Full steam ahead for Groupe Heafey in Ottawa, Florida

RENX  Residential, Commercial  •  Condominiums, Hotels and Resorts, Apartments, Homes  •  National, International, Quebec, Ottawa

A pandemic hasn’t stopped Gatineau’s Groupe Heafey from forging ahead with $400 million in new development just in the Ottawa market alone. This includes its latest proposal, for 11- and 12-storey residential towers in the city’s west end.

Wave of CRE evictions expected in September: CFIB

Commercial  •  Toronto Star  •  Toronto Star

Ryan Mallough, the director of provincial affairs, Ontario for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), expects to see eviction notices start rolling mid-September. Ontario’s commercial eviction freeze ends on Aug. 31 alongside the business rent subsidy program.

Caisse invests $200M in Restaurant Brands

Commercial  •  La Presse

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) is now a major shareholder of Tim Hortons. The largest institutional manager in Quebec has just invested nearly $200 million to buy shares in Tim Hortons parent company Restaurant Brands International (QSR-T).

Starlight proposes mid-rise office building in Etobicoke

Commercial  •  Urban Toronto

Starlight Investments has filed a Site Plan Approval application with the City of Toronto to permit a 12-storey office building at 181 The West Mall – the southeast corner of an existing office campus between The West Mall and Highway 427 in Etobicoke.

New office concept could lure remote workers back

Commercial  •  Western Investor  •  Vox  •  BC Business

Vancouver’s Arpeg Group of Companies hopes to lure work-from-homers back to downtown office towers with And-Co, a new office concept that will open in December in the Cardero building at 1575 West Georgia St.

T.O. firms in no rush to return employees to office

Commercial  •  Toronto Star

Injunction issued in Vancouver crane dispute

Commercial  •  Lawson Lundell blog

The BC Supreme Court has issued an interim injunction to prevent FS Property from swinging a construction crane over The Exchange building, situated next door in downtown Vancouver, and to which OSED Howe Street Vancouver Leaseholds holds a long-term lease.

Ottawa rental owners may need maintenance plans

Residential  •  Ottawa Business Journal

Owners of multi-unit apartment buildings in Ottawa will be required to spell out how they plan to maintain, repair or replace infrastructure such as plumbing, elevators, roofs, fire escapes and balconies under a proposed city bylaw.

Top-10 largest construction project starts in Canada

Residential, Commercial  •  Daily Commercial News

The accompanying table records the 10 largest construction project starts in Canada in July 2020. Also included is the latest trend graph on starts. This looks at 12-month moving totals of the civil and non-residential building categories in Canada.

Proptech startup setting up shop in Montréal

Commercial  •  Canada Newswire  •  La Presse

SwiftCTRL Technologies Canada Inc., an employee-owned affiliate of New York-based Proptech company, SwiftCTRL Inc., is establishing its first engineering office and research and development centre in Montréal.  Steeve Béliveau and Guillaume Vachon co-head the new Canadian technology centre.

CF, RBC support business through Canada United

Commercial  •  Canada Newswire

As part of its focus to power retail recovery, Cadillac Fairview has joined Canada United, a nationwide initiative created by RBC in partnership with over 60 companies and organizations to bring Canadians together to support local businesses.

COVID-19 reshaping investment landscape: CPP

Commercial  •  Canada Newswire  •  Financial Post

Four types of new habits are likely to define post-COVID-19 investment portfolios, according to CPP Investments: permanent changes to consumer behaviour; long-term impact on healthcare and privacy policy; impact on cities and infrastructure; and shifts in global supply chains.

L Brands reports surprise profit

Commercial  •  Reuters

L Brands Inc. (LB-N) on Wednesday reported a surprise quarterly profit boosted by strong demand for Bath & Body Works’ sanitizers and soaps, as well as higher online sales of Victoria’s Secret lingerie during coronavirus-led lockdowns.

Lowe’s beats sales expectations

Commercial  •  Reuters  •  PR Newswire  •  Winnipeg Free Press

Lowe’s Cos Inc. (LOW-N) blew past analysts’ estimates for quarterly sales and profit on Wednesday as it benefited from a surge in demand for home improvement products from consumers stuck indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Target sales surge as Americans lean on big box stores

Commercial  •  Toronto Star

Target (TGT-N) reported recorded-setting sales growth online and at established U.S. stores over the past three months. Online sales surged 195 per cent and same-store sales spiked 10.9 per cent, second-quarter growth that is unprecedented in the company’s 58-year history.

Temporary furloughs become layoffs at NYC hotels

Commercial  •  Bisnow

Immediate shocks to New York’s hotel industry are morphing into long-term pain as operators confront the reality a real recovery isn’t coming this year. The industry is bracing for a years-long recovery and for many rooms to be wiped out.

Airbnb bans house parties worldwide

Residential  •  Reuters  •  Reuters

San Francisco-based Airbnb is banning house parties worldwide as it tries to clean up its reputation and comply with coronavirus-related limits on gatherings. Airbnb said it will limit occupancy in its rental homes to 16.

Seven housing markets young buyers can still afford

Residential  •  Globe and Mail

Presenting seven housing markets across the country where a millennial or Gen Z buyer can buy an average-price home: Lethbridge, Alta., Saskatoon, Winnipeg, St. John’s, and the New Brunswick trio of Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton.

Toronto welcomes a new cohort of laneway homes

Residential  •  Globe and Mail (Sub. required)

“This is our staging area,” Laneway Home Building Experts‘ Andrew Fishman says. “I’m not kidding you.” The spot Fishman points at measures 16 feet across and five feet wide. In other words, tiny. “It’s like a constant game of Tetris.”

TRREB cut off listings data to Bungol site

Residential  •  Toronto Star

The Toronto Region Real Estate Board suspended its data feed to popular property listing site Bungol in early August, but two weeks later its creator says he still doesn’t know what rules his company has violated.