Supporting our Neighbourhoods. 
Giving Back to our Communities. 
Partnering with our Tenants. 
Connecting with our Employees. 
Celebrating as One Team with One Purpose.  
We Launched FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation.  

First Capital and its employees have a long history of volunteering and giving back to the local communities in which we live and work. So last year, after a lot of work by many FCR team members, we launched our new charitable foundation called the FCR Thriving Neighbourhoods Foundation.   

Aligned with our purpose and brand – with people and community at the centre of our business, the Foundation’s mandate is to support charitable initiatives that are making an impact in the neighbourhoods where we operate. The Foundation is a natural complement to FCR’s business – as we continue to make a long-term sustainable commitment to the communities we serve – to generate and enhance value for all of our stakeholders. 

Even more, as an employee-led, registered charity, the Foundation empowers FCR employees to work together as ‘one team with one purpose’, to engage in a common goal of helping neighbourhoods thrive. 

The structure of the Foundation is comprised of two components: 
– FCR Thriving Neighbourhood Foundation, where monetary donations will be made to registered charities 
– FCR Initiatives, where employees will support non-charity events and causes in Arts & Culture, Innovation and Sustainability 

The Foundation will focus on four pillars selected by employees and aligned with charitable organizations that focus on well-being of the communities in which we operate and neighbouring communities – Social Justice, Mental Health, Youth Initiatives, and Food Insecurity & Poverty.    

This past holiday season, we launched our first initiative focused on Food Insecurity & Poverty in Canada.  Each office selected a local Food Bank to support with a combined goal of 10,000 monetary + food items.  We exceeded our goal and raised over 66,000 donations in the form of food items, monetary contributions from staff + Board of Trustees, Foundation match of dollar-for-dollar monetary donation, and $1 per item donated plus $10,000 personally donated by our CEO, Adam Paul. 

As for what’s next – we have a lot planned! Various campaigns, fundraisers and initiatives are in the works, with much more coming. We hope to build on the great momentum from our holiday food drive. 

Stay tuned! 

For the second consecutive year, First Capital was recognized by The Globe and Mail as one of Greater Toronto’s Top 100 Employers for 2021. The list is a benchmark published annually that recognizes employers for best practices in the workplace. Organizations are evaluated based on leadership in the areas of employee culture, benefits, communications, training, and community involvement.

First Capital strives to deliver a rewarding, stimulating, and fun place to work, where individuals are treated with respect. First Capital provides employees with competitive remuneration, generous benefits, training, educational opportunities, and career advancement. We provide a comprehensive benefits package to full-time employees, including a wellness subsidy.

First Capital is committed to an inclusive and diverse workplace. As a national company, we recognize the importance and value of a workforce that is inclusive and reflects the diverse communities in which we operate.

This year, First Capital implemented a robust COVID-19 response, including workplace safety & physical distancing upgrades, PPE & signage, work-from-home flexibility, and a list of other safety measures aimed at protecting employees.

First Capital’s commitment to a safe workplace environment, opportunities for growth, and extensive benefits see us consistently ranked high in preferences of new grads, thereby earning us inclusion in the Career Directory 2021.

This latest recognition is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our talented team of over 350 staff.  Our employees are at the core of our success.

 Learn more about First Capital & the other winners here.

Preparing for an interview can be stressful! Figuring out what to wear, how to properly handshake and even finding the right office – all things to consider with meeting someone in person.

With many organizations switching from in-person to virtual interviews, your interview prep will now focus on some things that you might not have thought of!

Here are some tips and things to consider when preparing for a virtual interview:

Still Dress for Success: It is always recommended to dress business casual from head to toe – just in case! You never know when you might have to stand up or even unintentionally leave the camera on.

Test Technology: Technology is great, but it’s even better when it actually works! It takes just a few minutes to test that your speakers, microphone, and camera are in good working order.

Professional Identity: Keep it professional! Make sure you are identified with a simple email and your full name is always preferred.

Backdrop: It is always great to make sure you control what you can, setting yourself up in front of an interesting but not distracting background would be ideal. For example, you wouldn’t want to be set up in a high traffic area in your house where people passing by in the background will distract you or the interviewer. And not to worry, things happen, I am sure we have all seen our fair share! Also, if you really want to stand out, try a virtual background, but preferably nothing crazy like the beach or outer space.

Minimize Distractions: Ensure the notifications are off on all devices, programs that could be running and sounding alerts on your laptop or even text messages coming into your personal phone. Also, we can’t forget about our furry friends. With the potential of crossing the camera at any given moment, it’s best to keep them in a separate room for the meeting. This will ensure you have your eyes on the prize and you will keep consistent eye contact with the interviewer.

Jennifer Cruz is First Capital’s Talent Acquisition Specialist

October 1, 2020

First Capital REIT (“First Capital”) alerts employment candidates that employment offer scams are on the rise in Canada. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be an opportunity for scammers to target people seeking employment.

One of the schemes being used by fraudsters are to create fake job advertisements that are followed through with a fake Skype/Zoom interview and fake job offers using falsified documents containing a real companies’ name, logo, or trademark.

One of the first signs of a fraudulent job offer is when the applicant is asked to send any form of payment, for example, to cover job supplies, visa/immigration costs, uniform expenses, etc. Please also note the email address from which the communications are being sent. i.e. if it is a hotmail/gmail address it may not be a legitimate company email.

