[jollyburger]

Originally Posted by s211

I think CBC outsourced its leasing to a division of SNC, which would explain a lot.

In consolidating and upgrading their real estate assets, CBC retained Toronto-based SNC-Lavalin ProFac, which was already managing most of its 4.8 million square feet of space since 1997.

SNC-Lavalin ProFac's services range from lease administration and equipment management to grounds keeping and snow removal. For the past eight years it has managed all the CBC's leased spaces and 23 of its 28 owned buildings, except those located in Quebec and Moncton, which are managed internally by CBC staff.

The wholly owned subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is one of the country's largest facilities management groups, handling more than 110 million square feet nationwide for clients that include Canada Post, Bell Canada and other BCE Inc. units, and Ontario Realty Corp.

"Our role is to provide day-to-day input and facilities management, to free up CBC's real estate division to do strategic planning and manage their assets to maximize revenues," said Sean Wiley, general manager for CBC operations at SNC-Lavalin ProFac in Toronto.

"We were involved in the recent changes in the real estate portfolio from the outset, providing them with information on the ages and conditions of their buildings and equipment."

Ms. Trudel said the Ottawa and Edmonton sites were first identified by the real estate division, which began by looking at buildings with lower density and unused space. "The engineers and experts at SNC ProFac helped us by giving us information on the new equipment and technology that would be needed, how soon they would be needed and how much they would cost," she added. "Then we can put together a plan for change and present it to the senior management committee."

Changes lie ahead for the CBC's Vancouver site as well, she said. The CBC's 262,000-square-foot building there, which is 32 years old, will be retained, but there are plans to sell to developers the excess density the site was zoned for but that the CBC does not need. This would allow a developer to build on the adjacent parking lot, pending official approval from local city authorities.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...ticle18241740/