Barbara Carss
Canadian Property Management
Commercial leases attract political attention
Both the NDP and Green parties float concepts for standardized lease agreements and rent control guidelines in their recently released platforms for the June 2 Ontario election..
Canadian Property Management
Electricity price embedding cycle begins anew
Ontario’s large commercial customers will have somewhat more straightforward parameters for carving out their share of the global adjustment as they prepare for expected summer peak demand.
Canadian Apartment Magazine
Ukrainian evacuees arrive to housing scarcity
Newcomers will be confronting Canada’s affordable housing shortage, while also dealing with potential trauma, language barriers and the general culture shock of unfamiliar surroundings.
Canadian Property Management
Business case assumptions evolve alongside ESG
Investors and lenders are expected to increasingly focus on the physical and transitional risks of climate change, in turn upending some conventional views of costs and value.
Canadian Property Management
Sustained industrial rent growth foreseen
Investors are expressing confidence in sustained industrial rent growth, as new supply is not expected to catch up with rampant demand any time soon.
Canadian Apartment Magazine
Multifamily rent slippage deemed temporary blip
Multifamily assets posted the largest year-over-year decline in net operating income among the four major sectors in the Canada Annual Property Index, while delivering a 7 per cent total return on investment for 2021.
Canadian Property Management
Updated model green lease attuned to the 2020s
REALPAC’s newly updated model green lease for Canadian office buildings introduces measures aligned with the broadening demand for ESG reporting and performance outcomes.
Canadian Property Management
IAQ combos arresting airborne spread of COVID
Commercial building operators could use a combination of air exchange, filtration and purification to comply with the industry-leading guidance for arresting airborne spread of pathogens and contaminants.
Canadian Property Management
Canada’s clean energy efforts garner plaudits
The International Energy Agency commends Canada's targets and policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and identifies it as a potential key player in the transition to low-carbon energy sources
Canadian Property Management
Stricken asset classes now shaking off COVID
Office and retail were diagnosed as stricken asset classes early in the pandemic, but after 20 months on the disabled list, conventional venues for labour and shopping are rallying to fight for market share.
Canadian Property Management
Rare decisions have acute carbon consequences
Daily vigilance is central to achieving operational energy savings, but rare decisions typically have the most acute carbon consequences in buildings.
Canadian Property Management
Overdue property reassessment raises alarm
Ontario’s overdue property reassessment is on hold until at least 2024, leaving many commercial ratepayers with a further wait to realize tax reductions from pandemic-related value erosion.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
5G rollout could bring clutter of antennas
Making buildings smarter could force some aesthetic trade-offs in commercial buildings as 5G services begin arriving on the mid-band and high-band of the spectrum.
Canadian Property Management
Environmental mishaps herald personal liability
Personal liability is a mounting possibility for directors, officers and supervisors of organizations that run afoul of environmental regulators or are on the losing side of civil litigation.
Canadian Property Management
Post-CERS property expense relief announced
A new iteration of property expense relief will be more bountiful for many recipients than recent payouts of the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidiary, but fewer commercial tenants or owner-occupiers will qualify.
Canadian Property Management
Pandemic paperwork piles up with new protocols
Pandemic paperwork is becoming more voluminous for commercial landlords as a growing list of influential tenants ask for proof that building personnel have two valid COVID-19 vaccinations.
Canadian Property Management
Accessibility carries a simple business case
Many commercial real estate operators are making the simple business case for buildings that are functional for all potential users. It’s a quest that can begin with simple investigations, simple low-cost measures and simple mindfulness.
