$251M announced for 15 new Alberta schools

Alberta is investing $251 million over three years in new funding for 15 priority school projects, meeting the need for additional classroom space across the province.

Projects include new schools in Calgary, Edmonton and Camrose; modernizations in Acme, Cochrane, Evansburg and Milk River; design funding for schools in Sherwood Park, Raymond, Manning, Penhold and Valleyview; and a water main repair for a school in Slave Lake.

“As Alberta’s Recovery Plan continues to drive our economic recovery, we know we need a strong education system to equip our next generation with the tools and skills they need to succeed in our modern, diversified economy. These new and upgraded schools will do just that, while creating more jobs and making life better for Alberta families,” said Premier Jason Kenney.

Alberta is strengthening its investment in education infrastructure and planning for the future by maintaining and enhancing existing schools and building new schools. The 2022 Capital Plan invests $2 billion over three years to support these 15 school projects, continue work on previously announced projects, maintain existing schools and support charter school infrastructure, including collegiate programs. This includes $118 million over the next three years to support the continued implementation of the modular program to address the most urgent needs for additional space across the province.

Also included is $209 million over three years to support the maintenance and renewal of existing school buildings through the Capital Maintenance and Renewal Program and $300 million over three years in school authority self-directed capital projects.

“New schools and modernization projects throughout the province are creating vital economic activity in Alberta communities and supporting thousands of jobs related to project planning, design and construction. We’re focused on ensuring students have, as quickly as possible, the top-quality schools they need to help them succeed,” said Prasad Panda, minister of infrastructure.

Eight women changing Canada’s multi-residential market for the better

These eight women are just a few leaders with big ideas for creating an inclusive, climate-resilient future through multi-residential projects. They are developers, architects and designers who are reimagining Canada’s built environment and shaping welcoming living spaces for all.

Frances Martin-DiGiuseppe, founding principal, Q4 Architects Inc. Current Residential Projects: Chappelle Housing (Edmonton), BT Towns (Toronto), 360 Condos (Ottawa), The Cosmopolitan (Oakville).

Representing female leadership in the architecture and design industry is one of my proudest professional accomplishments. Leading my own firm for nearly two decades, I’ve always been passionate about truly understanding the way people live, including single mothers, young families, elderly couples, and more. Over the past two years, it’s become abundantly clear that multi-generational living is a critical housing type that is often overlooked in our housing stock. As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s critical to consider how our housing design reflects changing family dynamics and prioritizes a community-first approach.

We must also recognize that designing homes for multi-generational living cannot be solved in one stroke of a brush. There is action needed at all levels to ensure multigenerational homes are resilient, comfortable, and dignified for everyone who inhabits them. For widespread adoption, we would first need to start at the planning level, which can include a mix of market-driven and government-mandated action, such as flexible zoning regulations.

From an architects’ perspective, there are also a range of design options that need to be considered, such as garden suites and laneway homes, for example. Both of these housing types were incorporated into our Cornell Village project in Markham, and it’s been rewarding to see how these homes—occupied by many multigenerational families—have transformed lives by allowing families to share resources easily and better support one another. Lastly, there are a number of design interventions within the home that can be done to facilitate multigenerational living. This can include, for example, straight-run stairs and a rethink of the conventional kitchen triangle, which better accounts for people’s needs at every life stage.

Stephanie Allen, vice president of strategic business operations and performance at BC Housing. She is a housing development specialist focused on building affordable, equitable communities and is a founding board member of Hogan’s Alley Society.

Hogan’s Alley was the unofficial name for a laneway that ran for several blocks in Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood. The area was once a thriving enclave for the city’s Black population before residents were displaced under urban renewal with the construction of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts in the early 1970’s. Urban renewal came at a heavy cost to many racialized communities across Canada, and in Vancouver, it totally displaced the Black community who called the area home.

Today, Stephanie Allen is working with the Hogan’s Alley Society (HAS) which has submitted a proposal to build a non-profit community land trust on the block that was the former epicentre of the community. As a founding board member of HAS, Stephanie and her colleagues have worked with the local Black community to build a vision of inclusive housing, affordable small business spaces, and a cultural centre for the site. The land trust will protect the area from future displacement and help create a neighbourhood where all residents and small businesses can thrive.

“The goal we have is for housing, commercial, office, and cultural spaces that are accessible, beautiful, and inclusive of all walks of life,” she says. “We desperately need affordable family housing in Vancouver, especially for intergenerational, blended, and chosen families. The way we live is evolving and our built environment must consider what people will need to live healthy lives for the next 100 years.”

In 2015, the City of Vancouver approved the policy that will remove the viaducts, but no date has been set on when that will happen, and they have yet to formally adopt the land trust proposal. In the meantime, Stephanie and her colleagues continue talks with the City about ensuring that Black communities, past and present, are honoured in the building out of this important part of Vancouver.

Eunice Wong, senior urban designer at Perkins&Will (they/she).

As an urban designer, I like to say that my work exists right at the intersection of the built environment and the social environment, two things that have to be constantly listening to each other. Just like our cities, as designers, we too have to be flexible, resilient, and responsive. With this comes the challenge and opportunity to plan and design across all scales, from city-wide strategies that manage the fastest growing downtown core in the country like our work on TOcore, which provides guidelines for Toronto’s growth, all the way to a corner of an intersection.

As our city continues to grow at an incredibly rapid rate, integrating the human-factor into all our work is becoming increasingly important. This includes every stage of a project, from engagement to the design process, and even, construction. Often, this work requires bringing our whole intersectional selves to the drawing board every day and getting on-the-ground with community leaders, neighbours, and stakeholders. When we honour and meaningfully incorporate a diverse range of perspectives into our built environment, the end result is a truly inclusive and welcoming space for all. These types of spaces are critical as neighbourhoods experience new transit, development and investments, and there is a real need to create vibrant community hubs to help preserve its special character. Last summer, for example, we transformed a parking lot at the Jane-Finch Mall into a thriving hub, called Corner Commons, which hosted a range of pop-up events and community gatherings. At the end of the day, we’re not just designing buildings and spaces, but places for people, and that is something I will never take for granted.

Renee Gomes, senior vice president of development, Diamond Corp.

