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. 2 • SUMMER 2026
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VOL. 41 NO.2
SUMMER 2026
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editor’snote UNCHOSEN CIRCUMSTANCES have cast Canada as the tenacious kid who won’t give in to the thuggish lout on the school bus despite the ominous threat of unpleasant consequences. There’s never enthusiastic jockeying to fill that role — particularly not among the other little kids who are keeping their heads down lest they draw attention next — but it does present an opportunity to summon our strengths and deploy them strategically. Conversely, history has shown that those who rule the school bus often don’t carry that standing very far into the future. In this issue, we look at a couple of the federal government’s strategies for nation bolstering and the spinoff possibilities for commercial real estate. The sector is tapped to directly help foster Canada’s envisioned artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem as a developer of data centres, while AI adoption within commercial real estate advisory disciplines could serve up a range of new market insights to steer investors this way. On the housing front, of course, developers and investors are key drivers of new construction and stimuli of the workforce and supply chains that sustain that activity. Data centres have triggered a continental NIMBY uprising in recent months, and certainly not blamelessly. However, sustainability experts working with the tech sector highlight the potential for data centres to synergistically coexist with a low-emitting electricity grid. The MaRS Discovery District, a Toronto-based incubator for research, development and commercialization, already has some promising ventures in its portfolio. Proponents point to existing heat recovery, renewable energy, energy storage and waterefficient technologies to curb energy consumption and peak demand on the grid. New breakthroughs are projected for the not-too-distant future, but getting the public onside will be critical to move development forward. AI, itself, could be an agent to achieve that outcome as it enables energy management advancements, such as the flexibility to network smaller facilities together to operate as if they were a hyperscale campus. “We want to put the policies and incentives in place today to get the kind of data centres we want in our communities over the long term,” asserts Tyler Hamilton, Senior Director, Climate, with MaRS. “Otherwise, time is the enemy here. If we're getting pushback from communities, we’re not going to get these facilities built in the time we need them.” We explore some of the challenges and optimistic expectations in this issue. As well, Erin Ruddy charts momentum in a sector that has long faced a NIBMY contingent of its own — purpose-built rental housing. We also report on retrofit financing and capacity building, waste data management and a newly launched comprehensive review of the Ontario Building Code. 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 | Summer 2026 3
ontent
Focus: Real Estate Trends & Context 6
Growth Computations: Envisioned AI ecosystem has commercial real estate components.
10 Office Implications: Tech job growth twins with leasing upswing. 14 Innovation Leap: Powering up data centre development that benefits the electricity grid. 18 Third Rate Status: Ontario proposes a new electricity consumer class for data centres. 22 EPICS Experience: BOMA Enspire’s immersive studio conjures decarbonization. 26 Calculated Capital: The new economics of rental housing production. 30 A Duo of Loan Players: Ontario considers bringing private lenders into PACE retrofit financing. 34 Cataloguing Waste Inputs: OSCRE devises data management standard to help facilitate diversion. 38 Diluted Directives: Ontario legislation removes mandatory components from Toronto’s Green Development Standard. 42 Decluttering the Code: Ontario launches comprehensive review of 50 years worth of amendments.
Departments 3
Editor’s note
energyinfrastructure policylevers
GROWTH COMPUTATIONS Envisioned AI Ecosystem has CRE Components By Barbara Carss
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE could be both a builder and a beneficiary of the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem envisioned in the Canadian government’s recently released national AI strategy. A combination of spending promises, policy prompts and expectations for private capital investment underpin ambitions to: boost AI competence and uptake in the general population; nurture, entice and retain AI innovators and entrepreneurs; build out and reinforce Canadian-controlled AI infrastructure; enhance productivity; and spur economic growth. Five economic sectors — health and life sciences; energy and natural resources; transportation; agriculture; and manufacturing and robotics — are identified as having 6 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
a strong foundation of data and/or a convergence of scientific, economic and industrial depth where strategic investment in AI is projected to “deliver both commercial success and sovereign resilience” that could anchor Canada as a global leader. The federal government also has an objective to streamline administrative tasks and improve service delivery within its own departments through the implementation of AI technology. “Canada’s new AI for All Strategy is about putting artificial intelligence to work for Canadians. It will give people the confidence to use AI safely, help businesses adopt it, and ensure more of the value is created here at home,” maintains Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation.
SOVEREIGN INFRASTRUCTURE ASPIRATIONS
Agendas within the commercial real estate sector are somewhat more scoped than nation building, but robust investor appetite for the data centre asset subclass could align with the government’s target to secure 850 megawatts (MW) of AI compute capacity in hyperscale facilities by 2030. Potential further demand of up to 2.3 gigawatts (2,300 MW) is foreseen, along with requirements for high-capacity fibre-optic cables. That would forge what’s described as a “sovereign alternative” as one component of the larger base of AI computing capacity. An injection of “crowd-in private capital” will be pursued to help finance a proposed public supercomputer to be made available for Canadian research, development and commer-
policylevers
cialization efforts. It’s expected to become operational by 2031. The strategy reiterates that foreign hyperscale developers/operators will likewise be welcome to invest in the projected 5.5 gigawatts of AI computing capacity commercial users will need to employ by the end of this decade if their projects can “deliver clear benefits for Canadians”. On that front, the strategy pitches the competitive advantages of Canada’s largely low-emission electricity supply and climatic conditions that reduce the operational costs of cooling (energy and water) relative to more southerly locations. It also references the target to double the capacity of Canada’s electricity grid by 2050, which is set out in the national electricity strategy that was released earlier this spring. “As demand for AI compute grows, Canada’s approach will be to link new data centre development with clean energy expansion, robust environmental standards and tangible benefits for local communities, ensuring that Canada remains at the forefront of sustainable high-performance computing infrastructure,” the AI strategy states. The productivity super-deduction, introduced in the 2025 federal budget, is highlighted as an incentive for investors. It allows them to write off 100% of the eligible capital costs to acquire, build or expand a facility used for manufacturing or processing in the tax year it is acquired or becomes operational, provided that occurs between Nov. 4, 2025 and Dec. 31, 2029. After that, a 75% deduction will be available for applicable claims in the 2030 and 2031 tax years, and a 55% deduction for 2032 and 2033.
BUSINESS AND TRAINING STIMULI
The strategy cites evidence of lower AI adoption levels in Canada than in many other member nations of the G20 and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Some of the promised federal investment in training and uptake is to be channelled directly to businesses, but it’s also intended to flow indirectly to employers as they hire from a pool of job candidates with augmented skills. Commercial real estate firms could presumably be on the receiving end of both benefits. Statistics Canada data shows that about 12% of total Canadian businesses used AI in the production of goods or services as of mid2025, but only about 8% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were doing so. That compares with adoption rates of 26% in
Germany, and ranging from 29 to 42% in the Nordic nations. Findings from a KPMG-University of Melbourne survey of AI training and literacy rank Canada 44th out of 47 countries. Fewer than 24% of Canadian respondents reported they had undertaken any formal AI training, while 36% viewed AI as harmful to society. “Initial adoption has happened; deeper, confident integration has not, and low literacy and low trust are the binding constraints,” the strategy concludes. In response, the Canadian government pledges support to get a targeted 60% of businesses on board with AI within the next eight years. In tandem, it promises to activate up to 90,000 work placements and jobs for young career candidates, who would be embedded in SMEs and non-profit organizations. That would be a significant portion of 250,000 new AI-related jobs projected to be added to the economy by 2031 — contributing to a projected 3% gain in gross domestic product (GDP) that would reflect a $200 billion surge in labour productivity. Funding for businesses is to be channelled through the Business Development Bank of Canada’s (BDC) $500-million LIFT (lead with innovation and focus on technology) program, a $500-million injection into the Regional Artificial Intelligence Initiative (RAII) and other “targeted support” through programs geared to small businesses. Yet-to-be-developed free resources to help businesses assess their preparedness for AI adoption and potential paths for doing so are also promised. Similarly, AI literacy content is promised for students, educators and the broader public.
“Canada will create a National AI Literacy Initiative that will offer entry-level AI training accessible to all Canadians,” the strategy advises. “Through the National AI Literacy initiative, Canada will empower public libraries and community organizations — long trusted as hubs for learning — as natural partners to bring AI literacy initiatives into every community, especially those in rural, remote and northern regions.”
SUPPORTING HUMAN JUDGEMENT
Observers within the commercial real estate sector suggest it reflects some of the general population’s hesitancy, but they also detect openness that’s in line with the Canadian government’s AI aspirations. Practitioners of the valuation and asset management disciplines voice enthusiasm for AI’s ability to quickly scan and identify patterns, correlations and anomalies in the vast reams of data that the industry and the general economy engender. However, that’s balanced with caution about the depth and congruence of the data from which those insights are gleaned. Participants in a recent webinar discussion about AI’s contribution to investment decision-making described it as a tool to support discerning human judgement. Carl Gomez, Chief Economist and Executive Vice President of research with Centurion Asset Management, slotted it at the generative, information distilling stage of its evolution, with more iterations of advancement required before it is ready to take — and/or human analysts are prepared to cede — authoritative action. “A lot of real estate firms are using AI to integrate very rote sorts of practices. Deal-screening, data synthesis, reading over
“A lot of real estate firms are using AI to integrate very rote sorts of practices. Deal-screening, data synthesis, reading over reports, checking for small errors, that’s, practically, where we’re utilizing the tool today.” Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 7
policylevers
reports, checking for small errors, that’s, practically, where we’re utilizing the tool today,” Gomez reported. “It can distill information very quickly into something that is usable. The problem right now is, depending on what data sources you’re feeding in, the outcomes that come out can be contradictory. Or maybe they don’t feel right to the experts in the field who have observed things, and that challenges the old order of how to make decisions.” Christina Gratrix, Senior Director, Product Management, with Altus Group, concurred that much depends on consistent terminology and categorizations across datasets and on the informed direction of the humans who
are prompting AI to mine data. With those in place, she maintains historical data can yield valuable insights, help identify catalysts of market swings and parse out factors that may have been overlooked previously. “There’s a huge difference today in the data points that clients are asking for and collecting and using to build context for their assumptions from even 10 years ago. A lot of firms have data from the past five, 10, 20 years, but that historic record doesn’t have all the data points they need today,” Gratrix observed. “There are variables that we didn’t consider five, 10 years ago that may be embedded in the historic
OPPORTUNE OPERATING COSTS FOR TECH SECTOR INVESTORS Investors in Canada’s tech sector can generally expect more favourable operating costs than in comparable markets in the United States. Recently released results from CBRE’s annual assessment of the 50 North American markets that are most successfully sustaining and nurturing the tech sector include eight Canadian representatives that also form a block as the eight most costcompetitive for the combination of employee remuneration and rent. Six Canadian markets — Toronto, Vancouver, Waterloo Region, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary — are ranked in the top 15 based on 13 variously weighted performance indicators, with Toronto slotted highest at third. Two more Canadian entrants in the list, Quebec City (ranked 37th) and Edmonton (ranked 42nd), emerge as the two operational locales with the lowest average annual costs for hypothetically employing and accommodating 500 workers in a 60,000-square-foot office space. In Quebec City, that’s pegged at USD $36.1 million (CAD $49.5 million), or a 60% discount on the San Francisco Bay area’s chart-topping USD $90.6 million (CAD $124 million) average costs. Toronto is the priciest Canadian market at USD $42 million (CAD $57.5 million), but that’s still a 16% discount on the best bargain in the U.S. — Indianapolis at USD $50 million (CAD $68.5 million), which is ranked 40th for its complete package of tech-welcoming attributes. Within the top five markets, Toronto’s average operating costs are anywhere from 53.6% lower than the San Franciso Bay area (ranked 1st) to 33% lower than Austin (ranked 5th). Vancouver, Waterloo Region and Montreal — consecutively slotted in 9th, 10th and 11th — post average operating costs that are 31 to 35% lower than 8th ranked Dallas-Fort Worth, and 29 to 33% lower than those in 12th ranked Raleigh-Durham. Labour costs account for much of the differential between Canadian and U.S. markets. Within the five leading markets, office rent generally equates to less than 5% of the considered operating costs, with the exception of New York City, where it represents 6.6% of the total. In Toronto, rent is 5% of the cost, which is a larger share of the total than in Seattle, Austin or the San Francisco Bay area. However, as a dollar value, Toronto’s average annual rent of USD $2.1 million (CAD $2.9 million) is lower than the four U.S. cities. Average annual rent in New York City is the priciest, at USD $4.9 million (CAD $6.7 million). Vancouver posts the highest average annual rent among the eight Canadian markets, at USD $2.4 million (CAD $3.3 million), which equates to 5.7% of considered costs. Quebec City’s average annual rent is pegged at USD $1.24 million (CAD $1.7 million) for a 3.3% share of considered costs. CBRE analysts also plot where employers can expect to find the best value for their money, which assesses operating costs and the market’s talent profile. The latter is ranked based on the number of software engineers with at least three years of working experience who are graduates of either one of Canada’s top five post-secondary computer science programs or the top 25 in the United States. “Due in part to the exchange rate, Vancouver and Waterloo Region in Canada provide the best value when it comes to cost and quality, followed by Madison and Pittsburgh in the U.S.,” CBRE analysts conclude. “Toronto, Edmonton and Indianapolis also offer good value.” CBRE’s 2026 Scoring Tech Talent analysis can be found at www.cbre.com/insights/books/scoring-tech-talent-2026.
