GWL Realty Advisors (GWLRA) is submitting a rezoning application to the City of Toronto for the Canada Life campus of buildings in the city’s downtown core.

The company hopes to allow for potential future intensification that would replace obsolete or underutilized areas with new residential and commercial uses.

“We've had initial conversations with the City,” GWLRA vice-president of development Dan Fama told RENX. “It’s very early days and we're excited to start conversations with the City and the broader public stakeholders that are going to be involved.”

No decisions have been made with regards to moving forward with development, but the submission is intended to provide flexibility for future investment in the campus, which currently includes:

• the historic 15-storey Beaux Arts-style Canada Life Building at 330 University Ave., which was completed in 1931. The building is perhaps best known for the distinctive lighted weather beacon which sits on top of it;
• a nine-storey building located directly west of the original building at 190 Simcoe St., completed in 1970;
• a 12-storey building located directly south of 190 Simcoe at 180 Simcoe St., completed in 1994;
• a 16-storey building located southwest of the original building at 180 Queen St. W., completed in 2005; and
• a parkade and outdoor space.

What GWLRA is proposing

The proposal includes the addition of: three residential towers of 658,000, 391,000 and 183,000 square feet with up to 1,402 units among them; an amenity pavilion with food and beverage retail at ground level and co-working and other amenity spaces above; an event space; and complementary outdoor space.

Including the existing buildings, the development will comprise approximately 803,000 square feet of commercial space, or approximately 113,000 square feet excluding the existing office buildings.

“The application is showing a significant investment in the renewal of the Canada Life campus,” Fama said. “It's going to be centred around the preservation and enhancement of the Canada Life Building at 330 University.

“The vision that we're looking to bring forward reinforces the campus' office function while broadening the range of uses that are there currently, which introduces new residential as well as some new commercial spaces that would complement the uses that are already on site.” 

The proposed development, alterations and landscape enhancements would create a more connected, vibrant and mixed-use campus, with new publicly oriented uses and spaces, an enhanced public realm and activity throughout the day.

Additions would complement current buildings

“We're looking at how we can complement the uses that are in place as well as the new ones that we're intending to bring forward,” Fama said.

“We looked at the day-to-day operations of Canada Life and what they will require in the future to preserve their flexibility and optionality for how they operate their business, and looked at how they can continue to attract top talent.”

Fama said the existing buildings would remain fully functional throughout any new construction.

The current plan is for 190 Simcoe to remain, but it could be torn down in the future, Fama added.

Canada Life and GWLRA

Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life officially joined together into a single business under the The Canada Life Assurance Company name on Jan. 1, 2020. GWLRA manages Canada Life’s buildings.

Canada Life also owns the land at 160 Queen St. W. occupied by Campbell House Museum, which isn’t included in the rezoning application.

The office space at 330 University is fully occupied while the rest of the campus is more than 90 per cent leased, Fama said. In addition to Canada Life, the campus’ other tenants include IG Wealth Management, Mackenzie Investments, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Federal Court, Trade Commissioner Service and Green Box Express.