Legal Pulse Dec 2016

Legal Pulse - June 2016

Big Deals | Lawyers Write | Lawyers Speak | Events | Our Lawyers

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June 2016

BIG DEALS

Acquisition of Market Square, Toronto

Real Estate Group partner, Neill Kalvin, and law clerk, Helen Wright, acted on behalf of a separate account client of Northam Realty Advisors Limited, on the acquisition of Market Square, a 47,112 sf office/retail building located at 8-26 Market Street, 118 The Esplanade and 87 Front Street. Market Square is in Toronto's historic St. Lawrence neighbourhood, immediately adjacent to world renowned St. Lawrence Market. The building has won many heritage awards including the 2014 Heritage Toronto Award for Excellence, the 2015 City of Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence and the 2015 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Awards for Building Heritage from the National Trust for Canada.

$60.5 Million Construction Financing Facilities for On the GO Mimico

Real Estate Group partner Leor Margulies, associate Tara Welat, and law clerk Cindy Applegath, acted on behalf of DUCA Financial Services Credit Union Ltd. and a consortium of syndicate lenders on the funding of a $38,700,000 construction facility for the development of a residential condominium project to be built by Terrasan 327 Royal York Rd. Limited.

The team also acted on behalf of Centurion Mortgage Capital Corporation on the pari passu funding of a $21,800,000 second ranking construction facility that will also be used to fund construction of the project. The development known as On the GO Mimico will feature 242 residential condominium units located at 327 Royal York Road, Toronto, near the GO Transit service.

Sale of Chateauguay Regional Centre, Quebec

A team from our Real Estate Group comprising partner, Neill Kalvin and law clerk Helen Wright, acted on behalf of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust and Kimco Realty Corp., on the disposition of Chateauguay Regional Centre, located at 200 D'Anjou Boulevard, Chateauguay, Quebec. The transaction was completed on May 9, 2016 for a sale price of $31,500,000.

Purchase of 160 Acre Development Project, Lefroy Innisfil

A team from our Real Estate Group comprising partners Leor Margulies, Rick Angelson, associate Jaime Bell and law clerks Elaine Levy and Audrey Weaver, closed a purchase under power of sale of over 160 semi-serviced acres of land located in Lefroy, Innisfil. The purchase was completed on behalf of Sussman Mortgage Funding Inc. on April 1, 2016, and included new financing from each of Laurentian Bank of Canada and Cameron Stephens Financial Corporation. Twelve Gates Capital Group Lefroy Inc. acted as the consultant on the acquisition of the properties and the structuring the deal. Leor led the team on the negotiation of a complex joint venture agreement between Sussman and Ballymore Homes for the development of the project as well as the two financings. Ballymore will be responsible for the construction and sale of the project which is expected to include 241 residential homes, a commercial block and a seniors block. The first 63 low rise residential lots are expected to hit the market later this summer.

LAWYERS WRITE

2016 Doing Business in Canada
Authored by Business Law Partner Jonathan Zepp, Business Law lawyer Charlie Kim, Tax lawyer Arin Klug and Real Estate lawyer Jaime Bell

Our 2nd edition of Doing Business in Canada has been published and is available for download at our Taking Care of Business Law blog. Both the business and legal landscape in Canada have changed dramatically since we first published our Doing Business in Canada in 2007. Recent changes to private placement regime has shifted how businesses raise capital in the exempt market, and the new regulations adopted by the Canadian government significantly affect the foreign investment review framework. Our updated guide addresses the key considerations facing the entrepreneurs at the helm of a privately held midsize company who are thinking about doing business in Canada and its most populated province, Ontario. We trust that you will find our guide informative and we look forward to hearing from you should you have any questions or require any advice on doing business or investing in Canada.

Click here to view the entire 2016 edition of Doing Business in Canada ►

LAWYERS SPEAK

2016 Land Conference

Two partners in the Real Estate Group, John Fox and Leor Margulies, moderated seperate standing room only sessions at the 2016 Land Conference on May 10, 2016. The actual conference broke its all-time record with over 650 attendees who came to network and hear the latest on land and building development matters.

John spoke on the provincial flavour of the month, being affordable housing as it is impacted by inclusionary zoning and community hubs.

Leor moderated a panel including Jim Ritchie of Tridel and Ben Myers of Fortress RDI to address the state of the condominium market in the GTA and in the gateway cities across Canada.

EVENTS

Legal Netlink Alliance (LNA) Spring Conference

Jonathan Zepp, Partner in our Business Law Group, attended the Legal Netlink spring conference in Chicago IL on May 12 and 13. Legal Netlink Alliance (LNA) is an affiliation of independent law firms across the world with representatives in all US states and EU nations. LNA provides our clients with a trusted network of law firms no matter where they do business. On the evening of May 12, Jonathan and Robins Appleby LLP hosted the LNA members to a reception to celebrate Canadian business with Canadian libations and delicacies and great Canadian music. "It was a great opportunity to develop stronger relationships with our LNA colleagues for the mutual benefit of our clients", Jonathan reported. Robins Appleby LLP looks forward to attending the 2016 Fall LNA Conference in Cleveland OH.

36th Annual BILD Awards

On April 28, 2016, a record crowd of over 1,250 members of the real estate industry gathered in Vaughan to honour and award excellence in marketing, design and construction in the residential home building industry in the Greater Toronto Area. Each year attendance has grown, confirming the health and vibrancy of the local residential real estate construction industry . We would like to congratulate all of the nominees and winners and in particular, a number of our clients who made it to the podium. These included Sorbara Group of Companies for a number of awards relating to the Crafthouse at St. Andrews, including Best Rendering for Low-Rise and Best Luxury Home Design. Congratulations to Great Gulf Homes who won one of the three Pinnacle Awards, the Home Builder of the Year – Low-Rise.

