Alignvest Student Housing – Announcement and Update

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Please see the latest addition to the Alignvest Student Housing team. We are very happy to have Nancy Lockhart join the board.
Management has also provided some very relevant information on the performance of the REIT in two additional Flash Reports. Please see below.

We are pleased to announce that Nancy Lockhart has been appointed as a Trustee of Alignvest Student Housing REIT, effective immediately.

Ms. Lockhart is a director of George Weston Limited, Choice Properties REIT and Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation. Previously, Ms. Lockhart was the Chair of Gluskin Sheff + Associates, Inc., and a director of Loblaw Companies Limited, Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, Retirement Residence REIT and Barrick Gold Corporation. Additionally, Ms. Lockhart was formerly the Chief Administrative Officer of Frum Development Group and a Vice President of Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation. Currently, she is the Chair Emeritus of Crow’s Theatre Company and Director of The Royal Conservatory of Music, and was previously Chair of the Ontario Science Centre, President of the Canadian Club of Toronto, Chair of the Canadian Film Centre, Director of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation and Director of The Canada Merit Scholarship Foundation. Ms. Lockhart was awarded the Order of Ontario in 2006.

 

 

Below is a link to the press release
Press Release

 

In addition to the exciting announcement regarding Ms. Lockhart’s appointment, Alignvest Student Housing remains committed to being transparent during these uncertain times. We have been, and will continue to, release periodic “Flash Reports” on our website for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to address specific issues in our upcoming reports.
Flash Report #2

 

Flash Report #3

Alignvest Student Housing – Flash Report

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Please find below the most recent update on Alignvest Student Housing. Management wanted to share the latest numbers regarding the lease up for the 2020/2021 school year and the collection of April rents. In summary, we are ahead of where we were last year with respect to leasing for the upcoming school year. Our properties are proving to be highly desirable and some of the feedback received has been that higher quality properties are even more in favour during these times of uncertainty. With respect to April rents, we are tracking to get over 97% of rent cheques. Although lower than usual, it is still far above any amount that would have management concerned about cash flow.

 

COVID-19 Flash Report

Adventus Realty Trust: Covid-19 Update

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Dear Adventus Investors,

Please see the below update from Adventus’ management team. As you will see, they are taking a prudent and conservative approach throughout these unprecedented times and we commend them for doing so. We will continue to engage with management to better understand the challenges they are facing as the COVID-19 situation continues to unfold. We will keep you informed as additional information is provided.

 

Please see below:

2020.04.09 – Adventus Realty Trust Provides COVID-19 Update, Temporary Suspension of Distributions and Termination of New Dallas Property Acquisition

COVID-19 Update and 2019 Annual Management Report

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Please see the annual report from Management that includes audited 2019 financial statements. The section in the report entitled “2019 Year In Review” does a good job highlighting the success we have had during the year.

COVID-19 is obviously top of mind for everyone these days including students, universities and property owners. Management has done a good job highlighting our efforts thus far in planning for COVID-19. Our staff and students are our number one priority. This is outlined in the two sections, “Our Response to COVID-19” and “FAQ on COVID-19”. We want to ensure investors that the REIT is well positioned to withstand a prolonged disruption if necessary. We currently have 4 years of expenses in cash on our balance sheet. This $50+ million of cash provides us tremendous stability and we are taking measures to tighten up our operations to ensure we continue to be financially prudent. We are working closely with the universities to better understand their perspectives and strategies for the 2020/2021 school year.

We are the largest player in the Canadian student housing space and our balance sheet will ensure we exit the COVID-19 pandemic in a favourable position.

Below are links to our 2019 Annual Management Report and Financial Statements.

 

2019 Annual Management Report

 

2019 Financial Statements

 

Our Response to COVID-19

 

FAQ on COVID19

COVID-19 Update from MFG

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March 17, 2020

 

Dear clients and friends of MFG,

We are carefully monitoring the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. We must take appropriate actions to limit the impact of the virus on our community, particularly by focusing on the safety of our clients, employees and their families.

We have instituted our business continuity plan with a view to proactively anticipate and respond to any potential for business interruption, including restricted business travel, work from home protocols where appropriate, and encouraging the use of video and teleconference for interactions. We are also implementing social distancing measures that will also help reduce the spread of infectious diseases, such as reducing face to face meetings and ensuring our employees can work from home as required so we have a healthy workforce able to maintain our high standard of service. The same applies to our operational specialists who maintain the integrity of our systems and processes. Equally important, we maintain strong safeguards on information and identity.

We want to ensure that there are no interruptions or delays in contacting any of our MFG team members. Please find below our mobile #’s:

 

 Mark Meckelborg (306) 270-2221
 Mark Teal (306) 251-2429
 Benoit Gaudet (306) 229-1883
 Mindy Meckelborg (306) 380-4780
 Richie Stanviloff (306) 341-2814
 Zach Sim (306) 361-5228

 

Trade instructions will not be accepted via email or text, therefore please ensure you contact us by phone to verbally confirm your order.

Should there be further developments with COVID-19 that prevent access to our physical premises or disruptions with mail delivery by Canada Post, courier or messenger services, this may impact our ability to receive physical cheques. As a reminder, you can set up an “electronic bill payments” with your applicable banking institution should you wish to make an online deposit.

While the COVID-19 situation is ongoing, we are increasingly aware of its impact on both the global and local markets in which our clients operate. Our efforts will ensure that we are able to provide the highest level of client service while positioning ourselves to take advantage of the market opportunities that lie ahead.

 

We wish you all health and safety throughout the coming weeks.

