer la façon dont l’énergie y est gérée », remarque M. Dennison.

Un outil multifonction
Bien que l’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager soit conçu essentiellement pour l’analyse comparative, il offre d’autres possibilités. Les récentes améliorations qui y ont été apportées permettent également de suivre la consommation d’eau ainsi que la production de déchets solides. En outre, les caractéristiques et fonctionnalités de l’outil ont permis de l’intégrer comme plateforme de production de rapports servant à un nombre croissant de programmes et d’initiatives, tels que le règlement de l’Ontario en matière d’analyse comparative et de production de rapports sur la consommation d’énergie et l’utilisation de l’eau pour les grands bâtiments.

« L’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager n’a pas été prévu pour “concurrencer” d’autres outils d’analyse comparative du marché (dont certains sont plus élaborés) », déclare M. Dennison. « J’ai l’habitude d’énoncer un vieux dicton qui dit : en général, ce qui ne coûte rien ne vaut rien. Mais l’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager fait mentir l’adage; il s’agit d’un formidable outil complémentaire offrant de nombreux avantages. »

Le pouvoir de la marque
Le fait d’obtenir pour un bâtiment une certification ENERGY STAR comporte des avantages. Selon les dernières vérifications, il appert que la certification ENERGY STAR jouit d’un taux de reconnaissance du marché de plus de 90 %, ce qui en fait une marque qui représente un véritable leadership en matière d’économie d’énergie. Une telle crédibilité constitue un avantage pour les propriétaires et les gestionnaires de bâtiments, tout comme pour les investisseurs qui cherchent des moyens de se distinguer de la concurrence.

« Du point de vue des locataires, une certification peut conférer un caractère distinctif à un immeuble d’habitation, en particulier si cette certification se traduit par une possible réduction des coûts des services », affirme M. Dennison, notant également au passage que « certains locataires et organismes commencent à choisir des bâtiments en fonction de la volonté de leurs propriétaires de participer à la lutte contre les changements climatiques et à la réduction des émissions de carbone. »

Les premières étapes
Le parcours menant à la certification ENERGY STAR est aussi facile qu’un simple clic de souris. On peut utiliser gratuitement l’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager pour saisir des données sur les bâtiments et pour y évaluer son classement. Les participants peuvent également se servir de l’outil pour obtenir des réponses à pratiquement toutes leurs questions concernant le programme et le processus de certification.
« C’est entièrement gratuit. Quelqu’un peut ouvrir un compte Portfolio Manager en l’espace d’une quinzaine de minutes et configurer instantanément un exemple de bâtiment pour voir ce à quoi il ressemblera lorsqu’il sera aménagé. Un nouvel utilisateur peut alors explorer toutes les fonctionnalités intéressantes de l’outil », explique M. Dennison.

De plus, RNCan et l’EPA organisent tout au long de l’année des webinaires d’introduction à Portfolio Manager. Ces webinaires proposent une grande richesse de contenu s’appliquant également aux intervenants canadiens du secteur des bâtiments.
Un lancement réussi

À ce jour, plus de 300 bâtiments, nouveaux ou ayant renouvelé leur certification, font partie de la grande famille ENERGY STAR, et bien d’autres ont entamé le processus menant à la certification. Or, fort de ce nombre sans cesse croissant de demandes, RNCan est persuadé que son programme de certification ENERGY STAR pour les bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels atteindra au cours de la prochaine année de nouveaux sommets.

« Depuis le lancement du programme, nous sommes très heureux de l’évolution en cours et particulièrement satisfaits du taux d’utilisation de l’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager lui-même. On compte en effet plus de 26 000 bâtiments au Canada pour lesquels des analyses comparatives d’énergie ont été effectuées, ce qui représente environ 35 % de la surface de plancher des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels », se réjouit M. Dennison.
Les propriétaires et gestionnaires de bâtiments qui sont prêts à entamer le parcours menant à la certification et à profiter des avantages de l’outil ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager sont invités à consulter la page www.energystar.gc.ca/batiments.

