Waterfront development dispute: Supreme Court won't hear appeal over $1B Vancouver property
The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal from property developer Concord Pacific Acquisitions, ending a long-running legal dispute over the billion-dollar development of one of Vancouver's last parcels of waterfront land.
The feud began in 2015 when Concord argued Singapore-based billionaire Oei Hong Leong and his company, Canadian Metropolitan Properties, backed out of a deal to jointly develop the former Expo '86 Plaza of Nations site.
Oei and Concord boss Terry Hui had signed an initial agreement to turn the roughly five hectare parcel on the northeast shore of Vancouver's False Creek into a mixed-use community, complete with 30 storey skyscrapers, an ice rink, community centre and arts venue.
When talks collapsed seven years ago, Hui and Concord launched a civil suit, arguing the preliminary agreement with Oei was a binding contract.
The B.C. Supreme Court sided with Oei in 2019 and the B.C. Court of Appeal issued its majority ruling in January, with both courts finding the contract lacked enough “essential terms” to make it enforceable.
The decision from the Supreme Court of Canada means the lower court rulings will stand and, as is customary, the high court does not give reasons for its refusal to hear Concord's appeal.
Oei and Canadian Metropolitan Properties have pressed on with development plans for the Plaza of Nations lands, now called Expo Gardens, and the company confirmed the project has nearly completed the City of Vancouver's permitting process.
Oei has said he hopes construction can begin this year on the property he bought in 1990 for $40 million but now has an estimated value of $800 million.
“Now I can build something iconic for Vancouver and give something back to this city I love,” Oei said in a statement released after the B.C. Court of Appeal decision.
Concord, which still owns the land east of the Plaza of Nations at the northeast end of False Creek, is in the process of seeking permits to develop that site.
The B.C. appeal court decision was “disappointing,” the company said when the ruling was released in January, but added in a news release that, regardless of the outcome of its Supreme Court of Canada appeal application, it hoped development of the Plaza of Nations site would “soon proceed in the interests of the community at large.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.