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“The work they have done for us has been excellent. They are very responsive, and pay incredible attention to detail. They are strong on technical issues and their communication skills are outstanding.”
Client comments, Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2017
Recognized as one of Canada’s leading domestic and cross-border restructuring practices, the Blakes Restructuring & Insolvency group combines unmatched experience and depth to meet the immediate and critical needs of our clients with expert practitioners in each of Canada’s four main business centres. Collaborating with our colleagues in Financial Services, Capital Markets, Competition & Antitrust, Employment & Labour, Commercial Real Estate, Tax, Environmental and Intellectual Property, as needed for each engagement, the Blakes team provides top-quality coordinated service and effective solutions to the unique and complex challenges our clients face wherever the parties are located or the insolvency proceedings are commenced.
We represent all parties impacted by insolvencies and restructurings, including Canadian and U.S. banks and financial institutions, corporate debtors in domestic and cross-border insolvency proceedings, restructuring financial advisory firms that act as court officers, debtor-in-possession (DIP) lenders, and investors seeking to acquire assets and businesses in distressed circumstances.
We assist clients in a wide range of industries through workouts and restructurings (including under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA), cross-border recognition of Chapter 11 proceedings under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code as well as federal and provincial corporate restructuring statutes), DIP financing, security enforcement, distressed business acquisitions and post-restructuring issues.
Over the last few years, there has been much activity in North American resource, mining, energy and retail insolvencies. Some of our significant retainers on the public record in those industry sectors are described below.
Representative Matters
- Jupiter Resources Inc. – Counsel to Jupiter and certain of its affiliates in a plan of arrangement pursuant to the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA), involving the applicants and holders of 8.5 per cent senior unsecured notes (Notes) issued by Jupiter pursuant to the indenture governing the Notes. The effect of the arrangement was the elimination of the principal amount of Jupiter's Notes by US$1.1-billion and the associated annual cash interest payments of US$93.5-million.
- Sears Canada – The Sears Canada Group was one of Canada’s largest multi-format retailers that employed approximately 17,000 people at 225 stores across Canada prior to its CCAA proceedings. Blakes is involved in all aspects of the proceedings:
- Counsel to a significant group of unsecured creditors and prominent inventory suppliers holding millions of dollars of claims in the proceedings.
- Counsel to Morneau Shepell Ltd in its capacity as plan administrator of the Sears Canada Inc. Registered Pension Plan. Blakes participated in a complex, multi-party mediation that led to a settlement of pension priority litigation and terms of support by pension claimants of a plan of compromise and arrangement for distribution of the proceeds. Blakes is also involved in litigation commenced against officers and directors for wrongful conduct.
- Carillon Canada Group – Counsel to Carillon on all aspects of its Canada-wide restructuring efforts. Blakes assisted Carillion in selling its various business lines to maximize recovery for creditors. Each sale of a business line was a stand-alone, multimillion-dollar transaction.
- The Concordia Group – Counsel to Concordia in its reorganization proceedings under the CBCA. Blakes acted for Goldman Sachs as agent for a lending facility that provided for aggregate financing of US$1.3-billion and £500-million. The filing included a number of offshore entities. The CBCA plan was approved, and the recapitalization transaction was completed in 2018. This filing presented unique challenges to secured lenders as arrangements approved in these restructuring proceedings can have a long-term impact on commercial lending and workout strategies.
- Lightstream - Counsel to Lightstream Resources Ltd. in CCAA proceedings and successful defence of an attempt by certain holders of unsecured bonds to have their unsecured claims recognized as secured claims based on allegations of oppression, breach of contract and misrepresentation by utilizing a novel procedure for determination of certain threshold issues.
- Toys “R” Us Canada - Counsel to the DIP agent in connection with the US$2.3-billion DIP facility to Toys “R” Us Canada and its U.S. parent. In this complex cross-border proceeding, Toys “R” Us Canada, the largest dedicated toy and baby products retailer in Canada, filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 in the U.S. along with its larger corporate family. It also separately filed under the CCAA in Canada.
- Target Canada - Counsel to the largest group of suppliers to Target Canada in its CCAA proceedings. Blakes lawyers served on a court-appointed Consultative Committee formed of senior practitioners who represented key stakeholders in the case. With the support of the Consultative Committee, Target Canada entities ultimately submitted a plan that received the unanimous support of creditors.
- Cliffs Natural Resources - Counsel to Bloom Lake Group and Wabush Group (iron ore) in their restructuring proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). Prior to being idled, the Bloom Lake Mine located in Quebec, which was majority-owned by the Bloom Lake Group, was the fifth-largest iron ore exporting basin in the world. The Bloom Lake Mine, the Wabush/Scully Mine in Newfoundland and a port facility in Quebec were successfully sold in 2016 and 2017, completing the exit of Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. from the Canadian iron ore market.
