Vancouver industrial rental rates jumped 16% in 2018: CBRE

RENX  Commercial  •  Industrial  •  Metro Vancouver

Steady demand and continuing lack of available space pushed Metro Vancouver industrial leasing rates up 16 per cent during 2018, according to CBRE. In the popular Burnaby sub-market rates for new leases were 35 per cent higher than a year ago.

Fiera Infrastructure, EllisDon announce PPP partnership

Commercial  •  IPE Real Assets  •  Canada Newswire

Fiera Infrastructure Inc., an affiliate of Fiera Capital Corporation, (FSZ-T), and EllisDon Capital have joined forces to create a Canadian public-private partnerships (PPP) venture. The partnership will acquire EllisDon’s interest in its existing portfolio of PPP projects.

Automotive Properties REIT adds 14 sites to its portfolio

RENX  Commercial  •  Investment, Retail  •  National

Automotive Properties REIT made three major acquisitions valued at $182.8 million during the past four months, adding new tenant groups, new brands and a new market to its growing portfolio.

Saskatoon’s The Centre gets makeover, new Cineplex

RENX  Commercial  •  Retail  •  Saskatchewan

The Centre shopping mall in Saskatoon is getting a $43-million investment from owner Morguard REIT for interior and exterior renovations, and systems upgrades. This follows other major developments; a new Cineplex/Xscape and repurposing of the former Target.

Landlords face parking challenges with rise of electric cars

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail

Icing, when internal combustion engine (ICE) cars park in spaces reserved for charging electric vehicles, is just one of the challenges facing managers of parking garages as electric vehicles become a growing phenomenon in cities across Canada.

Group Germain plans $40M hotel at Ottawa airport

Commercial  •  Ottawa Business Journal  •  Ottawa Citizen

Group Germain Hotels has landed on what it thinks is the perfect location to make its 20-20 business vision a reality: the Ottawa airport. The Quebec-based chain announced Monday it is planning to build a 180-room hotel.

Hotel, condos may be in works for New West

Residential, Commercial  •  New West Record

The owners of New Westminster, B.C.’s Columbia Theatre are prepared to invest several hundred thousand dollars into a feasibility study to assess the possibility of building a hotel and residential tower above the heritage theatre.

Meridian, Saskatoon divided on major infill projects

Residential, Commercial  •  Regina Leader-Post

Each Meridian Development Corp., project brings back memories for Karl Miller, many of which involve battles with Saskatoon residents opposed to each development. His latest venture, a seven-storey condominium building proposed for University Drive, proved most controversial of all.

Edmonton builder links food, history in refurbished buildings

Commercial  •  Edmonton Journal

Two trendy food halls, a neighbourhood eatery and a bakery with a backstory are just three culinary concepts with which Ivan Beljan has filled his plate. “Food is what connects people and everybody has to eat,” said Beljan.

Multi-family historically a top performing class: Starlight

Residential  •  Canada Newswire

In Canada, multi-family has historically been one of the top performing real estate asset classes and the only asset class to consistently achieve positive returns across the economic cycle, says Starlight Investments’ most recent white paper.

Real estate needs tech disruption: Whitecap Venture Partners

Commercial  •  Financial Post

One of Canada’s oldest venture capital firms is eyeing real estate and medical technology investments as it prepares to launch its latest $125-million startup fund. Whitecap Venture Partners, sees the two fields as ripe for disruption.

Majority of Torontonians against Ontario Place casino: Poll

Commercial  •  Toronto Star

Torontonians overwhelmingly want easy public access to the Ontario Place waterfront, something not guaranteed in the Doug Ford government’s redevelopment plan. And, according to a Forum Research poll, most Torontonians also don’t want a casino at Ontario Place.

Delta 9 sells interest in Calgary facility to Westleaf

Commercial  •  PR Newswire  •  Canada Newswire

Delta 9 Cannabis (NINE-X) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its 50% interest in the Delta West extraction facility to Westleaf (WL-X). Westleaf has agreed to issue an aggregate of 5,600,000 common shares, which represents approximately $14.95 million.

10 new cannabis retail licences issued in Alberta

Commercial  •  CBC  •  Canada Newswire

Alberta has issued 10 new licences for retail cannabis shops, upsetting the owners of some existing ones. Retail stores have complained about shortages in supply since legalization in October. The provincial government says supply has made “a modest improvement.”

The top co-working operators: Colliers

Commercial  •  National Real Estate Investor  •  Bisnow

In new research, Colliers International has provided a lay of the land when it comes to the flexible office market. Although co-working and flexible workspace still represents a modest share of office occupancy, its footprint is expanding rapidly.

Anbang’s not that toxic if you’re a hardy bidder

Commercial  •  Bloomberg

Saskatoon approves 12-storey condo tower

Residential  •  Saskatoon StarPhoenix

A 12-storey condominium building at the top of Saskatoon’s University Bridge could be built within three years. City council paved the way for the $60-million infill development by North Prairie Developments with a couple of unanimous votes Monday night.

Feds not considering new rules for Cdn. private lenders

Residential  •  Huffington Post  •  Bloomberg  •  CBC

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he is not considering imposing stress tests on private mortgage lenders. Morneau is throwing cold water on a recent report the government was looking at applying stricter rules on mortgages by private lenders.

Ford’s fix for Toronto housing crisis? Build more homes

Residential  •  Bloomberg  •  Toronto Star

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is pushing to eliminate housing shortages in Canada’s largest province, as policy makers seek to deflate pricey markets in places like Toronto without triggering a correction.

GTA condo sales dip 9.9 per cent year-over-year: TREB

Residential  •  Globe Newswire  •  Newinhomes.com  •  Globe Newswire

The Toronto Real Estate Board announced 5,191 condominium apartment sales were reported in the fourth quarter of 2018. This result was down by 9.9 per cent year-over-year. New condominium apartment listings were also down 11.2 per cent year-over-year.