The Vancouver Business Thread

[FarmerHaight]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

not true.

I have a feeling officedweller was referring to the Costco just south of this plot over the Fraser, and not the lack of Costco's in the GVR overall.

[officedweller]

Yeah, I meant that the Willingdon Costco covers East Vancouver, and the Richmond Costco covers South Vancouver.

Here's the distribution of Lower Mainland Costcos, plus one in Abbotsford.
I'll bet that part of the problem is dealing with approval of a big box store within the City of Vancouver.


https://www.yellowpages.ca/search/si...expandMap=list

[hollywoodnorth]

on the map location 1 ... is the Distro Center. a Costco in North Langley is much needed.

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by officedweller

I'll bet that part of the problem is dealing with approval of a big box store within the City of Vancouver.

Yeah I'd expect if they add any new Costcos it'll be SoF and not CoV.

[jollyburger]

Do the economics of opening a new Costco work with the land costs?

[logan5]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

not true. from my COSTCO thread >>

-Calgary has 7 (including Ottoks) at 1.55 million people metro

-Edmonton has 8 (1 is a Business Center) at 1.45 million people metro

-Ottawa has 6 (including a new Business Center) at 1.45 million people metro

-Metro Vancouver has .... 9 .... at 3 million+ people if you include Abbotsford\Mission\Chilliwack.
... NINE ........ we are massively under served.

per capita

Calgary 1 Costco per 221,000 people
Edmonton 1 Costco per 181,000 people
Ottawa 1 Costco per 241,000 people
Vancouver 1 Costco per 333,000 people

Edmonton has 84% more Costco's per capita than us ..... at Edmonton numbers we are looking at 16-17 Costco locations in Metro + the valley.....as I said we have 9 now. that is a very crazy disparity.

I will run the Seattle numbers now >>

Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area area >> 4,953,42 (this is similar to Metro Vancouver + The Valley

I count 22 open now (including a Business center) ... and they have 2 new locations under way. 1 in Lake Stevens and 1 in North Seattle

so thats

Seattle has 1 Costco per 225,000 people now and soon 206,000 (as in later this year when the 2 new locations open)

LOL. Thanks for crunching the numbers. I hate Costco.

[jollyburger]

Seems like OpenRoad bought the Vancouver Mini dealership land on West 5th

The highest price paid per square foot in the quarter was OpenRoad Auto Group’s deal for 1717 and 1727 West 5th Avenue in Vancouver. OpenRoad bought the property from Chateau Canada Trading for more than $1,437 per square foot. Currently home to an auto dealership, the property consists of a 17,400-square-foot building on 0.45 acres with redevelopment potential.

The single largest transaction in the first quarter, Avison Young reports, was Toronto-based Fiera Real Estate Canada’s acquisition of 3100 Production Way in Burnaby from Blackwood Partners for $185 million. The property is 18.7 acres and includes a 431,050-square-foot building. Fiera’s industrial investments are backed by a $370 million fund that targets a 4 to 6 per cent annual return.

In May, Nicola Wealth Real Estate and PC Urban Properties paid $24 million in an Avison Young-brokered deal for 3.4 acres of industrial land in Coquitlam.

https://www.westerninvestor.com/brit...merica-5443145

Blackwood was working with ZGF Architecture on that site with 1.6 million square feet of office master plan in 2021

https://www.zgf.com/work/4021-produc...ay-master-plan

https://www.urbanyvr.com/production-...e-development/

[jollyburger]

(duplicate)

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Seems like OpenRoad bought the Vancouver Mini dealership land on West 5th

Hopefully they'll rebuild and rationalize the BMW Store/Mini buildings. The BMW showroom is looking dated and underwhelming compared to the nearby Audi building.

[officedweller]

Originally Posted by hollywoodnorth

on the map location 1 ... is the Distro Center. a Costco in North Langley is much needed.

Thanks.
I was wondering about that one.

[jollyburger]

Approximately 35 per cent of Greater Vancouver’s concrete supply is out of commission as almost 300 union employees are either on strike or refusing to cross picket lines.

