After 7-year break, Silverberg builds Début in Barrie

RENX  Residential  •  Condominiums, Hotels and Resorts  •  Ontario

Gary Silverberg is selective about the projects he develops, so Début in Barrie is his first since Toronto’s ART Condos was completed in 2013. “What I really enjoy doing is finding emerging neighbourhoods,” Silverberg told RENX.

Shopify closing T.O. office, overhauling other sites

Commercial  •  Financial Post (Sub. required)

E-commerce giant Shopify (SHOP-T), which earlier confirmed it is planning to vacate its former Ottawa headquarters, is also closing one of its Toronto offices and overhauling most of its other Canadian locations as part of a shift to digital working.

Design, Policy and Canadian Cities › If we want affordable housing, the numbers must work for everyone

Naama Blonder: Architect, Urban Designer, Urban Planner | B.Arch, OAA, RPP, MCIP

COVID-19 takes 50% bite out of Banff hotels

Commercial  •  Calgary Herald  •  CBC

The loss of foreign tourism due to the COVID-19 pandemic cut visitation to Banff by 15 per cent this summer and bit into the hotel trade by more than 50 per cent, said Angela Anderson, spokeswoman for Banff & Lake Louise Tourism.

Seacliff receives initial OK for mixed-use project

Residential, Commercial  •  Victoria Times Colonist

Vancouver-based Seacliff Properties’ plans for a mixed-use community with up to 2,850 homes on the 134-acre site of a former gravel pit near Victoria has received initial support from Colwood council. The proposal would include commercial and office space, and parkland.

Focus proposes four Victoria residential towers

Residential  •  Victoria Times Colonist

Focus Equities founder Ken Mariash’s proposal to allow more than 1,000 rental units in at least four 26- and 30-storey towers in the area around the historic E&N Roundhouse will go to the City of Victoria this week.

I2 Developments plans 29-storey residential tower

Residential  •  Urban Toronto

A triangular-shaped brownfield site on Old Weston Road just south of St. Clair Avenue West in Toronto’s Carleton Village area has been targeted for intensification by I2 Developments. Plans detail a 29-storey residential tower featuring a design from TACT Architecture.

Calgary’s East Village vs. Portland’s Pearl District

Residential, Commercial  •  Calgary Herald

Over the past 20 years, Portland’s Pearl District has earned worldwide attention for its urban renaissance, while Calgary’s East Village has been attracting similar attention for a decade. There are many similarities between the two redevelopment projects and some shocking differences:

Timbercreek transfers TIMI to Timbercreek Equities

Commercial  •  Canada Newswire

Timbercreek Asset Management announced it has obtained regulatory approval for the transfer of Timbercreek Investment Management Inc. to Timbercreek Equities Corp., a newly formed company that will independently manage Timbercreek’s direct real estate asset management and securities advisory businesses.

Goldhar invests over $3.8M in SmartCentres REIT

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)  •  RENX

Between Aug. 24-26, executive chair of the board Mitchell Goldhar invested over $3.8 million in units of SmartCentres REIT (SRU-UN-T). He purchased a total of 188,300 units at an average cost of approximately $20.44 for an account in which he has indirect ownership.

Cleaning supplies, summer products lift Dollarama

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail  •  Canada Newswire

Demand for summer products as well as continued strength in purchases of cleaning supplies helped to push sales up at discount retailer Dollarama Inc. (DOL-T). The Montreal-based company reported Wednesday that its second-quarter sales grew 7.1 per cent, to $1 billion.

Couche-Tard profit exceeds estimates

Commercial  •  Reuters  •  Canada Newswire  •  Bloomberg

Canadian convenience store operator Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.’s (ATD-B-T) quarterly earnings beat estimates on Tuesday, as customers spent more on groceries at its stores, while a fall in fuel prices boosted profit margins at its gas stations.

A quarter of U.S. hotels at risk of foreclosure: Report

Commercial  •  Mortgage Professional America

A recent report by Trepp found almost one in four U.S. hotels are at risk of foreclosure. Trepp reported the percentage of loans that are 30 or more days delinquent was 23.4 per cent as of July, the highest percentage on record.

At least a quarter of U.S. malls to disappear: Report

Commercial  •  Bisnow

There is little hope of a recovery for the hard-hit retail sector until next year at the earliest, and even so, about 25 per cent of all U.S. malls (totaling about 1,000 now) are doomed to close over the next five years.

J.C. Penney sale talks stall

Commercial  •  Reuters

J.C. Penney Co.’s (JCPNQ) talks with landlords, including Brookfield Property Partners, for a rescue from bankruptcy proceedings have reached an impasse. The firm is close to collapse unless it can quickly reach a deal to be taken over by lenders.

McDonald’s sued for discrimination by black franchisees

Commercial  •  CBC

McDonald’s Corp. (MCD-N) has been sued by 52 black former franchise owners who accused the fast-food giant of racial discrimination by steering them to depressed, crime-ridden U.S. neighbourhoods and setting them up for failure.

Saskatoon passes ‘imperfect’ Airbnb regulations

Residential  •  Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Under new regulations approved by Saskatoon city council on Monday night, most people offering short-term rentals will have to obtain a $125 business licence; those offering short-term rentals in most residential areas will also have to make a discretionary use application.

Halifax votes in favour of basement, backyard suites

Residential  •  CBC

Halifax regional council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve changes to planning rules across the municipality that will allow basement apartments and backyard suites for single-family homes, townhouses and duplexes. Councillors were generally convinced the move would provide more affordable housing.

Winnipeg’s infill guidelines are long overdue

Residential  •  Winnipeg Free Press

EDITORIAL: When three appeals of proposed lot splits were heard by the City of Winnipeg on Tuesday, the issue was about more than a few new houses. It was about citizens protesting the unfairness of the approach to infill housing.

Build-half, rent-half plan aims to preserve Van. home

Residential  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

Vancouver developer Ross Bonetti has tapped into a novel way to save one of the district’s mid-century modern heritage houses and still make a profit from his investment as part of a heritage revitalization agreement with West Vancouver.