Our Impact

As Canada’s largest commercial real estate services provider, Colliers is in a unique position to make a dramatic, positive impact on our environment. We recognize our responsibility to provide leadership in sustainability for built environments, businesses and the global society.

Leadership in sustainability must start at home. Colliers was the first major real estate services company in Canada to measure and publish our carbon footprint. Our Canadian operation currently emits 3,565 metric tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Our goal is to reduce our total emissions by 20 percent to 2,852 metric tonnes by 2015. In addition, Colliers Canada plans to become carbon-neutral by the end of 2011 by offsetting all emissions through recognized carbon off setting programs. We are actively engaged in greening our operations in a cycle of continuous improvement. We have green committees in our offices across Canada.

Our span of influence reaches far beyond our own operation, a responsibility we take seriously.

We encourage our clients to develop, build, occupy and manage their properties in a sustainable manner. We provide advice based on the latest technology and best global sustainability practices in property design, management and use. We empower our people to generate sustained economic value for our clients and investors, and social value for our communities. We continually expand our pool of environmental sustainability leaders. Our Canadian staff includes 175 LEED®-accredited professionals.

Colliers is a member and supporter of the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). Colliers was a premium sponsor of the CaGBC’s first three national summits to help address environmental degradation and climate change by promoting high-performance green technologies and processes for both new and existing buildings. Colliers was also a lead organizer of the CaGBC’s pilot program for the greening of more than 60 million square feet of buildings across Canada. Colliers professionals have served on the CaGBC’s Board of Directors since 2006, holding various positions including Vice Chair for multiple terms.

Colliers is the Founding Global Partner of the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC). Colliers serves as an ambassador to the WorldGBC and plays a leadership role in accelerating the green building movement around the world — Colliers has founded national Green Building Councils in many countries including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Indonesia, Peru, Singapore and The United Kingdom.

Colliers is committed to equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in all programs and services, and does not discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity, colour, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation or disability.

We conduct business with vendors and partners who engage in fair labour practices and deliver ethically manufactured products. To ensure we abide by this policy, we request that our suppliers provide formal statements of their fair and ethical employment and manufacturing standards.

Colliers International negotiates property transactions that can run into hundreds of millions of dollars each. We carefully review all our clients, buyers, vendors, landlords, tenants and suppliers to ensure we adhere to our strict ethical standards. We conduct all financial reporting in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) to guarantee the accuracy and reliability of all corporate disclosures.

All employees and brokers sign either the Code of Ethics and Conduct or the Financial Management Code of Conduct and must receive and review information regarding “FirstLine”, FirstService Commercial Real Estate’s ethics hotline.

As a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a publicly listed company, we meet or exceed all public company operational reporting practices as required by law.

We operate according to the highest professional standards and abide by all industry codes of conduct.