Bâtiments admissibles à la certification ENERGY STAR
Au Canada, la certification ENERGY STAR est actuellement offerte pour les types de bâtiments suivants :
● écoles du préscolaire au niveau secondaire;
● hôtels et motels;
● entrepôts;
● centres médicaux;
● hôpitaux;
● patinoires et pistes de curling;
● bureaux commerciaux;
● résidences pour personnes âgées et établissements de soins pour bénéficiaires internes;
● supermarchés et commerces alimentaires;
● commerces de détail.

Apprenez-en davantage sur la Certification ENERGY STAR pour les bâtiments en commençant par vous inscrire à ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

Can condos demand COVID-19 vaccination?

Canada is slow to administer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, but condo communities are already beginning to consider some complex issues related to vaccination.

Some of these concerns were addressed during a Condo Advisor webinar—for instance, can corporations demand staff get vaccinated, or can owners who receive vaccines be allowed to access amenities? More clarity will likely come as the situation evolves, but here is the general consensus for now.

Can vaccinated owners demand access to condo amenities?

Researchers are unsure of whether the immunization reduces the risk of someone carrying and transmitting COVID-19. That said, amenities should remain closed until it is safe to do so. “Once it is, you can deal with the protocols of whose had a vaccination, but you really need to wait,” said condo lawyer Denise Lash of Lash Condo Law.

Allowing certain people to access amenities could also create what Josée Deslongchamps of DES Services calls, a concerning “subclass of people in the building.”

“You’re going to create some discrimination—who has been (vaccinated) and who hasn’t,” she said. “The ins and outs and all that kind of stuff, you don’t want to go there. Open for everyone or close for everyone.”

Can condos require vaccination from owners?

For now, condo corporations cannot impose vaccinations until it is mandated by the government, advised Lash, stating the many reasons why people can’t enforce vaccinations, whether it remains an issue of religion or human rights. Another point to consider is how property managers will keep track of who is vaccinated.

Condo lawyer Rod Escayola, of Gowling WLG, pointed out the discussion around requiring vaccination in condos is a bit premature at the moment. Vaccines are not yet widely available to the general population and there remains uncertainty about the life cycle of vaccine-induced immunity. He also noted that only three provinces—Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba—currently mandate vaccines in general, such as vaccines required by public schools.

When it comes to requesting vaccination of staff and contractors there is no “clear answer yet,” he added, referring to flu-vaccine related legal cases of the past, where management in certain healthcare facilities extended the option to staff and nurses to get vaccinated or wear a mask during flu season. “Some cases came back where they said as long as it is supported by evidence and as long as you’re providing staff with options—mask or vaccinate. Some provinces have upheld them. Other provinces have not upheld them and have concluded that as long as it is un-mandated you probably cannot impose that.”

Should condo corporations get involved with immunization campaigns?

Should corporations set up a vaccination clinic in the amenity room?

“Normally, I’d say stay in your lane, but on this one I’ve been convinced otherwise and that’s because I’ve been dealing with a lot of attorneys in the U.S.— in particular the state of Florida, where they have huge homeowner associations,” said Lash, who doesn’t see an issue with facilitating such a program.

In these types of communities, getting the vaccine to residents would only be attainable in large groups, she noted. A corporation contemplating a future immunization campaign is advised to call its insurer. “You’ll want to make sure that you’re insured and then find out, from whoever is providing it, whether they require anything from the condominium corporation— usually an indemnity and release.”

Construction starts on Abbotsford elementary school

Construction has begun on a new Abbotsford elementary school that will also provide child care spaces for the community.

The Government of B.C. is providing $24.7 million for the new, 460-seat Eagle Mountain Elementary school. The Abbotsford School District is contributing an additional $2.5 million.

The school is set to open its doors to students in September 2022. This will reduce enrolment pressure at nearby schools as more families move to the area and will eliminate the need for nearly 20 portables in the district.

The new school will also include a new neighbourhood learning centre. The centre will provide dedicated space for before- and after-school care, along with a large, centrally located multipurpose space for community use. With funding from the province’s Childcare BC New Spaces Fund, there will be nearly 100 child care spaces opening at the new school.

