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F O R B U I L D I N G O W N E R S , A S S E T A N D P R O P E RT Y M A N A G E R S

VOL. 41 NO. 3 • FALL 2026

LOCKING DOWN THE BASICS

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CYBER CRIME CONVERSATIONS BROKEN GLASS TRIAGE OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY GUIDANCE AI SAFETY SUPPORT ACCOUNTING CONTROLS

VOL. 41 NO.3

FALL 2026

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editor’snote A VAST AND SEEMINGLY growing tally of natural, physical and digital threats makes risk management an increasingly complicated exercise for the providers of commercial, residential and institutional space. In tandem, the concept of resilience has emerged to describe a package of risk management objectives for property, facilities and asset managers. “Resilience in commercial real estate refers to our buildings’ ability to withstand, recover from and adapt to disruptive events,” Benjamin Shinewald, president and chief executive officer of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada summarized for delegates at the association’s recent 2026 national conference. “Building up resiliency is like building up a muscle.” Meanwhile, occupiers, users and investors in the built environment just need that muscle to perform. Threats may evolve, but they’re consistently focused on risk management’s deliverables: security; health and safety; operational assurance; and value preservation. In this issue, we look at a new generation of risks related to cyber crime and illicit deployment of artificial intelligence (AI), lithium-ion batteries and accelerating climate volatility, along with the timeless challenges of property damage, fragile or leaky building components, financial mishandling and occupiers’ liability. Of course, AI and digital technologies are not just the genesis of new risks, but also the basis for new safeguards and analytical capabilities. Other new building technologies, products, systems and processes have pressed the developers of codes and safety guidance to keep pace with evolving risks and risk mitigation measures. Fire safety concerns about flammable refrigerants or battery technologies should certainly not be downplayed, but they aren’t necessarily more alarming than the potential threat that vessels full of flammable hydrocarbons pose. Our largely oblivious acceptance of the pervasive presence of fuel tanks is one of the best examples of successful risk management. With continued safety and regulatory vigilance and the confidence that comes with familiarity, such obliviousness is eminently transferrable to other controllable risks. For now, it’s an in-progress change of mindset. Resilience, like other types of muscle-building, is also rooted in routine good habits. Disruptions come in varying forms and intensities, but complacency amplifies their impact in almost all cases. Consistent oversight and control protocols, methodical record-keeping and advance preparation help to spot vulnerabilities, prevent incursions, enable troubleshooting and support effective response to emergency situations. Needless to say, risk management doesn’t leave a lot of room for impetuousness. For example, prudent decision-makers would consider the implications of subtracting an hour of daylight from the morning before rushing to tack it onto the afternoon. We’ll see how that trade-off turns out for the residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and northwest Ontario. Barbara Carss barbc@mediaedge.ca

Authors: Canadian Property Management Magazine accepts unsolicited query letters and article suggestions. Manufacturers: Those wishing to have their products reviewed should contact the publisher or send information to the attention of the editor. Sworn Statement of Circulation: Available from the publisher upon written request. Although Canadian Property Management makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information published, we cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions, however caused. Printed in Canada Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to Circulation Dept 365 Evans Avenue, Suite L10, Toronto, Ontario M8Z 1K2

Canadian Property Management | Fall 2026 3

ontent

Focus: Protection, Mitigation & Recovery 8

Countering Cyber Stigma: Commercial real estate industry urged to share lessons learned.

12 Fiduciary Fundamental: Consistent accounting controls illuminate mistakes and misdeeds. 14 Urgent Fracture: Safety imperatives guide broken glass triage. 18 AI Dips Into Pool Safety: Monitoring and realtime alerts enable timely human response. 20 Blazing Uncertainties: New fire safety guidance emerging for lithium-ion batteries. 22 Unprepared Portfolio: Federal departments have hazy read on climate risk exposure. 26 Thinking Ahead: Retrofits should factor future weather conditions 28 Health Harms History: Ontario’s occupational exposure registry supports long-term tracking.

Article: 6

Morning Mutation: Permanent daylight saving time brings late sunrise.

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safety&productivity energyinfrastructure

MORNING MUTATION

Permanent Daylight Saving Time Brings Late Sunrise By Barbara Carss

STUDENTS IN ALBERTA, British Columbia, Manitoba and parts of northwest Ontario will be starting some of their school days in the darkness this academic year once those jurisdictions formally transition to permanent daylight saving time on Nov. 1. At Edmonton’s latitude of 53.5 degrees north, for example, the sun will not rise before 8:30 a.m. from late October to late January, and it won’t arrive until about 10 a.m. in the period around the winter solstice. School administrators and facilities managers may now be assessing their outdoor lighting and traffic safety protocols, or contemplating how to brighten up classroom ambience before start-times become discor6 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

dant with human circadian rhythms. Sleepier students can be anticipated. “We may have modern technology, but our bodies are very much still traditional,” observes Tanya Steeves, Lead Lighting Designer with the consulting firm, WSP Canada, and President of the Edmonton chapter of the Illuminating Engineering Society. “The natural course of the sun over a day influences the times when we feel more alert.” The British Columbia and Alberta governments introduced their plans for permanent daylight saving time in the spring of 2026. Manitoba and Ontario made the move more recently, announcing their decisions just this fall.

