Barbara Carss

Energy storage prompts battery of precautions

Canadian Property Management

Energy storage prompts a battery of precautions

In step with the projected surge in energy storage installations, fire safety advisors are actively working to help clean tech adopters understand and mitigate the risks.
Investment returns show slipping values in 2023

Canadian Property Management

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.
CRE fosters all-in approach to decarbonization

Canadian Property Management

CRE fosters all-in approach to decarbonization

Daunting net zero targets in the buildings sector are spurring an all-in approach to decarbonization that assigns roles to finance, engineering, management and operational teams.
Building electrification projects impart lessons

Canadian Property Management

Building electrification projects impart lessons

The business case for electrification works best when retrofits are synced with the end-of-life of existing mechanical equipment and/or asset repositioning plans
Outdoor lighting principles hail the dark side

Canadian Property Management

Outdoor lighting principles hail the dark side

Guiding principles for responsible nighttime lighting define how light should be applied, but, first, prospective installers are advised to consider whether lighting is even necessary.
Interest rates subdue multifamily development

Canadian Apartment Magazine

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.
Lenders set to curtail office exposure in 2024

Canadian Property Management

Lenders set to curtail office exposure in 2024

Lenders generally expect to curtail office exposure while increasing overall allocations to Canadian real estate in 2024, findings from CBRE Canada's annual survey reveal.
Climate action levers key amid competing crises

Canadian Property Management

Climate action levers key amid competing crises

Strategists are pondering the most effective climate action levers to keep attention focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as other events and pressures commandeer priority-setting agendas.
IFMA

Canadian Property Management

Generative AI poised to realign CRE status quo

Emerging generative AI applications could realign the status quo within commercial real estate’s property administration, brokerage and investment management services.
Conversion momentum draws on combo of factors

Canadian Apartment Magazine

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.
Social destabilization unsettles city fabric

Canadian Property Management

Social destabilization unsettles city fabric

Data, collaborative networks and a suite of tested best practices can be valuable resources for property managers pressed to respond to the unsettling social destabilization occurring in many Canadian cities.
Net zero spoilers embedded in behaviour traits

Canadian Property Management

Net zero spoilers embedded in behaviour traits

Professor Robert Gifford, a behavioural psychologist affiliated with University of Victoria’s School of Environmental Studies, tallies dozens of traits that could be undermining climate progress.
Ontario keeps clinging to 2016 market values

Canadian Property Management

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.
Solar rooftop photovoltaics spark safety advice

Canadian Property Management

Rooftop solar photovoltaics spark safety advice

Rooftop solar PV installations pack a potentially lethal electrical charge, necessitating vigilant monitoring and maintenance of the many system components.
Tech finds highly competitive options in Canada

Canadian Property Management

Tech finds highly competitive options in Canada

Eight Canadian cities rank among the top 50 North American markets for fostering tech employment, with Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Waterloo Region and Calgary all placed in the top half of the list.
Human capital elusive for real estate employers

Canadian Property Management

Human capital elusive for real estate employers

Employers are pressed to fill new kinds of positions and to bolster tech savviness throughout their organizations, while facing labour shortages and a highly competitive market for certain skills.
Office conversion prospects judged challenging

Canadian Apartment Magazine

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.