Hockey Pro Am in Support of Alzheimer's Research at Baycrest

We are proud to report that Team Robins Appleby raised over $80,000 for the Scotiabank Hockey Pro Am in support of Alzheimer's research at Baycrest which took place in May. Led by team captain, David Schlesinger, our team's ten year total is now over $800,000. This money helps support ground-breaking, critical research and treatment taking place at Baycrest, which is becoming a world leader in geriatric care, research, education and innovation with a focus on mitigating the impact of Alzheimer’s.

Our fund raising total allowed us to draft Hall of Famer and six time Stanley Cup Champion, Bryan Trottier. Bryan was passionate about the cause and made sure that we all had a great time both on and off the ice.

Thank-you for all of your support over the years!

Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament 2016

On May 18th, 2016, Robins Appleby LLP hosted The Annual Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament. Over 100 players and 130 guests joined our lawyers for an evening of dining, schmoozing and cards. There were some nail biting moments for our poker tournament players. With able counsel from our firm's great lawyers, the champions were able to evaluate their risks and ultimately make informed and strategic decisions that helped them take the crown.

Congratulations to our poker tournament champions:
Daniel Faust, Ori Mandowsky, Sagar Sethi and Joel Cerilli

Click Here To View Poker 2016 Photo Gallery ►

OUR LAWYERS

Einstein Gala

Anderson Cooper was in Toronto on May 15, 2016 as the Master of Ceremonies of the Einstein Gala.

The Einstein Gala in Toronto is an integral part of this global initiative and honours some of the great minds, innovators and humanitarians in Canada, Israel and around the world. Moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, the evening shed light on the stories of these remarkable individuals, and brought their wisdom and unique insight into full view.

Our firm is a major supporter and Ronnie Appleby shared a drink with Anderson Cooper.

Gordie Howe and Friends

This photograph of several of our partners with Gordie Howe was taken at the Gordie Howe and Friends luncheon in 2011. Robins Appleby has had a team in the Scotiabank Baycrest Pro-Am Hockey Fundraiser for Alzheimer's research (Stick it to Alzheimer's) for the past 10 years and has raised nearly $800,000 for this vital project. This event has presented magical moments for all of us particularly in our incredible involvement with Mr. Hockey – Gordie Howe. In 2009 Baycrest (Ronnie Appleby was chairman of the board at that time) approached Gordie Howe and his family to allow us to honour Gordie by establishing the Gordie and Colleen Howe Research Fund at Baycrest in tribute to their illustrious lives. The family was touched by our suggestion, particularly because Colleen had been suffering for many years with Pick's Disease, a terrible type of dementia that is found in the frontal lobe of the brain. Unfortunately, just days before they formally agreed, Colleen passed away. However the family did accept the honour and Gordie became part of the Pro-Am in a very special way. No he didn't play, but he certainly attended draft nights, dropped the puck at All-Star games for us and hosted the Gordie Howe and friends luncheon before the hockey tournament.

From left to right back row: Michael Gasch, Lorne Greenspoon, Irv Marks, David Taub,
Jonathan Zepp, Errol Tenenbaum; front row: NHL - Old Timer, Ronnie Appleby,
Gordie Howe, David Schlesinger, and Ron Ellis (old timer).

Interview with Tara Welat

How long have you been with Robins Appleby LLP?

5 years.

What do you specialize in at Robins Appleby LLP?

I specialize in Commercial Real Estate Law which encompasses a wide array of financing and development work, including acting for lenders on construction or term financing, as well as working with developers on condominium projects or acquisition of land for development.

What characteristic do you think a person needs to have to be a successful real estate lawyer?

Real estate law is more collaborative than other practice areas as, generally speaking, most parties to a transaction want the deal or transaction to be completed smoothly. A solicitor who is responsive, but also a problem solver with practical insight is a definite asset to any transaction.

How do you spend your spare time?

I have a 20 month old, "spirited" son. That should suffice to say I don't have spare time any more.

When I walk into your office for the first time, looking around, what would your office tell me about you?

I have a minimalist aesthetic so there isn't much clutter (except the files on my desk). My dad used to tell me something along the lines of "a clean room is a clean mind", and although the nuance is somewhat lost in translation I do feel in order to be organized, I need my office to be clean and clutter free.

How is that different from your personal life?

My house is much the same way – sparsely accessorized. It took me over a year to find the right painting for our living room. I settled on an abstract painting of a dark blue ocean with white skies which looks calm and serene from a distance, and has much complexity and depth as you examine it closely.

What are you reading right now?

I google the most pressing issues that come up like "33 Phrases to Stop Your Toddler's Tantrums", the "3 Day Potty Training Method" (must be seen to be believed) and sometimes I have time to read the op-eds in the Globe and Mail, Washington Post or New York Times.

If you met yourself in the first year of law school, what advice would you give her?

I waited until my second year to buy my first cell phone. I would urge my younger self to embrace technology sooner. I would also remind myself to see my classmates as future lawyers, colleagues and potential clients one day.

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The comments contained in this newsletter provide general information only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Further particulars on the matters summarized in this newsletter, their implications and suggested courses of action, can be obtained from Robins Appleby LLP using the contact information provided herein. This e-mail is being sent to you as a contact of our Firm.