Canadian Property Management - GTA & Beyond

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 R T Y M A N AG E R S

VOL. 23 NO. 6 • OCTOBER 2016

TORONTO'S PROPOSED PARKING LEVY HIGH-RISE EVACUATIONS WOMEN IN THE CLEANING INDUSTRY BALANCING TENANT COMFORT AND HVAC DESIGN MPAC'S NEW VALUATION APPROACH

PARKING GARAGE REHABILITATIONS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CONTENTS COVER STORY

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16

PREPARING FOR PARKING GARAGE REHABILITATIONS

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SAFE PROTOCOLS FOR HIGH-RISE EVACUATIONS

Solid planning and professionals are key to successful repairs

IN THIS ISSUE

08

MPAC ADOPTS NEW VALUATION APPROACH FOR MULI-RES

12

QUESTIONING TORONTO'S PROPOSED PARKING LEVY

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BALANCING TENANT Concrete Slab COMFORT AND HVAC DESIGN

Low Cap Rates Underpin a Spike in Values with Reassessment

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FEW WOMEN AT TOP LEVELS OF THE CLEANING INDUSTRY Organization pushes for gender diversity in top roles and retaining women

Critics weigh in on city's revenueboosting strategy

Nine reasons to re-think full-building evacuations

Concrete Slab Lifting Lifting

REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY! For many property managers, it can be TECHNOLOGY! REVOLUTIONARY Pools Patios Basement Floors Driveways Soil Stabilization challenging to balance the indoor Pools Patios Basement Floors Driveways Soil Stabilization environment of a building with the comfort of its occupants

Concrete Slab Lifting Concrete Slab Lifting

Sunken Slab

Sunken Slab

REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY! Pools REVOLUTIONARY ● Patios ● TECHNOLOGY! Basement Floors ● DrivewaysBefore ● Soil Stabilization Sunken

Sidewalk Before Pools Basement Driveways Soil Stabilization SidewalkFloors Before BeforePatios Pools Patios Basement Floors Driveways Soil Stabilization Sunken

Concrete Slab Lifting REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY! 4 GTA & BEYOND ■ OCTOBER 2016 PolyMor_PMR_September_2014.indd 1

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ALL NEW LOOK

Coverage that is setting the standard in the Real Estate Management Industry.

Online Exclusives

October 2016

CIBC Mellon adds Mississauga office

Facilities slack in averting bird collisions

Growth is a common reason for companies to relocate.

Indeed, it was one of two key drivers behind CIBC Mellon’s recent move into a Mississauga outpost. The financial services provider was in expansion mode after acquiring new business.

Inside a small office in Toronto City Hall, team members of Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada, a non-profit organization that protects migratory birds in urban settings, are feeding a golden-crowned kinglet and that was injured after colliding into a building in the Greater Toronto Area.

New research investigates condo governance New research into condominium governance found that board members, property managers and unit owners have a number of familiar topics on their minds.

All the Buzz

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Schools face risk of cockroach infestation

Low scores in infrastructure benchmark debut

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EDITOR’S NOTE

PUBLISHER STEPHANIE PHILBIN stephaniep@mediaedge.ca | x262

MANY HANDS, LIGHT WORK

EDITOR MATTHEW BRADFORD matthewb@mediaedge.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

TERRY BRUNS BARB CARSS DOUGLAS LEE REBECCA MELNYK PHILIP SARVINIS

ADVERTISING SALES SEAN FOLEY seanf@mediaedge.ca | x225

There's no such thing as a dull day in property management. Whether it's undergoing maintenance, tackling tenant issues, or making future plans, building staff and stakeholders are constantly moving to keep their properties thriving.

For that reason, we've dedicated this issue to highlighting a handful of the most common 'to-do' items in property management with help from the service professionals who are relied upon to do them. We've also scanned the Toronto landscape for upcoming developments that demand equal attention.

Up first are two items in the news that stand to influence building operations. Please read with interest Barb Carss's MPAC Adopts New Valuation Approach for Multi-Res and Questioning Toronto's Proposed Parking Levy for a look at new developments that could soon be adding to your “to-do” (or “to pay”) list soon.

Philip Sarvinis from Read Jones Christoffersen also joins us this issue to run through the prep-work required for successful parking space renovations. His piece, Preparing for Parking Garage Rehabilitations, is comprehensive to say the least and worth a read for anyone approaching the renewal of one of their property's biggest assets.

