TORONTO, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Canada Pension Plan
Investment Board said on Tuesday it had formed a joint venture
with Health Care REIT Inc (NYSE:HCN) HCN.N , which operates senior housing
centers in the United States, to hold a portfolio of medical
office buildings in Southern California.
The Toronto-based pension fund manager will own a 45 percent
stake in the joint venture. Health Care REIT, which is selling
the assets into the venture, will own the remaining 55 percent.
"This acquisition marks our entry into the health care real
estate sector, a growing and compelling sub-sector within the
real estate market," Peter Ballon, CPPIB head of real estate
investments in the Americas, said in a statement. "With an aging
population and increasing demand for health care, we view the
U.S. health care real estate sector as an attractive long-term
investment."
The portfolio, valued at $449 million, consists of medical
office buildings in and around Beverly Hills, San Diego and Los
Angeles.