Proponents of eliminating the annual spring-forward/fall-back rotation between daylight saving and standard time typically highlight the appeal of an extra hour of sunlight later in the day and the practicalities of narrowing the hourly spread across Canada’s six time zones and/or better aligning with some U.S. states. Saskatchewan, which has historically entrenched permanent central standard time, will now be in sync with Alberta for the entire year. Meanwhile, Manitoba’s action exerted neighbourly pressure to the east. “By keeping this part of the province aligned with Manitoba, our government is taking a practical, common-sense approach

safety&productivity

to avoid unnecessary disruptions and ensure economic stability in communities that reside in Ontario’s central time zone,” says Doug Downey, Ontario’s Attorney General. The March and April announcements in B.C. and Alberta may not have inspired much contemplation of winter solstice realties at a time when daily hours of daylight were increasing. As they now grow shorter, Steeves advises school officials to conduct a visual inspection of their properties while it is dark outside to check for burnt-out bulbs that should be replaced and to identify areas where more light is needed. OUTDOOR SAFETY Monitors should pay attention to walkways, surfaces with changing elevation, areas around playground equipment and any zone where pedestrians and vehicles both travel. Professional light measurement, mapping and guidance are recommended for more complicated scenarios, particularly when it comes to illuminating upright surfaces and figures. “It’s not just about the light that’s cast onto the ground; it’s the vertical light also — making sure faces are visible,” Steeves explains. “Vertical light is super-important, especially when cars and pedestrians are interacting. For that hour or two before school starts, make sure there is good facial recognition from all sides. Add snow and ice into the mix, and you just want to make sure that everybody can see everybody.” The British Columbia Automobile Association (BCAA) and the Alberta Motor Association (AMA), which respectively coordinate the school crossing guard programs in the two provinces, are likewise emphasizing that message. Linda Lawlor, BCAA’s Associate Manager, Community Impact, reminds pedestrians not to venture into a crosswalk before making eye contact with drivers and ensuring they have stopped, and to augment their own visibility to approaching traffic with reflective clothing or accessories. “For drivers, make sure your front and rear lights are working correctly and remember to turn them on in any lower-light situation. Don’t rely fully on automatic light settings,” she adds. AMA touts its approachability for school

“Vertical light is super-important, especially when cars and pedestrians are interacting. For that hour or two before school starts, make sure there is good facial recognition from all sides.” administrators seeking guidance. “AMA continuously works with schools to understand their school zone safety challenges. In 2025, in response to the growing complexity of school environments, we introduced new student patrol roles for drop-off and pick-up zones, drive-lane crossings and school bus loading areas,” a statement from the organization reports. INDOOR AMBIENCE Inside the classroom, natural light will be absent or less vivid as the day’s learning begins. For insight and guidance, school officials might look to the WELL standard. It addresses circadian lighting, including specifications for “melanopic light intensity in learning areas”, while other less technical interventions could potentially influence students’ and teachers’ cheerfulness. “Colour can profoundly affect our mood. Warm, light-reflective shades work wonders to create a greater sense of optimism and energy. Soft yellows, warm pinks, botanical greens and creamy whites are great colour options for classrooms, as they can feel restorative and uplifting,” says Colette van den Thillart, Principal at Colette van den Thillart Interior Design and a Canadian design partner with the paint manufacturer, Benjamin Moore. “On dark winter days, cold greys, blues and stark whites can make a room feel flatter and more austere, which is often made worse by blue-tint LED lighting.”

For building operators in schools and commercial buildings alike, this fall will be a departure from the previous conventional routine of adjusting controls in line with the time change. “As daylight availability shifts, building operations should incorporate lighting controls, scheduling and zoning into operational planning, while prioritizing efficient lighting upgrades in capital plans to manage energy costs, peak demand, emissions and evolving performance requirements,” advises Bala Gnanam, Vice President, Sustainability, Advocacy and Stakeholder Relations, with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada. Steeves predicts fall and winter will serve up new discoveries about the implications of rejecting standard time and injecting another hour of darkness into the morning. For its part, the Alberta government has pledged to closely monitor how the transition unfolds and gather feedback after the first full year of permanent daylight saving time has been completed. The B.C. government has not indicated if it has similar plans. “Everything we know about the school day and the work day, and how lighting affects it, is going to be pushed by an hour. If we’re accustomed to noon being the high point when we’re getting the best light, now that’s not going to be happening until 1 p.m.,” Steeves muses. “We have to adjust to that.” Canadian Property Management | Fall 2026 7

security

COUNTERING CYBER STIGMA

Commercial Real Estate Industry Urged to Share Lessons Learned By Barbara Carss

THE FALLOUT FROM a cyber breach often includes deflected blame and selfrecrimination that gives perpetrators better cover to keep refining their tactics. Reluctance to reveal victimization may be rooted in more than just concerns about protecting employees’ and clients’ privacy or inspiring copycats, even in an industry where it’s a common, collegial practice to share lessons learned. “There’s a weird stigma around vulnerability to cyber fraud that does not exist in other crimes. If you get hacked, it becomes a moment of shame,” muses Benjamin Shinewald, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada. “As a society, we need to say: there are bad people trying to do these things and we can’t always be perfect against these threats. Maybe being a bit more open in the conversation is part of the solution.” That suggestion was raised in a forum that was well placed to act, as Shinewald steered reflection on the year’s most topical commercial real estate issues at BOMA Canada’s annual national conference. Security in digital and physical spaces continues to rank prominently on the operational agendas of many delegates who gathered for the 2026 event in Ottawa earlier this fall. On the cyber security front, a panel of senior executives tasked with weighing in on industry concerns reported their firms are strengthening their defences against a nimble enemy, and agreed more industry collaboration could help reinforce their individual positioning. DUE DILIGENCE Property management’s reliance on an expansive network of third-party service providers has always necessitated vigilance of 8 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

outsider access to buildings and the vast store of valuables within them. However, digitalized business norms now create vulnerabilities to inadvertent negligence or deliberate malfeasance that’s less readily detectable than physical property crimes. “We can do a lot ourselves to protect ourselves, but we also have to consider the vendors tapping into our systems and how sophisticated their cyber programs are,” said Sarah Clarke, Senior Vice President, Operational Excellence, with QuadReal Property Group. “We do privacy impact assessments and score our vendors before we start allowing them into our system. That isn’t an exercise that was common in the past.” She commended industry efforts to share information and called for more such collaboration. Given the large complement of vendors and service providers at any one property, and the likelihood that many of them also have business dealings with other property management companies, one weak link could have a cascade of repercussions across the landscape of intertwined relationships. Improved industrywide resilience would have broad benefits. “For sure, the industry is making progress, but everybody is at a different place along the way,” maintained John-Bosco Agbasi, Managing Director with Fengate Real Estate. “Some of the larger firms are further along, and a lot of that is because they’re taking learnings from other parts of their business and applying that to their real estate business.” AI CAPABILITIES On the flipside, Hugh Gorman, Chief Executive Officer of Colonnade BridgePort, warned that cyber criminals are likely to become more commonplace, in both their numbers and pursuits, as it becomes easier