First Capital, nor any recruitment agency acting on its behalf, would never ever ask job applicants to forward any type of payment in conjunction with a job application/offer of employment. Moreover, a job offer would not be made without first meeting with the candidate.

If you have any concerns about a job offer, please do not hesitate to contact us.

If you believe you are a victim of employment offer fraud, we would urge you to contact the local police and/or report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

The Sculpture

“Inspired by the historic architectural curved roof feature of Parkway Mall and the heritage of Maryvale Farm, a breeder and trainer of racehorses (circa 1928 – 1939), ThreeSidesOneGesture curves into an arch through which the community enters and engages with the history and identity of the neighbourhood. In this sculpture, the community experiences three elements that coexist: the human conjoined with the ecosystem and the built environment, even though all three are never simultaneously visible. By walking around the sculpture, the viewer experiences the changing juxtapositions of the arch, humanity and horse, which superimpose in changing configurations.”

You can read more about the sculture, and the artist Suzanne Simoni at her website here.

The Competition

In 2019, First Capital selected Suzanne Simoni as the winner of the 2019 First Capital Public Art Competition for her ThreeSidesOneGesture sculpture. This competition was part of the public arts initiative that provides students and emerging artists with an opportunity to showcase their work publicly at First Capital properties. 

First Capital made a commitment to sponsoring this public sculpture competition, which was open to third-year and fourth-year OCAD U students and graduates.  The winner of the program received a cash prize and First Capital supported the fabrication, site preparation, transportation and installation of the sculpture.

FCR is committed to supporting our small business tenants through participating in the CECRA program.

The FCR CECRA Tenant Application portal will provide qualifying tenants with access to apply to the program with the required CECRA tenant information.  

Please ensure you confirm you meet the FCR tenant registration criteria on the portal landing page prior to proceeding to create an account.

Once the tenant application is reviewed by FCR, the required CECRA tenant documents will be issued to the tenant for execution.

Deadline to submit tenant application: Friday, June 26, 2020.

Please note, if you are already accepted in the FCR SBSP, you have the option to choose between the SBSP or CECRA, but not both. If you qualify for CECRA and apply to FCR CECRA, once your application is processed and approved by CECRA, the terms of the CECRA Rent Reduction Agreement will replace and terminate the prior SBSP agreement.

Be sure to stay informed as CECRA continues to provide regular updates – here is the link to access the latest CECRA program details + FAQ.

Access your FCR CECRA application here.

We are excited to announce that First Capital has been named one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers for 2020!

Now in its 7th year, Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that offer the nation’s best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies.

To determine eligibility for Canada’s Small & Medium Employers, the editors for the Top 100 competition adopted the SME definition used by Statistics Canada, which is private-sector commercial organizations with less than 500 employees. We were then evaluated using the following eight criteria:

•            physical workplace;

•            work atmosphere and social;

•            health, financial and family benefits;

•            vacation and time-off;

•            employee communications;

•            performance management;

•            training and skills development; and

•            community involvement.

For the full list of 2020 winners of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers competition, and the reasons for selection, please click here.

Since our first meal delivery in May, we have continued to work with our specialty retail tenants to provide hundreds of delicious meals to front line and community service workers across Canada.  From hospital staff, EMS responders and women’s shelters in our communities, we wanted to show our gratitude for their dedicated service to all of us during this very challenging time in our lives.

First Capital will continue to find ways to bring our communities together even while we are apart.

Thank you for visiting our SBSP application site.  In planning for the upcoming launch of the CECRA program, First Capital intends to fully support our qualifying tenants and will be applying to participate in the CECRA program. Therefore we have temporarily closed this site, as we are getting ready for next steps to transition qualifying tenants from the FCR SBSP to CECRA as well as provide an efficient online application process for all tenants.

Please note, if you are already accepted in the FCR SBSP, you will be given the option to choose between either the SBSP or CECRA, but not both.  In the meantime, we recommend you become familiar with CECRA Program and the Tenant eligibility requirements including the helpful FAQ’s, by directly accessing:  https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/finance-and-investing/covid19-cecra-small-business

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an outpouring of inspiring community support. Across Canada, help is being offered for those most in need, and in particular recognizing the frontline workers who are working to keep us healthy and safe, and care for those impacted directly by the virus. As a show of gratitude, First Capital is bringing practical relief to the frontline community, while also supporting our specialty food and restaurant tenants.

To launch this frontline worker meal program, First Capital has sourced fresh and delicious meals from Toronto’s renowned McEwan’s Fine Foods for delivery to the frontline healthcare workers at Mount Sinai Hospital. This hospital, which is a part of the Sinai Health System, is ranked one of the leading hospitals in North America and is at the centre of Toronto’s pandemic fight, focused on the care and safety of patients, families and the hospitals people.  For these frontline healthcare professionals who work tirelessly over long shifts, a delivered nutritious meal is an important part of staying healthy and can also make their day just a little easier.

Our super urban philosophy is all about bringing communities together, and this pandemic reminds us of what we can achieve when we work collaboratively. As we explore additional meal delivery opportunities that support tenant partners across our portfolio, healthcare workers operating on the front lines of this pandemic are foremost on our minds. First Capital team is pleased to provide them with great-tasting and nutritious meals, our appreciation and most of all our THANKS!