Multi-residential living, when delivered successfully, requires us to consider functional, attractive, master-planned communities within the larger context of our evolving cities. Contemporary city building requires a collaborative approach across sectors – and boundless creativity. Within our industry, we are tasked with understanding and responding to constant changes in our economy, environment, and communities, without losing sight of the universal principles that contribute to placemaking. Successful communities support a diversity of lifestyles by allowing for easy access to goods and services, and by providing a range of safe, high-quality spaces for recreation, active transportation, and gathering. They also respond to the existing community context, which is why consultation and engagement are essential components of the planning process.

Considering both the growing population of the GTA and the limitations of the region’s land base and other resources, revitalization of existing areas is essential. Brownfield sites, like the master-planned Brightwater community in Port Credit—developed under the Port Credit West Village Partners consortium as a collaboration between Kilmer Group, Diamond Corp, Dream Unlimited and FRAM + Slokker—give us an incredible opportunity to transform underutilized land into modern, sustainable communities that contribute to the overall fabric of the city in a contemporary way. Brightwater will not only create new homes and jobs; it will also incorporate smart transit options and draw visitors to experience the arts, culture, and stunning natural features of the area. Our planned Sherway Gardens revitalization with Cadillac Fairview will leverage existing space by transforming peripheral parking lands into a vibrant, complete community while retaining one of Canada’s most successful shopping centres. And in our upcoming project, Birchley Park, a Diamond Kilmer development, a 19-acre community will continue to deliver on our commitment to modern city-building by incorporating learnings from our thorough consultation process, offering new homes, retail, and park space.

Taya Cook, director of development, Urban Capital and Sherry Larjani, president of Spotlight Developments.

Multi-residential living is more important than ever as our communities grow and expand. Smart density, walkable communities with transit integration, and the availability of retail, restaurants, services, and jobs all make sense for life today. Still, despite these many positive benefits to multi-residential living, shifting away from the single-family home dream still feels difficult for some.

But what if multi-residential living could offer a better experience, leading to diverse and inclusive communities where neighbours build authentic connections and families of all different types can thrive? That was our vision when we embarked on Reina, a project led by a team of women who are at the top of their fields from every discipline that touches development, from architecture and design to construction management and engineering. Not only did we want to encourage more young women to pursue the development field, but we also saw this as an opportunity to do multi-residential living right.

That meant taking a different approach to the ‘traditional’ development process. We made a concerted effort to embark on a year-long community consultation process where we heard from families, young people, couples, singles and more. We also accounted for multigenerational living with live-work suites, knowing that it is important across cultures. No surprise that an all-women team would design spaces for everyone.

Our hope is that we will continue to see diverse perspectives shape our evolving communities and the development process, so we can continue to create more spaces where everyone feels welcome.

Ya’el Santopinto, principal, ERA Architects and director of research and partnerships with the Tower of Renewal Partnership.

I am an architect and director of research, specializing in tower renewal. Through both practice and policy, I work on improving the quality, climate resilience and longevity of aging, affordable apartment housing. Most of my career has been dedicated to advocating for and designing these types of critical improvements to multi-residential housing. Aging apartments—mostly built in the 60s and 70s —provide affordable housing for approximately two million Canadians, but often require critical updates to make them suitable housing for today’s climate and social realities. Right now, many of them are falling into severe disrepair. They are also huge emitters of greenhouse gas emissions. Our recent retrofit of the Ken Soble Tower in Hamilton is one example of how we can improve our affordable housing across the country. The building is now a net-zero ready, climate resilient place to live in that puts that the comfort of residents first, and it can serve as a model for similar buildings across North America. We urgently need to scale a tower renewal approach to tackle our housing and climate crises, giving people safe, secure and healthy places to live into the next generation.

Reetu Gupta, ambassadress and principal at The Gupta Group.

I am proud to have had the opportunity to follow in my family’s footsteps working in the real estate and development sector as CEO (now ambassadress and principal), leading one of the largest private development and hotel firms. With five million square feet of residential and commercial properties in development across Canada, we create much-needed housing inventory and jobs which stimulate our economy. From a residential standpoint, we recognize that innovative offerings will be imperative for catering to an increasingly dense city like Toronto. For example, our recent Rosedale on Bloor project will not only have 508 suites soaring 55 storeys but will also house Canada’s first-ever Canopy by Hilton Hotel with a rooftop terrace that will become a major neighbourhood attraction.

This International Women’s Day, I want women in real estate to feel unstoppable and strong in their convictions. As a woman of colour in a male-dominated industry, I have been faced with biases over factors that I can’t control – factors that I was born with and factors that also make me proud of who I am. I have always been underestimated, judged with a framework that is not equitable to others in the same room, and treated differently. Choose to look at these aspects as a challenge, an opportunity to make yourself stronger, better, faster. Choose to make it an advantage.

IDC celebrates 50 years of interior design

Since 1972, Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) has been the national advocacy association for the interior design profession. This year IDC is celebrating its 50^th anniversary and invites members to join in the festivities.

To commemorate the milestone, IDC has created a multi-faceted campaign to celebrate interior design and IDC members. The campaign will focus on honouring designers, storytelling, and showcasing diverse perspectives through the decades – from the early 70s to today, and into the future.

“Our hope is to archive IDC’s history through the collection of stories from those who were engaged in those initial conversations about the possibility of a national association, back in the early 1970s,” says Trevor Kruse, IDC CEO. “We want to preserve memories and pay tribute to those who paved the way for the industry that we all enjoy today and for the future of interior design.”

Throughout the year, IDC will share articles about interior design trailblazers in the early years who have shaped the organization, honour notable designers who created the much-needed changes both within the industry and at IDC, and share ideas about the future of design from members who will carry the legacy.

A 50^th anniversary task force has been formed to help the IDC team gather research, collect quotes, and conduct interviews with members, starting with the IDC founders about their experiences of working as an interior designer and starting up the association.

One of those founders recently interviewed was Saskatchewan-based interior designer, Doris Hasell, who along with many other dedicated volunteers, helped build IDC from the ground up. Unfortunately, some of the original founders have passed on, but those who are still around, like Hasell, have fond memories of those early years.

