The Sales-To-New-Listings Ratio (SNLR) is a real estate metric that compares the number of homes sold to the number of new listings in a given period.. more
The halo effect in real estate refers to the positive influence that a popular or high-end development has on the surrounding property values and. more
Structural integrity refers to a building’s ability to withstand its intended loads without failure, deformation, or collapse during its lifecycle.. more
The three high-rise towers of DeVille at Quarry Park located at 83 Quarry Park Road SE in Calgary. / Fiera Real Estate
In January, Toronto-based Fiera Real Estate — the real estate subsidiary of Montreal-based Fiera Capital Corporation — announced that it was expanding its footprint in Calgary and acquiring three newly-developed rental buildings in the Quarry Park neighbourhood.
All three towers were constructed by Alberta-based developer Remington Development Corporation as part of its deVille development located immediately west of the Quarry Rock Remington YMCA. The development consists of three 13-storey rental towers with a grand total of 333 units. The three towers were completed in 2022 and 2023, according to Fiera.
Fiera did not disclose financial details, except that it made the acquisition through its Fiera Real Estate CORE Fund. However, the purchase price was $119,900,000, according to commercial real estate brokerage Avison Young.
All three properties belong to the same legal parcel, 83 Quarry Park Road SE, which has an assessed value of $111,770,000.
DeVille at Quarry Rock in Calgary. / Fiera Real Estate
"This strategic addition to the portfolio reflects Fiera's commitment to investing in high-quality, well-positioned assets across Canada," the firm said in its January press release. "The acquisition aligns with the CORE Fund's investment strategy, which targets well-located assets in key markets. Calgary's multi-residential market continues to demonstrate strong fundamentals, supported by favourable demographic trends and economic drivers. Quarry Park’s appeal as a live-work-play community further enhances the long-term potential of this investment."
In a separate announcement in January, Fiera Real Estate also said it had acquired a newly-developed six-storey rental building in the Marda Loop neighbourhood of Calgary. The rental building is known as Hudson, houses 123 units, and was developed by Calgary-based Sarina Homes. Financial details were not disclosed at the time and continue to remain unknown, but the property — located at 3360 16 Street SW — has an assessed value of $49,960,000.
Top 5 Commercial Real Estate Transactions In Calgary: Q1 2025
According to Avison Young, Fiera Real Estate's acquisition of DeVille in Quarry Park from Remington Development was the top transaction, by price, that occurred in Calgary in Q1 2025.
It was more than double that of the second-largest transaction, which was Synergy Skyline GP's acquisition of an industrial building located at 908 53 Ave NE from ONE Properties Skyline GP for $52,000,000.
Third on the list was Dynasty Power's acquisition of the Mahogany Village Commons retail complex located at 80 Mahogany Road SE from Hopewell Development for $49,300,000.
Next on the list was RioCan REIT's acquisition pertaining to the 29-storey 4th Street Lofts multi-family building located at 510 15 Avenue SW from Western Securities for $48,597,596. This transaction was previously disclosed in RioCan's Q1 2025 financial report, in which it said the transaction was for a 50% ownership interest.
Rounding out the top 5 was Castera Properties' acquisition of the Lyfe Residences located at 2410 33 Avenue SW from ICM GP for $42,250,000.
All in all, Avison Young says commercial real estate transaction volume in Calgary during the first quarter totalled $1.13 billion, which is approximately 39% lower compared to Q1 2024.
"Calgary's investment market is navigating a period of transition, balancing strong demand in certain sectors with challenges such as economic uncertainty and rising costs," said Avison Young. "Investors are adopting a cautious approach, focusing on sectors with sustained demand such as multifamily and essential retail, and considering the potential impacts of macroeconomic factors on investment returns."
13-storey mixed-use development planned for 3775-4005 Dundas Street West/SvN, Colliers
Just three months after the Ontario courts placed 3775-4005 Dundas Street West under receivership, the monitor has retained Colliers International to broker a sale of the site. The 1.28-acre property was being developed by real estate developer and asset manager TAS, which, early last year, opted to diversify its portfolio to include more urban industrial properties, citing more opportunity and less competition in that area.
TAS’s plans for the site included a 13-storey, mixed-use building designed by SvN, with 297 rental apartment units, 16,721 sq. ft of commercial space at grade, and 228 parking stalls in a three-level underground parkade.
The listing from Colliers describes the site as being successfully rezoned, but pending Site Plan Application approval to construct a maximum of 243,740 sq. ft of gross floor area (GFA) between Lambton Kingsway and Baby Point. The property additionally boasts 307 feet of frontage along Dundas Street West and is less than a 20-minute walk (three-minute drive) from the Lambton Golf and Country Club.
