Ontario announces Toronto Western Hospital expansion

Ontario is expanding the capacity for surgeries and post-operative care at University Health Network’s Toronto Western Hospital. Toronto Western Hospital’s Sprott Department of Surgery is one of the largest surgical programs in the country, with over 25,000 operations performed annually in 39 staffed operating rooms.

The expansion will include increasing operating room capacity and redeveloping the space for both pre-operative services and post-operative care. Since the hospital uses state-of-the-art technology to conduct research and offer treatments, the redevelopment will also modernize existing infrastructure to be able to adapt to changing technology.

A wide range of surgeries are performed at Toronto Western Hospital, including transplant, cancer, eye, spine, head and neck, musculoskeletal, general and plastic. The hospital is also home to the province’s largest neurosurgical program, which provides care for patients with highly complex conditions.

“This investment in support of Toronto Western Hospital’s Surgical Services is critical to our ability to provide Ontarians with the very best in surgical care in areas such as neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and specialty services such as the bariatric surgical program and the hand program,” said Dr. Charlie Chan, interim president and CEO of the University Health Network, in a press release. “With this funding, we will be able to respond to the province’s growing needs by improving access to care and creating infrastructure that supports more effective and innovative surgical procedures.”

WestPro awarded Bear Creek Bridge contract

WestPro has been awarded the $5 million contract to construct the Bear Creek Bridge replacement, one of the early works projects identified to set the stage for light rail transit south of the Fraser River.

“Getting started on this enhancement project is an important milestone to showcase that our preparatory work is well underway and that we are shovel ready for LRT construction in Surrey,” said Mayor Linda Hepner. “In a show of support for LRT, the federal government committed to the funding for this project over a year ago, and we are thrilled to see it move forward.”

Surrey’s existing Bear Creek Bridge is situated south of 88th Avenue on King George Boulevard. The timber trestle bridge, constructed in the 1930s, is currently too narrow to accommodate the proposed Surrey LRT corridor. The new design will also allow it to withstand the anticipated load of the LRT that will be running on King George Boulevard from Newton Town Centre to Surrey City Centre, before it turns onto 104 Avenue towards Guildford Town Centre.

“This is an important next step in preparing roads and infrastructure for the Surrey-Newton-Guildford Line,” says Kevin Desmond, CEO, TransLink. “We are pleased to see that the city is moving forward to get ready for the anticipated LRT once funding is secured for the project.”

Replacement of the existing bridge will include rehabilitating the creek channel by improving the stream substrate and incorporating in-stream aquatic habitat features. The design will also better accommodate wildlife movement by offering a wider, unobstructed passage underneath King George Boulevard which further supports the City’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy and Green Infrastructure Network.

Construction is expected to begin in mid-January and last approximately 10 months.

Unregistered condo corps could face late charges as of March

Condo corporations that do not register with the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) and pay their first assessment by Feb. 28, 2018, may face late charges. But the CAO has pushed back the original deadline it set, Dec. 31, 2017, with the goal of getting the 4,000 condo corporations that have yet to do so registered before then.

“Late charges may apply, but we are hoping that we can reach all condo corporations so that they can register by Feb. 28,” Robin Dafoe, executive director and registrar of the CAO, said via email.

If applied, the late charges would take the form of interest accrued on the assessments owed by condo corporations.

In slightly less than four months in operation, the CAO has managed to get 7,000 condo corporations registered, which it said represents more than 60 per cent of the condo corporations in the province.

“The CAO thanks these corporations and recognizes that some corporations may still not be aware of this requirement,” said Dafoe.

The requirement for condo corporations to register with the CAO and pay assessments comes from recent changes to Ontario’s condo laws aimed at improving consumer protection in the sector. The CAO was created to implement some of these changes, including developing mandatory education for condo board directors and establishing a tribunal to help resolve common condo disputes. The assessments, which work out to roughly $1 per unit per month, will help support the CAO’s operations. The first assessment covers from Sept. 1, 2017, day one of the CAO’s operations, through to March 31, 2018.

The CAO’s research suggests that smaller condo corporations in parts of northern and southern Ontario account for some of the corporations that remain unregistered. In areas where registration has been lower, the CAO is putting out the call using ads, direct mail and social media, as well as through partner associations.

“We understand that many of these smaller condo corporations have fewer resources, so we want to take a bit more time to try to reach them, which is another reason we are extending the deadline,” said Dafoe.

Condo corporations that did not receive the unique invitation code required to register with the CAO can obtain one by emailing [email protected].

Condo corporations created before 2018 will also want to mark March 31, 2018, on their calendars, because that’s the deadline for filing one-time transitional returns, which capture a lot of the same information as the registration process. As of March 1, 2018, condo corporations will have access to an online filing system for condo returns, designed based on feedback received during the registration process to make complying with this requirement easy.

Region of Peel pilots active design strategies

The Region of Peel plans to incorporate active design strategies at other facilities within its portfolio after a successful pilot in two of its administrative buildings reduced average sitting times and increased stair trips and walking activities, report two members of the project team.

Treadmill desks — or walk stations, as they called them — were one of the most popular solutions to be introduced through the pilot. Other, low- and no-cost strategies were to apply decals to stairwell doors and supply fewer seats than people in fixed standing meeting rooms.

The pilot was aimed at promoting more physical activity and less sedentary behaviour through design, which aligns with the municipality’s 20-year vision for a community that enables its residents to thrive at all ages. It occurred as organizations are increasingly recognizing the impact of the built environment on health and well-being, observed Lee-Ann Kosziwka, a workplace health specialist at the Region of Peel.