Joining him this issue are also Terry Bruns, CEO at WPS Disaster Management Solutions, with insights into emergency planning; and Douglas Lee, Principal at M&E Engineering, who draws from his experience managing tenant expectations in Balancing Tenant Comfort and HVAC Design.

We give a lot of due credit to the property managers and on-site staff who make their buildings tick. Yet as they and anyone else in the industry are aware, it takes a network of trusted service professionals to make sure every last job is taken care of.

We are always looking for new services and viewpoints to highlight in our issue. If you have a story to share, or are open to for a Q&A on your slice of the industry, please feel free to contact me at matthewb@mediaedge.ca.

MATTHEW BRADFORD matthewb@mediaedge.ca

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2016-10-27 9:39 AM

INDUSTRY NEWS

MPAC ADOPTS N VALUATION APP FOR MULTI-RES Low Cap Rates Underpin a Spike in Values with Reassessment

BY BARBARA CARSS

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ssessment notices for nearly 16,000 Ontario multi-residential properties were mailed out in mid-October, delivering valuations determined for the first time with the newly adopted direct capitalization methodology. Property owners had been promised an advance look and nonadversarial opportunities to adjust values before the assessment roll is finalized,

but that occurred on a fairly limited scale as the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) pushed to reassess about 5.4 million properties province-wide ahead of the next four-year assessment cycle, which begins with the 2017 tax year.

"A select few of our clients were provided a two-week window to review the top-line numbers for their portfolios, but we're still missing some pieces of the

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Looking across the broader spectrum of business properties, lawyer and property tax specialist Stephen Longo concurs that jumps in value have been most pervasive in the multi-residential and retail sectors. He attributes significant spikes in multiresidential values to the new valuation approach and, more

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MULTI-RESIDENTIAL TAX RATES CONTINUE TO BE AT LEAST TWO TIMES GREATER THAN THE RESIDENTIAL RATE IN MOST ONTARIO MUNICIPALITIES, AND INDUSTRY ADVOCATES ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GETTING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO NARROW THAT RATIO IS FORMIDABLE AND LIKELY TO BE ONGOING CHALLENGE.

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specifically, the low capitalization (cap) rates MPAC has employed.

"I anticipate a lot of appeals," says Longo, who is a partner with Walker West Longo LLP. "I'm sure this isn't what the sector had in mind when it talked about getting away from the gross income multiplier approach."

CALLS FOR REFORM Indeed, the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) advocated for the switch to valuations calculated on net operating income (NOI) in place of the gross income multiplier – a methodology that most other North American assessment agencies had already abandoned.

Applying the approach that the real estate industry conventionally uses in appraising, buying and selling apartment buildings is considered generally more reflective of actual market values.

"It is going to modernize how they determine the value and then make it more transparent," submits Scott Andison, FRPO's President and Chief Executive Officer. "It will be a great benefit in terms of catching any data errors up front and reducing the need for appeals."

The change aligns with FRPO's campaign for property tax reform, which also focuses on the disproportionate share of the tax burden that multi-residential ratepayers and their tenants carry. Multiresidential tax rates continue to be at least two times greater than the residential rate in most Ontario municipalities, and industry advocates acknowledge that getting local governments to narrow that ratio is a formidable and likely to be ongoing challenge.

"We said: Let's get the assessment system fixed in the meantime," Andison explains.

Among the improvements, he cites the promised accompanying policy and procedures manual to clearly set out how the direct capitalization methodology is to be applied. This is the first time MPAC has produced such a guidance document for multi-residential properties – stating rules that can be used to gauge whether assessors have properly determined values – and Andison maintains it will be a valuable tool for property owners making a case for a revised value and for Assessment Review Board adjudicators tasked with determining the appropriateness of a value.

In contrast to some negative reviews, he tells of FRPO members' satisfaction

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INDUSTRY NEWS

with the values they've seen through the advance disclosure process.

"We're hearing: Yes, they are in the ballpark," Andison recounts. "My understanding is that multi-res values have increased proportionately to the average value increases across all classes in many geographic areas, suggesting that, while values have in fact gone up, the relative tax burdens are relatively similar."

VALUATION ASSUMPTIONS QUESTIONED When used to gauge expected investment returns, a cap rate expresses the net revenue a single building will generate as a percentage of its overall value – factoring in its operating costs, looming requirements for capital expenditures and untapped potential to garner higher rents.

When applied to property assessment, analysts warn that a standard cap rate across larger groupings of buildings makes it more difficult to capture building-level variables that influence value.

