Peter chairs Lawson Lundell's Real Estate Group. His clients include pension funds, utility, mining and pipeline companies and private entities to whom he provides advice on a variety of real estate and corporate structuring matters for all types of projects. He also negotiates a significant volume of retail, office and industrial leases for landlords and tenants.

Bar Admissions
British Columbia (2000)

Education
University of Western Ontario (B.A., 1996)
University of British Columbia (LL.B., 1999)

Significant Accomplishments
Examples of Peter’s recent experience include:

Acting for various utility, mining and pipeline companies in connection with linear project land acquisitions and surface leases

Acting as lead leasing counsel for institutional and privately held landlords and tenants in connection with lease preparation, negotiations and related property management matters for regional shopping centres, power centres, enclosed malls, lifestyle centres, office tower complexes and multi-tenanted industrial parks

Acting for buyers and sellers of various retail malls, shopping centres, office buildings and industrial buildings, including multi-unit, strata-titled properties

Acting for various developers in connection with corporate structuring of development ventures, site acquisition, subsequent development work and project marketing and presale matters for various residential and mixed use projects throughout British Columbia, including projects using air-space subdivision and geothermal utility systems

Acting as lead real estate counsel for pension fund in connection with its indirect acquisition of Canadian portfolio of manufactured home communities

Acting as British Columbia counsel to mortgage lender to major ski resort operator as part of credit facilities advanced in connection with operator’s initial public offering

Acting as British Columbia counsel to seniors care facility operator in connection with its acquisition of seniors care facility

Acting for developer of various ground-leasehold interests in Port Metro Vancouver industrial park facility, including attending to rail access matters

Acting for commercial real estate brokerage in connection with preparation of standard form land assembly sales package

Acting for industrial manufacturer in connection with sale/leaseback of its Canadian portfolio of manufacturing facilities

Acting for British Columbia utility in connection with various real estate matters, including statutory rights of way and related tenure matters

Acting for restaurant chain operator in connection with opening of new restaurant locations and capital raising

Acting for buyer of cranberry farm and related farming operations

Acting for developer in connection with development of heritage property and related heritage incentive matters including density transfers


Professional Associations
*CBA/BCLS Air-Space Subdivision Task Force, Co-Chair
*Canadian Bar Association, Vancouver Real Property Subsection, Chair (2007 - 2008)
*Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch, Member (2000 - )
*British Columbia Due Diligence Deskbook, Contributing author
*Law Society of British Columbia, Member (2000 - )
*Urban Development Institute, Member and Speaker
*National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, Member and Speaker
*International Council of Shopping Centers, Member

Recognition and Ranking
*Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2015: consistently recommended as a Leading Practitioner for property leasing
*Chambers Global: recognized in the Real Estate (Canada) category
*Best Lawyers in Canada: recognized for real estate law
*Lexpert 2012 Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada: recognized as one of Canada's Corporate Lawyers to Watch
*2011 Lexpert Rising Star Award: recognized as one of Canada's Leading Lawyers under 40
*Named, Business in Vancouver, Forty under 40 (2008)

Community Activities
*Richmond Hospital Foundation, Director
*Canadian Friends of Hebrew University (Vancouver Chapter) - UBC Law School Faculty Exchange Program, Committee Member
*Congregation Beth Israel, Board of Directors (2008 - 2010)
*Richmond Country Club, Member
*Waterfront Club, Member
*Alpha Epsilon Pi, Lambda Omega Chapter, Alumni
*Lower Canada College Alumni Association, Class of '91, Member

Seminars/ Presentation
"Head Leases vs. Sub Leases - A Review of Case Studies", Inaugural Vancouver Real Estate Leasing Conference (November 1, 2012), Panellist

Urban Development Institute, Speaker

National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, Speaker

• Digging Deeper into the New Foreign Entity Tax

  By Peter Tolensky |July 2016

Additional Articles"Pre-Sale Law Critical to BC Development Industry in any Real Estate Market" (May 12, 2011), Author

"British Columbia Due Diligence Deskbook", Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia (2010 - Present), Contributing Author

Real Estate Law Blog

Lawson Lundell LLP

Our Real Estate Law Blog provides brief commentary on current legal trends and developments affecting your business. The topics addressed in Lawson Lundell’s Real Estate Law Blog are of interest to commercial real estate developers, real estate and strata agents, investors, landlords and tenants, as well as a variety of industry groups.