On May 20, about 160 Rempel Bros. Concrete ready mix drivers/plant operators went on strike. On May 21, 110 Ocean Concrete employees and 24 Allied Ready Mix Concrete employees refused to cross picket lines and are not working. Most are members of Teamsters Local No. 213.

The remainder of the workers are represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115.

Rempel, Ocean and Allied are all owned by Lehigh Hanson which in turn is owned by Germany-based HeidelbergCement.

What led to the strike involves working hours, missed breaks and wages

“We’re looking for a respectable, fair offer from the employer,” says Barry Capozzi, business agent for Teamsters Local No. 213.

The building boom in B.C.’s Lower Mainland is playing a role in the job action.

“They’re working excessive hours,” says Capozzi.

Some drivers put in 14 hours per day or up to 70 hours per week. There are instances where drivers are forced to work Saturdays, Capozzi says.

Safety becomes an issue when the workers are putting in 14-hour days.

“They’re really reaching their limit,” he notes.

The regular work schedule is an eight-hour day, five days per week.

As well, the collective agreement, which expired Dec. 31, 2021, stipulated there be two 15-minute breaks per day. Lunch is taken when feasible.

“They’re so busy, they’re being denied their breaks,” claims Capozzi.

Ensuring those breaks happen is one negotiating highlight.

Wages are also a factor in an area where fuel and housing prices are among the highest in Canada.

Union members are currently earning in the mid-to-high $30 per hour range.

Lower Mainland construction has been going at a breakneck pace for the past few years.

“It’s the busiest it’s ever been,” Capozzi notes.

Impacts of the strike are being felt in residential, commercial and government infrastructure work, with the Pattullo Bridge being one notable project waiting for a concrete solution.

Miguel Zermeno is the owner of MZ Solution, a Coquitlam-based company specializing in concrete form work. The strike has impacted his seven-year-old business.

“It’s been a challenge,” he says.

Without the concrete deliveries, his employees have had to go to retail outlets and purchase bags of concrete, which they have to mix outside and then manually do the pours.

It’s adding about 50 extra hours to a standard job, Zermeno says. A residential job has been left unfinished.

Added to the extra hours, is that quotes have to be honoured, so there’s a financial hit. Zermeno is also leery of giving quotes, not knowing what’s coming down the pipe.

“We don’t know the future,” he says.

Prior to the strike, Zermeno says there were two weeks where a shortage of cement slowed operations.

Lehigh Hanson’s director of corporate communications did not want to discuss specific details related to the bargaining.

“I can say that many topics have been raised and reviewed with options offered by the company and subsequently rejected by the union,” Jeff Sieg wrote in an email response from his Irving, Texas headquarters.

“We have, and will continue, to negotiate in good faith. Our objective remains to have a contract that is fair and mutually agreeable so our employees return to work and we can get back to the business of supplying concrete to our customers.”

“We’ve reached an impasse,” Capozzi notes.

Bargaining started Jan. 7 and there’s been about 22 meetings since then. The most recent negotiations ended on June 8. Further negotiations are scheduled for June 20, 21 and 22, Capozzi says.

https://canada.constructconnect.com/...perator-strike

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Approximately 35 per cent of Greater Vancouver’s concrete supply is out of commission as almost 300 union employees are either on strike or refusing to cross picket lines.

Yeah, I saw their picket signs on Granville island. I doubt anyone there or around it is missing the concrete trucks screaming out of there.

Maybe this will spur some more mass timber construction rather than having to rely on one of the world's most polluting industries to build.

[Migrant_Coconut]

BC hasn't figured out selective harvesting or tree farming yet, and both the Libs and Dippers need the logging industry votes. Mass timber will just increase the old-growth clearcutting and subsequent highway protests.

[chowhou]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://canada.constructconnect.com/...perator-strike

Maybe it's conformation bias, but it definitely felt to me like some projects I've been watching have slowed down a lot in the past couple weeks, or prioritized non-concrete work. I'm thinking particularly Gilmore Place and Akimbo Brentwood.