"You may have two buildings on a street that are almost identical, yet one has rents 20 per cent higher because it has renovated units. Using the same cap rate will undervalue the lower-rent building and overvalue the higher one," observes Lorenzo DiGianfelice, a certified appraiser and broker with Commercial Focus Realty Inc. Gibson voices concern that not enough details were collected to adequately differentiate buildings' expenses. Similar to the protocol for assessment using the gross income multiplier methodology, property owners were required to submit information about revenue and operating costs, but he characterizes it as a "top line" survey with no breakdown of key building performance indictors like electricity and water costs. Perhaps more problematically, he contends that MPAC multi-res cap rates aren't realistic.

"The cap rates we're seeing (in advance disclosure) are in the range of 3.25 to 3.5," Gibson says. "There's no question cap rates are at historic lows right now, but we don't even see them that low in the marketplace. The institutional players building new buildings are running pro formas on an 18-month lease-up at a 4.5 cap rate because that's what they need to get a stabilized income. For MPAC to apply a 3.25 cap is way too aggressive."

"The question is: How did MPAC create these values? Where did they get these inputs from and where did they get these cap rates from?" Longo agrees.

Property owners will have until February 15, 2017 to adjust their valuations through the Request for Reconsideration process, which involves informal discussion and negotiation with MPAC. Beyond that, they can formally appeal to Ontario's Assessment Review Board – a scenario far from rare for

landlords given that previous reassessments have spurred appeals on up to 40 per cent of multi-residential properties.

"Smaller property owners were left out of the advance disclosure and they are the ones who tend, for the most part, to drive the appeals," Longo notes. ■

____________________________________________________________________________________ BARBARA CARSS IS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF CANADIAN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE REMI NETWORK (WWW.REMINETWORK.COM).

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INDUSTRY NEWS

QUESTIONING TORONTO'S PROPOSED PARKING LEVY

Critics weigh in on city's revenue-boosting strategy

BY MATTHEW BRADFORD

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he City of Toronto is considering a commercial parking levy as one of many revenue-boosting strategies in its near future, yet some critics believe the fee would fall short of its objectives.

The levy was tabled with several other tax initiatives in the city's recent study, Enhancing Toronto’s Business Climate – It’s Everybody’s Business. The report suggests a $0.50 to $1.50 parking levy be applied to owners of any commerciallyowned parking stalls, whether they are paid or unpaid, and above ground or below. In so doing, it estimates that Toronto's inventory of approximately 1.05

million parking spaces could generate upwards of $574.9 million annually.

“Overall, a parking sales tax or levy could have a positive impact on the city’s ability to generate sustainable revenue streams,” the report asserts. “Recent studies have shown general support from the public when it comes to parking taxes and levies if the revenue raised is used to fund investments in transit and transportation.”

The report argues that a parking levy would be easier to implement and more lucrative than a parking sales tax. It also suggests that such an initiative could encourage consumers to use alternate

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forms of transportation, thereby reducing traffic and theMY environment impacts of congestion.

CY Yet while a parking levy offers benefits on paper, some believe the revenue-generating strategy would ultimately do more harmCMY than good in application. One of the most vocal opponents toK the plan is the Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac), which argues the levy would be particularly burdensome in the City of Toronto, since real estate is already overburdened by city policy.

“At a time when the city is trying to attract more capital investment, jobs, and business opportunities, is it really willing to impose more and more regulation?” asks Brooks Barnett, REALpac Coalition Coordinator. “Toronto commercial property owners already pay more in property taxes than they would in most of Canada's largest cities. Compound that with extra extractions on www.REMInetwork.com

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INDUSTRY NEWS

TORONTO'S PARKING LEVY IS STILL AN IDEA FOR NOW. AND WITH THE REPORT IN HAND, IT'S LIKELY THE CITY WILL LET STAKEHOLDERS WEIGH IN ON IT AND OTHER TAX INITIATIVES DURING CONSULTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE FALL.

the industry, and the suggested parking levy, and city policy makers will soon find that Toronto is even more uncompetitive versus other key markets.”

Barnett adds the levy would represent a massive tax increase on Toronto businesses and, as the concentration of unpaid commercial spaces subject to the levy is outside of the downtown core, it would unfairly pit suburban businesses versus downtown businesses in terms of revenue raise. Moreover, REALpac believes the levy would become a de facto property tax increase that would ultimately be passed down to tenants.

While Toronto's report offers several case studies depicting regions where parking levies have helped to raise revenues, Brooks says Toronto is particularly illfitting for a levy as it already has one of the highest commercial tax rates in North America. According to the Toronto Real Estate Coalition's June 2016 study, Response to Revenue Tool Options Report, a new parking levy would be equal to a 44% increase in commercial property tax.

