Ioana Hancas

Counsel

Ioana Hancas

Ioana Hancas

Counsel

Bar Admissions
  • Ontario, 2011

Ioana brings commercial insight and problem-solving skills to a wide variety of complex transactions.

Ioana advises on large commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions and leasing. She counsels clients on share and asset purchases, renewable energy project financings and other debt financing transactions.

Ioana’s clients include large Canadian pension funds, REITS, and leading financial services companies, who value her responsiveness and attention to detail.

Ioana Hancas

Counsel

Ioana brings commercial insight and problem-solving skills to a wide variety of complex transactions.

Ioana advises on large commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions and leasing. She counsels clients on share and asset purchases, renewable energy project financings and other debt financing transactions.

Ioana’s clients include large Canadian pension funds, REITS, and leading financial services companies, who value her responsiveness and attention to detail.

Banque de Développement du Canada

Acting for Banque de Développement du Canada (“BDC”) in relation to the CCAA Proceedings of Forex Inc. et als. proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.

Manulife

Acted for Manulife Financial Corporation on the financing of battery energy storage systems to be installed at three existing solar power projects in southern Alberta (Concord’s Coaldale, Monarch and Vulcan properties).

Axium Infrastructure

Acted for Axium Infrastructure Inc. in connection with the acquisition from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners of the Travers Solar Project located in Vulcan County, Alberta. Situated on approximately 3,330 acres of land, the project has a total nameplate capacity of 465 MW, making it the largest solar project in Canada at the time of closing.

Interfor Corporation

Acted for Interfor Corporation in its acquisition for over C$325-million of 100% of the equity interests of Kilmer Group-backed Chaleur Forest Products entities.

Waste Management Inc.

Acted as Canadian counsel to Waste Management Inc., one of the leading residential waste and recycling companies in North America, in its sale of certain assets in Canada to GFL Environmental Inc.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

Acted for The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company in the establishment of credit facilities to finance a portfolio of solar projects in Alberta.

Spruce Partners Inc.

Acting for Spruce Partners Inc. in its formation of a development general partnership with Amico Properties Inc. and Amica Senior Lifestyles Trust and the acquisition by the general partnership of a real estate property in Burlington, Ontario.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Acting for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in the strategic disposition of its operating gas station sites operating under the banners Circle K and Couche-Tard in prime locations in Ontario and Québec.

StorageMart

Acted as lead counsel for StorageMart with the secured refinancing of its Canadian portfolio of 67 self-storage facilities in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Québec.

Oakland Corridor Partners

Acted as transaction counsel to Oakland Corridor Partners team, comprising John Laing Investments Limited, AECOM Capital, Inc., Jay Dee Contractors, Inc., Ajax Paving Industries, Inc., Dan's Excavating, Inc. and C.A. Hull, in its winning bid for the design, build, financing and maintenance of the third and final segment of the I-75 Modernization Project in Michigan.

Nomura Securities International, Inc.

Acted for Nomura Securities International, Inc. in the refinancing of credit facilities in an aggregate amount of approximately $230 million made available for the long-term operation of seven 10-MW ground-mount solar photovoltaic projects in Ontario, each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract with the IESO.

Toromont Industries Ltd.

Acted for Toromont Industries Ltd. in its acquisition of Hewitt Equipment in a $1-billion transaction that expands Toromont's Caterpillar dealership into Québec, Western Labrador and the Maritimes, and strengthens its expertise in the mining, construction, power systems and forestry sectors.

Group of Leading Financial Institutions

Acted for a group of leading financial institutions in connection with the $1.25-billion refinancing for Air Canada. The group included TD Securities Inc., as representative of the initial purchasers of $200-million of Air Canada's 4.75% senior secured notes due 2023, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and lender under a new US$1.1-billion senior secured credit facility.

City of Toronto

Acting for the City of Toronto in the $850-million redevelopment of Union Station, including the acquisition of Union Station from The Toronto Terminals Rail Company, the restoration and major transportation redevelopment jointly with Metrolinx and the creation of a new below-grade strata retail level.

Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc.

Acted for Ivanhoé Cambridge in connection with the sale of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Plenary Health Peel LP

Acted for Plenary Health Peel LP, in its successful bid to design, build, finance and maintain the new Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness, a $491 million project located in Brampton, Ontario.

Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc.

Acted for Ivanhoé Cambridge on the sale of the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia.

