Operations manager Bao Lu realizes Bramalea City Centre can’t compete with Square One, Yorkdale, or the Eaton Centre in shoppers’ minds. “But we’re still the fourth-largest shopping centre in Ontario,” Bao, with Morguard Investments, tells Bisnow. “We want to punch above our weight class.” If recent accolades are any indication, it's succeeding: newly expanded BCC just snagged BOMA Canada’s award for Outstanding Building of the Year in the Super Regional Shopping Centre category. (It won the BOMA Toronto equivalent earlier this year.)

Handed out in Winnipeg last week, the BOMA award cites BCC’s leadership in energy conservation. The mall has new LED lighting, automated climate control and lighting systems, an electric-car charging station, rainwater harvesting, and a recycling program that diverts 70% of waste from landfill. BOMA also noted BCC's tenant and community relations and emergency preparedness. A 1.5M SF shopping centre with 350 stores, BCC will now compete for an international BOMA award in Los Angeles next June. The mall just signed Vancouver-based women's fashion boutique Aritzia, a 5,000 SF location slated to open by Christmas.