A detailed presentation on the economic outlook and performance of the Ottawa market, and the key emerging trends in this region. What industries and sectors are driving job creation in this region? What is the outlook for employment and population growth for the Ottawa area? How do the prospects for Ottawa compare with the outlook for other major Canadian cities?

Mario Lefebvre, Director, Centre for Municipal Studies,
   The Conference Board of Canada
 

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR DRIVERS THAT ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF OTTAWA? IS THERE A SINGLE STRONG VISION FOR THE CITY?

Considerable debate continues about the future direction of Ottawa and the related policies that will shape its growth.

As Ottawa molds itself into a metropolitan area with a population of over one million, what is the vision for the future of this urban community? What key strategies is the City implementing to manage this growth and development? What transportation policies, industrial strategies and planning policies is the City embarking upon as part of this plan? What other initiatives are being undertaken to improve the movement of people around the city? What role is the National Capital Commission playing in shaping growth? Can Ottawa afford to keep growing the way that it has been or does anything need to change?

What will the urban boundaries look like over the next ten to twenty years? How will the east-west debate resolve itself? Will infill developments significantly increase since 75% of the City’s growth is supposed to take place inside the greenbelt?

Moderator:
Steve Kaminski, President, Colonnade Development Inc.

Panel:
Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies Inc.
Doug Casey, President, Charlesfort Developments
Ted Fobert, Founding Partner, FoTenn Consultants Inc.

Peter Hume, Councillor & Chair, Planning and Environment
   Committee, City of Ottawa
Marie Lemay, CEO, National Capital Commission
 

Morning Refreshments

Session A1
HAS INVESTMENT ACTIVITY IN OTTAWA BEEN AFFECTED BY ANY SUBPRIME TURBULENCE? WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST YEAR?

How much investment and development activity has there been in the Ottawa market over the past year in the office, retail, industrial and multi-unit residential sectors? Who have been the most active buyers? Who are the sellers? Which product types appear to be most favoured by investors? What have been some of the most significant transactions? How do investor attitudes vary from institutional vs. private and domestic vs. offshore? To what extent has there been a drop-off in investment activity? How does Ottawa compare with other major Canadian markets?

Moderator:
John O’Bryan, Vice Chairman, CB Richard Ellis Limited

Panel:
Aik Aliferis, Principal, Primecorp Commercial Realty Inc.
Michael Church, Vice President & Principal,
   Avison Young Commercial Real Estate Inc.
Marc Morin, Investment Sales, Colliers International
Nathan Smith, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets Group,
   Cushman & Wakefield LePage Inc.

Session A2
AN EXECUTIVE UPDATE ON GREEN BUILDINGS: CHANGES IN THE RATING SYSTEMS, THE VALUE PROPOSITION, AND EARLY RESULTS
Interest and activity in greening buildings continues to increase. While most new developments are most commonly being designed to one of the LEED templates, owners and managers of existing buildings are also investigating which other certification programs will help them meet today’s higher environmental and energy efficiency standards. Given the activity that has occurred to-date in Canada, how much evidence is there to support the contention that greener and higher performance buildings can command higher rents and asset value, enhance occupant health and well-being, improve employee productivity, attract tenants more quickly, reduce tenant turnover, and cost less to operate and maintain? What changes are being made to LEED and BOMA Go Green initiatives that owners and developers need to be aware of? What are the major features of the “green lease” that was released recently by the Real Property Association of Canada? To what extent are owners measuring the carbon footprint of their properties and for what reason?

Moderator:
Mark Lucuik, Principal & Corporate Lead, Green Buildings and
   Sustainability, Morrison Hershfield Consulting Engineers

Speakers:
Michael Brooks, CEO, Real Property Association of Canada
Michael Miceli, Vice Chair, BOMA Canada
Andrew Pride, Vice President, Minto Green Team, Minto Group Inc.
 

Session B1
MAJOR TRENDS AND THE FUTURE OUTLOOK FOR THE OFFICE MARKET IN DOWNTOWN OTTAWA AND GATINEAU

A comprehensive examination of the office market in downtown cores of Ottawa and Gatineau. The session will open with an overview of how the market has performed over the past few years, including the first three quarters of 2008 and what the outlook for 2009 and beyond in terms of inventory growth, occupancy, and leasing. The presentation will be followed with a wide-ranging panel discussion. What are the key trends in each of these two targeted areas? To what extent are rents moving up, down or staying firm? How much development activity can be anticipated over the short and medium term? What is the forecast for future space requirements of the major occupants of the downtown core? What does the future hold for federal government real estate requirements in the National Capital Region? What is Public Works and Government Services Canada looking for?

To request a copy of the PowerPoint presentation please click here.

Moderator:
Sandy McNair, President, Altus InSite Inc.

