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RioCan leverages Ottawa retail redevelopment pipeline

5 years ago

The focus of RioCan REIT’s (REI-UN-T) portfolio transformation is in Toronto and Calgary. Some of that attention could soon shift to Ottawa where one project is in the ground and three others currently planned.

Graywood Developments is currently focused on an extensive list of condo developments in Toronto and Calgary. However, the company is laying the groundwork to broaden its horizons, both into a new sector and at least one new geographic market.

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Agricultural Land Reserve rules enacted last summer making it much tougher to build new greenhouses specifically for cannabis have fueled a boom in commercial greenhouse conversions in B.C.’s Lower Mainland. At least 5.2 million square feet is being converted.

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Peter Garrigan has been in the CRE business for about 15 years, and in that time, there hasn’t been an economic event to substantially slap down the national industrial market — and he doesn’t expect such an event is coming soon.

Community Trust

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Metro Vancouver’s commercial property market won’t experience the same drop in prices as in the local residential market, says Jim Costello, a senior-vice president with Real Capital Analytics, which has offices in Singapore, London, New York and San Jose.

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A multi-tower project dubbed The Thornhill promises to add hundreds of new condo units to Vaughan. The Daniels Corporation and Baif Developments filed for Site Plan Approval with Vaughan Planning in March, and a project website is now live.

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Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre has 35 acres of flat roof area that’s wide open to all-day sun. For owner and operator Oxford Properties, there was no better place to install and test a massive, 20,000-square-foot solar array.

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East Kootenay’s Jumbo Glacier Resort is back on ice after B.C.’s top court ruled the minister of environment was correct in pulling the environmental approval for the massive project because it was not substantially started.

Stewart Title

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CMLS Financial’s August commentary looks at a RioCan REIT’s plans to pursue lower cost CMHC-backed debt financing, the latest moves in commercial mortgage spreads as we hit the halfway mark of 2019, a new CMBS issuance in June, and more.

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Holloway Lodging Corp. (HLC-T) announced it has sold the Travelodge hotel in Sydney, N.S., for $5.1 million, and its leasehold interest in the Super 8 hotel in Truro, N.S, for $3.0 million.

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I spend a lot of time studying Canada’s top REITs and I believe H&R REIT (HR-UN-T) is one of the few in Canada that offers high-quality management, steady growth, a safe dividend and quality assets.

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BSR REIT, (HOM-U-T), Canada Newswire

Dream Industrial REIT, (DIR-UN-T), Globe Newswire

ERES REIT, (ERE-UN-X), Globe Newswire

Slate Office REIT, (SOT-UN-T), Business Wire

CMLS Commercial Mortgage Commentary Q2 2019

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Places matter. Buildings matter. But which ones? Which ones are worth keeping, and which ones are we sorry to have lost? Today, that conversation is more complicated. For one thing, “heritage” has a broader meaning.

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SNC-Lavalin (SNC-T) will be proceeding with closing the $3.25-billion sale of the 10.01% stake in 407 International Inc. with Canada Pension Plan Investment Board following the dismissal by the Ontario Superior Court, Commercial List of the application by Cintra Global S.E.

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Regardless of the economic climate, arguments can always be made for why small business owners should purchase their commercial properties. With a steadily growing economy and historically low interest rates, reasons to buy rather than rent are incredibly compelling now.

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Strong demand for U.S. office space and “a supply pipeline that shows no sign of slowing down” is boosting average asking rents and lowering vacancy rates, according to a new report from Yardi Matrix.

BOMA

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As the city of Toronto moves ahead with plans to develop affordable housing on 11 city-owned land parcels, the Housing Now TO organization is warning three of the four initial site proposals are not sufficiently dense to make financial sense.

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Home Capital (HCG-T) president and CEO Yousry Bissada says the housing market has been flashing positive signals recently, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area. “Sales activity is picking up, with particular strength in the GTA,” Bissada said Wednesday morning.

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In total, 3,698 residential sales were concluded in July, a 16 per cent year-over-year jump and a record for a month of July.  Furthermore, this was the 53rd consecutive monthly increase in residential sales in the Montreal area.

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In early June, “Catherine” made her way to a downtown Montreal condo complex and waited for the man who was supposed to meet her there with the keys. She had rented out a unit in the building on Airbnb.

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