333 Bay St, Suite 3400, Bay Adelaide Ctr, W Twr, Toronto, ON
Year called to bar: 1987 (ON)
Partner in the Banking and Finance, Hospitality, and Entertainment and Sports Law Groups at Goodmans. Multi-faceted practice focuses primarily on corporate lending and credit restructurings, luxury mixed-use hotel and residential resort developments, and sports law matters. Over 35 years of extensive experience acting for both lenders and borrowers in complex domestic and international secured lending transactions and debt restructuring transactions. Lead Banking counsel to, among others, Cineplex Inc., Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited, The Clairvest Group, The Kilmer Group and Dexterra Group Inc. Regularly represents Bank of Montreal in connection with hotel related financings, and has acted for The Toronto-Dominion Bank, Fortress Credit Corp., GE Capital, Algoma Steel Inc., among others. Published in the National Banking Law Review, the UBC Law Review, and in numerous sports publications. Recognized as a leading banking and finance lawyer by The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Banking, Finance and Transactional Lawyers, IFLR 1000, Chambers Global and The Best Lawyers in Canada. Also recognized by Who's Who Legal: Sports & Gaming 2021 as one of Canada’s leading sports lawyers and Chambers Canada 2023 for Hospitality.
On November 30, 2018, Essar Steel Algoma Inc. (“ESAI”) concluded its comprehensive restructuring under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act by way of the sale of substantially all of its assets to Algoma Steel Inc. (“ASI”).
On September 28, 2018, Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Limited (“CCCBL”), a joint venture established between prominent businessman and philanthropist, Larry Tanenbaum O.C., and Junior Bridgeman, a former NBA player, renowned entrepreneur and owner of Kansas City-based Heartland Coca-Cola Bottling Company, completed its previously announced acquisition of Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada Company (“CCRC”) from Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc., a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO).
On August 3, 2018, an affiliated entity of Teranet Inc., CM Solutions Inc., acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of D+H Collateral Management Corp., a division of Finastra Holdings Inc.
Morneau Shepell Inc. (TSX: MSI) (Morneau Shepell or the Company) acquired all of the outstanding shares of LifeWorks Corporation Ltd. (LifeWorks) for a total purchase price of approximately $426 million, payable in cash and Morneau Shepell shares.
On June 27, 2017, Leadon Investment Inc., as Borrowers’ Representative, and certain of its affiliates, as Borrowers, completed the financing of 22 hotel properties across Canada, for a total amount of approximately $716 million, comprised of a $649-million term credit and a $67-million renovation credit with Aareal Bank AG, as Administrative Agent thereto.
In the culmination of a complex cross-border bankruptcy sales and auction process, on February 28, 2017, Performance Sports Group Ltd. (PSG) announced the completion of the sale of substantially all of its assets to an investor group led by Sagard Holdings Inc. (Sagard) and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) for US$575 million, subject to certain adjustments, and the assumption of related operating liabilities.
Cineplex Inc. (Cineplex) completed new and increased credit facilities totalling $550 million, pursuant to an amended and restated credit agreement with a syndicate of lenders led by The Bank of Nova Scotia, Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank of Canada, as co-lead arrangers and The Bank of Nova Scotia, as administrative agent.
Essar Steel Algoma Inc. (Algoma) concluded its comprehensive US$1.4 billion recapitalization and refinancing. Algoma restructured certain of its existing debt obligations by way of a plan of arrangement under the CBCA and refinanced its outstanding debt through concurrent Term Loan, ABL, High Yield Debt and Junior Notes financings.