Canada is valued for its economic stability, government regulatory transparency, strong private-property rights and low-volatility marketplace. This makes our country an attractive and highly competitive market for domestic and international investors in Canadian commercial real estate.
Blakes has one of the largest, top commercial real estate practices in Canada. Our lawyers’ breadth of knowledge of the Canadian market lets us offer seamless service on a complete spectrum of cross-border commercial real estate transactions.
Clients rely on us to assist them with all their real estate requirements, from negotiating and drafting through dispute resolution and exit strategies including:
- Ownership, investment and transaction structuring
- Acquisition and disposition of all classes of real property assets, including office, retail, hotel, industrial, recreational and development properties
- Financing, including long-term, construction and other loans and mortgage securitizations
- Real property ownership structures, including joint ventures and partnership and shareholder arrangements
- Cross-border investments
- Leasing and asset management
- Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- Construction and development agreements
- Infrastructure projects
- Workouts and restructurings
Our clients are Canadian, U.S. and international institutional and private entities, developers, real estate advisers, banks, pension funds, fund managers, insurance companies, REITs, retail and other commercial property owners and occupiers, governments and government agencies, and hotel owners and operators. These clients have relied on us in some of the most challenging and complex real estate transactions in recent years.
If you are an investor seeking to expand your real estate interests, our Commercial Real Estate lawyers can provide the cutting-edge and strategic advice you need in Canada.
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BentallGreenOak (Canada) Limited Partnership in the sale of a retail mall (White Oaks Mall) in London, Ontario.
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Pure Industrial Real Estate Trust on its purchase of vacant land at 453 and 537 Kingston Road East, Ajax, Ontario.
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Mackenzie Financial Corporation on its C$222.6-million sale of a 13-property, 710,389-square-foot portfolio in Vaughan, Ontario, to CanFirst Industrial Realty Fund VII L.P.
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An affiliate of Slate Asset Management on the acquisition of approximately 800 acres of industrial land and buildings in Hamilton, Ontario, from Stelco Inc.
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Toronto-Dominion Bank, as administrative agent and sole sustainability structuring agent, for Ivanhoe Cambridge's C$1-billion sustainability-linked credit facilities.
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Jim Pattison Developments Ltd. on its acquisition of the “Main & 6th” development site in Vancouver, B.C. through receivership proceedings.
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IG Mackenzie Real Property Fund (formerly Investors Real Property Fund) on the sale of a 186,312 square foot grocery-anchored centre situated on 22 acres in Brampton, Ontario at the intersection of Highway 410 and Queen Street East.
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IG Mackenzie Real Property Fund (formerly Investors Real Property Fund) on the sale of the seller’s undivided 50 per cent interest in the approximately 178,000-square-foot multi-unit industrial complex located at 1111 Flint Road, Toronto, to the seller’s former co-owners (affiliates of Glen Corporation).
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The lender on a C$100-million secured term credit facility to Sienna Senior Living Inc.
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IG Mackenzie Real Property Fund (formerly Investors Real Property Fund) in the sale of London Plaza, a retail shopping centre and office property located at 5951 No. 3 Road, Richmond, British Columbia, comprised of 105,907 square feet.
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IG Mackenzie Real Property Fund (formerly Investors Real Property Fund) on the financing from Otéra Capital Inc. of 55 University Avenue, an 18-storey office building located in Toronto’s financial district.
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DSV Solutions Inc. on the sale and leaseback of a 1.1-million-square-foot build-to-suit industrial logistics property at Yukon Court in Milton, Ontario.
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Oxford Properties Group and CPPIB on the sale of the 650,000-square-foot Dynamic Funds Tower complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario.
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Fiera Properties Ltd., on behalf of Fiera Properties CORE Fund LP, in the acquisition of four retail plazas in Waterdown, Guelph and Orangeville, Ontario; and Duncan, British Columbia, comprising in total approximately 925,000 square feet of leasable retail space.
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Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan on its joint venture with First Gulf for the construction of a new 460,000-square-foot, 23-storey tower, The Shift, on Ontario Street between King and Adelaide in downtown Toronto.
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CREC Commercial Fund LP on its C$158-million purchase of a LEED Gold-certified 895,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility in Brampton, Ontario.
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Ontario Pension Board and Workplace Safety Insurance Board on their C$1.9-billion purchase of an undivided 50 per cent interest in a 12-building portfolio of office buildings in downtown Vancouver, including the CF Pacific Centre regional shopping mall.
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JCF Capital ULC on its acquisition of the debt on Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, the enforcement of that debt, the acquisition of 211 hotel units and 74 residential condominium units, and the sale of the hotel portion of the tower to InnVest REIT.
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Bell Canada and Rogers Communications on their C$1.3-billion purchase of a 75 per cent interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
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Ontario Pension Board on its C$300-million purchase of a 50 per cent interest in the RBC Centre, a 41-storey class AAA Toronto office building, and negotiation of a joint venture arrangement with Ontrea Inc.
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PCC Properties (Calgary) Ltd. and its joint-venture co-owner on their C$370-million first mortgage bond financing of the Suncor Energy Centre, a two-tower office complex in downtown Calgary, Alberta, consisting of 32- and 53-storey class AA office buildings.