She says the impetus for her was that the Interior Designers Association of Saskatchewan (IDS) needed the support, contacts, and public relations from a national organization and that IDC, once formed, would need the same from each province. IDS was formed in 1968 by eight interior designers in Saskatoon and was one of the original signatories to the IDC charter in May 1972, thus formalizing IDS with the Saskatchewan government.

“Progress was slow in the beginning, pre-computers and emails; we relied on the post and telephone,” says Hasell. “I think that it took us about three years, and provincial representatives often changed, and agreement of French/English translation of minutes, for example, was always slow and challenging.”

Hasell shares that the practice of interior design in the 70s was different and often challenging because designers had to draw blueprints by hand, write specs on a typewriter, keep a library of numerous resources, run around between clients, architects, engineers, and blue printers.

“I usually sold my design ideas by rendering coloured perspectives,” she says. “All of this took time and was tedious work.”

Fifty years later, Hasell is hopeful that the interior design profession will become more visible, and more designers will become licenced. She believes it will keep the profession going for many more decades to come.

Many others in those early years were instrumental in helping to create the national association, including early presidents, board members, and an army of volunteers – something that’s stayed unchanged at IDC to this day.

Marilyn Donoghue, a dedicated volunteer, who served as IDC’s president from 1974 to 1975, recalls what those first foundational meetings looked like.

She says that in 1971 there was a momentous change in the structure of what was then called Interior Designers of Ontario (IDO), currently the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO).

“The younger designers, educated at Ryerson, University of Manitoba and the Ontario College of Art [now the Ontario College of Art and Design University], revamped the organization, and a trio of designers: Ken Thompson, Jack Bell, and Howard Taylor took the reigns for three consecutive years each serving as president,” says Donoghue.

Donoghue has had an illustrious career in interior design, holding positions in government and affecting meaningful change in the industry over the last five decades. She is a Life member of ARIDO and a Fellow of both ARIDO and IDC.

“I see a great future in design particularly along the lines of research including the impact of design in many environments,” she says.

A series of video interviews will be published throughout this year, along with a video presentation that will be shared with members at IDC’s 50^th Annual Meeting this fall. IDC will continue to reach out to members for various articles and research projects.

As the campaign is ongoing through the year, IDC invites all current and past members, industry partners, former clients, and members of the public to send in any interesting stories, images, or anecdotes to the IDC communications team (communications@idcanada.org) to share across IDC’s social media channels.

Toronto site sold to Fitzrovia for multi-res development

Slate Asset Management and Carlyle Communities announced they have sold their jointly owned three-acre site at 6 Dawes Road in Toronto to Fitzrovia Real Estate. The site is currently operating as a self-storage facility but has been rezoned for high-rise residential use and will be developed by Fitzrovia into a premier rental community comprised of 1,000 units.

6 Dawes sits at the intersection of Main and Danforth, adjacent to the Danforth GO Train Station and a short walk from the TTC’s Main Street Subway Station. The site offers exceptional access to transit and connectivity to the downtown core, making it uniquely positioned for a residential rental offering.

Slate and Carlyle Communities acquired the site in 2019 and began the entitlement process to rezone it into a high-rise, mixed-use residential development. Through private mediation with the City, neighbouring landowners and other local agencies, a settlement offer was reached with in late 2021 allowing for approximately 1.1 million square feet of buildable density at the site.

“From the outset, we saw 6 Dawes as an exciting city building opportunity, recognizing the site’s potential to become a vibrant residential hub providing a range of housing options, invaluable connectivity and premium amenities,” said Lucas Manuel, Partner at Slate. “We took a creative, partnership approach to a complex project, working in collaboration with various stakeholder groups to bring to bear a truly unique residential development site that will soon provide an entirely new class of rental product.”

Naram Mansour, President at Carlyle Communities added: “Large, under-utilized, transit-oriented sites like this one are increasingly rare in Toronto. Against the backdrop of Ontario’s affordable housing crisis, we knew the best and highest use for this site was as a residential development, and we are very pleased to have reached an agreement with the team at Fitzrovia, who shares our vision of turning 6 Dawes into a premier residential community.”

“We are proud to bring to life another major rental project for the City of Toronto,” said Adrian Rocca, Founder and CEO at Fitzrovia. “This development will directly target young families and downsizers who continue to seek very limited options in the market. We look forward to not only delivering a beautiful product but also leveraging our passion for hospitality and programming to bring an exceptional living experience to the Danforth neighbourhood.”

Fitzrovia will implement a variety of ESG initiatives across the site including a significant public park with enhanced connectivity to the neighbourhood, water re-use and retention programs, lower window-to-wall ratios to reduce energy consumption and will target a minimum of LEED Gold certification.

The transaction closed in February 2022. Fitzrovia expects to complete the development in early 2026.

Blame tactics scapegoat multifamily investors

Policy makers could thwart their own best intentions if they scapegoat multifamily investors for rising housing costs. Commenting during the online launch of CBRE Canada’s annual commercial real estate outlook report, Paul Morassutti, the firm’s vice chair, valuation and advisory services, warned rental housing supply and affordability prospects will worsen if market interventions divert institutional capital elsewhere.

“Debates about affordability and the financialization of housing are taking place in major cities everywhere. The gist of the argument is that homes and apartments should be for people to live in, not financial assets for investors to speculate on,” he recounted. “To be clear, rents are not high because of institutional ownership. Canada has a structural housing shortage.”

For now, some trends bode well for chipping away at that shortage. A recent uptick in purpose-built rental production is linked to strong market fundamentals, including the appeal of Canada’s socioeconomic stability and world-leading pace of immigration for both domestic and foreign investors. For example, it’s predicted that a substantial chunk of Akelius’ €9 billion (CAD $12.5 billion) payout from the recent disposition of European assets will be redeployed in Canada.

Meanwhile, Canada’s strategy for attracting permanent residents and new citizens from its pool of international students enabled it to achieve a target for 400,000 immigrants in 2021 despite the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist with CIBC World Markets, noted that Canada’s immigrant intake was six times greater per capita than in the United States last year, with approximately 70 per cent of the new arrivals already in the country and simply requiring a change in their status from previously holding shorter term visas.

