Commercial Properties is proud to partner with Saint John Energy on a project to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers in the Saint John region. The project is receiving funding from Natural Resources Canada.

Left to right: Glen Fillmore, Executive Director, Strategic Growth and Transformation at Saint John Energy; Shelley Wood, Executive Director, Finance, People and Community at Saint John Energy; Paul McKiel, President at Commercial Properties Limited; Wayne Long, Member of Parliament for Saint John-Rothesay

“We are pleased to be part of the initiative and provide sustainable options for our community,” says Paul McKiel, President of Commercial Properties Limited. “It is an exciting opportunity to expand our current program to include additional EV chargers Uptown, including a dual level 3 ‘fast charger’. As the community continues to invest in more sustainable transportation options, we are eager to provide residents, visitors, and tenants with more ways to power up their vehicles.”

The first purchase and installation of an EV charger at Commercial Properties was in 2017. Currently there are dual level 2 charging stations in 3 locations around Saint John (Mercantile Centre Parking Garage, 400 Chesley Drive, 180 Crown Street).

The upcoming project includes a dual level 2 at Station Street parking lot, a dual level 2 at Sewell & Dorchester Street parking lot, and a dual level 3 at the Red Rose building parking lot, all open to the public.

Long before sustainability became a focus for most companies and, increasingly, a reporting requirement, Commercial Properties was a regional leader in thinking sustainably.

“It’s part of our culture,” says Megan Scott, Manager of Sustainability and Business Operations at Commercial Properties.

Brunswick House, 44 Chipman Hill, Saint John, NB; BOMA BEST Silver Certified

“Sustainability is a key consideration in all aspects of our business, from new building construction and renovations to ongoing operations.

In 2009, Somerset Square, a Commercial Properties office building in Saint John, became the first commercial building in Atlantic Canada to meet the Gold standard for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

The building also maintains the Silver standard for BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) BEST (Building Environmental Standards), Canada’s largest environmental assessment and certification program for existing buildings. BOMA awards levels of achievement across six key areas: energy and carbon, water, indoor air quality and hazards, accessibility, and wellness, custodial and waste, and resilience and site.

Commercial Properties’ BOMA BEST portfolio includes seven more buildings which have all achieved Silver certification levels. These certifications provide benchmarks and structured frameworks for pursuing sustainability excellence, including BOMA’s recertification process every five years.

“It’s not one-and-done,” Paul says. “It provides a road map for improvement.”

Commercial Properties remains proactive, looking for new tools and processes to stay ahead of its tenants’ needs and remain on the cutting edge. It is currently implementing an energy management information system, which provides real-time data for more insights into energy use.