Some of the more recent significant commercial property transactions in respect of which our lawyers have provided advisory services include:

• Multi-jurisdictional
• Toronto
• Montréal
• Calgary
• Ottawa
  
  

Multi-jurisdictional

• Oxford Properties Group in the sale to CPP Investment Board of a 50% ownership interest in a national portfolio of 11 office towers located in Toronto, Montréal, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Vancouver, comprising 8.2 million square feet of space in prime downtown locations.
• Atlas Cold Storage Income Trust in the sale of its warehouse properties at 5757 Chemin St. Francois, St. Laurent, Québec, and 3691 Weston Road, Toronto, Ontario, to Summit REIT, including the lease back of the Weston Road property.
• Dundee Realty Corporation in connection with Dundee Bancorp Inc.’s indirect acquisition of Dundee Realty Corporation as part of a multi-step transaction that reorganized the revenue producing properties of Dundee Realty into a real estate investment trust.
• Dundee REIT in its acquisition from Pauls Properties Corporation of 1.525 million square feet of newly constructed office, industrial and flex space properties located in the Toronto and Calgary markets.
• Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in connection with a number of mortgage bond financings.
• A pension investment board in connection with its investment in shares of a pooled fund which has established a diversified portfolio of income producing office, industrial and retail properties in major Canadian markets.
• Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust in its acquisition from the First Pro group of companies of a 50% interest in five community shopping centres in Ontario and Québec.
• RBC Capital Markets in connection with equity and debt financings for Chartwell Senior Housing Real Estate Investment Trust.
• CanWest Global Communications Inc. in the acquisition and ongoing financing of certain newspaper assets across Canada.
• Purolator Courier Limited in its transaction involving the acquisition, design-build and leaseback of twelve facilities in five provinces from a REIT.
• Canadian National Railways Limited on the transfer of a large portion of its real estate holdings to Canada Lands Corporation, a Federal Crown Corporation.
• A pension investment board in connection with the restructuring of its Canadian real estate assets.

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Toronto

• Bentall Investment Management, on behalf of a client, in its acquisition of the Thunder Centre, a shopping centre located in Thunder Bay, Ontario from Camrose Developments (Ontario) Ltd. The transaction included a head lease of vacant space by the vendor, a construction contract with respect to the completion of a second phase of the shopping centre and an option to acquire an adjacent 13 acre vacant development site.
• KPMG Corporate Finance Inc. and The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, in a bond financing in which Canada Lands Company CLC Limited issued $47 million of Series A First Mortgage Bonds to The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. The bonds were secured by a first mortgage against lands on which the CN Tower is situated. BNY Trust Company of Canada acted as Trustee, and KPMG Corporate Finance Inc. acted as Agent.
• A wholly-owned subsidiary of Dundee REIT in its acquisition a 50% interest in 720 Bay Street, Toronto, from Richlore Construction Limited, which is leased exclusively to the Attorney General of Ontario.
• Lender to PenRetail I LP in its sale of the Meadowvale Town Centre, a 382,000 square foot shopping centre property situated on 40 acres of land in Mississauga, Ontario, to First Capital Holdings Trust, a subsidiary of First Capital Realty Inc.
• PCM Sheridan Inc., a single purpose entity incorporated by Penreal Capital Management LP, in its purchase from Exchange Tower Limited (a subsidiary of Brookfield Properties Limited) of the property known as Sheridan Centre, Mississauga.
• Pension fund client of Redcliff Realty Advisors Inc. in the acquisition of a 25% interest in the Exchange Tower, Toronto.
• Two pension fund clients of Redcliff Realty Advisors Inc. in several related transactions with Greystone Managed Investments Inc., including the acquisition of five commercial office buildings in Markham for a total purchase price of $57 million, the sale of a 50% interest in four other buildings for a purchase price of $10 million, and the financing of the combined nine-building package for $47 million.
• Pacific Life Insurance Company in the financing of the purchase of The Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, BC by Legacy Hotel REIT.
• Teacher’s Insurance and Annuity Association of America in the financing of the purchase of Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Québec City by Legacy Hotel REIT.
• Dundee Realty Corporation, in a joint venture with Intracorp Developments Inc. on the completion of a $61 million financing for the construction of the Pantages Place hotel/residential condominium tower in Toronto.
• Dundee Realty Corporation on its joint venture with Intracorp Developments Ltd., to develop the Pantages Place residential/hotel tower project in downtown Toronto. This joint venture was created after Dundee Realty had completed reorganizing the project following its previous joint venture partner, Livent Inc.’s, insolvency proceedings.
• GO Transit in the transfer of certain rights to the City of Toronto and lease of certain facilities in the Union Station complex.
• Greater Toronto Airports Authority in connection with a sale-leaseback agreement with Air Canada for the purchase of Air Canada’s cargo building, ground service equipment building and automated cargo handling equipment.
• Greater Toronto Airports Authority on the transfer to it of the Toronto-Pearson International Airport by the Government of Canada, the purchase of Terminal 3 and the current capital markets bond offerings.
• Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc. in the purchase of the Sheraton Hotel in Hamilton, Ontario.