“Design as a solution to a health problem is not new,” she said, speaking in the IIDEX seminar Changing Course Through Supportive Workplace Design.

Public health issue recognized

Kosziwka pointed to the roles of neighbourhood design, sewer infrastructure and clean-water policies in curbing mortality due to communicable diseases in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

“Fast-forward to the 21st century and communicable diseases remain low,” she said. “However, rates of chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, and the risk factors, such as sedentary behaviour, lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating, are increasing at an alarming rate.”

Kosziwka characterized this as a public health issue, noting campaigns encouraging people to adopt a nutritious diet and exercise regularly have failed to stop this trend. What’s more, she said, it has been well-established that engaging in physical activity off the job can’t undo the negative effects of physical inactivity on the job, which is exacerbated by design features that place everything a worker needs within desk’s reach.

The recently launched FitWel certification and WELL Building Standards have acknowledged the importance of the built environment in promoting health in the workplace. The Region of Peel’s pilot may have begun as an initiative of the public health department, but it brought together a range of stakeholders, including the facilities, workplace design and innovation team.

Nicole Fratipietro, a designer at the Region of Peel, said the pilot targeted office areas, stairwells and outdoor spaces with the goal of identifying strategies that would have applications across the municipality’s portfolio.

Employees test active furniture

Active furniture was introduced to the office areas in phases, which Fratipietro noted gave employees the opportunity to test different products before they were procured in larger quantities.

One strategy was to integrate a height-adjustable component into the work surfaces of the traditionally styled desks. Fratipietro said a crank-operated option was ruled out, due to the risk of shoulder injuries caused by repetitive stress, as was a difficult-to-use pin-leg option.

“We don’t have the resources to go in and adjust a surface every time staff want to sit or stand, so we ended up settling with electric desks,” said Fratipietro.

But the electric desks had limited applications in meeting rooms due to the availability, or unavailability, of floor monuments, she said, so this solution was complemented with the addition of counter-height chairs paired with standing-height tables.

“For our meeting rooms that had 10-staff capacity, we ended up only providing eight seats,” added Fratipietro. “This ensured that if we had a meeting of 10, at least two had to be standing.”

The walk stations were initially tested in enclosed areas in anticipation that the equipment would generate noise, among other reasons. The walk stations were later moved to the corridor to give them improved visibility. This also exposed them to natural light, and some were positioned in pairs to facilitate walking meetings.

“We purposefully called them walk stations because we don’t want people to think it’s a workout machine,” added Kosziwka.

Steps to improve stairwell use

Next, the project team turned its attention to improving the aesthetics, safety and wayfinding of the stairwells, which starkly contrasted some of the internal staircases being integrated into new offices.

“They were stairwells to get from point A to point B in case of emergency — they were not used by staff,” said Fratipietro. “Staff came in, took the elevator, went to their floors and did their daily tasks.”

Temporary, and later permanent, signage was posted in the elevator lobbies and above the doors into the stairwells to point staff in the right direction. Door wraps — a low-cost product that Kosziwka said was easy to install, maintain and replace — introduced images intended to entice employees to take the alternative route to move between floors.

Rubberized guardrails, grips on the steps and photo-luminescent strips were installed to enhance safety, as were the fire-rated doors, which were specified in a glazed option — another visual cue reminding employees of the option to take the stairs, as Kosziwka pointed out.

Bright paint colours were applied to perk up the walls of the landings on each floor, which later provided a backdrop for art installations featuring local landmarks, which were subsequently showcased with new lighting. Similarly, images of employees and their families participating in physical activity were installed along the corridor connecting the stairwells to the main elevator lobbies to enliven the long path.

Fratipietro said this exercise engaged employees as the project team called on them to submit photos and vote for their favourites.

Amenities attract outdoor activity

Encouraging employees to spend time outside would prove more challenging at the south administrative building, which is located in an industrial park, than at the north administrative building, which has access to a park. Fratipietro said some of the solutions applied through the pilot came from University of Guelph architecture and design students, who were invited to look at the site plan and make recommendations.

Bike shelters were introduced to make it easier for employees to choose an eco-friendly mode of transportation to get to and from work, while adding cardiovascular activity to the start and end of their day. And walking trails were created to give employees an opportunity to increase their step count over the lunch hour, with motivational messages posted along the three paths, which are marked with their distance, steps and time.

New outdoor fitness equipment was accompanied by instructions to make it just as accessible to citizens as it is to employees. Fratipietro said this was aimed at modelling publicly owned private spaces, or POPS as they are known.

She added that an outdoor ping-pong table introduced around the same time brought together co-workers — some formerly unacquainted — for friendly competitions and the occasional meeting.

“There’s no corporate hierarchy at the ping-pong table,” observed Kosziwka.

Fratipietro said employees wanted to play ping-pong through the winter, so they’ve requested an indoor table, which speaks anecdotally to the success of this solution.

The pilot itself was measured against established guidelines as well as through employee surveys and observation.

Measures quantify pilot impact

Pneumatic sit-to-stand desks scored highest among the active furniture on ease of use and work effectiveness in an employee survey, Kosziwka reported. Participants spent anywhere from 12 to 24 fewer minutes sitting per day, on average, according to a mix of self-reporting and booking data. Booking data also revealed that the ‘walk stations’ were the best-used active furniture.