Specs:
Address: 3775-4005 Dundas Street West
Lot size: 1.28 acres
Approvals: Rezoned site, pending Site Plan approval for 243,740 sq. ft of GFA
Area pricing (condos): Meeting or exceeding $1,200 psf
Average unsold inventory (condos): Listed at $1,347 psf
Founded in the 1980s, Toronto-based TAS is well known for its work on high-profile residential projects like 2 Tecumseth Street and 880 Eastern Avenue. Despite reemphasizing its commitments to its urban industrial portfolio, TAS still has nine residential projects in various stages of the development pipeline, according to its website.
Property Linked To $17.5M Debt, Failed Attempt To Sell
The receivership order over 3775-4005 Dundas Street West, issued on March 6, 2025, stems from an application made by Cameron Stephens Mortgage Capital on December 11, 2024, which describes indebtedness exceeding $17.5 million and a failed attempt to sell.
According to the December 11 document, Cameron Stephens entered into a conditional loan agreement on April 19, 2021, which contemplated a loan facility of up to $22,500,000. The total loan amount consisted of a $16,262,500 tier I land loan and a $6,237,500 tier II pre-development loan. Repayment of the loan facility was forecasted within 12 months and was secured against a $27,000,000 first-ranking mortgage against the Dundas West property.
Cameron Stephens’ first advance came ten days later, on April 29, 2021, but TAS “subsequently” opted to cease the redevelopment in an effort to sell the property instead. As such, the property was listed for sale by Colliers that December, and an offer from an undisclosed purchaser for $38,000,000 was accepted, with a closing date set for July 5, 2022. That arrangement ended up falling through.
In the meantime, Cameron Stephens extended the loan repayment deadline to August 1, 2022, with the first purchase offer in mind, and then ended up extending it again to February 1, 2023, to give the borrower more time to secure a sale.
This was followed by third and fourth amendments to the commitment agreement to renew the loan further, one of the conditions of which was that TAS sell its stake in the 299 Campbell Avenue project, which is a completed and occupied 14-storey purpose-built rental, and use the proceeds to provide a $3,000,000 paydown – $2,000,000 per the third amendment and $1,000,000 per the fourth – on the outstanding loan.
On October 29, 2024, TAS advised that it was not in the position to make its payments, and on November 18, 2024, Cameron Stephens issued a demand for payment, which stated the total indebtedness to be around $17,017,038, together with any additional costs and with additional interest accruing at around $4,328 per day. By March 6, the indebtedness had climbed to around $17,505,744.
Meanwhile, a March 6, 2025, endorsement from Justice Cavanagh makes note of the fact that the Dundas West property has not been listed for sale since the failed sale transaction in 2022. This is despite the fact that TAS retained Cushman & Wakefield in November 2024.
When pressed about the matter, TAS’s Chief Investment Officer Khan Tran told the courts that, “Given the market turbulence over the last two years, there has been very limited transactions generally in the market, so having a structured sale process within that context would likely result in effectively failed processes.” In response, Justice Cavanagh concluded that, “This is the failure of the borrower to make diligent efforts since 2022 to sell the Property by publicly listing it for sale.”
When contacted for comment on the proceedings this past March, a spokesperson for TAS confirmed that the sale of 299 Campbell Avenue was closed at the end of February 2025, but declined to comment further.
Apartment buildings in Vancouver. / Volodymyr Kyrylyuk, Shutterstock
Real estate market activity is usually fairly strong this time of year, but this is not your typical year. A confluence of factors has tempered real estate markets across Canada and Vancouver is no exception.
According to new statistics published by Greater Vancouver Realtors (GVR) on Tuesday, a grand total of 2,228 residential sales were recorded in the region last month. That total is 18.5% lower than the 2,733 recorded in May 2024 (which was itself not a high point) and 30.5% lower than the 10-year average of 3,206 for May.
On the other side of the equation, last month saw 6,620 new residential listings come online, which was 3.9% higher than the 6,374 added in May 2024 and 9.4% higher than the 10-year average of 6,055 for May.
With this new batch of listings, the total amount of active listings in the region is now up to 17,094, which is 25.7% higher than the 13,600 following May 2024 and 45.9% higher than the 10-year average of 11,718 for May. According to Greater Vancouver Realtors, the total is also a new 10-year high.
As the laws of supply and demand dictate, when there is more supply than demand, prices fall, and that is indeed what is occurring in the Greater Vancouver real estate market. According to the latest statistics, the composite residential benchmark price is now $1,177,100, which is 0.6% lower than April 2025 and 2.9% lower than May 2024.
