Non-Residential

Empire Life, which marks its 100-year anniversary in 2023, is moving out of the iconic heritage building and office complex in downtown Kingston that has served as its home base since 1936.

Located just south of Hwy. 417 about 56 kilometres southeast of Ottawa, the facility is slated to open this spring and will serve as a parts distribution warehouse for Ford Motor Co., which has a 15-year lease on the property.

Building owners, property managers and other Ottawa commercial real estate insiders itching to get a sense of which assets the federal government plans to offload from its downtown office portfolio in the wake of COVID-19 will have to wait a little longer.

The firm expects more tenants will look to downsize this year as they rethink their office requirements, resulting in more sublease space coming on the market. 

Public Services and Procurement Canada recently confirmed it cancelled the bidding process to select a private-sector contractor to redevelop a 26-acre site at 599 Tremblay Rd. near St. Laurent Boulevard.

At one million square feet, One60 Elgin – which opened in 1971 and was formerly known as Place Bell – is the fourth-largest office building in Ottawa and one of the city’s most widely recognized downtown landmarks.

IWG and TCC's expansion push comes as traditional office vacancy rates continue to climb amid widespread uncertainty about the future of the workplace.

Experts say there is no one-size-fits-all template for how to create a hybrid office.

Gatineau developer Construction Chartro's plan calls for four six-storey apartment buildings St. Joseph Boulevard, east of the Tenth Line Road on-ramps to Highway 174.