to engage in the activity. A Class B office building, for example, may not have a particularly lucrative profile now, but it could attract more nefarious attention if other factors change and it’s perceived to be an easy mark. “I think we’ve been lucky because we’re typically not high-value targets, but it’s coming,” Gorman said. “Their capabilities, like everybody else’s with AI, are improving. We’ve been given the gift of time, but I think we’re going to have to catch up quickly here.” Notably, Shinewald presented a deep-fake video of himself as an example of what AI can generate quickly, simply and inexpensively. In this case, a BOMA Canada staff member produced the video in two hours, at the cost of $100, using images of Shinewald that had been combed from the internet. Although closer examination reveals some telling signs of fakery, the likeness could get by more casually focused viewers. “The ability to create perfectly accurate deep fakes really is extremely close to being in our grasps,” Shinewald reiterated. Yet, while posing that threat, AI enables improved vigilance and response times through relatively simple add-ons to conventional security monitoring systems. Panellists agreed it is bolstering security coverage in their buildings at a time when labour shortages and societal upheaval are creating other pressures, but they don’t expect it could do that job alone. “Security is a huge part of our frontline operations. It’s probably one of our biggest line items when it comes to expense,” Clarke acknowledged. “AI allows us to be more predictive and more sophisticated in how we operate our building, but it doesn’t take away from that physical presence of the guards.” “We absolutely still need physical security,” Agbasi concurred. “It just needs to work in concert with other layers of security.”

Canadian Property Management | Fall 2026 9

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riskmanagement

FIDUCIARY FUNDAMENTAL

Consistent Accounting Controls Illuminate Mistakes and Misdeeds By Harjoet Mudan PROPERTY MANAGERS SIGN OFF on a multitude of expenditures every month for operating expenses, vendor payments and capital projects, sometimes overseeing multiple accounts across a number of properties. This typically includes a high volume of routine payments flowing out of operating accounts and a smaller number of larger capital transactions. Strong accounting controls limit the risk exposure of both types of spending. Notably, third-party commercial real estate managers have a fiduciary responsibility for their clients’ money that inherently raises the standard for accounting vigilance. Reliable, timely financial information also provides a foundation for capital decisions, financing conversations and responsiveness 12 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

to the C-suite, boards, investors and lenders. Good oversight can catch a range of financial and reputational risks, from inadvertent errors to deliberate misuse of funds. It can safeguard against paying for work that was not performed, cost overruns that don’t align with budget commitments, recovery and chargeback errors and/or breaches of management agreements or lender covenants. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION There should be documentation to show that every transaction has been approved and the goods have been received or the work has been performed. It’s also important to keep processes around operating expenses separate from those for capital projects because they carry different risks

and require different approval logic. Property managers should delegate authority via a written statement that establishes who has approval authority, to what dollar amounts and for what types of expenditures. This guards against the risks of concentrated duties, in which just one administrator might set up the vendor, code the invoice, obtain approval and release the payment. A division of tasks creates more eyes to catch potential errors. Importantly, two different team members should be assigned to approve expenses and release the payments. This should be achievable even in small operations, where the owner or a senior manager may choose to review payments before they go out. An approved invoice indicates only that

riskmanagement someone agreed to pay it, not that the work was completed. A signed work order, photographs or a supervisor’s confirmation should be on file to prove the goods or services were actually received. All invoices should be coded to identify the property and account to which they apply. These should be filed with related vendor contracts and approval documents. Accounting files for capital projects should contain budgets, quotes or tender documentation, contracts, change orders, progress billings, holdbacks and final sign-off. Any change order that amends the original budget should be documented and approved in writing before the work proceeds, rather than reconciled afterward. That will provide evidence and verification in situations where actual invoices are materially higher than the budgeted numbers. Cost allocation methodologies should be written down and applied consistently so that financial managers and other stakeholders can straightforwardly unravel how shared costs such as utilities, insurance, management fees and common area maintenance are apportioned among properties or tenants.

ROUTINE RECONCILIATION Reconciliations are a critical control that can catch almost any other anomaly. Bank and credit card accounts should be reconciled monthly, with the trust and reserve accounts handled separately. Drilling down further, the trust bank balance should be reconciled to each individual owner or property ledger; the rent roll should be reconciled to the tenant receivable sub-ledger and general ledger; aging accounts payable should be reconciled to the general ledger; and capital spending should be reconciled to the approved project budget and fixed asset additions. Vigilant oversight can uncover warning signs. More investigation is warranted if items are carried forward month after month, balances are sitting in suspense or clearing accounts, there are unexplained changes in a property’s margin or an increasing number of manual entries. Account overseers should be wary if only one person can explain the numbers and processes underpinning any particular balance. Consistency and standardized processes become even more important as prop-

erty managers expand operations and take on more properties. There should be one portfolio-wide template for the chart of accounts, approval matrix, close calendar and vendor onboarding process to enable property-to-property comparisons and make it easier to spot anomalies. Approval thresholds and workflows that are embedded in accounting or property management platforms with clear audit trails will provide more reliable controls than policy documents alone. This is also a monitoring measure in its own right, based on who has access to the system to add vendors, change banking details, post journal entries or release payments. Financial controls should be seen as much more than measures to satisfy auditors. Business owners should be tactical, apply resources to where processes are most vulnerable and bolster the system from there. That exercise doesn’t need to be onerous, but it should be consistent. Harjoet Mudan is a Partner with the audit and assurance firm, Reach LLP. For more information, see the website at https://reachprofessional.ca.

