News

More than four years after Target vacated the Hazeldean Mall, the Kanata shopping centre has landed a high-profile tenant to fill part of the space left empty by the U.S. retailer’s departure. GoodLife Fitness said Wednesday it plans to open a 50,000-square-foot “mega-club” at the west-end retail hub that will feature “state-of-the-art equipment and amenities” […]

On one hand, partnering with a Fengate Asset Management fund on two mid-rise apartment and retail buildings at the edge of downtown Ottawa is a significant step forward for Ottawa-based Regional Group of Companies. On the other, Regional Group chief operating officer Dave Wallace calls it a completely natural next step. “This is something we […]

Kanata’s Hazeldean Mall has been sold to new owners who are pledging to revitalize a property that’s still searching for a dominant anchor tenant more than four years after Target pulled up stakes. Ottawa real estate development company Regional Group announced it purchased the 40-year-old shopping centre from longtime owners BentallGreenOak (formerly Bentall Kennedy) in […]

Beware becoming ‘smart’ if we can’t think for ourselves – Apr 3 2019Oh my, don’t we stand on the cusp of a brave new world. But, are we poor humans doomed to grow dumber as a consequence of our environment becoming smarter? The thought occurred to me last week while reading a recent CBC story […]

A RENX article a couple of weeks back about the value of Canadian central business district office markets to high-tech companies got me thinking about the demographics of who are now flocking to live and work downtown. The aforementioned article by Steve McLean talked about how much value Canada’s urban cores provide to tech firms versus costlier […]

A reader of this column who works as a property assessment analyst posted an interesting question to me recently: As commercial cultivation of cannabis commences across Canada in repurposed facilities zoned for industrial use, what is the impact on property valuation and assessment across jurisdictions? Cultivation and production of cannabis at either a commercial or […]

A video presented at the Ottawa Real Estate Forum about the history and future of Ottawa’s new LRT. Told from the viewpoint of the Ottawa real estate industry, and featuring Ottawa’s Mayor, Jim Watson, the video speaks to the evolution of the LRT and the pivotal role it will play in the transformation and growth […]

Are your clients leaving money on the table?   OTTAWA – Property tax is one of those topics that has most people’s eyes glazing over in a matter of seconds. But it is an area where Canadian accountants can deliver added value to their firm’s clients by asking a few specific questions. I always say […]

Greystone Village’s River Terraces Ground Breaking Oct 3, 2017. From left to right: David Kardish, Josh Kardish, Mayor Jim Watson.   I vividly remember the Greystone Village Grand Opening, way back in September of 2015.  It was an eagerly anticipated event — a “plum” parcel of historic Ottawa was going to change shape. What exactly was […]