The stairwells saw a stampede of new foot traffic following the improvements undertaken during the pilot — infrared sensors recorded 811 more trips per day, Kosziwka said. She added that the upgrades to the stairwells and outdoors spaces during the pilot checked the boxes of most of the recommendations contained in the Center for Active Design’s guidelines. And observation suggested that walking activities had tripled thanks to the changes made to the outdoor spaces.

“I know that there is a real desire to demonstrate an improvement to productivity,” said Kosziwka. However, she added, “Don’t feel the pressure with productivity, because there are other ways to evaluate and demonstrate the impact of what you’re doing.”

Successes to be replicated

Fratipietro credited leadership support, stakeholder collaboration and employee engagement with the success of the pilot. She also said the process of testing different solutions in phases gave the project team an understanding of the reasons certain strategies were effective and others weren’t.

The Region of Peel is now applying active design strategies to paramedic and public works facilities.

Michelle Ervin is the editor of Canadian Facility Management & Design.

National home sales expected to dip in 2018: CREA

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) has updated its housing market forecast for sales activity in 2017 and 2018.

Housing market trends continue to differ considerably among regions along four general themes: British Columbia, the Greater Golden Horseshoe, provinces that are dependent on oil and natural resources, and everywhere else.

Ontario home sales have picked up after the lows reached this past summer due to sales trends in the Greater Golden Horseshoe, but will remain well below the peak reached earlier this year. Recently-announced changes to mortgage regulations for 2018 may be motivating some home buyers to make purchases now, before the new rules come into effect in January.

In British Columbia, sales activity has improved. This is due to rising activity in the Fraser Valley and on Vancouver Island, causing home sales in the province to settle midway between the highs reached in early 2016 and the lows in late 2016.

In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, all natural resource-intensive provinces, sales activity is still low amid ample supply. As a result, average prices have leveled off in Alberta and lessened in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

In Manitoba, Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, sales activity has been steadily improving. Along with lowered supply, housing markets in these regions have become more solid, and average prices have been increasing.

CREA’s previous forecast, which was published in September, identified changes to mortgage rules as a key downside risk. When tighter mortgage regulations for 2018 were announced, this prediction proved to be accurate. The new rules make it more difficult for potential home buyers with more than a 20 per cent down payment to qualify for a mortgage, among other things. According to the CREA, the vast majority of Canadian mortgages are low-ratio mortgages.

Recent Bank of Canada research suggests that once tightened mortgage rules come into effect, they will lead to reduced sales activity in housing markets across the country, especially in and around Toronto and Vancouver. In addition, with some home buyers likely to make a home purchase before these new rules come into effect next year, home sales may suffer in the first half of 2018 as a result. Meanwhile, other potential buyers are expected to delay their purchase in order to save up a larger down payment before purchasing, which is anticipated to create a modest improvement in sales activity in the second half of 2018. These factors have caused CREA to narrow its forecast decline in sales activity in 2017 and revise its sales forecast downward for 2018.

The predicted decline in home sales activity in the first half of 2018 due to decreased housing affordability from tighter mortgage regulations may be lessened by a number of factors. Some buyers may qualify for a smaller mortgage by purchasing a lower-priced home, while others may choose to lengthen the amortization period when financing their home purchase.

National sales activity is expected to fall by four per cent to 513,900 units by the end of 2017. The majority of this decline reflects declining activity in Ontario, where sales fell sharply over the spring and summer following the announcement of the province’s Fair Housing Plan in April. Although British Columbia is forecast to record nearly 9,000 fewer sales in 2017, this decline will be almost completely offset by higher sales activity in Quebec and Alberta.

The national average price of a home is expected to reach $510,400 this year, an increase of 4.2 per cent compared to 2016. In recent years, average home prices have been heavily skewed by large swings in British Columbia and Ontario sales, especially for higher-priced single family homes.

Meanwhile, home prices in Eastern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have been climbing following years of firming market conditions. On the other end of the spectrum, home prices remained relatively level or eased slightly in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.

In 2018, national sales transactions are projected to fall 5.3 per cent to 486,600 year-over-year, which equals more than 27,000 transactions. This is a downward revision of about 8,500 sales from CREA’s previous housing market forecast.

The overwhelming majority of the expected decline in sales next year is due to a decline in Ontario sales, with activity projected to remain well below the record levels seen in early 2017. CREA expects the new mortgage rules to lower home sales in 2018 in all provinces except Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Based on research by Altus Group, the expected annual decline of more than 27,000 sales from 2017 to 2018 translates to a decrease of $1.1 billion in economic activity and nearly 12,000 fewer jobs.

The national average price is predicted to fall 1.4 per cent to $503,100 in 2018, largely due to a record number of higher-priced home sales in and around Toronto in the first half of 2017 that is not expected to repeat in 2018.

New mortgage rules and further interest rate increases are expected to further restrain sales in Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto. As a result, the average price of a home is projected to hold steady in British Columbia in 2018, and decline by 2.2 per cent in Ontario.

In an extension of current trends, the average price of a home is expected to climb in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia next year. However, price gains in 2018 will be restrained in all markets by tougher mortgage qualification criteria for low-ratio mortgages, which will impact higher-end home sales activity.

Keeping with 2017 trends, average prices in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador are expected to either remain level or edge back slightly in 2018.

Ontario passes legislation to strengthen consumer protection

Last week, the Ontario government passed the Strengthening Protection for Ontario Consumers Act, legislation that will strengthen protection for consumers making large purchases, including real estate.

The new legislation will introduce stronger rules and professional standards in the real estate sector, including new measures to address conflict of interest issues that can be present in multiple representation situations and larger fines for Code of Ethics violations by real estate professionals. These proposed rules for real estate agents are part of the Ontario government’s Fair Housing Plan.