“It's bad for our industry, bad for business in general, and bad for the city of Toronto,” Barnett insists, adding that the implementation and maintenance of a parking levy would also require a notable investment of time, money, and manpower.

“A parking levy is administratively complex to enact. As a case in point, look at the Vancouver scenario, which was significant for its administrative complexity that ultimately led to a repeal of the levy framework.”

Toronto's parking levy is still an idea for now. And with the report in hand, it's likely the city will let stakeholders weigh in on it and other tax initiatives during consultations throughout the fall. REALpac is one of numerous organizations who intend to voice its concerns in the months ahead.

The City Council is expected make a decision on the levy and the report's other recommendations this December. ■

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PREPARING FOR PARKING GARAGE REHABILITATIONS

Solid planning and professionals are key to successful repairs

BY PHILIP SARVINIS

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ore and more, structural restoration /building science engineering firms are being asked to provide consulting services for the rehabilitation of deteriorated parking structures.

As property owners and managers are surely aware, the main cause of parking garage deterioration is road salt being brought into the garage, which in turn contaminates the structural parking slabs of the garage. As the snow/slush melts off the vehicles and drips onto the structural slab, it migrates through the structural slab to the embedded reinforcing steel.

Once the chloride ions (salt) and water reach the level of the embedded reinforcing steel, a chemical reaction occurs. This breaks down the passive protective layer that is naturally created around the embedded reinforcing steel when it is cast into concrete. As this

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passive layer breaks down, corrosion of the embedded reinforcing steel occurs, causing the reinforcing concrete structure to deteriorate. The three key ingredients of the corrosion process are chloride ions, water, and oxygen (which is always present in our environment).

In general, the sequence for the successful rehabilitation of a deteriorated parking structure is as follows...

CONDITION ASSESSMENT The first step in a project of this nature is to retain a consultant who specializes in the field of parking garage design, assessment, and repair. First and foremost, this firm should undertake a comprehensive assessment of the structure to identify the types of deterioration, the cause of the deterioration, and the most cost-effective solution to repair and protect this structure against future ongoing deterioration.

A typical assessment includes a combination of destructive and nondestructive testing, including: • A visual survey • A chain drag survey • A hammer tap survey • A half-cell potential survey • A core sample extraction for chloride ion content testing • Concrete absorption testing to measure the effectiveness of surface sealers (if present) • Rapid chloride ion permeability testing to determine the effectiveness of the existing waterproofing system • Tensile bond strength testing of waterproofing systems to confirm adhesion to the structure slab.

The extensiveness of the survey will depend on the consultant's expertise, the extent of visually obvious distress,

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and the owner's risk adversity. More comprehensive surveys provide moreCMY accurate results with less risk on the K outcome, and more comprehensive reviews provide more information such that realistic and feasible repair options can be formulated completey with the pros and cons associated with each of the options (e.g., localized repair, partial replacement, and complete slab replacement).

Upon completion of the testing, the consulting firm should be able to analyze the results and recommend the most cost-effective solution and provide their opinion of the probable construction cost of undertaking the repairs.

REPAIR SPECIFICATIONS AND TENDER DOCUMENT PREPARATION Once the repair program has been developed, the next step is to prepare tender documents, specifications, and www.REMInetwork.com

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RENOVATIONS

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drawings which fully define the work to be undertaken. To better protect the owner against unnecessary extras, the documents should utilize the standard CSC 3-Part Master Format style. This style will allow the consulting firm to adequately define the technical portion of the work, as well as to provide guidelines for equally important logistical items, such as: 1. Requirements relating to the use of the site 2. Restrictions relating to access, hours of work, etc.

3. Phasing requirements 4. The sequence in which the work is to be performed 5. Protection of public and property 6. Noise, odour, and other environmental issues 7. Warranties 8. Administrative issues The logistics associated with the project need to be clearly defined in the tender and construction documents so that all the bidders are bidding on the same scope of

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work and understand the owner/building's requirements for the project. This also ensures the successful contractor is working in accordance with stated requirements and avoiding cost extras during the project. It is also important that the contractor is fully aware and understands that, in most cases, the repair of a parking garage is performed in buildings which are going to be occupied at the time of construction, and that even garages might remain open and fully operational during the repairs.

