CANADA. The Supreme Court of British Columbia has granted a temporary injunction sought by Douglas Crossing Duty Free to halt the attempted termination of its sub-lease for a duty free border shop on land owned by the Semiahmoo First Nation, The Moodie Report can reveal.
Douglas Crossing is the main crossing point between Vancouver and Seattle.
The development is the latest in a long-running saga over the store. Late last month, Douglas Crossing owner Michael Beler finally received the signed ministerial duty free license to proceed with the duty free store.
At that point Beler was looking forward to having a temporary store operational soon and beginning construction on a permanent 25,000 sq ft (2,416 sq m) store by December-January. The Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) awarded the tender to Douglas Crossing Duty Free earlier this year.
Documents filed in the British Columbia Supreme Court claimed that if the sub-lease is terminated by the landlord, the latter will lose a minimum of C$40 million in rent over the term. The landlord claims that it is entitled to terminate the sub-lease because Douglas and Beler are late completing the temporary store.
