Canada

StoneCalibre acquires Sagemcom Canada, renames it XMedius

StoneCalibre, a U.S. private investment firm, has acquired the secure document exchange business unit, which includes Sagemcom Canada Inc, from France's Sagemcom Documents SAS. No financial terms were disclosed. Sagemcom Canada, which is based in Montréal, has also been renamed XMedius Solutions Inc. XMedius specializes in helping enterprises to securely exchange vital and confidential information using different solutions. StoneCalibre said it plans to seek acquisition opportunities to support the company's global growth. XMedius is led by CEO Jean Champagne.

Catalyst-owned Gateway acquires Playtime Gaming

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd, a diversified Canadian gaming company, has acquired Playtime Gaming Inc. No financial terms were released. Based in Surrey, British Columbia, Playtime owns and operates six gaming facilities in the province. Gateway said the deal increases its gaming property holdings to 18 in total, and extends its distribution into four new markets, including the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Founded in 1992, Burnaby, British Columbia-based Gateway is a portfolio investment of Canadian private equity firm Catalyst Capital Group. In October, Catalyst raised $2 billion in the close of its fifth distressed-for-control fund, Catalyst Fund LP V.

West Face Capital puts $1.6 mln loan to work in Chieftain Metals

West Face Capital has provided a $1.6 million loan to Chieftain Metals Corp (TSX-V: CFB), a Toronto-based acquirer, explorer and developer of mineral properties. The loan's proceeds will be used for working capital purposes. Chieftain's business is focused on the development of the Tulsequah Project, which is located in British Columbia. West Face, a Canadian alternative investment firm, has "substantial shareholdings" in Chieftain, the company said.

Go with the (capital) flow in cross-border M&A

Torys' Partners Jared Fontaine, Ian Arellano and Neville Jugnauth expect to see Canadian deal-makers make significant, large-scale acquisitions in foreign markets in 2016, building on the intense activity of the past year. With recent weakness in the domestic economy, they also believe there will be increased opportunities for investors to deploy more capital to M&A deals in Canada.

NexusCrowd raises funds for $5.8 mln industrial redevelopment

Canadian online investment platform NexusCrowd has raised funding for a real estate project in the Greater Toronto Area. NexusCrowd secured $500,000 from accredited investors for a total $5.8 million equity raise for the project, which involves redevelopment of three industrial properties in the Greater Toronto Area. Downing Street Realty Partners, a Canadian real estate investment manager and merchant bank, purchased the properties over a year ago. The work is expected to be completed in October 2016.

Sale of Encana energy assets to CPPIB pushed to next year

The close of Encana Corp's sale of its Denver Julesberg Basin oil and gas assets in Colorado to an investment vehicle led by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has been moved to the second quarter of 2016. The previously announced deal, valued at US$900 million, was originally scheduled to wrap up before the end of this year. CPPIB's partner in the transaction is The Broe Group.

PE-backed Nelson Global Products buys Silex Innovations

Nelson Global Products, a portfolio investment of U.S. private equity firm Wind Point Partners, has acquired GT Exhaust Inc and Silex Innovations Inc from parent company IAC Group. No financial terms were disclosed. Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Silex provides a complete line of standard and customized exhaust products. They include industrial silencers, emission control products, insulation blankets, connectors, expansion bellows and exhaust accessories. U.S.-based Nelson has been backed by Wind Point since 2010.

Chinese investors to buy PE-backed Long Run in $770 mln deal

Calgary-based Long Run Exploration Ltd (TSX: LRE) has agreed to be acquired by an unnamed group of Chinese investors. The deal, valued at about $770 million, including net debt, is expected to close in April 2016. The company's board of directors and management team said Long Run's sale is "the best alternative" for stakeholders in light of challenging market conditions. Long Run is an intermediate oil and natural gas company focused on development, exploration and production in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. It has been a portfolio investment of Canadian private equity firm Sprott Resource Corp since 2009.

Year of the mega deal unlikely to be repeated: Reuters

Deal-makers celebrating a record year for mergers and acquisitions that was bolstered by mega deals are pinning their hopes on a larger number of smaller deals to fuel consolidation in 2016, Reuters reported. While the number of announced deals globally declined from 2014, values rose 40.8 percent to a record US$4.6 trillion this year, according to preliminary Thomson Reuters data.

Airbus to buy PE-backed flight operations company Navtech

Airbus has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the shares of Navtech Inc, a Canadian provider of flight operations solutions, serving more than 400 airlines and aviation services customers worldwide. The deal's financial terms were not released. France's Airbus, an aircraft designer and manufacturer, said the deal supports its digitalization and services growth strategies. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Navtech has been a portfolio investment of U.S. private equity firm ABRY Partners since November 2005. It also received an investment from Veronis Suhler Stevenson in June 2013. Earlier this year, the company acquired DW International Ltd, a British air technical services business.