Following an independent, public review of the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act and the Tarion Warranty Corporation, the Honourable Douglas Cunningham, Q.C. identified opportunities to improve consumer protection for new home buyers. The Strengthening Protection for Ontario Consumers Act will improve confidence in Ontario’s new home warranties and protections by establishing two administrative authorities: one that will administer the new home warranty program, and another to regulate new home builders and vendors.

“These new protections reinforce the government’s commitment to protecting consumers in the marketplace,” said Tracy MacCharles, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, in a press release. “As we develop the detailed regulations to put them into force, we’ll continue talking with people to make sure they effectively support consumers without creating undue burden on business.”

Ontario seeks public input on Greenbelt expansion

Ontario has launched a public consultation on further expanding the province’s Greenbelt. The province is considering expanding the Greenbelt to include regions in the outer ring of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, which is one of North America’s fastest-growing regions. By 2041, the region’s population is expected to reach about 13.5 million.

The recent review of four land use plans for the Greater Golden Horseshoe highlighted the importance of protecting water resources in the region. The hydrological systems under consideration provide high-quality drinking water, manage wastewater and stormwater, sustain plants and animals and support climate change relief including reducing flood risks.

“I commend the government for taking action to protect these important water systems that are facing increasing stress from urban expansion,” said David Crombie, Chair of Advisory Panel for the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review, in a press release. “I look forward to permanent protection for these critical ecological and hydrological areas so we may continue to enjoy the many important services they provide.”

The public, municipalities, conservation authorities, stakeholders and Indigenous communities and organizations are invited to comment on a study area for potential Greenbelt expansion. The consultation includes seven areas most in need of protection, including moraines, cold water streams and wetlands located in the outer ring of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. This area also includes valuable water resources that communities rely on for their water supply.

The province’s Greenbelt permanently protects about 810,000 hectares of green space, farmland, communities, forests, wetlands and watersheds. In 2017, approximately 10,000 hectares were added to the Greenbelt, including 21 new urban river valleys and associated coastal wetland areas that connect to Lake Ontario.

Comments may be submitted online, through the Environmental Registry or at an open house in January-February 2018.

Condo conversions to see expanded warranties

Editor’s Note: Two days after this article was republished online, Tarion released a revised and approved version of Builder Bulletin 51 – Residential Condominium Conversion Projects. This article, which originally ran in print in the September 2017 issue of CondoBusiness, has been updated to reflect the fact that the initial period for pre-existing elements is seven years, not five years (as the article previously stated, based on the draft version of BB51).

Starting next year, builders and vendors of residential conversion projects will have to register with Tarion and obtain approval to proceed with their plans. These changes under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act will help close current gaps in consumer protection.

A residential conversion condominium is where an existing building (office, factory, rental apartment building, as examples) is refitted or expanded to create a multi-unit condominium corporation registered like any newly built condominium. With conversions, there are often two major hurdles that the corporation’s board and owners may encounter during the first few years after registration: no Tarion warranty protection and insufficient funds for imminent expenses.

Current shortfalls in consumer protection

The common elements of conversion corporations have no Tarion warranty protection, as is currently afforded to newly constructed condominiums. Even if the conversion included newly constructed components (roofing, heating/cooling equipment, windows) or if there were new building structures constructed (new row townhouses as part of an existing loft conversion), there would still be no common element warranties. As such the board is left to deal with the vendor/builder on building deficiencies.

The common elements in newly constructed residential condominiums have a range of Tarion warranties, which kick in on the date of registration. In the first year, warranties ensure condominiums are fit to live in, up to Ontario Building Code, and the work and materials are free from defects. Through the second year, warranties continue to cover certain types of defects, violations of the Ontario Building Code’s health and safety provisions as well as water seepage through the basement or foundation walls. Major structural defects have warranty protection for seven years.

There can be a host of major common elements in a newly registered conversion that may meet code, but are nearing the end or have exceeded their expected service life. This can include building envelope components, parking garage structures, balconies, elevators, and heating and cooling equipment.

The reserve contribution in the vendor/builder’s first-year budget does not typically account for these significant costs. The standard calculation of 10 per cent of the operating budget as the first-year reserve transfer has no relation to what it should be to address these imminent expenditures.

As such, the corporation can be faced with insufficient funds to address major repair costs in the early years after registration. And the major repairs may only be identified through the Class I Comprehensive Reserve Fund Study, which is done in the first year after condominium registration.

Legislative changes bring new requirements

To address these shortfalls in consumer protection, effective January 1, 2018, the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act will require builders and vendors who sell units in an applicable residential conversion project to be registered with Tarion and undergo an approval process before the proposed project can commence. The full process is outlined in Tarion Builder Bulletin 51 and includes:

Property Assessment Report

Either a licensed engineer or architect provides a general description of the building, its condition and the planned conversion. This high-level report is provided solely to Tarion.

Capital Replacement Plan

An architect or engineer creates an expected work schedule, including budgets, for modifying, repairing and replacing pre-existing common elements for the 45 years following registration. This involves assessing the condition of the common elements and identifying related key risks. It also involves assessing structural adequacy and destructive testing. This report is provided solely to Tarion.

Pre-existing Elements Fund Study

Provided to all purchasers, this report generally describes the new building and planned conversion and includes a schedule for anticipated work in the seven years after registration. The report also shows expected work for all pre-existing elements for the following 38 years and includes a list of pre-existing elements that will be repaired, replaced or restored before the condominium is registered. The study will also calculate the amount of funds the vendor/builder will need to contribute to the pre-existing elements fund to cover the cost of expected work in the first seven years after registration.

