Chronique - Été/Automne 2008

LARGO : Boîte de jazz à Québec, de style newyorkais

15 QUÉBEC

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Montreal’s Ruze Develops Sustainable Advertising from 400 Atlantic Ave.

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MONTRÉAL

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TORONTO

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WINNIPEG

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Groupe SMi : Sciences et solutions

KITCHENER

ÉTÉ/AUTOMME 2008 SUMMER/FALL 2008

16 DES CARAÏBES AU CENTRE-VILLE Kiano à Montréal : des saveurs créoles antillaises exquises

Plus : • Édifice d’Ubisoft à Montréal • Toronto’s GotStyle : Retail for the Urban Male • Vistek: Toronto’s Industrial Strength Camera Store

MONTRÉAL

L’offre de solutions adaptées aux besoins scientifiques et techniques Le Groupe SM International de Montréal étend ses activités de gestion à l’exécution de projets CITÉ MULTIMÉDIA, MONTRÉAL L’exploration pétrolière et gazière exige souvent le déplacement d’une nombreuse équipe vers quelques-unes des régions les plus éloignées du monde. Il est certes possible de rester en contact, mais c’est toute une autre histoire que d’avoir accès à un réseau local intégré, robuste et fiable au beau milieu du désert algérien.

Voilà le défi qu’a dû relever le Groupe SM Internationale (SMi) de Montréal, dont les locaux de 17 000 pieds carrés à Cité Multimédia hébergent de nombreux groupes de projets de télécommunications ainsi que les bureaux administratifs de l’entreprise et les équipes de gestion des projets internationaux.

Sonatrach, la société nationale du pétrole et du gaz de l’Algérie qui exerce ses opérations dans tous les aspects de la production, y compris l’exploration, l’extraction, le transport et le raffinage, avait besoin d’une solution de réseau de télécommunications entièrement intégré de manière à ce que ses ordinateurs aux sites de forage, ainsi que les utilisateurs éloignés, puissent se connecter à son réseau de données.

La solution mise en place par SMi : un conteneur chargé de suffisamment d’équipement de connectivité pour permettre à 500 utilisateurs par site de s’en servir, et qui intègre aussi la téléphonie, les données, la communication par radio, la vidéo et des systèmes de repérage de véhicules.

Mais SMi n’est pas une société de télécommunications.

Il s’agit plutôt d’une société de gestion de projets et d’ingénierie qui a ses origines dans les sciences de la Terre et le contrôle de la qualité, explique son président et chef de la direction Bernard Poulin. « Nous tirons profit du plein potentiel de nos ressources scientifiques en mettant au point des procédés intégrés d’exécution, de construction et de conception, » explique-t-il, en ajoutant simplement « nous sommes des fournisseurs de solutions ».

Fondée en 1972, la société gère actuellement des projets d’une valeur d’environ sept milliards de dollars, emploie 800 spécialistes dans les secteurs traditionnels de l’ingénierie, les nouvelles technologies et des aspects de gestion de projets de grande envergure pour des travaux dans plus de 30 pays.

Du projet hydroélectrique de la Baie-James à la gestion de parcs de résidus miniers à la République Dominicaine, les travaux de SMi sont aussi diversifiés par régions géographiques que par secteurs d’activités. Ses équipes travaillent dans le transport, l’infrastructure municipale, la biochimie, l’industrie agroalimentaire, la gestion de l’énergie et la construction – pour n’en nommer que quelques-uns.

groupesm.com

The Science of Solution Providing CITE MULTIMEDIA, MONTREAL / - Despite developing a completely integrated telecommunications network solution for an Algerian oil and gas company, Montreal’s Group SM Internationale (SMi), whose 17,000 square feet at Cite Multimedia house a number of telecommunications project groups as well as the firm’s executive offices and international project management teams, isn’t a telecom firm. Rather, it’s an engineering and project management firm with roots in the earth sciences and quality control fields, explains its president and CEO Bernard Poulin.

“We capitalize on the full potential of our scientific resources through development of integrated design, construction and execution processes,” he says, adding simply, “we’re solution providers.”

Founded in 1972, the firm has some $7 billion in projects currently underway, now employs 800 professionals who specialize in traditional engineering sectors, new technologies, and aspects of major-project management for work in over 30 countries.

From the James Bay hydroelectric project to managing tailing ponds for mines in Dominican Republic, SMi’s work is about as geographically broad as it is multidisciplinary.

Its teams work in transportation, municipal infrastructure, biochemistry, agri-food industry, energy management and construction – to name but a few.

CHRONIQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE • 2

Projet hydroélectrique de la Baie-James.

TORONTO

King West Retail Strategy a Matter of Balance

King Street West’s north side features Mini Downtown...

...while the stretch’s south side features restaurants and furniture boutiques.

KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - Retail at King West Central has always been a carefully considered equation that comes from a need to balance services for area office workers with the requirements of the node’s growing residential population. To some degree, this has come to look like a balance between bistros and furniture retailers. Of course that’s not the whole story, but as one of Toronto’s newest nodes, it’s part of the evolution of a neighbourhood.

“You have to remember that Allied [Properties REIT] created a node almost single-handedly in an area that just didn’t exist before,” says Tom Burns, vice president of DTZ Barnicke’s Retail Group, who helped to build the street-front leasing strategy when the area’s historic buildings were first being refurbished in 1997.

UNCOVERING A VIBRANT NEIGHBOURHOOD Back then, the area’s designation as a manufacturing zone had just been lifted and Allied spent considerable effort restoring the brick facades of these former warehouses. “And now it’s a healthy vibrant neighbourhood,” says Burns, who recalls the challenge of finding the area’s first ‘big’ tenant, Rodney’s Oyster House.

