REMI

Federal

Stop-gap September CECRA coverage offered

Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance will be offered for a sixth month. The announcement comes eight days after the portal for new applications for the relief program appeared to be closed.

CECRA now closed to new applicants

With the August 31 deadline for first-time applications for Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) now passed, the three-month program that evolved into five months of relief is closed to new recipients.

WTO okay with provinces buying biomass power

The World Trade Organization agreed with Canada that the U.S. conflated wholesale and retail electricity rates to arrive at its supposition that B.C. and Quebec hydro utilities overpaid for biomass power.

COVID-19 expected to drive transparency metrics

Canada once again places in the top tier of “highly transparent” nations in the newly released 2020 edition of the JLL/LaSalle Global Real Estate Transparency Index.

Canada wavers on airtightness testing

The timing might have been opportune for uptake of the measure — provided it was adopted into provincial and territorial building codes — because it would have applied broadly in what is currently Canada’s most buoyant commercial real estate sector.

Details of CECRA program rollout still emerging

The CECRA program is voluntary. Not all eligible landlords will necessarily take advantage of this program for various reasons.

Gen Z friendly cities foster a rising cohort

The study assesses and scores 110 prominent international cities on 22 indicators deemed to support and/or influence the age cohort born between 1997 and 2012.

Real estate primed for low-carbon vanguard

Canada's Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance suggests there is more untapped opportunity than coordinated action in a market grappling with emerging imperatives for climate-related financial disclosure and integrating ESG measures.

Cannabis legalization calls for drug policies

How can companies adapt to the monumental change of cannabis legalization? The short answer is to implement a drug policy.

More smokers stoke litter and fire risk

Business, professional and public interest groups are devising and deploying strategies to promote common sense and minimize risk, discord and environmental fallout.

Site security comes under renewed scrutiny

Construction site security is under renewed scrutiny after a member of the public gained access to a downtown property and scaled a crane.

Real estate vulnerable to Canada-U.S. trade war

High-rise development is expected to be the hardest hit real estate activity, but fallout across a wider range of consumer goods has potential negative implications for commercial warehouse and distribution facilities.

Investment property imperils preferred tax rate

The new rules capture the demographic of investors who own small low-rise residential or mixed-use commercial-residential buildings as a sideline to their main business ventures.

Accessible fire safety tips for property managers

Accessibility advocates see the built environment as a laggard when it comes to fire safety, especially for people with disabilities.

New trade partners move up Canada’s wish list

CETA isn't expected to suddenly propel a wave of Canadian firms onto short lists for EU projects, but it does open up opportunities to start building relationships with potential customers.

When can condos enter bulk telecom contracts?

The courts recently reviewed the authority on which a condo corporation may rely in entering into a bulk services contract with a telecom provider.

Builders abuzz about cannabis legalization

Ontario’s residential construction industry is anxiously awaiting tools from the province to help it uphold its workplace health and safety obligations when recreational cannabis becomes legal next year.