8 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
data, but they may not know how to break it out yet.” From her perspective as a service provider to the industry, she stressed AI adopters must have the acumen to defend what the technology delivers because clients with their own investment committees to convince will be asking for that assurance. That’s also premised on data management standards and transparent methodologies. “Making sure that we can explain every aspect of why the AI tool that we use came up with the answer it did, that’s key,” Gratrix asserted.
ENHANCING PRODUCTIVITY
In future, Gomez speculates AI could replace some jobs that have traditionally been entry-level roles for analysts. For now, he perceives humans are still largely performing those functions, but required skill sets are evolving, demanding AI competence along with real estate knowledge. “If you look at our workflow over the last few years, we’re doing a lot more on an individual basis. We’re being a lot more productive with fewer people,” agreed Ray Wong, Vice President, Valuation and Advisory, with Newmark Canada. “From that perspective, it’s going to make the grunt work a lot easier. Instead of spending hours on a spreadsheet or a model, having AI generate that for us and allowing us to focus on the value-add.” That complements the national AI strategy’s projections for unleashing productivity, while Gomez hypothesizes that improvements in data consistency and synthesis alter competitive jockeying in an industry that has traditionally measured performance with a lot of different metrics recorded in different places. Although still lacking the consistent clarity that the repository of data on record at exchanges provides for public equities, it is becoming easier to capture the panorama of details. “Historically, part of real estate’s appeal is that it’s not very transparent and sometimes you can earn excess returns because you have a better handle on the market than others — because you have boots on the ground, different resources and things like that,” Gomez mused. “That is the challenge, but it’s also the opportunity now as the data becomes more refined and AI comes into the picture to allow us to get better clarity on the market.” The Canadian government’s National AI Strategy can be found at https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/ sites/default/files/documents/ai-strategy-en.pdf.
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energyinfrastructure markettrends
OFFICE IMPLICATIONS Tech Job Growth Twins with Leasing Upswing TECH JOB GROWTH is propelling leasing in Canada’s three largest office markets. CBRE’s annual overview of markets deemed to be tech gateways reports that the sector leased 2.3 million square feet of space across Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver in 2025. Meanwhile, CBRE’s broader annual ranking of the 50 most attractive North American markets for tech talent includes six Canadian cities/regions — Toronto, 10 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
Vancouver, Waterloo Region, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary — in the top 15, with Quebec City and Edmonton also placed further down the list. Those major markets are coming off four years of moderate-tometeoric tech job growth, while consistently posting lower operating costs for employers than counterparts in the United States (see story, page 8). Canada added 91,300 tech positions in 2025, representing a 7.6% growth rate that
pushed total job numbers up to nearly 1.3 million in the sector. That compares to a 1.8% boost in U.S. tech employment last year, arising from 109,000 new positions that increased the sector’s job levels to nearly 6.3 million.
GATEWAY MARKETS
The tech gateway survey examines a smaller pool of 17 comparables, which include 12 U.S. markets, London and
markettrends
Paris along with Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Toronto ranked in the top three, along with Manhattan and Boston, in the measure of tech-related leasing gains from 2023 to 2025. It was also one of just five markets where the overall vacancy rate declined last year, and it cracked the top five for net absorption growth, along with Manhattan, San Francisco, London and Silicon Valley. Vancouver and Montreal were likewise among eight markets that recorded positive absorption, and among the 12 markets that posted rent growth last year. Toronto fell into the minority — with Silicon Valley, Denver, Washington D.C. and Chicago — where rents subsided. Nevertheless, CBRE analysts conclude “rent growth thus far appears unrelated to tech and AI company growth in nearly all markets”. Rather, they point to submarkets and “high-quality building categories” where tech industry leasing is flowing through into rent increases, including various submarkets in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Seattle and Manhattan. Speaking as part of a CBREsponsored panel discussion at the Real Capital conference in Toronto earlier this year, Tyler Seaman, Executive Vice Presi-
dent with Oxford Properties Group, made a similar observation. “Everybody talks about the impact of AI on jobs, but what about these AI firms themselves as users of office space?” he mused. “The nature of the space they’re taking is either new space or AAA trophy space because rent isn’t their problem. Access to power is their problem; access to talent is their problem. So, as they try to level up, they want really good office space that’s really well located.” Toronto has seen roughly USD $7 billion of venture capital investment in AI over the past six years, which places it in the top 10 markets for such activity — largely on par with AI investment flowing into Austin and Denver. The report cites Oxford Analytics’ projections that tech job growth will be lower than 2% in Canada in 2026, but that would still outperform expected job growth of less than 1% in the U.S. and Europe. “The costs required to build AI infrastructure and develop models and tools have created a capital crunch and put an emphasis on reducing operating expenses,” CBRE analysts state. “Many tech companies are repositioning their workforces and capital expenditures toward AI development and
deployment that has resulted in a growing number of job cuts.”
TALENT HUBS
Turning to the tech talent survey, Toronto is the only Canadian representative among the 10 markets with the highest number of AI specialists. It’s placed fifth with 33,400 such roles (slightly behind Washington, D.C.’s 33,500) accounting for 9.3% of the total tech workforce. The San Francisco Bay area, with 98,700 AI specialists, and Seattle, with a contingent of 68,000, have a whopping lead on the rest of the pack. Montreal is ranked second in Canada and 15th overall, with roughly 10,000 AI-related positions. These numbers could be expected to look different again next year since AI pursuits account for a growing share of the jobs within the tech sector, and employers are most actively recruiting for those skills. CBRE analysts report that 37% of U.S. listings for available tech sector positions in June 2026 were tied to AI — up from 11% four years earlier. “Job growth tied to AI will influence most commercial real estate sectors, from offices to data centres to multifamily,” predicts
APARTMENT SEARCH ASSISTANCE A recent survey of users of the Rentals.ca platform found that more than 28%, or 340 of 1,194 Canadian respondents had turned to artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini when searching for an apartment. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of this group deemed the technology was helpful for exercises such as searching the database of available accommodations, comparing apartments or summarizing rental rules. Tasks most commonly assigned to AI include: • finding listings and neighbourhoods — 57.7% • comparing rental prices — 45.5% • deciphering lease terms — 40.2% • budgeting advice — 38.1% • writing messages to landlords — 33.3% Renters aged 25 to 34 were most likely to turn to an AI-based research assistant for tasks like highlighting a neighbourhood’s pros and cons, finding and flagging price anomalies, or decoding legal language. More than 35% of prospective renters in this age cohort applied AI in the search versus about 23% of apartment seekers aged 65+.
There is also a notable income spread among adopters, with 38% of those earning $125,000+ per year turning to AI search tools versus 24% of those with annual incomes of less than $24,000. There is less dramatic regional divergence among adopters responding to the survey, breaking down as: • Toronto/Ontario: 30% • B.C./Vancouver: 27.2% • Alberta: 25% • Atlantic Canada: 25% • Manitoba/Winnipeg: 23% • Quebec/Montreal: 22.7% Apartment-seekers who tried using AI and then rejected it as unhelpful cited issues such as: outdated or inaccurate listing data; a lack of local nuance in neighbourhood descriptions; and lease guidance that was too general or not legally reliable. – REMI Network
Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 11
markettrends
21% of leasing activity across the sweep of all 50 markets in the first half of 2026, based on CBRE’s survey of deals for 10,000 square feet or more. That’s up from 13% in the first six months of 2023. Toronto’s net gain of 75,000 tech jobs in the 2022-25 period was the most substantial in sheer numbers among the 50 markets. That equates to a 26.5% jump in employment over 2021, as the city’s tech workforce climbed to 358,000. Even so, that lagged the spectacular 56% gain in Calgary (28,900 additional positions) and 37% growth in Waterloo (11,400 jobs) over the same four years. John Morris, President of CBRE’s advisory than 10% of the total tech workforce. Thus The Tech Gateway Office Markets report can be leasing group in the U.S. and Canada. far in Canada, roughly 60% of AI-related found at www.cbre.com/insights/reports/2026Across the two countries, there were roles are concentrated in Toronto, Mon- tech-gateway-office-markets. The Scoring Tech an estimated 751,000 AI-related workers treal and Vancouver. Talent report can be found at www.cbre.com/ as of June 2026, making up slightly less The broader tech industry insights/books/scoring-tech-talent-2026. 26_003883_Canadian_Property_Mgmt_SMR_CN Mod: May accounted 18, 2026 for 9:17 AM Print: 05/19/26 page 1 v2.5
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energy&infrastructure
INNOVATIVE LEAP Powering Up Data Centre Development By Barbara Carss ENERGY MANAGEMENT and innovation could be key enablers and a sustainable competitive edge for data centre development and related economic growth tied to smart technologies and artificial intelligence (AI). A recent report sponsored by the MaRS Discovery District, a Toronto-based incubator for research, development and commercialization, models the potential for accommodating up to 3 gigawatts (3,000 megawatts) of additional data centre capacity in Ontario over the next 10 years, and 14 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
explores how that could occur synergistically with other development demands. Factoring in planned expansions to 2035, researchers conclude that Ontario’s electricity system could support up to 1.5 gigawatts (1,500 megawatts) of new data centre load plugging into the grid if it occurred in tandem with various conservation and demand management (CDM) strategies. Supplementary sources, such as on-site generation or district energy networks, would be needed to power data centre expansion beyond that.
