Another article:

renx.ca

Oxford, CT REIT, Canadian Tire plan $200M Canada Square reno

Oxford Properties Group and CT REIT (CRT-UN-T) are embarking on a “transformative investment” to renovate and retrofit Canadian Tire Corp.’s (CTC) head office in the Canada Square office complex in midtown Toronto.
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A comment better reserved for the Hudson Bay thread, but I was thinking with Canadian Tire Corporation looking to buy Hudson's Bay brand, it would be an exciting idea to relaunch the store (if CT has intentions to and in whichever manner that would look like) as part of the retail offering in a redeveloped Canada Square. A flagship Canadian Tire store may not be too bad at this location too.
 
Thoughts:
1. While I don't believe the current "cube" at the corner is original to the building (although maybe it is - I can't find any photos of it from when it was constructed), demolishing the cube, and creating a plaza on a street corner that's notoriously known for being windswept seems like a bad idea. The plaza across the street was inhospitable, always. IMO the current "cube" works quite well from a street front and sense of place perspective.
2. I love the original office buildings - the street wall between the two office buildings (or lack there of) is probably the biggest problem with the complex from an urbanity perspective, however, we need to stop Manulife Centre-ing things when creating retail within the existing contract would work just as well.
 
I hate that they're glassening the solid counterpoint to the glass towers, but it's great to see the previous unsympathetic designs have been scrapped in favor of preservation, considering International Style buildings are extremely threatened around the city. I hope the street level angled colonnade is at least preserved.
 
So the site was going to be walkable with patios and shops and now it's been reduced to this? It was going to be a bold community effort. Upsetting.
 
pw20 said:
Thoughts:
1. While I don't believe the current "cube" at the corner is original to the building (although maybe it is - I can't find any photos of it from when it was constructed), demolishing the cube, and creating a plaza on a street corner that's notoriously known for being windswept seems like a bad idea. The plaza across the street was inhospitable, always. IMO the current "cube" works quite well from a street front and sense of place perspective.
2. I love the original office buildings - the street wall between the two office buildings (or lack there of) is probably the biggest problem with the complex from an urbanity perspective, however, we need to stop Manulife Centre-ing things when creating retail within the existing contract would work just as well.
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I broadly agree, though I would say, if reconstructing the cube were on the table, the sidewalks could use a bit more space here, it's a busy spot; but pulling the building in by 2M should be sufficient. The cube could also be more animated. Retail on the Yonge-facing side, or even in the interior (with sufficient room in the layout that it didn't get in people's way.)

But I don't see an outdoor plaza here as desirable.
 
UtakataNoAnnex said:
...I think this pig is okay to put lipstick on it though. /shrug
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Really??

Screenshot 2025-06-10 at 10.57.58 AM (002).jpeg
 
DavidCapizzano said:
Yeah I am disappointed to see the glassing over of the podium. Those pleated solid panels really add some weight and mid century panache to this complex. Would have liked to see them restored / reimagined.
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Agreed in full. This is going to be a lot of glass fronting Yonge. I wonder what their plan is for the south end, the street treatment is really elegant as you get to Soudan.
 
Curious if this means CT will be vacating all the other offices around the GTA now. They opened a few satellite offices after the pandemic, in addition to offices in Welland and Niagara as a way of convincing people from outside of Toronto to come back to office by avoiding the commute.
 
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