“We searched a long time to find the right tenant to set the tone for the neighbourhood, and Rodney’s was having issues with their space on Adelaide East, so we found space for him on King West,” says Burns explaining that Crush Wine Bar came in shortly after, followed by Brassaii.

A plan was drawn up for both sides of this stretch of King Street West to carefully select who would move in and where, helping to ensure each piece of the puzzle filled a niche of sorts.

Having the Mini Downtown dealership open in 2002 served not only to give the neighbourhood some visually arresting

window displays, it also provided a destination shopping experience, drawing people from around the GTA to discover the node’s restaurants and furniture boutiques.

U.S. RETAILERS LOOKING AT CANADIAN MARKETS The recent opening of Design Within Reach is in part an indicator of the U.S. interest in Canadian markets, though much of the attention is drawn to premium malls, where sales per square foot continue to increase much faster than national averages.

Retailers like Sephora, Coach, Abercrombie, Lululemon, Apple, Aeropostal, Aritzia and a few others are encouraged by solid performances to date.

But Burns says there is a new group of retailers just beginning their search for space in Canada that will also help drive sales volumes and keep consumer interest up. Brooks Brothers, Crate & Barrel, West Elm, Design Within Reach, Anthropologie, Michael Kors are all making commitments for real estate.

And firms like Design Within Reach look specifically for eclectic buildings in developing neighbourhoods to establish their ‘studios’.

CANADA’S RETAIL SECTOR HEALTHY Unlike the retail market in the United States, retailing in Canada remains healthy, according to Burns. The hot spots are Alberta and Saskatchewan where year over year increases are double digit. The Greater Toronto area is posting increases of 4%, which, according to Statistics Canada, reflects the national average.

With continued growth in sales all retail categories are seeking real estate. From dollar stores to luxury retailers and from fast food to full service restaurants, finding high quality real estate remains a challenge.

3 • SUMMER/FALL 2008

MONTRÉAL

Quand l’écolo l’emporte Experts en marketing responsable et en communication graphique écologique RUE ATLANTIC, MONTRÉAL Lorsque Sophie Seguin travaillait comme experte-conseil en affaires pour aider des entreprises à devenir plus efficaces, elle n’a pas pu s’empêcher de remarquer le gaspillage provoqué par les mauvaises pratiques de certaines entreprises en matière de développement durable. « Certaines entreprises ne disposaient même pas d’un bac bleu, » se souvient-elle. Elle fait remarquer que lorsqu’elle a monté sa propre entreprise de communications, l’un des objectifs fondamentaux du plan de gestion était que l’entreprise devait être carbone neutre.

En fait, les commentaires qu’elle a reçus au sujet de son plan initial ont toujours été positifs, sauf en ce qui concernait les principes de développement durable. Bon nombre de personnes lui ont conseillé ’abandonner complètement le côté « écolo » de ses opérations ou tout au moins de le cacher. C’est ce qu’elle a fait durant les premiers mois, révélant par exemple aux clients seulement après achèvement d’un projet graphique quelconque qu’il avait été imprimé sur du papier Sophie Seguin et son collègue Pierre Provost ont fait de Ruze l’agence publicitaire la plus écolo de Montréal. recyclé.

C’était il y a trois ans. Depuis lors, entier, des fournisseurs de papier aux services d’hébergement Sophie Seguin et son collègue Pierre Provost, qui s’est pour sites Web alimentés par énergie éolienne, à adopter des associé à elle il y a un an, ont fait de Ruze Communication pratiques de développement durable. l’agence publicitaire la plus écolo de Montréal. Ils sont La planification d’une campagne publicitaire utilisant des souvent invités à siéger dans des comités avec de grandes pratiques de développement durable est un véritable processus sociétés multinationales pour discuter de stratégies éducatif aussi bien pour le client que pour le client du carboneutres pour des entreprises de services. (Pierre client. Cependant, selon Sophie Seguin, la principale difficulté Provost participe, entre autres, à la mise en œuvre du consiste à dissiper le mythe que la solution écologique entraîne plan de développement durable de Montréal.) des coûts beaucoup plus élevés.

La clientèle de Ruze regroupe bon nombre de PME « Il est vrai que cela coûtait bien cher lorsque nous nous ainsi que plusieurs entités du gouvernement et des sommes lancés en affaires. De nos jours cependant, imprimer organismes sans but lucratif, et sa liste de fournisseurs un projet respectueux de l’environnement coûte en général écologiques s’allonge projet par projet. moins de cinq pour cent de plus, » fait-elle remarquer. Elle « C’est ça le défi à relever. Il y a trois ans, trouver un souligne que la liste des fournisseurs et des produits s’allonge imprimeur utilisant du papier fourni par une entreprise et les prix continuent de chuter au fur et à mesure qu’un forestière certifiée et des encres à base végétale était un plus grand nombre d’entreprises montréalaises adoptent des véritable casse-tête. Nous faisons maintenant affaire avec pratiques respectueuses de l’environnement. plusieurs fournisseurs, » explique Sophie Seguin, en ajoutant ruzecommunication.com qu’il est indispensable d’obliger la chaîne de production en

CHRONIQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE • 4

Montreal Ad Shop Makes Sustainability its Competitive Edge

Nouvelle acquisition : l’édifice Ubisoft à Montréal

RUE ATLANTIC, MONTREAL / - When Sophie Seguin worked as a business consultant advising companies on efficiency, she couldn’t help but notice the inefficiency of some firms’ sustainability practices.

BOULEVARD SAINT-LAURENT, MONTRÉAL – En août dernier, Allied a complété l’acquisition d’un édifice de cinq étages (déjà connu sous le nom de Ubisoft), situé au 5505 boulevard Saint-Laurent à l’angle sud-est du boulevard Saint-Laurent et de l’avenue Saint-Viateur.