The funds for the work expected in the first seven years will be placed in a separate escrow account for the condominium corporation. Further, the funds must be in place at the time the project is enrolled with Tarion. After the condominium has been registered, the fund will be transferred to the corporation in a segregated account to be used in accordance with the expected work schedule included in the pre-existing elements fund study.

Warranty claims under expanded coverage

How do the Tarion warranties come into play? In two ways.

A performance audit will still be required under the Condominium Act to identify common element deficiencies. Pre-existing elements cannot be expected to perform as new elements, so they will not have the normal first-year warranties that newly constructed common elements (of the conversion) have with respect to workmanship and materials. Ontario Building Code and fit-for-habitation warranties will, however, apply. The second and seven-year warranties will apply both to pre-existing and newly constructed common elements in conversion projects.

Tarion warranties will also apply if the condominium corporation feels that the funds allocated for repairs and replacements in the first seven years may not be sufficient. A warranty claim to Tarion and the vendor/builder can be initiated.

It will be interesting to see how warranty claims will be handled. Two of the key tenets of all Tarion warranties are that normal wear and tear (which is to be expected with pre-existing elements) and improper maintenance will void coverage. It’s anticipated there may be considerable debate over the scope of work and costs allocated in the pre-existing elements fund and what’s deemed necessary by the condominium corporation and its performance audit consultant.

Another caveat is that the above-described reporting and funding requirements and Tarion warranty provisions will not apply to conversions of rental apartment buildings. This appears to be a tactic to preserve Ontario’s rental stock. In the writer’s experience, apartment buildings converted to condominiums often retain many of their original building components. Hence, they would also benefit (perhaps more so as compared to other forms of conversion) from a comprehensive pre-existing elements fund.

The changes to the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act represent a major step forward in consumer protection for conversion condominium unit owners. They include:

• More disclosure on the status of pre-existing common elements;
• seven-year funding by the vendor/builder for pre-existing elements, setup prior to project approval/enrollment; and
• warranty protection for both pre-existing and newly constructed common elements.

Kim Coulter, B.Tech.(Arch.Sc.), ACCI, FCCI, is president of Cion|Coulter Engineers and Building Scientists. He can be reached at 1-877-313-9862 or at [email protected].

Edmonton’s 100 Street Funicular now open

The City of Edmonton has opened its 100 Street Funicular, a project that creates an accessible connection from downtown to its scenic River Valley trail network.

Known as the Mechanized River Valley Access project during construction, it features Edmonton’s and Canada’s only funicular. The project is 260 metres (850 feet) from the top of the promontory to the trail landing and can hold up to 20 people. Construction began in 2016 and was completed on time by Graham Construction.

“The Mechanized River Valley Access creates a unique space from which to experience our beautiful River Valley and an opportunity for those of all abilities to access and enjoy our city’s greatest asset,” said Mayor Don Iveson. “The bridge lookout will hereby be known as the Frederick G. Todd Lookout, named after the 20th Century landscape architect who envisioned Edmonton’s River Valley parks system.”

Designed by Dialog, the project involved building a staircase from 100 Street by the Hotel Macdonald to the Low Level Bridge area of the trail below. An adjacent funicular accommodates bikes, trailers, strollers and specialized equipment like wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

There is a promenade halfway down and a grassy rest area featuring functional art. There is also a new pedestrian bridge with a lookout over the North Saskatchewan River offering unparalleled views of the City’s signature River Valley.

The City of Edmonton has long sought to improve connectivity for the public between urban areas and the North Saskatchewan River valley, and this project is a major step towards greater connectivity throughout the city.

True North REIT buying award-winning Burlington office property

True North Commercial Real Estate Investment Trust (the “REIT”) will be acquiring a 78,800 square foot class A office property located at 3115 Harvester Road, Burlington, Ontario for about $22.75 million.

The property sits on 3.51 acres and has 279 parking stalls near the QEW. It has an average remaining lease term of 3.2 years and is now fully occupied by multi-national organizations.

It has recieved many awards, including a 2016 BOMA Canada TOBY Award, BOMA Best Platinum, BOMA 360, LEED Silver Core and Shell and 2017 BOMA Earth Award.

“The REIT has had an extremely successful 2017,” said Daniel Drimmer, the REIT’s president and CEO. “We raised over $72 million through two equity offerings and have strategically deployed the proceeds into ten high-quality urban office buildings, totaling over one million rentable square feet, while successfully entering two new target markets. We look forward to continued success in 2018.”

The closing of the acquisition is expected to occur around January 18, 2018.

LaSalle launches Canadian open-ended real estate fund

LaSalle Investment Management announced that it has launched its first open-ended real estate fund, which will target commitments from Canadian and global institutional investors seeking access to the Canadian real estate market through a diversified, income-oriented vehicle.

LaSalle Canada Property Fund has been seeded with a core portfolio of assets valued at C$440 million of initial contributions from a long-term and sophisticated institutional investor. The Fund has a potential of up to C$310 million of assets available in subsequent transfers, creating a near-term pipeline of properties to be added in the future. In this way, the Fund will provide investors with immediate exposure to a diverse and mature portfolio comprised of office, industrial and multifamily assets located in top Canadian cities including Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. With its near-term pipeline of potential future investments LCPF will seek to take advantage of mispriced assets as it continues to grow.

