First Capital Realty becomes a member of The Electric Circuit

The founding partners of The Electric Circuit – Les Rôtisseries St-Hubert, RONA, Metro, the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) and Hydro-Québec – are pleased to announce the signing of a partnership agreement with First Capital Realty for the installation of twenty public charging stations by the end of 2012. The first charging stations will be installed at the following locations: Carrefour Charlemagne at 100-110 Émile des Pins, in Charlemagne, Carrefour St-Hubert at 5895 – 5925 boul. Cousineau in St-Hubert, Carrefour St-David Ouest and Carrefour St-David Est, respectively located at 2840 and 2830, St-David Est in Québec’s Beauport borough, and a first in the Outaouais region, Carrefour du Versant Ouest at 1500 boul. Gréber in Gatineau.

"Our partnership with The Electric Circuit is in line with the direction First Capital Realty (FCR) undertook in 2006, when all new construction projects became subject to LEED^MD (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. We want to reduce our environmental footprint by making our shopping centers more ecological and energy efficient. With the addition of these charging stations, we will be able to better serve our environmentally-conscious customers," said Hélène Roy, Construction Director at First Capital Asset Management.

"We are delighted to welcome a new member to The Electric Circuit, said Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Hydro-Québec’s Senior Director – Strategic Planning, on behalf of The Electric Circuit’s founding partners. This partnership will allow users of electric vehicles to access additional charging stations in Québec as well as bring The Electric Circuit to the Outaouais region."

The Electric Circuit

The Electric Circuit is Canada’s first public charging network for plug-in electric vehicles. This initiative is a major milestone in the rollout of the charging infrastructure needed to support the arrival of plug-in EVs in Québec and is in line with the Québec government’s 2011-2020 Action Plan for Electric Vehicles.

Thirty 240-volt stations are already available in parking lots of RONA hardware stores, Metro grocery stores and Rôtisseries St-Hubert locations in the greater Montréal and Québec areas. Another 20 stations will be installed in AMT park-and-ride facilities over the next several weeks, and there will be at least 120 stations operating in and around Montréal and the city of Québec by this summer. After that, the roll-out of 240-V and even faster (400 V) charging stations will expand as more electric vehicles hit Québec roads.

Electric vehicle owners do most of their recharging at home and at work, but The Electric Circuit allows drivers to travel worry free, knowing they can top up their batteries on the road. Users of the public charging network also have access to a 24/7 telephone help line run by CAA-Québec as well as a charging station locator service. Of course, The Electric Circuit Web site, www.theelectriccircuit.com, is updated as new stations are deployed.

About First Capital Realty

First Capital Realty (TSX: FCR) is Canada’s leading owner, developer and operator of supermarket and drugstore anchored neighbourhood and community shopping centres, located predominantly in growing urban markets. The Company currently owns interests in 163 properties, including seven under greenfield development, totalling approximately 22.7 million square feet of gross leasable area and three land sites in the planning stage for future retail development.