Bentall LP and Baxter Corporation: Breaking new ground together

Construction of 126,000 square foot office building underway

TORONTO, April 15 /CNW/ - On behalf of the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC), Bentall LP is pleased to announce that it has broken ground on a new office building at 7125 Mississauga Road in the Meadowvale North Business Park, Mississauga, Ontario. Completion of the 126,000 sq/ft five-storey office building, which is 70% pre-leased to Baxter Corporation, is scheduled for October 2011.

"Baxter Corporation is joining an excellent community of tenants and completes all but the final building in the business park which is home to Royal Bank, Maple Leaf Foods, Microsoft, Tech Data, Bosch, Loyalty One and many others," according to Stuart Wanlin, Executive Vice President, Bentall L.P. "We are very excited about the opportunity to develop a new, energy efficient and high performing office building for Baxter and other prospective tenants in Meadowvale."

"We are thrilled to be working with Bentall to have construction begin at this ideal location for our new head office as it will provide us with a healthy work environment for our employees, and accommodate our needs," said Barbara Leavitt, President, Baxter Corporation. "And as a respected health care company, we strive to be a good corporate citizen, so having a head office that is built based on LEED specifications is key to our ongoing efforts in being environmentally responsible.

7125 Mississauga Road is being designed and built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED(R)) specifications and the project is registered with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). The project team is striving to obtain Gold certification status once the development process is complete. The LEED building rating is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The building features efficient water and energy conservation systems, and a high standard of indoor environmental quality. Baxter Corporation will also be registering the tenant construction component of the program with the CaGBC and are also aiming to reach a minimum of Silver certification. bcIMC, Bentall and Baxter are proud of the partnership they have formed to create the best possible office space for employees and the environment.

"bcIMC believes in responsible investing and we take pride in developing properties that are energy efficient, and environmentally and tenant friendly," said Chuck Swanson, VP Real Estate, bcIMC.

Bentall is a leader in sustainable property management and development practices. In addition to helping to pioneer industry initiatives like BOMA's Go Green program, Bentall has launched many of its own innovative programs, such as Greening your Cleaning, and other initiatives that relate to responsible property management at more than 650 Bentall-managed properties across Canada and the US, which are drawn together under Bentall's ForeverGreen banner. These encompass building operations, tenant events and community services. Through ForeverGreen, we partner with clients, tenants and suppliers to reduce green house gas emissions, increase waste diversion practices and reduce the environmental footprint of the properties we manage.

bcIMC is an investment management corporation based in Victoria, B.C. bcIMC manages a global investment portfolio valued at approximately $80 billion. Supported by industry-leading expertise, bcIMC invests in all major asset classes, including infrastructure and other strategic types of assets. bcIMC's clients include public sector pension plans, provincial government, public trusts, and insurance funds. For more information, visit www.bcimc.com.

About Bentall LP

Bentall LP is the largest Canadian-based real estate advisory and services organization, with over $16 billion in assets under management. Our business has been built on a solid foundation of real estate knowledge and exacting fiduciary standards.Bentall serves major institutional and private investors, supplying a range of asset management, property management, leasing and development services to over 100 clients. For more information, visit www.bentall.com.

About Baxter Corporation

As a subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., Baxter Corporation manufactures and markets products that save and sustain the lives of people with hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, trauma and other chronic and acute medical conditions. As a global, diversified healthcare company, Baxter applies a unique combination of expertise in medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology to create products that advance patient care worldwide. For more information, visit www.baxter.ca

For further information: Stuart Wanlin, Executive Vice President, Bentall LP, [phone], [email protected]; Lan Lai-Minh, Director Communications, Baxter Corporation, [phone], [email protected]