Intrawest sells Panorama resort
Price not disclosed
Last Updated: Thursday, January 28, 2010 | 3:08 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Financially troubled Intrawest ULC announced Thursday it has sold the Panorama Mountain Village ski resort in Invermere, B.C., to a group of buyers.
The group, Panorama Mountain Village Inc., said the deal will include the resort's on-mountain and Nordic ski operations, a 50 per cent ownership position in the Greywolf Golf Course, all of Intrawest's commercial operations and lodging units in the village, and the land available for real estate development. The resort is one of the largest employers in the region.
Intrawest, the owner of the Whistler Blackcomb resort, shown above, has agreed to sell another of its assets, Panorama Mountain Village ski resort in Invermere, B.C., to a group of business people. (Randy Lincks/Associated Press) Last week, Wall Street financiers said they were going to put up for sale another high-profile Intrawest asset, the Whistler Blackcomb resort near Vancouver, while the facility is hosting Winter Olympic events next month.
Creditors who have loaned $1.4 billion US to Intrawest have effectively seized control of the company and are attempting to auction off its assets.
Rick Jensen, CEO of Panorama Mountain Village Inc., wouldn't disclose the price.
"I can't answer that because we're still waiting for regulatory approval, which should come next week," he told CBC News. "We paid a price that was fair to both sides."
A source has told CBC News that the group paid $27.5 million. The deal is due to close in February. The buyer group is made up of 18 people, most of whom own homes in Panorama.
"We have people from Calgary, we have people from Edmonton, we have people from England, we have people from Bermuda, all sharing the common thread of having a home in Panorama and loving the mountain." said Jensen, a real estate developer who has built homes at the Panorama resort for 10 years.
Jensen said the buyers will reinvest all profits into developing the resort.
Ian Galbraith, director of corporate communications with Intrawest, said the decision to sell was based on the fact that Panorama no longer fits with its strategy. He said it now intends to focus on Whistler Blackcomb, Mont Tremblant in Quebec and Blue Mountain in Ontario.
In 2006, Wall Street hedge fund Fortress Investments LLC bought Intrawest in a $2.8-billion US deal. Fortress recently missed a $524-million debt payment connected to that purchase.
The primary lender on the Intrawest deal in 2006 was defunct investment bank Lehman Brothers.
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- Raitt closer to ending CP Rail strike
- Labour Minister Lisa Raitt is prepared to end the Canadian Pacific Rail strike if necessary, after both CP Rail and the union rejected a proposal for voluntary arbitration by the government-appointed negotiator on Sunday. Raitt tells CBC News she is "extremely disappointed." more »
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- The UN Security Council condemned the Syrian regime at an emergency meeting Sunday, holding president Bashar al-Assad's military responsible for the massacre of more than 100 people, dozens of whom were children younger than 10 years old. more »
- Ryder Hesjedal wins prestigious Giro d'Italia
- Victoria, B.C., native Ryder Hesjedal has become the first Canadian to win one of the cycling world's three Grand Tour events, wrapping up the 2012 Giro d'Italia with an excellent performance in the final stage in Milan. more »
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico
- Two Winnipeg children who had been missing for nearly four years were found in Mexico after a man raised concerns about his neighbour, according to a private investigator. more »
Latest Business Headlines
- Bankia asks Spain for €19B
- The board of directors of Spain's troubled bank, Bankia, has asked the Spanish government for €19 billion ($24.5 billion Cdn) in financial support. more »
- EI reforms aim to boost employment, Flaherty says
- Finance Minister Jim Flaherty defended his government's proposals to change employment insurance, saying the aim is to remove "disincentives to employment." more »
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Ottawa moves to limit foreign investment reviews
- The federal government is raising to $1 billion the amount of foreign money that can go into a Canadian company before the investment is reviewed. The review has been used in the past to block foreign takeovers of MDA and Potash Corp. more »
Lang & O'Leary Exchange
Markets
| Index | Last Trade | Change |
|---|---|---|
| TSX COMPOSITE | 11576.47 | 10.4 |
| DOW | 12454.83 | -74.92 |
| NASDAQ | 2837.53 | -1.85 |
| SP 500 | 1317.82 | -2.86 |
| NYSE COMPOSITE | 7534.32 | -18.01 |
| AMEX | 2227.37 | 1.45 |
| TSX-VENTURE | 1309.27 | 26.8 |
The data on this site is informational only and may be delayed; it is not intended as trading or investment advice and you should not rely on it as such.
Business Features
- Teen struck by lightning in Ottawa dies
- Missing Winnipeg children found in Mexico
- Syrian regime denies role in Houla massacre
- Quebec tornadoes cause millions in damage
- Montreal protesters march in peaceful defiance
- Remains found in bag on Cape Breton river ID'd
- Woman's remains found in hockey bag on Cape Breton river
- Everest team unable to bring down Toronto woman's body
- Neighbour may have helped find missing kids in Mexico

