Canadian buildings have topped the international field in seven of 17 categories of The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) awards for 2021. The honours were conferred late last week at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International annual conference and expo in Boston.
“Canada’s commercial real estate industry continues to set new industry benchmarks, building on their growing reputation as industry leaders,” says Benjamin Shinewald, president and chief executive officer of BOMA Canada.
Northam Realty Advisors captured International TOBYs in two categories. Queens Quay Terminal in Toronto was the winning historical building, while the SouthCreek Corporate Centre in Markham, Ontario, was named best mid-rise suburban office park. Northam manages both facilities, which its Canadian commercial property funds own.
Five other commercial real estate companies are represented among the remaining Canadian winners. These include:
- Medical office building, 1128 Hornby, Vancouver, B.C., owned and managed by Wesgroup Properties;
- Enclosed Retail, 10 Dundas East, Toronto, owned by 10 Dundas Street Ltd., managed by BentallGreenOak;
- Open-air Retail, Shops of Oakville South, Oakville, Ontario, owned by Shops of Oakville South Inc., managed by FCR Management Services;
- Low-Rise Suburban Office Park, 1-8 Prologis Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario, owned by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) Realty, managed by Triovest Realty Advisors; and
- Office 250,000 to 499,999 square feet, 745 Thurlow, Vancouver, owned by 2748355 Canada Inc. and 45 Thurlow Street Holdings Inc., managed by QuadReal Property Group.
The International TOBYs are the third stage of accolades for the seven Canadian winners, which received 2020 BOMA Canada national awards after first capturing regional TOBYs. “BOMA Canada could not be more proud of all those who worked so hard and dedicated so much time to their buildings,” Shinewald says.
Along with the TOBY presentations, Anne Marie Guèvremont, senior property manager with Realterm Logistics based in Dorval, Quebec, was officially inducted as a BOMA Fellow at this year’s BOMA International conference. That honour, placing her among just 58 BOMA members worldwide to have attained the designation during the past decade, was announced earlier this year.