The new Eagle Mountain Elementary school will be an inclusive community amenity, providing child care for infant-toddlers, preschool and school-aged children in the community.

In addition to the new school, the province is also providing $18.9 million for seismic upgrades at Abbotsford Traditional school. The upgrades are also expected to be complete in September 2022 and give 750 students a safer place to go to school.

“We are very pleased to have a new school coming to the Abbotsford School District in 2022,” said Stan Petersen, chair, Abbotsford Board of Education. “Abbotsford has experienced exceptional growth over the last decade, and this new school will alleviate high capacity and projected future enrolment in the Eagle Mountain neighbourhood. We look forward to providing students and families with a modern and innovative learning space and accessible child care spaces.”

CMHC releases 2020 rental market and rent arrears data

Canada’s overall vacancy rate increased from 2.0 per cent in 2019 to 3.2 per cent in 2020 for all bedroom types, according to the latest Rental Market Survey from CMHC. New this year, the survey also included rent arrears data resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. For apartment structures with rental arrears, 32.5 per cent reported that their arrears rate remained similar to 2019, 58.3 per cent reported a higher rate, and 9.2 per cent reported a rent arrears rate lower than what it was last year.

The city of Toronto recorded the highest rate of rent arrears in Canada with 10.68 per cent of all units (34,858) reporting non-payment, representing $55 million in arrears. Given the pandemic disproportionately affected lower paid workers in the hospitality and service sectors, these numbers are reflective of a larger share of population in Toronto with workers in these industries.

In terms of monthly rent, the national average two-bedroom rent across Canada’s urban centres increased by 3.6 per cent to $1,165.

“The vacancy rate for purpose-built rental apartments in Canada’s CMAs increased in 2020,” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s chief economist. “The economic impact of the pandemic has significantly reduced rental demand. Lower international migration, fewer student renters and weaker employment conditions led to weaker inflows of new renters. While vacancy rates increased in many centres, we continue to see a need for more rental supply to ensure access to affordable housing.”

CMHC conducts the Rental Market Survey annually in October to gauge how socio-economic conditions, demographic trends and other factors impact Canada’s rental markets. Purpose-built structures with three or more rental units in urban areas with populations of more than 10,000 make up the data.

City-specific highlights:

The vacancy rate for Canada’s three largest cities (Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver) increased due to higher supply and lower demand.
In British Columbia, vacancy rate increases were seen in Vancouver (2.6%) and Victoria (2.2%) while Kelowna’s (2.1%) vacancy rate decreased.
In Alberta and Manitoba, vacancy rates increased in Edmonton (7.2%), Calgary (6.6%), Lethbridge (5.6%) and Winnipeg (3.8%). In Saskatchewan, Regina (7.5%) and Saskatoon (5.9%) saw slight decreases in vacancy rate.
In Toronto (3.4%), the vacancy rate increased due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. This led to the average vacancy rate in the GTA reaching a 14-year high. This can also be explained by job losses in the service and hospitality sectors, which tend to pay lower wages and employ younger workers—key characteristics of typical renter households.
In Ontario, vacancy rates increased in Thunder Bay (4.1%), Ottawa (3.9%), Windsor (3.6%), London (3.4%), Kingston (3.2%), St. Catharines-Niagara (2.7%), Peterborough (2.6%) and Greater Sudbury (2.5%).
Vacancy rates decreased in Hamilton (3.5%) and Barrie (2.1%). In Belleville (3.0%), Brantford (2.2%) and Guelph (2.2%), vacancy rates remained stable. No changes occurred in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (2.1%) and Oshawa (2.3%).
Montréal’s (2.7%) vacancy rate increased. A decrease in net international migration, the absence of in-person university courses because of COVID-19 and the return to the long-term rental market of tourist-oriented short-term rental units, all contributed to vacancy rate increases.
Other Québec CMAs saw decreased rates – notably in Saguenay (2.8%), Sherbrooke (1.3%) and Trois-Rivières (1.3%).
In Eastern Canada, St. John’s (7.5%), Charlottetown (2.7%), Moncton (2.8%) and Halifax (1.9%) saw their vacancy rate increase while it remained stable in Saint John (3.1%).

