On Tuesday evening, the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) celebrated its sustainability achievements and honoured the leadership of its management teams and tenants in fine style at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club (RCYC) on Toronto Island.

Image courtesy of HOOPP

From the 136-year old RCYC island facility, there is a dramatic view of downtown Toronto including two of HOOPP’s prize office assets, One York Street where HOOPP has its head office and 25 York Street (a partnership between Menkes and HOOPP). Both are located within a block of the Lake Ontario waterfront.

HOOPP employees, tenants and managers, some from other parts of the world, had met earlier in the day at One York Street for the fourth annual conference as part of the firm’s Leadership Environmental and Advancement Program (LEAP) where they shared experiences, challenges and best practices.

“HOOPP is recognized as good stewards for the environment and a leader in sustainability,” said Jim Keohane, president and CEO. “The annual LEAP events bring together property managers from around the world to discuss and innovate on industry-leading practices and we recognize their innovation through our LEAP awards.”

Timely theme of Adaptation: Embracing Change

The venue for the celebration at the RCYC clubhouse on Toronto Island was chosen not only for its proximity to the city and HOOPP’s buildings, but also to bring to life the theme of the day’s training, Adaptation: Embracing Change.

A one-in-one-hundred-year flood in April 2017 left 40 per cent of the RCYC property under water. In the words of David Brightling, general manager and CEO of RCYC, the event “threatened our season, our buildings and the health of the people who live, work and play here.”

As a result of the extraordinary efforts of the club employees and members, RCYC continued operations throughout the 2017 sailing season. While there was considerable property damage, the club has recovered and developed a robust flood preparation plan.

HOOPP’s properties

HOOPP’s property portfolio is comprised of 200 locations, about 41 million square feet of primarily office and retail. Seventy per cent is located in Canada and the remainder in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. It is valued at about $13 billion and in 2017 achieved an 11.9 per cent rate of return.  

HOOPP’s commitment to sustainability has strengthened the pension fund’s returns, some of the best in the world, according to Jeff Wendling, senior vice-president and chief investment officer for equity. “Sustainability not only reduces our environmental footprint, it is good for business,” he said.

In 2017, HOOPP renewed its real estate sustainability policy and had the following sustainability highlights:

* 70 per cent of the HOOPP portfolio is LEED or BOMA BEST certified; 
* a seven per cent carbon footprint reduction (14,000 tons of carbon, the equivalent of removing 3,100 cars from the road);
* property management teams work with tenants on sustainability on 80 per cent of HOOPP properties;
* water consumption was reduced by 124 million litres (the equivalent to the volume of 50 Olympic-size swimming pools); 
* One York Street achieved LEED platinum certification in 2017.

Winners of the 2018 HOOPP LEAP Awards

Triovest Realty Advisors Inc., one of the companies contracted to manage HOOPP properties, won 53 per cent of the available LEAP awards making 2018 its strongest performance to date.

For the fifth consecutive year, Morguard Investments Limited was recognized by HOOPP. Morguard added two Leadership in Environmental Advancement Program Awards to its collection, which now includes 14 distinctions across nine categories since the program’s initiation in 2012.

The 2018 HOOPP LEAP award buildings and company winners are listed below.

Building Performance

* Low energy leader: medium building – Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. for 1 Prologis Blvd., Mississauga; 
* Low Energy Leader: Large Building – Triovest Realty Advisors Inc.  for ATCO Centre, Edmonton;
* Energy Saver: Morguard Investments Limited for Robson Central, Vancouver;
* Energy Manager: Retail – Cushman and Wakefield for Lansdowne Place, Peterborough, Ont.;
* Energy Manager: Industrial -Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. for 20375 Clark Graham Ave, Baie-D’Urfe, Que.;
* Water Winner: Office – Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. for ATCO Centre, Edmonton;
* Water Winner: Retail – Cushman and Wakefield for Marlborough Mall, Calgary;
* Waste Minimizer: Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. for ATCO Centre, Edmonton;
* Sustainability Achiever: Menkes Property Management Services for 5580 Explorer Drive, Mississauga.

2018 LEAP Forward Pitch

The LEAP Forward prize is a competition in which various teams pitch sustainability products, with the winner receiving funding for their idea. There were four projects vying for the prize, which was judged based on innovation, sustainability, cost-effectiveness and skill ability.  The winner was a project put forward by Menkes Property Management Services.

Collaboration

* Tenant Leader – BluEarth Renewables at 11^thAvenue Place, Calgary managed by Morguard Investments Limited
* Green Lease of the Year – Royal & Sun Alliance at 2 & 8 Prologis Blvd., Mississauga managed by Triovest Realty Advisors Inc.

Innovation

* Sustainability Innovator: Technology – Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. for 5799 Route de l’Aéroport,  Saint-Hubert, Que.;
* Sustainability Innovator: Stakeholder Engagement – Cushman and Wakefield for Waste Diversification Project;
* Sustainable Operator: Shape Properties for Highstreet Shopping Centre, Abbotsford;
* Climate Leader: Triovest Realty Advisors Inc. for the Triovest Climate Change Management Strategy.

The LEAP Hall of Fame

In 2018 HOOPP created the LEAP Hall of Fame award to honour a company that has provided outstanding achievements.  This year’s winner was the sustainability team from Eastport Properties.

The people behind the awards and how they earned top spot will be the subject of future RENX stories.

About HOOPP

Created in 1960, HOOPP is a multi-employer contributory defined benefit plan for Ontario’s hospital and community-based health care sector with 548 participating employers. HOOPP’s membership includes nurses, medical technicians, food services staff and housekeeping staff, and others who provide Ontario healthcare services.

HOOPP has more than 339,000 active, deferred and retired members.