REALnorth believes that Western Canada’s North provides favourable circumstances to invest on an opportunistic basis in revenue producing real estate assets and development properties which management believes will provide attractive return potential.  This view is based on a number of factors including the following:

• Western Canada, and the Northern region in particular, is expected to be a key driver of national GDP growth due to the vast number of demand generators connected in part to large reserves of natural gas and oil, resources including timber and base metals, major infrastructure projects, positive migration trends along with a growing tourism industry.

• The natural resource sector is a major part of the Canadian economy and contributed 20% to the Nominal GDP in 2014 (National Resources Canada).  

• Many cities in Western Canada’s North have favourable demographics and are expected to continue to experience strong population growth in the future which management believes will support rising real estate values. For example, according to Urban Systems, Fort St. John’s population under a low population growth scenario should be 46,000 by 2065. The medium growth scenario would bring the population to 62,000, while the accelerated scenario calls for a population of 85,000 in the same year.  The City of Fort St. John estimates its current population at approximately 22,000.

• Management believes a younger population base is important as it leads to a more robust economy, including a more active housing market and a stronger tax base through higher employment and consumer spending.  The median age is approximately 32.0 years in Fort St. John and 39.0 years in Prince George.

Target returns on invested capital per annum:

• Investment properties: upon purchase, in excess of 15%, but not less than 10%
• Development properties: upon completion of its development, in excess of 18%, but not less than 14%