Impact

PCI believes great cities are built from the ground up, not merely height and spectacle, unlike Vancouver’s growing focus on “starchitecture” and skyline aesthetics at the expense of the street-level experience.

Sustainability Journey

Sustainability principles have been at the core of our business for over two decades, and they have shaped our identity as a responsible, community-minded and forward-looking real estate company. We believe that sustainable development is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic advantage, positioning us as leaders in responsible real estate development.

Our long history of transit-oriented development with great mixed-use tenants takes cars off the roads and brings people closer together. We focus on creating an exceptional mix of commercial tenants with complementary businesses that not only provide key amenities to the residential community but foster thriving businesses.

Impact Reporting

Defining our impact is about demonstrating our values in action, and being accountable to our community, employees and partners.

In 2023, we formally defined our material topics within five sustainability themes (below) and created a framework to track our progress and stay on course in achieving our Impact Initiatives goals. This included the establishment of key metrics, priority actions and key performance indicators to ensure our approach is both measurable and impactful.

Our teams have embraced our impact initiatives – not just as a report or a requirement but as a shared mindset that drives smarter decisions and builds lasting value.

In 2024, we improved our ability to measure and track impact, established clearer benchmarks, and aligned our work more closely with long-term goals. We also hired an Impact Initiatives Lead to champion our sustainability vision and goals and guide the implementation of our initiatives.

We are proud to share highlights of our 2024 Impact Report and our progress in our sustainability journey this last year.

Emissions Reduction

Decarbonization is central to our decision-making process, guiding much of our strategy and operations.

Buildings

We understand Canada’s commitment to the Paris Agreement to endeavor to be net zero by 2050.

Properties in development are pursuing full electrification, with GHG operating emissions targets well below 3 kgCO2e/m2/yr, the maximum for Vancouver and Emissions Level (EL) 3 of the BC Zero Carbon Step Code.

Almost 70% of our commercial buildings in operation initiated Continuous Optimization (C-Op) studies in 2024 with the aim of identifying opportunities to improve the efficiencies and effectiveness of these buildings’ systems through calibration and fine-tuning.

Most existing buildings are connected to Energy Star Portfolio Manager (ESPM), and leases in most of our commercial properties require our tenants share their electricity and gas consumption, which is a fundamental requirement for tracking and reporting whole-building GHG emissions data.

Sustainable transportation

Our goal is for our customers and their visitors to find major amenities such as grocery, pharmacy, restaurants, cafés, bars, banks, schools, and green/park space, within a 5-minute walk of our properties. We do this via strategic partnerships, municipal engagement, and meaningful commercial tenant curation.

Average scores for our existing buildings:

PCI’s office in Downtown Vancouver is one block away from the Burrard Skytrain station. Our staff regularly commute to the office and our development sites as far away as Surrey using public transit.

Climate adaptation and resilience

PCI anticipates future building codes and climate risks to guide our designs and performance targets. We don’t merely meet minimum standards or react to code changes as they arise; rather, we plan for the future. We also ensure that our acquisition and development processes consider building design for protection against extreme weather (flooding and heat domes), geographic events (earthquakes), and long-term geographic changes (rising sea levels).

We utilize energy modeling as an early-stage design tool to optimize building performance outcomes, assess climate adaptation needs, reduce costs, and maximize the value-engineering process.

Building certifications are another metric we use to track resilience of our portfolio. Certifications for our commercial buildings portfolio are as follows:

Our People

Hiring remains very competitive in our sector, and PCI endeavours to set itself apart to attract and retain our industry’s best people. This includes actively promoting a diverse workplace that is representative of our communities, and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for persons who have historically been underrepresented within business environments like ours, or have been subject to discrimination on the basis of identity.

We foster a culture of flexibility, innovation, and collaboration. Our staff are seasoned professionals with diverse expertise.

We experience great retention – half of our staff have been with PCI for four or more years, and over 20% have been with us for over ten years.

Most staff reported good/excellent physical and mental health in our engagement survey, and many actively utilize the health and wellness benefits.

Customers and Community

We’ve long recognized that our success is intricately linked to the well-being of the individuals and neighbourhoods we serve. Sustainability is not just a business strategy for PCI; it’s a genuine reflection of our dedication to fostering positive relationships with our customers, communities and team. From affordable housing initiatives, to daycare spaces and green spaces that encourage social interaction, to decolonization strategies, we are committed to crafting environments that nurture a strong sense of community, and to making investments in the broader community.

Volunteering and Charity

PCI is committed to supporting and investing in the communities where we live and work, proudly contributing to organizations and agencies that improve lives across Metro Vancouver and British Columbia. Our charitable efforts—focused on food security, children, and housing, as identified by our employees—include donations, volunteerism, and promotional support. In the past year, PCI hosted and sponsored 143 community events, and our staff contributed 120 volunteer hours at events such as Plenty of Plates, Food Stash Foundation, and Surrey Christmas Bureau’s Toy Depot. We also continued our support of the Vancouver Sun Adopt-A-School program, funding breakfast, lunch, and after-school food initiatives for hundreds of children across four schools.

Some of the outstanding organizations that we proudly support include: