Toronto real estate firm supports residents and businesses during COVID-19 pandemic

A Toronto real estate firm is offering residents of its properties $100 in UberEats gift cards or grocery gift cards to help support them and local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to residents dated March 30, Shiplake Properties Ltd., which operates five rental apartment towers in Toronto, with currently 1,200 units, said it wants to support residents and local communities during the pandemic.

“Offering our assistance to both our residents and our local community will help ensure that the most vulnerable among us are supported during the crisis,” the letter says.

The real estate group, a third-generation business owned by the Latner family in the city, also offered credits toward rent increases from the past year to tenants, in addition to the $250,000 in gift cards.

We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our community is safe and secure

Stephen Bloom, the company’s CEO, said they have “deep roots” in Toronto, dating back to the 1940s, and that residents “find themselves facing the same challenges as the rest of society.”

“Many residents in our communities were going to have challenges paying their rent,” Bloom said in an interview. “We felt it was our obligation … something we absolutely wanted to do.”

In addition to the credits and gift cards, Shiplake has also established a dedicated email for residents so they can reach out if they’re facing additional difficulties and where issues will be addressed on a case-by-case basis, Bloom said.

“We wanted to both help our tenants and some of the local businesses that have been so badly impacted.”

The logical option, Bloom explained, was to help support local restaurants, which he said are struggling for survival, through their takeout services. Local business, such as restaurants, are important to a community because they bring much character to Toronto’s neighbourhoods, he said. The gift cards, hopefully, will give the local restauranteurs some business, he added.

Shiplake and the Latner Family Foundation have several other initiatives: they are spending $250,000 in April to make sure University Health Network emergency staff are able to pay for accommodations — they’re putting their own lives on the line, Bloom said, and some are staying in hotels so they can be closer to work. More details are still to come, he explained, but there will be support for food essentials at the Sinai and Sunnybrook Hospitals and support for The Daily Bread Foodbank.

As well, they have partnered with the National Gallery of Canada for a virtual tour on April 4 to provide entertainment at home, the letter said. It’ll happen on Instagram Live. Bloom said it’s something for people to do while they’re stuck at home isolating.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our community is safe and secure,” said the letter.