The report outlines technologies and energy management practices that could play a role in both growth scenarios. It also makes the case for a coordinated, collaborative approach to facilitating data centre development to reduce rivalry for grid connections and local backlash against proposed projects. That includes a recommendation that the Ontario government undertake a data centre pilot project in a designated high-growth area to test and demonstrate the possibilities.
energy&infrastructure
“We shouldn’t be viewing data centres as parasitic on the grid. They’re actually a grid asset. How we design them can make them more valuable as part of that,” Tyler Hamilton, Senior Director, Climate, with MaRS, maintained during a webinar that delved into the report. “We want to put the policies and incentives in place today to get the kind of data centres we want in our communities over the long term — data centres that don’t increase the difficulty of managing supply and demand on the grid, but actually make it easier to manage.”
AI AMBITIONS
Both the federal and Ontario governments have announced ambitions to foster AI-related opportunities in ways that strengthen Canadian autonomy. The federal government released its AI strategy in June this year (see story, page 6), while the 2026 Ontario budget heralds a provincial AI plan, expected to be released this fall. “That will support the scale-up of Ontariobased AI firms, expand access to sovereign compute and data resources and ensure the province has the digital and grid-ready energy infrastructure required for next-generation innovation,” the budget document states. “The strategy will also aim to increase adoption and deployment across communities and businesses in key sectors, with a focus on Ontario-made technology and talent.” Authors of the MaRS report argue it is imperative to move quickly. Speaking alongside Hamilton, Kathleen Kauth, Chief Operating Officer with the consulting firm, Mantle Climate (producer of the report), hypothesized that frenetic data centre development in the United States could be either a harbinger of relatively imminent trends here or a stealthy drain on Canadian resources and expertise. “There are not going to be any major scientific innovation startup breakthroughs from here on out that don’t rely on heavy advanced compute. Canada needs access
to advanced compute that we can control. We cannot lose our researchers to other countries because we don’t have access to advanced compute,” she asserted. “We need to innovate in a big way; we need to do it yesterday; we need to do it together; and it needs to be paired with massive urban development projects we’ve got planned over the next 10 years that all require hundreds of megawatts just for themselves.” Proponents of energy management and innovation divide those objectives into shortterm and long-term deliverables. Although
many of the sustainable technologies envisioned to carry the bulk of future load are still embryonic or not yet economically competitive, in some ways they are an easier piece for strategists to place into the puzzle. Renewable energy, energy storage and AI energy management applications are largely categorized as eventual market dominators. The interim poses more risk for a precarious tilt to the expedient. “It’s painful to see, but it’s true, this is on the back of natural gas in the short term,” Kauth acknowledged.
ENABLING OPTIMAL ENERGY PERFORMANCE A new online resource offers technical direction for optimizing the energy performance of data centres employed for artificial intelligence (AI) computing. ASHRAE and the U.S. National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) have partnered to produce guidance on the design, commissioning, operation and retrofit of AI data centres — addressing thermal management, system integration, energy and water use, with recommendations geared to varying climates, load densities and operating circumstances. “It translates complex technical challenges into clear, actionable strategies that help operators enhance performance, control costs and make more effective use of energy, while strengthening reliability at both the facility and grid level,” says Bill McQuade, ASHRAE’s 202526 President. The online guidance document is organized into eight topic areas, ranging from the initial considerations of site selection for new projects to retrofit and modernization strategies for existing facilities. An additional section provides a full compendium of tools, standards and sources that planners, designers, operators and integrators might need along the way. Drawing on membership expertise, ASHRAE steered the content on HVAC systems, thermal management and facility performance, while NEMA took the lead on electrical systems, equipment and safety. The U.S. federal agency for energy systems research, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) coordinated the effort. NEMA President and Chief Executive Officer, Debra Phillips, describes it as a unified approach to give information-seekers a big-picture perspective on the interconnectedness of inputs, functions and outputs. “Data centres require seamless integration between electrical and mechanical systems,” she observes. “Power distribution infrastructure must be coordinated with cooling and thermal management to maximize safety, reliability and efficiency outcomes.” Nevertheless, the collaborative partners stress that the guidance is offered for voluntary uptake and does not replace or supersede applicable codes and standards. Ongoing updates are anticipated to reflect emerging best practices. “It’s a dynamic online resource that can be updated, remain relevant and stay accessible to anyone involved in developing a data centre,” affirms Bing Liu, Director of Buildings and Industrial Programs with PNNL. The guidance can be found on ASHRAE’s website at www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/aidata-center-framework.
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“We shouldn’t be viewing data centres as parasitic on the grid. They’re actually a grid asset. How we design them can make them more valuable as part of that.” “We’re seeing a lot of inefficient natural gas generators that are being deployed as a kind of stopgap that are really bad for the environment,” Hamilton concurred. “The challenge is to not have these things become permanent.”
EFFICIENCIES AND OFFSETS
Still, long waiting lists for gas turbines and the potential of cost-saving operational efficiencies spur uptake of a range of burgeoning and more common clean technologies. Hamilton cited: liquid immersion cooling; various forms of heat recovery, including converting it to electricity or directly into cooling; and examples of MaRS client companies with specialty focuses on reducing
energy use through exclusive reliance on DC wiring and extracting water from fog. “It will only work in certain environments, but data centres are testing this stuff out,” he advised, in reference to the waterfrom-fog endeavour. As well, another MaRS client recently received an order from Microsoft for 300,000 tons of voluntary carbon dioxide removal offset credits over the next 10 years for its carbon mineralization technology — an example of offsetting short-term reliance on natural gas. Kauth commended many of the big tech players with “the most ambitious targets for positive climate outcomes in the world” for driving innovation in the sector, and theorized that could also work in favour of options like
pairing data centre waste heat recovery with space heating for new developments. “How do we pair this so that we only have to burn it once and then get compute and the heat — get double the productivity for the same amount of emissions?” she mused. “I do think there’s an appetite from these big data centre companies. They actually really do have strong governance internally on carbon emissions and they are willing to come to the table to talk about how to do that.”
INVESTMENT PROSPECTS
The Canadian government’s objective to draw more pension funds and institutional investors into the sphere might also align with those ambitions. The 2025 federal budget earmarked $1 billion over three years, beginning in 2026-27, to launch a proposed Venture and Growth Capital Catalyst Initiative through the Business Development Bank of Canada with an agenda to incentivize pension funds and institutional investors to provide more seed funding. For now, many of Canada’s richest pension funds — notably including Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) — do have data centre strategies within their real estate and infrastructure portfolios, but much of that
MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY IMPACTS Prominent industry-led organizations that promote sustainability in the built environment have joined forces to develop performance standards for data centres. The newly formed Global AI Data Centres Coalition (GADCC) thus far encompasses nine national and international entities focused on benchmarks to guide and measure energy, carbon, water, waste, biodiversity and community impact considerations for data centre development and operations. The coalition also aims to enlist sponsors of green financial products, such as bonds and sustainability-linked loans, to support data centre development that reflects green performance criteria. GADCC’s founders are now looking to broaden their base to include other potential stakeholders, such as investors, data centre developers and operators and organizations with sustainability and climate risk resilience agendas. “Trillions are going into building AI data centres, but without clear standards, it risks becoming a climate disaster. The solutions are simple: use clean energy, recycle water and re-use heat. This coalition is about setting the rules to get that right,” observes Sean Kidney, Chief Executive Officer of Climate Bonds Initiative, one of the coalition’ initial members. The other eight include: World Green Building Council; Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark; the U.K.’s Building Research Establishment (BRE); Germany Sustainable Building Council; Green Building Council of Australia; Green Building Council of South Africa; India Green Building Council; and United States Green Building Council. “By setting clear, credible standards, this Coalition will help ensure the growth of AI infrastructure supports climate goals, community resilience and long term sustainability,” pledges Cristina Gamboa, Chief Executive Officer of the World Green Building Council.
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investment is occurring outside Canada. Canada currently ranks fifth among global nations for data centre density, boasting about 330 facilities nationwide. With about 315 megawatts of existing data centre inventory and another 153 megawatts currently under construction, the Greater Toronto Area is still far short of the 1 gigawatt baseline the MaRS report models for 2035. However, the assumption is based on a relatively modest increase in the 13% annual growth rate of recent years. Somewhat incongruously, data centres placed in the bottom half of the favourability ratings when CBRE Canada conducted its annual survey of Canadian lenders’ views on commercial real estate earlier this year. More than 20% of respondents identified data centres as an asset class that caused concern, ranking it 13th among 22 property categories. However, Joshua Sonshine, a Senior Vice President with CBRE Capital, stressed that’s not due to shaky fundamentals when he parsed out survey findings for attendees at the Real Capital conference in Toronto last winter. Rather, lenders have faced obstacles in fulfilling their intentions for both data centres and life sciences facilities. “Many lenders have had significant capital earmarked for these sectors that was not allocated in 2025 and is unlikely to be deployed in 2026 either. There is simply not enough construction or enough deal volume,” Sonshine said. “Lenders are
coming to terms with those limitations in the Canadian market and their underwriting experience, but don’t get it twisted. If that product were available, lenders would be there.”
The report, Sharing the Load, A look into how the projected expansion of AI infrastructure could strengthen Ontario’s energy systems, can be found at www.marsdd.com/research-andinsights/data-centres-sharing-the-load.
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THIRD RATE STATUS
Ontario Proposes New Electricity Consumer Class for Data Centres A DISTINCT ELECTRICITY RATE for facilities with average peak demand of 1 megawatt (MW) or more is part of a proposed package of requirements for data centres seeking to connect to Ontario’s power grid. Details are sketched out in a newly released policy framework that’s open for public comment before the Ontario government finalizes authorizing regulations. A consultation document posted on Ontario’s regulatory registry asks for input on removing future large data centres from the Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI) — the mechanism that currently underpins 18 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
how the global adjustment (GA) portion of electricity costs gets allocated to commercial and industrial consumers that aren’t eligible for the regulated price plan (RPP). As proposed, existing data centres with average monthly peak demand of at least 1 MW (1,000 kilowatts) would continue to qualify as Class A consumers for ICI purposes, provided they attest that they are not mining cryptocurrency. The pending regulations were enabled through Dec. 2025 amendments to the provincial Electricity Act, which allow the Minister of Energy to specify types of electricity-us
ing facilities that must meet special conditions to obtain approval to connect to the electricity grid, and to set those conditions. The Ontario government is now indicating that it intends to assess and rank applications for grid connection based on the proposed project’s potential to: • support economic development; • provide a secure, domestic base for critical data and digital infrastructure; and • deliver spinoff benefits to host communities with minimal impact on the environment, utilities and other technical capacity.
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That includes consideration of how data centre load could affect functioning of the electricity grid and competing demands for the power. Prospective developers could merit more favourable assessments for incorporating onsite generation, energy- and water-saving technologies and noise-reduction measures. The government is reserving flexibility to provide perks like fast-track permitting processes for developments that align with its priorities, but it pledges that no financial incentives will be offered to lure data centre investment to the province. “Ontario will be introducing a new higher electricity rate for data centres, in addition to prioritization for projects that generate their own power,” says Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Mines.
ICI EXCLUSION
It’s estimated that data centres currently account for 100 to 200 MW of demand in Ontario’s electricity system. Based on applications for connection to the grid, it’s foreseen that could soar to as much as 10,000 MW — significantly contributing to a projected 75% increase in province-wide electricity demand by 2040. The new policy framework stipulates that data centres will
be expected to pay the “full cost” of the gridsupplied power they use. It’s proposed that facilities that come onto the grid with monthly average peak demand of 1 MW or more would be designated as Class C. That would separate them from the Class A customers that pay a share of monthly GA costs prorated to their electricity demand in the five hours of systemwide highest demand during the 12-month period from May 1 to April 30 of the previous year. Class B customers with monthly average peak demand below 1 MW currently pay the GA on a per kilowatt-hour basis after Class A’s quotient is subtracted from the total pot, but, presumably, that formula would also account for Class C in the future. “ICI was designed to encourage large customers to reduce their demand during Ontario’s highest system peaks. If a data centre has a relatively constant load and cannot materially reduce it during those peak periods, it is reasonable to question whether ICI is the appropriate mechanism,” observes Scott Rouse, Managing Partner with the energy management consulting firm, Energy@Work. “Alternatively, if a data centre can use storage, on-site generation or a combination of the two to reduce its demand for those five critical hours, it could get discounted electricity for the year. So I can see the rationale for a separate rate class.” The proposed new rate class could have consequences for both the commercial viability of data centres and demand management objectives across an electricity system that currently peaks around 25,000 MW. Mark Olsheski, a Partner at Sussex Strategy Group who specializes in energy issues, tallies some of the uncertainties at this stage of the proposal. “The real questions are how the costs are calculated, which current and future system resources the new rate is meant to recover, and whether there’s any incentive for energy management embedded in a full-cost-recovery structure,” he says. The consultation document poses six questions about the structure, implementation and implications of a distinct rate class, including two that explore criteria and operational practicalities for granting exemptions. Local distribution companies (LDCs) and data centre operators are specifically polled for their views, along with broader questions for all interested parties. Participants are generally invited to cite risks and/or costs that data centre demand creates for the electricity system that should be apportioned to a new rate class, and to
recommend how the cost elements of the rate should be structured. LDCs are asked about administrative requirements for establishing a new rate class, while data centre operators are asked about the potential operational and financial impacts of a new rate class and/or exclusion from ICI eligibility.
EXEMPTIONS HINTED
Neither the Ontario government’s policy backgrounder nor the on-line summary accompanying the public consultation alludes to scenarios in which data centres might be exempted from the proposed rate class, but two questions hint that exemptions are under consideration. Both trigger reservations from some onlookers. Respondents are asked: “What criteria, such as customer type, service criticality, ownership or load characteristics, would be most appropriate for determining eligibility for an exemption from the proposed new rate class?” As well, LDCs are asked how feasible it would be to verify if facilities meet exemption criteria. “Any exemption needs to be narrowly defined, transparent and objectively verifiable,” Rouse maintains. “Otherwise, we could end up debating what is, or is not, a ‘critical’ data centre rather than addressing its actual impact on the electricity system and community.” Taking it to another philosophical level, Andrew Pride, an engineer and energy management specialist, argues there shouldn’t be any value judgements about one consumer’s worthiness compared to another’s within the same rate class. “I don’t believe electricity rates should be used as an economic development tool. That’s where tax policy is more appropriate,” he asserts. The government’s data centre framework identifies some examples of “cutting-edge technology” that could help developers achieve better ranking for obtaining grid connections, including: closed-loop and waterless cooling systems that recirculate fluids rather than constantly drawing water supply; directto-chip liquid cooling that carries heat away from processing chips; waste heat recovery systems; and various measures to muffle noise emissions. These would all be recognized as measures for saving energy, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and mitigating other detrimental impacts on host communities. Municipalities would have to rely on provincial decision-makers to look out for their interests through this approach since recent amendments to the Municipal Act and City of Toronto Act now prevent local governments Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 19
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from mandating sustainable design features through site plan control (see story, page 38). Data centres’ exclusion from the ICI would negate the influence of the new allowance (since 2025) for Class A consumers to apply power purchase agreements (PPAs) with clean energy providers as “virtual net metering”, or the equivalent of on-
site generation, to reduce their peak demand factors. However, data centre proponents with similar arrangements could receive favourable rankings for grid connection. “Between ‘bring your own power’ and full cost responsibility, the framework could open a significant new market for Ontario generators and storage developers to partner
Expertise. Insight. Trust. Mechanical Electrical Sustainability Decarbonization
directly with large computational loads,” Olsheski notes. On the rate design front, Rouse recommends that a Class C electricity rate leverage the improvements to hourly and day-ahead price signals that the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has introduced in the past couple of years. “A new data centre rate could potentially combine an appropriate global adjustment allocation with stronger price signals for when electricity is scarce or the system is constrained,” he says. Pride suggests the Class C rate should reflect the pricier generation that will be coming on-line to meet projected demand. “It would seem reasonable that the new large user should pay proportionate to the new nuclear supply and not benefit from the decades of efficiency and legacy low-cost energy from hydroelectric, solar photovoltaic and wind, etc.,” he submits. “Plus, data centres fundamentally have a fixed load, which matches nicely with nuclear’s base load.” The public consultation closed for submissions on September, 12, 2026.
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20 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
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EPICS EXPERIENCE Immersive Studio Conjures Decarbonization
DECARBONIZATION AND ENERGY efficiency materialize with real-world context in a newly launched immersive studio that’s now freely open to building operators, skilled trades, students and others interested in sustainable technologies and high-performance building systems. The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada is sponsoring the space and four facilitated learning modules that harness virtual reality simulations, digital twins and 3D case studies to help participants visualize and get a hands22 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
on feel for integrated, cleantech applications and systems. EPICS — an acronym for the Enspire Potential Immersive Cleantech Studio — is an element of BOMA Canada’s Enspire program. Funded through the Canadian government’s deep retrofit accelerator initiative, the program is intended to cultivate knowledge, skills, professional and business networks needed for widescale reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on a pressing timeline. The studio, located in Toronto’s King
West district bordering the downtown core, allows learners to step into multimedia scenarios that replicate the interconnectedness of building systems and sustainability features via visualizations of electrical/mechanical rooms, control panels, HVAC delivery networks, building envelope assemblies, etc. “One of the biggest challenges in decarbonizing buildings isn’t just the technology, it’s ensuring that the people have the skills to use it effectively,” Susan Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer of BOMA Toronto,
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This kind of learning helps make complex technologies more understandable, more accessible and, ultimately, more useable for the people operating our buildings.” The EPICS menu offers four distinct learning streams, focusing on: • existing building commissioning; • building performance; • retrofit planning; or • skilled trades for cleantech and green construction projects. Sessions are divided into roughly 30-minute components, beginning with a general overview, then going in for a deeper dive followed by a participant-focused interactive module or workforce development module. Information is presented through an interactive touch-wall format with pop-out multimedia content on separate screens. Groups of up to 10 can be accommodated, and the complexity of the content can be geared to each user group.
Building owners/managers, skilled trades and technicians, emerging and mid-career retrofit professionals or career candidates exploring cleantech pursuits are all encouraged to register for the free sessions. As well, EPICS program managers can adapt supplied data for project teams that want to meet in the space to review and brainstorm over visualizations of their own — or their clients’ — assets. Toronto-based post-secondary institutions including Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Toronto and Humber College are also considering working the studio’s capabilities into their curriculum options. BOMA Enspire program administrators are expecting at least 1,000 learners to pass through EPICS over the coming months before the pilot shuts down in late March 2027. That will be in sync with the scheduled wrapup of deep retrofit accelerator programs. Thus far, funding has flowed through to more than 22,000 buildings across Canada through two completed tranches of BOMA Enspire:
CAPACITY BEGETS LEGACY
observed during an event to introduce the studio’s purpose and services. “EPICS directly addresses this gap. This is exactly the kind of capacity building our industry needs.” “Immersive technology can help people better understand how building systems work together in practical environments,” concurred Dean Karakasis, Chief Executive Officer of BOMA Ottawa. “Reading about a building automation system in a manual is one thing. Experiencing it in an interactive environment is something completely different.
BOMA Enspire is achieving energy-saving, emission-reducing results through a partnership with Four Winds & Associates, a consulting firm with a long record of working with Indigenous proponents on economic development, community engagement and sustainability and climate resilience projects. Together, they’ve delivered resources and incentives for performance improvements in Indigenous-owned facilities, while helping northern and remote communities map out the strategies that work best for them. Four Winds founder, Dan Martel, characterizes Indigenous communities as the “last mile” for government and other initiatives that are often devised with a template that may not fit properly with participants’ needs and experiences, or be sustained for the long term. Alternatively, he looks to build “legacy” — knowledge, skills, systems and relationships that can be relevant, productive assets into the future. It’s not a matter of plugging in off-the-shelf solutions, but, rather, gaining an understanding of communities’ needs, goals and strengths and matching that to initiatives that make sense. An affiliated data management system for Indigenous organizations, Awetza, is instrumental for collecting and coordinating the broad sweep of records related to buildings, equipment, maintenance, utilities, etc., which then positions communities to respond to funding opportunities and move projects forward. That all aligns with BOMA Enspire’s capacity-building agenda, which aims to kickstart the process for communities to manage facilities, ask informed questions and make decisions about what comes next on the decarbonization journey. Sponsoring funds from Natural Resources Canada’s Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative have been put toward ASHRAE Level 2 energy audits to get a picture of where upgrades can have the greatest impact, and directed to targeted recommissioning to realize low-cost, construction-free operational efficiencies. Associated training, coaching and planning support advances retrofit preparedness. “We are especially proud to be partnering with Four Winds to drive the success of BOMA Enspire into Indigenous and remote communities across Canada. This is part of our industry and country that doesn’t get the attention it deserves,” says Benjamin Shinewald, BOMA Canada’s President and Chief Executive Officer. Supplied by Global Heroes. For more information, see the website at www.globalheroes.com. For more information about Four Winds & Associates, see the website at https://www.fourwinds.ca. For more information about Awetza, see the website at https://www.awetza.ca.