[jollyburger]

B.C.’s labour minister is facing calls to get involved as job action delays construction projects in the province.

A strike involving about 300 workers has taken away 35 per cent of the Lower Mainland’s concrete supply. Workers have been off the job since the end of May.

Larry Clay, the founder and president of Clay Construction who says his is one of many businesses that’ve been greatly affected along with their clients.

“We’re just getting bumped and we’re not getting concrete,” he said.

“We’re waiting to pour concrete, been promised concrete, we’ve been bumped. I got two more that need driveways, sidewalks, and slabs, I got another one ready to do footings and foundation, got another one that we’re starting to dig.”

Following a pandemic that has impacted the industry and the issues with the supply chain, Clay says it’s crucial the province step in.

“Get the workers back to work, because it’s affecting way too many people, trades, homeowners,” he said.

Chris Gardner is the president of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association. He is calling on the provincial minister of labour, Harry Bains, to use the power of the labour code to appoint a special mediator “to move quickly so that we can get to a resolution that’s fair and timely.”

The union representing workers, Teamsters Local Union 213, says despite discussions since the start of the year, negotiations have reached an impasse. Working conditions are among the issues.

“These guys work long hours, so all they’re looking for is some assurances that they’re going to be getting their breaks. Up to this point, they’ve been denied their breaks, and these guys are working anywhere from 10, 12, 13, 14, hours a day and without a break,” Barry Capozzi, with the union, said.

In an emailed statement the Ministry of Labour said “[It] respects the integrity of the collective bargaining process, which means allowing the two sides to negotiate freely on their own.”

“Mediation services continue to be available to the parties through the Labour Relations Board if they need assistance.”

Clay warns that without an agreement, taxpayers and home buyers will have the consequences of an already expensive market.

“Because at some point we can go only so far and then it stops and some won’t even get off the ground,” he said.

“Everything from the Patullo Bridge, the Lions Gate Hospital, projectors at YVR, projects being built by B.C. hydro, affordable housing projects, housing projects of all kinds. To delay those projects and to increase their costs will have a significant impact on taxpayers and first-time home buyers,” Gardner adds.

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/0...ncrete-strike/

[jollyburger]

Some other supply issues with concrete:

One of B.C.’s largest cement plants has temporarily cut production, exacerbating Metro Vancouver’s shortage of concrete and forcing some construction companies to halt projects.

Article content
Lafarge’s Richmond cement plant has been operating at limited capacity since a May 31 fire in part of the pre-heater tower.

Cement is a key ingredient in making concrete, a substance used in almost every construction project.

The Lafarge woes, coupled with a strike by some truck drivers, is severely choking the supply of concrete in the Lower Mainland.

https://vancouversun.com/news/lafarg...crete-shortage

[Sheba]

Deal is struck to end Metro Vancouver's weeks-long concrete strike

[LeftCoaster]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

Some other supply issues with concrete:



https://vancouversun.com/news/lafarg...crete-shortage

This is a far far larger issue than the small truckers strike that was just settled.

[jollyburger]

100 years for that toilet paper mill in New West. They also use the old Soviet Expo 86 pavillion to store raw goods

https://vancouversun.com/business/lo...west-turns-100

[jollyburger]

New fuel cell manufacturing plant opens in Burnaby
Multi-million investment by Daimler, Volvo builds on local fuel cell expertise
By Nelson Bennett | June 29, 2022, 4:05pm

Cellcentric's new high-tech fuel cell manufacturing and R&D facility in Burnaby. | Chung Chow
Metro Vancouver’s reputation as hydrogen fuel cell technology hub was further cemented Wednesday with the grand opening of a new multi-million dollar manufacturing and R&D facility in Burnaby.

Germany’s Daimler Truck AG and Sweden’s Volvo Group last year created a new division, cellcentric GmbH & Co. KG, specializing in the manufacturing of fuel cell systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

One of its new plants recently opened in Burnaby’s Riverbend Business Park -- just a few blocks from Ballard Power Systems (TSX:BLDP), where earlier iterations of cellcentric were born in 2008.