Ubisoft Divertissement Inc., un géant des jeux vidéo, est le locataire majeur de cet édifice; il s’agit d’une filiale en propriété exclusive d’Ubisoft Entertainment SA. Basé en France, Ubisoft a été fondé en 1986 par les cinq frères Guillemot. Au début des années 1990, la société a entrepris un programme de développement de jeux à l’interne qui a abouti en 1994 à l’ouverture d’un studio à Montreuil (France) devenu par la suite le siège social de la société. Ubisoft a été introduit en Bourse en 1996 et a poursuivi son expansion mondiale avec l’ouverture de studios à travers le monde, y inclus à Shanghai, à Montréal, au 5505 Saint-Laurent, ainsi qu’à Québec, en 2005, dans un édifice appartenant aussi à Allied Properties REIT.

“Some companies didn’t even have blue bins,” she recalls, explaining that when she started her own communications firm, being a carbon neutral company was firmly entrenched into the business plan.

In fact, the feedback she received on her initial plan was always positive, save for that bit about sustainable practices. Many advised her to drop the green aspect of her business altogether or at least to hide it.

For the first few months in business she did, revealing to clients only after a graphic design project had been completed, for example, that it was printed on recycled paper.

That was only three years ago, and since then, Seguin and her colleague, Pierre Provost who joined her a year ago, have made Ruze Montreal’s leading enviro ad agency, often being called upon to sit on committees with large multinationals to discuss carbon-neutral strategies for service enterprises. (Provost, for example, is involved in the application of Montreal’s sustainable development plan.)

Ruze’s client base includes a number of small to medium sized businesses as well as several government and not-for-profit agencies, and its list of green suppliers grows with every new project.

“That’s the challenge. Three years ago, finding a printer with Forestry Certified paper and vegetable based ink was a struggle, but now we have several suppliers,” says Seguin, adding that the key is to push the entire chain of production into adopting sustainable practices, from paper suppliers to wind-powered hosting services for web sites.

Planning an ad initiative using sustainable practices is an education process for clients and the client’s client, but the main challenge, says Seguin, is to dispel the myth that a green solution is an expensive one.

“It’s true that it used to be a lot more expensive when we started, but now, to do a print job in an environmentally friendly way is usually less than five percent more expensive,” she says, adding that as more Montreal firms embrace environmental practices, the list of suppliers and materials continues to grow, while prices drop.

UbiSoft building in Montreal marks gaming giant’s second studio in Allied portfolio

Pierre Provost Vice-président, communication

Sophie Seguin Présidente, directrice artistique

ST. LAURENT BLVD., MONTREAL / – In August, Allied completed the acquisition of 5505 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, a five-storey, Class I office building on the southeast corner of Saint-Laurent Boulevard and Saint-Viateur Avenue whose anchor tenant is gaming software giant Ubisoft Divertissement Inc. Based in France, Ubisoft became a publicly traded company in 1996 and continued to expand around the globe, opening studios in places like Shanghai and at 5505 St. Laurent in Montreal, as well as one in Quebec City in 2005, which also happens to be in a building owned by Allied Properties REIT. 5 • SUMMER/FALL 2008

TORONTO

The Industrial Strength Camera Store Toronto’s Vistek grew from studio rentals to a national retailer of high-end and hard-to-find photo and video gear

QUEEN STREET EAST, TORONTO / - When photoWhile sales are still strong on the pro side, Levack says grapher Ron Silverstein began renting studio space and Vistek has a loyal following among the “prosumers” – advising on electronic flash lighting, he was just looking to serious amateurs with skills and needs that border on the earn extra income that stemmed from his profession. The professional. As with most specialty retailers, Vistek’s Buffalo, New York native likely hadn’t conceived that the strength lies in the expertise of its staff. sideline he started in 1976 would grow into a national “They’re virtually all photographers or videographers, so retailer supplying Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Calgary they’re not only knowledgeable, they’re enthusiastic,” says and Edmonton markets with a wide array of the latest Levack, explaining the competitive edge the retailer has over photo, video and digital imaging equipbig box electronics that have entered ment. But that’s exactly what Vistek has the camera market following the become.

While sales are still strong on digital revolution.

For more than 30 years, the Torontothe pro side, Vistek has a And while that change has opened based retailer, now located in the the field to new players, it didn’t loyal following among the historic Dominion Breweries building change Vistek’s essential role as a place “prosumers” – serious amateur on Queen Street East, has been the to buy, rent or learn about the latest photographers with skills go-to spot for pros and avid amateurs advances. Today, as computers become and needs that border on the in search of high-end and hard-to-find as important to photographers as professional. photo and video equipment. And one their lenses and tripods, the retailer glance reveals that Vistek is far more helps foster the link between photo, than just another camera store. video and digital imaging. Vistek offers a full-fledged Mac Occupying some 25,000 square feet at 496 Queen Street department with a wide range of hardware and software, East for the last 18 years, and spread over four floors and even on-site Mac techs. with a staff of 120, Vistek, whose name is derived from the The store continues to sell to working professionals, term ‘visual technology’, grew initially on the quality of its dedicated amateurs, people in search of a thoughtful gift – rental equipment. as well as offer business-to-business solutions ranging from Back in the late 1970s, there weren’t many people renting setting up an in-house studio, to recommending equipment sophisticated photographic lighting gear, and there was a to produce the company newsletter. Its policy of offering shortage of studio space. By 1977, Silverstein was making “best in class” equipment in specific price categories ensures more money from renting out his studio than he was at its customers get relevant buying choices, accompanied by actually shooting. And, answering a growing demand for staff know-how.