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CANADIAN EXCELLENCE ENJOYS INTERNATIONAL PROFILE Canada delivered up five champions for 2026 as the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International finished out the three-stage process of identifying top performers in 19 building categories. Three prominent individuals from Canadian BOMA chapters were also acknowledged for their work and commitment at BOMA International’s annual Conference and Expo in Long Beach, California, earlier this summer. “From coast to coast to coast, Canadian commercial real estate showed up strong on the international stage,” observes Benjamin Shinewald, President and Chief Executive Officer of BOMA Canada. “It’s a proud moment for our industry and a true reflection of the people, passion and excellence behind these properties.” The BOMA International TOBY award-winners are chosen from a pool of candidates that have already been declared best in their categories at a local and then regional level. Canadian competitors in 2026 are all 2025 recipients of BOMA Canada national awards and initial awards from their own BOMA chapters. A fresh slate of judges renders the decisions at each stage, but does so based on consistent criteria that considers: community impact; tenant and employee relations programs; energy management; accessibility; emergency evacuation procedures; building personnel training programs; and overall excellence. Notably, three distinct Canadian owner/manager teams combined to sweep the retail awards in this year’s International TOBY competition. Those winners include: • Park Place Shopping Centre, Lethbridge, AB, in the category of enclosed malls with a maximum footprint of 1 million square feet. The property is owned by Primaris REIT and managed by Primaris Management Inc.; • Scarborough Town Centre, Toronto, ON, in the category of enclosed malls encompassing more than 1 million square feet of space. The property is jointly owned by Oxford Properties Group/ OMERS and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation, and managed by Oxford Properties Group; and
• Taunton Gardens, Whitby, ON, in the category of open-air and strip malls. The property is owned by Canada Post Pension Plan and managed by Colliers. Nor were there any owner/manager repeaters in the other two Canadian wins. Those are: • Transport Depot, Edmonton, AB, in the industrial building category. It is owned by bcIMC Realty Corporation and Canadian Core Real Estate LP, and managed by QuadReal Property Group; and • Eleventh Avenue Place, Calgary, AB, in the category of office buildings ranging from 100,000 to 249,999 square feet. It is owned HOOPP Realty Inc. and managed by GWL Realty Advisors. Turning to individual honours, Don Fairgrieve-Park received the BOMA International Chair’s award for a remarkable second time this decade. The award recognizes meritorious leadership that has benefited the commercial real estate industry and broader community and served as a role model for commitment and professionalism. Fairgrieve-Park is Executive Vice President, operational excellence, with QuadReal Property Group and a member of BOMA British Columbia. He is a BOMA Fellow, the recipient of the 2020 BOMA Canada Chair’s Award and the 2023 recipient of the BOMA International Chair’s Award. Richard Morden, a member and past chair of BOMA Calgary, was named Regional Member of the Year, representing Canada. He is Senior Vice President, western Canada commercial properties, with QuadReal Property Group. BOMA lifetime member status was conveyed to Kim Saunders, a member of BOMA Newfoundland and Labrador. The designation is reserved for exemplary BOMA members of at least 20-years’ standing who have retired from the industry. Saunders is a BOMA Fellow, a recent retiree from East Port Properties, and a stalwart of BOMI Education Canada, in which she has held the roles of chair and board member.
• the quick-start audit initiative, which provided up to $10,000 to cover up to 100% of the costs of conducting an ASHRAElevel audit in qualifying Class B and C commercial buildings; and • the building performance excellence (BPE) initiative, which provided up $125,000 per building to cover up to 80% of the costs of optimizing energy performance or laying the groundwork for a deep retrofit in qualifying Class B and C commercial buildings. A third program, the Retrofit Ready initiative, rolled out this spring and was quickly fully enrolled. It provides 60 to 80% of the costs of professional and technical services required for preparation and/or implementation of deep retrofits. Incentives are targeted to Class B and C commercial buildings and pub24 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
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lic sector facilities, excluding buildings that are part of the federal government’s portfolio. Program administrators acknowledge they had anticipated it would take longer than 10 weeks to find takers for the available Retrofit Ready incentives, but they see the rapid uptake as “a promising signal” that Class B and C building owners/managers are increasingly engaged in decarbonization efforts. Although a full slate of applications is now pre-approved for the initiative, prospective projects that are still in the queue will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis if additional funding becomes available. Industry practitioners are also encouraged to take advantage of other learning resources that have opened up with the Enspire program, including: a free online education series; support for CIET (Canadian Institute for Energy Training) certifications; a new oneday educational forum for building operators debuting along with this year’s BOMA Canada national conference, BOMEX; and, of course, access to EPICS.
“Immersive technology can help people better understand how building systems work together in practical environments.” “Programs like EPICS carry genuine value as we strive for low-carbon operations and the need to attract new talent to our industry,” asserted Neil Lacheur, Chair of BOMA Canada and Vice President, Real Estate Management Services, for Avison Young in Canada.
“As part of BOMA Enspire’s capacity building strategy, EPICS supports education and accelerates clean tech adoption in the built environment. It also affords us with the opportunity to learn and to inform future initiatives.”
Paul A. Chisholm, CPA, MBA, CA 30 Mohawk Road Hamilton (Upper James St) 905.387.0300 2760
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CALCULATED CAPITAL The New Economics of Rental Housing By Erin Ruddy GOVERNMENT FUNDING has recently emerged as the dominant force shaping Canada’s rental landscape — influencing what gets built, where it gets built, and how quickly projects move from concept to construction. A wave of recent federal and municipal announcements has underscored this shift, making it clear that simply encouraging purpose built rental development is no longer enough. Government capital is now flowing into projects at a scale not seen in decades, redefining what “viable” means in a market still struggling with affordability pressures. “Through the Apartment Loan Construction Program and multi-unit mortgage loan insurance, CMHC supported most of the 26 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
rental construction in Canada in 2025,” wrote Coleen Volk, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), in this year’s annual report. “If you see a crane on a residential building site in your community, chances are it’s a project backed by CMHC.” Meanwhile, Build Canada Homes has accelerated the pace of funding commitments, with hundreds of millions invested in housing developments since the agency launched in September 2025. Recent announcements include more than $100 million for mid rise rentals in Toronto, tens of millions for seniors’ housing in Ottawa, and substantial financing for Indigenous led developments
like the Wendake project in Quebec. These are not isolated injections. Across Canada, a coordinated effort is underway to boost supply quickly — especially in markets like Toronto and Vancouver, where vacancy rates remain historically low. Rental projects that align with key government priorities are the ones securing favourable financing. In other words, more public spending means more government influence over what gets built and when. “Federal support is essential, particularly for construction of lower income and supportive housing, and for the financing of new market rental stock through successful programs like MLI Select,” says David
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Hutniak, Chief Executive Officer of LandlordBC. “The private sector has historically delivered the vast majority of Canada’s rental supply, and we believe it remains best equipped to continue doing so. But that can only happen if the numerous barriers to development are addressed, including legislative and regulatory hurdles, land-use constraints, fees such as DCCs (development cost charges) and challenges around access to capital and financing. On top of that, the uncertainty surrounding immigration levels is creating significant planning difficulties for the sector.”
FAVOURING BIG PLAYERS
In line with Hutniak’s concerns, some industry observers warn that as public funding becomes a central driver of new rental construction, smaller landlords and mid sized developers risk being sidelined, given that large REITs and institutional players are better positioned to capture the bulk of new opportunities. Government programs — from low cost loans to accelerated approvals — tend to favour proponents with deep balance sheets, in-house development teams, and the capacity to navigate complex application and reporting requirements. These conditions naturally tilt the playing field toward large, well capitalized organizations. According to CMHC, institutional landlords accounted for roughly 20 to 30% of purpose built rental units in 2024, a share that has been rising steadily in cities with active development pipelines. At the same time, CMHC reports that smaller developers are far more likely to delay or cancel projects due to financing constraints, underscoring the uneven capacity to advance new construction in today’s cost environment. Still, Ryan Berlin, Chief Economist and Vice President of Intelligence at Vancouver based Rennie, believes federal support has been “absolutely essential” to the realization of new purpose built rental supply in recent years. “Over the past decade, the Apartment Construction Loan Program (ACLP) and the MLI Select program have driven a significant surge in rental construction,” he said. “In an ideal world, the private sector would deliver rental housing using private financing alone, but such are the economics of the sector today — and to be fair, the role MLI Select plays is not unlike the function CMHC mortgage insurance has long served for individual homeowners.”
CRA PUMPED UP FOR SPEEDIER SERVICE TO INVESTORS Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been assigned a role in the Canadian government’s agenda to expedite key housing and infrastructure projects. The federal 2026 spring economic update announced that prospective proponents of “nation-building projects” will get priority in the queue for binding advance tax rulings. Investors eligible for clean technology investment tax credits are also promised that they’ll receive their rebates on a “timely” schedule as additional CRA resources are directed to the task. “Corporate taxpayers contemplating significant transactions often require certainty on tax treatment before going ahead with a major project,” the economic update acknowledges. Prospective investors in housing, infrastructure, designated critical economic sectors and “clean economy initiatives and projects that may benefit from Canada’s suite of clean economy investment tax credits” may now qualify for quick service. A new contingent of dedicated CRA staff is expected to speed up the delivery of clean technology tax credits — conveying a 30% rebate on qualifying costs of air-source heat pumps, wind and solar energy systems and stationary electricity storage systems — beginning this summer. That comes after the 2025 federal budget allocated $146 million over five years for the effort. Initial funding of $23 million for 2025-26 and $28 million for 2026-27 is now taking form as a reported 450% increase in capacity to process claims. “This targeted investment will help the CRA reduce the backlog of claims over the course of 2026 and ensure a more timely delivery of these credits going forward,” the economic update states. Meanwhile, a newly announced personal tax measure also reverberates through to the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors. The spring economic update confirms a significant increase in the deduction that tradespeople can claim for the costs of temporarily relocating closer to job-sites that are too distant for daily commuting from their permanent residences. Previously, the labour mobility deduction allowed workers to claim up to $4,000 per year in costs for temporary lodging near employment that was at least 150 kilometres from their permanent addresses. Beginning with the 2026 tax year, they will be able to deduct up to $10,000 in temporary lodging costs to work at job-sites that are at least 120 kilometres from their permanent addresses. Both employment and temporary lodgings must be located in Canada, and claimants cannot deduct more than 50% of their earnings from those job-sites. – REMI Network
ZONING REFORM
A positive development overall has been the growing connection between federal funding and municipal zoning reform, which is becoming a key driver of faster purpose built housing development. In a recent statement, Richard Lyall, President of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), voiced his support for Canada’s efforts to get shovels in the ground faster. “Addressing the housing crisis requires all levels of government to work toward the common goal of making new homes more affordable and speeding up construction,” he maintained. Referring to Ottawa and Ontario’s move to reduce development charges, he added, “If we want a prosperous, competitive Ontario, we must restore the conditions that allow builders to build and consumers to buy or rent homes at attainable prices.” Launched in 2023, the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is another federal program
designed to speed up homebuilding by tying funding directly to municipal reforms. HAF provides multi-year grants to municipalities that commit to removing barriers to new housing through measures such as updated zoning bylaws, streamlined or eliminated rezoning requirements, digitized approvals, and expanded affordable housing programs. By linking funding to structural change, HAF aims to fast track new housing starts, reduce red tape, and increase long term supply — with major agreements like Ottawa’s $176.3 million commitment illustrating the scale at which the program is reshaping local planning and accelerating construction.