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Montréal

• Kingstreet Real Estate Growth LP No. 1 in the sale of Place du Royaume Shopping Centre, the largest regional mall in the Saguenay Region, to Primaris Retail REIT, formerly known as Borealis Retail REIT.
• Boardwalk Equities Inc. in the acquisition of approximately 3,200 apartment units and townhouses on Nun’s Island, a suburb of Montréal.
• Simon Property Group, Inc. and CS First Boston in connection with the acquisition of the remaining ownership interest in the Montréal Forum entertainment complex.
• Cadim Inc. in connection with various mortgage-backed securitizations involving the MCAP Inc. group of companies.
• HealthCorp Group Services Inc. in connection with the acquisition of various assisted living facilities in Québec.
• The Slater Group, a Boston family group, in connection with the acquisition of various residential properties in Montréal .
• The Engle Group in connection with the acquisition of various retail properties in Québec.
• A major Canadian financial institution in connection with numerous financings and acquisitions in the Province of Québec.
• The Westcliff Group of Companies in connection with acquisition, development and financing of major Canadian and U.S. retail and office properties.
• El-Ad Group (Canada) Inc. in the conversion of the residential towers forming part of Westmount Square into a co-op type structure.
• El-Ad Group (Canada) Inc. in connection with the acquisition and refinancing of the Olympic Village Apartments, Montréal.
• KingStreet Real Estate Growth LP No.1, a real estate private equity fund, in the acquisition of Place du Canada (Montréal) and Place du Royaume (Saguenay).
• Montréal Hospitality Company in the sale of the hotel component of Complexe Desjardins.
• British Columbia Investment Management Corporation, and its advisor Penreal Capital Management Inc., in the acquisition of various apartment complexes in Montréal, including Haddon Hall, Horizon Apartments, Cavendish Club Towers and two adjoining apartments on Lakeshore Boulevard in Pointe-Claire.
• New Castle Hotels and Lubert Adler Investment Fund, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the acquisition of the Château Royal Hotel on Crescent Street in Montréal.
• The Fishman Group of Israel, The Aharoni Group of Israel and Amcor Holdings Inc. in the acquisition of Le Faubourg, a retail complex in Montréal.
• The Gencom Hotel Group of Dallas, Texas in the acquisition of the former Hotel Meridien situated in the Complexe Desjardins in the City of Montréal.
• Gencom Hospitality Company in the sale of the Wyndham Hotel, Montréal .
• OMERS Realty Corporation in the acquisition of the Maison de la Cathédrale office complex and the Promenades Cathédrale retail complex.
• Crown Life Insurance Company in the sale of the office and retail component commonly known as "Place du Parc" to an entity composed of the Brakka Group of New York and the Fishman Group of Israel.
• Royal Bank of Canada in all matters related to the bankruptcy of Belcourt Inc. and the subsequent sale of 32 properties to a joint venture composed of Goldman Sachs and General Electrical Capital Canada Inc.
• The Standard Life Assurance Company in the restructuring of the Ogilvy Department Store property in downtown Montréal.
• The Royal Bank of Canada in the implementation of a Distressed Preferred Share program with the Alexis Nihon Group.
• Starwood Hotels and Resorts Inc. in the purchase of various lands surrounding the Dorval International Airport.
• The Omni Hotel Group of Dallas, Texas in the purchase of the former Four Seasons Hotel in Montréal.
• OMERS Realty Corporation in the restructuring of various servitudes and easements with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec concerning the former Eaton store in downtown Montréal.
• Standard Life Insurance, OMERS and other lenders in the refinancing of Place Ville-Marie.
• A prominent Montréal developer in the negotiation of a joint venture relationship with the Goldman Sachs Group relating to Place Bonaventure, Montréal, Québec.
• The Collège-LaSalle Group in the purchase of the Complexe Du Fort property from Baupost Group of Boston and Mr. Sam Benatar of Montréal.
• Lord Realty Holdings in the purchase of the emphyteutic lease affecting 800 René-Lévesque Boulevard West from Canada Lands Company and the separation of title between Central Station and the said building.

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Calgary

• Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust its acquisition from Hopewell Development Corporation of a 254,000 square foot recently constructed industrial property on an 11.56-acre site located at 555 – 69th Avenue South East, Calgary, Alberta.
• Brookfield Properties Ltd. on its sale of a 50% interest in the Bankers Hall office and retail complex located in downtown Calgary.
• Brookfield Properties Ltd. on its $378 million refinancing of Bankers Hall in Calgary, Alberta, which is currently the largest single property financing completed in Canada.
• Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust in its acquisition of a 50% interest in Sun Life Plaza located in Calgary, Alberta.
• Petro-Canada on the sale of its 50% interest in the Petro-Canada Centre in Calgary for $200 million and the subsequent lease back to Petro-Canada of approximately 50% of the rentable area in the Centre.
• Oxford Properties Group Inc. on the purchase of its 50% interest in Calgary Place.
• Oxford Properties Group Inc. on the purchase of its 50% interest in Scotia Centre.

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Ottawa

• Clarica Life Insurance Company in connection with the sale of a 50% interest in the Clarica Centre Ottawa for $113.5 million.
• Industrial Alliance in connection with a $34 million CMHC insured refinancing of the Horizon Towers, a multi residential complex at Rideau and Chapel in Ottawa.
• The owners of Horizon Towers in connection with the $48 million disposition of the same complex to Morguard Residential Properties.
• Albion Place Executive Towers acting for the mortgagee in possession of the Albion Place Executive Towers in connection with the management and disposition of this office tower forming part of the Albion Place Complex in the heart of Ottawa.
• Telecom acting for a U.S- based telecom enterprise, in providing ongoing strategic advice in connection with the establishment of a fibre optic loop through Southern Ontario including ILA and Gateway site acquisitions.
• Telecom in providing ongoing advice to a consortium of Telcos in connection with commercial and real property rights associated with facility ownership, operation and network integration.

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