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GWL Realty Advisors Inc. on its acquisition and development of the Southcore Financial Centre, a mixed-use retail, office and hotel project being constructed in downtown Toronto, including 26- and 30-storey office towers and a 566-room four-star Delta hotel.
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TransGlobe REIT on its privatization by Starlight Investments Ltd. and sale of 14 multi-unit residential properties in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia to Canadian Apartment Properties REIT; 26 multi-unit residential properties in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta to Timbercreek Asset Management Inc.; 63 properties in four Canadian provinces to Starlight and its affiliates; and the 72 remaining REIT properties to a joint venture comprised of Starlight and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
Members of the Blakes Commercial Real Estate team are recognized as leaders in their field in the most recent editions of the following publications:
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Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business (Ranked in Band 1)
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (including all aspects of Property Development and Property Leasing)
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Who’s Who Legal: Real Estate (Highest number of lawyers ranked in Canada)
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Who’s Who Legal: Canada (Highest number of lawyers ranked)
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Euromoney’s LMG Women in Business Law Expert Guide
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Euromoney’s LMG Construction and Real Estate Lawyers Expert Guide
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The Legal 500 Canada (Ranked in Tier 1)
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The Best Lawyers in Canada
Blakes has been named Real Estate Law Firm of the Year for 2021 by Chambers Canada and Best Lawyers.
People
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Silvana M. D'AlimontePartner | Toronto
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Patrick GordonPartner | Toronto
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Joseph GrignanoPartner | Toronto
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John HutmacherPartner | Toronto
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Daniel KofmanPartner | Toronto
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Thomas von HahnPartner | Toronto
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Elizabeth BrachaniecAssociate | Toronto
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Denise DanielLaw Clerk | Toronto
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Jennifer Del BiancoLaw Clerk | Toronto
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Elizabeth EaronCounsel | Toronto
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Alexa LaingAssociate | Toronto
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Rachel LehmanAssociate | Toronto
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Carrie LevittAssociate | Toronto
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Randy SavelaLaw Clerk | Toronto
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Li ZhuAssociate | Toronto
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Garth AndersonPartner | Calgary
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Jordan HandelAssociate | Calgary
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Chad OlsonAssociate | Calgary
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Rodney PerkinsAssociate | Calgary
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Graham FultonPartner | Vancouver
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Jeffrey MerrickOffice Managing Partner | Vancouver
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Greg UmbachPartner | Vancouver
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Michael VentrescaPartner | Vancouver
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Rasheed AbouhassanAssociate | Vancouver
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Susan BlowParalegal | Vancouver
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John GrahamAssociate | Vancouver
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Martin LayAssociate | Vancouver
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Emily LisiAssociate | Vancouver
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Philippe BourassaPartner | Montréal
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Daniel FerreiraPartner | Montréal
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Neil KatzPartner | Montréal
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Matthew LibenPartner | Montréal
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Jenny RossPartner | Montréal
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Steve CollinsNotary | Montréal
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Géraldine Côté-HébertAssociate | Montréal
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Viorelia GuzunCounsel | Montréal
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Jean-Simon LamarreAssociate | Montréal
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Yanka LaraméeParalegal | Montréal
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Julie MarinoParalegal | Montréal
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Stella PantazopoulosParalegal | Montréal
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Laura TurleaNotary | Montréal
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Garth AndersonPartner | Calgary
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Philippe BourassaPartner | Montréal
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Silvana M. D'AlimontePartner | Toronto
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Daniel FerreiraPartner | Montréal
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Graham FultonPartner | Vancouver
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Patrick GordonPartner | Toronto
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Joseph GrignanoPartner | Toronto
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John HutmacherPartner | Toronto
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Neil KatzPartner | Montréal
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Daniel KofmanPartner | Toronto
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Matthew LibenPartner | Montréal
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Jeffrey MerrickOffice Managing Partner | Vancouver
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Jenny RossPartner | Montréal
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Greg UmbachPartner | Vancouver
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Michael VentrescaPartner | Vancouver
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Thomas von HahnPartner | Toronto
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Rasheed AbouhassanAssociate | Vancouver
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Susan BlowParalegal | Vancouver
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Elizabeth BrachaniecAssociate | Toronto
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Steve CollinsNotary | Montréal
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Géraldine Côté-HébertAssociate | Montréal
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Denise DanielLaw Clerk | Toronto
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Jennifer Del BiancoLaw Clerk | Toronto
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Elizabeth EaronCounsel | Toronto
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John GrahamAssociate | Vancouver
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Viorelia GuzunCounsel | Montréal
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Jordan HandelAssociate | Calgary
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Alexa LaingAssociate | Toronto
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Jean-Simon LamarreAssociate | Montréal
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Yanka LaraméeParalegal | Montréal
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Martin LayAssociate | Vancouver
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Rachel LehmanAssociate | Toronto
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Carrie LevittAssociate | Toronto
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Emily LisiAssociate | Vancouver
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Julie MarinoParalegal | Montréal
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Chad OlsonAssociate | Calgary
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Stella PantazopoulosParalegal | Montréal
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Rodney PerkinsAssociate | Calgary
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Randy SavelaLaw Clerk | Toronto
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Laura TurleaNotary | Montréal
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Li ZhuAssociate | Toronto