26_008019_Canadian_Property_Management_FALL_CN Mod: June 26, 2026 12:21 PM Print: 07/23/26 page 1 v2.5

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Canadian Property Management | Fall 2026 13

hazardabatement

URGENT FRACTURE Safety Steers Broken Glass Triage By Ty Sowiak

A STOREFRONT WINDOW is broken in the overnight hours and employees arrive to find glass scattered around the front facade. The tenant wants to open as soon as possible and the owner wants to get moving on replacement, but safety must be the first priority. Property managers will have to make some quick decisions about authorizing repairs, protecting the premises and redirecting people who are approaching a potentially hazardous streetscape. Broken glass is dangerous both on the ground and where it continues to cling tenuously to a window frame. People should be diverted away from where it could fall outside the storefront or within the interior space. Early response measures should already be outlined in a property’s emergency plan so that on-site personnel knows who is responsible for authorizing emergency repair work and how to reach that person. The plan should also designate who is going to liaise with the tenant, owner, security team and glass contractor. Property managers should clarify whether the contractor will be replacing the glazing or installing temporary protection, and 14 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

have a staff member on hand to meet the crew when it arrives to the scene. The contractor will need to know the street address, unit number, the affected frontage, the type and function of the affected glazing, and whether the damage leaves the premises open to weather or entry. Any other required details about the loading area, stairs, parking restrictions or need for a security escort should also be conveyed in advance. Once immediate safety precautions are in place, an incident log should be opened to record when the damage occurred or was discovered, and who reported it. Obtain and preserve any security camera footage that may be available. If possible, take photos from a safe distance, but don’t take measurements until the contractor has deemed that it is safe to do so. The Insurance Bureau of Canada recommends documenting damaged property, retaining expense records and contacting the insurance representative promptly. The policy will spell out coverage and responsibility for payment so confirm those details before communicating with affected tenants. Be sure to ask the insurer how to handle damaged materials. Hazardous glass frag-

ments should not be kept in an occupied area so coordinate safe removal and documentation with the contractor. The contractor’s insight will help property managers determine when and if it’s safe to resume allowing access to the area. Temporarily boarding over the damaged open can ease the immediate sense of urgency, but it’s important to determine any potential safety issues and whether safety restrictions are still required. Be wary of any tape application. It does not adequately stabilize broken or cracked glazing and should never be regarded as a suitable safeguard. Provide tenants and other key personnel and service providers, such as the concierge, security, cleaners and delivery agents, with clear, concise instructions about closed areas and alternative access points. When giving out information about the timing of a return to normal operations, be clear that safety checks must be completed before conventional routes are reopened. Glass contractors frequently perform emergency services and permanent replacement under two separate work orders. Before closing the former, property managers

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hazardabatement CRACKDOWN ON WATER INFILTRATION By Corey Mathieson

should ask for quotations on the latter and ensure there will be follow-up on the temporary protective measures if required. Replacement specifications should confirm scheduling, design parameters, code compliance and any required arrangements with affected tenants in writing. Ensure that the permanent replacement has been inspected and cleanup of the work area has occurred before lifting any restrictions on access to the damaged area. The incident report should be a resource for responding to future occurrences. Make sure it includes all repair documents and the property manager’s assessment of any gaps in preparedness that need to be addressed. That should all be documented while the details are fresh.

Small cracks can be a channel to much bigger problems once water has a route to infiltrate foundations and seep into buildings. Regular inspections, good drainage and timely maintenance are key to control damage before it balloons into a costly and disruptive repair project. Poor grading, damaged waterproofing, drainage problems and changing soil conditions can all affect how water moves around a building. Freeze-thaw cycles and seasonal changes in soil moisture can put additional stress on foundation materials and existing cracks. Not all cracks are serious, but they should be consistently monitored. Those that widen, lengthen or change noticeably over time may need further assessment. Targeted repairs can often remedy the situation if it’s caught at an early stage, but water infiltration over the longer term can compromise insulation, drywall, flooring and the foundation itself. Then it’s not just a matter of stopping a leak. Damaged materials may have to be removed and replaced. Repairs may necessitate more labour, materials and remediation in more areas of the property, causing disruption for building occupants and driving up costs. Moisture that repeatedly appears in the same area, stains on basement walls or floors and/ or a persistent musty odour are warning signs of water entry and excess moisture in areas that aren’t readily visible. Maintenance personnel should be vigilant about cracked, missing or separated sealants around joints and openings, and clogged drainage or downspouts that release water into the area around the foundation. Taking photos and making notes about conditions during each routine inspection creates a traceable record of how cracks, stains and other indicators are changing. The areas where water collects on a property should be checked after every significant rainfall. Ensure that grading, gutters and downspouts channel water away from the building foundation. Also check previously repaired areas for signs of returned moisture. Preventative maintenance is most useful when it catches a developing problem while it is still manageable. Regular inspections and early attention to confirmed problems can help property managers make planned maintenance decisions rather than being forced into emergency action.

Ty Sowiak is the General Manager of Around The Clock Glass, a Calgary-based company that provides commercial and residential glass repair and replacement services, including storefront glazing and 24-hour emergency board-up services. For more information, see the website at https:// aroundtheclockglass.com.

Corey Mathieson, is the General Manager at ProCore Foundation Repair Systems. For more information, see the website at https://procorefoundations.com.

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AI DIPS INTO POOL SAFETY

Monitoring and Real-Time Alerts Enable Timely Human Responses By Rebecca Melnyk ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) can’t replace lifeguards, but it could provide heightened monitoring and safety assurance for pool operations at residential facilities, hotels or office building gyms. Developers of one such application envision the self-monitoring pool where headcounts are logged automatically, incidents are timestamped the moment they occur, daily checklists are completed through verified activity, and alerts are sent to human personnel only when something requires attention. “AI never rests, never looks at its phone and never gets distracted,” observes Richard Webster, Operations Manager and senior pool tech at H2O Amenity Group, an Otta18 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

wa-based, third-party services provider for the property management sector. Alongside the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Justin Dyer, who is also a professional condominium manager, Webster is working on a proprietary AI platform that can be layered onto existing camera systems to perform an array of tasks. It is designed to detect drowning, monitor activity in real time and generate data-driven insights for pools, aquatic facilities and outdoor shorelines. In Canada, the LifeSaving Society reports an average of 442 deaths annually due to water-related incidents. Most fatalities occur in lakes and ponds, but an esti-

mated 90% of pool-related deaths happen in private pools and the majority of pools in residential condominium complexes do not have lifeguard supervision. AI-triggered alerts could quickly summon help if a user is in distress. “It might help save lives by notifying building staff of an event, but I think what we’ll most likely see are applications around slips-and-falls,” Webster speculates. “For a condo manager, that’s the biggest concern, as it opens them up to lawsuits. If someone slips and falls, AI can’t magically prevent that from happening, but it could observe wet spots on the floor and notify maintenance of a potential spot.”

