challenges facing express delivery services in canada's urban centres

Institute of Housing & Mobility
Challenges facing the EDS industry in Canada's urban centres
INTERVIEWING COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGERS IN TORONTO
In this section we present a survey of property managers of office buildings in Toronto’s urban
core. By seeking their input on courier deliveries for their respective properties, the project team
attempts to develop a better understanding of the challenges facing building managers
regarding tenants’ needs for couriers and same day messenger services. The survey findings
highlight some strategies that have been adopted by property managers at the surveyed
locations in downtown Toronto.
Introduction and background
The goal of surveying property managers is to determine if they are involved in improving courier
service for their tenants. The project team understands that many buildings face challenges in this
regard due to various geographic and infrastructure limitations often associated with the age of
the buildings and the construction standards in place at that time. There is a need to better
understand whether or not the building management companies understand the challenges facing
courier companies when they make deliveries to their buildings. In case they are aware of the
challenges, what steps have they taken to rectify the situation? This will help devise strategies to
improve courier delivery to busy downtowns with minimum impact on the environment and existing
traffic.
The project team hypothesized at the start of the project that the property managers were either
oblivious to the needs of their tenants for courier services or were not willing to rectify any
shortcomings. From the initial feedback, it appeared that many management companies adopted
a laissez-faire approach and left most of the work to courier companies and tenants. Ideally a
management company should see timely delivery as a value-added service offered to its tenants
and should strive to make the process as convenient as possible for couriers and same-day
messengers. This would involve a much more proactive approach involving all stakeholders and
regular interaction.
Research Methodology
This section outlines the methodology for the survey.
1. Identify 50 properties in downtown Toronto.
Initially 50 properties were identified for the survey. The properties were chosen based
on the following criterion:
a. The properties were selected from the area bounded by Bloor Street to North,
Spadina Avenue to the West, Church Street to the East and Lake Ontario to the
South. The study area is also known as the Financial District of Toronto and is home
to numerous large international and Canadian firms specializing in finance,
insurance, and real estate.
b. Selected properties should represent a variety of property management
companies.
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