By property type, the benchmark price is now $1,997,400 for single-detached homes, $1,106,800 for attached homes, and $757,300 for condominiums. The benchmark price for attached homes increased by 0.4% from April 2025, but decreased by 1.2% and 0.7% for single-detached homes and condos, respectively. All three represent decreases of between 2.4% and 3.4% when compared to May 2024.
Market Analysis
"While there are emerging signs that sales activity might be turning a corner, sales in May were below the ten-year seasonal average, which suggests that some buyers are still sitting on the sidelines or are being especially selective," said Greater Vancouver Realtors Director of Economics and Data Analytics Andrew Lis. "On a year-to-date basis, sales in 2025 rank among the slowest to start the year in the past decade, closely mirroring the trends seen in 2019 and 2020. It's worth noting that sales rebounded significantly in the latter half of 2020, but whether sales in 2025 might follow a similar pattern remains the million-dollar question."
Based on the aforementioned statistics, the sales-to-active-listings ratio is now at 13.4%, where a ratio of 12% or lower is considered a buyers' market and a ratio of 20% or higher is considered a sellers' market. By property type, however, the ratio is 10.2% for single-detached homes, 17.4% for attached homes, and 14.7% for condos.
"With some of the healthiest levels of inventory seen in years, many sellers are adjusting price expectations, which has provided buyers more negotiating room and kept a firm lid on price escalation over the past few months," added Lis. "From a seasonal perspective, sales in the summer months are typically quieter than the spring, but with such an unusually slow spring, we may have an unusually busy summer with so many having delayed their purchasing decisions. Either way, the market continues tilting in favour of buyers, which bodes well for anyone looking to make a purchase this summer."
How the summer months play out and which direction the market goes may be heavily influenced, as it always is, by what the Bank of Canada does with its next interest rate announcement, although that has been less true this year. The announcement is scheduled for tomorrow morning and Canada's biggest banks are split on whether to expect a cut or a hold.
From Etobicoke to Scarborough, unassuming parcels of land across the Greater Toronto Area are constantly being eyed up and targeted for housing development by the region's (and country's) array of industrious builders and developers. And, as the City sees a steady stream of building applications, STOREYS is right there waiting to sift through architectural plans and planning rationales for the best and biggest (and coolest!) coming up across the region.
Each month brings something different, from affordable housing to multi-tower luxury condos — but here are five stand-out submissions that were on our radar in the month of May.
Location: 3130 and 3150 Danforth Avenue in Oakridge
Goodbye Beer Store, hello 36-storey mixed-use condo tower within walking distance of higher-order transit. Proposed by Crombie REIT and Northam Realty Advisors, this Danforth Avenue Beer Store location could soon be replaced with a stunning Arcadis-designed building that would provide 483 condo units and 7,297 sq. ft of at-grade retail space.
Along Danforth Avenue, future residents would also enjoy some of the city's best in entertainment, dining, and retail. Meanwhile, the nearby Victoria Park Station and Danforth GO would offer superb connectivity throughout Toronto and beyond.
Location: 120 Eglinton Avenue East in North Toronto
This massive tower proposed just steps from Eglinton Station would clock in at 70 storeys, or 231 metres, making it the tallest building in the surrounding area. Required for permit approval is a Zoning Bylaw Amendment to allow to the substantial height increase and an Official Plan Amendment to eliminate the 100% office replacement currently required on the site.
If approved, the development would deliver 555 condo units and 2,012 sq. ft of retail space to the bustling North Toronto neighbourhood. CORE Architects is the firm behind the building's design, which is defined by a cantilevered base and eye-catching crystalline pattern along the tower element.
Location: 2343-2363 Eglinton Avenue West in Caledonia-Fairbank
Joining the numerous other transit-supported developments proposed last month, this 43-storey tower would be situated within walking distance of Caledonia GO and the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT stop.
The building would be designed by RAW Design and would offer 638 residential units and 9,450 sq. ft of at-grade retail space. With its striking red brick exterior and a landscaped courtyard fronting on Eglinton Avenue, this project would enhance a vibrant corner of the city poised for accelerated development.
1728 Bloor Street West/Gabriel Fain Architects, Fairway Developments
Developer: Fairway Developments
Location: 1728 Bloor Street West in High Park North
This application is seeking to replace a Bloor Street West Tim Hortons with a 19-storey condo building offering just shy of 100 units and 934 sq. ft of retail space. The developer, Fairway Developments, has retained Gabriel Fain Architects to execute the building's design and Gabriel Fain has delivered with a handsome brick exterior with large retails windows at grade.
Future residents would be situated directly adjacent to Keele subway station and Bloor GO, just steps from the northeast entrance to the jewel of Toronto: High Park.
