Feed Editor 24 Jan 2010 15:54:13 GMT Latest News - Toronto Commercial Real Estate And Property Law http://www.commercialrealestatelawyers.ca/news.htm en With growing concern over global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), the government and commercial leasing industry have been forced to step up to the plate to address these issues. The Canadian government has made several important steps, including signing the Kyoto Accord and provinces have followed with their own initiatives, including the Western Climate Initiative and Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. There are also various systems being introduced to reduce GHGs such as the cap and trade system, where carbon credits are bought and sold within a regulatory framework that controls the methods by which GHGs are measured and reported and controls the procedures for trading these credits. The article also discusses renewable energy certificates (RECs) and the value potential for RECs and carbon credits. 21 Mar 2010 15:57:18 GMT http://www.commercialrealestatelawyers.ca/news.htm#news info@dv-law.com General DC9C2286-EE67-4E51-A3FD-68E5AA977699 Before drafting an effective commercial lease, it is essential to have a good understanding of the nature of leases and how they differentiate from licenses, as well as the differences between the various categories of commercial leases. 21 Mar 2010 15:52:44 GMT http://commercialrealestatelawyers.ca/news.htm info@dv-law.com General 70019F8B-D8B8-487B-AC22-AF79A1EC5CC4 The economic downturn has impacted commercial real estate landlords and tenants throughout Ontario. As opposed to merely terminating defaulting tenants, landlords have been looking to various other options available to them in dealing with tenants whose businesses have been faltering. 6 Feb 2010 11:24:34 GMT http://www.commercialrealestatelawyers.ca/news.htm#news webmaster@commercialrealestatelawyers.ca General 2C0646B8-4F8F-48C9-8502-0B404E8DA507 Concern over greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) has produced a new phenomenon – leases of rooftop space for the installation and operation of solar power facilities. Last May Ontario passed the Green Energy Act. One of its main objectives was to establish a feed-in tariff program (a"FIT" Program) whereby the Ontario Power Authority (the"OPA") committed to purchase, at very favourable rates, all of the green energy produced in the Province. In response to this incentive, owners of buildings are likely to be approached by solar power companies wishing to lease rooftop space to install and operate green energy systems. Once an application is approved by the OPA, the applicant must sign a power purchase contract with the OPA for a term of 20 years. An important component of that contract is the transfer to the OPA of all of the environmental attributes associated with the project. As a consequence, any carbon credits and renewable energy credits belong to the OPA and not to the solar power company or the landlord of the property on which the solar power facility is installed. 24 Jan 2010 15:54:13 GMT http://www.commercialrealestatelawyers.ca info@dv-law.com General In March 2009, the Ontario government announced that it would be harmonizing its PST with the federal GST in order to create a single consumption tax of 13% effective July 1, 2010 (“Harmonized Sales Tax” or “HST”). Other provinces have previously implemented a similar regime or are about to follow suit. The change brings with it the need for both landlords and tenants to understand and plan. From a leasing perspective, that includes ensuring that their leases adequately address the new system. Read the complete article here. 24 Jan 2010 15:59:36 GMT http://www.commercialrealestatelawyers.ca info@dv-law.com 5BE8B658-F872-48A2-A7AF-334C95AF3B8B