INDIGENOUS LED MODELS
Embracing reconciliation and working directly with Indigenous communities has also helped spur a new wave of development models. One of the most compelling examples is unfolding in Wendake, a self governing Huron Wendat First Nation community on the Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 27
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“The private sector has historically delivered the vast majority of Canada’s rental supply, and we believe it remains best equipped to continue doing so." Saint Charles River just northwest of Québec City. On June 5, the federal government and the Huron Wendat Nation announced the partnership at the grand opening of the 236-unit purpose built rental community that blends cultural identity, sustainability and long term affordability. The project — known locally as Kwayaweh — features two mid rise buildings arranged around a landscaped central courtyard. It offers a full range of unit sizes, complemented by community spaces, indoor and outdoor
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gathering areas, and culturally informed design elements that reflect Wendat heritage. Energy efficient construction, universal accessibility and durable materials underpin the development’s long term stewardship model. Financing for the project includes more than $70 million through the federal Apartment Construction Loan Program, combined with direct investment and land stewardship from the Huron Wendat Nation. The development is intended not only to meet local housing needs but to strengthen the Nation’s economic base through long-term rental revenue
and community controlled development. “Our government is proud to support this project that will create more rental housing for people living and working in Wendake,” said Caroline Desrochers, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure. “It’s an example of what we can achieve when the government and the private sector work together.” As more rental projects like this come to market — driven largely by rising public investment — there’s no question that government capital is reshaping the economics of development. By lowering borrowing costs for policy aligned projects, accelerating zoning reform, and supporting higher efficiency buildings, governments are helping ensure that new rental housing is actually getting built. For both owners and developers, success will hinge on understanding how government capital, regulatory change and evolving demand intersect, and on adapting strategies to thrive in a landscape where government influence has become a central force. Erin Ruddy is the Editor of Canadian Apartment.
Membership matters The Commercial Real Estate landscape is continuing to change and evolve. Property managers, asset managers, and stakeholders look to BOMA Toronto for educational support and resources to help navigate critical issues, deliver operational excellence, and inspire success. Build your skills. Build you network. Build your career. JOIN TODAY! For membership and sponsorship inquiries contact: Rahim Datoo Coordinator, Membership Engagement rdatoo@bomatoronto.org 416.596.8065 ext. 227
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capitalfinancing
A DUO OF LOAN PLAYERS Ontario Considers New Retrofit Financing Option
By Barbara Carss A PROPOSAL TO BRING private lenders more directly into property-assessed clean energy (PACE) programs could open up a new financing option for energy and water efficiency upgrades in Ontario’s commercial and multifamily buildings. The provincial government recently collected public input on an approach that would relieve municipalities from the seed capital requirements and administrative complexities that have tended to discourage PACE uptake. Toronto is the only Ontario municipality 30 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
that currently offers PACE financing to borrowers in the commercial real estate sector through its High Rise Retrofit Improvement Support (Hi-RIS) program — an initiative that is scoped to multifamily rental buildings that are at least 20 years old with a minimum of three storeys and seven units. Qualifying borrowers can obtain low-cost loans, which they repay via a special assessment added to their property tax bills. (Toronto also has a parallel program for residential ratepayers.) This approach to PACE is enabled through
provincial legislation. Both the Municipal Act and City of Toronto Act allow local governments to establish loan programs, authorized through a bylaw, to assist their property tax ratepayers in financing activities that meet the definition of “local improvements” tied to energy efficiency or renewable energy. However, it’s a mechanism that essentially requires adopters to be bankers, supplying the upfront funding, negotiating and administering loans. In Toronto’s case, the effort was launched with $20 million —
capitalfinancing split 50/50 between the Hi-RIS and singlefamily residential loan programs — in 2014. “Toronto is somewhat unique in size and the resources that it has available. Many cities haven’t wanted to take on the debt to do this, and they lack the administrative capability and staffing levels to run such a program,” observes Bryan Purcell, Vice President, Policy, with The Atmospheric Fund (TAF), a regional agency that supports climate-related programs in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. “In the arrangement the Province is looking at, the money wouldn’t be coming from municipalities. They’d essentially act as a payment facilitator and provide a kind of backstop security for the loan.” The proposal, outlined on the Ontario government’s regulatory registry, is similar to PACE frameworks for commercial buildings that are in place in more than 35 states in the United States. It would create flexibility for a three-party approach, in which a borrower would obtain private financing and the municipality would register the loan, secure it with the same priority lien that applies on property tax arrears and collect loan payments (to be conveyed to the lender) through
“Many cities haven’t wanted to take on the debt to do this, and they lack the administrative capability and staffing levels to run such a program.” an added charge on the property tax bill. Should municipalities choose to opt in, the Ontario government proposes that the financing mechanism would be available to commercial, industrial and multi-residential ratepayers for loans equivalent to up to 35% of the property’s value. Financing must be used for energy and/or water efficiency upgrades and/or installation of on-site renewable energy generation, and borrowers would need to obtain consent from other loan-holders on the property. Proposed parameters include a prohibition on penalties for paying off loans ahead of schedule. The consultation questions asked for
feedback on whether lenders should be preapproved to participate and whether further provincial regulatory oversight is required.
LENDER AND MUNICIPAL APPEAL
For lenders, PACE provides an extra measure of risk management since the loans would have senior ranking, alongside property tax arrears, in the debt stack. Purcell speculates that it could also open up business opportunities and operational efficiencies that could come with a standardized approach to loan administration. In the U.S., for example, financial institutions are prominent in the membership of the C-PACE Alliance, an association that
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capitalfinancing “A C-PACE program could become another valuable option, provided it is voluntary, commercially competitive, easy to access and does not introduce unnecessary legal, administrative or financing risks,” says Dean Karakasis, Chief Executive Officer of BOMA Ottawa. “To encourage broad participation, the program should complement existing lending structures, provide certainty for mortgage lenders and owners, and offer a streamlined application process.”
COINCIDING AMBITIONS
promotes best practices for the mechanism. For municipalities, it could be an expedient way to facilitate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and/or water efficiency gains that ease demand on their utilities while offloading program management to the entities that actually specialize in lending technicalities. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) published a PACE primer in late 2024, providing a province-by-province breakdown of enabling legislation and the programs it had fostered to that date. Those were largely confined to the residential sector, with Edmonton cited as a rare example of offering PACE for commercial buildings. Under existing PACE rules, municipalities will recover their upfront capital as loans are repaid and the programs become self-sustaining, but it still requires ongoing oversight that could pose an even greater barrier, particularly for smaller municipalities. Purcell contrasts current requirements to negotiate terms and manage loan transactions versus the more simple involvement necessary to bring private lenders into the mix. “It leverages the processes they already have in place to collect property taxes,” he notes. “It could make a lot more sense for cities if they can opt into a program where there are pre-approved lenders and a standardized process, and transactions just come to them for final review and adding to the property tax roll. That’s much more feasible to manage than a program they have to create from scratch.” 32 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
BORROWERS’ PERSPECTIVE
This approach to PACE financing wouldn’t necessarily deliver any perks to borrowers that they couldn’t obtain through conventional loan channels, but Purcell suggests there are some inherent benefits in broadening the “borrowers’ ecosystem” by opening up commercial access to the mechanism along with an ample ceiling on allowable loan value. As well, some borrowers may be attracted to the unique PACE characteristic that ties the loan to the property and transfers it to the new owner upon a sale. “For this to help accelerate retrofits, it’s going to be key to see what kind of terms lenders would be willing to offer with the commercial PACE backstop,” Purcell muses. “To the extent that it translates into preferential financing terms — whether that’s lower interest rates or locking in that interest rate for a longer period of time or longer amortizations — that’s where it would really help to drive the market.” It’s clear that the commercial real estate industry is increasingly investing in electrification, smart building systems and climate resilience improvements. Enthusiastic enrollment in the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada’s Enspire program (see story, page 24), and similar initiatives affiliated with Natural Resources Canada’s deep retrofit accelerator initiative, signals there is a receptive audience for potential new avenues of assistance for turning that advance planning into material capital improvements.
Coincidentally, delegates to the International Energy Agency’s 2026 annual conference on energy efficiency identified heating and cooling in buildings and public-private collaboration among priorities for achieving a target to double energy efficiency progress, relative to 2023, by 2030. Canada was one of 35 national signatories to the Montreal Action Plan (so named for the host location of this year’s global conference), which pledges to put energy efficiency at the centre of energy policy. “An essential element of all energy efficiency action is boosting private finance. Rapidly scaling up energy efficiency investments requires a comprehensive approach that addresses financial, technical and institutional barriers,” it states. “By strategically deploying public resources along with favourable regulatory frameworks and support tools, we can foster solutions and support the development of a strong energy efficiency services market.” Business representatives participating in the conference’s panel discussions called for clarity and consistency in policymaking along with incentives and other financial supports to give lenders more assurance about program and borrower stability. Notably, the historical record suggests borrowers and lenders alike have reason to be wary that programs could be revised or cancelled if governments change. “Stability in the rules is really important,” asserted Marie-Claude Dumas, President of Canadian operations for the multinational consulting engineering firm, WSP. “And we need to have clarity in the messaging so companies or customers can actually say: I understand what this means; I’m going to commit to it, get the financing and do it.” “Access to financing remains one of the biggest barriers to undertaking deep energy retrofits, but well-designed funding tools can successfully help owners begin that journey,” Karakasis concurs.
GOING STRONG FOR
50 YEARS
benchmarking
CATALOGUING WASTE INPUTS Data Management Underpins Diversion
A STANDARDIZED waste data map is expected to provide consistent direction for users on multiple paths. The Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE) is developing the third of its trio of environmental data standards in sync with mounting pressure on various industry players to accurately report the volume of waste they produce, disseminate and divert from landfill. Proponents of OSCRE’s in-progress waste data management standard are working to categorize the myriad inputs that flow into the waste stream, and wrestle them into a framework that enables credible analytics and performance comparisons. That would underpin the collection and retrieval of information that’s increasingly in demand from: 34 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
• retailers and other corporate/institutional players that may be accountable under extended producer responsibility (EPR) or product stewardship schemes; • firms with voluntary commitments and/ or looming regulatory requirements to disclose Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; • participants in other certification and benchmarking programs; and • property/facility managers looking for operational cost savings. “What’s going to be great about a data model is it will give us visibility of what’s pushing waste into the supply chain,” Stephen Weir, Chief Executive Officer of the sustainability
consulting firm, Radar 2030, observed during an OSCRE webinar earlier this year. “Then we can look at the massive pile of waste that’s at the end and see where it was inserted, how it was inserted and what we can do to remove it.”