“Basically, you get international students, you educate them and then you provide them with the option to stay in Canada,” he summarized. “This means that they are younger; they are more educated; they speak the language; and they have some job experience. They are more employable and more likely to buy a house, or at least they will do it faster than the regular arrival. That’s very, very important for economic growth.”

However, Morassutti suggests policy makers have failed to pair that immigration strategy with a plan for, or even appropriate signals to prompt, delivery of the housing that a growing population will need. He sees mounting calls for rent control measures and/or moves akin to the recent Berlin referendum endorsing the seizure of 240,000 private housing units for public ownership as an ominous brake on development momentum.

“If there is one concern that we have about multifamily, it is government intervention in a manner that helps neither owners nor renters,” Morassutti affirmed. “Taxing owners more, curbing excessive profits — whatever that means — will only dissuade capital from building more units, and more units are what we desperately need.”

Collaborating on worksite safety

A construction worksite is inherently challenging with many moving pieces. Dozens of workers intersect daily, each focused on their own set of responsibilities, tasks, processes, procedures, and deadlines – and HSE programs and safety cultures.

In this fast paced and dynamic environment, where multiple trades work simultaneously and consecutively in the same site or workspace, collaboration is crucial to safety. Even though there are regular meetings to coordinate things like schedules, access for deliveries, and staging areas, specific safety issues can get missed. And when people don’t work together effectively on safety, they put themselves and others at risk for injury – and we have all seen the tragic results.

When employers and workers fail to collaborate, they put themselves and others at risk for injury and sometimes the outcomes are tragic. In 2010 a worker was fatally injured by a 2800 lb. concrete wall form when it became unstable and tipped over when another worker was climbing it to receive the wall reinforcing. How workers are supervised, conduct themselves and how appropriate their training, programs, plans and procedures, and tools and equipment and personal protective equipment are to their safety is important also to the safety others

Most HSE programs and safety management systems focus on preventing their own workers from being exposed to hazards but often don’t consider how other workers, visitors to the site, or the public could be left unprotected and exposed. For example, concrete remediation workers are protected from respirable silica. While exposure control plans may focus on the source controls like wetting and HVAC controls, many of them also emphasize the use of individual respiratory protection. How can we communicate to others that they are safe from the clouds of concrete dust being generated?

To encourage continuous improvement in safety, all workers on site need to build relationships, collaborate, and work as a cohesive team focused not only on the safety of their own workers, but also the safety of others.

One of the best ways to promote collaboration is to implement a Worksite Safety Committee. When an employer and committee members commit the resources, leadership, vision, and expectations, they set the example and provide guidance for all others to follow.

Work planning must take a proactive role to identify hazards that could affect anyone on site, contain them (using tool/equipment lanyards and control zones, for example), and then communicate these safety risks and mitigation strategies to the other workers.

Trades in shared work areas can review each other’s field hazard assessments, which provides an understanding of each other’s scope of work, hazards, and mitigations. This is more common in industrial construction than commercial construction, where there have often been trades sharing the same workspaces with a very limited understanding of what the other does or how they could be impacting each other.

Everyone on site needs to be actively engaged with their work environment and the people in it in order to keep a strong focus on safety, and develop relationships where workers can collaborate on challenges that may impact the safety and productivity of others.

By engaging with industry associations, consultants and workplace regulators, employers can prepare themselves and their workers to collaborate more effectively when they mobilize on a project. Membership and participation in industry groups promotes common understanding, aligns expectations, and develops and promotes best practices, which brings constancy and uniformity to the industry and safety measures on our job sites.

Collaboration on safety is a shared responsibility. It is about relationships, caring, speaking up and working together for the benefit of everyone on, or visiting, a job site – to send everyone home safely at the end of the day. We build a lot of amazing things in construction and collaborative relationships may well be the most important.

Barry McCarthy is senior manager HS&E – Western Canada at Ledcor Construction.

EIFS Council opens 2022 architectural awards

The EIFS Council of Canada has opened its 2022 Architectural Design Awards Program for submissions. This is the sixth consecutive year that the EIFS Council of Canada has run their prestigious Awards Program. The Program was initiated to honour design professionals and firms which incorporate EIFS products into innovative and creative built projects.

The ECC’s award-winning projects represent the very best of EIFS projects in Canada. Last year’s Grand Prize was awarded to 109 King Avenue by Barry Bryan Associates. This year, the EIFS Council encourages all architects, design professionals, and contractors to submit their recent EIFS projects for the opportunity to be selected as the Grand Prize recipient.

“The EIFS Council of Canada is pleased to continue to recognize and honour projects that have used EIFS in an innovative way,” remarked John M. Garbin, president/ CEO of the EIFS Council of Canada, “We developed this Awards Program with the objective of creating a new benchmark in EIFS construction. The finalists and winners from past years have shown that EIFS helps realize Canada’s national objective of creating resilient, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing buildings.”

The Awards Program is open to all architects, architectural firms, builders or design professionals that have designed and completed a project located in Canada that utilizes EIFS. Eligible projects must be occupied no sooner than January 1st, 2020 and no later than January 31st, 2022. All applicants may submit their projects in one of seven categories: 1) low rise residential, 2) mid-rise residential, 3) high rise residential, 4) commercial/retail, 5) recreational/institutional, 6) hospitality, and 7) renovation.

Registrations and submissions are now open for the architectural awards. Final submission packages must be received no later than April 25th. Award finalists will be announced on May 5^th, 2022.

Yukon budget commits to reforming health system

The Yukon has committed more than $165 million in its 2022-23 budget to transforming the territory’s health system and ramping up mental health and substance-use supports for a population that has grown the most in Canada since 2016.

Funding is slated for a number of initiatives, including $2.6 million for the Bilingual Health and Wellness Centre in Whitehorse. The facility will use a collaborative, team-based model of care and be the first health centre in the Yukon based on recommendations stemming from the health-care reforming Putting People First report.

Another $10 million is slated for a short stay psychiatric unit at the Whitehorse General Hospital. The facility is currently under construction to offer a safe place for patients with a mental health diagnosis to receive medical care.

The Health and Wellness Centre in Old Crow will receive $13 million for bringing mental health, emergency services and home care to the remote community. A further $315,000 will support renovations to the Health and Wellness Centre in Carcross.

