Chartwell talking to potential buyers

TORONTO (Reuters) - Chartwell Seniors Housing Real Estate Investment Trust (CSH_u.TO) said on Wednesday it has supplied information under confidentiality agreements to several parties that may be interested in buying the company.

The trust said a special committee it has set up continues to review a number of strategic alternatives, including a potential sale of the company, following the federal government's announcement last autumn that it will start taxing publicly traded income trusts.

Chartwell units rose 96 Canadian cents, or 7.1 percent, to C$14.48 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning.

The Mississauga, Ontario-based trust said it has not made a decision on whether any strategic action will be taken and added that its strategic review may not result in any action.

Real estate investment trusts are exempt from the tax plan, but Chartwell said it will not qualify as a REIT based on the rules set out by the government.

That prompted Chartwell to announce in March that it was setting up a special committee to review strategic options to increase shareholder value.