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About Chris

Chris is a corporate lawyer with a practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and complex commercial arrangements.  He primarily advises strategic clients and private equity investors, with a particular emphasis on all aspects of the energy value chain, including upstream oil and gas, pipelines, midstream, downstream and marketing, power and renewables, and carbon capture, storage and utilization.  A substantial portion of Chris' work involves cross-border investments and other transactions. He also has significant experience in other industries and markets including technology investment, agribusiness and industrial services.

Chris is recognized as a leading Canadian transactional lawyer by various ranking guides, including Lexpert and Chambers.

Select Experience

Recent representative matters include advising:

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation on its acquisition of Enbridge Inc.’s joint-venture interests in Alliance Pipeline, Aux Sable and NRGreen for C$3.1-billion and its concurrent C$1.1-billion bought deal offering of subscription receipts

  • Suncor Energy Inc. on its C$1.468-billion acquisition of TotalEnergies EP Canada Ltd., which holds a 31.23% working interest in the Fort Hills oil sands mining project

  • Suncor Energy Inc. on its C$688-million acquisition of an additional 14.65% working interest in the Fort Hills Project from Teck Resources Limited

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation in connection with Pembina Gas Infrastructure's sale of its 50% interest in the Key Access Pipeline System for C$662.5-million

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation on its C$11.4-billion joint venture with KKR & Co. Inc. to merge their western Canadian natural gas processing assets

  • Shell Canada Energy on the sale of its Duvernay shale light oil assets to Crescent Point Energy Corp. (CPEC) for total consideration of C$900-million, including C$700-million in cash and 50 million shares in CPEC

  • Hg in connection with its acquisition of Benevity Inc. alongside General Atlantic, JMI Equity and the Benevity management team

  • TC Energy Corporation on its sale of a 65% equity stake in the Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project to KKR and AIMCo and the concurrent execution of a credit agreement providing non-recourse project-level financing to fund the majority of construction costs for the project

  • TC Energy Corporation on the sale of an 85% equity interest in Northern Courier Pipeline to AIMCo and, in conjunction with the sale, the financing of long-term, non-recourse debt, with approximate aggregate gross proceeds to TC Energy of C$1.15-billion

  • Kinder Morgan Canada on its C$4.5-billion sale of the Trans Mountain Pipeline system and expansion project to the Government of Canada

  • Shell Canada Energy on the purchase by Petronas-owned North Montney LNG Limited Partnership of a 25% stake in the LNG Canada project JV from Shell, PetroChina Kitimat LNG Partnership and Kogas Canada LNG Ltd.

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation on its C$9.3-billion acquisition of Veresen Inc.

  • Suncor Energy Inc. on its investment in Enerkem Inc., a Canadian biofuel technology company

  • A client on all aspects of a bid submission under Alberta Infrastructure's solar photovoltaic electricity procurement program, including bid document review and joint venture documentation

  • Rice Investment Group on its investment in Cold Bore Technology Inc., a global leader in fracturing optimization software

  • Rally Chain Technologies Inc. on the sale of its blockchain business to Finhaven Technology Inc.

  • Cenovus Energy Inc. on the sale of its Palliser crude oil and natural gas assets in southeastern Alberta to Torxen Energy and Schlumberger for C$1.3-billion

  • Cenovus Energy Inc. on the sale of its Suffield crude oil and natural gas assets in southern Alberta to International Petroleum Corporation for C$512-million

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation on its long-term infrastructure development and services arrangement with Chevron Canada Limited in respect of Chevron's Duvernay resource play in the Fox Creek region

  • Suncor Energy Inc. on the sale of its Petro-Canada lubricants division to HollyFrontier Corporation for C$1.13-billion

  • Husky Energy on its C$1.7-billion sale of 65% of certain midstream assets to Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited and Power Assets Holding Limited

  • PetroLama Energy Canada Inc. in connection with its crude oil storage joint venture with Keyera Energy Inc. in Cushing, Oklahoma

  • A lender on commercial matters and diligence in connection with the financing of the acquisition of hydroelectric assets in British Columbia

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation on its C$556-million acquisition of natural-gas processing assets from, and related gas-processing arrangement with, Paramount Resources

  • An international commodities marketer in connection with large-volume, long-term grain supply, put-through and elevation services and off-take arrangements in connection with the development of a U.S.-based grain export terminal

  • Trican Well Service Ltd. in its disposition of its US pressure pumping business to Keane Group for cash and share consideration of approximately US$400-million

  • Cenovus Energy Inc. on the sale of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Heritage Royalty Limited Partnership, to Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for C$3.3-billion

  • Jupiter Resources Inc. in connection with its C$2-billion acquisition of the Bighorn upstream assets from Encana Corporation

  • A private company in connection with the acquisition of a wind-power project in Alberta

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation in its US$650-million acquisition of the cross-border Vantage Pipeline and Mistral Midstream extraction plant from Riverstone Holdings and Mistral Midstream

  • YPF SA in connection with its US$550-million joint venture with Petroliam Nasional Bhd. (Petronas) for the development of a 72-square-mile shale oil concession in the Vaca Muerta region of Argentina

  • Agrium Inc. in connection with its C$1.8-billion supported funding of Glencore International plc's C$6.1-billion acquisition of Viterra Inc., and the subsequent acquisition by Agrium of Viterra's wholesale and retail Agri-products division

  • Encana Corporation and PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. in connection with the transfer of fee simple oil and gas and related assets by Encana to PrairieSky and subsequent C$1.67-billion initial public offering of PrairieSky by Encana

  • TransCanada Corporation on the establishment of its partnership with Phoenix Energy Holdings Limited for the construction and operation of the C$3-billion Grand Rapids Pipeline System

  • Agrium Inc. on its C$915-million disposition of Viterra's interest in Canadian Fertilizer Limited's nitrogen production facilities to CF Industries

  • Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in connection with its C$315-million co-acquisition with OMERS Energy Inc. of certain oil and gas properties from Pengrowth Energy Corporation

  • Pembina Pipeline Corporation on its C$3.8-billion acquisition of Provident Energy Ltd.

Awards & Recognition

Chris is recognized in the following publications:

  • The Legal 500 Canada (2024: Energy: Oil & Gas; 2019 and 2021–2023: Energy & Natural Resources – Oil & Gas)

  • The Best Lawyers in Canada (2024: Corporate Law, Energy Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Natural Resources Law, Oil and Gas Law; 2021–2023: Corporate Law; 2019–2023: Energy Law; 2019, 2021–2023: Oil and Gas Law)

  • Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business – 2021–2024 (Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional))

  • Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business – 2021–2024 (Energy: Oil & Gas (Transactional))

  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers – Independently Rated Lawyers – 2021, 2024 (As nominated by senior in-house counsel)

  • The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (2024: Corporate Commercial Law, Energy (Oil & Gas); 2023: Corporate Commercial Law, Private Equity, Energy (Oil & Gas), Mergers & Acquisitions; 2022: Corporate Commercial Law, Private Equity, Energy (Oil & Gas); 2021: Private Equity, Energy (Oil & Gas); 2020: Energy (Oil & Gas))

  • ILFR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms – 2020–2023 (Mergers & Acquisitions and Project Finance)

Education

Admitted to the Alberta Bar – 2008
LLB (With Distinction), University of Alberta – 2007
BComm (With Distinction), University of Calgary – 2004

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