This year’s budget also dedicates $11.6 million to manage the ongoing risk of COVID-19, including a a $10 million COVID-19 contingency fund as the territory moves from pandemic to endemic.

Alongside the pandemic, the territory continues to face a substance use crisis. Earlier this year, it was declared an emergency affecting communities due to more overdose related deaths. As such the new budget is committing $5.5 million to enhancing the supervised consumption site to increase access and expanding the safer supply program to rural communities.

Yukon’s total budget contains $1.97 billion in spending, with $1.42 billion earmarked for operating and maintenance expenses and $546.5 million for capital spending.

Six office properties to pad Allied portfolio

Allied Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) has inked a deal to acquire six office properties from Choice Properties REIT. The $794-million transaction will add more than 1.2 million square feet of leasable space in downtown Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver to augment Allied’s existing portfolio of approximately 13.5 million square feet in the three cities.

Slated to close in the second quarter of 2022, Allied will cover the purchase price through the issuance of Class B units and a $200-million promissory note to Choice. The acquisitions align with Allied’s targets for biotech and life sciences facilities and include approximately 505,000 square feet in properties at 525 University Avenue and 175 Bloor Street East, Toronto, in which the Hospital for Sick Children and the life sciences commercialization specialist, Klick Inc., are principle tenants. The other four properties in the deal house education and technology, advertising, media and information (TAMI) uses, in keeping with Allied’s urban workforce focus.

“This is an extraordinary win-win transaction for Choice and Allied. It represents an important and compelling strategic refinement for Choice and a significant expansion of operating capability for Allied,” asserts Michael Emory, president and chief executive officer of Allied Properties REIT.

“Our overriding objective in making this acquisition is to expand our operating capability in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver,” concurs Tom Burns, Allied’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The six office properties currently range from 81 per cent to 99 per cent occupancy. Five come with BOMA BEST silver or gold ratings, while the sixth boasts LEED gold status for operations and maintenance.

HSC & Green Seal unite on standard for IAQ in schools

The Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) and Green Seal have announced a pilot Healthy Green Schools & Colleges certification standard to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) in educational facilities.

The public pilot standard is designed to support facility managers in identifying and implementing low- or no-cost measures that make a significant difference in a school’s IAQ. The standard can be implemented district-wide or university-wide to ensure an organization-level commitment to standard operating procedures, resource distribution, and facility maintenance that supports the health of students, staff, and the environment.

Nine U.S. school districts and 10 colleges have already signed on as early adopters and will begin formally implementing the standard to provide data and advice on thresholds for certification levels.

“The pandemic has made creating healthy school environments an urgent national priority and brought to light the significant under-investment in school facilities nationwide,” said Doug Gatlin, Green Seal CEO. “This national standard fills a critical gap to provide schools with the resources and network to ensure a quality of school facility that every student in America deserves.”

“Unhealthy indoor air, inadequate ventilation, and chemical exposure from cleaning and maintenance routines are linked to poor concentration and test performance in students. These conditions are disproportionately found in schools serving primarily low-income Black and Latin students, making this an important issue of equity,” says Rochelle Davis, president and CEO of Healthy Schools Campaign.

The first-of-its-kind standard for healthy and sustainable facilities management was designed in partnership with the K-12 and university facility directors on the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges Steering Committee and with input from early adopters, stakeholders and the public.

It covers the full range of facilities management practices, including:

Cleaning and Disinfecting to reduce exposure and injury risks to cleaning staff; reduce the risk of virus transmission; reduce exposure to environmental health hazards; and support student health needs.
Integrated Pest Management to protect occupants from environmental health hazards and improve the IAQ of school facilities.
Sustainable Purchasing to ensure school district or university purchases reduce negative environmental and human health impacts and help reduce the spread of infectious disease, while also delivering effective functional performance.
HVAC and Electric Maintenance to ensure proactive, preventative, planned, and reactive maintenance for all installed HVAC devices and fixtures to maximize their period of usefulness and improve the IAQ of school facilities.
IAQ Testing and Monitoring to ensure processes, procedures, and tools are in place to monitor IAQ, while balancing the impact of HVAC on energy consumption and helping to identify opportunities to improve IAQ.
Training to ensure cleaning and maintenance personnel work in the safest and most effective manner possible and receive appropriate training to promote health, safety, sustainability, sanitation, and minimize the spread of infectious disease through their work.
Communication to encourage cleaning staff, management, school building administrators, employees, and students to practice clear, effective, and equitable communication to develop trust.

The standard will be the centrepiece of a comprehensive program launching this spring to support school facility management professionals in transforming the health and sustainability of school campuses.

First, a self-assessment tool will allow schools to objectively measure their current indoor environmental health and sustainability performance, while guidebooks, training, and tools will help facility professionals determine and take the next steps.

Then, the standard’s points-based scoring system encourages schools to keep improving at their own pace, with support from a network of facility management peers across the country who are on a similar journey. Schools that reach the top level of achievement can apply for third-party certification, earning public recognition for their verified expertise in providing healthy school environments.

Learn more about the Healthy Green Schools & Colleges standard and program here.

Alberta prompt payment in effect August 2022

Alberta’s government has passed the Prompt Payment and Construction Lien Act and supporting regulations. This framework sets out clear timelines and rules for payments and liens as well as a new adjudication framework for payment disputes within the construction industry. Regulations come into force on Aug. 29.

The new regulations address rules for administration of the adjudication process, including eligibility; payment of lien holdbacks; transition of existing construction contracts; and adjudication procedures and timelines. It also addresses change orders and how those may be subject to prompt payment rules.

“This framework has been a long time coming. It’s great to see that this government took a problem and consulted extensively with industry to reach a solution,” stated John Winter, chair of the Alberta Construction Association. “This framework will be beneficial for all levels of construction, and I look forward to seeing it come into force.”

Owners have 28-day timelines to pay proper invoices from general contractors. Contractors and subcontractors are required to pay their own subcontractors within seven calendar days of being paid themselves.

Timelines for registering liens move from 45 days to 60 days for the construction industry and from 45 days to 90 days for suppliers within the concrete industry. The oil and gas lien period remains at 90 days.