“We are excited to launch our first Canadian open-ended fund with a sizable portfolio that directly aligns with the vehicle’s investment parameters given its high asset quality, potential to generate strong recurring cash flows and desirable locations,” said John McKinlay, LaSalle Canada CEO. “We are strong believers in the long-term potential of the Canadian real estate market and are confident in our ability to build a high-quality portfolio of income-producing assets.”

Jason Kern, LaSalle Americas CEO, added: “The creation of LaSalle Canada Property Fund advances our strategy to offer our global investor base access to a best-in-class suite of products targeting a diverse range of real estate investments. Canada’s large, transparent real estate market is one we know very well, providing us with a sustainable competitive advantage as we invest into core assets.”

LaSalle has executed on an aggregate of approximately C$5 billion in Canadian real estate since 2000, providing it with an in-depth understanding of the market. The Fund expands LaSalle’s existing Canadian real estate product suite and investment vehicles, which include a series of closed-end commingled funds as well as separate accounts.

Non-resident ownership of condo apartments remains low

According to a new report from CMHC, the share of condominium apartments owned by non-residents remains low in the 17 Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) surveyed, with the majority reporting shares of less than 1 per cent. Non-resident ownership shares remained stable in Vancouver and Toronto, while Montreal saw an increase.

“The share of condominium apartments owned by non-residents remained low and stable in Canada,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. “The lack of growth in Toronto and Vancouver, combined with the increases in Montréal, indicate the possibility of a shift from these centres after the introduction of foreign buyers’ taxes in Ontario and British Columbia. Other factors attracting demand to Montréal include lower housing prices and a relatively strong economy. It should be noted that foreign ownership is just one of the factors influencing Canada’s housing markets. Other important factors include housing and land supply constraints as well as the economic and demographic fundamentals that drive housing demand.”

CMHC and Statistics Canada both define a non-resident homeowner (often referred to as a “foreign homeowner”) as an individual whose principal residence is outside of Canada. “Foreign ownership,” in this case, technically refers to the non-Canadian residency of the legal owner of the property, irrespective of the owner’s nationality. It should be noted that this definition would classify Canadian citizens whose primary residence is outside of Canada as “non-resident.”

2017 CHMC report highlights

• Toronto, Vancouver, Montréal, Halifax, Victoria and Gatineau have non-resident ownership shares above 1% of the condominium apartment stock.
• Montréal saw an increase in the share of non-resident ownership of condominium apartments, rising from 1.1% in 2016 to 1.7% in 2017.
• Downtown Montréal and Nun’s Island reported the largest increase in the share of non-resident owners, from 4.3% in 2016 to 7.6% in 2017, followed by Montréal Island (from 1.7% to 2.7%) and West of Island Montréal (from 0.9% to 1.5%).
• In Toronto, the largest structures registered a non-resident ownership share of 4.2% compared to the overall share of 2.5%, Vancouver registered a share of 3.3% in the largest structures versus the overall share of 2.2%, while the CMA of Montréal registered a largest-structures share of 3.7% vs the overall share of 1.7%.

CMHC and Statistics Canada partnership

In order to address the data gap on foreign ownership in Canadian residential real estate, CMHC began collecting information in 2014 on the non-resident share of ownership in condominiums via its Condominium Apartment Survey. CMHC has produced estimates for selected major centres, including Vancouver and Toronto. In Budget 2017, the Government of Canada provided funding to Statistics Canada to improve housing data through the CHSP. These efforts have resulted in Statistics Canada publishing its first estimates from the CHSP focusing on non-resident ownership for Vancouver and Toronto.

The Exchange is a new landmark in Vancouver

The $240-million Exchange office tower is Vancouver’s tallest LEED Platinum office tower and Canada’s first LEED Platinum heritage conversion with the restoration of the Old Stock Exchange building, which opened in 1929.

The tower recently opened in the heart of this downtown area. Selected by the city officials as one of a few new, high density, office developments in the city’s central business district this new tower will bring valuable diversity, revenue and jobs to the neighborhood and to the city as a whole.

Designed by Swiss architect Harry Gugger in collaboration with Vancouver-based Iredale Group Architecture, the design rationale for the new Exchange tower is entirely derived from its surrounding context and environment; in particular the existing Old Stock Exchange building, which was preserved and rehabilitated on the site. This refined, handsome and elegant building has facades of carefully composed vertical pilasters that are designed both to best accentuate its height and at the same time ground the building within the streetscape of the city.

The new 31-storey tower blends in and establishes a dialogue with this prominent original building in order to create an overall composition that looks at once to Vancouver’s future without obscuring its past.

By both breaking up the mass of the tower over its entire height and by recessing its bulk from the perimeter of the site above the Old Stock Exchange, the new building allows the existing structure to fully define the streetscape, retaining and confirming its proud position within the heart of Vancouver’s downtown.

As the form of the tower retreats lower down to better define the original form and independence of the Old Stock Exchange, it consequently grows higher above to maximize its potential on the site. Here at the upper, more valuable floor levels, the tower steps out in two directions to provide larger, more efficient floor plates. These steps consequently create terraces on the tower’s sides that are optimally positioned to exploit the best views of the surrounding city and the dramatic panorama of the mountains beyond.

The stratification and stepping of the tower’s form, coupled with the chamfering of its corners both reduces its overall bulk and impact on its neighbors and leaves the Old Stock Exchange building as the single-largest element on the site, emphasizing its presence within the city center.

Restricted by viewing corridors from creating a strong intervention on the skyline, ‘The Exchange’ instead looks to create a distinctive icon within the space of the city itself. Viewed from the street, its cantilevered form creates a unique identity further pronouncing its individuality and historical pedigree.

