Steven McKoen

Steven's recent representative transactions include acting as counsel to:

Mergers & Acquisitions - Public Target

• Correvio Pharma Corp. in its agreement to be acquired by ADVANZ Pharma Corp. Limited for a total acquisition price of approximately US$76-million

• HotCopper Holdings Limited in its acquisition of Stockhouse Publishing Ltd. for C$22.3-million

• Nevsun Resources Ltd. with respect to its acquisition by Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd. for C$1.86-billion

• Nevsun Resources Ltd. with respect to its response to Euro Sun Mining Inc. and Lundin Mining Corporation’s non-binding unsolicited proposal to acquire Nevsun for C$1.5-billion

• Nextview New Energy Lion Hong Kong Limited in the purchase of all shares of Vancouver listed company Lithium X Energy Corp. for approximately C$265-million through a plan of arrangement

• Azarga Uranium Corp. on its announced C$35-million merger with URZ Energy Corp.

• Reservoir Minerals Inc. with respect to its acquisition by Nevsun Resources Ltd. for US$440-million and an associated US$135-million financing

• SciVac Therapeutics Inc. in the reverse take-over of Levon Resources Ltd. by SciVac Ltd. and in SciVac's all stock acquisition of VBI Vaccines Inc.

Mergers & Acquisitions - Private Target

• Digital Colony Partners and EQT Infrastructure IV Fund as Canadian counsel in connection with their consortium’s US$14.3-billion agreement to acquire, recapitalize and take private Zayo Group Holdings, Inc.

• A U.S. private equity fund on its acquisition of 51 per cent of a Canadian consumer goods manufacturer

• Timber Investments Ltd. on its acquisition of a 51 per cent interest in Columbia Containers Ltd., a container terminal operator in Vancouver, Canada, from Providence Grain Group

• A U.S. private equity fund on its acquisition of 51 per cent of a Canadian health supplements manufacturer

• MHR Fund Management LLC in connection with the sale of 10-million common shares of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. for C$518-million

• Macquarie Infrastructure Partners III L.P. on its C$393-million private equity investment and subsequent sale in the C$5.125-billion recapitalization of GFL Environmental Inc.

Financings

• Trevali Mining Corporation on its C$34.5-million overnight marketed public equity offering

• ITOCHU Corporation on its investment in Eguana Technologies Inc.

• D-Wave Systems Inc. in multiple venture capital financings totaling in excess of C$150-million

Restructuring & Distressed - M&A

• Luna Gold Corp. in its restructuring of its gold stream with Sandstorm Gold Ltd. and a concurrent C$30-million investment by Pacific Road Resources Fund

• Catalyst Paper Corporation in its CCAA restructuring of C$540-million of senior secured and senior unsecured notes

• Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited in its restructuring of C$1.5-billion of senior debt through a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act

• Ainsworth Lumber Co. Ltd. in US$1.2-billion recapitalization transaction pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act

Steven was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2018 and was one of 52 recipients of a national Lexpert Zenith Award, which recognizes those lawyers and judges, called between 1986 and 2000, who demonstrated excellence and thought leadership in their area of practice during 2013-2014.

He has also been recognized as a leading lawyer by the following publications:

• The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada 2021 (Corporate Finance & Securities)
  

• The Best Lawyers in Canada 2021 (Corporate, Mergers & Acquisitions, Mining, Securities)

• The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2020 (Corporate Commercial, Corporate Finance & Securities, Corporate Mid-Market, Mergers & Acquisitions, Mining)

• The 2016 Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada (Corporate Finance & Securities)

Steven has been a Bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia since 2016 and is the current chair of the Lawyer Development Task Force of the LSBC. Steven has taught as an Adjunct Professor at both UBC’s Allard Hall and UVic Law. Steven is the vice-chair of the board of trustees of the Burnaby Hospital Foundation.

Admitted to the New York State Bar - 2002
Admitted to the British Columbia Bar - 1998
J.D., University of Victoria - 1997
B.A. (Cognitive Science), Simon Fraser University - 1994