technologicaltools AI could likewise monitor maintenance routines, create real-time reports of when the pool was vacuumed or the water was tested, and send out alerts if something has been neglected. It could spot changes in water colour, such as the green tinge of an algae bloom, much quicker than a human, and it could learn to recognize pool chemicals and send warnings if incompatible substances are being stored too close together. “Insurance premiums are up, the lifeguard labour market is brutal and the facilities are older. AI monitoring gives you another set of eyes on the water,” Dyer asserts. “The pool is probably the single highest-liability amenity in any condo building, and most boards don’t budget for it that way. They’ll spend on chemicals and mechanical, but the safety side gets treated like an afterthought until something goes wrong. By then you’re dealing with lawyers, not line items.” LEGAL OBLIGATIONS A pool located at a building with six or more residential units pool qualifies as a Class B public pool under Regulation 565 of Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion

Act, which entails a lengthy list of responsibilities that apply to the owner and operator. More generally, the condominium corporation must ensure (as occupier under the Occupiers Liability Act, and per Section 26 of the Condominium Act) that the pool and related features are maintained and operated in a reasonably safe condition at all times. The building code establishes other requirements, such as lockable doors, other barriers to prevent public access to the pool and features to enable the installation of a buoy line between shallow and deep water. “Many condo corporations hire pool maintenance firms to assist with fulfillment of the various requirements. This is an excellent idea because it allows the condominium corporation to rely upon, and benefit from, the experience and expertise of the pool maintenance firm,” advises Nancy Houle, a partner with the Ottawa-based firm of Davidson Houle Allen LLP. There is also a risk of triggering complaints under the Human Rights Code if residents who have disabilities cannot use the pool or for exclusion policies such as “adults only” hours. Meanwhile, an Automated Ex-

Expertise. Insight. Trust. Mechanical Electrical Sustainability Decarbonization

ternal Defibrillator (AED) is not mandatory in the pool area of a Class B pool, but many condo corporations or landlords have chosen to install one because cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in aquatic settings. “Ontario Regulation 565 is massive and outlines everything that has to be followed for pools. If you’re out of sync with any of this stuff, they can shut down your pool quickly,” Webster warns. “A good manager should know how pools work, what systems are in place, and the regulations and safety requirements.” Automated oversight can help managers keep pace with these demands. “Property managers are responsible for dozens of contractor relationships, and the pool is one of the hardest to oversee because you can’t always be on-site when the work is being done, but residents notice when it’s not done right, and the complaints land on the manager’s desk, not the contractor’s,” Dyer says. “With AI-assisted monitoring, you’ve got a record. You can see activity, you can confirm service was performed, and you’ve got something to point to when a contractor says the work was completed and a resident says it wasn’t.”

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Canadian Property Management | Fall 2026 19

energyinfrastructure security&safety

BLAZING UNCERTAINTIES New Fire Safety Guidance Emerging for Lithium-ion Batteries

THE ENERGY TRANSITION comes with a risk management learning curve as one potentially hazardous mainstay gives way to another. The pervasive presence of flammable hydrocarbons has long been an unthinkingly accepted fact of the built environment and transportation systems, but safety assurances and public familiarity with battery basics are at an earlier evolutionary stage. A recently announced round of grants dispersed through the Canadian government’s zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure program (ZEVIP) includes funds for the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) to produce national fire safety guidance and an associated digital gateway 20 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

to resources. Meanwhile, fire code developers in the United States have released a new chapter containing provisions for lithiumion and lithium metal batteries in advance of the scheduled 2027 update to the International Fire Code (IFC), which serves as the model national code in the U.S. and is widely referenced beyond that country. “As our society moves toward a more electrified future, the presence of lithium-ion batteries has transitioned from a specialized technology to a ubiquitous component of daily life,” notes the accompanying guidance from the International Code Council (ICC). “By accelerating the availability of the 2027 battery provisions, ICC is ensuring that code officials are not ‘playing catch-up’ with tech-

nology but are instead equipped to facilitate innovation safely as soon as possible.” CATCHING UP This new Chapter 43 consolidates some provisions from disparate locations within earlier editions of the code and introduces measures for other activities and circumstances that have not previously been regulated. It does not apply to stationary energy storage systems, which are currently covered in a dedicated National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard that will continued to be referenced, but addresses a broad sweep of battery use, handling and mitigating safeguards across the rest of the built environment.

security&safety The code developers frame this as five distinct but interrelated risk management categories: • R&D, manufacturing and/or recycling; • storage in indoor and outdoor spaces; • charging, operation and/or repair of micromobility devices, appliances, robotic and industrial equipment; • fire detection and suppression measures; and • labelling, fire safety plans and other communications to inform first responders. The new chapter also addresses portable power packs and the storage of other types of non-lithium batteries, such as lead-acid and nickel-cadmium. “The safety considerations presented by current and emerging battery technology warrant action now,” the ICC guidance states. “Through proactive leadership and rigorous science, we can embrace the benefits of new energy technologies while maintaining our unwavering commitment to public safety.” The early release of the model code chapter occurs with good timing to complement the CAFC’s efforts to synthesize existing standards and recommended best practices into comprehensive and practical fire safety guidance for EV charging infrastructure. Project proponents have promised a toolkit of options for local officials, emergency responders, building designers, developers, operators and their service providers related to policy development, emergency response preparedness, planning, training and public education. “Emerging technologies can hold promise for a greener future, but also need new fire, emergency and life safety considerations. This project can help consolidate questions and available responses, allowing different groups to become aware of, and manage this information going forward,” says Tina Saryeddine, the CAFC’s Executive Director. REGULATORY SILENCE The initiative is sponsored under ZEVIP’s