European lighting gear, he turned part of his studio into a More than thirty years later, Vistek’s track record demonBalcar equipment showroom. strates there is always a market for something no one else “He basically had lighting equipment nobody else had,” has – whether it’s equipment, expertise, or passion. explains Cam Levack, creative director at Vistek. vistek.ca

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COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 6

Centre Financier Desjardins consolidates offices to find synergy in vibrant Basse Ville NOUVO ST. ROCH, QUEBEC / - Since 2005, the Centre financier aux entreprises Desjardins de Québec has operated two separate offices – one on Grande Allée and the other in Nouvo St. Roch – but come September, the 58 employees will be brought together into one building on Boulevard Charest Est.

NOUVO ST-ROCH, QUÉBEC / - Depuis 2005, le Centre financier aux entreprises Desjardins de Québec occupe deux bureaux distincts – un sur la Grande-Allée et l’autre dans le Nouvo St-Roch. En septembre, cependant, les 58 employés se retrouveront dans un seul édifice du boulevard Charest Est. Le Centre financier Desjardins compte sur le nouveau bureau, qui totalisera 9 000 pieds carrés sur deux étages au 390, boulevard Charest Est, pour créer de la synergie entre les divers directeurs de comptes qui fournissent des services à un vaste éventail d’entreprises clientes.

Les employés du centre, qui fournissent des services dans divers domaines comme l’immobilier et la construction, le commerce de détail et de gros, la fabrication, les marchés émergents et les entreprises de service, connaissent à fond le milieu des affaires local et ils disposent de compétences approfondies pour répondre aux besoins de leurs clients, explique Jacques Hallé, directeur du centre.

Dans le monde des affaires, la vitesse et l’information vont de pair, fait-il remarquer. Pour cette raison, le regroupement de son équipe dans un seul endroit vise en partie à faciliter le partage de l’information. « Quand l’information circule rapidement, l’expertise peut circuler rapidement, » explique-t-il, en ajoutant que son bureau compte quelque 4 000 entreprises clientes et gère un actif d’une valeur de 1,4 milliard de dollars.

La gestion de deux bureaux dans deux emplacements différents devenait lourde et l’équipe de Desjardins apprécie le look corporatif de l’édifice du boulevard Charest Est qui est facilement accessible à partir des autoroutes de la région. « Le centre fournit ses services au marché de la ville de Québec, mais nous avons aussi de nombreux clients dans le Québec Métropolitain et en régions, » fait savoir M. Hallé, qui explique que ses directeurs de comptes consacrent une grande partie de leur temps à rendre visite aux clients.

L’idée de consolider les bureaux revêt encore une plus grande importance pour avoir un endroit où tous les membres de l’équipe peuvent apprendre à mieux se connaître.

Ce qui compte encore plus, c’est le quartier lui-même, où l’on trouve des entreprises de haute technologie comme le développeur de logiciels Ubisoft, des restaurants, des boutiques, des entreprises de services et une vie palpitante avec laquelle un centre financier peut s’identifier.

The Centre financier Desjardins expects the new locale, some 9,000 square feet spread over two floors at 390 Boulevard Charest Est, will create synergy between the various account reps that service a very broad range of client businesses.

Offering consultation in areas such as real estate and construction, retail, wholesale trade, manufacturing, emerging markets and service businesses, the centre’s team members have in depth knowledge of the local business community and bring a wide range of expertise to bear on their client’s needs, says the centre’s director, Jacques Hallé.

In business, speed and information are closely linked, he says, so getting his group together into a single space is in part designed to keep the information flowing in this office, which handles some 4,000 businesses as clients and manages 1.4 billion in assets.

En septembre, tous les 58 employés du Centre financier Desjardins se retrouveront dans un seul édifice au Nouvo St-Roch.

desjardins.com 7 • ÉTÉ/AUTOMNE 2008

QUÉBEC

Consolidation des bureaux du Centre financier aux entreprises Desjardins dans la basse-ville

WINNIPEG

Green Standards Winnipeg’s BPC has been establishing building industry energy efficiency standards for over 25 years. Now with the construction industry seeing green, it’s poised for growth.

The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and the Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, two buildings that incorporated BPC’s quality assurance program for air barriers.

A BPC instructor runs training for a foam insulation installer in Boston, MA.

EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Let’s say you want to get some spray foam installed onto the ceiling of your home’s garage and you call the Canadian Urethane Foam Contractors Association to get a referral.

That’s when the phone rings in an office at 250 McDermot Ave. in Winnipeg’s Exchange District where a team of 11 at Building Professionals Consortium (BPC) work for a number of building and trade related organizations. It will also ring there if you call the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute Contractor’s Division – Manitoba chapter, the National Air Barrier Association, even the Air Barrier Association of America.

But providing industry support services for construction trade associations is just a small part of what BPC does. Its main area of service focuses on developing and implementing quality assurance programs, certification and training for the building energy efficiency industry.

“For energy efficiency to work, you need a good product and it needs to be installed properly,” says BPC vice president Ryan Dalgleish.

“If you don’t have those two factors working together, you just won’t get the efficiency you’re looking for,” he says.

So if the contractor who comes to spray foam your home’s garage is member of the trade association (CUFCA), chances are he will be using tools and techniques learned in training

provided by BPC and working to a specific quality assurance guideline that has been developed by the BPC team.

Almost 60 percent of its work is with U.S.-based clients because unlike Canada, energy efficiency is just starting to become a national priority and adopted in state building codes.

BPC also works with a number of manufacturers helping companies like Dow and BBA Fiberweb (manufacturer of Typar house wrap) develop training manuals for the proper installation of their building performance products.

A family-owned firm, BPC started in the 1980s when Laverne Dalgleish, Ryan’s father, parlayed his experience as a home builder/renovator to become an energy efficiency consultant. Partnering with son Ryan and family friend Peter Stafford, the senior Dalgleish launched BPC into quality assurance and education.

The team, along with some 30 instructors and consultants, has been establishing building industry energy efficiency standards for over 25 years now and with green building drawing more attention, BPC is poised for growth.

