1055 West Georgia St, Suite 1500, PO Box 11117, Royal Ctr, Vancouver, BC
Year called to bar: 1992 (ON); 1996 (BC)
James Sutcliffe is a partner in the firm’s financial services group. He acts for Canadian banks and institutional private lenders; he has extensive experience in all aspects of debt financing and is recognized as a leading financing lawyer, with a particular focus on acting for lenders on real estate financing transactions. He has acted on all manner of loan transactions including construction and term real estate deals, land acquisitions, operating and term loan deals, syndicated loan transactions, asset-based loans, and loans involving the forestry, renewal energy, and seniors living sectors. He is recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada for banking law and is BV rated in the Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory. He has written articles and made presentations on lending issues and acted as editor of publications on real estate financing and mortgage practices.
On June 22, 2015, Big Silver Creek Power Limited Partnership (BSCPLP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (Innergex), as borrower, and financial institutions comprising The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife), as agent and lead lender and the Caisse de Dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), as lenders, closed a $197.2 million non-recourse construction and term project financing for the Big Silver Creek run-of-river hydroelectric project. The project, with an aggregate installed capacity of approximately 41 MW, will be located on Crown land approximately 40 km north of Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia, and is expected to reach commercial operation by the end of 2016. Electricity generated by the project will be sold under a 40-year electricity purchase agreement with BC Hydro.
The $491.6 million non-recourse construction and term project financing for the Upper Lillooet River and Boulder Creek run-of-river hydroelectric projects was closed.
Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited, Manulife Capital Inc. and BMO Capital Partners, among others, teamed up to acquire the assets and undertaking of English Bay Batter (2014) Ltd. The acquisition, the amount of which was undisclosed, was effected through a newly-formed limited partnership, English Bay Batter L.P.
Burnaby, B.C.-based Gateway Casinos Income Fund, one of the largest casino operators in Western Canada, completed a $106 million initial public offering of trust units through a syndicate of underwriters led by Scotia Capital Inc., and including BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and National Bank Financial Inc.