Panel:
Maureen Flanigan, Vice President, Asset Management, GWL Realty Advisors Inc.
Kelvin Holmes, Managing Director, Ottawa, Colliers International
Stan Humphreys, Director, Leasing, GE Real Estate Equity
Bernie Myers, Director, Asset Management, Eastern Canada,
   Morguard Investments Limited

Session B2
TRENDS IN RETAIL LEASING AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE OTTAWA MARKET

This session will provide an outlook for the retail market in Ottawa along with a discussion of key leasing, investment and development trends and issues in this sector. How is the retail sector performing in the Ottawa market? Have rents reached their maximum limits? What is the status of the redevelopment of the Laurentian High School site? Are the Rideau and St. Laurent Centres going to expand? How do rents compare between similar types of projects in Toronto vs. Ottawa? What do the retailers need and want in the Ottawa market? What is in store for any new retail formats in the coming years? Is the future for new retail development in the outlying suburban areas, or are there opportunities for intensification, expansion and re-merchandising in older established areas?

Moderator:
Richard Getz, Vice President, Retail,
   Colonnade Development Inc.

Panel:
Dennis Eberhard, Vice President, Development, Smart!Centres Inc.
Jack Klaiman, President, Oberfeld Snowcap Inc.
Allan Kyd, Leasing Manager, Minto Commercial Properties Inc.

Chris St. Amand, General Manager, Place D'Orleans,
   Oxford Properties Group Inc.
 

LUNCHEON KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

IS THE TURBULENCE FROM THE SUBPRIME MARKET COMING TO AN END? WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE COST OF CAPITAL, DEAL FLOW AND PRICING OF RISK IN 2009?

What have been the major consequences of the subprime market meltdown? Where are we in this cycle? Is there an end in sight with respect to the fallout? What have been the implications on real estate assets and portfolios given the changes in pricing of risk and the cost of capital? How do these market conditions affect values? How do they affect acquisitions and dispositions, development, investment, and financing decisions?

Introduction:
Steve McEwen, Partner, Montrose Mortgage Corporation Limited

Speaker:
Brydon Cruise, President & Managing Partner,
   Brookfield Financial
 

Concurrent Sessions (Select C1 or C2)  

Session C1
TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MULTI-UNIT RESIDENTIAL MARKET




This session will open with a brief overview of rental housing trends in Ottawa, leading to an examination of cap rates and investor interest in the multi-unit residential market. What are some of the challenges, risks and opportunities associated with this unique sector of the real estate market? What is the short and medium term outlook for the performance of the Ottawa apartment sector? Have vacancy rates stabilized? What impact is the condominium market having on apartments? Where are cap rates at this time and where are they heading? What have been the most significant acquisitions in the past year? What’s the difference between today’s market and the 1990’s?

Moderator:
Jason Shinder, Executive Vice President, Finance & Operations,
   District Realty Corporation

Panel:
Doug Brunsdon, Minto Apartments Ltd.
John Dickie, President, Canadian Federation of Apartment
   Associations and Partner, Dickie & Lyman LLP
Chris Laundry, Executive Director, Nepean Housing Corporation
Pat Whelan, COO, Osgoode Properties Ltd.

Session C2
KANATA: WHAT HAS HAPPENED? WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

In the past two years there have been strong indications that the high-technology sector in Kanata has returned to a vibrant level, ensuring that the Ottawa market remains diversified and far beyond being a “government town”. However, there appears to have been a drop-off in corporate activity with some downsizing and increases in vacancy rates once again. How has the technology market changed?
What have been the implications of these changes on commercial space in Kanata? How have the other sectors of the market in Kanata continued to perform, e.g. residential, retail, industrial? What lies ahead for this Ottawa submarket?

This session will also be conducted by a leading planner who has authored reports on some of these issues in the past and more recently.

Moderator:
Jim Shotton, Vice President, CB Richard Ellis Limited

Panel:
Jeffrey Dale, President & CEO, OCRI
Jack Stirling, Vice President, Land Development,
   Minto Communities Inc.
Martin Vandewouw, President, KRP Development Group
 

EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON OTTAWA: HOW DO NATIONAL REAL ESTATE INVESTORS VIEW THIS MARKET?

A wide-ranging panel discussion on the key trends, opportunities and risks emerging in the office, industrial, retail and multi-unit residential markets in Ottawa. The participants are senior executives of national real estate organizations active in the Ottawa market as well as other regions across Canada. Among the questions that will be discussed: what do you like about the Ottawa market and what concerns do you have; what is Ottawa doing well and what needs improvement; where do you see the real estate cycle heading over the short to medium term in Ottawa; what are you buying, where are you buying and why are you buying; what plans do you have with respect to your existing Ottawa portfolio; how has the subprime fallout and associated turbulence affected your activities; and what will be your strategy for 2009 and beyond in this market. What if anything needs to change in order for Ottawa to reach its ultimate potential?

Moderator:
Greg Rogers, Executive Vice President, Minto Group Inc.

Panel:
Stefan Dembinski, Senior Vice President, Asset Management, Eastern Canada,
   Brookfield Properties Corporation
Phil Gillin, Senior Managing Director & Head, Canadian Real Estate,
   Sun Life Financial
Don Harrison, Senior Vice President, Asset Management,
   GWL Realty Advisors Inc.
Mark Holden, Vice President, Office/Industrial Asset Management,
   Morguard Investments Limited
Paul Zemla, Chief Investment Officer, Bentall LP