US lenders in cross-border M&A transactions often ask how real estate security differs in Canada. The short answer is not much; the security and legal requirements are pretty much the same (though perhaps not as heavily negotiated and labyrinthine as US-style documentation).
- Historical Background
Unlike the United States, Canada was not created by a unilateral declaration of independence from the colonial occupation of England.
- Leases Over One Year Must be Registered in all Provinces Except Québec
In recent years the Ontario Personal Property Security Act (“PPSA”) changed the scope of its application to include all leases for a term of more than one year, regardless of whether it is a “true” or “financing” lease. This is a different rule than exists in the United States and one often missed on cross border transactions.
The Supreme Court of Canada has recently granted leave to appeal from the judgment of the British Columbia Court of Appeal in Edward Sumio Nishi v. Rascal Trucking Ltd. This appeal focuses on the test for a resulting trust in the commercial context.
Whether a lease is a “true” or “finance” lease has been debated in Canadian courts for decades in many different contexts. The consequences of the categorization of a lease can have a material impact on the recovery that a lessor may have in an insolvency of its lessee. The Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench recently released its decision in the matter of Royal Bank of Canada v. Cow Harbour Ltd. and 1134252 Alberta Ltd. (“Cow Harbour”) on January 23, 2012.
In my recent blog posting, I discussed the factors that courts will consider before setting aside an elected condominium board of directors to impose a court-appointed administrator.
Below are some examples where the courts have intervened and appointed an administrator. They include situations where:
2011 ONCA 535 (Released July 28, 2007)
Landlord and tenant – Repudiation of Lease – Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act Proceedings
In June 2011, EDS Canada Corp. ("EDS") subleased premises to NexInnovations ("Nex"). On October 2, 2007, Nex obtained creditor protection under the CCAA (the "Initial Order"). The Initial Order gave Nex the right to "vacate, abandon or quit any leased premises and/or terminate or repudiate any lease…"
Having enforceable security over all of a borrower’s assets is obviously of primary importance to a lender. However, where a borrower occupies leased premises, ensuring the lender has quick and reliable access to the collateral is equally important, especially if the landlord proves to be unco-operative after a borrower’s default. Although court-ordered access to a borrower’s leased premises can be sought after a borrower’s loan default, a landlord waiver obtained prior to an initial advance of a loan can bring some added certainty to the realization process outside of a bankrup
Bill 68 – An Act to promote Ontario as open for business by amending or repealing
certain Acts (the “Open for Business Act”)1 received Royal Assent on October 25,
2010. It is an omnibus Act which contains more than 100 amendments to existing
legislation spread out across 10 ministries.
During the past 14 months, courts in Ontario have rendered three decisions dealing with the application of limitation periods to claims for fraudulent conveyances or preferences. A “limitation period” is a period of time, specified in a statute, within which a plaintiff must commence a court proceeding to seek a remedy. Otherwise, the claim is said to be “statute-barred” and an action to enforce the claim will be dismissed.
The recent decisions have brought some clarity to the law in this area, but have left other questions unanswered.
Background