Jilted Canucks Suitors Charge Team With Foul Play

Aquilini Acquisition Caught Beedie And Gaglardi By Surprise

Developers Ryan Beedie and Tom Gaglardi, who “thought they had a deal” to buy 100% of the Canucks and GM Place from Orca Bay Chair John McCaw earlier this year, “were stunned” when Francesco Aquilini was introduced Wednesday as a 50% stakeholder in the team and the arena, according to Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver PROVINCE. Beedie and Gaglardi received documentation October 30 “outlining 22 outstanding issues — and on Nov. 5 were expecting to hear they had sealed the deal.” Beedie said, “They were negotiating and working with Francesco at the same time [as us] and that’s totally contradictory to everything that was said. There’s no way they could have pulled the deal unless [McCaw] had this other deal lined up.” But Orca Bay President & CEO Stan McCammon countered, “The fact of the matter is we didn’t negotiate with both parties at the same time. ... After several months [of negotiations with Beedie and Gaglardi], we couldn’t reach an agreement on business terms” (Vancouver PROVINCE, 11/19).