The company is in the process of becoming a certification body by the Standards Council of Canada, and if that goes through, it will be the only firm in the country accredited to certify individuals specifically for energy efficiency, administering tests and validating a candidate’s skill and knowledge.

bpc.ca

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 8

KITCHENER

Allied’s new Kitchener building an early sign of area revitalization WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, KITCHENER / Sold out warehouse-to-condo conversions, a high-tech university campus under completion and a rising demand for funky brick-and-beam office and retail space are what you’d expect to see in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal, but it’s happening in Kitchener.

The southwestern Ontario city of 200,000 is currently undergoing an extensive revitalization of its downtown core. Shifting, as many cities in the region did, from an industrial base to a knowledge economy hollowed out the downtown as companies and workers gravitated to the suburbs.

But the city has launched a number of initiatives to infuse the downtown with live, work and play areas in an effort to draw a critical mass back to the centre. One such initiative is the development of the warehouse district.

WAREHOUSE CONVERSION ‘UNIQUE’ A few blocks from city hall and from the current $100-million Centre Block initiative, a condos, parking, retail, hotel and courtyard project intended to kickstart further revitalization, the warehouse district is repurposing historic buildings into funky office environments. One already completed conversion, a century-old former wooden seat factory at 72 Victoria Street South, was acquired by Allied Properties REIT earlier this year.

“We don’t really have many buildings like that here,” says Darren Shaw, a broker with DTZ Barnicke in Kitchener.

72 Victoria Street South, originally renovated in 1999, houses eight tenants.

“There are very few brick and beam office opportunities in the local market. That’s why it’s always done well from a leasing perspective. It’s pretty unique to the downtown area.”

Eight tenants fill the 90,000-square-foot, four-storey building, whose brick and beam environment was renovated in 1999, drawing design and advertising firms, engineers, consultants and a large software firm, Peer Group, as tenants.

U OF W CAMPUS, CONDO LOFTS AND TANNERY PROJECT CREATING BUZZ Another Toronto firm has purchased the nearby 5.6-acre site on which sits the former Lang Tannery, once the largest in the British Empire. It currently houses a few dozen small artisanal businesses in a warren of connected buildings, and the $30-million redevelopment plan for the Tannery District project calls for more retail, restaurant and office with completion scheduled for 2009.

Bootmaker Kaufman’s old factory, also in the district, has been converted to lofts and all of its 270 units, from studios to three-bedroom units, have sold out.

Adding a residential component to the area is likely to affect the demand for further amenities, but perhaps one of the largest projects to do so is the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy’s $147 million Downtown Health Sciences Centre, which opened its doors early this year.

The 120,000-square-foot mini campus is also home to a satellite medical school affiliated with McMaster University and is expected to stimulate residential growth in the city’s core as well as produce spin-off activities such as the creation of supporting businesses, the development of housing, as well as businesses focused on fitness and leisure activities.

9 • SUMMER/FALL 2007

WINNIPEG

Watercolour artist feeds creativity through teaching and painting tours EXCHANGE DISTRICT, WINNIPEG / - Fourteen years ago, Leona Brown was just looking for a sunny, quiet place to work on her painting. It wasn’t hard to peg 70 Arthur as a likely location. It had a long association with the artistic community and the old sunlit warehouse spaces were divided into eclectic shapes that seemed to jibe with the sensibilities of the tenants.

She’s since occupied a few spaces in the building, but the 1,000 square feet she currently has is just the right size for her, not only to display the large scale collections of abstract watercolour landscapes for which she has come to be known, but also to teach classes and run her painting tours business.

SOAKING UP THE ATMOSPHERE “You really get to see the culture and meet the people because you’re sitting in one place all morning painting and soaking up the atmosphere,” she says, accounting for the popularity of the sold out tours that run to locales in Greece and Spain.

Participants paint every morning and Brown estimates about half return home with several pieces ready to frame while the other half come back with solid beginnings for larger works. Brown, who has been running these trips for 11 years now, doesn’t paint major pieces on location. Except for her outdoor demonstrations, she’s too busy teaching.

She looks to the time between teaching and travelling to develop her creative interests and finish her instructional book about working with watercolours on experimental surfaces.

EXPLORING NEW MEDIA “I like experimenting with different surfaces and combining media,” she says, explaining that

some of her work is initially mistaken for oil or acrylic because it’s on a canvas primed with gesso to give it texture.

Another favourite material is Tyvek, the vapour barrier paper used in residential construction whose fibers can be seen when the surface is painted, giving it a marbling effect.

She is also experimenting with large-scale mixed media collage, tearing some old paintings into pieces that are reused in a new work.

Brown had always had an artistic bent, but only began painting seriously when her children were young (watercolours were easier to clean up, she says).

A PASSION THAT PAYS Her husband worked for various transportation companies so the family moved around a fair bit, living throughout Canada, and even for a year in China.

All the while, Brown felt her need to paint grow, so when the family returned to Winnipeg, she took up studio space to commit more time to her art.

When her husband Murray decided to stop working and semi retire, she began to teach painting, drawing on her previous career as a teacher.

“Frankly, it was through my determination not to work at Tim Horton’s that I could make this passion of mine actually pay,” she recalls, “and once I started teaching more, it made me realize it was all quite viable.”

More than that, her passion seems to be contagious. While some of her students are retirees eager to learn or nurture a budding interest in art, more than half are now selling their work, and six former students are now renting studio space at 70 Arthur.

Brown with a work in progress.

From her studio, Brown paints, hosts classes and runs her international painting tours.

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 10

Changes, a 48x60 watercolour

INCOMING! AutoCAD developer and furniture retailer join the St. Lawrence Market Area of Allied portfolio TORONTO / - A seven-storey Class I brick building on King Street East is among the recent acquisitions to come into the Allied Properties REIT portfolio this summer.