The actual repair of the structure is relatively straightforward if you have well-prepared specifications and drawings. The difficulty for many consultants is making sure the documents are adequately prepared to ensure disruptions to the operation of the building and garage are minimized at all times. In order to reduce the owners risk exposure to extras, the consultant should be responsible for not only preparing the tender packages, but also designing the entire rehabilitation program; in particular, rehabilitation programs involving complete slab replacements.

Leaving this responsibility to the contractor ties the owner’s hands and does not allow the owner to see or comment on what they are getting as part of the rehabilitation project. The designing should be left to the designers and the construction left to the contractors.

The tender documents should include an appropriate Form of Contract suitable for the work being performed. Unless the owner has his own standard Form of Contract, a standard CCDC No. 2 – Stipulated Price Contract should be used, provided it is

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RENOVATIONS

acceptable to the owner and it has been reviewed and amended by the owner’s lawyer, if necessary.

short list those who will be allowed to bid the project.

REHABILITATION PROJECT After selection of the most suitable contractor, the rehabilitation program should commence. The contractor’s performance should be reviewed by the consultant on a periodic basis to verify the work is being performed in general conformance with the contract documents.

Unlike new construction, the rehabilitation of a parking structure involves multiple steps to achieve the required goal.

In order to confirm general compliance with the specifications, the consultant needs to review the site at these milestones. In addition to the consultant review, an independent material testing agency should be retained to verify that the material supplied by the contractor is in conformance with the documents.

Quality control is one of the keys to a successful and long lasting repair.

A typical localized rehabilitation program includes the removal of deteriorated concrete ensuring proper clearance around the reinforcing steel, cleaning of the

TENDERING THE PROJECT In order to obtain competitive prices for the undertaking of the proposed rehabilitation program, it should be tendered to qualified contractors who are specialized and experienced in the rehabilitation of parking structures. Although not always a possibility, contractors should be given ample time to bid the work so that questions and clarifications can be addressed and accommodated throughout the bidding process.

Good tendering practices suggest the project be awarded to the lowest unconditional bidder.

However, extenuating circumstances may exist with the lowest bidder (i.e., past performance, recent performance issues, timing, manpower, etc..) forcing the owner to select the next qualified bidder. The tender packages should be set up in such a fashion that will allow this without penalty to the owner. In some instances, it may be beneficial to pre-qualify the bidders and Albion_GTA_October_2016_FINAL.pdf

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exposed reinforcing steel, and installation of good quality, low permeability concrete repair material. Upon completion of the concrete repairs, a moisture protection system such as a waterproofing system or a concrete sealer, should be installed to prevent the further ingress of moisture and chloride and reduce the rate of ongoing corrosion-related deterioration. The repair of other items such as deteriorated floor drainage system, leaking expansion joints, etc., should be determined on a project-byproject basis.

In summary, the keys to a successful rehabilitation program are a qualified consultant who specializes in parking garage rehabilitation, an accurate assessment of the condition of the garage, and a well-prepared tender package.

Add to that consistent quality control and assurance, and your parking project will have high odds of running smoothly. ■ ________________________________________ PHILIP SARVINIS, P.ENG. IS MANAGING PRINCIPAL, BUILDING SCIENCE AND RESTORATION, WITH READ JONES CHRISTOFFERSEN.

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EMERGENCY PLANNING

SAFE PROTOCOLS FOR HIGH-RISE EVACUATIONS Nine reasons to re-think full-building evacuations

BY TERRY BRUNS

I

n a fire emergency situation, cooler heads prevail. And in fully-sprinklered, noncombustible construction, commercial high-rise buildings with two-stage fire alarms and emergency voice paging systems, it is extremely important not to let the building time into a general alarm.

A full-building evacuation should only be initiated at the insistence of the fire department after their assessment indicates it is necessary. If there are staff members in the building, one of the first priorities upon alarm activation – aside from calling 911 – should be to press the acknowledge switch to keep the fire alarm from timing into general alarm and forcing a full evacuation of the building. If a fire is confirmed, then it is only necessary that the three floors in alarm evacuate down to the nearest cross-over floor and await further instructions from fire authorities. Exterior evacuation should only be initiated if the fire / alarm is on the bottom four floors.

In a fully sprinklered building, it is unlikely that a fire will spread beyond the room it starts in. The arguments against a full-building evacuation, either automatically by the fire alarm (2nd stage time-in) or upon the initial discovery of a fire, are as follows:

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1. Stairwells are not designed to handle the volume of a full building evacuation.

Back-up to the roof was observed in all cases during large numbers of full building evacuation drills conducted

by WPS following 9/11.