EPR MOTIVATION
EPR compliance has emerged as a major motivator for the project. In Canada, all provinces/territories except Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut and Northwest Territories compel those who convey designated products into the marketplace to cover at least a portion of the costs of collecting and recovering or disposing of those materials, while many jurisdictions throughout North America have been
benchmarking
ramping up obligations in recent years. In Ontario, for example, Jan. 1, 2026 marked the full implementation of a 100% producer-funded system for managing Blue Box materials after a three-year, phase-in period. Designated producers of six types of materials collected from residential and specified institutional properties — paper, rigid plastic, flexible plastic, glass, metal and beverage containers — pay their share based on the amount of those commodities they delivered to the Ontario marketplace during the previous calendar year. Since 2024, program rules require producers to report those tallies to the provincial registry, known as the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA), by May 31 each year and pay their fees at that time. This year, producers with annual revenue in excess of $2 million paid $9.70 per tonne if they generated more than 50 tonnes of Blue Box materials in 2025. Those that generated less than 50 tonnes, but more than the threshold for exemption (9 tonnes of paper; 2 tonnes of
plastic; or 1 tonne of glass, metal or beverage containers) were charged a flat fee of $95. Depending on where they fall on that scale, designated producers could face steeper costs for failing to register or submit required information to the RPRA. For corporations, neglecting to file “complete and accurate” information carries a base fine of up to $50,000 along with a supplemental fee reflective of the costs they avoided or benefits they gained by evading the mandate. Ongoing non-compliance triggers further penalties. Additional reporting requirements kick in next year. That’s when producers will have to submit a data verification report for their 2026 numbers and the first triennial audit report, covering the years 2024, 2025 and 2026. The latter tracks whether they’ve fulfilled material recovery targets (i.e. 80% of paper or 50% of rigid plastic delivered into the Ontario marketplace) and related promotion/education obligations. Looking to examples in the United States, panellists participating in the OSCRE webi-
nar speculate EPR uptake at the state level is approaching a tipping point toward widescale adoption. Jim Owens, President of Marrad, a service provider for materials management, and Joshua Witte, Director of Energy, Sustainability and ESG with the U.S.-based national retailer, Dollar Tree, identified Oregon, Colorado and California — where levies have recently been introduced or are looming — as early attention-getters. “In Oregon, I think there were many organizations that were caught off guard, not only by the fees, but by the magnitude of the fees. When it gets to California, which is coming up soon, I think that’s when you’re going to see a seismic shift,” Owens predicted. “This is a cost that is, in some cases, tremendous, and it’s hitting large organizations and midsized organizations particularly hard.” Dollar Tree estimates indicate it will cost the company more than $15 million to comply with EPR requirements coming into force in Colorado and California. Witte confirms the calculation engendered dismay in
Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 35
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the finance department, which had neither anticipated nor budgeted for it and did not have a line item to expense it against. “I would say this would be a perfect example of data gaps and the impact of not having that data readily available,” he said. “Unless you can put together solid estimates on the weight of your packaging and how much you’re bringing in, it’s incredibly challenging to put together proper reporting. We have hundreds of different vendors that supply our products, and we do not have good visibility into the data around that packaging as far as amounts and weights. It’s very, very disjointed and trying to get that data has been very, very problematic.”
DATA DEMANDS AND GAPS
OSCRE delineates five stages of progress in the collection, management and practical application of waste data, ranging from initial estimates to a yet-to-be-realized “pioneering” level. Ian Cameron, OSCRE’s Chief Innovation Officer, suggests the majority of companies are still at stage two with fairly basic data that’s sourced from waste haulers and largely held within one department’s systems. The data management standard is tapped as a vehicle for getting to the next level so that waste data could be integrated into the general ledger, tied to circularity metrics and accommodate diagnostic analysis. “That’s what we need to do, but many organizations struggle to make that leap,” Cameron said.
Owens acknowledged “it’s not uncommon to see data capture on clipboards” among his client base, while few have tracking capabilities more sophisticated than spreadsheets. Elsewhere, waste data coverage has consistently lagged energy, water and GHG emissions in the annual results of the GRESB global benchmark for ESG performance of commercial real estate portfolios. The assessment asks for an asset-level tally of the total amount of waste generated and a percentage breakdown of its disposal outcome through recycling, reuse, composting, incineration or landfill. In 2025, participants reported waste data for 58% of assets across the total database, while providing energy data for nearly 79% of assets, water-use data for 77.5% of assets and GHG emissions for 79.5% of assets. Within the database for the Amercias region, which largely represents portfolios based in the U.S. and Canada, waste data was reported for just 50% of assets. Nevertheless, GRESB administrators express enthusiasm for this highest to-date response. “With this strong baseline in place, the GRESB Foundation will aim to support clearer connections between waste management practices and emissions outcomes to help reward best practices in reduction, diversion and circularity,” states the overview of the 2025 results. That comes as many firms grapple with measuring their Scope 3 GHG emissions, either to meet voluntary commitments or as real estate entities of federally regulated financial
institutions, which will be required to report beginning with the 2028 fiscal year. For the latter group, instructions from Canada’s Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) also require disclosure of the industrybased metrics that underpin their reporting. Speaking earlier this winter at a seminar sponsored by the Canada Green Building Council, Melissa Menzies, Director of Sustainable Finance with Scotiabank, noted a “spectrum on the maturity scale in terms of disclosure” even among large publicly traded real estate owners and operators. “I’d say most of my clients are regularly reporting and having verified Scope 1 and 2 emissions. On Scope 3, it’s about starting to focus on what are the most material categories and beginning to report that on a staged approach over their portfolio,” she related. “It might be waste collection, for example — taking a staged approach and being transparent on where they’re at with data gathering, what they expect to do in the next one to three years. That’s a common theme that I’ve seen.” The OSCRE webinar presented a sample structure for data capture with five broad elements that can be further refined into subsets where needed: • waste category (landfill, recycling, organics, etc.); • material type (cardboard, plastics, food waste, etc.); • destination (recycling, reuse, compost, landfill, etc.); • cost elements (hauling, disposal fees, revenue, etc.); and • source and location (site, building, tenant, department). “What we care about is information capture and integrating systems of governance,” Cameron advised. “It doesn’t have to be complex. While a data model might sound like a grand thing, it’s actually just going to be using IT to gather existing data and present it in a useful format,” Weir affirmed. “I would encourage people to start mapping data, even if it’s on a spreadsheet or even on a clipboard, but then to look at how the OSCRE tools in this data model can help and get some benchmarks around that visibility.” For more information about the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate (OSCRE), see the website at www.oscre.org
36 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
PERFORMANCE BEYOND THE SURFACE
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development
DILUTED DIRECTIVES
Toronto Green Development Standard Leans to the Voluntary SOME PREVIOUSLY mandated elements are once again voluntary options for Toronto development projects following the recent adoption of provincial legislation that prohibits municipalities from imposing certain requirements as a condition of planning approvals. Amendments to the City of Toronto Act and Planning Act, which received Royal Assent June 2, cancel authority to dictate sustainable design features through site plan control and add in new clauses to forbid local governments from requiring electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in private com38 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
mercial and multifamily buildings. Several provisions of the Toronto green standard (TGS) for new development remain in place, however, since they are tied to health, safety, accessibility or protection of adjoining lands. The two Acts still allow local governments to apply site plan control related to those circumstances. As well, other TGS measures are enabled through regulatory mechanisms — such as Toronto’s zoning bylaw and requirements for garbage, recycling and organics collection — that continue to be authorized.
A recent staff report to Toronto City Council concludes that 11 performance measures in the basic TGS tier will have to shift to a voluntary basis, but 25 can still be enforced. More rigorous requirements in the two additional TGS tiers won’t have to be adjusted because participation is already voluntary. More than 4,000 private and municipally owned developments have been built to reflect TGS requirements since 2010 — incorporating various measures related to: air and water quality; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction; climate resilience,
development SCHOOL BOARDS LOSING GRIP ON CAPITAL PROJECTS The Ontario government has wrested oversight of all capital projects, including repairs and upgrades in existing buildings, within the public school system. A recently adopted package of amendments to the provincial Education Act also opens the way for the appointment of third party project managers to whom school boards would be compelled to relinquish control if the Minister deems such intervention is necessary. School boards were already required to obtain the Ministry of Education’s approval to acquire or expropriate land prior to this new legislation. There were also prescribed policies for constructing new schools or making additions/alterations to existing structures if that involved facilities housing natural science or other outside-the-classroom programs, or shared facilities with a user other than a child care centre, another school board or a municipality. The provincial government can now to impose policies, through regulation, for a much broader range of activities. The amendments indicate this “may require a board to give notice to the Minister or obtain the Minister’s approval in respect of an addition to, or erection, alteration, improvement or repair of, a building or any step in such work.” The Ontario government’s explanatory overview of the measures states: “Several school boards have had budget overruns, delays or have not followed procedures in the delivery of capital projects, requiring ministry intervention or even supervision.” New regulations are touted as a means to “support the responsible use of public funds and help ensure new schools, expansions and renovations are delivered efficiently across the province”. Running afoul of the rules, which are to be set out in future regulations, could get school board administrators sidelined from their projects. An outside overseer could be delegated to step in on the Ontario government’s behalf if it’s determined a school board “has not complied or is unlikely to comply” with provincial directives. Alternatively, school boards could simply be instructed to explain and demonstrate how they will get on track with the rules, or the Minister could sell or “otherwise dispose” of project sites and/or buildings undergoing work. In cases where third-party project managers are appointed, such entities would have authority to control the project budget, enter into or terminate contracts, alter or outright cancel any element of the project, communicate directly with the “school community” and undertake other responsibilities the Ontario government may assign. In turn, school boards would be expected to cooperate with and heed directions from the provincial appointee. Boards may also be required to cover fees and “reasonably incurred” expenses related to the transition to a third-party manager, the sale/disposal of a site or building, or the preparation of compliance plans.
ecology and biodiversity; and waste reduction and recovery. That’s estimated to have resulted in more than $407 million in utility cost savings and avoidance of 972,000 tonnes of GHG emissions. “It is one of the most important tools the City has to address climate resilience and achieve the Council-adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of net zero by 2040 under TransformTO,” states the report from Toronto’s planning department. “The TGS also serves as a market transformation tool facilitating the adoption of materials,
technologies and design tools that are now mainstream in Toronto and across Ontario such as bird-friendly glass, green roofs, geothermal energy, soil volume planning and energy modelling.” The new provincial rules mean green/ cool roofs and energy modelling will now be reclassified as voluntary undertakings. Nor will development proponents have to meet targets for total energy use intensity (TEUI), thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) or GHG emission intensity. The latter prerequisites involved energy modelling to demonstrate that commercial office and high-rise multifamily projects would operate with TEUI no greater than 130 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per square metre per year (12 kWh/square foot) and GHG emissions intensity no greater than 15 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per square metre per year (1.39 kg CO2e/foot2). Commercial retail projects faced TEUI ceilings of 120 kWh/metre2/year (11.1 kWh/ foot2) and maximum GHG intensity of 10 kg CO2e/metre2/year (0.93 CO2e/foot2).
