Priorities

Healthy living

We carefully select sites and design mixed-use spaces, streetscapes, public spaces, amenities and programming to support healthy lifestyle and transportation choices as well as encourage social interactions.

Inclusion

We create places that embrace diverse populations, facilitate housing accessibility and offer the many positive benefits of thriving community life. We have been actively implementing DEI principles and programs across our businesses, communities and supply chains.

People-first culture

Through our support for skilled trades training, donating our time and resources to community-focused initiatives, and through the creation of people-centric communities across Canada, we make a long-term impact. We also aspire to be a great place to work and a good partner to work with.

2023 Highlights

Creating rental

Developed 541 rental homes, including 170 that are affordable

Trades training

Since 1995 we have raised and donated $12.1M to trades training institutions across Canada

Top employer

Concert Properties was named BC Top Employer for the third year in a row

Mental health

Mental Health First Aid Pilot Program launched and employee coverage for mental health practitioners tripled

Supporting moms

Canada’s 1st comprehensive support program for new moms launched

Providing shelter

Provided Youth Without Shelter with subsidized housing, programming and fundraising to support at-risk youth

What stands out most is the gratitude we hear from employees for our efforts to improve the employee experience and culture. It reflects the impact of our DEI initiatives, reconciliation efforts and the creation of a psychologically safe environment where topics like mental health and conflict resolution, which can be hard to talk about, are now openly discussed. Aran Clarke, Interim Chief Administration Officer

Connecting Communities

Moving the Needle on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We take a strategic, thoughtful approach to DEI at Concert Properties. We ensure we fully and properly educate ourselves before taking any action or introducing any new initiative.

Building Neighbourhoods in Canada – Creating a Sense of Community

Creating mixed-use developments with a diversity of housing is important to building a sense of community. We use people-first design principles when creating residences and shared spaces. Parks and pathways, landscaping, places to gather and socialize – these underpin our thoughtful design process, ultimately creating a community that fosters connections and a deep sense of belonging.

Bettie Allard YMCA – Creating Community Spaces in BC

Located in our master-planned development, Heart of Burquitlam, the state-of-the-art 55,000-square-foot YMCA is the result of an innovative partnership between the City of Coquitlam, YMCA and Concert Properties.

Providing Safe Spaces for Young Canadians

Concert Properties has a long history of supporting Youth Without Shelter (YWS), a Toronto-based organization that provides a safe refuge for youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who have found themselves without a place to call home. Several Concert Properties employees were instrumental in guiding and supporting YWS with the acquisition of a 24 bed rooming house. This purchase enabled YWS to expand its unique Stay in School program that provides shelter and wraparound support to youth facing homelessness while they complete their post-secondary education.

Social Sustainability

Concert Properties recognizes that building community goes beyond the simple bricks and mortar of our assets, but is also reliant on how we operate these buildings and support our residents. We start with thoughtful design that improves the fabric of our communities and then take an active role in making them places for people to live, work, play and build social connections.  

Our Social Sustainability principles, goals and targets embody our long-standing commitment to be the progressive leader in Canadian real estate for generations. 

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Sustainability Goals & Targets

Affordability

Our goal is to make quality housing affordable for everyone through maximizing access to government grants and programs.

Reconciliation

As a builder of communities, we are an active partner in truth and reconciliation with Canada’s First Nations.

Access

We include accessible suites in all our projects and build communities that suit every lifestyle.

Connected Communities

The 'Hey Neighbour!' Collective 

We believe that strong, sustainable communities are fundamental to the social well-being of all Canadians. That’s why in 2018, we partnered with the City of Vancouver in the 'Hey Neighbour!' pilot project aimed at creating more socially connected rental housing. The pilot ran at The Remington building in Collingwood Village where residents were encouraged to organize fun social activities to bring their neighbours together. It was such a success, we've scaled the program across our residential rental portfolio in British Columbia.

As part of our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our communities, we’ve partnered with the Hey Neighbour Collective, a multi-stakeholder community of practice that supports the sociable design and programming of multi-unit housing. Sprung from the need to address the growing crisis of loneliness and social isolation in cities, we’re developing and testing creative approaches to fostering social connectedness in our vertical communities.

Celebrating our Community Connectors

In 2020, Concert Properties launched our Community Connectors program. We now have resident volunteers throughout all of our BC rental communities who are working together to co-create community activities big and small, to bring neighbours together and build social connectedness – especially during this time when it’s difficult to get together.

Our work with partners such as Happy City, provides residents the tools to create inclusive activities during times of physical-distancing. We’re adapting our approach to include small-scale and remote social activities focused on building social capital and resiliency.

Everyone deserves to live in a safe, healthy, and connected community. We believe strong meaningful relationships, a sense of belonging and inclusivity are the keys to making our communities vibrant, exciting places to live -- for generations to come.

Resident Satisfaction

In an effort to better understand how we can build community, and contribute to the health and social wellbeing of our residents, Concert Properties regularly surveys our rental communities. The data we gather directly feeds back in the design of our social sustainability programs, property management operations and the design of future projects.

Download 2023 ESG Report