“Emerging technologies can hold promise for a greener future, but also need new fire, emergency and life safety considerations.” awareness building stream, and comes after the federal government conducted a preliminary consultation process last winter to gather feedback on the potential introduction of mandatory requirements for lithium-ion batteries and consumer products that contain them. The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) authorizes regulations that place controls on products that could negatively affect human health and/or safety, but, to date, there are no regulations specific to lithium-ion batteries. (Both the United States and the European Union do stipulate compliance with specified safety criteria.) The government’s exploratory inquiries — related to mandatory certification of required performance criteria and parameters for safe operation — do not apply to electric vehicles or micromobility devices like E-bikes and E-scooters since they fall under the auspices of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. However, CAFC touched on those issues in its submission to the consultation, citing insight garnered through its annual survey of Canadian fire departments. “The Great Canadian Fire Census 2025 indicates that about 96% of urban centres are responding to lithium-ion battery fires that are also present in electric vehicles. Toronto Fire Service reported a 162% rise in lithium-ion battery fires and recommended that consumers only use manufacturers’ batteries for their devices, avoid second-hand or off-market batteries and avoid making modifications to the batteries,” the submission states. “Safe storage, packaging and labelling practices, as well as public aware-

ness campaigns on the safe use of lithiumion batteries, will help reduce any safety risks to consumers.” The latter considerations are particularly important since safeguards in the battery design may not function as intended if its compromised through misuse, inappropriate storage or exposure to other hazards. This is where clear manufacturers’ instructions to identify compatible charging equipment, warnings at the retail interface, certification and associated authenticating symbols can guide consumer decision-making. Firefighting responses are also evolving. The CAFC submission reiterates that battery-source fires burn hotter and faster than other types and “there is no consensus on how to best extinguish them”. It calls for more research into suppression methods, more training for fire departments, more R&D for effective personal protective equipment and careful scrutiny of the risks in the context of taller wood frame construction and the push for single-staircase multi-storey configurations in some jurisdictions. “While lithium-ion battery technology is progressing with improved battery management systems, safety regarding storage or installation locations, education on the risks, or awareness of the consequences of misuse is not,” the CAFC submission maintains. Health Canada, the sponsoring department for the preliminary consultation, is assessing the responses. Any subsequent regulatory proposals will trigger further public consultation.

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resilience

UNPREPARED PORTFOLIO Federal Departments Have Hazy Read on Climate Risk Exposure KEY FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS are scrambling to catch up with climate risk assessments and response plans after the Auditor General of Canada uncovered a dearth of understanding and preparation within government operations and a portfolio of physical assets valued at $113 billion. The audit subjects — Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), National Defence and Fisheries and Oceans Canada — have unanimously agreed with the Spring 2026 recommendations in the audit report, which reveals extensive gaps in risk monitoring and a slow rollout of adaptive actions. “The lack of progress in this area undermines the protection of federal assets, such as bridges, roads, buildings, harbours and other assets and services under federal control, jeopardizing the nation’s ability 22 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

to safeguard essential services in the face of accelerating climate change,” the report states. “Immediate and ongoing action is imperative to increase the resilience of federal assets and services.” The investigative team, under the direction of principal auditor, Marie-Pierre Grondin, examined roughly five years’ worth of documentation tied to the federal government’s climate resiliency specifications and targets, covering the period from Nov. 1, 2020 to Dec. 1, 2025. Treasury Board Secretariat was scrutinized in its role as lead agency for the government’s green operations strategy, while the other three departments’ holdings collectively represent about two-thirds of the value of federal physical assets. PSPC oversees the largest share of the federal real property portfolio, including office space, highways, bridges and heritage

sites; National Defence counts a vast range of military equipment along with buildings and infrastructure on its bases; and the Fisheries and Oceans portfolio encompasses research stations, wharves and lighthouses. As well, the three departments each provide services that could be called upon in a climatetriggered event, including property management/maintenance, emergency response for domestic security and scientific research. A requirement to assess and respond to climate-related risks was established in the government’s operations strategy in 2020. Departments were initially instructed to determine potential risks by 2021 and begin taking actions to reduce them by 2022. A 2024 update imposed new deadlines to mitigate “significant” risks to assets deemed to be critical to human health, safety, security or economic well-being by 2035, and

resilience disclosure. Departments have been given few resources for executing their obligations, and there has been little effort to map out the “value of money” in terms of the paybacks on resilience measures versus the costs of climate change. “We found that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat had not developed a comprehensive measuring and monitoring framework to track progress toward the climate-resilience objective and commitments of the greening government strategy,” the auditors affirm. “We found that the reporting template for climate resilience results was not designed to track progress effectively.” Theoretically, every federal department and agency must implement the government’s sustainability and resilience directives (outlined in the greening government strategy) within their operations. That requires them to designate senior officials who are responsible for ensuring that real property, projects, procurement and materials align with those objectives. From there, Treasury Board Secretariat has established four performance criteria related to climate resilience. In the nearterm, all department and agencies are expected to: • complete three separate assessments of how chronic and severe climate-related impacts could affect their critical assets, real property portfolios and service provision functions; and • develop resilience plans for critical assets, with priority given to those that have been deemed vulnerable to significant risks. improve climate risk resilience for other high-value assets by 2040. The auditors characterize this is as a “concerning” shift from short-term to longer term expectations, which could stretch the schedule out by 18 years in some cases. “It did not convey a sense of urgency in line with Canada’s commitment under the Paris Agreement to undertake ambitious efforts to adapt to climate change and reduce vulnerability to climate change,” they maintain. DEPARTMENTAL DELIVERY In any case, Treasury Board Secretariat has not been a hands-on taskmaster in driving envisioned outcomes thus far. The auditors highlight slack guidance and monitoring, demonstrated in a lack of interim targets, incomplete data collection, weak quality assurance processes and absence of public

However, follow up monitoring has been more narrowly scoped. In 2024-25, Treasury Board Secretariat searched out progress reports from just 27 of 100 departments/agencies, focusing on those that have real property portfolios. As well, three other departments voluntarily reported. Those results show that 16 of 27 reporting entities had completed climate risk assessments of their property portfolios as of 2025, but just nine had completed a resiliency plan. Details about critical assets were sketchier, as six of 30 reporting agencies did not provide any information. The remaining 24 identified 1,623 critical assets among them, of which 275 were considered at significant risk. “Only two departments had developed climate plans to reduce climate risks, covering 3% of the critical assets known to be at significant risk,” the auditors note.

