John van Gent has over 15 years of experience in Canadian commercial real estate. He has acted on some of the country's largest commercial real estate transactions including most recently acting as co-counsel to the purchaser of a $1.2 billion portfolio of commercial mortgage loans from Home Capital, as co-counsel to the purchaser of a $312 million portfolio of 89 commercial bank branches from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce located throughout Canada, and as lead counsel to the purchaser of a $200 million portfolio of 14 retirement homes in Saskatchewan.
John has a breadth of experience with traditional real estate investment structures, including joint ventures, limited partnerships, mortgage investment funds, real estate and other private equity investment funds, and other co-ownership arrangements. Canadian and international real estate investors benefit from John's considerable experience with respect to the trading and financing of commercial real property, including office buildings, retail properties, industrial properties, multi-family residential developments, seniors housing, and hotel and resort properties. His advice to clients concerning real estate investment structures and land transfer tax planning results in transaction efficiencies and long term savings.
Since January, 2017 John has represented borrower clients in connection with revolving, term loan and construction credit facilities totaling in excess of $2.5 billion including a $842 million and a $350 million secured term loan secured by portfolios of funded loan commitments, a $259 million secured term loan secured by a portfolio of 89 bank branches across the country, and a $223 million secured term loan secured by the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario. In addition, John acts for a number of private non-bank commercial mortgage lenders with respect to first and second mortgage financing, construction loans, and mezzanine debt.
John regularly acts for both landlords and tenants on commercial leasing, sub-leasing, and land leasing arrangements. He has acted for government or quasi-government interest such as Waterfront Toronto, with respect to the development of Toronto's waterfront lands, and for the PortsToronto in connection with real estate holdings throughout the Toronto waterfront such as the development and construction of the pedestrian tunnel to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
John has authored and presented a number of articles at industry conferences and is a regular presenter at the Bennett Jones Academy.