Average rents for the purpose-built rental market:

Nationally, average rents across urban centres increased by 3.6% for a two-bedroom apartment between October 2019 and October 2020.
The average rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased in Windsor (8.7%), Barrie (8.0%), Belleville (6.3%), London (6.8%), St. Catharines-Niagara (6.1%), Hamilton (5.0%), Guelph (4.8%), Peterborough (5.3%), Brantford (5.3%), Ottawa (5.2%), Moncton (4.7%), Oshawa (4.6%), Toronto (4.5%), Halifax (4.2%) and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (4.0%).
The average two-bedroom apartment rent was highest in Vancouver ($1,792), Toronto ($1,635), Ottawa ($1,517), Victoria ($1,507), Barrie ($1,393), Kelowna ($1,391), Guelph ($1,356), Oshawa ($1,352), Kingston ($1,327), Calgary ($1,323), Edmonton ($1,272), Winnipeg ($1,262), and Halifax ($1,255).

Digging deeper into rent arrears data:

Among Canada’s urban centres, 6.11% (or 116,929 apartment units) were in arrears out of a total universe of 1,912,290 units. This represented approximately $150 million in total rent in arrears or 0.59% of total expected rent. This small proportion of rent (0.59%) relative to units (6.11%) suggests that primarily apartment units with lower rents were in arrears.
The Toronto CMA recorded the highest rate of rent arrears (0.92%) in Canada with 10.68% of all units (34,858) reporting arrears, representing $55 million in total rent in arrears.
Among all provinces, Ontario posted the highest arrears rate in Canada, with 10.18% of apartment units and 0.81% of rent. This represented approximately $87 million in arrears as of October 2020.

Highlights for secondary rental condominium apartment market:

The average vacancy rate for rental condominium apartments across 17 surveyed centres increased from 1.0% from 1.5%.
Victoria (0.3%), Hamilton (0.3%), London (0.3%), Ottawa (0.3%), Vancouver (0.6%), Kelowna (0.6%) and Halifax (0.9%) reported vacancy rates below the national average.
Calgary (1.6%), Toronto (1.7%), Winnipeg (1.7%), Saskatoon (1.8%), Edmonton (2.0%) Montréal (2.0%), Québec (3.2%) and Regina (5.0%) reported vacancy rates above the national average.
The national average two-bedroom condominium apartment rent increased to $1,663 from $1,577. Rates were highest in Toronto ($2,440), Victoria ($2,223), Vancouver ($2,058) and Hamilton ($1,947).

Canada Games Aquatic Centre opens in Kamloops

The Canada Games Aquatic Centre Infrastructure Improvement Project at the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops has officially reached completion.

The $13.5 million project was driven by the need to replace aging critical infrastructure and provided an opportunity to improve the environmental performance of the building. Aside from extending the life of the building, these updates will significantly improve the energy efficiency of the building, lower the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by reducing the use of natural gas, and make the building more sustainable.

For example, the large air handler at the back of the building now regulates the temperature and humidity of the air within the pool building, and uses a heat recovery system to offset the need to burn natural gas to meet the thermal demands of the building. In a pool environment, a large component of the facility’s energy use is to heat the water. This heat constantly evaporates off the water creating humidity that is then expelled from the building. With the new HVAC systems, this relatively hot and humid exhaust air is now recovered and used to warm the new air entering the building.

Other updates at the centre include: a new roof, walls, and door systems, updated mechanical, electrical, and HVAC systems, new boilers, high efficiency LED lighting, new high-efficiency whirlpool, steam room, and sauna.

Other improvements include a new indoor spray park, and a new hot tub with a direct access lift.

In addition, sustainable practices were prioritized during construction, resulting in 97 per cent of construction waste being diverted from the landfill.

“As a swimmer and lover of aquatic sports, I’m pleased that the Canada Games Aquatic Centre in Kamloops will not only support healthy lifestyles, but will also reduce its carbon footprint and contribute to a greener and more active future for generations to come,” said Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities.