Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 22 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
TORONTO - Store owners might be having a harder time finding rental property as the amount of retail space under construction in major Canadian markets dropped to its lowest level in a decade.
uncertain
amount → have → decade
Retail construction starts amounted to 1.5 million square feet in the first half of this year, commercial real estate firm JLL said in a new report.
asserted
JLL → amount → report
The previous low during the decade came in 2023, when retail construction starts totalled 1.9 million square feet.
asserted
starts → come → feet
JLL’s senior vice-president of retail Paul Ferreira attributed the drop in starts to rising building costs, the increasing redevelopment of existing retail space, particularly in malls, and the cancellation of some residential projects that would have had stores on the ground floor.
asserted
that → attribute → floor
Ferreira said these factors have left some businesses with fewer rental options.
asserted
factors → say → options
“Retailers that want to grow are finding it more challenging today to find space than they would have five or 10 years ago,” he said Friday.
asserted
he → want → space
“It means that they have to adapt their formats to the kind of space that is becoming available.”
asserted
that → mean → space
Adding to the challenge are low vacancy rates across most categories of retail space.
asserted
rates → add → space
Leasing has also declined, the company said.
asserted
company → decline → ?
That’s because “first and foremost, there isn’t space to move into or some of the larger blocks of space that are available have more homework to be done,” Ferreira said.
asserted
Ferreira → ’ → homework
“Supply is tough to deliver ... so I think landlords who do have the supply are being much more careful in how they are merchandising the space they have and making their long-term decisions.”
asserted
they → deliver → decisions
Many of them have their eye on supermarkets, he said.
asserted
he → have → supermarkets
On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, grocers are seen as more stable tenants because they didn’t have to temporarily close like other businesses when the economy shut down.
asserted
economy → see → businesses
They also drive weekly visits from customers and because they sell essential items, are resilient in the face of inflation and other economic swings.
asserted
they → drive → inflation
Plus, other tenants like pharmacies, banks and businesses providing personal services always like to be near a grocer, helping landlords with vacancies, Ferreira said.
asserted
Ferreira → provide → vacancies
JLL’s research found that 96 per cent of new properties built since 2022 in what it calls the “daily needs” category are being anchored by grocery tenants, up from 74 per cent between 2016 and 2021.
asserted
it → find → 2016
Grocers had the third highest number of new opening announcements in the first half of this year.
asserted
Grocers → have → year
Supermarkets trailed dining establishments, which made up 33 per cent of the opening announcements, and apparel and accessories retailers, which sat at 26 per cent, in JLL’s analysis.
asserted
which → trail → analysis
Ferreira suspects restaurants are dominating openings because there’s still an appetite to dine out after the COVID-19 pandemic and because people are being lured in by new concepts and brands that have moved into major Canadian markets.
asserted
that → suspect → markets
“We’ve seen a lot of growth in quick-service restaurants and fast casual restaurants ... but I don’t know how sustainable continued growth in those sectors are,” he said.
asserted
he → see → sectors
“As the consumer gets challenged for how much they can eat out of home, I think we’ll start to see the market respond to that.”
asserted
market → challenge → that
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2026.
asserted
report → publish → Press
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