Davies

Gregory J. Howard

Greg Howard is a partner in the Commercial Real Estate and Corporate/Commercial practices. His practice focuses primarily on commercial real estate acquisitions, development, financing and leasing. He also has broad experience in complicated real estate workouts and restructurings, arbitrations and advisory assignments as well as corporate/commercial matters.

Since 1980, Greg has represented leading companies and investment vehicles, developers, financial institutions and public authorities in connection with major real estate projects, joint ventures, financings, leasing transactions and restructuring of indebtedness. He has been involved in projects across Canada, as well as internationally.

Representative Work

  • Acted for Canada Lands Company CLC Limited on its acquisition of Pensionfund Realty Limited's leasehold interest in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Complex, specifically the InterContinental Toronto Centre Hotel and the office tower at 277 Front Street West in Toronto, Ontario.

  • Acted for OPSEU Pension Trust Fund in connection with its acquisition of seven regional shopping centres in southwestern Ontario, together with approximately 350 acres of development lands in the Greater Toronto Area, from affiliates of Forecast Inc.

  • Acted for Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc. in its acquisition of the interests of The Mills Corporation in three shopping centres located in Vaughan, Ontario, Glasgow, Scotland and Madrid, Spain for US$988 million.

  • Acted for Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited, the real estate portfolio manager for the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Teachers'), in Teachers' acquisition of interest in Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliaros S/A in a transaction valued at $500 million.

  • Acted for Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) in connection with its announced agreement to form a joint venture with the Westfield Group. CPPIB's equity investment will be US$1.8 billion representing a 45% interest in the joint venture.

  • Acted for Runnymede Development Corporation Limited in connection with the sale of a $91-million portfolio of shopping centres to RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust.

  • Acted for Canada Lands Company CLC Limited in the sale of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Complex, a 7.4 acre mixed-use development in downtown Toronto, to Oxford Properties Group. The complex includes the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the 277 Front Street office tower, the Intercontinental Hotel, and a 1,200-stall parking facility.

  • Acted for Wal-Mart Canada Realty Inc. and SmartCentres Realty Inc. in connection with the sale of shopping centres located in Guelph, Hamilton and Sudbury, Ontario to Calloway REIT for an aggregate of approximately $139 million.

  • Acted for Wal-Mart Canada Corp. in connection with the acquisition of leases for 39 store locations occupied by Zellers from Target Canada.

  • Acted for Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft Gmbh in the sale of Stampede Station (Phase I), a ten-storey office building located in Calgary, Alberta, to Artis Real Estate Investment Trust.

  • Acted for Ivanhoe Cambridge in the sale of its five Canadian shopping centres to Primaris Retail REIT for an aggregate price of approximately $572 million.

  • Acting for SmartCentres Management Inc. in connection with the proposed development by Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust and Simon Property Group, Inc. of the first Premium Outlets Center in Canada. The centre will be located in the Town of Halton Hills, Ontario. Simon's Premium Outlets portfolio of centers are located in popular destinations across the U.S. and around the world.

  • Acted for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in its acquisition of a 36.9% interest in the Mayflower partnership for a total equity investment of US$350 million. The Mayflower partnership owns a portfolio of 13 regional malls located in the United States, which has a total value of approximately US$2.03 billion.

  • Acted for Canada Lands Company CLC Limited in connection with a long-term lease to Ripley Entertainment Inc. for a world-class aquarium with up to 150,000 square feet of space to be located at the base of the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario.

  • Acted for Wal-Mart Canada Corp. in connection with Lowe's Companies Canada, ULC's acquisition of Wal-Mart's former Sam's Club locations in Etobicoke, London, Vaughan and Pickering, Ontario.

  • Acted for The Cadillac Fairview Corporation in the sale of Erin Mills Town Centre, Erin Mills Town Plaza and surrounding development lands to Ontario Pension Board for $370 million.

  • Acted for Wal-Mart Canada Realty Inc. and SmartCentres Realty Inc. in connection with the sale of a shopping centre in Ontario and a shopping centre in Québec to RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust for approximately $100.7 million.

  • Acted for Wal-Mart Canada Realty Inc. and SmartCentres Realty Inc. in connection with the sale of a shopping centre in Ontario and a shopping centre in Québec to Calloway Real Estate Investment Trust for approximately $131 million.

  • Acted for co-owners, Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited and Ivanhoe Cambridge, in the sale of Cataraqui Town Centre to Primaris Retail REIT for approximately $168 million.

  • Acted for Commerz Real Investmentgesellschaft Gmbh in its acquisition of Stampede Station (Phase I), a ten-storey office building located in Calgary, Alberta.

  • Acted for Wal-Mart Canada Realty Inc. and First Professional Realty Inc. (now SmartCentres Realty Inc.) in connection with the sale of three shopping centres in Alberta and one in British Columbia to RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust for approximately $280 million.

  • Acted for The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited in its acquisition of the Windsor Station complex and other real estate assets from The Canadian Pacific Railway Company for $86 million. As part of the transaction, Canadian Pacific has entered into a long-term lease with Cadillac Fairview to remain the principal tenant of Windsor Station. Windsor Station is located at 1160 De La Gauchetière in downtown Montréal and represents an important heritage property. It houses more than 300,000 square feet of leasable office space.

  • Acted for Prime Retail L.P. with respect to its proposed entry into Canada.

View All

Recognition

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  • Listed in Expert Guides' The Best of the Best and Guide to the World's Leading Real Estate Lawyers.
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading practitioner in the area of Real Estate Law.
  • Recognized as a highly recommended Corporate Real Estate lawyer by PLC Which lawyer?
  • Recognized as a leading Real Estate lawyer in Who's Who Legal: The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers and Who's Who Legal: Canada.
  • Recognized in The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory and The Lexpert®/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada.
  • Recognized as a leading Real Estate lawyer by Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, which reported sources as saying he "is strategic in his approach and consistently grasps the issues without a moment's notice".

Professional Affiliations

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Canadian Bar Association

International Council of Shopping Centers

Board Memberships

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Community Involvement

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Teaching Engagements

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Greg was a lecturer at the Bar Admission Course of Ontario for several years.

Speaking Engagements

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As a result of his expertise, Greg is frequently asked to speak on commercial real estate topics, including real estate acquisitions, real estate financings, joint ventures and leasing.

Articles and Publications

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Greg has frequently written on commercial real estate related topics.

Gregory Howard
Gregory Howard
Partner
Office:
Toronto
Tel:
416.863.5580
Email:
ghoward@dwpv.com
Bar Admissions:

Ontario, 1980

Education:

University of Toronto, LL.B. (Honours), 1978