Financial Management
Ontario’s shifting real estate landscape
As we head into Q2-2024, a significant shift in Ontario’s real estate landscape has occurred, putting the rental market front and centre amid declining home sales.
Investment returns show slipping values in 2023
Canadian investment returns for 2023 show retail improvement, industrial deceleration and continuing office value decline, as capital loss balances out income growth for a flat total return.
Clamping down on renovictions
Hamilton will soon be the first city in Ontario to introduce a renoviction bylaw forcing landlords to obtain a licence prior to issuing an N-13
Uncertainty leads to rising costs
The biggest challenge for many real estate owners in 2024 will be finding affordable insurance coverage to protect their buildings.
Interest rates subdue multifamily developers
Fallout from higher interest rates may continue to subdue multifamily development, but lenders express more confidence in prospects for new purpose-built rental and high-rise condominium projects next year.
The road to more rental housing
Canada's fall economic update includes steps to crack down on short-term rentals and billions in financing toward rental housing construction.
Conversion momentum draws on combo of drivers
Replicating Calgary’s nascent office-to-residential conversion momentum in other markets will likely depend on the same combination of weak office values, strong housing demand and generous incentives.
Promises aplenty ahead of Manitoba election
Manitobans are hearing promises aplenty as political parties offer up tax cuts, rate freezes and incentive programs ahead of the provincial election, set for October 3.
Ontario keeps clinging to 2016 market values
The recent regulation to postpone Ontario's property reassessment for another year stretches the assessment cycle to double its originally intended time span.
Toronto strives to find more cash
Commercial properties are central to Toronto’s efforts to find more cash as the city government considers how to address massive budget shortfalls projected for 2024 and into the future.
Office conversion prospects judged challenging
Viable conversion candidates must begin with a basic structural prerequisite, but construction costs, location, surrounding amenities and assumptions about future office values all influence the business case.
Retrofitting with heat pumps
Since 2019, retrofitting with heat pumps has been rising in popularity among Canadian REITs and large residential landlords looking to invest in cleantech.
Toronto’s legacy of inclusive city-building
As the city of Toronto accelerates efforts to address housing affordability, inclusivity and the barriers inhibiting rapid housing development were top of mind at the Urban Land Institute’s Spring Meeting.
Multifamily asset values hold steady
Multifamily asset values appear to be holding steady, but transaction volume plummeted in the first quarter of 2023.
Ontario offers bonus incentives for retrofits
Bonus incentives for energy efficiency upgrades will be available to select commercial and multifamily landlords and condominium corporations in Ontario during the second and third quarters of 2023.
Sustainable finance products forge way to 2050
Sustainable finance products, are expected to increasingly come into play as building owners/managers pursue decarbonization and look to bolster the climate resiliency of their properties.
REITs unexpectedly tapped for new tax measure
Advocates for the Canadian commercial real estate industry are asking the federal finance department to clarify why real estate investment trusts have been included in a pending new tax measure.