“We’ve been hard at work over the past two years collaborating with the construction industry to develop a prompt payment framework. This important effort will ensure that hard-working Albertans will be paid on time. These measures support our economic recovery – as well as economic growth – and I’m excited to see them come into force this summer,” said Minister of Service Alberta Nate Glubish.

Kingston City Hall achieves GBAC STAR accreditation

Kingston City Hall in Kingston, Ont., is the latest Canadian facility to achieve GBAC STAR Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council™ (GBAC), a Division of ISSA.

The City of Kingston is the first municipality in Ontario, and the second in Canada, to receive this accreditation.

Kingston City Hall is a nationally designated historic site and the administrative center of the city. Inside, it hosts the city council and nearly 40 government departments that work to meet the needs of residents and visitors and achieve the goal of becoming the most sustainable city in Canada.

“I have been humbled by the performance of our frontline staff throughout COVID, and I’ve been further impressed by their willingness to embrace training, technology, the application of new, industry best cleaning applications, and standards as part of the GBAC accreditation process,” states Therol Peterson, Manager, Facilities Management & Construction Services. “We have introduced electronic scheduling/forensic auditing/reporting tools, electrostatic spraying devices, other highly efficient, effective equipment, detailed job plans (Work Orders), application methods, tasks etc. and our staff have willingly embraced the change management process with vigour.”

GBAC, a division of ISSA, helps organizations and businesses prepare for, respond to, and recover from biological threats, and biohazard situations and real-time crises by offering education, training, certification, response management, and crisis consulting for situations where environments require a much higher level of cleaning, disinfection, and restoration.

“City of Kingston custodians have stood in the face of the pandemic since the beginning, but the pressures of increased cleaning schedules have led to exploring the most up-to-date industry best practices”, continues Peterson. “When applied GBAC methodologies supported by our highly skilled custodial services team will ensure the health and safety for all who come to work, visit, and play in the buildings cleaned by the City of Kingston’s Facilities Management & Construction Services team.”

The performance-based GBAC STAR program requires facilities to meet specific requirements, in order to earn accreditation and display the seal that promotes their commitment to public health and safety. This accreditation means that Kingston City Hall has:

Established and maintained a cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention program to minimize risks associated with infectious agents like the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).
The proper cleaning protocols, disinfection techniques, and work practices in place to combat biohazards and infectious disease.
Highly informed cleaning professionals who are trained for outbreak and infectious disease preparation and response.

The GBAC STAR Accreditation Program is designed to help facilities establish a comprehensive system of cleaning, disinfection, and infectious disease prevention for their staff and their building. The program relies on GBAC’s comprehensive training, which teaches the proper protocols, correct disinfection techniques, and cleaning best practices for biohazard situations like the novel coronavirus.

“Achieving GBAC accreditation at City Hall represents a major advancement in the custodial services being delivered in response to the ongoing COVID pandemic,” explains Pierre Bartkowiak, Supervisor, Facilities Management and Construction Services. “This ensures the staff and members of the public accessing the building can be assured that the highest levels of custodial standards are being delivered. Our front-line staff have been instrumental in the program’s implementation and have risen to the challenge of using new tools, scheduling tasks through electronic work orders and advancing their knowledge with GBAC training.”

Successful GBAC STAR facilities can demonstrate that correct work practices, procedures and systems are in place to prepare, respond, and recover from outbreaks and pandemics.

“Government and senior living facilities are two of the most vital places for preventing pathogen spread,” said Patricia Olinger, GBAC Executive Director. “Kingston City Hall has demonstrated its commitments to keeping essential services running during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Kingston City Hall’s accreditation is the latest GBAC STAR announcement from within Canada. Dozens of facilities across the country have achieved certification.

In June 2021, Edmonton became the first Canadian destination to achieve Destination GBAC STAR accreditation, wherein Explore Edmonton, in collaboration with Edmonton International Airport, Edmonton Destination Marketing Hotels (EDMH), Oilers Entertainment Group, TRAXX Coachlines, Edmonton Convention Centre, and Edmonton EXPO Centre, has successfully secured facility accreditation.

RELATED: Two BC companies achieve GBAC STAR Service Accreditation

Learn more and apply for GBAC STAR Accreditation at gbac.org/star.

Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.

Photo: City of Kingston

VRCA celebrates two years of industry excellence

The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) recognized the best of B.C.’s construction industry at its 32nd annual Awards of Excellence gala held in downtown Vancouver.

For the first time, after a two‐year hiatus due to COVID‐19 restrictions, the event combined two years of competition, with 237 nominations representing 89 separate projects and more than $3.5 billion in construction value.

A total of 48 awards were presented, including 31 Gold Awards for projects, seven Outstanding Achievement Awards, and 10 additional Special Recognition Awards in the categories of Environment and Sustainability, Heritage, Innovation, and the Judges’ Award.

“While we of course celebrate the exceptional work of our members, we also celebrate the resilience of our industry,” said VRCA president Donna Grant. “We have so much of which to be proud and an unprecedented bounty of success to celebrate. The level of competition is always increasing, with members who are determined to exceed past achievements, so it’s always thrilling to see how high the bar is set for next year.”

Standout projects included the Clayton Community Centre (photo above), which received four Gold Awards; and Air Canada L4 Signature Lounge and Joyce‐Collingwood SkyTrain Station, both of which earned two Gold Awards. Other Gold Award winners included North Surrey Sport and Ice Complex; Undergraduate Life Science Teaching Labs Renewal – Biological Sciences Building Project; G3 Terminal Vancouver West Gate Project; and Pier D Expansion ‐ Phase 1.

Multiple winners included Houle Electric who two Gold Awards for projects; the Environment & Sustainability Award; the 2021 VRCA Safety Award for a Superior Safety Record; and the 2021 Innovation & Productivity Award for their Project Planning Services. Western Pacific Enterprises Limited was another big winner, earning four Gold Awards in the Electrical Contractors category.

“The strategies and creative solutions our members used to overcome the unique challenges faced over the past two COVID‐ridden years were truly impressive. You may notice more special awards than usual this year, there were so many worthy. We applaud the membership for incorporating sustainable materials and technologies that enhance the quality of projects and drive value to owners. Congratulations to all 2020 and 2021 award winners,” said Awards of Excellence committee chairperson Bob Proctor.