Near the intersection of Jarvis and King, and located on the north side a block away from George Brown College, 204, 210 and 214 King Street East feature a variety of tenants, the largest of which is AutoDesk, a California-based world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. (Since its introduction of AutoCAD in 1982, Autodesk has developed the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art digital prototyping solutions to help customers experience their ideas before they are real.)

Retailer InDesign occupies a two-storey showroom further east at the 214 King Street East address. It carries a mix of modern and contemporary furniture including sofas, chairs and tables.

King West’s Calphalon Culinary Center offers learning, inspiration and some serious sampling KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - The Calphalon Culinary Center at 425 King Street West offers a variety of themed cooking classes to enjoy, from hands-on learning to delicious demonstrations.

For hands-on classes, you’ll get all you need to create a gastronomic masterpiece as a chef walks you through the recipes and techniques.

Working from your own cooking station, classes such as Wok & Roll, teach you to create healthy and flavourful Asian inspired dishes like Chili Hoisin Beef Stir Fry with Cellophane Noodles and Crispy Chicken with Eggplant Stir Fry. And of course, you get to eat what you make If you’d rather sit back, relax and enjoying some sampling, check out a demonstration class where you can watch a chef in action. The Tuscan Table class features Gorgonzola and Porcini Fusilli, and Pine Nut-Crusted Halibut while the Tropical Luau shows a sampling of island hospitality with Braised Short Ribs and Mahi Mahi in Banana Leaves.

Also, watch for the fall’s popular lunchtime demo Top 5 Kitchen Secrets where you can learn how to salvage a hollandaise sauce and how to sear meats for taste and flavour. (There’s a $20 fee, but you also get a $20 store credit at the Calphalon Shop.)

Cooking classes start at $70. For more information, visit www.CalphalonCulinaryCenter.com

11 • SUMMER/FALL 2008

TORONTO

FROM WARDROBE TO WAXING GotStyle simplifies fashion for Toronto’s urban male professional KING WEST CENTRAL, TORONTO / - If the abundance of extreme makeover shows, the launch of Men’s Vogue and the rise of the term ‘metrosexual’ haven’t clued you in to the need for proper fitting men’s fashions, a visit to GotStyle on King Street West will.

Launched in 2005 by Melissa Austria and Seamus Clarke (and now under the sole ownership of Austria), the menswear store is designed to simplify the clothes shopping experience for men seeking to update not only their wardrobe, but their look - hairstylists work onsite and spa services available include back waxing and an anti-hangover facial treatment, as well as a range of massages.

arranged on racks that are colour-coordinated.

“The idea is that you can put an outfit together just from one rack,” says Austria, a veteran of the fashion business who worked on the wholesale side for brands like Clairborne, Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole.

Finding something stylish here is easy, and you don’t have to be model thin to shop in the store. Sizes run to XXL, there are shirts with 18-inch necks, and pants with 40-inch waists.

“The difference is that we offer a modern fit,” says Austria, “so it’s not the boxy or baggy cut that larger guys are used to wearing. A modern cut gives you shape and actually makes you look trimmer.”

While Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrew aim for the CEOs, Austria says her store “The difference is that we offer serves the up-and-coming guys who want a modern fit, so it’s not the boxy to look great, but don’t have the salary to or baggy cut that larger guys spend $2,500 on a suit.

“

ONE FLIGHT UP Located on the second floor of an office building, GotStyle’s space isn’t ideal for attracting walk-by traffic, but given the media attention the store are used to wearing. A modern has received since opening, the TOP-NOTCH TAILORING The miscon5,000-square-foot showroom has cut gives you shape and actually ception, she says, is that made-to-measure become something of a destination makes you look trimmer.” suits are expensive, but GotStyle’s tailored shopping experience. numbers start at $800, are made of Designed by club impresario Italian cloth and sewn locally under the Marc Kiryacou, the space’s exposed walls and columns are watchful eye of Joa Cavalicanti, who worked at Harry Rosen’s, gallery white, decorated with original art, lit with warehouse and before that was a tailor on Martin Scorcese movies like windows and peppered with flat screen TVs and leather The Aviator and Gangs of New York. furniture. But beyond the boy’s club aesthetic, the store’s While the store doesn’t lack for ironic T-shirts with retro appeal to men lies in its organization.

NHL logos and gadget accessories like cool Zippos and chunky watches, the bulk of its sales go to the smart casual PRE-ORGANIZED OUTFITS FOR EASY SHOPPING wearer, trying to complete a jeans and blazer look that is Suits and more formal attire occupy a back-of-house space both professional and contemporary. while casual clothing takes up the bulk of the front, and is

FROM T-SHIRTS TO TIGER OF SWEDEN From $30 T-shirts to $1,250 suits, the store tries hard to keep you dressed in something the guy at the other end of the bar is not likely to be wearing. Brands like Tiger of Sweden, Junk Deluxe, Gsus, Sand, Ted Baker and Haight & Ashbury figure prominently, but the made-to-measure department is where Austria is seeing a lot of growth.

To that end, GotStyle has come up with a business starter kit that features two made-to-measure suits, four shirts and four ties all for $2,500.

“If you get a great fitting suit, you’ll feel better in it. No question,” says Austria.

Gsmen.com

COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 12

TIPS

How much water should I drink when I exercise?

With summer workouts in full swing and the fall marathon season upon us, it seems a good idea to tackle the topic of hydration. Drink too much before an activity and you can feel bloated and cramp up. Drink too little and you’ll lose energy and risk dehydration. Drink too much after an activity and you can risk hyponatremia, where the blood’s plasma becomes diluted bringing on headaches, nausea and vomiting.

HEALTH / SANTÉ

TOTUM

So what’s the right amount?

Of course individuals perspire at different rates and therefore have different hydration requirements, but a good rule of thumb, says Cara MacMullin, a naturopathic doctor at Totum Life Science on King West, is to drink 1.5 to two litres a day.