Location: 2912-2926 Sheppard Avenue East in Pleasant View
Retail plazas are a dime a dozen in the Greater Toronto Area, but Scarborough may soon have one less if this proposal for a 50-storey mixed-use development is approved. Plans from Hazelview Investments envision a towering structure, designed by architects—Alliance, with a large six-storey podium. The development would deliver 590 residential units and 3,013 sq. ft of retail space at grade.
Future residents would enjoy close proximity to Highway 401, 404, and the Don Valley Parkway, as well as CF Fairview Mall and a number of retail and dining options and green spaces.
The Stack in Vancouver (left) and two Centennial Place towers in Calgary (right). / Oxford Properties
On Tuesday, Toronto-based Oxford Properties announced that it had acquired full ownership of seven high-profile office buildings in Vancouver and Calgary, buying out the stakes of CPP Investments in all seven buildings.
The seven trophy office buildings are the Marine Building, MNP Tower, Guinness Tower, and The Stack in Vancouver, plus 400 Third, Centennial Place, and Eau Claire Tower in Calgary.
Oxford Properties — the real estate subsidiary of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) — says CPP Investments — which oversees investments on behalf of the Canada Pension Plan — owned a 50% stake in all of the buildings and that Oxford has closed on a transaction to buy out CPP's interests for a grand total of approximately $730 million.
Based on publicly-available property assessment data, the portfolio of properties has a value of just over $1.66 billion, while Oxford says the valuation of the portfolio was approximately $1.5 billion. The portfolio and details of each property are as follows.
The Marine Building is a designated heritage building that was originally constructed in 1930, characterized by its art deco design and masonry cladding. It rises 21 storeys and sits along Burrard Street between W Hastings Street and W Cordova Street, one block away from the Vancouver Convention Centre. Anchor tenants include Slalom Consulting ULC, ZGF Architects, and Chandler Associates Architecture Inc. Last month, Vancouver City Council approved a $4 million grant through the Heritage Incentive Program that will go towards envelope rehabilitation and seismic upgrades.
MNP Tower
Address: 1021 W Hastings Street, Vancouver
Constructed: 2014
Size: 277,000 sq. ft
BC Assessment Value: $402,709,000 (together with Guinness Tower)
The MNP Tower is directly to the west of the Marine Building and was constructed in 2014. It rises 35 storeys and anchor tenants include the namesake MNP, LGM Financial, CBRE, and Wheaton Precious Metals. The office tower was designed by New York-based Kohn Pederson Fox alongside Vancouver-based MCMP Architects and has won multiple awards. It belongs to the same legal parcel — 1055 W Hastings — as the adjacent Guinness Tower.
Guinness Tower
Address: 1055 W Hastings Street, Vancouver
Constructed: 1969 (renovated in 2014)
Size: 262,000 sq. ft
BC Assessment Value: $402,709,000 (together with MNP Tower)
The Guinness Tower is directly west of the MNP Tower, which together form one legal parcel. The building rises 23 storeys and tenants include Ledcor, GYLSA International Trading, Vayeghan Litigation, and Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel. The Guinness Tower was designed by Charles Paine and features ocean-green rectangular enamel panels alternating with a sleek glass facade. The Marine Building, MNP Tower, and the Guinness Tower are three of the four office towers in the area that together make up the network of office buildings that Oxford Properties refers to as Oxford Place. The fourth tower, which remains co-owned by Oxford and CPP, is Oceanic Plaza, located right across the street from the Guinness Tower.
Oxford Place, comprised of the Oceanic Plaza, Guinness Tower, MNP Tower, and Marine Building in Vancouver. / Oxford Properties
The newest of all the buildings involved in the transaction, The Stack is a 36-storey office tower that was completed post-pandemic. Designed by architect James Cheng, the building has a unique form that has the appearance of boxes stacked atop one another. Anchor tenants include Ernst & Young, Blakes, and DLA Piper, among others.
400 Third
Address: 400 3rd Avenue SW, Calgary
Constructed: 1988
Size: 820,000 sq. ft
Calgary Assessment Value: $130,220,000
Constructed in 1988, this 45-storey office tower was originally known as the Canterra Tower before being renamed the Devon Tower, although Oxford now refers to it as 400 Third. The building is a landmark within Calgary's skyline and has achieved various sustainability certifications. Notable tenants include law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, Werklund Ventures, and Richmond Equity Management Ltd., among others.
