Real Estate Acquisitions and Commercial Transactions

Our Group

The lawyers in Miller Thomson’s real estate acquisitions and commercial transactions practice provides a broad range of expertise on acquisitions, dispositions, financings and all other transactions, contracts and matters involving real estate across Canada. Members of our Group have been involved in the negotiation and completion of some of Canada’s largest real estate transactions. We have also written articles and made contributions to various publications, spoken at professional and industry programs, participated in law reform and taught Bar admissions courses.

Our Clients

Among others, we represent clients ranging from individuals and small family owned businesses to large public corporations, pension funds, banks and trust companies, be they relocating their business, adding to or subtracting from their real estate portfolio, developing, borrowing or lending.

Our Expertise

Lawyers from our environmental, litigation, labour and employment and bankruptcy and insolvency groups are available, with absolute immediacy, to help provide expertise in:

• Acquisitions, dispositions
• Corporate takeovers and reorganizations
• Trusts, partnerships and joint ventures
• Financings and enforcement
• Conveyancing
• Easements, servitudes and shared services agreements
• Real estate and mortgage brokerage
• Commercial, retail, industrial and ground leasing
• Planning, expropriation and Municipal
• Environmental
• Development, construction and dispute resolution
• Labour and employment
• Securities
• Bankruptcy and insolvency
• Corporate and tax

Our Services

• Negotiating and drafting offers and purchase agreements
• Examining title and otherwise assisting with due diligence
• Represent borrowers or lenders in financings
• Structure transactions to maximize tax efficiencies
• Compliance with Competition Act and provincial legislation on promotions, advertisements and contests
• Register trade-marks, prepare franchise disclosure documents and advise on franchise matters
• Advise on federal and provincial privacy legislation

Representative Work

• Acted for a major Canadian retail food company in its acquisition of four Ontario properties
• Advised on the acquisition of an eight-store food retail chain by a prominent Canadian retail food company
• Acted for a U.S. based company with worldwide operations in connection with a U.S. $3.1 billion re-financing involving placing security against 14 properties in four provincial jurisdictions across Canada.
• Advised large pension fund on the financing of a 17 storey Calgary office tower
• Acted for a development corporation in the sale of 11 industrial and retail properties for $107.6 million
• Acted for a worldwide group of companies which undertook a significant Canadian corporate reorganization, involving among other things, the formation of a Nova Scotia unlimited liability corporation and revisions to financing and lenders’ security.
• Provided advice on the $26 million financing of three Edmonton apartment buildings
• Assisted with multiple sales and purchases of commercial property for a large Canadian insurance company and its associated subsidiaries
• Advised on-site acquisition and new store development for a large American retailer in Alberta
• Assisted a large pension fund with investments in Quebec
• Represented an Alberta construction and development firm in condominium development and subdivision servicing loans
• Acted for a major international hotel chain in its acquisition of multiple Canadian sites
• Advised a large American hotel chain on all acquisitions in Canada in its expansion and entry into the country
• Acted for a Federal Crown Corporation in the development of an urban greenfield site for 650 housing units
• Advised on the acquisition of land near the Downsview airport for the development of a 1,200 unit site in negotiations with a Federal Crown Corporation
• Acted for the developer of a major urban site with over 1,000 units in Toronto
• Negotiated a joint venture agreement for the development of high-rise condominiums
• Advised a municipal agency on its development and the appropriate structure
• Acted for the OMB for various infill projects including a 250 bed seniors residence
• Acted for an Alberta financial institution in the acquisition, management and subsequent marketing and disposition of a major Alberta retail and development real estate portfolio valued in the aggregate at approximately $250 million
• Acted for a major Canadian Hotel REIT on its initial acquisition of a portfolio of hotel properties from a number of vendors located across the country in conjunction with its initial public offering
• Represented a major developer of Calgary industrial buildings in the sale of its portfolio to a life company