Hudson District builds on unique Victoria redevelopment

RENX  Residential  •  Condominiums, Apartments  •  British Columbia

Hudson District started with the conversion of the iconic Hudson’s Bay building, in downtown Victoria, into a uniquely historic condominium project called The Hudson Building. Vancouver-based developer Townline completed the heritage restoration, in the 1700 block of Douglas Street in 2010.

Pandemic sparks blizzard of change across CRE industry

RENX  Commercial  •  Office, Technology, Retail  •  National

No matter when it ends, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial real estate will be far-reaching and long lasting, according to a group of industry professionals during a webinar hosted by the Urban Land Institute and PwC.

Claridge eyes six-tower, 2,000-unit Ottawa res project

Residential  •  Ottawa Business Journal

As the City of Ottawa continues to push for more intensification inside the Greenbelt, Claridge Homes is launching a plan to build up to 2,000 housing units within six towers as tall as 30 storeys.

Distribution centres top many retailers’ wish lists

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail

These days no one wants to wait for freight from the North Pole, so shippers are dashing to build distribution centres close to customers in cities across Canada. It’s a phenomenon that has seen Canadian industrial land sales set records.

Commercial real estate trends to watch in 2021

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail: Overview  •  Globe and Mail  •  Globe and Mail

The story of Canada’s CRE in 2021 will depend on how many COVID-19 plot twists have caused permanent changes in leasing and transaction patterns. Industrial and retail trends that had emerged in 2019 were greatly accelerated by the pandemic, say industry professionals.

Sponsored by Lockourier Canada The last, last mile delivery – Drones, retailers, and Lockourier Canada

Lockourier is taking the lead of industry giants like UPS, Walmart, and Amazon and preparing its products to adapt to the need for wide-spread use of drone delivery.

Top B.C. CRE brokerages boost head count

Commercial  •  Business In Vancouver

The average number of brokers at B.C.’s top commercial real estate firms grew by 5.2% in 2020 and the median number of brokers jumped 32.4% over the past year, according to data collected on the Biggest Commercial Real Estate Brokerages in B.C. list.

B.C. launches new land registry

Residential, Commercial  •  CBC  •  Lexology

The B.C. government has launched the Land Owner Transparency Registry to help combat money laundering and make real estate more transparent. Any corporation, trustee or partnership that buys land in B.C. must now disclose the interest holders of that land.

Vancouver retailers seize pandemic opportunities

Commercial  •  Business In Vancouver

With demand for Vancouver retail and restaurant space soft, Glowbal Restaurant Group owner Emad Yacoub has been scouting locations for his 11th eatery. “I am right now not even offering 50% of what was the norm downtown (pre-pandemic),” Yacoub said.

Pomerleau building presence in GTA high-rise sector

Residential  •  Urban Toronto

Pomerleau, which has a half-century presence in Quebec construction that includes several important cultural buildings, skyscrapers and infrastructure projects, recently entered the GTA market and is currently building a two-tower high-rise at the Concord Park Place community in North York.

Feds restore business support; CFIB warns of higher taxes

Commercial  •  Western Investor

The federal government restored wage and rental relief for businesses through the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) in Monday’s fiscal update, but the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) warns higher taxes are coming early in 2021.

Proptech proves value in many ways, say experts

Commercial  •  Daily Commercial News

The burgeoning proptech sector is getting more sophisticated by the month but in the end, developers and builders still tend to return to one elemental question: what is the return on investment?

Independent sellers topped $4.8B in weekend sales: Amazon

Commercial  •  Reuters  •  Bisnow

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN-Q) said on Tuesday independent businesses selling on its platform crossed $4.8 billion in worldwide sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, an increase of more than 60 per cent from a year earlier.

Brookfield remains No. 1 real estate investment manager

Commercial  •  IPE Real Assets

The top 10 largest fund managers remain a relatively impenetrable clique with Brookfield – at $361 million Cdn – and Blackstone continuing to lead the charge in first and second, respectively, while Hines has made a notable leap from sixth to third spot.

Airbnb aiming for valuation as high as $35B in IPO filing

Residential  •  Reuters

Airbnb Inc. said on Tuesday it is looking to sell up to $2.6 billion in stock in its planned initial public offering, which could value the home rental firm at as much as $34.8 billion in the last blockbuster U.S. IPO of the year.

Two U.K. retail collapses threaten 25,000 jobs in 24 hours

Commercial  •  Financial Post

The U.K. retail industry suffered one of the harshest blows yet after two of its best-known retailers – Debenhams and Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, which owns brands including Topshop and Dorothy Perkins – collapsed, putting 25,000 jobs at risk in less than 24 hours.

High-rise market looking up in downtown Hamilton

Residential  •  Daily Commercial News

Research by commercial real estate investment firm Forge and Foster determined there are six residential construction projects of high-rises 20 storeys and up currently under construction in and near downtown Hamilton and 10 more either approved, in permitting or in pre-construction.

Builders aim to pandemic-proof new homes

Residential  •  Western Investor

Vancouver developer Qualex-Landmark is among the first to implement a number of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in two new residential projects, part of a trend that is gaining traction across North America.

T.O.’s most expensive condo buildings per square foot

Residential  •  Daily Hive

In order to understand how buyers and sellers were impacted by the pandemic, Zoocasa calculated the estimated price per square foot and sales for 10 condo buildings in the downtown Toronto area.

Are urban planners making cities unlivable?

Residential  •  Toronto Star

OPINION: Evan Siddall, the head of the CMHC, rightly says Canadians are increasingly being priced out of the housing market and are assuming dangerous levels of debt in the vain pursuit of the “dream” of home ownership.