2. All stairwell doors open at once during full evacuation. This compromises stair pressurization, both natural (stack action) and mechanical. As well, building code pressurization design specifications assume no more than two doors into the stairwells will be open at the same time.

3. Stairwells will become impassable once the fire department accesses the fire floor via the stairwells and keeps the stairwell door propped open on the fire floor so their fire hoses can get from the standpipes located in the stairwells to the fire. There will not be enough time to evacuate all of the occupants of a high-rise building before stairwells are compromised by the fire department. There is ample time to clear only three floors.

4. Evacuating the entire building simultaneously means that the occupants on lower floors below the fire floor, who are in no danger from smoke and toxic gases, are clogging the stairwells for

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

those on and above the fire floor, who are in greater danger from toxic gases migrating up and into the stairwells.

Evacuating all building occupants may hamper the fire department's response, both inside the exit stairwells and outside of the building.

Evacuating all building occupants simultaneously puts all evacuees into potential debris field outside the building, especially if the fire is up against window glass.

Full evacuation exposes all evacuees to the elements in adverse weather.

For example, hypothermia can be an issue in less than 20 minutes in colder months with sub-zero temperatures.

Occupants are resistant to going down 20 to 30 flights of stairs unless they are in imminent danger. Most can handle going down two to six flights (six flights would be the maximum that they would go down to reach a cross-over floor not in alarm if the acknowledge switch is activated).

Fire drills will be less disruptive and have less impact upon commerce as occupants going down a couple of floors to a cross-over floor and then back up to their original work location take

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far less time than evacuating down 30 flights of stairs, proceeding at least a block away to the assembly area, being accounted for, walking at least a block back to the building, and then waiting in line for the elevators. Right now, less than 20% of building occupants, on average, participate in fire drills. That number will increase dramatically if there are less demands on the occupants during the fire drill process.

CASE STUDY: COOK COUNTRY HIGH-RISE In 2003, a fire in a Cook County high-rise office tower killed six people when an untrained, or improperly trained, security supervisor strayed away from Chicago policy and used the fire alarm / emergency voice paging system to evacuate the entire building into the stairwells where the victims succumbed to smoke inhalation while within the stairwells. The Chicago Fire Dept. policy was to relocate the occupants on the affected floors down to unaffected floors where they would then determine if further evacuation was necessary. The property management company paid an out-of- court settlement to the victims’ families of $24 million, while the building owner paid $9 million in damages. The city of Chicago had to pay $50 million in damages to the victims’ families. Those deaths would not have occurred had the building not been put into full evacuation mode during this fire emergency. ■ _______________________________________________________ TERRY BRUNS IS CEO AT WPS DISASTER MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS .

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PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

FEW WOMEN AT TOP LEVELS OF THE CLEANING INDUSTRY Organization pushes for gender diversity in top roles and retaining women

BY REBECCA MELNYK

M

ore work needs to be done to propel women into executive roles within the cleaning business and retain their talents, says a budding organization called the ISSA Hygieia Network, an international community dedicated to the advancement and retention of women at all levels of the global cleaning industry.

While not all companies in the industry face a lack of gender diversity at the top, many still do. In Canada alone, women represent 47.5 per cent of the Canadian workforce, but hold only 26.6 per cent of senior management positions, according to Statistics Canada. While this data was gathered from overall labour force participation, it does include the cleaning and maintenance field.

ISSA HYGIEIA NETWORK In response to her own experience, Dr. IIham Kadri, president of Sealed Air

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Diversey Care, launched the ISSA Hygieia Network in 2014 after noticing “huge gaps in gender diversity and a lack of prestige connected with cleaning jobs.” She, along with six other council members, are intent on making room for transparency, while providing a global platform for women to network, find mentors and obtain leadership skills.

“We’ve noticed in the upper echelons of the industry there is no gender diversity and we want to see women advance,” says Linda Silverman, council member and president of Maintex, a facility services provider based in the U.S. “It’s about letting women reach managerial levels and not letting talented women leave our industry, but providing them with the tools to advance.”

Meredith Reuben, council member and chief executive officer at EBP Supply Solutions, a regional distributor of food

service and cleaning supplies and services, says it’s also about rewarding institutions, from building service contractors to manufacturers and distributors.

“The ISSA Hygieia Network is about visibility,” she says. “And we’re trying to reward and create visibility for those companies that are helping women.”

These forward-thinking companies are honoured at an awards dinner held in conjunction with the annual ISSA/ INTERCLEAN North America trade show. During this year’s event, the ISSA Hygieia Network—named after the Greek goddess of cleaning and hygiene—is holding an educational event focused on teaching women how to strategically network with colleagues.

