MONTRÃAL, Oct. 26, 2018 /CNW/ – Bentall Kennedy, property manager, on behalf of co-owners Sun Life Financial, Groupe Petra and Groupe Mach, marked the 100th anniversary of the Sun Life Building on the evening of October 24, 2018, at a special gathering of partners, tenants and friends.
Inseparable from Montréal’s cityscape
From the time the company first moved to downtown Montréal in 1918, through two expansions in 1926 and 1933, and the many renovations conducted over the years, the Sun Life Building has retained its unique character, with an infrastructure recognized across Canada. “We are very honoured indeed to be celebrating this impressive architectural heritage, which symbolizes the vitality of Canada’s and Montréal’s business communities.”
– Patrice Bourbonnais, Assistant to the President, Groupe Petra
100 years of history
The Sun Life Building is also a reflection of the visionary spirit that drove its builders a century ago. As an iconic symbol and a true architectural jewel of built heritage in Canada, the building literally shaped Montréal’s downtown core. Its neoclassical style offers a pleasing blend of solidity and elegance, symbolizing strength and security. The Sun Life Building’s history reminds us that it has been at the heart of the major events marking the 20th century until the present day, while also bearing witness to a time, not so long ago, when Montréal was Canada’s metropolis and the focal point for the westward expansion of our economy.
“The Sun Life Building is an icon of Montréal’s history which demonstrates the leading role played by our real estate heritage in promising a sustainable future. 100 years ago, this building was constructed for the Sun Life Financial, that moved in its teams. Today, we still occupy a significant portion of the building, where 2,000 Quebec employees devote themselves to our clients’ well-being and help them reach sustainable financial security and a healthy lifestyle.”
– Jacques Goulet, President, Sun Life Financial Canada
The Sun Life Building is one of the most remarkable legacies passed on to Montrealers. In that spirit, Bentall Kennedy and the co-owners have collectively decided to support Centraide of Greater Montréal, which also has deep roots in the city.
“It warms my heart to accept this cheque for $100,000, on behalf of Centraide and most especially all the communities in Greater Montréal. The Sun Life Building so wonderfully illustrates the outcome of a collaborative effort, the caretaking of this property over the years, and now we have this huge gesture of generosity that will benefit the community.”
– Caroline Bougie, Chair of the Allocations and Agency Relations Committee, Centraide of Greater Montréal
The following benefactors also contributed to the donation: GDI Services aux entreprises, GB Cotton Inc. and Regulvar, along with NATIONAL Public Relations, McCarthy Tétrault, P&R Desjardins and Toitures Hogue.
Greening for the future
It may be celebrating its centennial, but the Sun Life Building is also decidedly green!
“This magnificent heritage building is notable not only for its architecture, but also as a model of energy efficiency. Although it is 100 years old, thanks to a process of continuous improvement, along with upgrades to its facilities and infrastructures, the Sun Life Building is ready for the 21st century!”
– Yves-André Godon, Senior Vice-President, Montreal Region, Bentall Kennedy
It is the first centennial building in North America to receive BOMA BEST Platinum certification, which recognizes properties for excellence and best practices in environmental performance and management.
This past June, in San Antonio, Texas, the Sun Life Building also received the TOBY Award, the most prestigious international distinction in the commercial real estate industry, as 2018 Building of the Year in the Historic Building category. The building is also part of the network of corporations recognized for their leadership and outstanding performance in terms of energy efficiency.
About Bentall Kennedy
Bentall Kennedy, a Sun Life Investment Management company, is one of the largest global real estate investment advisors and one of North America’s foremost providers of real estate services. Bentall Kennedy serves the interests of more than 550 institutional clients with expertise in office, retail, industrial and multi-residential assets throughout Canada and the U.S. Bentall Kennedy’s Investment Management group has approximately $48 billion (CAD)/$36 billion (USD) of assets under management (as of June 30, 2018). Bentall Kennedy is one of the largest real estate services providers in Canada, managing more than 60 million square feet on behalf of third-party and investment management clients (as of June 30, 2018). Bentall Kennedy is a member of UN PRI and a recognized Responsible Property Investing leader ranked among the top firms around the globe in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) for the seventh consecutive year since GRESB was launched.
Bentall Kennedy includes Bentall Kennedy (Canada) Limited Partnership, Bentall Kennedy (U.S.) Limited Partnership and the real estate and commercial mortgage investment groups of certain of their affiliates, all of which comprise a team of real estate professionals spanning multiple legal entities. The assets under management shown above include real estate equity and mortgage investments of the companies within Bentall Kennedy.
For more information, visit www.bentallkennedy.com.
About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing insurance, wealth and asset management solutions to individual and corporate Clients. Sun Life Financial has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of June 30, 2018, Sun Life Financial had total assets under management of $986 billion. For more information please visit www.sunlife.com.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.
About Groupe Petra
Groupe Petra is a private management firm with over 30 years’ experience in the real estate sector. The group provides comprehensive services ranging from construction and maintenance to leasing and fitting out for a large portfolio of office, commercial and industrial lease properties. Concentrated in Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec City, Groupe Petra’s holdings total 9 million square feet.
About Groupe Mach
Mach’s real estate projects are conceived to have a structural, sustainable and significant impact not just on cities and neighbourhoods, but also their residents, visitors and the users of the buildings. Each edifice is built to generate collective benefits that incorporate beauty, utility and responsible behavior. Mach stands out as one of the leading real estate developers in Quebec, with a commercial portfolio of close to 20 million square feet to its name, including noteworthy Quebecois landmarks such as the SunLife Building, the CIBC Tower, Place Victoria, the Maison Radio-Canada and the Telus Building in Quebec City.
About Centraide of Greater Montreal
Centraide of Greater Montreal is active in the territories of Laval, Montreal and the South Shore. About 57,000 volunteers are involved with the 350 agencies that it supports, and 22,000 volunteers work on its annual campaign. Centraide has a presence in 18 regions in Quebec and is supported by private, public and parapublic corporations and institutions as well as large trade unions. The money raised is invested locally to break the cycle of poverty and social exclusion. For more information: centraide-mtl.org.
SOURCE Bentall Kennedy
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