The MFG Team

 

 

MFG – covid letter – March 17, 2020

Adventus Update

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Please see the below update from Adventus’ Management Team. Some key highlights of the report are:

  1. A new acquisition has been announced in Dallas, Texas. This is important as it brings a third major market into the portfolio and would also have the REIT achieve an asset value of over US$1 billion. Over the last couple of years, Management has indicated that the US$1 billion mark would be important for a solid exit.
  2. Adventus also announced a major lease renewal signed with one of the REIT’s largest tenants, US Foods. They highlight that this renewal will be very positive for the value of Adventus units over the coming 12 months.

 

In summary, this is welcome news as these are two very positive step for Adventus and the unitholders.

 

2020.02.05 – Adventus Realty Trust Business Updates

StoreWest Chestermere Self-Storage LP

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2019 Winter Update

 

We’re pleased to report that this project has been going very well. The RV and boat storage portion of the business is now at 80% occupancy and the existing storage facility is at 40% occupancy and strongly trending in the right direction. Management went through a process this summer to better understand if expanding the storage facility would add value to the project. As a result of their findings, the decision has been made to significantly expand the facility in 2020. At current levels, the facility is profitable and the future looks exciting. Management has been approached by several groups interested in purchasing the property. The interest has been significant enough that they are planning to officially market the property in Q1 2020 and solicit offers.
We currently have the investment on your accounts valued at book value. It is safe to say that this understates the value of your investment.

Additional details are included in the below update from Management.

Chestermere 2019 H2 Update

StoreWest Dufferin LP Update

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We have been very encouraged by the operating results from the newly opened car/truck wash. The business model is very stable with the majority of revenue coming from car wash monthly memberships (currently over 500 with a goal to get to 1,500-2,000); and fleet contracts for trucks (currently 40 fleet contracts and the demand has been so high that they have to be very selective not to overload the system). The car and truck wash is looking like it is going to be very successful. On this site, we also have a self-storage facility that is under construction. They plan to be open for business in 2020. This site is going to be marketed, along with their Chestermere project, as there has been strong interest in purchasing the property even prior to construction being completed. There is currently a lot of money in Canada being invested in self storage, therefore we could end up selling the storage business in 2020. This would result in large distributions to unitholders while still having a profitable car/truck wash paying healthy dividends to shareholders.

Please click below to view Management’s Report
Dufferin 2019 H2 Update

 

 

 

5 Reasons for an RRSP

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There are some great reasons to open a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) to save for your retirement. Here are the top 5 reasons to open an RRSP:

 

Contributions are tax deductible

You can claim your RRSP contribution as a deduction on your tax return and even carry forward unused space to a future year where you may have a higher income. All of this combined means that your retirement savings pot can grow even faster.

 

Savings grow tax free

You won’t pay any tax on investment earnings as long as they stay in your RRSP. This tax-free compounding allows your savings to grow faster.

 

Convert RRSP to receive regular payments

You are able to convert the money saved in your RRSP into a RRIF or annuity when your time comes to retire. You’ll pay tax on the regular payments you receive each year- but if you’re in a lower tax bracket in retirement, you’ll pay less tax.

 

Spousal RRSP can reduce your combined tax

Reduce your combined tax burden. If you are married and you earn more money that your spouse, a spousal RRSP may benefit you as you can add to their tax-free savings to build a joint retirement income which is likely to mean that you pay less tax in the long run.

 

Borrow from RRSP to buy your first home or pay for your education

You can borrow money from your RRSP under certain conditions

 

If you want to buy your first home (Home Buyer’s Plan) or pay for your education (Lifelong Learning Plan), you can take out up to $35,000 (HBP) or $20,000 (LLP) respectively from your RRSP to fund it without paying tax on the withdrawals (providing that the money is paid back within the specified time).

Join our Team: Financial Planner

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Meckelborg Financial Group Ltd (MFG) is a full-service boutique wealth management firm providing discretionary Portfolio Management, Financial Planning and Insurance to our high net-worth families, corporations, foundations and small institutions. MFG is growing and wanting to add a qualified Financial Planner to compliment our team.

Are you looking for an opportunity to work with a forward-thinking organization that continues to raise the bar and create differences in the industry? We are looking for someone who is driven, has an entrepreneurial spirit and is willing to collaborate as a team with a goal of providing the client with a delightful experience.

As a Financial Planner with MFG, you’ll be part of a team whose goal is to deliver solid financial advice and solutions to clients.

The role
• Provide tailor-made financial planning and solutions using retirement software to existing and new clients.
• Present these plans and assist in managing client relationships with ongoing financial planning expertise and services.
• Conduct regular reviews to provide ongoing advice and identify opportunities.
• Be part of the MFG Client Experience Division with the goal of keeping our clients delighted.

What you can expect in return
• Starting salary of $80,000 per year.
• An attractive bonus structure.
• Profit sharing of the company.
• Group benefits.
• A flexible work schedule based on client preference and your own work/life balance.

Skills needed to be successful in this role
• Post-secondary diploma or degree in a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of related experience.
• Financial Planning Designation (CFP or PFP, or equivalent)
• Completion of the CSC course or the will to complete within 6 months of hire.
• Proficiency in Financial Planning software, preferable FP Solutions.
• Networking Skills
• Ability to work in a team environment.

 

MFG’s passion is to make our business more Simple and Easy for our team members to do their jobs and for our clients to do business with us.

At MFG, our goal is to improve the lives of our clients, our team members and our families. We aim to continually improve our business, our team and ourselves so that we can serve and preform at higher levels in all facets or our lives, both personally and professionally, creating improved quality of life for everyone we touch.

 

update: position has been filled

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