A respect for the architectural and significant socioeconomic heritage of this original building is also paramount to the origins and identity of the tower’s facade design. The strongly vertical nature of the Old Stock Exchange’s façade is echoed in the elegant pinstripe of the tower’s external aluminum mullions. This unified system responds to the solid pilasters of the Old Stock Exchange Building that is to be retained on the site whilst accentuating the verticality of the tower itself, defining a more uniform and slimmer overall appearance of the building from all orientations.

The vertical mullions perform a further function, shading the building envelope and significantly reducing its cooling load requirements. Their passive screening effect also greatly improves the visual privacy between the tower and its immediate residential neighbor, Jameson House.

The hotel in the tower will be managed by Executive hotels while a Vancouver accounting firm, Smythe LLP, and a fintech company, HyperWallet Systems, will occupy a total of 50,500 square feet. Swiss chocolatier Lindt has a retail store on the ground level and Sovereign General Insurance recently signed a lease.

The project has already won the Exchange the 2017 American Architecture Prize for Heritage Architecture. The tower is the first major project in North America that Credit Suisse Asset Management has built from the ground up.

National home sales continued to climb in November

November 2017 saw national home sales rise for the fourth month in a row, up 3.9 per cent from October, according to statistics released by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) increased by 16 per cent, accounting for more than two-thirds of the national increase. The continued rebound put November sales activity slightly over halfway between March 2017’s peak in sales, and the low reached in July.

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity increased 2.6 per cent year-over-year, setting a new record for the month of November. It was the first year-over-year increase recorded since March and was not due to activity in the GTA, where sales remain down significantly from year-ago levels. Some other large markets posted year-over-year activity gains, including Greater Montreal and the Fraser Valley, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal.

“Some home buyers with more than a 20 per cent down payment may be fast-tracking their purchase decision in order to beat the tougher mortgage qualifications test coming into effect next year,” said Andrew Peck, CREA president, in a press release. “Evidence of this is mixed and depends on the housing market. It will be interesting to see whether December sales show further signs of home purchases being fast-tracked.”

“National sales momentum remains positive heading toward year-end,” said Gregory Klump, CREA’s chief economist. “It remains to be seen whether stronger momentum now will mean weaker activity early next year once new mortgage regulations take effect beginning on New Year’s Day.”

The number of newly listed homes across the country increased 3.5 per cent month-over-month in November, which is partly due to a large increase in new supply across the GTA.

Since sales and new listings climbed by similar amounts, the national sales-to-new listings ratio was 56.4 per cent in November, only slightly changed from a ratio of 56.2 per cent in October, indicating the national real estate market remains balanced. Based on a comparison of the sales-to-new listings ratio with its long-term average, more than half of all local markets sat in the balanced range in November 2017.

The MLS Home Price Index (HPI) climbed 9.3 per cent year-over-year in November 2017. This is a further deceleration in year-over-year price gains that began in the spring, and the smallest increase since February 2016. This deceleration in price gains is largely due to softening price trends in the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) housing markets tracked by the index, especially for single-family homes.

Apartment units saw the largest year-over-year price gains, with the average price of an apartment unit climbing 19.4 per cent in November, followed by townhouse/row units (up 12.3 per cent), one-storey single family homes (up six per cent) and two-storey single-family homes (up 5.3 per cent).

Benchmark home prices were up compared to November 2016 in 11 of the 13 markets tracked by the HPI. Benchmark home price increases ranged between 18.5 per cent in Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, to 0.3 per cent in Calgary. Meanwhile, benchmark home prices fell in Regina and Saskatoon (decreasing by -3.5 per cent and -4.1 per cent year-over-year, respectively).

The actual (not seasonally adjusted) national average price for homes sold in November 2017 was just below $504,000, up 2.9 per cent compared to year-ago levels. The national average price is heavily skewed by sales in the Greater Toronto and Greater Vancouver regions. With these two regions removed from calculations, the national average price falls more than $120,000 to just above $381,000.

Reducing the cost of cleaning supplies

Many facilities prefer to retain their own cleaning workers and purchase their own cleaning supplies, but when budgets get tight, reducing the number of custodial workers is often an initial consideration.

However, astute managers have learned such strategies result in a host of new problems, such as unhealthy buildings. Rather than cut back on workers, saving money on cleaning supplies is another option.

Here, Michael Wilson, vice president of marketing for AFFLINK, lists a few ways to reduce cleaning supply costs. The first step is to examine what cleaning solutions, tools, tasks and equipment are necessary for maintaining the building.

Selecting cost-saving products and supplies

Supply costs tend to add up, especially in larger facilities. For example, plastic liners used to line trash cans are not considered a high-cost item, but in large facilities with hundreds of trash cans, this cost quickly increases. Most of these liners end up in landfills where they can take years to disintegrate.

According to Ron Segura, founder and president of Segura & Associates, a janitorial consulting company based in the United States, omitting liners from trash cans can be a significant cost savings. He points to a large corporate centre that removed all trash liners. Cans that received dry trash were spot cleaned as needed, while cans containing wet trash were replaced with new cans and pressure washed. It was found this method reduced cleaning times and eliminated the need for thousands of trash can liners.

Paper products

With paper products, choosing the right dispensing system can also lead to savings. Sensor-controlled dispensing systems can be regulated to release a specific amount of paper, helping to reduce paper towel waste and costs.

Hand soap

Similarly, one way to reduce the amount of hand soap used in a restroom is to install touch-free dispensers. Once again, these can be regulated to release just the amount of soap necessary to adequately clean hands.

