Our broad transaction experience (third-party funds, co-investments and direct investments) includes advising many of Canada’s large and mid-size pension funds such as:
- British Columbia Investment Management Corporation
- Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
- Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
- Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
- Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Pension Plan
- Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System
- Ontario Pension Board
- Ontario Power Generation Inc.
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
- PSP Investments
- Saskatchewan Healthcare Employees’ Pension Plan
We also advise many other public- and private-sector pension funds, investors, managers and financial institutions, both in Canada and internationally.
Core Elements of Our Services:
- Private equity investments
- Private debt investments (including fixed income, mezzanine, mortgage and other similar funds)
- Corporate finance (including securities lending, securities borrowing and complex derivative arrangements)
- Capital markets regulatory compliance
- Existing and new commercial agreements and arrangements
- Domestic and cross-border tax
- Industry-sector regulations
- Employment and labour
- Real estate and land acquisitions and divestitures
- Infrastructure, construction and procurement
- Environmental compliance
- Insurance
- Dispute resolution and international arbitration
Structuring, Administration and Regulation
The Blakes Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation group is known in Canada and internationally as among the very best in the business.
Our work with several large Canadian pension funds has given us broad practical experience advising on plan governance protocols that meet legislative and regulatory requirements; strategic review of board of directors and committee structures, including the drafting of bylaws; and submissions to governments and regulators regarding amendments to legislation governing plans in many key areas, including investment regulation, governance, funding requirements and plan design.
Our team can also assist in designing compensation arrangements in ways that balance business objectives with tax, trust and securities law compliance and other legislative disclosure requirements for private- and public-sector employers, including pension funds. We provide legal opinions on a wide range of issues, such as plan amendments, legislative compliance, plan mergers, governance issues and fiduciary responsibilities.
Core Elements of Our Services:
- Corporate services
- Board of directors and committee structures
- Governance and fiduciary duties
- Enterprise risk management
- Information technology, security and privacy
- Employment and labour
- Ongoing legislative compliance
- Dispute resolution