The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that two Canadian pension funds and Brookfield Asset Management are trying to sell one of their Toronto office buildings for a second time after failing to get the price they wanted in 2022. The Globe's Rachelle Younglai and James Bradshaw write that the sale of the 20-storey property at 2 Queen St. E. is likely to be closely watched as it will test buyer appetite amid a multiyear downturn in the country's commercial real estate sector. Landlords are dealing with the shift to remote working and a slower-than-expected return to the office. The situation is exacerbated by an abundance of new office space that has come onto the market since the pandemic. The office tower is fully leased and includes tenants such as CI Investments, BMO and Bechtel. The tenants are paying about a third less than the going leasing rate for similar buildings. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the country's largest pension fund, owns half the building. Alberta Investment Management Corp. (AIMCo) owns 25 per cent and Brookfield owns the rest. In 2022, the vacancy rate was rising quickly as tenants across the city were shedding space and new office skyscrapers were being completed.
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