Grosvenor has started construction of Brentwood Block, a master-planned 7.9-acre, pedestrian-focused development in Burnaby. The initial phase includes a 41-storey residential strata tower, two rental towers, a community centre and 160,000 square feet of commercial space 

Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) has appointed Sandra Lau to its board of directors for a three-year term. The board is being rebuilt after a management purge by the Alberta government last year.

Marc-André Blanchard, Canada's former ambassador to the United Nations, has left Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) after five years as one of its senior executives to become chief of staff for Prime Minister Mark Carney.

As demand surges for data storage and cloud computing, data centres have emerged as one of Canada’s most dynamic and lucrative real estate asset classes. It's a sector garnering increasing attention, and will continue to expand.

In Part I of this two-part series, I outlined how development charges discourage the construction of family-sized apartments. But the barriers go beyond economics. In Canada and much of North America, culture keeps families out of apartments.

Scott Rasmussen, who has spent virtually all of his 17-year career in various aspects of the life and health sciences real estate sector, has been named president of Toronto-based MedSpace Canada.

Cameron Stephens Mortgage Capital Ltd., has launched the Western Canada High Yield Mortgage Fund, with an initial commitment of $70 million, which it intends to begin quickly investing in a “strong pipeline” of potential deals.

One of Montréal's best-known upscale hotel properties, Omni Hotels & Resorts' 299-room Hotel Omni Mont-Royal Montréal in the Golden Square Mile district, is being offered for sale.

Launched by Basecamp Resorts, the Wildwood Investment Fund is a real estate-backed opportunity fueled by the rapid rise of wellness tourism and spa-centered hospitality.

KIC Realty Alberta in Calgary has appointed Nam Kular as its new managing broker. Kular brings with him over a decade of experience navigating Alberta’s housing market. 

Toronto-based Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation (AI-T) has named Gigi Wong as CFO, effective June 2, bringing in a seasoned financial operations leader to the provider of residential and commercial mortgages.

The Greater Montreal Area (GMA) faces a scarcity of industrial land because a significant amount of the territory is zoned for agricultural uses or is considered as wetlands, concludes a report by real estate agency Trimont.

Hazelview Investments, with financing from First National Financial LP, has secured one of the largest CMHC-insured loans under the MLI Select program to develop 856 purpose-built rental homes at Bloor Street West and Dufferin Avenue in Toronto's West End.

The University of Calgary secures a 20-year lease for 180,000 SF of new learning space supporting 1,200 students with 801 Seventh in downtown Calgary, represented by Colliers.

Oxford Properties Group has confirmed it has invested $730 million to acquire the 50 per cent interest in seven Calgary and Vancouver office towers which had been held by CPP Investments.

The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) has tapped Reena Carter as CFO, who is joining the health care worker-focused fund from another large provincial pension provider.

Equitable Bank (EQB-T) has moved into its new national headquarters: the new EQ Bank Tower at 25 Ontario St. in the eastern portion of downtown Toronto.

Groupe HD and Fondaction have finalized a joint venture for the acquisition and development of a near-five-acre property in Montreal's Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough where they plan to deliver 1,200 homes through a multi-phased project.

Amenities – so many options to choose from! The menu of amenities introduced by housing providers continues to grow each year, with every new offering more extravagant than the last.

CBRE is marketing the largest mall in Northern Ontario's Sault Ste. Marie region following a court battle over an unpaid $18-million mortgage - the most recent large shopping centre to be put up for sale under receivership proceedings.

It has taken five years, but Nexus Industrial REIT (NXR-UN-T) is receiving over 99 per cent of its NOI from its industrial assets, essentially completing its transition from a diversified REIT into a pure-play industrial trust, its CEO says.

For a long time in commercial real estate, retail tenant strategies were seen as the primary foundation to placemaking, following the thinking if you build it, it will come.

Cenyard Properties, a real estate investment, development and capital lending company, has acquired full ownership interest and control of two development properties in Metro Vancouver - in the Surrey and Burquitlam areas. 

Clifton Blake has merged with Metropolitan Commercial Realty Inc. to create a rebranded firm called CB Metropolitan Commercial Ltd. (CB Metro). 

RioCan REIT (REI-UN-T) has announced closings or firm deals to sell a total of five apartment buildings in Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary, to three separate buyers, for just over $197.3 million.