Sabina Han

Partner

Sabina Han

Sabina Han

Partner

Expertise
Bar Admissions
  • Ontario, 2004

With over 15 years of experience, Sabina provides efficient, targeted solutions to clients’ indirect tax issues and disputes.

Sabina advises clients on all aspects of Canadian commodity tax matters, including GST/HST, provincial sales taxes, excise taxes and insurance premiums taxes, as well as customs and trade law. Her work includes planning, advising on domestic and cross-border transactions and dispute resolution at the administrative level. Clients call on Sabina for her expertise in commodity tax issues and opportunities that arise in various industries, including real property, charities and non-profits, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, technology, infrastructure and energy.

As a fluent Korean speaker, Sabina helps clients access key resources to meet their broader Canadian legal needs, including file and relationship management on a wide range of matters, such as foreign real estate investment, regulatory requirements, contractual disputes, civil litigation, labour and employment and bankruptcy and insolvency matters.

Sabina is the current overseas president of the International Association of Korean Lawyers. In addition, she is a frequent speaker and writer on Canadian tax topics, including previously contributing to the World Bank’s Doing Business report.

Before joining Davies, Sabina worked in-house for a global financial services provider and in private practice.

Sabina Han

Partner

With over 15 years of experience, Sabina provides efficient, targeted solutions to clients’ indirect tax issues and disputes.

Sabina advises clients on all aspects of Canadian commodity tax matters, including GST/HST, provincial sales taxes, excise taxes and insurance premiums taxes, as well as customs and trade law. Her work includes planning, advising on domestic and cross-border transactions and dispute resolution at the administrative level. Clients call on Sabina for her expertise in commodity tax issues and opportunities that arise in various industries, including real property, charities and non-profits, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, technology, infrastructure and energy.

As a fluent Korean speaker, Sabina helps clients access key resources to meet their broader Canadian legal needs, including file and relationship management on a wide range of matters, such as foreign real estate investment, regulatory requirements, contractual disputes, civil litigation, labour and employment and bankruptcy and insolvency matters.

Sabina is the current overseas president of the International Association of Korean Lawyers. In addition, she is a frequent speaker and writer on Canadian tax topics, including previously contributing to the World Bank’s Doing Business report.

Before joining Davies, Sabina worked in-house for a global financial services provider and in private practice.

InterRent Real Estate Investment Trust

Acted for InterRent Real Estate Investment Trust with its C$107 million purchase of a multiresidential property located in Montréal, Québec.

Oxford Properties Group and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Acted for Oxford Properties Group and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board in its C$325-million sale of Les Galeries de le Capitale, a super regional enclosed shopping centre located in Quebec City, to Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust. 

Generac Power Systems, Inc.

Acted for Generac Power Systems, Inc. in its purchase of Powerplay Battery Energy Storage Systems, a division of SunGrid Solutions Inc.

AFC Toronto

Acted for AFC Toronto, Toronto’s first professional women’s soccer club, in its brand launch of the Northern Super League, a new Canadian women’s pro soccer league that will kick off a 25-game season in April 2025 with franchises in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax and Calgary. By providing expertise and time pro bono, Davies laid a strong foundation for the club and took the lead in negotiating and documenting the deal to form the league. This work is one of several pro bono mandates that we have taken on relating to women in sports.

Wolseley Canada Inc.

Acted for Wolseley Canada Inc., the leading wholesale distributor to plumbing, HVAC/R, waterworks and industrial markets in Canada, in its acquisition of Yorkwest Plumbing Supply Inc., a distributor of building and industrial products in the greater Toronto area.

Vance Street Capital LLC

Acted for Vance Street Capital, a Los Angeles private equity fund, in the sale of Terra Insights, a Vancouver-based geotechnical, structural and geospatial monitoring company, to Orica for cash consideration of C$505 million. 

Mondi plc

Acted for Mondi plc, a global leader in the production of sustainable packaging and paper, in its acquisition of the Hinton Pulp mill from West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (West Fraser) and its long-term partnership with West Fraser to access local, high-quality fibre from well-established wood basket, as well as with Mondi plc’s plans to invest €400 million in the expansion of Hinton.

Mastermind Toys

Acted for Mastermind Toys in its proceedings under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, which included liquidating 18 stores and the sale of majority of its locations to Mastermind Toys Inc., a subsidiary of Unity Acquisitions Inc.

Grup Mediapro S.L.U.

Acted for Grup Mediapro S.L.U. in a litigation settlement with CSB, LP, culminating in a transaction pursuant to which Mediapro sold its Canadian business, consisting of the OneSoccer Channel, to CSB.

TPG

Acted as counsel to TPG in its acquisition (and related financings) from Oxford Property Group of a 75% interest in two Class-A industrial business parks in the Greater Toronto Area valued at C$1.3-billion.

HID Global Corporation

Acted for HID Global, a subsidiary of Swedish conglomerate Assa Abloy, in its acquisition of Vancouver-based Guard RFID Solutions, a manufacturer of real-time location systems used in healthcare environments. 

EcoPro BM

Acting for Korea-based EcoPro BM in its C$1.2-billion joint venture with Ford and SK On to build a cathode manufacturing facility to produce electric vehicle (EVs) battery materials in Bécancour, Quebec.

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.

Acted for IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., a leader in the design, development and marketing of diagnostic test instruments to monitor animal health and analyze dairy products and water, in its acquisition of the assets of Pathogen Detection Systems, Inc.

Birch Hill Equity Partners

Acted for Birch Hill Equity Partners in its joint acquisition (and related financing) with Investissement Québec of Québec-based Polycor Inc., the largest quarrier of natural stone in the world.

Article

UN’s Digital Services Tax Warning Won’t Sway Canada to Change Law, co-author

Nov. 21, 2024 - Bloomberg Tax (Bloomberg Industry Group, Inc.)
Read the full article.

Guide

Doing Business in Canada 2023, contributor

Nov. 14, 2023 - Davies’ Doing Business in Canada guide provides executives, in-house counsel and foreign investors with an overview of the legal framework governing Canadian business operations and outlines key considerations for investing and conducting business in Canada…

Bulletin

New GST Rebate for Purpose-Built Rental Property

Sept. 26, 2023 - As an incentive to builders to create more rental housing units, the federal government has announced the effective elimination of the goods and services tax (GST) payable on newly constructed rental housing, such as apartment buildings, student housing and senior residences built specifically for...

Bulletin

Highlights of Canada’s Latest Legislative Tax Proposals

Aug. 23, 2022 - The Department of Finance recently released a package of materials containing potential changes to the Canadian tax system (Tax Proposals). The materials, released on August 9, 2022, include draft amendments to the Income Tax Act (Tax Act) to implement certain measures from the 2022...

Speaking Engagement

Co-chair, International Bar Association Annual Conference, “Global Trends – Digital Economy Roundtable”; Seoul, South Korea; Sept. 22-27, 2019

Sept. 25, 2019

Speaking Engagement

Author and presenter, Commodity Tax Symposium, “Places of Supply”; Ottawa, ON

Oct. 15, 2018

The Best Lawyers in Canada—Tax Law

Bar Admissions

Ontario, 2004

Education

Osgoode Hall Law School, LLB, 2003
University of Toronto BA (Hons) (Economics and International Relations), 2000

Board Memberships

International Association of Korean Lawyers (Overseas), president and director

Community Involvement

International Association of Korean Lawyers, overseas president
World Bank, Doing Business, Tax – Canada, former contributor

>