BAZIS buys midtown T.O. plaza, plans high-rise redevelopment

RENX  Commercial  •  Retail, Condominiums  •  Toronto / GTA

BAZIS has acquired a midtown Toronto strip mall property from an unnamed private vendor in a $37-million off-market deal. It plans to redevelop the site with a 35-storey mixed-use residential tower, including retail/commercial tenants at grade.

Proptech firm HILO growing again after pandemic slowdown

RENX  Commercial  •  Office, Apartments, Condominiums, Technology  •  National, International

HILO is a software-as-a-service platform enabling property operators and tenants to create connected, engaged and informed building communities. After spending much of 2020 improving its offering during the early stages of the pandemic, the Toronto-based firm is growing again.

Halifax approves 28-, 29-storey mixed-use towers

Residential, Commercial  •  Huddle

Halifax and West Community Council have approved a development permit for the Rouvalis family’s 28- and 29-storey mixed-use tower project, which has been branded The Promenade. The towers will feature 577 residential units and commercial space on the ground floor.

Western Securities’ Calgary mixed-use project underway

Residential, Commercial  •  Calgary Herald

Construction has started on Uxborough, Western Securities‘ mixed-use redevelopment covering 6.53 acres in Calgary. The $400-million project will include a 146,000-square-foot office tower, a hotel tower and a 14-storey apartment tower offering 203 units above a retail base.

SmartCentres proposes residential for London CRE site

Residential, Commercial  •  London Free Press  •  RENX

SmartCentres REIT (SRU-UN-T) wants to build 22 three-storey residential buildings at 1235 Fanshawe Park Rd., a property surrounded by big box stores and chain restaurants in northwest London. The proposal includes nearly 150 townhomes on the lot.

CF unveils Marché des Promenades food hall

Commercial  •  Retail Insider

Cadillac Fairview has unveiled CF Marché des Promenades at Montreal’s CF Promenades St-Bruno. The 130,000-square-foot space includes more than 40 artisans, food producers and restaurateurs and represents a $70-million investment.

Real World of Real Estate › Podcast: Redevelopment in the City of Edmonton

Gerald Tostowaryk:

Vancouver developers drawn to land-rich Kelowna

Residential, Commercial  •  Western Investor  •  RENX

Vancouver’s Cressey Development Group is expecting a quick pre-sale sell-out of an uber luxury 127-unit mixed-use waterfront project in downtown Kelowna, and developers are bidding serviced land in the city to above-appraised prices, local agents say.

RESCON: MZOs necessary to speed approvals process

Residential, Commercial  •  Globe Newswire  •  CBC

The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) say it is disappointed at an Ontario Divisional Court ruling which indicates that the provincial government erred in failing to consult the public on changes to Ministerial Zoning Orders, or MZOs.

How Assent overhauled its office during the pandemic

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail

Eighteen months into the pandemic, Assent Compliance continues to grow, but still has not moved from its original Ottawa office. After surveying employees, executive Keira Torkko said the company realized they did not need more space – they needed a new approach.

Mandatory vaccines spur office reopenings tension

Commercial  •  Financial Post

A number of Toronto-Dominion Bank employees rolled up their sleeves and took to their keyboards this summer to protest the company’s participation in the #ThisisOurShot vaccine campaign.

New restrictions sink B.C. return-to-office plans

Commercial  •  Business In Vancouver  •  Vancouver Sun

With B.C.’s spiking COVID case numbers scuttling the province’s plan for a full Step 4 reopening by Sept. 7, many Metro Vancouver businesses that had intended to bring workers back to the office this fall have scrapped those plans.

KG Group proposes two 18-storey rental towers

Residential  •  Urban Toronto

KG Group has proposed two 18-storey residential towers connected by a terraced podium at 10 Oakburn Cres. in Willowdale. The Kirkor Architects & Planners-designed towers would include 452 purpose-built rental apartments in a mix of 248 one-bedroom (55%), 159 two-bedroom (35%), and 45 three-bedroom (10%) units.

Canada Care Medical Group acquired by U.S. firm

Commercial  •  Ottawa Business Journal

An Ottawa-based medical equipment supplier with outlets across Canada has been sold to a U.S. company. Canada Care Medical Group, which has 10 locations in Eastern Canada, was acquired by Nashville-based National Seating & Mobility. Terms were not disclosed.

Wall Street limping back to the office despite Delta

Commercial  •  Financial Post  •  Bisnow

Masks are back at Citigroup, and Bank of America workers still have to keep their distance in conference rooms. At JPMorgan, investment bankers and traders can no longer blow off steam at the Monkey Bar that closed during the pandemic.

Google introduces new products for remote working

Commercial  •  diginomica.com  •  La Presse

Google has been studying the hybrid workplace to identify improvements to its Workspace productivity suite that can support a hybrid work culture. This week, it introduced several new features designed to improve interactions between on-site and remote employees.

Ottawa approves Hazelview’s rental project

Residential  •  Ottawa Citizen  •  Canada Newswire

Council Wednesday overwhelmingly approved an official plan amendment and “social contract,” allowing Hazelview to build a high-density rental project at a 52-acre site in Heron Gate, but some councillors thought Ottawa could have inked a better deal for affordable housing.

B.C. to lift rent freeze in 2022

Residential  •  CityNews  •  Victoria Times Colonist  •  Castanet

Many in B.C. may be paying more for rent next year, as the province announces it’s lifting the rent freeze introduced during the pandemic. The maximum allowable rent increase amount for 2022 will be set at 1.5 per cent, based on inflation.

Value of Victoria building permits skyrockets

Residential  •  Victoria News

Greater Victoria is bucking a national construction trend. While the national value of building permits dropped almost four per cent to $9.9 billion, the value of permits in the Victoria Census Metropolitan Area rose by almost 27 per cent to some $202 million.

Toronto needs housing at any height: OPINION

Residential  •  Toronto Star

Some residents claim a proposed a 18-storey mixed-use rental building at Queen Street East and Coxwell Avenue threatens the character of Toronto’s idyllic Beach neighbourhood. The development, which would boast more than 100 affordable rental units, is badly needed.