For full list of winners, visit VRCA and look for the April issue of Construction Business.

Strategies to reduce the risk of COVID in schools

As a new year started in January, 2022 began much like March of 2020 ended. Millions of children were not in the classroom as half of Canada’s provinces delayed returning to school after the holiday break. The reason: the COVID-19 Omicron variant was spreading like wildfire. While this new variant is less severe than other variants like Delta, it is more infectious and has threatened to overwhelm our healthcare systems with increased hospitalizations.

School boards or systems are responsible for making the learning environment as safe as possible for both staff and students. There are many ways to accomplish this and prepare for future health crises. Schools should implement these layered prevention strategies to mitigate the risks of infection or transmission to the school community and beyond.

Breathe easy

We know that COVID-19 is transmitted through the air either by droplets or tiny aerosol particles that come from an infected person speaking, singing, coughing, or sneezing. To be infected, the droplets or aerosols must make direct contact with the mucous membranes in a person’s nose, mouth, or eyes or be inhaled into the airway and lungs. However, there is a major difference between the droplets and aerosols. Droplets are usually visible and fall to the ground fairly quickly after leaving a person’s body. They are most dangerous to those within three to six feet. Aerosols, by comparison, are microscopic and can float in the air for minutes or even hours. It helps to picture aerosols like smoke from a cigarette. It floats, spreads, and lingers in an enclosed space for a long time.

Statistically, there is a significant decrease in the chance of spreading the COVID-19 virus while outside compared to being inside. However, it is not practical to hold classes outside due to the weather (i.e. rain, snow, too hot or too cold).

However, there are ways to make the air inside safer for everyone. One fundamental method is to improve the ventilation throughout a building. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) offers numerous suggestions on how to increase airflow, including opening windows and doors if the weather and security situation permits it. The environmental situation around the school will influence this move, as the air quality outside could trigger asthma or other health risks to students and staff. If possible, a school’s maintenance team can modify a building’s heating, venting, and air conditioning (HVAC) system to increase airflow to occupied parts of a building and draw air from the outside. The HVAC system should also include high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

School boards can install air purification devices to the existing HVAC systems or stand-alone units in classrooms for added protection. In addition, these devices help filter out airborne particles while pushing out clean, refreshed air. The PHAC recommends devices that include HEPA filters, which effectively capture viruses. Machines that include ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), which can inactivate viruses, could also help mitigate the spread of germs. These machines purify the air from other contaminants like dust, mould, pollen, and potentially toxic pollutants. The net impact of this improvement could be an increase in productivity and fewer sick days for staff and students.

Vaccinate where possible

Currently, anyone over the age of five can get the COVID-19 vaccine, while people with two doses are eligible for a booster shot. They are safe and effective. Currently, most hospitalizations from the Omicron variant are unvaccinated people. If possible, getting every staff member and student inoculated would make the school setting safer for everyone. The PHAC promotes vaccination as the leading public health prevention strategy and could allow a reasonably typical school year that includes extracurricular activities.

Mask up and be distant

The PHAC advises everyone in an indoor setting, like a school, to wear a mask, preferably an N95 model. That includes teachers, students, staff, and visitors, regardless of their vaccination status. As mentioned above, physical distancing plays a significant role in this strategy. It is recommended that everyone maintain a distance of at least two metres whenever possible.

Screening and testing

Preventing the spread of COVID-19 requires vigilance. Parents should screen their children daily for fevers or other possible symptoms. School staff should also monitor themselves for any potential signs of infection. If there are any symptoms, the affected person needs to take a rapid test and stay home. Unfortunately, due to the explosive growth of Omicron, PCR testing has become limited, but public health officials are still doing contact tracing to limit the possibility of further community spread. Where practical, teachers could take the temperature of children as they arrive at school to check for fevers.

Hand hygiene

Good hand hygiene is probably the easiest and most effective way to prevent illness. People should wash their hands often using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. There is no need for special antibacterial soap. When used correctly, regular soap will remove virtually all the harmful viruses, toxins, dirt, and bacteria that could cause illnesses. Staff and students should be encouraged to wash their hands regularly, like when they touch their masks, before or after eating, after using the washroom, or coming into the classroom. There should be reminders for students not to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with dirty hands.

Another effective method is using hand sanitizer. Products with at least 60 per cent alcohol will kill germs. However, they will not remove dirt or chemical residue that could be harmful. Dispensers should be in every class so students and teachers can sanitize when they enter the room.

Prevention is key

While many thought vaccinations would bring about the end of COVID-19, variants like Omicron and Delta are prolonging the situation. But, despite this, schools must continue being vigilant to protect their staff and students. While no single method is completely effective on its own, a layered prevention strategy will stop or limit the number of people who contract or spread the disease. It will also hopefully allow the rest of the school year to be as close to normal as possible.

Marshal Sterio is the CEO of Surgically Clean Air Inc., a Toronto-based manufacturer of portable systems that purify air by supplementing existing HVAC systems. The company’s products are market leaders in dental practices, currently protect over 50,000 dental professionals, and are used by Fortune 500 companies, Major League Baseball clubs, the NBA, the NHL and thousands of other organizations.

4 steps for proactive cleaning

The pandemic has drastically changed perception around building cleanliness. Now, two years since the beginning of the pandemic, many people continue to feel wary of public spaces – particularly in businesses that serve food and beverages. Over the past two years, facility maintenance professionals have helped businesses to not only clean for appearance, but to practice proactive cleaning for health and hygiene.

As restaurants, retail, and hospitality facilities continue to reopen, customers need to feel confident in facility cleanliness. Proactive cleaning and hygiene will be critical, and it’s an approach to facility maintenance that can be effectively implemented in any environment with four key steps:

Step 1: Set a cleaning benchmark

What constitutes clean in your facility?

The first step to ensuring your facility meets its cleaning goals is to set a benchmark of the current cleaning program. In hospitality and retail spaces, this should include reviewing cleaning routines to understand what areas are being cleaned, how often, and how effectively these cleaning methods are being executed.

