Two very different economies drive business sales in Ottawa: a dense IT and managed-services sector built around the Kanata tech corridor, and a steady base of dental, medical and professional-practice sales serving the National Capital Region. A downtown restaurant or franchise sale usually closes in a matter of weeks; a practice or MSP sale usually takes longer, because a college or a client contract has to sign off first. We tell you which kind of deal you're in, and what it costs, before any work begins.
Part of Ottawa & Eastern Ontario — one regional deal market, page by page.
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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa, this is often where an IT or MSP deal's client-contract consents, or a dental or medical practice's college approval, adds the most time.
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 Ottawa | Owner-run restaurant, retail and single-location professional-service businesses. | Common in IT/MSP and dental or medical practice sales, to preserve client contracts, college standing, or the corporation's history. |
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.
Owner-run restaurant, retail and single-location professional-service businesses.
Common in IT/MSP and dental or medical practice sales, to preserve client contracts, college standing, or the corporation's history.
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 Ottawa — 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.
Neighbouring pages in the same regional deal market.
The regional picture — consents, sectors and the full municipal web.
Kingston's institutional and healthcare economy — hospitals, Queen's University, corrections — supports a steady base of dental/medical practice, restaurant and retail business sales serving Eastern Ontario.
Generally not automatically — most Master Service Agreements have a consent-required assignment or change-of-control clause, so each client typically has to agree before the contract moves with the business. We review your client contracts early so you know which relationships need advance notice, and negotiate around any that won't consent in time.
Longer than most owner-run deals — a professional corporation share sale generally needs the buyer to be a licensed member in good standing with CPSO or RCDSO, and that approval, plus a new or updated Certificate of Authorization, is usually the longest single item on the list. We give you a realistic timeline once we know your buyer's licensing status, rather than quoting a generic number up front.
Not automatically — agreements with vendors like Microsoft or cloud and security providers can include their own change-of-control terms, so they need to be checked deal by deal rather than assumed to carry over. We review the material vendor agreements as part of due diligence so there are no surprises after closing.
Generally a fresh AGCO liquor-sales licence application or transfer, alongside the City of Ottawa's own business licensing and any public-health requirements tied to a change of operator. We start these applications early, since they typically run in parallel with the rest of the closing rather than at the end.
It can — landlords in multi-tenant office and business parks like Kanata's tech corridor often have their own consent and due-diligence process for a new tenant, on top of the usual assignment paperwork. We open that conversation with the landlord as early as the deal allows, since it's frequently the slowest single step in an Ottawa closing.
| Resource | Official link |
|---|---|
| City of Ottawa business licensing Municipal business licence requirements | Visit ottawa.ca |
| CPSO — physicians Professional corporation & change-of-ownership rules | Visit www.cpso.on.ca |
| RCDSO — dentists Certificate of Authorization on a practice sale | Visit www.rcdso.org |
| AGCO Liquor sales licence transfers | Visit www.agco.ca |
| WSIB Clearance certificates | Visit www.wsib.ca |
Industries we cover
Nearby
Serving Ottawa's tech, professional-practice and main-street business community, from the Kanata corridor to downtown.
Tell us about your Ottawa deal — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.