Canada high court allows Bell deal to proceed
unanimously decided that Bell and its purchasers can move forward with the deal. The purchasing party includes the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Providence Equity Partners, and Madison Dearborn Partners. The initial holdup was in the courts, as an appeals court in Quebec held up the deal, citing the trouble bondholders might face. However, the Canadian system only requires stockholder and court approval. While the $52 billion buyout has a ways to go, they certainly cleared a major hurdle with this decision. There is a June 30 deadline for the closing of the deal. Experts throughout Canada seem to disagree on the costs and benefits of this deal. A tightening credit market has some worried that the buyers are getting a raw deal. Negotiations will continue now with the court decision. ]]>