Cadillac Fairview Enlists Canine Support to Brighten up Blue Monday for Office Tenants

Toronto-Dominion Centre, RBC Centre and Cadillac Fairview Tower to host puppy parks on January 15^th

TORONTO, Jan. 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Thousands of downtown Toronto office tenants will have a dose of fun and warmth injected into their workplace as Cadillac Fairview (CF) deploys a series of pop-up puppy parks to counter the effects of what is commonly referred to as mid-January's "Blue Monday".

This year, Blue Monday falls on January 15^th and is known as the most melancholy day of the year as a result of the end of holiday cheer, unfulfilled New Year's resolutions, and dreary weather conditions. To lift the spirits of office workers in the downtown core, CF is hosting pop-up puppy parks indoors at its Toronto-Dominion Centre, RBC Centre and Cadillac Fairview Tower office properties.

"Mid-January's Blue Monday is a great opportunity for CF to provide some fun and warmth for our office tenants, while supporting awareness of overall mental health," said Karen Jalon, Senior Director of Sustainability, Cadillac Fairview. "Dogs are often used within occupational therapy practises and we're excited to pilot this program to enhance the vibrancy and atmosphere in our spaces, while helping office tenants and community members alleviate post-holiday stress."

On Blue Monday tenants will be invited to start their day with a literal walk in the park, surrounded by exuberant dogs and puppies. Guests are encouraged to stop by and play at CF's pop-up puppy parks at three participating office towers: Toronto-Dominion Centre at 222 Bay Street, RBC Centre at 155 Wellington Street West and at the Cadillac Fairview Tower at 20 Queen Street West. 

Occupant engagement continues to be a strong area of focus for Cadillac Fairview through the company's corporate responsibility initiatives. Throughout the year, CF properties offer a variety of complementary activities aimed at health and wellness including health fairs, bicycle repair workshops, fitness classes and more. 

This pilot program was in part inspired by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's (CAMH) Pet Therapy Program that helps clients address mental health issues through the use of animals.

"Anyone who knows dogs understands that their love is unconditional. Our therapy dogs love visiting our clients as much as our clients look forward to their visits," said Theresa Conforti, a CAMH volunteer coordinator who leads the Pet Therapy Program. "For some clients, a visit from a therapy dog means a cuddle with a lapdog, for others it means a great walk in a local park. The bond between therapy dogs and clients is so powerful." 

As part of CF's Blue Monday pilot initiative, Cadillac Fairview will be donating $5,000 in support of CAMH's Pet Therapy Program.

For more information on Cadillac Fairview's social responsibility program, visit cadillacfairview.com.

About Cadillac Fairview 

Cadillac Fairview is one of the largest owners, operators and developers of best-in-class office, retail and mixed-use properties in North America. The Cadillac Fairview portfolio is owned by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a diversified global investor which administers the pensions of more than 300,000 active and retired school teachers. The real estate portfolio also includes investments in retail, mixed-use and industrial real estate in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Valued at around $29 billion, the Canadian portfolio includes over 38 million square feet of leasable space at 67 properties in Canada, including landmark developments, such as Toronto-Dominion Centre, CF Toronto Eaton Centre, CF Pacific Centre, CF Chinook Centre, Tour Deloitte and CF Carrefour Laval.

SOURCE Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited