Pandemic Planning Site for Canadian Commercial Real Estate

Press Release, October 21, 2009 — We take them for granted, but most of us enter commercial buildings just about everyday: a workplace, government office, a mall.  What if they are not prepared for a pandemic?

View the PDF Press Release (October 21, 2009)

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H1N1_Thinking_Like_A_Virus_BOMA-Mag.pdf

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There are two sets of posters available; the first gives tenants and visitors clear messaging to prevent the spread of illness prior to the onset of a Pandemic, while the second provides information for buildings operating under Pandemic conditions. (Details on the posters and their text are available in Appendix 2 of the Toolkit). 

The posters are available to order on-line through Poster One. Go to www.posterone.com/bomacanada to open a new account, or to request that the Pandemic posters be added to your existing library.

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A guide for building owners cobbles together disparate information to prepare for an influenza pandemic

TINA BARTON (Special to The Globe and Mail - June 26, 2007) 

OTTAWA - A pandemic planning guide for commercial buildings is being hailed as just what the industry needs - particularly as it explains the “how” and not just the “what” in dealing with a serious health threat, property managers say.

“Sometimes documents of this type are rushed and in the end more questions are raised than answered,” said Oryst Deneka, senior property manager at Minto Place in Ottawa. “If there is a surprise for me, it is that this document does not appear to have any noticeable gaps … BOMA Canada should be applauded for this.”

The guide was prepared by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada over the fall and winter and was released in the spring.

Cheryl Gray, who chaired the national industry pandemic planning task force that developed the guide, said the myriad of information that already existed was difficult to navigate and didn’t explain how protective plans or services could be implemented in a crisis.

The challenge in developing the plan was finding lots of advice on what to do, such as ‘train your staff,’ yet no practical advice on how to do it or what resources were available that could provide such services,” said Ms. Gray, who is senior vice-president for property management at Bentall Real Estate Services LP in Toronto.

“Every city has a different plan … but finding planning information about how the city or province will operate or provide public services is not easy.”

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BOMA Canada’s Pandemic Planning Guide and Toolkit provide a tremendous amount of information regarding recommended proactive measures that companies should take, both now and in the future, to mitigate the effects of pandemic illness on workers.  Comprehensive details, including downloadable copies of the Guide and Toolkit, are available at www.bomacanada-pandemic.ca, along with links to other valuable resources.

But what should be done first? BOMA Canada recommends several important actions which you, as a commercial landlord, are encouraged to take immediately, including: Tenant Education,  Hygiene, and Communications.
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To assist Canadian commercial real estate companies in making pandemic planning an integral part of their disaster preparedness plans and policies, the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada) and a Task Force of key industry leaders have been proactively engaged in developing the just-released comprehensive Pandemic Planning Guide for Commercial Buildings.

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As part of its ongoing participation in the National Industry Pandemic Planning Task Force, BOMA Canada has made a commitment to working with association members and industry counterparts in a national communications role. The Task Force objective is to develop a common and consistent approach across the commercial real estate industry, to mitigate the impact of a pandemic on Canada’s workers.  There is increasing concern over the likelihood of an influenza pandemic occurring in Canada.   In such an event, the medical community projects that as much as 40% of the workforce will be unavailable for periods of up to 8 weeks. 

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In response to growing concerns over the possibility of a widespread viral outbreak, a National Industry Pandemic Planning Task Force has been established, composed of representatives from major commercial real estate owners and managers across the country, as well as BOMA Canada. The group is supported by Marsh Canada as an expert in business continuity and by Dr. Donald Low, Chief of Microbiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

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