Centennial Place
Address: 250 5 Street SW (West Tower) + 520 3rd Avenue SW (East Tower) = 555 2 Avenue SW
Constructed: 2010
Size: 1,300,000 sq. ft
Calgary Assessment Value: $409,200,000
Located immediately west of the Devon Tower and connected via the Plus 15 network of skybridges, Centennial Place is comprised of the 25-storey West Tower and the 41-storey East Tower, which together make up one legal parcel. Anchor tenants of the West Tower include the Alberta Energy Regulator, Alberta Securities Commission, Crew Energy, and Arcis Corporation, while anchor tenants of the East Tower include Vermillion Energy, Baytex Energy, and Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Eau Claire Tower
Address: 600 3rd Avenue SW, Calgary
Constructed: 2016
Size: 611,000 sq. ft
Calgary Assessment Value: $193,860,000
Immediately west of Centennial Place and also connected to the Plus 15 network, the 25-storey Eau Claire Tower was completed in 2016 and includes an array of modern amenities and sustainability certifications. The building's anchor tenants include MEG Energy, Birchcliff Energy, and Peyto Exploration, among others.
400 Third, Centennial Place, and Eau Claire Tower in Calgary. / Oxford Properties
Oxford Properties and CPP Investments
With the transaction, Oxford Properties is signalling its confidence in top-tier office assets while CPP Investments continues to divest from such assets.
"Oxford has been a net seller of office for over a decade to achieve portfolio diversification," said Oxford Properties EVP Tyler Seaman. "We believe now is an opportune time to rotate capital back into this asset class, and this portfolio ticks all the right boxes."
"This transaction reaffirms our deep conviction in the outperformance of high-quality, well-located office properties and, more broadly, our conviction to invest in Canada," added Executive Chair Daniel Fournier. "We have deep admiration for our partners at CPP Investments, with whom we will continue to own a sizeable portfolio, and are proud to build on our successful, 20-year track record of doing business together, all in service of generating returns for Canadians and our respective pensioners."
For CPP Investments, the transaction announced signals the opposite, as it continues to divest from office assets across the country. In late-2024, CPP (and with AIMCo) sold its stake in the 2 Queen Street East in Toronto to Brookfield, as previously reported by STOREYS. In March, CPP then put 1 Queen Street East, which serves as its global HQ, on the market.
It is worth noting that last year, both Oxford and CPP sold their stakes in the office buildings at 401 W Georgia and 402 Dunsmuir Street in Vancouver to Germany-based Deka Immobilien for a reported $300 million.
In their joint press release today about the current sale, CPP's Managing Director, Head of Real Estate Sophie van Oosterom described the transaction as "a continuation of our Real Estate strategy to secure strong business plan execution and redeploy capital into new opportunities, supporting the continued growth and performance optimization of our global real estate portfolio."
Following the transaction, CPP Investments' portfolio of office assets in Canada will include only the Oceanic Plaza in Vancouver and five office buildings in Toronto, according to a list of its real estate holdings dated March 31, 2025.
A multi-unit rowhouse in the Grovenor neighbourhood of Edmonton. / Infill Development In Edmonton Association
On October 23, 2023, Edmonton City Council approved an overhaul of its zoning bylaw, ending exclusionary zoning and allowing up to eight units per residential lot by default. The change, delivered as Zoning Bylaw 20001, came into effect on January 1, 2024, and the City has seen the results it was hoping for, according to a report heading to the Urban Planning Committee today.
Under the previous zoning bylaw, most commonly-sized residential lots could be developed with up to six dwelling units without the need for rezoning, but only for lots in specific locations and zones. The new zoning bylaw introduced the RS Zone, also known as the Small Scale Residential Zone, and allowed up to eight or more units on any residential lot — with slight variations depending on the lot size, location, and other factors.
"The RS Zone is intended to allow for a range of small scale housing forms, such as single detached housing, semi-detached housing, row housing and multi-unit housing up to three storeys in height within redeveloping areas of the city," the report notes. "It replaced six low density residential zones in Zoning Bylaw 12800, expanding the potential for multi-dwelling housing in existing neighbourhoods."
According to the City report, a grand total of 555 residential development permits were issued in 2024 for housing forms such as single-detached homes, semi-detached homes, rowhouses, and multiplexes — together often referred to as "missing middle" housing. The 555 residential development permits issued in 2024 consisted of:
Single-detached homes with one unit: 159 permits (28.6%)
Single-detached homes with a secondary suite: 100 permits (18.0%)
Row houses: 165 permits (29.7%)
Semi-detached homes: 117 permits (21.1%)
Multiplexes: 14 permits (2.5%)
On a unit basis, the City says multi-dwelling housing accounted for approximately 85% of all new units approved in RS zones, of which over half (50.6%) took the form of row houses. On average, row houses added 146 new units per year between 2019 and 2023, but that number jumped all the way to 1,216 in 2024.