Deutsche Bank AG

Acted for Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation of two SunEdison sponsored 10 MW ground-mount solar projects known as "Lindsay" and "Solar Spirit", each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Manulife Financial Corporation

Acted for The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operations of the Val Caron Solar Project, a 10 MW ground-mount solar project near the City of Greater Sudbury, Ontario, which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust

Acted for Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust in connection with its $228-million acquisition of a portfolio of 11 office properties in the Greater Toronto Area and in Montréal from Redbourne Realty Fund.

Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

Acted for Mizuho Bank, Ltd. in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation by SunE Westbrook LP and Oro-Medonte Solar Farm Inc. of two 10-MW ground-mount solar projects, each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Deutsche Bank AG

Acted for Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction of the William Rutley solar project, a 10 MW ground-mount solar project located in Ingleside, Ontario, which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

CIT Financial Ltd.

Acted for CIT Financial Ltd. in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation of a 10 MW ground-mount solar project in Aylmer, Ontario by Silvercreek Nominee Inc., which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

Acted for Mizuho Bank, Ltd. in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation by SunE Demorestville LP and SunE Taylor Kidd LP of two 10 MW ground-mount solar projects, each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Ivanhoé Cambridge

Acted for Ivanhoé Cambridge in the sale of the Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario.

Deutsche Bank AG

Acted for Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction by SunE Ray LP of a 10 MW ground-mount solar project and SunE Newboro 4 LP of a 10 MW ground-mount solar project near Kingston, Ontario, each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contracts under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Manulife Financial Corporation

Acted for The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company in connection with a $125.8 million project financing of the construction of the 18.9-MW hydroelectric generating facilities located near White River, Ontario.

Deutsche Bank AG

Acted for Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction by SunE Unity LP of a 10 MW ground-mount solar project near Kingston, Ontario, which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in-Tariff Program.

Deutsche Bank AG

Acted for Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction by SunE Alfred LP of a 10 MW ground-mount solar project near Ottawa, Ontario, which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in-Tariff Program.

The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited

Acted for The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited in connection with its US$150 million investment in Terranum Corporate Properties, a Colombian commercial property development business.

Iogen Corporation

Acted for Iogen Corporation in the sale of its industrial enzyme business to an affiliate of Novozymes A/S.

InnVest Real Estate Investment Trust and InnVest Operations Trust

Acted for InnVest Real Estate Investment Trust and InnVest Operations Trust in connection with a reorganization to unwind their "stapled unit" trading structure through a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act and the Trustee Act (Ontario).

Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd.

Acted for Plenary Health Kelowna Limited Partnership, which was awarded the $95.3-million contract by the Interior Health Authority to design, build, finance and maintain the new Interior Heart and Surgical Centre at Kelowna General Hospital, the first cardiac critical care centre in British Columbia outside the Lower Mainland.

Canaccord Genuity & National Bank Financial

Acted for a syndicate of underwriters led by Canaccord Genuity and National Bank Financial in connection with the $121-million initial public offering of HealthLease Properties Real Estate Investment Trust.

Plenary Health Care Partnerships

Acted for Plenary Health Care Partnerships in their successful bid to design, build, finance and maintain the Humber River Regional Hospital. The new $1.1 billion state-of-the-art acute care facility will be constructed on a block of approximately 27 acres in Toronto, Ontario.

Plenary Properties LTAP LP

Acted for Plenary Properties LTAP LP, which was awarded the $1.13-billion contract by Defence Construction Canada for a 33-year design-build-finance-maintain concession for the new headquarters of Canada's foreign intelligence and national cryptologic agency. Spanning over 84,000 square metres and scheduled for completion in 2015, the state-of-the-art facility will become the new home of Canada's national cryptologic agency. This project was awarded the 2011 North American Social Infrastructure Deal of the Year Award by Project Finance magazine.

Plenary Group

Acted for the Plenary Group which was awarded a contract by Infrastructure Ontario and the Province of Ontario to design, build, finance and maintain the new courthouse for the use and occupation by the Ministry of the Attorney General. This state-of-the-art facility will bring two existing courthouses (Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice) into one facility in downtown Thunder Bay.

Wal-Mart Canada Realty Inc. and SmartCentres Realty Inc.

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.

Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited and Ivanhoe Cambridge

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.

The Best Lawyers in Canada—Real Estate Law

Bar Admissions

Ontario, 2011

Education

University of Toronto, JD, 2010
University of Toronto, BA (Hons) (International Relations), 2007