“The key is to make sure you’re hydrated before you start exercising,” she says, adding that you should step up fluid intake a couple of hours before you begin your activity.

“Endurance events and longer competitions are when you should consider electrolyte and carbohydrate replacement,” says MacMullin, but if you’re planning an average workout after work, just make sure you’re drinking water throughout the day.

WATER BY THE NUMBERS 1 to 2: the average person’s sweat rate per hour.

2: the number of cups of water you should drink two to three hours before you start a half-hour of physical activity.

60: the percentage of your body weight that is water.

60: the duration in minutes of an activity that will require you replace spent carbohydrates and electrolytes with a sports drink.

150 to 200: the amount in milliliters of fluid you should take in every 10 to 15 minutes for an activity that lasts more than 40 minutes.

200: the amount in milliliters of orange juice that you can add to a liter of water to make a homemade sports drink.

Formal attire and onsite spa services and haircuts (above) can be found at the back-of-house while casual clothes fill the front.

CALCULATING HOW MUCH WATER YOU NEED EACH DAY Hydration requirements will change with each individual, so Dr. MacMullin suggests using this formulation as a starting point. You’ll likely adjust it based on your body’s needs and weather conditions, but essentially it’s a simple matter of dividing your body weight (in pounds) by two. The solution is equal to the number of ounces of water you will need daily.

So if your weight is 130, you’ll need 65 ounces of water, or approximately 8 eight-ounce glasses.

totum.ca 13 • SUMMER/FALL 2008

MONTRÉAL

Montreal’s Oceanwide One of the largest software firms in the insurance and logistics field CITE MULTIMEDIA / - The longest cargo ship in the world today is the container vessel Emma Mærsk. If this 1,300-foot-long behemoth were set on its stern next to the CN Tower, its bow would reach the tower’s main observation level.

Depending on cargo weights, a ship like this could carry from 13,500 to 15,200 containers (most small ships carry less than 3,000), and the total value of cargo per voyage could easily reach several hundred million dollars.

Keeping track not only of the world’s estimated six million containers on the move at any given time, but also of the insurance policies that surround these, used to be a paper-based system. It was something Montreal’s Oceanwide sought to address.

L’informatique au service du transport des marchandises CITÉ MULTIMÉDIA, MONTRÉAL – C’est en 1996 qu’Oceanwide relevait le défi de développer des logiciels adaptables à la gestion du transport des marchandises par route, par air ou par mer, y compris, bien entendu, les questions touchant les assurances et les douanes.

En effet, l’objectif de cette entreprise était de remédier, au moyen du développement d’applications Web, à la mauvaise utilisation des ressources dans le transport et la gestion du fret international.

Oceanwide fournit des applications de gestion fondées sur le modèle du logiciel-service (SaaS), une application étant hébergée comme service fourni à des clients par le truchement d’Internet. Les solutions de la société sont utilisées par les plus importants courtiers d’assurances et certaines sociétés d’assurance et de gestion du fret maritime. La société fournit aussi ses services à des centaines d’entreprises de transport international et de courtiers en douane pour la gestion du transport et des exigences de déclaration en douane.

Qu’il s’agisse d’assurance, de transport ou de douane, Oceanwide accorde une importance prépondérante à la fourniture de plateformes collaboratives qui peuvent être entièrement intégrées dans les systèmes informatiques de ses clients et de ses partenaires.

INTERNET AND INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT Taking its name from its roots in the shipping industry, though it works in all manner of transportation, Oceanwide was started in 1996 to address inefficiencies in the movement and management of international freight through the development of Internet-based applications.

Now it’s one of the largest privately held software companies in the insurance and logistics field, with offices in Miami and Belgium.

“We actually started with the idea of trying to displace small magazines publishing the sailing schedules of ships around the world,” recalls David Berger, an executive vice president and one of the firms’ founders, who along with CEO Mitchell Wasserman and CFO Mark Adessky, set about trying to create an online portal for freight forwarders.

They didn’t make much money from that initiative, but in the process of developing an e-commerce application in the international ocean freight arena, they connected with insurance companies and their initial target market of freight forwarders and became more involved in that industry.

SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE Oceanwide now delivers enterprise applications on a Software as a Service (SaaS) basis, where an application is hosted as a service provided to customers over the Internet. The firm’s solutions are used by the world’s largest insurance brokers and underwriters for the management of cargo and marine insurance. It also services hundreds of international freight forwarders and customs brokers for transportation management and customs entry filing.

Whether it’s insurance, shipping or customs, Oceanwide maintains an emphasis on delivering collaborative platforms that can be deeply integrated into the IT systems of customers and partners.

Oceanwide.com COMMUNITY CHRONICLE • 14

En ce qui concerne la diffusion du jazz...

Le Largo Resto-Club est un acteur incontournable de la diffusion du jazz à Québec. Depuis trois ans, il présente un volet jazz dans la programmation du Festival d’été de Québec et, depuis 2007, il produit le Festival de Jazz de Québec. Seule boîte de jazz à Québec de style newyorkais, Le Largo Resto-Club – la Maison du jazz – propose une ambiance feutrée, une fine sélection de vins ainsi qu’une cuisine méditerranéenne succulente. Les amateurs de jazz comme les néophytes peuvent y entendre les musiciens de jazz les plus réputés et trouver confort et détente pour prendre simplement un verre ou un repas complet au son de musiques envoûtantes.

NOUVO ST-ROCH, QUEBEC / - Le Largo Resto-Club a pignon sur rue depuis février 2004 sur l’étonnante rue Saint-Joseph, dans le quartier Saint-Roch à Québec.