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Partner | Vancouver
Vancouver: 604-631-4236
Areas of Expertise:
Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate & Commercial, Restructuring & Insolvency, Australia, Equity Capital Markets, Mining, Corporate Governance, Life Sciences, Technology
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Partner | Montréal
Montréal: 514-982-4006
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Partner | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9697
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Corporate Litigation, Corporate & Commercial, Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Banking, Energy
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Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-3261
Areas of Expertise:
Financial Services, Restructuring & Insolvency, Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Associate | Vancouver
Vancouver: 604-631-4218
Areas of Expertise:
Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Restructuring & Insolvency, Corporate Litigation
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Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-2594
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Financial Services, Corporate & Commercial, Financial Services, Mining, Mergers & Acquisitions
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Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-3860
Areas of Expertise:
Commercial Real Estate, Restructuring & Insolvency, Hospitality & Leisure, Real Estate Financing, Europe, Pension Funds Investment, Investment Funds, Investment Vehicles, Hotel Finance
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Chair | Calgary, Toronto
Calgary: 403-260-9610 Toronto: 416-863-2150
Areas of Expertise:
Capital Markets, Mergers & Acquisitions, Oil & Gas, Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency, Australia, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Equity Capital Markets, Pension Funds Investment, Investment Funds, Investment Vehicles, Major Projects, Mergers, Acquisitions, & Divestitures, Credit Unions
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Associate | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9760
Areas of Expertise:
Energy, Corporate & Commercial, Mergers & Acquisitions, Mergers, Acquisitions, & Divestitures, Joint Venture & Co-Ownership Structuring, Pipeline & Midstream, Oil & Gas, Restructuring & Insolvency
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General Counsel and Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-2572
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Financial Services, Corporate & Commercial, Banking, Government & Public Sectors
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Partner | Montréal
Montréal: 514-982-4020
Areas of Expertise:
Corporate Litigation, Product Liability, Restructuring & Insolvency, Aviation & Aerospace, Manufacturing, Banking, Class Actions, Business Crimes, Investigations & Compliance
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Partner | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9710
Areas of Expertise:
Brownfields Redevelopment, Climate Change, Environmental Assessments & Approvals, Environmental Litigation & Enforcement, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency, Renewables (Wind, Solar, Hydro, & CleanTech), Chemical & Waste Regulation, Aboriginal
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Associate | Vancouver
Vancouver: 604-631-3331
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency
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Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-2958
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Aviation & Aerospace
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Senior Counsel | Vancouver
Vancouver: 604-631-3304
Areas of Expertise:
Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Restructuring & Insolvency, Capital Markets, Corporate Litigation, Securities Litigation, IP Litigation, Construction Dispute Resolution, Commercial Real Estate, Development
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Partner | Montréal
Montréal: 514-982-5032
Areas of Expertise:
Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Class Actions, Corporate Litigation, Securities Litigation, Restructuring & Insolvency, Intellectual Property, IP Licensing & Agreements, IP Litigation, Government & Public Sectors
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Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-2789
Areas of Expertise:
Acquisitions, Dispositions & Joint Ventures, Development, Real Estate Financing, Leasing, Asset-Based Finance, Restructuring & Insolvency, REITs, Gaming, Infrastructure, Banking, Renewables (Wind, Solar, Hydro, & CleanTech)
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Partner | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-2164
Areas of Expertise:
Financial Services, Financial Services Regulatory, Restructuring & Insolvency, Asset-Based Finance, Debt Finance & Lending, Project Finance, Structured Finance, Equity Capital Markets, Pension Funds Investment, Investment Funds, Investment Vehicles
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Partner | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9792
Areas of Expertise:
Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Oil & Gas, Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency, Energy Litigation, Government & Public Sectors
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Associate | Toronto
Toronto: 416-863-4174
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Litigation & Dispute Resolution
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Partner | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9648
Areas of Expertise:
Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Energy, Construction, Restructuring & Insolvency, Class Actions, Construction Dispute Resolution, IP Litigation
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Associate | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9661
Areas of Expertise:
Corporate & Commercial, Oil & Gas, Mergers & Acquisitions, Mergers, Acquisitions, & Divestitures, Joint Venture & Co-Ownership Structuring, Pipeline & Midstream, Restructuring & Insolvency
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Partner | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9664
Areas of Expertise:
Financial Services, Oil & Gas, Corporate & Commercial, Restructuring & Insolvency, Banking, Aviation & Aerospace, Asset-Based Finance, Debt Finance & Lending, Equipment Financing/Leasing, Project Finance, Structured Finance, LNG
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Associate | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9731
Areas of Expertise:
Restructuring & Insolvency, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Corporate Litigation, Business Crimes, Investigations & Compliance
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Office Managing Partner | Calgary
Calgary: 403-260-9702
Areas of Expertise:
Oil & Gas, Corporate & Commercial, Mergers & Acquisitions, Energy, Restructuring & Insolvency, Major Projects, LNG, Downstream & Marketing, E&P Conventional, E&P Unconventional, Joint Venture & Co-Ownership Structuring, Oil & Gas, Pipeline & Midstream, Oilfield Services
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