Meanwhile, the auditors are critical of both the extensive omissions from the survey base and the basic “yes-no” format of the reporting template, which does not allow for contextual explanations or tracking of incremental progress. They also uncovered “inaccuracies and deficiencies” in submitted data that leads to the conclusion quality assurance is “not robust”. All three of the audited departments have completed resilience plans for their real property portfolios. The auditors pulled a representative sample of 43 assets within their holdings to gauge progress on adaptive actions and found most were still at the planning stages within the National Defence and Fisheries and Oceans holdings, while PSPC had implemented some measures. As well, they note that some improvements have occurred through other types of projects “driven by retrofits to address infrastructure repair needs” that aren’t directly linked to climate resilience plans or captured in the reporting. RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS In response to the auditors’ recommendations, PSPC has pledged to complete climate risk assessments of its real property portfolio by the fall of 2027 and establish a portfolio-level monitoring framework by the spring of 2028. It has also committed to conduct facility-level and site-specific climate risk and vulnerability assessments (CRiVAs) for the Crown-owned assets it oversees by the spring of 2029, and to develop asset-level implementation and monitoring plans for improving resilience of critical assets by the 2035 deadline. National Defence and Fisheries and Oceans have both agreed to update climate risk assessments of their real property portfolios and broader departmental operations by the spring of 2028. National Defence also plans to conduct site-specific assessments of critical and high-value assets and develop an implementation plan for required resilience upgrades by that date. Fisheries and Oceans does not commit to a precise date for completing the latter activities, but confirms it will meet the 2035 and 2040 deadlines specified in the federal green operations strategy. The auditors call out the department for initially omitting small craft harbours from its list of critical assets to be assessed, and Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Jerry DeMarco, pointed to the issue when the audit report was released. “Some small craft harbours, which diCanadian Property Management | Fall 2026 23

resilience

The auditors highlight slack guidance and monitoring, demonstrated in a lack of interim targets, incomplete data collection, weak quality assurance processes and absence of public disclosure. rectly support more than 45,000 jobs, are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and require immediate repairs and reinforcement,” he said. “Accelerating efforts to protect federal assets and services will sustain communities and save taxpayers’ money over time.” For its part, Treasury Board Secretariat has outlined several measures it plans to implement, including: • updating guidance and creating addi-

24 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

tional issue-specific guidance by March 31, 2027; • establishing the means for departments to report climate resilience results via RETscreen, to improve data consistency and enable automated year-over-year comparisons, by June 30, 2027; and • publishing a summary of annual data on climate resilience progress on the Treasury Board Secretariat website by March 31, 2027.

The auditors also noted the absence of funding for either Treasury Board Secretariat or departments/agencies to deliver on the expectations in the federal green operations strategy. “Since its inception in 2017, no funding was provided through the strategy to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and other departments and agencies to support the achievement of the climate-resilience commitments. In contrast, the strategy had a dedicated fund since 2019 to support projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federal operations,” they state. “The three selected departments told us that having no dedicated funding for enhancing climate resilience created barriers in implementing actions to enhance climate resilience, such as infrastructure upgrades involving significant investments.” The Auditor General of Canada’s report can be found at www.canada.ca/en/auditor-general/ourwork/audit-reports/commissioner-environment-sustainable-development-202605-climate-resili ence-federal-assets-services.html

resilience

THINKING AHEAD

Retrofits Should Factor Future Weather Conditions

By Dennis Wilson WILDFIRE SMOKE, flash flooding, extreme heat and intense storms are often discussed as emergency management problems, but they are also building performance problems. Many buildings now commonly experience weather conditions that were assumed to be rare at the time they were designed. Looking to the future, a hospital in the development phase today is likely to still be operating in 2080. Newly built or upgraded commercial buildings in the 2020s will be judged not so much for how they perform on opening day and more for their ability to function efficiently and remain affordable to operate and insure in changing conditions. Those realities should underpin Canada's 26 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

next wave of building investment. As public and private dollars flow into housing, schools, hospitals, offices and public infrastructure, it’s crucial that they be designed with realistic climate assumptions. Retrofits are also a big piece of futureproofing since currently existing buildings are expected to still comprise about 80% of the total inventory in 2050. Planning and capital budgets need to contemplate roofs, envelopes, ventilation, drainage, site work and material replacement. For owners, designers, builders and project teams, some basic questions should precede the commitment of dollars. What will this building face over its working life? Will

the planned work help it handle those conditions, or only improve on what's there now? Those questions need to be asked early, before the envelope, materials and systems are locked in. Climate risk rarely arrives in only one form. Water gets where it should not; heat pushes systems beyond what they were built to manage; and smoke changes what ventilation and filtration need to do. Storms test roofs, facades and drainage, while freezethaw cycles wear down materials. Bigger mechanical systems aren’t the solution. Building envelopes, solar protection, heat-reflective surfaces, drainage and integrated systems are practical measures that

resilience help buildings adapt and, where possible, reduce the stress they face. The most useful adaptation decisions view the building as a system. The roof, wall, window, foundation, ventilation system and drainage plan all affect one another. An envelope upgrade can improve energy performance, but it can also change moisture movement, ventilation needs, air leakage and durability. INTEGRATED PERFORMANCE This is a building science question. Materials, products and systems should be chosen because they work together under real conditions, not because each solves one problem alone. Climate adaptation works best when teams understand how heat, water, air, materials and occupancy interact across the whole building. When a roof is being replaced, the question should not stop at how to replace what is there. The project team should also ask whether the new roof can handle heavier rain, higher heat, stronger wind or more frequent freeze-thaw stress. Ventilation raises the same kind of question. Air exchange, efficiency and comfort

