Congebec has signed a long-term lease for this 219,000-square-foot cold-storage facility under development in Mascouche in Greater Montréal. (Courtesy Congebec)

Congebec has signed a long-term lease for a state-of-the-art $70-million, 219,000-square-foot cold-storage facility under development by Rosefellow and Skyline Commercial REIT in the Mascouche area of Greater Montréal.

The company, Québec’s largest multi-temperature food processing, distribution and logistics provider, says the lease will be its first major new facility in the province in a decade. It will also be Congebec’s first major cold-storage facility on Montréal’s North Shore and is expected to enhance food autonomy in the province.

Construction is slated to start this spring, with completion in 2023. The facility is to be equipped with an innovative CO2-based refrigeration system which Congebec says is more “eco-responsible” and safer than ammonia-based systems.

“This project represents a bit of a homecoming for us. As a key link between food production and consumption, we want to continue to support this industry in which our company got its start,” said Nicholas-P. Pedneault, Congebec’s president and CEO, in the announcement. “The pandemic and the supply issues of the past few months have enabled us to refocus on our customers’ needs right here at home. 

“This new space will contribute to the growth of the region’s food chain and to the food autonomy of Québec as a whole.”

Congebec’s cold-storage network

The facility will bring Congebec’s Canadian network of cold-storage facilities to 13 properties across Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

More than $2 billion worth of food products pass through Congebec facilities each year.

“Skyline Commercial REIT’s relationship with Congebec began in 2018 with the acquisition of eight cold-storage facilities located across Canada,” said Michael Mackenzie, president of Skyline Commercial REIT, in the release.

“We are excited to grow this relationship and to increase the REIT’s investment in the cold-storage sector, which continues to enjoy solid growth globally. 

“This project aligns with our property development strategy which aims to deliver a pipeline of modern, well-located logistics and warehousing assets in key markets.”

The new building will be owned by Skyline Commercial and Rosefellow. It will be built in the Mascouche Industrial Park, at the intersection of Louis-Blériot and Avenue de la Gare.

“This first foray into the North Shore of Montréal marks an important step for Rosefellow. We chose Mascouche because it is a proactive city in terms of development,” said Mike Jager, co-founder of Rosefellow, in the announcement.

The firm has a long list of projects on the go, including three other recently announced industrial developments which will deliver over 1.35-million square feet of space in Candiac and at two adjacent sites in Beauharnois.

The firm is investing nearly $250 million, along with its development partners, in the three projects.

On the multiresidential front, Rosefellow is slated to deliver a St. Laurent project to its first tenants on July 1 and an Anjou project in July 2023. Over the next 18 months, it plans to deliver 500 housing units in the region.

About Congebec, Rosefellow, Skyline Commercial REIT

Québec City-based Congebec provides integrated multi-temperature food processing, distribution, and logistics services. Its 12 existing facilities total more than 57 million cubic feet.

Rosefellow is a Montréal-based developer with over 14 million square feet of industrial and multiresidential  projects located in Québec and Ontario. 

Its projects include Le Cent-Onze, a residential rental project in Ville St-Laurent, which is expected to be delivered this summer, as well as numerous industrial buildings in the Montréal region and in Ontario.

Skyline Commercial REIT is a privately owned and managed REIT focused on acquiring industrial and logistics-centred investments along major highway corridors and transportation routes in Canada. 

Skyline Commercial REIT is distributed as an alternative investment product through Skyline Wealth Management Inc. The firm is based in Guelph, just west of Toronto.