Real Estate

Responsibility for OMERS real estate assets has been consolidated under the Oxford Properties Group banner. Oxford Properties Group is responsible for executing a strategy of developing a global enterprise in the real estate sector. The strategy focuses on the ownership and management of high-quality and large-scale assets, diversified by property type and geographic market.  

Oxford owns and manages one of the largest income-producing real estate portfolios in the country. The $6 billion portfolio includes properties in Canada's major urban centres in the office, retail, industrial and multi-family residential sectors. The portfolio also includes positions in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific markets through a variety of investment partnerships.

Real Estate investments are an important component of the pension fund's total investment portfolio, generating strong and sustainable cash flow with low volatility to help us meet our pension obligations.  Furthermore, properly maintained real estate generally appreciates in value over time and in step with inflation, which offsets the inflation exposure of our pension liabilities.

Oxford also manages a portfolio of private and public real estate securities and funds valued at $280 million at December 31, 2004.

OMERS investment goal in this asset class is to maintain our exposure at current levels.