Catherine Youdan Partner | Toronto

About Catherine

Catherine's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions, including public offerings of equity and debt securities. Catherine has acted as counsel to Canadian and foreign purchasers and target companies in public company acquisitions, and to purchasers and vendors in private M&A transactions. She also provides ongoing advice to public issuers in various industry sectors with respect to corporate governance requirements, continuous disclosure obligations and stock exchange matters.

Catherine is the Practice Group Leader of the Capital Markets group in Toronto and the former Co-Chair of the Legal Personnel Committee and the Student Committee. She has also served on the Firm’s Partnership Committee.

Prior to joining Blakes, Catherine practised at another prominent Toronto law firm. She also spent one year practising at a leading U.S. firm in New York as part of the foreign-lawyer visiting program.

Select Experience

Recent representative transactions include advising:

Capital Markets

Definity Financial Corporation on its C$1.6-billion initial public offering and C$800-million concurrent private placements completed in connection with the demutualization of Economical Mutual Insurance Company
Lower Mattagami Energy Limited Partnership, a limited partnership established by Ontario Power Generation, on its inaugural green bond offering by way of private placement of C$375-million aggregate principal amount of senior secured bonds
HLS Therapeutics Inc. on its US$385-million private placement financing of debt and equity, which proceeds were used to acquire the Clozaril rights from Novartis, and its C$50-million bought deal offering of common shares
The successful proponents on bond offerings to finance numerous public-private partnership projects, including the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project, the Royal Inland Hospital Project, the Macdonald Block Reconstruction Project and the Highway 104 Sutherlands River to Antigonish Twinning Project
Pattern Energy Group Inc. on its C$352-million initial public offering
ViXS Systems Inc. on its going-public transaction by way of reverse take-over
The underwriting syndicate on numerous public equity offerings, including offerings by Automotive Properties REIT, Slate Office REIT, Restaurant Brands International Inc., Concordia Healthcare Corp., Guyana Goldfields Inc. and American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP
The underwriting syndicate on numerous offerings of bonds across industry sectors, including offerings by Bausch Health Companies, MEG Energy, Eldorado Gold Corporation, Tervita Corporation, Brookfield Residential Properties, Concordia Healthcare Corp and GFL Environmental

Mergers & Acquisitions

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. on its proposed acquisition of Stelco Holdings Inc., a transaction representing an enterprise value of approximately C$3.4-billion
Advent International on its proposed US$6.3-billion acquisition of Nuvei Corporation
BlackRock Infrastructure on its acquisition of Environmental 360 Solutions
The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of ICPEI Holdings Inc. on its acquisition by Desjardins General Insurance Group Inc., key members of management and certain other investors
The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of IBI Group Inc. on its C$873-million acquisition by Arcadis N.V.
Pacific Woodtech Corporation on its acquisition of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation's Engineered Wood Products business
Aviat Networks, Inc. on its acquisition of Redline Communications Group Inc.
Great Hill Partners on its acquisition of VersaPay Corporation
Hassad Food, an investment arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, on its significant minority investment in Sunrise Foods International
HLS Therapeutics Inc. on its going-public transaction by way of reverse take-over of Automodular Corporation implemented through a plan of arrangement
Sprott Resource Corp. on its business combination by way of plan of arrangement with Adriana Resources Inc.
BCE Inc. on its C$594-million acquisition of Glentel Inc. and subsequent sale of a 50% interest in Glentel to Rogers Communications Inc.
Bell Aliant Inc. and Bell Aliant Preferred Equity Inc., and the special committees of their board of directors, on BCE Inc.'s C$4-billion privatization of Bell Aliant
Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc. on its merger by way of plan of arrangement with Atlantis Systems Corp.
The Brick Ltd. on its sale to Leon's Furniture Limited for C$700-million
A U.S.-based private equity fund on its acquisition of Access Cash General Partnership
Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. on its C$4.9-billion acquisition of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Ltd.
Tarpon Investimentos Ltd. (Brazil) on numerous capital commitments by Canadian pension funds

Awards & Recognition

Catherine has been recognized as a leading lawyer in the following publications:

The Best Lawyers in Canada 2025 (Securities Law)
Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business 2025 (Capital Markets: Debt & Equity)
Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2024 (Capital Markets: Debt & Equity)
The Legal 500 Canada 2024 (Capital Markets)
Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A 2024
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2024 (Corporate Finance & Securities)
IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms 2023 (Banking, Capital Markets: Debt, Equity)