Fruit de l’inspiration du propriétaire Gino Ste-Marie, l’endroit se révèle une destination où le convive voit chacun de ses sens charmés : à la fois restaurant, club de jazz et galerie d’art, le Largo propose une fine cuisine méditerranéenne et une sélection recherchée de vins provenant de la France, de l’Italie, de l’Espagne et du Portugal.

Du jeudi au samedi, les soirées de jazz sont très courues par la clientèle qui peut ainsi apprécier les prestations inspirées des meilleurs artistes de jazz de la province dans une atmosphère à la fois chic et relax, caractéristique du Largo.

Le Largo Resto-Club, là où ambiance, art et musique se côtoient, une destination incontournable au centre-ville de Québec.

largorestoclub.com

En plus de la programmation régulière jazz du jeudi au samedi, le Largo Resto-Club présente de façon ponctuelle nombre d’événements musicaux spéciaux. Parmi ceux-ci, les séries Jazz du Festival d’Été de Québec (juillet), du Festival de Jazz de Québec (septembre), les spectacles d’artistes de jazz qui se produisent au Largo dans le cadre de leur tournée, le Concours Relève Jazz (avril), de même que des lancements d’albums, etc.

jazzaquebec.ca

LA FONDATION LARGO POUR LES ARTS La Fondation Largo pour les Arts a été créée en 2006 par Gino Ste-Marie, et s’est donné comme mandat d’encourager et de faire la promotion de la musique jazz et des arts visuels dans la ville de Québec. La Fondation souhaite mettre sur pied et promouvoir divers projets et événements artistiques dans ces deux domaines, stimuler les échanges entre les artistes d’ici et d’ailleurs aux niveaux provincial, national ou international, et également encourager la relève par l’organisation de classes de maître, de concours ou de bourses d’études.

La Fondation souhaite par ces actions stimuler et enrichir la vie culturelle de la ville de Québec.

La Fondation Largo pour les Arts relève de la Fondation communautaire du grand Québec.

www.fcommunautaire.com

Gino Ste-Marie, propriétaire du Largo Resto-Club.

15 • SUMMER/FALL 2008

QUÉBEC

LARGO RESTO-CLUB : Seule boîte de jazz à Québec de style newyorkais

MONTRÉAL

Kiano: la cuisine créole au centre-ville Kiano Restaurant features Gourmet Caribbean Food Made Fast RUE STE-CATHERINE /- Kiano, a Zulu word for a wise person’s tools, is a quick and casual Carribean Creole restaurant at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Rue des City Councillors launched this summer

by Gérard Augustin with the help of hospitality veteran Genndi Faustin, who in turn recruited the culinary talents of chef James Camille.

RUE SAINTE-CATHERINE - Alors que son restaurant créole antillais était encore à l’ébauche, un simple plan esquissé sur une feuille de papier au fond d’un tiroir, Gérard Augustin s’est promené à travers le centre-ville pour se renseigner sur l’emplacement des restaurants jusqu’à ce qu’il ait décidé d’ouvrir le sien à l’angle des rues Sainte-Catherine et City Councillors. « Nous ciblons les professionnels qui travaillent dans le centre-ville et qui sont toujours prêts à essayer du nouveau, » explique Augustin qui avait dirigé une entreprise de communications avant de se lancer dans l’assurance.

Cet entrepreneur en série (il avait déjà produit sa propre ligne de tee-shirts « Furieux » à l’âge de 16 ans) n’est pas resté employé à temps plein pendant longtemps et l’idée lui est bientôt venue d’ouvrir son restaurant avec la collaboration de Genndi Faustin, vétéran de l’industrie de l’accueil, qui a fait appel à son tour aux talents culinaires du chef cuisinier James Camille.

Kiano (mot zoulou qui signifie « outils d’un sage ») est un cadre informel de restauration rapide, bien aménagé, dans une salle haute de plafond et aux murs orange, aux grandes fenêtres et un décor moderne comme les trois grands contenants carrés en bois qui entourent de petites plantes.

Dans ce restaurant qui peut accommoder 50 personnes à l’intérieur et 60 à l’extérieur, les clients ont le choix parmi plusieurs combos de viandes et de légumes, par exemple du poulet à la jerk, du poulet au gingembre, du bœuf au gombo ainsi que des plats de viande et de poisson, servis avec un choix de riz et fèves, de crevettes ou relevés au gombo. La plupart des saveurs reflètent un mélange des traditions culinaires des Antilles, mais l’accent est incontestablement créole.

Les pâtés sont cuits sur les lieux mêmes. En fait, presque tous les plats sont préparés dans la matinée par le personnel de cuisine de Kiano, à partir d’aliments frais plutôt que de préparations commerciales. « Il y a une différence entre la restauration rapide et des plats préparés rapidement, » fait remarquer Augustin. Il explique que les saveurs antillaises sont souvent utilisées dans la haute cuisine et qu’il s’agit effectivement de haute cuisine préparée rapidement.

With space for 50 inside and 60 outside, diners can choose from a host of meats and vegetable combos, like Jerk Chicken, Ginger Chicken, Okra Beef, as well as pork and fish dishes, each served with a choice of rice with bean, with shrimp, or flavoured with okra. Much of the tastes are a mix of Caribbean culinary traditions, but the focus is definitely Creole.

Patties are all homemade and almost everything, in fact, is cooked that morning by Kiano’s large staff that comes in to work the kitchen, building many of these dishes from scratch each day.

“There’s a difference between fast food, and food made fast,” says Augustin, explaining that Caribbean flavours are often used in fine dining, and that effectively, this is fine cuisine made quickly.

kianorestaurant.com

Team Kiano: (l-r) chef James Camille, owner Gérard Augustin with Genndi Faustin.

FSC LOGO HERE

www.alliedpropertiesreit.com CHRONIQUE COMMUNAUTAIRE • ÉTÉ/AUTOMNE 2008 • 16

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