Cross-Border & Canadian Business Blog
Exploring cross-border business opportunities and trends.
In 2021, the self-proclaimed “Crypto King,” along with an associate, paid a $500,000 deposit to purchase a commercial real estate property to store their exotic car collection. The “Crypto King,” Aiden Pleterski, had received more than $40 million from investors who thought they were investing in cryptocurrency. The investors had never authorized Mr. Pleterski to …
Continue reading “Court of Appeal Decides Fate of “Crypto King” $500,000 Deposit”
Most people likely understand the risks of trying to rely on an oral agreement to vary the terms of a commercial lease. Nonetheless, parties often get into disputes over whether there was an oral agreement that varied the terms of a lease. A recent Ontario decision, Parkland Corporation v. Caledon Fuels Inc.[1], confirms the risk …
Continue reading “Commercial Lease Modifications: Why Oral Agreements Don’t Hold Up in Court”
Dissent rights, entrenched in most provincial corporate statutes, grant shareholders the power to contest significant corporate changes and compel the corporation to repurchase their shares at a fair market value. Central to the enforcement of these rights is the statutory framework, which can result in either an amicable valuation agreement or a court-mandated determination of …
Continue reading “Dissent Rights and Shareholder Agreements – New Ruling Provides Guidance”
This column was originally published on RENX.ca. When a deal to buy and sell land for development goes awry, an innocent purchaser can sue for the damages suffered. However, in most cases, the measure of damages will be the difference between the purchase price of the land and the market value on the closing date. Lost …
This column was originally published on RENX.ca. In an episode of The Simpsons in the late ’90s, Marge Simpson takes a job as a real estate agent to make some extra cash. She made her first sale by selling a big, reasonably priced home to the Flanders family. In her haste to close the deal and despite her …
In the legal world, mutual respect between counsel and adherence to professional standards are not just niceties – they are the cornerstone of a functional and effective justice system. A recent case, Singh v Braich, provides a stark reminder that lawyers have a professional responsibility to be courteous, particularly in interactions with junior colleagues, and …
Continue reading “Bullying and Legal Ethics: A Warning from Singh v Braich”
This column was originally published on RENX.ca. Ontario’s highest court has ruled that a landlord cannot arbitrarily refuse to allow a commercial tenant to assign its lease without good reason. The court looked at the applicable facts and information provided to the landlord to determine whether its refusal to consent to lease assignment is unreasonable and …
Continue reading “Ontario Court of Appeal Provides Insight on the Transfer of Commercial Leases”
An entire agreement clause clarifies that the document in which it appears (and any other documents specified) constitutes the whole agreement between the parties. This helps ensure contractual certainty: the parties know that the deal is confined to the four corners of the document. Generally, when a contract contains an “entire agreement” clause, a party …
A recent decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal has confirmed that an arbitrator has jurisdiction to resolve a dispute through a summary judgment motion. The decision confirms that an arbitrator’s discretion is delineated by the arbitration agreement reached between the parties. In Optiva Inc. v. Tbaytel, the parties, Tbaytel (“Tbaytel”) and Optiva Inc. (“Optiva”), …
Continue reading “Arbitrations Can Be Determined by Summary Judgment”
This column was originally published on the Real Estate News Exchange (Renx.ca). In the latest chapter in the commercial tenancy battles caused by the pandemic, Ontario’s highest court has set out the limits on relief from forfeiture of a commercial lease. This time, a major anchor tenant in a shopping mall asked for help after …