B-class office space outside Toronto's downtown core is receiving increased attention from buyers and investors and is poised for growth as escalating traffic congestion and longer commute times restrict easy access to the city centre, according to the Evton Capital Partners Commercial Real Estate Trends Survey.

Nearly half of all Torontonians (43 per cent) said they would be likely to change their place of employment in order to lessen their commute time.

Evton Capital Partners, a commercial real estate investment and property management firm focused on acquiring B-class commercial properties for high-net-worth investors, commissioned a poll to determine the attitudes and beliefs of Ontarians around the geography of the workplace.

"As the city's population continues to experience burgeoning growth, there is an increasing need for employers to consider where their employees live, and how they commute to their workplace," says Bill Evans, co-founder of Evton Capital Partners. "Proximity to public transit and short commute times trump the prestige of an address or the need to be in the heart of the city – a trend that will only increase in the future."

Increasing demand for B-class office space in Toronto over the past few years has pressured both market activity and average purchase prices upwards. In fact, the price per square foot for B-class office space in the Greater Toronto Area has almost doubled over the past five years, from approximately CAD125 in 2005 to approximately CAD210 in 2010.

As the City of Toronto continues to struggle with traffic congestion and overall public transportation issues, more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of Greater Toronto Area residents feel that it is likely companies will soon begin to set up offices away from the city's core to make the workplace more accessible to employees. Ontarians identified Mississauga, Vaughan and Markham as the top three areas outside of Toronto's city centre that will see a boom in commercial real estate in the next five years.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of Torontonians rank the ability to take public transportation to work as an important factor when determining their place of employment.

More than one third (35 per cent) of respondents in the Greater Toronto Area spend half an hour or more commuting in one direction. In contrast, only 20 per cent of Southwestern Ontarians commute for more than 30 minutes – be it on the road or rail.