First Capital Realty Issues Its Fifth Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Report

TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2015 /CNW/ - First Capital Realty Inc. (TSX:FCR) (the "Company"), Canada's leading owner, developer and manager of grocery anchored urban properties, announced today the release of the Company's fifth Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Report that complies with the Global Reporting Initiative™ (GRI™) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines. First Capital Realty's 2014 CRS Report details the progress it has made in the previous year and includes comparative metrics to data provided in the Company's previous reports.  Key highlights from last year's performance include:

• The Company was recognized as the highest ranking Canadian real estate company and sixth company overall in Corporate Knights Inaugural Future 40 Responsible Corporate Leaders in Canada;
  
  
• The Company's total 2014 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased by 3% from 2013 levels notwithstanding a 3% increase in gross leasable area (GLA) reporting GHG emissions;
  
  
• 120 Lynn Williams, located at Shops at King Liberty in Toronto, Ontario, was awarded the 2014 International Council for Shopping Centres (ICSC) Silver Maple Leaf Award for New Development Design Excellence;
  
  
• Yorkville Village, in Toronto, Ontario, was awarded the 2014 ICSC Gold Maple Leaf Award for Cause-Related Marketing for its Art Festival that partnered with Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD U);
  
  
• 23 new construction projects comprising 422,000 square feet of GLA were certified to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED);
  
  
• 34 properties comprising 2.9 million square feet achieved Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Building Environmental Standards (BESt) certifications; and
  
  
• The Company completed recommissioning investigations at 11 properties identifying more than 6,000,000 ekWh of annual savings.

"As an organization, we are committed to engaging with our communities and maintaining our high standards of corporate responsibility and sustainability" stated Maryanne McDougald, Vice-President, Property Management. "We are pleased with the significant progress on our corporate responsibility and sustainability initiatives in 2014."

The Company has self-declared its report to be a GRI™ Application Level B+.  This GRI™ application level requires a company to report fully on at least 20 performance indicators, including one from each category: economic, environment, human rights, labour, society, and product responsibility.  Furthermore, it requires external assurance.   Accordingly, the Company received independent assurance from Ernst & Young LLP on six quantitative performance indicators included in its CRS Report for the year ended December 31, 2014.

To obtain a copy of First Capital Realty's 2014 CRS report, please visit the Company's website at www.firstcapitalrealty.ca.

ABOUT FIRST CAPITAL REALTY (TSX: FCR)

First Capital Realty is Canada's leading owner, developer and manager of grocery anchored urban properties where people live and shop for everyday life. The Company currently owns interests in 157 properties, totaling approximately 24.3 million square feet of gross leasable area.

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SOURCE First Capital Realty Inc.

Kay Brekken, Executive Vice President and CFO, First Capital Realty Inc., Tel: [phone], [email protected], www.firstcapitalrealty.ca