New technical guidance for assessing and responding to building-level risk underscores that operations teams carry responsibility to safeguard occupants, facilitate business continuity and protect asset value.

A new report estimates commercial real estate made a $148.4 billion total contribution to Canada’s GDP last year, when factoring its direct, indirect and induced impacts.

Food-anchored retail plazas remain a staple on the commercial real estate menu, again emerging as the preferred asset type in Altus Group’s survey of Canadian investment trends in Q2.

Midway through 2022, Colliers Canada pegs the national office vacancy rate at just below 13 per cent, while the national industrial vacancy rate sits 1,200 basis points lower.

Climate, cost and capacity pose fuel-switching challenges for building owners looking to curb greenhouse gas emissions in line with Canada’s target for a 40 per cent reduction below 2005 levels by 2030.

Investors and lenders are expected to increasingly focus on the physical and transitional risks of climate change, in turn upending some conventional views of costs and value.

Investors are expressing confidence in sustained industrial rent growth, as new supply is not expected to catch up with rampant demand any time soon.

Multifamily assets posted the largest year-over-year decline in net operating income among the four major sectors in the Canada Annual Property Index, while delivering a 7 per cent total return on investment for 2021.

REALPAC’s newly updated model green lease for Canadian office buildings introduces measures aligned with the broadening demand for ESG reporting and performance outcomes.

Climate change is more ominous than the spectre of regulations and taxes for a small majority of commercial real estate leaders responding to REALPAC’s recent survey of their expectations for the next decade.

Office and retail were diagnosed as stricken asset classes early in the pandemic, but after 20 months on the disabled list, conventional venues for labour and shopping are rallying to fight for market share.

Daily vigilance is central to achieving operational energy savings, but rare decisions typically have the most acute carbon consequences in buildings.

Many commercial real estate operators are making the simple business case for buildings that are functional for all potential users. It’s a quest that can begin with simple investigations, simple low-cost measures and simple mindfulness.

Canadian hotels still aren’t making the Dean’s list for investment performance, but market analysts appear confident that rallying conditions are pushing the sector in a positive direction.

Ontario’s civic building inventory has fallen the farthest behind on capital repair among seven categories of municipal infrastructure assets scrutinized in a newly released report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.

Developers are facing escalating material costs, supply chain disruptions and labour shortages in step with climbing vacancies and falling rental rates that were not contemplated 18 months ago.

Market analysts anticipate more capital flowing into the sector as vacancies tighten and rental rates rise, and they warn that available space is nearing depletion in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal if leasing continues at the recent pace.