East of Toronto, Durham's deal flow still carries Oshawa's automotive-manufacturing and trades legacy, alongside a fast-growing base of trucking, construction and franchise operators serving its expanding bedroom communities. A lot of what we see here is a business that's been in one family for years, changing hands for the first time.
Every figure below traces to a named public source — no estimates, no filler.
†Typical patterns across Ontario deals — not a quote or advice; every deal is confirmed on its own facts.
The same sequence underlies almost every owner-run Durham Region deal — what changes from deal to deal is how long each step takes.
Reaching an agreement
Buyer and seller agree on price and key terms, usually informally, before lawyers draft anything binding. We review before you sign — even a "non-binding" LOI can lock in terms you didn't mean to fix.
usually 1–2 weeks†The APS sets out price, structure (asset or share), conditions, and closing date. We draft or review it and negotiate the protections — reps, warranties, holdbacks — that actually matter for your deal.
1–3 weeks to negotiate†Corporate, PPSA lien, litigation, and licence searches confirm what you're actually buying. We chase the seller's lawyer, the registries, and any regulator whose sign-off your deal needs.
2–4 weeks, in parallel†Getting to closing
Landlord, franchisor, lender, and licensing-body sign-offs are chased in parallel with the paperwork. In Durham this is where a manufacturer's OEM supply contracts, a carrier's CVOR paperwork, or a contractor's bonding requirements most often set the pace.
often the critical path†Funds, keys, and signed documents change hands. We coordinate directly with both sides' lawyers and the lender so nothing is left to a last-minute phone call.
1 day, once conditions are met†Registrations, licence transfers still in progress, and any post-closing deliverables — like a holdback release — get tracked to completion, not left for you to chase.
1–2 week tail†This is the first real decision in almost every deal — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how it's taxed.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The business's assets — equipment, inventory, lease, goodwill, name. | The shares of the company itself — everything it owns, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Tax angle — seller | Straightforward proceeds treatment in most cases. | May qualify for the lifetime capital-gains exemption on qualifying small business shares. |
| Tax angle — buyer | A stepped-up cost base on assets bought; an HST s.167 election may apply. | Cost base carries over from the seller — a different position for the buyer. |
| Licences & contracts | Must generally be re-issued or assigned into the buyer's name. | Usually stay in place, since the corporation itself doesn't change. |
| Employees | Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply. | Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change. |
| Typical use in Durham Region | Most construction, trades and franchise deals — one buyer taking on equipment, contracts and a lease, not a company's full history. | Common in manufacturing sales, to keep OEM supply contracts and any collective agreement intact, and sometimes in trucking deals for the same CVOR reasons as elsewhere in the GTA. |
The business's assets — equipment, inventory, lease, goodwill, name.
The shares of the company itself — everything it owns, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Straightforward proceeds treatment in most cases.
May qualify for the lifetime capital-gains exemption on qualifying small business shares.
A stepped-up cost base on assets bought; an HST s.167 election may apply.
Cost base carries over from the seller — a different position for the buyer.
Must generally be re-issued or assigned into the buyer's name.
Usually stay in place, since the corporation itself doesn't change.
Employment Standards Act continuity rules typically apply.
Employment generally continues uninterrupted — the employer doesn't change.
Most construction, trades and franchise deals — one buyer taking on equipment, contracts and a lease, not a company's full history.
Common in manufacturing sales, to keep OEM supply contracts and any collective agreement intact, and sometimes in trucking deals for the same CVOR reasons as elsewhere in the GTA.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
Different lists depending on which side of the deal you're on — both matter for how smoothly closing goes.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A café or restaurant, a salon, a franchise unit, or a trades business in Durham Region — usually one buyer, one seller.
Start my file →A company with several owners or employees, bank financing, real estate, or a deal that needs negotiated protections before you sign.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
Each anchor municipality has its own deal-brief page — same process, local numbers.
Oshawa's economy is rooted in automotive manufacturing and the trades, with a deep base of construction and auto-repair businesses plus a growing trucking and logistics sector serving eastern GTA distribution.
Whitby pairs a growing professional-services and healthcare base with a steady stream of franchise, restaurant and personal-care businesses serving one of Durham Region's fastest-growing communities.
Generally, yes, if you buy the shares — the corporation stays the same employer and the collective agreement typically continues with it. On an asset sale it's more case-specific, and successor-employer rules under labour legislation can still apply depending on how the deal is structured. We walk through your specific plant before you commit to a structure.
It depends on the bonding company, but existing bonds generally don't transfer automatically to a new owner — a buyer typically needs to establish its own bonding relationship, which can take time if it's a first purchase. We flag this early since it can affect which contracts a buyer can actually take over.
Generally no, if you buy only the assets — CVOR safety history attaches to the corporation, not the vehicles, so an asset-sale buyer typically starts a fresh safety record with MTO. That's one reason fleet buyers sometimes prefer a share purchase instead, and we explain the trade-off for your specific fleet before you decide.
Most deals value WIP and backlog contracts separately from the business's other assets, and buyers typically want assurance that assignable contracts actually transfer cleanly. We review the underlying contracts for consent-to-assign requirements before you finalize a price.
There's no single standard, but a modest closing holdback against undisclosed liabilities or adjustment errors is common on owner-run deals, and manufacturing or fleet sales more often add escrow or earn-out terms instead. We negotiate the size and release terms to fit your specific deal.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| Durham Region business resources | Visit www.durham.ca |
| Oshawa business licensing | Visit www.oshawa.ca |
| Whitby business licensing | Visit www.whitby.ca |
| Ministry of Transportation (CVOR) Carrier safety & CVOR | Visit www.ontario.ca |
| WSIB clearance certificates | Visit www.wsib.ca |
Industries we cover
Adjacent regions
Acting for buyers and sellers across Durham Region: Oshawa · Whitby · Ajax · Clarington · Pickering · Scugog · Uxbridge · Brock.
Tell us about your Durham Region deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.