This assessment helps to establish the appropriate cleaning protocols for each area of the facility. It serves as the starting point against which cleaning activities will be measured for compliance and allows managers to identify key cleaning areas that need to be addressed with additional cleaning processes. High-touch surfaces, traffic flow, and building occupancy are all key factors to take into consideration for benchmarking. This established cleaning standard will dictate cleaning tasks, frequency, specific products, and labour needed to successfully keep spaces clean and safe.

Step 2: Proactively ramp up cleaning

Understanding where high touchpoints are is one thing; keeping them safe is another. With a benchmark in place, the next step for increased infection prevention is to prepare all areas for increased foot traffic.

Here are the top three cleaning areas to focus on when standardizing cleaning routines in hospitality and retail spaces:

Promote proper hand hygiene: When promoting proper hand hygiene, communication is key! Seventy-eight per cent of Canadians agree that they would feel safer if businesses clearly communicated which services, tools, or technology they are using to protect their customers. To help build customer confidence, ensure patrons are practicing proper hand hygiene before entering your space. Clearly communicate hand hygiene practices with posters, signage, and by training frontline team members to encourage hand sanitizer use at entrances.
Ensure adequate product supply: Proper cleaning can’t be achieved without the necessary tools and products. Work with your supplier to ensure access to the supplies best suited to each space’s unique needs, paying special attention to hand hygiene products, disinfectants, and personal proactive equipment (PPE).
Prioritize touchpoint cleaning and disinfecting: More than 84 per cent of Canadians think public spaces have an obligation to improve their disinfection practices for post-pandemic life to protect the health and safety of their customers. While it’s nearly impossible to keep high-touch surfaces completely free from bacteria, regular cleaning and disinfecting is critical to minimizing pathogens and the risk of disease outbreaks. Choosing easy-to-use disinfecting methods, such as disinfecting wipes or electrostatic disinfecting, reduces the barrier to completing disinfecting.

Step 3: Train your whole team

Proper facility cleaning and disinfecting is a big job that requires a team effort. Customer-facing employees in retail, restaurants, and other hospitality facilities can help lighten the load for already overstretched cleaning teams by taking on light disinfecting tasks. With the right training, customer-facing teams can disinfect high-touch surfaces between customers to help limit the spread of pathogens.

Ongoing workplace training is important in any industry – especially when it relates to the health and safety of others. For cleaning teams, staff training is critical to ensuring that chemicals and tools are used safely, tasks are performed correctly, and key cleaning areas have been addressed. Not sure where to start? Seek out industry cleaning training programs or talk to your cleaning supply specialist to help set staff up for success.

Step 4: Verify and validate cleaning

It’s time to ask “how do I know my space is actually clean?”

Having systems in place to verify and validate cleaning effectiveness is key when trying to meet customers’ cleaning expectations. While tracking all cleaning activities in a facility may seem overwhelming, smart cleaning management systems simplify the process by connecting people, devices, and equipment. These digital systems store cleaning protocols, products and cleaning plans, allowing them to work as a roadmap to guide staff through necessary cleaning tasks. They also have powerful reporting tools that provide detailed insight into completed cleaning activities. This is especially helpful when keeping track of touchpoint cleaning and disinfecting that needs to be performed multiple times a day.

System features and capabilities vary – some, such as the WandaNEXT™ platform, allow cleaning teams to log cleaning activities by scanning a room’s specific QR code, allowing for touch-free, accurate task logging. It also allows patrons to quickly and easily scan the codes to alert cleaning teams to service issues, elevating their experience and positioning the facility as exceptionally well maintained, clean, and safe. Talk to your cleaning supply provider to learn more about how these innovative tools can be customized to suit your facility’s unique needs.

David L. Smith is the Cleaning, Hygiene & Sanitation Director at Bunzl Cleaning & Hygiene, Canada’s largest specialist distributor of cleaning and hygiene products and equipment.

This article was also published in the Spring 2022 issue of FC&M magazine.

Michelle Noble to champion Ontario cleantech

Michelle Noble has been named executive director of the Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA), representing the expanding clean technology and environmental services sectors. She’ll be the organization’s first fulltime executive director, taking over from Alex Gill, who has served on a part-time basis since 2005.

“ONEIA is about to embark on an exciting growth path and we look forward to Michelle’s ideas and leadership as we drive that forward,” says Terry Obal, chair of ONEIA’s board of directors.

Noble brings both public and private sector experience to her new role, having held senior public affairs positions with corporations, trade associations and both the Ontario government’s Growth Secretariat and the federal-provincial-municipal agency, Waterfront Toronto. She joins ONEIA as its growing membership continues to see strong business results in traditional in environmental concerns such as resource recovery, organics, water, brownfields and excess soils, while realizing new opportunities through innovation in climate change resiliency, environmental infrastructure and energy.

“I am thrilled to be joining ONEIA at such an exciting and formative time,” Noble reiterates. “I look forward to working with members, government and other stakeholders, and building on ONEIA’s impressive track record of representing Ontario’s environment and cleantech industry.”

Alex Gill will remain as executive director emeritus until ONEIA’s 2022 fiscal year ends in August.

Saskatchewan ORT launches online portal for landlords, tenants

Saskatchewan’s Office of Residential Tenancies (ORT) has launched an online portal for landlords and tenants involved in disputes.

The new portal will provide landlords and tenants with the ability to create notices, file applications and upload evidence, photos and other ORT-related documents from the convenience of a computer or mobile device. Clients can log into the online portal using their Saskatchewan Account at www.saskatchewan.ca/ort.

“The new system will allow ORT staff to respond to claims faster and better manage claims from beginning to end, improving access to justice and reducing paper usage,” said Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant. “Landlords and tenants will now have 24-hour access to complete notices, file applications online, upload evidence and track the progress of their dispute.”

The ORT provides information and services to landlords and tenants to help them work toward the early resolution of disputes. The ORT also adjudicates disputes between landlords and tenants where necessary. The office has eight hearing officers and four Deputy Directors who hear approximately 6,000 applications annually.

The ORT saw over 150,000 inquiries via email and phone in 2020-21 and accepted 3,969 applications from tenants and landlords. Applications typically involve disputes over security deposits, overdue or unpaid rent, damages to property, and abandoned personal property.

More information on the online portal can be found here.