Toilet paper

Switching from traditional small roll toilet paper to large roll paper and dispensers invariably results in cost savings. C-fold, single- and bi-fold paper towels are not the most economical.

Cleaning chemicals

Cleaning chemical dilution control systems are a must because they help eliminate waste. Using too much chemical is not only wasteful and costly, but can increase the immunity of pathogens on surfaces, leaving chemical residue, which causes rapid re-soiling.

Ready-to-use products are quick and easy, but managers are paying for that convenience, much more than they realize. Selecting cleaning solutions in five-gallon containers is more cost effective because the solution is often highly concentrated. It lasts longer and reduces packaging needs and fuel for transporting the products.

Disinfectants should be used only where needed and only after a surface has been cleaned. Disinfectant use often becomes a cleaning habit, applied everywhere for all types of cleaning needs.

Dashboards

Dashboard systems are available online and are designed to work on different computer devices. Some are free. They allow the user to select a product and then compare it with others designed for the same or similar purpose. Additionally, they allow users to select green-certified alternatives to many products. This makes product shopping easier for both contractors and managers, helping to eliminate costly trial-and-error purchasing.

Product mapping

Another way to reduce cleaning costs is to compare products used in a facility to the scope of products on the market, looking at cost, effectiveness, ease of use and other metrics. This is referred to as product mapping.

Many facilities often select a particular product and keep re-ordering it without considering products that may be more effective and less expensive.

If a facility was using four different brands of all-purpose cleaning solutions that range from $10 per gallon to $25 per gallon, each product should be ranked according to cost and performance. Study the map. What is listed as the most expensive all-purpose cleaning solution may not necessarily rank as the best performer. In some cases, the less expensive product will prove the best performer or rank as well as the best performer.

Not only can product mapping help facilities select the most cost-effective and best-performing products, but it can also help them eliminate products they no longer use. By purchasing large amounts of just one product, distributors can often pass on savings and rebates from manufacturers.

Michael Wilson is vice-president of marketing for AFFLINK, a global supply chain optimization that provides clients with procurement solutions to drive efficiencies.

Edmonton litter audit reveals cleaner city

The results of Capital City Clean Up’s 2017 Litter Audit show a continued trend towards less litter on Edmonton’s streets.

The audit was conducted by AET Group in June, which examined litter type and size at 123 pre-selected locations across Edmonton, as well as along Yellowhead Trail between 107 Street NW and the Beverly Bridge.

Since last year, there has been a 35 per cent reduction in large litter and a 26 per cent reduction in small litter.

Miscellaneous plastic and cigarette butts continue to account for the majority of both large and small litter found. Although cigarette litter counts decreased, more work is still needed to address areas such as traffic intersections and locations where smokers congregate to smoke. Estimates show that more than 900 million cigarettes are smoked each year in Edmonton. More than 67 million butts are collected annually in the City of Edmonton’s 719 outdoor ashtrays located in 13 commercial districts city wide.

“The results of this year’s Litter Audit show big improvements in the amount of litter on Edmonton’s streets,” said Don Belanger, manager for Capital City Clean Up. “This downward trend in litter is thanks to the thousands of volunteers, many community groups and local businesses that continue to step up and get involved.”

Audits began in 2009, and since eight years ago, there’s been an overall 74 per cent reduction in large litter and a 59 per cent reduction in small litter

Capital City Clean Up’s 2018 litter management program will continue in the spring. It promotes a unified approach to keeping Edmonton clean by engaging volunteers, schools, community groups and local businesses.

New estimates show seasonal influenza deaths rising

Up to 650,000 deaths annually are associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza, according to new estimates by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the World Health Organization and global health partners.

This marks an increase on the previous global estimate of 250 000 to 500 000, which dates from more than ten years ago and covered all influenza-related deaths, including cardiovascular disease or diabetes. The new figures of 290 000 to 650 000 deaths are based on more recent data from a larger, more diverse group of countries, including lower middle income countries, and exclude deaths from non-respiratory diseases.

“These figures indicate the high burden of influenza and its substantial social and economic cost to the world,” said Dr Peter Salama, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. “They highlight the importance of influenza prevention for seasonal epidemics, as well as preparedness for pandemics.”

Seasonal influenza is an acute viral infection that spreads easily from person to person and circulates worldwide. Most people recover within a week without requiring medical attention. Common respiratory diseases related to seasonal influenza that can cause death include pneumonia and bronchitis.

According to US-CDC, most deaths occur among people over 75 years old, and in the world’s poorest regions. Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the world’s greatest flu mortality risk, followed closely by the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. Nearly all deaths among children under five with influenza-related lower respiratory tract infections occur in developing countries, but the effects of seasonal influenza epidemics on the world’s poorest are not fully known.

“All countries, rich and poor, large and small, must work together to control influenza outbreaks before the arrival of the next pandemic,” Salama notes. “This includes building capacity to detect and respond to outbreaks, and strengthening health systems to improve the health of the most vulnerable and those most at risk.”

WHO is working with partners to assess the global influenza burden of disease by providing guidance and expertise to Member States to measure the influenza disease burden and its economic consequences.

Further surveillance and laboratory studies of other diseases such as cardiovascular disease, which can be influenza-related, are expected to yield substantially higher estimates over the next few years.

WHO encourages countries to prioritize influenza prevention and produce national estimates to inform prevention policies. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended to prevent disease and complications from influenza infection, especially for people at higher risk and for health workers.

The estimates take into account findings from recent influenza respiratory mortality studies, including a study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), published in The Lancet this month.