TORONTO, June 9, 2025 /CNW/ - Oxford Properties Group ("Oxford"), the global real estate arm of OMERS, and CT Real Estate Investment Trust ("CT REIT") (TSX: CRT.UN) today announced, in partnership with Canadian Tire Corporation ("CTC") (TSX: CTC) (TSX: CTC.A), a transformative investment to retrofit the existing office buildings at Canada Square, a key midtown Toronto hub.
Oxford Properties and CT REIT announce a major investment to retrofit Canada Square in Toronto. Anchored by a 20-year lease with Canadian Tire Corporation, the project will modernize 680,000 square feet of office space and enhance the Yonge Street streetscape, transforming the vibrant midtown hub for work and play. (CNW Group/Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited)
This Canadian-led partnership includes a 550,000 square foot, 20-year office lease with CTC, demonstrating the enduring appeal of centrally located, transit-connected workplaces and representing a major investment in Toronto's urban core.
The redevelopment project represents a combined investment of over $200 million by Canada Square co-owners Oxford and CT REIT. The two office towers at 2180 and 2200 Yonge Street will be retrofitted to deliver 680,000 square feet of highly functional and modernized office space, over 80% of which will be anchored by CTC. Having operated its head office at Canada Square for over 50 years, CTC is also investing to build a next-generation headquarters for thousands of employees.
"This is a proud milestone for Canadian Tire and a major reinvestment in a neighbourhood we've called home for more than half a century," said Greg Hicks, President and CEO, Canadian Tire Corporation. "We're excited to help transform this vibrant corner of the city. Our employees will be among the thousands who come here each day – for work, for play and for the ease of new transit connections in every direction."
Originally constructed in the 1960s and 1970s, the 18-storey building at 2180 Yonge Street will undergo internal upgrades and a complete façade renewal, followed by a full renovation of the 17-storey tower at 2200 Yonge Street. Construction, which will begin in late 2025, will minimize embodied carbon from the project while introducing significant energy efficiency upgrades in support of LEED Certification. The retrofit work will also deliver new employee amenities and approximately 15,000 square feet of modern retail space on Yonge Street, significantly improve the streetscape and offer a refreshed retail experience for the neighbourhood.
"This 'made in Canada' solution which sees the coming together of these great Canadian institutions to revitalize a key hub for Torontonians is a proud moment for OMERS and Oxford," said Blake Hutcheson, President and CEO of OMERS. "This investment represents our ongoing commitment to being a champion for Canada, here at home and around the world. We are proud to put our pensioners' dollars to work to improve our cities while, at the same time, delivering on our obligation to generate returns to pay pensions for our members."
The project will further benefit the community by delivering an upgraded and more accessible TTC entrance on Yonge Street to help local residents and workers more efficiently access Eglinton station.
"Canada Square is a crown-jewel property and a generational asset, and this first step in its redevelopment allows us to begin to unlock its full potential," said Kevin Salsberg, President and CEO, CT REIT. "This major reinvestment exemplifies our commitment to enhancing our assets and providing reliable, durable and growing results for our unitholders. We're building for today while setting the stage for the decades to come."
"This substantial investment at Canada Square is part of Oxford's deep conviction that well-located, high-quality, and sustainable workplaces that focus on the employee experience will continue to outperform," said Daniel Fournier, Executive Chair at Oxford Properties. "A company of Canadian Tire's stature signing a multi-decade office lease speaks to the trust our customers have in Oxford to create their ideal workplace. Not only is this an environmentally friendly approach to revitalizing one of the most transit-connected sites in the city, but it brings a substantial amount of employment to the neighbourhood and will benefit Torontonians for generations to come as we continue to advance our long-term plans for Canada Square."
The office retrofit project is an important step towards the planned redevelopment of the 9.2-acre site into a vibrant, mixed-use addition to the community. Oxford and CT REIT continue to advance plans for the west side of the site that contemplate a significant amount of critically needed new rental housing and public open space in one of the city's most transit-connected nodes.
FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which reflect the current expectations of CTC and/or CT REIT management regarding future events and financial commitments concerning Canada Square. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, contained in this press release that address activities, events or developments that CTC and/or CT REIT or a third-party expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including with respect to the redevelopment of Canada Square and the assumptions underlying the same, are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Although CTC and CT REIT management believe that the forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information, estimates and assumptions that are reasonable, such statements are necessarily subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual actions and results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. For more information on the material risks, uncertainties, factors and assumptions that could cause actual actions and results to differ materially from current expectations, refer to section 14.0 (Forward-Looking Information and Other Investor Communication) of CTC's 2025 First Quarter Management's Discussion and Analysis and all subsections therein, available on the SEDAR+ website at http://www.sedarplus.ca and https://investors.canadiantire.ca, and section 5 (Risk Factors) of CT REIT's Annual Information Form for fiscal 2024, and sections 12.0 (Enterprise Risk Management) and 14.0 (Forward-looking Information) of CT REIT's Management's Discussion and Analysis for Q1 2025 and fiscal 2024, as well as CT REIT's other public filings, all of which are available at http://www.sedarplus.ca and at http://ctreit.com. CTC and CT REIT do not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by either of them or on their behalf, to reflect new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
ABOUT OXFORD PROPERTIES GROUP
Oxford Properties Group ("Oxford") is a leading global real estate investor, developer and manager. Established in 1960, Oxford and its portfolio companies manage approximately C$80 billion of assets across four continents on behalf of their investment partners. Oxford's owned portfolio encompasses logistics, office, retail, multifamily residential, life sciences, credit and hotels in global gateway cities and high-growth hubs. A thematic investor with a committed source of capital, Oxford invests in properties, portfolios, development sites, debt, securities and real estate businesses across the risk-reward spectrum. Together with its portfolio companies, Oxford is one of the world's most active developers with over 70 projects currently underway globally across all major asset classes. Oxford is owned by OMERS, the Canadian defined benefit pension plan for Ontario's municipal employees. Learn more here.
ABOUT CT REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST
CT Real Estate Investment Trust ("CT REIT") is an unincorporated, closed-end real estate investment trust formed to own income-producing commercial properties located primarily in Canada. Its portfolio is comprised of over 375 properties totaling more than 31 million square feet of GLA, consisting primarily of net lease single-tenant retail properties across Canada. Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited, is CT REIT's most significant tenant. For more information, visit ctreit.com.
ABOUT CANADIAN TIRE CORPORATION
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX: CTC.A, TSX: CTC, "CTC") has been a proudly Canadian business since 1922. Guided by its brand purpose, "We are here to make life in Canada better," CTC has built an expansive national retail presence, exceptional customer brand trust and one of Canada's strongest workforces – employing, along with its local Dealers and franchisees, tens of thousands of Canadians. At its core are retail businesses, each designed to serve life's pursuits: Canadian Tire, offering products spanning Living, Playing, Fixing, Automotive, and Seasonal & Gardening, bolstered by notable banners Party City and PartSource; Mark's, a leading source for casual and industrial wear; SportChek, Hockey Experts, Sports Experts and Atmosphere, offering the best brands of active wear and gear; and Pro Hockey Life, a hockey specialty store catering to elite players. CTC's banners, brand partners and credit card offerings are unified through its Triangle Rewards loyalty program – a linchpin of CTC's customer-driven strategy. With nearly 12 million members, Triangle integrates first-party data to deliver valuable rewards and personalized experiences across nearly 1,700 retail and gasoline outlets. CTC also operates a retail petroleum business and a Financial Services business and holds a majority interest in CT REIT, a TSX-listed Canadian real estate investment trust. For more information, visit Corp.CanadianTire.ca.