The report also notes that 177 development permits were issued in 2024 for backyard houses that resulted in 258 new dwelling units, indicating that even new backyard housing is including multiple units.
Overall, the total amount of missing middle housing units more than doubled from 2023 to 2024, from a bit over 1,000 units to about 2,300 units.
Number of missing middle housing units approved from 2019 to 2024. / City of Edmonton
The report going to the Urban Planning Committee today is focused on whether to introduce incentives to encourage more multi-dwelling housing. However, because of the significant uptake that was seen in 2024, Administration is not recommending any new incentives be introduced at this time.
"Based on the development permit and variance analysis of multi-dwelling housing and feedback received from the targeted stakeholder interviews, Administration does not recommend introducing amendments to Zoning Bylaw 20001 to create incentives for multi-dwelling housing. For the purpose of allowing and approving a range of small scale multi-dwelling housing opportunities, the RS Zone is working as intended. The analysis highlights that a variety of different housing forms are being approved and the maximum allowable unit density is not always sought out."
"Zoning Bylaw 20001 made a shift away from regulating specific residential built forms to allow applicants or homeowners greater choice in how they redevelop their properties," City staff added. "As the data illustrates, a variety of different housing forms are being approved in the RS Zone. Single detached housing is being built with and without additional dwellings, but these sites could be renovated or added onto in the future. The different residential built forms and configurations adds to the diversity of housing possible in the RS Zone and greater choice for Edmontonians."
Under Zoning Bylaw 20001, there already exists an incentive that allows for a 2% increase to maximum site coverage in order to accommodate single-storey unenclosed front porches, retention of existing historical buildings, and supportive housing or inclusive design in 20% of the proposed units, but the City says the incentive has not been utilized much due to the costs outweighing the benefits.
Zoning Bylaw 20001 One Year Review
In addition to the aforementioned report, also going to the Urban Planning Committee today is the first-year review of Zoning Bylaw 20001, which introduced changes to other forms of development as well as development approval processes. Even with the wider scope, the results indicate that the new zoning bylaw has had a positive impact, as a total of 16,511 new housing units were approved in 2024, which represented a 30% increase from 2023.
"The Zoning Bylaw is intended to enable a greater variety of homes in all neighbourhoods so that all people have access to different housing options. In 2024, 40% of proposed dwelling units were approved in the redeveloping area, half of which were multi-unit housing dwellings such as apartments. In addition, there were approximately four times as many row housing dwellings approved in the redeveloping areas in 2024 than in each of the previous five years (2019-2023). Only about five per cent of dwelling units approved in the redeveloping area in 2024 were for single detached housing. This indicates that the redeveloping area is supporting increased population growth and more housing choice."
Zoning Bylaw 20001 also had the goal of streamlining regulations through more permitted uses and fewer discretionary uses. On this front, the results were also positive, with the proportion of permitted developments increasing from an average of 79% between 2019 and 2023 to 94% in 2024. Accordingly, the City saw a significant reduction of rezonings to direct control zones, from an average of 60 per year between 2019 and 2023 to just 17 in 2024, which represented the lowest total of the past six years. The City also said that 2024 saw the highest proportion of rezonings from a direct control zone to a standard zone since 2019, a sign that applicants are finding standard zones sufficiently-suitable.
As it relates to missing middle housing, the review also examined the set maximum of eight units per lot. According to the City, 242 development permits were issued in 2024 for sites that met the requirements to accommodate up to eight units. However, only 122 opted to go to the maximum potential allowed for their site.
Development permits issued for 8 or more units and development permits issued for less than 8 units. / City of Edmonton
"Administration also reviewed variance data related to the site area and unit maximums to further understand the effectiveness of this requirement in the Zoning Bylaw. Only one permit was issued with a variance for a row house development to relax the minimum site area per dwelling regulation to allow for eight dwelling units. Nine permits for backyard housing received variances to the site area regulation, including three where there were more than eight dwelling units on the site. This indicates that the majority of applicants are adhering to the dwelling limits of the RS Zone."
"As the data illustrates, applicants and property owners are exercising a variety of housing choices in the RS Zone," staff added. "The eight unit maximum is introducing more housing units to the redeveloping areas, supporting The City Plan’s housing targets and providing much needed housing supply to address the rapid increase in population Edmonton has experienced in the past few years. However, considering that the eight dwelling limit has only been in effect for 18 months and the analysis above only represents one year of data, Administration will continue to monitor development trends related to the maximum dwelling limit in the RS Zone."
Later this month, however, staff will be making a series of recommendations regarding regulation changes to improve building and site design outcomes, including those pertaining to increasing side setbacks, reducing maximum building lengths, reducing the number of entrances that can face a side yard, and expanding design articulation requirements, among other things.