“We’re focused on this industry, but some of the training is about decisionmaking, networking, and best practices, which you can use in any industry,” says

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3. Facilitate open discussions with your employees about their career aspirations, listen intently and co-create strategies for how you can best support them in reaching those goals.

4. Be an advocate for your employees. Find opportunities for them to grow in the organization through such avenues as recommending them for promotion, assigning them high-profile projects and prompting them to raise their own hands for step-up opportunities.

5. Connect women to a variety of high-potential role models, regularly refreshing the connections as the employee’s needs and focus change over time.

INTO-ELECTRONICS INC. council member Nathalie Doobin, owner and chief executive officer of Harvard Services Group, a metrics-based, WBE (women business enterprise) certified janitorial services provider. “Some of these skills we’re teaching women aren’t janitorial specific.”

The training and networking are also continuous; it doesn’t stop after the conference is over. Members field all sorts of questions in between ISSA events, from how to interpret something in an RFP to how to handle an employer relationship or deal with a situation involving a familyowned company.

“For me, there’s a lot of women who just want to understand how to get from here to there and understand there is a path,” says Holly Borrego, council member and senior director of cleaning services at C&W Services, a leading integrated facility services provider.

“Some questions are as simple as how to bid

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on window cleaning. It’s really different based on the level of the individual. That’s the beauty of the organization; it doesn’t matter what level you are. There are resources available to everyone.”

BARRIERS TO ADVANCING AND RETAINING EMPLOYEES A 2014 Bain & Company report: Everyday Moments of Truth: Frontline managers are key to women’s career aspirations, which surveyed more than 1,000 men and women across sectors, suggests that “ideal worker” stereotypes, a lack of supervisory support and few role models in upper management, hinder gender parity in the workplace and cause experienced female employees to feel less confident about their work opportunities.

Career expectations among younger employees, both male and female, are beginning to merge as both genders expect more work-life integration. Yet, the majority of survey respondents believe managing both work and family commitments slows or disrupts women’s careers. It seems that perceived “ideal

worker” criteria, like working long hours, is still seen as challenging for women.

While it varies from company to company, many women think their supervisors don’t know where they stand in their career aspirations, or what to do or say to support them. Women feel less supported at the mid-career level, which suggests that “whatever is happening in the conference room reinforces men’s aspirations while eroding women’s.”

Regarding role models, companies don’t facilitate enough meaningful dialogue about how their leaders have attained top positions, while balancing work and life.

At the same time, there are not enough female role models to look up to and, many times, men in senior positions are expected to fulfill this role.

The imbalance of women in top positions is a nuanced and complex issue, the report concludes, but there is much room for progress.

“For front line cleaning workers, a lot of time when they are women, it’s pretty difficult because there are typically a lot of other responsibilities; there’s family; there’s

childrearing; the hours can be difficult because in many instances cleaning occurs during evening hours,” says Silverman. “If their work provides flexibility, I think that could help with retention of the workforce.”

For Borrego, building skills and not locking women into low-wage jobs is another path to creating a less transient industry where women have the opportunity to rise.

“I can tell you from experience that I did start at the bottom level,” she says.

“I had a small child and working at night kept her out of daycare, but at the same time I was afforded a lot of opportunities because I worked for a private company that was very proactive in helping us get the training we needed.”

Bain & Company’s research mirrors some of these personal experiences, suggesting that when companies are more engaged. ■ ________________________________________ T HI S A R T I C L E WA S O R I G IN A L LY PUBL ISHED ON T HE REMI NE T WORK (WWW.REMINETWORK.COM).

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BALANCING TENANT COMFORT AND HVAC DESIGN

For many property managers, it can be challenging to balance the indoor environment of a building with the comfort of its occupants

BY DOUGLAS LEE

H

ello. I have several tenants in my building, complaining that their space is too warm or stuffy. I also have a few tenants telling me their suite entrance doors do not close properly. Can you help us?”

Sound familiar? It’s the kind of call property managers should not have to make to an engineering firm because complaints such as these often result from poor indoor air quality.

”

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If an HVAC system is well-designed, with proper air quality and air flow, tenants will be satisfied and property managers will field fewer complaints. But if a system is poorly designed, the inadequate air flow that results will leave tenants feeling dissatisfied and unproductive.

Or worse. Some tenants have taken matters into their own hands, adjusting the thermostats to full heating or cooling, adjusting the dampers to the supply

diffusers and blocking the outlet grilles on the perimeter induction units at the windows. Before long, the HVAC system is malfunctioning, disrupting the comfort level and air balance within a tenant space, while also affecting the HVAC system in the entire building and, therefore, the overall indoor air quality.

