Christopher  Murray

Christopher Murray

Partner, Corporate

Key Contact: Asia 亚洲

Contact Information

cmurray@osler.com

tel: 416.862.6701

Office

Toronto

Chris leads Osler’s Asia-Pacific initiative, having advised a number of Chinese, Korean, Australian and South Eastern Asian based enterprises principally on their investments in Canadian energy and mining businesses. Chris also Co-Heads Osler’s Pension and Private Equity Investor group.

Chris’ practice focuses on mergers and investments for REITs, public corporations, private equity sponsors and pension funds. He has been fortunate to have been involved in a wide range of deal sizes and degrees of complexities from Lexpert deals of the year to smaller yet still business critical transactions for mid-cap companies.

Chris has a wealth of experience in corporate finance having advised on over 100 public offerings and dozens of IPOs in his career, particularly in the REIT sector where he advises several issuers and has acted on innumerable REIT offerings. He advises a number of public reporting issuers and their boards as well as Canadian pension plans as their principal trusted legal adviser on a range of matters.

Chris also practised in Australia early in his career while on a two-year secondment from Osler.

  • SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust

    SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust in its offering of $300 million Series Z senior unsecured debentures

  • Kubota Corporation

    Kubota Corporation in its $91 million acquisition of AgJunction

  • OPTrust

    OPTrust in USS’ 50% stake in Bruc Energy

  • Longo's

    Longo’s in its acquisition by Empire Company Limited

  • CT REIT

    The syndicate of agents in connection with the $150 million offering of Series G unsecured debentures by CT REIT

  • Canadian Student Housing Limited Partnership

    OPTrust and Blue Vista Capital Management’s student housing acquisitions

  • RBC Capital Markets

    RBC Capital Markets in CAPREIT’s $490 million public offering

  • Chartwell Retirement Residences

    Chartwell in its $269.5 million trust unit offering

  • RBC Capital Markets

    The syndicate of underwriters in European Residential REIT’s $167 million offering

  • RBC Capital Markets

    RBC Capital Markets in CAPREIT’s $345 million equity financing

  • RBC Capital Markets

    RBC Capital Markets in CAPREIT’s $250 million completed offering and over-allotment option

  • UPL Limited

    UPL Limited in its US$4.2 billion acquisition of Arysta LifeScience

  • Chorus Aviation

    Chorus Aviation in Air Canada’s $97.3 million investment and CPA extension

  • SmartCentres REIT

    SmartCentres in its $230 million bought deal equity offering

  • Ensign Energy Services Inc.

    Ensign Energy Services Inc. in its acquisition of Trinidad Drilling Ltd. for $947 million

  • Killam Apartment REIT

    The Underwriters in Killam Apartment REIT’s $57.5 million public offering

  • Chorus Aviation Inc.

    Chorus Aviation Completes $100 million bought deal offering

  • CT REIT

    Syndicate of agents co-led by TD Securities and Scotiabank in connection with the $200 million issue of series F senior unsecured debentures by CT REIT

  • SmartCentres REIT

    SmartCentres REIT in connection with its $500 Million issue of investment grade Senior Unsecured debentures including $250 million 3 year Series R floating rate and $250 million 10 year Series S fixed rate debentures

  • SmartREIT

    SmartREIT and Strathallen Acquisitions Inc. in the acquisition of all of the assets and liabilities of OneREIT for $1.1 billion

  • Mergers and Acquisitions

    • iCON Infrastructure in its agreement to acquire Capstone Infrastructure for $480 million
    • Fording Canadian Coal Trust in its $14.1 billion sale of assets to Teck Cominco Ltd.
    • China Investment Corporation and China National Petroleum Corporation in connection with Canadian investments as well as several other Chinese SOEs in considering acquisitions of Canada listed entities
    • Ventas, Inc. in its successfully litigated cash acquisition of the assets of Sunrise Senior Living REIT having an enterprise value of $2.2 billion
    • Ventas Inc. on its proposed $980 million acquisition of 29 independent living seniors housing communities across Canada from Holiday Retirement Corp.
    • Sterling Partners and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board on their acquisition of the assets of Livingston International Income Fund
    • Billabong International Ltd. on its acquisition of West49 Inc.
    • Globestar Mining in its sale to Perilya, an ASX listed companies with a Chinese majority shareholder

    Corporate Finance

    Chris has advised on a large number of complex capital markets issues, including the issue of REIT units, income trust units, convertible debentures, stapled convertible debentures, common shares, debt and flow-through shares, including one of Canada’s largest IPO's:

    • the underwriters and issuers in various REIT and Income Fund offerings, including offerings, and in some cases, multiple offerings, by Calloway REIT, Canadian Apartment Properties (CAP) REIT, Chartwell Retirement Residences, Canadian Tire (CT) REIT (second largest IPO of 2013), Home Equity Corporation, InnVest Real Estate Investment Trust, and Killam Properties Inc.
  • Find More

  • Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Recognized in REITs (Nationwide - Canada)
  • Best Lawyers in Canada: Recognized in Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law; Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Real Estate Law
  • IFLR 1000: The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Law Firms: Recognized in Mergers & Acquisitions (Notable Practitioner)
  • Who’s Who Legal: Recognized in Capital Markets, Debt and Equity (International) and Capital Markets (Canada)
  • Thomson Reuters: "Stand-out Lawyer"

  • Canadian Bar Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Law Society of Ontario
  • Inter Pacific Bar Association
  • International Bar Association

  • Income Trust Conversions, Buyouts & Mergers – Making Strategic Decisions on Income Trusts’ Future at the Eve of the New Tax Regime, 2009 Canadian Institute, Conference Chair.
  • XBMA II, 2009 International Symposium on Cross Border Investment and M&A (speaker), Cambridge UK (sponsored by Cambridge, Stern and Guanghua business schools).
  • The Canadian Securities Regulatory Framework – An Overview and Latest Developments, Osgoode Hall Professional Development, Fall 2009.