Trolleybus’ specialty: Assembling land parcels for dev.

RENX  Residential  •  Apartments, Condominiums, Homes, Land  •  Toronto / GTA

Ask Trolleybus Urban Development president Doug Hochglaube what his company does and he likens it to Monopoly. “You have to assemble all of the groups of colours on the board before you can start putting up houses on them.”

Canada’s hotels face another challenging year in 2022: CBRE

RENX  Commercial  •  Hotels and Resorts  •  National

Domestic tourism is expected to be up almost 19 per cent this year over 2020, according to the Conference Board of Canada, and leisure and resort destinations have been the biggest beneficiary.

Metro Van. OKs industrial use in South Campbell Heights

Commercial  •  Business In Vancouver

Metro Vancouver’s 40 directors approved Surrey’s request to redesignate South Campbell Heights land for employment purposes. The vote was important because it paves the way for rural land in Surrey, near Langley, to be able to be used for industrial purposes.

HBC argues Victoria mall blocked lease assignment

Commercial  •  CBC  •  RENX

HBC scored a win against Victoria’s Tillicum Centre owner Anthem Crestpoint Tillicum Holdings Ltd., in the Supreme Court of B.C., on Wednesday. Anthem Crestpoint seeks what could eventually be more than $3 million in unpaid rent by the Canadian retailer.

Van. strata pushes Holborn to remove Trump signage

Residential, Commercial  •  Vancouver Province  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

The strata council of the ex-Trump International Hotel in Vancouver is pressing building owner Holborn Properties to take down the Trump signage more than a year since the company that operated it declared bankruptcy and shut its doors.

No cookie-cutter approach to sustainability for H&R

Commercial  •  Sustainable Biz Canada  •  RENX

Continuously improving the energy efficiency of large office towers takes more than a one-size-fits-all approach, according to the experience of H&R REIT (HR-UN-T). The firm’s Brian Canfield Centre in Burnaby won an ENERGY STAR commercial building of the year award.

CRE Matters › Community building at commercial sites key to enhancing asset value

Shiri Rosenberg: Director of Asset Strategy, Innovation and Community Spaces, Real Estate Management Services

‘Cautious optimism’ for Gastown comeback

Commercial  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

In the past 18 months, Vancouver shoppers have disappeared from Gastown’s stores as remote workers and residents became reclusive inside their homes. Now, there’s “cautious optimism,” says Walley Wargolet, executive director of the Gastown Business Improvement Society.

Van.’s Q2 CRE sales strongest since 2017: REBGV

Commercial  •  Toronto Star

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says CRE sales remained strong through Q2, reaching levels not seen since 2017. A statement says 726 commercial properties sold in the Lower Mainland between April and June, a nearly 115 per cent year-over-year increase.

Strategic’s Barron Building to become residential tower

Residential, Commercial  •  Calgary Herald  •  RENX

Senior-vice president of development Ken Toews says Strategic Group is delighted its Barron Building has been awarded a $75-per-square-foot City of Calgary grant to return it to a classy residential tower with the help of Gibbs Gage Architects.

The making of Toronto’s River City

Residential, Commercial  •  Canada.com

The four-structure residential  development known as River City marks the culmination of close to 15 years of work to turn a once-derelict area into residences for upwards of 1,500 Torontonians. It all began in 2007 when 18 developers submitted applications to Waterfront Toronto.

Air Canada orders vaccinated staff back to the office

Commercial  •  Bloomberg

Air Canada said employees working remotely must gradually return to the office starting Nov. 15 and be fully vaccinated. Air Canada described its plan on Friday as “a balanced approach” that allows employees to keep working some “set days” remotely.

CPP JV to target $1.43B in European student housing

Residential  •  Canada Newswire  •  IPE Real Assets

CPP Investments and London-headquartered Round Hill Capital, a global specialist real estate investor, developer and manager, today announced a new joint venture which will target assets in excess of $1.43 billion, making it one of the largest European student accommodation partnerships.

CP, KCS apply to link U.S.-Mexico-Canada

Commercial  •  Business Wire

Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CP-T) and Kansas City Southern (KSU-N) have jointly filed a railroad control application with the Surface Transportation Board to create Canadian Pacific Kansas City, the only single-line railroad linking the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

ERES acquires $27.3M Dutch multires property

Residential  •  Globe Newswire

European REIT (TERE-UN-T) announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a multiresidential property in Rotterdam, the Netherlands for $27.3 million  Cdn. The property is comprised of 63 residential units which are 100 per cent owned and currently 100 per cent leased.

Global projects in play as China deals with debt crisis

Residential, Commercial  •  Globe and Mail

China’s property sector woes could spell trouble for prestige megaprojects in London, New York, Sydney and other top cities as the developers behind them scramble for cash after having spent the last decade competing to build taller and grander skyscrapers.

Expect mortgage rates to rise in 2022: Economists

Residential  •  CTV  •  Toronto Star  •  Calgary Herald

The Bank of Canada’s recent announcement it will likely increase rates as early as Q2 2022 means mortgage rates should soon be on the rise, said Don Drummond, economist at Queen’s University and former chief economist for TD Bank.

Van. approves 3.5% increase to property taxes next year

Residential  •  CBC

Metro Vancouver passed a budget for 2022 that will see the average household pay an extra $21 for the regional portion of their property tax bill — but with much higher increases projected in future years.

Van. sends False Creek South plan back to drawing board

Residential, Commercial  •  CBC  •  Globe and Mail

After three days of public hearings, Vancouver council voted unanimously to send a proposal for the future of the False Creek South neighbourhood through to a new process that will emphasize community consultation.

Condos are back to being a seller’s market: TRREB

Residential  •  Toronto Star

Toronto area condo rentals and sales have seen “a dramatic resurgence” from the pandemic in which condo sales initially slumped and tenants fled their apartments leaving landlords to struggle to fill the vacancies, reports the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board.