For many property managers, it can be challenging to balance the indoor environment of a building with the comfort

HVAC

needs of tenant space and will comply with all local bylaws, such as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and AirConditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Ontario Building Code (OBC).

An engineer will also guarantee that tenants’ requirements are incorporated into the design, such as noise levels, temperature settings, humidity levels, power requirements, lighting levels and lighting control. This is a simple but very important process.

In some cases, after finding out what the requirements are, a property manager may have to inform tenants that certain requirements may not be possible, given the limitations of the building’s existing HVAC and electrical systems The age of an HVAC system or the excessive needs of a client’s space—a call centre or after-hours operation, for instance—may cause these limitations, resulting in the need for revisions to main building systems.

of its occupants. Working with an engineer on a competent HVAC design can help accommodate both of these needs. Here are some simple ways to accomplish a good design that will provide high indoor air quality and comfort levels.

ENGINEER IT Asking an engineer to design your renovations is a key first step towards ensuring the HVAC system will meet the

TAKING A LOOK SEE Another key component of a good design is a good site survey. Prior to any design, a survey of the existing HVAC system must be completed. A drawing-based design is not recommended because it will only lead to inaccurate design drawings, resulting in additional costs.

The HVAC system within the tenant space must be traced. This also extends to the water supply, drain service (floor below), sanitary vent line, power distribution, main service feeder and panel/disconnect, communication devices, lighting fixtures and life safety devices.

WORKING WITH THE BUILDING OPERATORS Collaboration between the engineer and building operator is an important step in delivering a good design. Aside from accessing the tenant space, engineers will require assistance from the building operator to access electrical and mechanical rooms. Building operators can also provide

critical insight into the operation of their systems, such as operating hours, air handling system performance during extreme outdoor conditions and problem areas in the HVAC distribution system.

BASE BUILDING DRAWINGS Base building as-built drawings act as a roadmap, giving engineers an overall view of how mechanical and electrical systems are installed.

The drawings will also help the engineer determine where to look for future capped connections for the drain, water supply and venting, as these services are located either at the core or at columns called “wet stacks,” which are within the tenant space.

DON’T TAX ME One building’s HVAC system is not like the other. The HVAC system operating in a 1950’s building will not have the same operating characteristics or capacity as a building built in the 2000’s. Design parameters, such as outdoor air supply and total air flow, used to be much lower compared to today’s design standards.

Therefore, a design must be adaptable to accommodate the tenant’s requirements, along with the limitations of the HVAC system.

You should never design for more air supply than what is typically allowed for a tenant’s space as it relates to the overall floor area.

Depending on the circumstances, supplemental cooling and/or outdoor air supply may be required for service, call centres, training rooms, IT rooms or meeting rooms. These systems will be independent of the building’s HVAC system.

SHOW ME THE WAY HOME Designing a proper return air path back to the base building return air duct is very critical to the operation of the overall air supply system; however, this component is often overlooked. Having up-to-date base building drawings will assist in determining the return air pattern. www.REMInetwork.com

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HVAC

Tenant demising walls are usually constructed as full height walls that run from the floor slab to the ceiling deck, with each tenant space sealed onto another.

Since the main building return air duct is typically located at one end of the floor, transfer air openings in the demising walls must be installed to allow the return air to flow from one tenant space to another, eventually returning back to the main return air duct.

To minimize noise transmissions between tenancies, these openings are installed with internally insulated duct sections open at each end. Without proper air transfer, buildings can experience stuffy conditions due to stagnant air flow and doors that do not close properly, creating security issues, as well as stack effects through the elevator shaft or stairwell.

Whether a building is old or new, creating good engineering designs requires simple common sense thinking.

ensure that the engineering drawings have been completed to code.

A permit will also confirm that construction has been completed as outlined in the permit drawings. Engineers are required to perform periodic reviews of the construction, as part of the permit. This is another layer of protection that will ensure that the contractor installs what has been designed.

CLOSEOUT Finally, once construction has been completed, a last inspection will ensure

that the installation has been completed according to the design drawings, all deficiencies outlined in the periodic inspections have been addressed and all systems are operating as designed.

In most cases, city inspectors will request to have the engineer sign-off letters prior to the city’s inspection and before they can grant occupancy. ■ ________________________________________ DOUGLAS LEE IS A PRINCIPAL AT M & E ENGINEERING.

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