Other measures that will now be voluntary include: • EV and electric bike infrastructure; • at least 10 publicly accessible, secure and weather-protected spaces for shortterm bicycle parking, at grade on the site or within the public boulevard, at developments located within 500 metres of a transit station entrance; • one of six specified choices for on-site green infrastructure, including: three green roof options, two options for planting flowers/pollinator species or trees, or an on-site bioretention facility to capture stormwater runoff; • large shade trees dispersed throughout above-ground parking lots at a ratio of one tree per five parking spaces, along with a watering and maintenance program for four years after they are planted; • cool paving technologies or soft landscaping on at least 20% of non-residential sites to offset non-roof hardscape; and Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 39
development
ELECTRICITY SYSTEM PLANNERS SEEK PROJECT INFO Ontario’s electricity system planners are attempting to get an early read on future demand and grid connection requirements through a newly launched voluntary reporting and review process. It’s touted as an opportunity for development proponents to build relationships and gain insight for navigating the more formal mandatory processes they must undertake to secure a connected power supply for their projects. Developers and/or land use planning officials or local distribution companies (LDCs) are invited to proactively submit information about large projects that are expected to represent at least 10 megawatts (MW) of demand. That will trigger an exercise that Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has dubbed the major projects identification committees (MPIC) process. “Participation in the MPIC process enhances the IESO’s early visibility into projects and supports system planning readiness. Projects that are not identified may be less visible in early-stage planning, particularly where information is not otherwise available,” states background information posted on the IESO’s website. “The MPIC process does not approve, prioritize or endorse projects; does not guarantee connection to the electricity system; does not influence resource or transmission procurement outcomes.” Rather, it’s intended to confirm project details, facilitate communication among parties that may be involved in subsequent compulsory processes and increase transparency for electricity system planners and the general public. Participants begin by submitting an online intake form, and can use the same portal to add and update information throughout the MPIC process. The IESO may request additional details, if required, before striking a project-specific evaluation committee, called project validators, who will be expected to provide “high-level contextual input” as they review project information. All information gleaned from the process will then be incorporated into the IESO’s major projects list, which, in turn, will be considered in the development of electricity system plans and forecasts. “Project validators may include provincial ministries and agencies, LDCs, transmitters, gas utilities, municipalities, Indigenous communities and organizations, local and regional development agencies and/or other relevant entities,” the IESO background states. “They must enter into a nondisclosure agreement with the IESO and comply with all applicable confidentiality obligations. Participation as a project validator does not imply endorsement of any specific project.” The new MPIC process arises from directions set out in the Ontario government’s integrated energy plan, released in 2025. The IESO promises to consider participant and stakeholder feedback on the MPIC rollout and effectiveness.
• on-site landscaping using at least 50% native plants, including at least two flowering species that provide continuous blooms throughout the growing season. The basic TGS tier retains mandatory requirements for long-term and short-term bicycle parking and shower/changing facilities for cyclists, which are spelled out in Toron40 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
to’s zoning bylaw. It also specifies features and configurations for waste collection, storage and compaction, and managing bulky and household hazardous waste. An ongoing basic TGS measure spells out compliance with Toronto’s wet weather flow management guidelines for reducing and managing storm runoff from the site. Proposed developments that trigger a re-
quirement for a transportation impact study will also still need to produce a plan for reducing single-occupant vehicle trips related to the development by 25%. Other basic TSG stipulations for accessible pedestrian routes and connections between the development and surrounding properties, pedestrian-scale lighting and covered outdoor waiting areas relate to health, safety and accessibility. Meanwhile, requirements for tree planting along street frontages and special considerations for developments bordering on ravines fall within the City’s authority to protect adjoining properties. City staff will be updating the guidance documents and checklists that development proponents can use to interpret requirements and steer through the approvals process. A review of the TGS program is also in progress. “The City will continue to advance climate leadership on its own City-led projects, applying the highest standard of the TGS to these developments. Private development will be encouraged to continue to achieve the TGS voluntary performance measures,” the report to Toronto Council advises. “High-performance private developments will continue to be incentivized through the voluntary TGS development charge refund program.”
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DECLUTTERING THE CODE Ontario Review to Comb Through 50 Years of Amendments
THE FIRST-EVER comprehensive review of the Ontario Building Code has a mandate to root out duplications, anachronisms and undue complexities that have crept into the document over the course of 50 years of continual amendments. A five-member independent advisory panel has been appointed to lead the task and report back to the Ontario government with recommendations for reducing regulatory burden, supporting housing production and removing barriers to innovation and interprovincial trade. 42 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
That’s all while upholding core objectives to protect health and safety and promote durability, accessibility, energy efficiency and optimal building performance. An initial, recently completed, public consultation sought input to help guide the advisory panel’s work. “We are advancing our plan to streamline and right-size the Building Code,” says Robert Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “This independent body of industry experts will help identify
where requirements can be simplified, consolidated, clarified or modernized. To be clear, requirements that protect health and safety will stay in place, but unnecessary ones will be removed.” Anecdotally, government insiders have sketched out an ambitious agenda. “We’ve heard that the goal is to cut the code in half,” John Lane, President of the Ontario Building Officials Association (OBOA) and Chief Building Official for the Town of Caledon, recounted during a recent
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“It’s about whether every provision is still achieving its intended outcome, and in the most effective way possible.” podcast discussing the planned review. Joining him in the conversation, Kirstin Jensen, Vice President, policy advisory, advocacy and relationships, with the Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA), concurred that she has frequently heard Flack describe Premier Doug Ford’s and his own surprise when they first saw the code’s heft, which currently fills two large binders in printed form. She characterizes the ensuing call for a line-by-line review as an opportunity to: modernize or remove outdated provisions that stifle innovation; clarify language that spurs inconsistent interpretations; and ensure that requirements are in line with code objectives. “It’s about effectiveness and useability of the code. We could all benefit from clear, consistent and easy-to-interpret code language,” Jensen maintained. “It’s about whether every provision is still achieving its intended outcome, and in the most effective way possible.”
SYSTEM-LEVEL SCRUTINY
The Ontario Building Code is a set of regulations under the provincial Building Code Act and, as thus, can be amended through Ministerial decree without need for approval from the legislative assembly. The voluminous document is organized into three divisions — A, B and C — that sequentially encompass the objectives, technical and administrative requirements. Technical requirements in Division B are further categorized into 12 parts, with provisions for low-rise residential, commercial and light industrial buildings of up to three storeys and footprints no greater than 600 square metres (6,400 square feet) amassed within Part 9. As well, the code has a num-
ber of appendices containing supplemental information and standards. A consultation paper posted on the provincial regulatory registry outlines the rationale for the review and the approach to information gathering. The advisory panel has been instructed to take a “system-level perspective” and produce recommendations that: are grounded in credible evidence; practical to implement; and consider potential spinoff implications for construction processes and timelines, supply chains, performance outcomes and component/equipment lifecycles. The review comes as the provincial government pursues agendas to boost housing affordability, remove barriers to interprovincial trade and labour mobility, and harmonize Ontario’s code with the national model codes to the greatest extent possible. The advisory panel will scrutinize where Ontario’s code diverges from the recently released 2025 model national construction code to assess whether deviations are justified to promote particular provincial priorities or if regulatory burden could be reduced through alignment with the national code. The advisory panel will also consider whether requirements need to be enshrined in the code or if the same objectives could be achieved via guidance documents, reference standards, administrative or professional practices. That’s to be done through a “public-interest and safety-focused” lens. In the first phase of the consultation, which closed in mid-August, the public was invited to provide examples of their experience with elements of the code that they’ve found difficult to interpret, overly prescriptive without a commensurate gain in building performance, outdated and/or unwelcoming to alternative
approaches that could deliver equivalent or better results. The consultation paper posed eight broad questions, allowing a range of parties — architects, engineers, construction contractors, developers, municipal building officials and other stakeholders — to respond to those most relevant to their experience, expertise and interests. “Where possible, respondents should identify the relevant Building Code provision, section, topic or type of requirement, explain how the issue arises in practice, describe who is affected, and indicate whether the issue appears to be recurring or more limited in scope. Examples, evidence, and practical suggestions are greatly appreciated,” the consultation paper instructs.
FACILITATING PROGRESS
One question specifically addresses energy efficiency to explore whether stakeholders confront barriers to compliance and if they favour adjustments to either enhance or simplify current requirements. In this, energy management specialists maintain that harmonization with the national code’s tiered energy performance framework — four progressive tiers for commercial/institutional buildings and five for smaller Part 9 buildings — would provide consistency for code users and open up more flexibility to deliver the energy savings and peak demand reduction the Ontario government has prioritized. The Ontario Building Code’s supplemental standard for energy efficiency in large buildings, labelled SB-10, currently references the 2015 national energy code for buildings (NECB). That’s a 10-year lag behind the 2025 version, which provides tiered tracks for minimum performance and Canadian Property Management | Summer 2026 43
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some of the clarity issues and duplication and outdated provisions, then it’s reducing unnecessary frictions or just general inefficiencies that we find in the code.”
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
25%, 50% and 60% improved performance over that base. “It seems reasonable to harmonize SB-10 with NECB, as most professionals would appreciate consistency between provinces and territories,” notes Andrew Pride, an engineer and energy management consultant specializing in sustainability and strategic conservation planning. “The tiered energy performance framework offers a mechanism for industry players to advance at their own pace in a way that’s predictable and nationally consistent, and it’s one of the simplest ways to reduce the learning curve for all builders and suppliers.” Outdated or overly prescriptive provisions 44 Summer 2026 | Canadian Property Management
risk slowing the pace of progress — whether there is simply no option to get a product, configuration or technique approved for use, or the process for doing so is cumbersome, time-consuming and costly. Both those scenarios tend to keep owners/investors, developers, construction contractors, service providers and suppliers married to the status quo. “When it comes to innovative building materials or construction methods, if the code isn’t keeping up with how those methods roll into industry then it’s not as effective and useable as it should be, and that leads to interpretation problems and discrepancies among builders and building officials,” Jensen observed. “If we can address
The advisory panel will draw on responses to the consultation questions and additional engagement with technical experts and other identified parties to inform an interim report to be submitted to the Minister this fall. Although a final report is targeted for March 2027, Jensen speculates more time will be required. (Notably, an Ontario government review of the property tax and assessment system, launched in August 2023, is still in progress.) “It’s an extensive technical review. It’s going to need lots of stakeholder consultation,” she said. “My understanding is that a lot of groups have been approached.” From building officials’ perspective, Lane reported there is some trepidation that an overzealous approach to the task could undermine a code that has gained international respect for fostering a safe, healthy and durable built environment. “Since it was enacted in 1975, Ontario’s building code has been constantly developed and improved to be one of the most advanced construction codes in the world,” he said. “Some might say that the words in the code are written in blood, as most major advancements in the code are the result of major disasters and catastrophes.” In turn, Jensen reiterated that OHBA’s membership agrees that the code’s fundamental objectives are non-negotiable. “It’s about getting a better more efficient code, and ways we can find to make that happen while not lessening health and safety and durability of buildings,” she asserted. “I think the real measure of success is whether Ontario ends up with a code that is clearer, easier to administer, easier to comply with, better in line with today’s housing needs, addressing innovative construction materials and methods, and keeping provisions that need to remain because they serve an important purpose.”
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