NOTE: OMERS is the parent company of Oxford Properties, owners or part owners of the Marine Building, Gusiness Tower, Oceanic Plaza, 1021 West Hastings Street, 1133 Melville Street, 800 Burrard Street and 401 West Georgia in Vancouver.

OMERS Net Assets Surpass $60 Billion in 2012 With 10% Investment Return.

“TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 22, 2013) – OMERS, one of Canada’s largest pension plans, today announced its 2012 financial results. OMERS net assets grew to $60.8 billion, rising by $5.7 billion in 2012 and by over $17 billion since the 2008 global credit crisis. Now in its 50^th year, OMERS is an active, diversified investor, pension innovator, and an engine of economic growth and employment in Ontario and Canada.

OMERS total Plan investment return of 10% was driven by strong performance in its private market portfolio and solid public market performance in line with expectations and current market conditions. “OMERS had a strong year in 2012. The $5.7 billion increase in our net assets demonstrates the strength and robustness of OMERS business model with the capacity to generate growing investment cash yields and more than ample liquidity to withstand market shocks under stressed financial conditions,” said Michael Nobrega, OMERS President and CEO.

OMERS private market portfolio had a 13.8% investment return – with returns of 19.2% (OMERS Private Equity), 16.9% (Oxford Properties), 12.7% (Borealis Infrastructure) and negative 10.1% (OMERS Strategic Investments). OMERS Strategic Investments, which represents less than two and a half per cent of OMERS net investments, has its principal assets in Alberta’s oil and gas sector. The year-end valuation of these assets was negatively impacted as oil and gas prices fell to their lowest levels in five years.

OMERS Capital Markets, which manages the public market portfolio including public equities, fixed income and debt investments, generated a 7.5% return. “

Retail and real estate analysts believe large retailers such as Walmart or Target could start pushing for construction of a new mall on either of two downtown blocks that are ripe for redevelopment.

Canada Post’s sale in January of its long-time Vancouver headquarters to BC Investment Management Corp. (BCIMC) has opened up the block bounded by Georgia, Homer, Dunsmuir and Hamilton streets.

Two blocks east is Larwill Park, which is owned by the City of Vancouver and bounded by Georgia, Cambie, Dunsmuir and Beatty streets.

The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is hoping to convince the city at a meeting, likely to be held in early March, that it should be given the site – which some estimate to be worth $200 million – to build a new $300 million gallery.

Neighbors to the North Emerge As Largest Foreign Investor In U.S. Real Estate – CoStar Group.

“As a handful of major deals this month attest, Canada continues to be the most dominant foreign investor in U.S. assets, with a total investment more than triple that of its nearest competitor country, according to Jones Lang LaSalle.

“Canada emerged from the recession in better financial shape due to its banks issuing recourse loans and suffering fewer hits during the mortgage meltdown versus other countries. These deeper pockets allowed Canadians to invest in U.S. real estate when values were most suppressed,” said Steve Collins, international director of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Capital Markets, who attended last week’s Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate’s (AFIRE) annual Winter Conference in New York. “