Pandemic Planning for Canadian Commercial Real Estate

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Globe and Mail Article: Handy how-to for a profound what-if

Globe and Mail

A guide for building owners cobbles together disparate information to prepare for an influenza pandemic
by TINA BARTON (Special to The Globe and Mail - June 26, 2007)
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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.”

The 95-page pandemic planning guide offers comprehensive steps to reduce the spread of disease and mitigate the impact of a pandemic. A 32-page pandemic planning tool kit displays handy charts for building owners and managers to check off as they complete each item.

This is the first consistent, common response framework for a pandemic, Ms. Gray said. But that’s not the guide’s only significance.

“A collaborative effort of this scale was unique in our industry - partly borne out by our experience with SARS, but more importantly, an acknowledgment of the importance of our role as building owners and managers in such an event as a pandemic,” she explained.

“We couldn’t possibly answer all the ‘what if’ questions - I don’t think anyone could. However … anyone in commercial property management who starts their planning with the guide will be a lot further along the path.”

Wayne Banting, chairman of BOMA Canada’s emergency preparedness task force, and director of environmental health and safety services at Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd., said most tenants he has spoken with are interested in knowing whether their landlord has prepared or is preparing a pandemic response and business continuity plan; how and what they can expect from their landlord during a pandemic; and what they can do to help.

They also want to know whether their building will stay open for business if staff absenteeism reaches 15 per cent, 30 per cent or 50 per cent, as some have forecast if a major illness sweeps through a community.

The guide estimates that without vaccines and antiviral medicine, between 15 and 35 per cent of the Canadian population (representing between 4.5 million and 10.5 million people) could become ill from an influenza pandemic. In addition, it is estimated that between two million and five million Canadians would require medical care, between 34,000 and 58,000 deaths could occur and up to 138,000 people could require hospitalization.

To prevent vital operations from failing, the guide encourages securing written agreements prior to a pandemic for service and supply continuation, establishing relationships with backup suppliers, cross-training staff to cope with high levels of absenteeism, and determining decontamination and liability responsibilities.

Mr. Banting stressed that it’s up to individual tenants to develop their own business continuity plan and pandemic response plans.

“Building owners, managers and tenants, and families for that matter, who have not planned or prepared in advance for a pandemic could be in for a very rude awakening.”

A recent survey of about 300 North American businesses by International SOS, a medical and security provider, found that 65 per cent of organizations are in the process of implementing a pandemic preparedness plan, 13 per cent of businesses have begun preparedness training programs and 7 per cent have implemented plans completely.

There are signs some Canadian property owners are taking the health threat seriously.

Steve Kaminski, president of Colonnade Development in Ottawa, confirmed that the company is putting a plan in place on behalf of the properties they manage. “We are definitely aware of the initiative. By virtue of the fact that our buildings are a gathering place for people in society, we feel that we have to prepare an appropriate pandemic plan.”

In Vancouver, Polaris Realty (Canada) Ltd., the owner/manager company of the 28-storey Harbour Centre and the 19-storey AXA Place, is reviewing BOMA Canada’s guide closely as it structures its pandemic plan. Vice-president Douglas Hume said the company was in the final stage of implementing its strategy.

Minto Commercial Inc. released its own pamphlet to staff and tenants last year containing health information and instructions to face a pandemic. Minto employees and tenants have a 1-800 number to call for instructions during any emergency situation.

Deb Cross, executive vice-president at BOMA Canada, said the pandemic planning task force has created two sets of posters: one providing tenants and visitors with tips for preventing the spread of illness prior to a pandemic onset; the other providing information about buildings that are operating under pandemic conditions.

The guide has been popular since its release, Ms. Cross said, adding that building owners and managers recognize they must take steps now to protect their buildings, tenants and businesses. “Authorities suggest that a pandemic in North America is inevitable, and so now is the time to be preparing.”

Reproduced from www.globeandmail.com June 26, 2007

 

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