Previously operating out of a wing of Ballard’s Burnaby headquarters, the new cellcentric facility is twice the size and has three times the production capacity. The new 56,727-square foot facility employs 70 people, most of whom are engineers specializing in fuel cell technology.

The Burnaby facility produces hydrogen fuel cells and stacks – the core of fuel cell systems – for the medium- and heavy-duty truck market. They are then shipped to Germany where they are integrated into complete fuel cell systems for trucks at cellcentric’s headquarters.

“We do parts of the cell manufacturing and the final stack assembly here in Burnaby, and also very important parts of the fuel cell R&D, especially stack R&D,” said Christian Mohrdieck, cellcentric’s chief commercial officer.

“That’s the most innovative part of the fuel cell, and we think we have a unique knowledge base here in Burnaby, and Canada.”

The fuel cell market for trucks is still in its infancy, but government mandates for zero emission vehicles – including in Canada – are expected to force the trucking sector in North America and Europe to go all-electric, either through battery power or hydrogen fuel cells. (Fuel cell vehicles are electric, but with the electricity produced chemically from hydrogen, rather than from battery storage.)

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles account for only 5% of the vehicles on the road but more than 20% of transportation emissions, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

While battery electric will likely dominate the light and medium truck sector, hydrogen fuel cells are expected to dominate in the heavier, long haul sectors and in return-to-base fleets.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently forecast that hydrogen fuel cells could become cost competitive with diesel engines for the heavy-duty trucking sector in about a decade.

“Due to advancements for fuel cells and clean hydrogen production, hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are expected to become cost-competitive for long-haul heavy-duty trucks with greater than 500-mile range by 2035,” says the NREL report.

Combined, Daimler Truck and Volvo Group have about 50% of the North American market for medium and heavy-duty trucks.

There are currently no long-haul semi trucks running on hydrogen fuel cells on the road yet, but there will be in the coming years, Mohrdieck said.

“We are looking at, first, trial fleets next year and then after 2025, we are ramping up our production, because we know our customers will have a demand in this time period, especially in order to meet the regulations about CO2 reduction,” he said.

Asked how much the company has invested in the new Burnaby facility, Mohrdieck said: “We don’t disclose the exact number, but as you can imagine it’s a two-digit million Canadian dollar number.”

At Wednesday’s opening ceremonies, Bruce Ralston, minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation, said he asked cellcentric Canada CEO Andrea Engelen why the company chose Burnaby for the new facility.

“I did say why -- why Burnaby?” Ralston said. “She said, ‘we have to be here – it’s the Silicon Valley of the hydrogen fuel cell.’”

Cellcentric CEO Matthias Jurytko suggested that Canada’s commitment to developing a hydrogen economy was also a factor.

“We at cellcentric are driven by Europeans’ commitment to zero emissions, and are heartened by Canada’s leadership and commitment, as demonstrated with the Canadian Hydrogen Strategy,” he said.

The new cellcentric plant is one of several fuel cell companies whose nexus was Ballard Power Systems.

In 2008, Ballard Power sold off its light-duty automotive fuel cell division to Daimler AG & Ford Motor Company, which continued to operate out of the same building, but as an entirely separate company – the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC). Another spinoff was Mercedes Benz Fuel Cells Division.

Last year, Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group AB joined forces to create cellcentric, leveraging some of the IP and talent spun out of Ballard in 2008.

“With the cutout from Ballard, we also took over some people from Ballard…and this is still the same group of people,” Mohrdieck said.

Concerns have been raised about job losses in traditional industries like coal and oil and gas in Canada, as a result of the Trudeau government’s ambitious climate change and energy transition policies. But Natural Resources Canada Minister Jonathan Wilkinson has, in recent months, been talking about the upside of the energy transition, which presents new business opportunities – the new cellcentric facility being one example.

“The opening of this new R&D facility will leverage Canadian innovation and experience with hydrogen fuel cells,” Wilkinson said. “It will enable a tripling of local production capacity. It will help fulfill our goal of becoming a world leader in the manufacturing of these cells.”

https://biv.com/article/2022/06/new-...-opens-burnaby