The Province of BC is overriding local government decisions to an alarmingly undemocratic degree, say housing experts and former policymakers.
The NDP government just passed controversial Bill 13 and Bill 15, which give the Province the power to fast-track land use and public sector and infrastructure decisions. A year and a half ago, they passed Bill 44, which expedites development by requiring local government to update zoning bylaws to permit multi-family housing in single-family areas, limits public hearings for projects that are consistent with the official community plan (OCP), and mandates that local governments update their OCP every five years.
Meanwhile, Bill 47 requires municipalities to designate transit-oriented areas within 800 meters of transit hubs for residential towers. And the Housing Supply Act allows the Province to set housing targets for communities suited to the highest projected growth. West Vancouver was one municipality not meeting its targets, so the Province hired an adviser who recently released a report, and the municipality was given directives by the Minister of Housing to amend its OCP for greater density.
But the newest legislation, say critics, goes too far, giving the Province “an unprecedented authority to override local planning, ignore zoning bylaws, and silence public consultation,” wrote Erick Villagomez, Part-Time Lecturer at the University of British Columbia's (UBC) School of Community and Regional Planning, in a piece he shared with media. He said the Province has effectively amended the Vancouver Charter so that a developer application for a 20-storey tower can override an OCP that calls for six storeys.
“They are attempting to put all local planning under provincial control,” he said in an email. It's no longer about incentive, he adds, it’s now an ultimatum.
“For our part, we see the bills as particularly vague and understand they could be used to stifle community feedback and government transparency around the province for land use and housing,” says Karen Finnan, Spokesperson for the Kitsilano Coalition, which recently won a year-long battle against the City by managing to overturn provincial legislation designed to push a controversial project through.
“We believe community feedback is key to building successful communities, so these bills are concerning for many reasons,” says Finnan.
The community group had fought hard against a 129-unit, 12-storey supportive housing project on city-owned land, arguing that a low-barrier shelter for men that included a drug-consumption room was not suitably located. “Low barrier” housing provides access for people who may have addictions, who are low-income, or who may have other complex needs that prevent them from finding housing. But the Coalition argued that there should be more suitable supportive housing adjacent to 450 elementary school students, a daycare, and a children’s play area.
The City had approved the rezoning and asked the Province to create legislation intended to expedite the project. It took effort and legal expense, but the Coalition won an appeal at BC Court of Appeal late last year, which found the legislation unconstitutional. And just recently, the City walked back its decision to approve the rezone and the development.
Darlene Marzari is a former city councillor who served as the Province’s Minister of Municipal Affairs for the NDP until 1996. Marzari has stayed active on community issues, and has come out swinging against Bill 13 in particular, which she argues is designed to give the Province too much power.
“My worst fear was that an incoming provincial government, my government, the NDP, would decide that they would take over zoning of city councils,” says Marzari, seated in her Kitsilano home. “It's an extraordinary provincial power grab of municipal authority and local democracy. That's what Bill 13 does, and it pretends to be just a small Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act.”
Critics argue that land values have spiked 600% since the 1960s, and merely adding more market-rate housing supply will not lead to reduced housing costs. But the prevailing mindset is that if we just add more supply, prices will somehow come down to an affordable level. It's a mindset adopted by government, which believes that zoning laws are an obstacle to progress. By extension, the democratic practice of public engagement in local area plans and at public hearings for rezonings is also often seen as an obstacle — even though it is traditionally the process used by citizens to determine the way their neighbourhoods will grow.
“Zoning is to blame — that’s what the system says, right? But in fact, the system only says that because they want to blame cities for holding back on permits and licenses and development permits,” Marzari says. “People are not aware that not only does [the new legislation] take over local area planning, but it also takes over city planning and any planning, whether it be a school, hospital or a transit corridor that the province deems necessary.”
Housing activist and founder of the popular CityHallWatch watchdog site, Randy Helten, envisions the Province using its new powers to push through an extension of the Broadway subway line to University of BC, and the density that would go with it.
“If the Province designates a project as of provincial strategic importance, they can go in and take over municipal planning powers,” says Helten. “I could see this [new Bill 15] lining up in the near future where the province says, ‘We designate the UBC extension as a significant project,’ and once the pieces are in place, there would be no more public hearings. The Broadway Plan could be extended as far as you could go to UBC, then you would have a swath of very valuable land upzoned.”
Patrick Condon, Founding Chair of the UBC Urban Design program, says the bills “make local planning and citizen input at the local level increasingly irrelevant.” And Ken Cameron, retired Senior Planner for the Greater Vancouver Regional District (Metro Vancouver), said there’s a basic principle and tradition in BC that the province gives local governments what they need to do their job.