are still central, but smoke, heat and air quality are harder to ignore than they used to be. A system that works under normal conditions may need different filters, controls or capacity to keep operating through more extreme times. Drainage, grading, membranes and foundations rarely get attention when everything works, but they get attention when a storm overwhelms them. If a renovation touches the envelope, roof, site or foundation, it is worth asking whether the work reduces future water risk or simply fixes the last problem. These are basic project decisions, not questions to leave until later. What is being replaced or opened up? How long does it need to last? What would be difficult or expensive to fix later? Projects do not need to become climate studies, but they do need to weigh future weather alongside cost, code, energy and maintenance. There is no single template because risk differs from building to building. A coastal property may need different choices than a building exposed to wildfire smoke. The point is to make future weather part of the decision before the money is spent. New buildings are the obvious place to

start because what goes up will have to perform in conditions different from current times. But most of the work will come through renovations, as existing buildings move through normal cycles of repair, renewal and replacement. Every planned upgrade is a chance to decide whether the work repairs for the past or prepares for what comes next. Skipping climate-readiness questions might trim upfront project costs, but those foregone expenditures can show up later as higher operating costs, earlier repairs, harder insurance conversations or days when a building cannot function as it occupants require. There is no point in retrofitting buildings for the climate that’s now in the past. They need to be prepared for the conditions they are increasingly likely to face. Dennis Wilson is the North American Vice President of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) and Managing Director of Circular Economy Solutions for Saint-Gobain, a designer, manufacturer and distributor of construction materials. For more information, see the website www.saintgobain.com.

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workplacevigilance

HEALTH HARMS HISTORY

Ontario’s Occupational Exposure Registry Supports Long-Term Tracking

By Rebecca Melnyk ONTARIO-BASED WORKERS can now track their exposure to 11 hazardous substances through Canada’s first-ever occupational exposure registry (OER). The province’s online portal, launched earlier this year, is designed to prevent workplace-related diseases and provides users with a long-term record for medical assessments and future compensation. The OER follows legislative changes introduced through Ontario’s Working for Workers Act, 2023, and responds to recommendations from the 2023 Occupational Disease Landscape Review. A 2020 government-commissioned study, published by epidemiologist Dr. Paul Demers, revealed that fewer than 10% of Ontarians with occupational cancers receive compensation because proving workplace attribution is challenging. Occupational illnesses are caused by onthe-job contact with physical, chemical or biological agents, but they are frequently under-reported and often difficult to diagnose due to long latency periods between exposure and the onset of symptoms. The most current data reveals such illnesses accounted for roughly 76% per cent of workplace fatalities between 2010 and 2019. Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) approved 20,886 claims related to occupational disease claims in 2025, but the actual tally is believed to be higher. The WSIB’s President, Jeff Lang, says the new registry will collect more data, which could expedite access to services. It’s also a resource to help spur discussions with employers who, under occupational health and safety legislation, are required to identify the presence of hazardous substances, assess exposure risks and implement appropriate control measures. To support the effort, workers can now anonymously submit information about how incidents occurred and what protective 28 Fall 2026 | Canadian Property Management

measures were in place, such as ventilation, training or personal protective equipment. They can record exposures to asbestos, lead, mercury, silica, arsenic, ethylene oxide, acrylonitrile, benzene, vinyl chloride, isocyanates, or coke oven emissions. DELAYED CONSEQUENCES Asbestos poses the most significant risk in the mechanical insulation trade. Although Canada banned asbestos-containing products in 2018, many existing buildings still harbour the known carcinogen in their floors, ceilings, pipes and insulation. There is no safe level of exposure, but inhaling or ingesting the fibres over time increases the risk of lung cancer. Mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer often caused by asbestos, can take 20 to 60 years to develop, making early diagnosis difficult. The most recent mortality data states that 472 Canadians died from the disease in 2022. “For workers in trades like ours, exposure doesn’t always show its impact right away,” says David Gardner, Business Manager of Ontario Insulators Local 95. “Sometimes it takes decades. This registry is about accountability, transparency, and making sure no worker’s history is lost. But strong enforcement and ongoing health monitoring must continue to be part of the solution.” Ontario Insulators, Local 95 is the provincial representative for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators, which played a key role in advocating for the registry. Many of its members, who are also exposed to silica, face serious risks during asbestos abatement and redevelopment work in aging industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities. Tasks such as removing pipe insulation, boiler coverings, fireproofing materials and spray-applied products are dangerous if not properly controlled. Exposure can still occur even with rigorous safety training, advanced personal

protective equipment (PPE) and strict procedures. Some variables like undocumented materials or inconsistent employer compliance, remain outside a worker’s control. STRENGTHENING OVERSIGHT Centralized exposure tracking is important for workers who often move between employers and projects. Without a registry, exposure histories can become fragmented or lost. While the new platform isn’t intended as an enforcement tool, Ontario Insulators Local 95 say health and safety obligations are non-negotiable. “Stronger oversight, consistent inspections and meaningful penalties for noncompliance are critical to ensuring standards are upheld across all jobsites,” it asserts. “Expanded presumptive disease coverage and continued research into occupational illnesses are also necessary to protect workers long term.” This concern resonates across other industries. The nearly 580,000 construction workers in Ontario, as of 2025, can all potentially be at risk of occupational exposures. Adam Melnick, Executive Director of the Construction Employers Coordinating Council of Ontario (CECCO), concurs that a clear understanding of exposure history will strengthen prevention efforts. “A well-designed registry can support better clinical communication and longterm health monitoring,” he observes. “CECCO looks forward to working closely with the Ministry to ensure the registry’s implementation is transparent, avoids unnecessary duplication, and provides clarity for both workers and employers on how information will be used in practice.” Ontario’s occupational exposure registry can be found at www.ontario.ca/page/occupational-exposure-registry.

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