“This really goes against that,” he says of the new legislation. Also, the disregard for existing zoning is concerning, he adds.
“The zoning represents years of planning for community development, for infrastructure, for transportation, for even health and other public services. And so, just arbitrarily saying, ‘You can build this kind of tower in this location and that kind of tower in another location if there's a transit hub nearby,’ is just incredibly simplistic.
“This is not to say that there were not some things in the development controls that needed to be fixed, but I don't think there's an adequate understanding of what arbitrary intervention in zoning could create in terms of the cost of community services and the disruption of community planning and development.”
The new legislation by the NDP government also seems to contradict its own legislation that was ushered in by Marzari in 1995, with the enactment of the Growth Strategies Statutes Amendment Act. That Act came out of an agreement between the Province and local governments that there was a need to work together to manage growth.
“The legislation that she introduced, the Growth Strategies Act, was intended to enable regional districts and municipalities to plan together on a regional level with infrastructure and other services, including housing, healthcare and all the rest of it on a regional basis,” says Cameron. “And in this legislation and that legislation that was passed previously, [such as bills 44 and 47], the Province just shows no awareness of the existence of that legislation brought in by an NDP government.”
The Union of BC Municipalities, which represents all local governments in the province, did not take issue with Bill 13, although the organization has asked the province to withdraw Bill 15.
The UBCM said in a statement that they had been briefed on Bill 13 before it was introduced and believe it to be a continuation of the Housing Supply Act.
“While the powers the Province has provided to itself through the Housing Supply Act are substantive and significant, in our view the changes in Bill 13 do not alter the intention of the original legislation (that is, to provide the Province with the same powers in relation to all local governments in BC with regard to housing targets),” said the statement.
In a separate statement, the City of Vancouver said it was “still reviewing these bills and their implications,” and it “works closely with the province to support shared goals around housing, infrastructure, and transit oriented development and our ongoing approach is to work collaboratively to deliver the housing and public infrastructure people need.”
From top middle: Duncan Smith, Matt Hilder, Gavin Swartzman, Maxime Menard, Andrew Goodyear, Randy Hoffman
Like our ever-changing cities and towns, Ontario's real estate and development landscape (and the people who make it run) are also ever-changing. From new hires and retirements to promotions and partnerships, here are all the notable moves, updates, and appointments you should know about from May.
National
Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers has started as the new Chief of Staff for Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson.
Henry Yu has been promoted to Portfolio Manager at CPP Investments.
Gavin Swartzman has been announced as the next President of Christie’s International Real Estate brand.
Maxime Menard has been appointed Global President and CEO of Fiera Capital.
Michael Quast has joined Passive House Canada as CEO.
Sean Lowry has joined RE/MAX Canada’s Regional Development Team as Director.
At SmartCentres REIT, Adam Slan has started as an Associate Leasing Representative, while Mohammad Zeidi has been promoted to Director of Development.
Jamie Steinmetz has been promoted to VP of Investments at Lankin Investments.
Julia Morassutti has joined Crestpoint as Manager of Asset Management.
Kathleen Taylor has been appointed Chair of the Board of Directors for Mattamy Asset Management.
Kathy Axmith has started a new position as Senior Real Estate Manager Ontario at McDonald’s Canada.
Dustin Luchka has been promoted to VP of Marketing and Communications at EllisDon, while Nicholas Markov has been promoted to Director of EllisDon Developments.
Max Dalsin has started a new position as Director of Mortgage Investments at KingSett Capital.
Brokerages
Jessica Whiting has joined Cushman & Wakefield, Ottawa, as VP, after 10 years at Colliers.
Peter Garrigan has been promoted to Executive Managing Director, Ontario, at Colliers.
Kate Rizzardo has joined JLL Toronto as an Associate.
Government
Andrew Goodyear has started as VP of Development at Infrastructure Ontario.
Matt Hilder has been promoted to Toronto’s Housing Secretariat as Project Director, Housing Policy and Strategy.
Sue Chen has joined the City of Toronto as Manager of Housing Development & Revitalization.
Diana Chan McNally has joined the City of Toronto's Housing Rights Advisory Committee, for a term of office ending on November 14, 2026.
Finance
Andrea Galloway has started a new position as Insolvency Officer at RBC.
Other
Alex Beheshti has joined the Missing Middle Initiative.
Julia Dyck has started a new role as Planning Analyst at Urbanation.
Dean Perlman has joined KSV Advisory as a Senior Manager in its Toronto restructuring practice.
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TRENDING: Ontario Real Estate And Development Industry Hires And Promotions