Mark Johnson, Toronto

About Mark

Mark's practice focuses primarily on major power, infrastructure and public-private partnership (P3) projects, and related joint ventures, investments, acquisitions, dispositions, insolvencies and restructurings. He has led significant transactions in a variety of industry sectors and asset classes, including social, industrial, defence, transportation, nuclear, renewables, storage, hydrogen and gaming.

Mark has extensive experience acting for domestic and international clients on a full range of commercial matters, including procurement processes, Indigenous partnerships, offtake arrangements, engineering, procurement and construction agreements, major equipment supply agreements, and operations and maintenance agreements.

Mark has also worked as in-house counsel on long-term secondments with a Canadian resource company and an international infrastructure developer. Prior to joining Blakes, Mark was law clerk to The Honourable Madam Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Select Experience

Power

Recent representative transactions include advising developers on:

Long-Term Procurement – Advising proponents with respect to the IESO’s 2518 MW capacity procurement, including with respect to battery energy storage system supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Expedited Long-Term Procurement – Advising proponents with respect to the IESO's 1500 MW capacity procurement, including with respect to battery energy storage system supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Pickering Nuclear Generating Station – Advising the owner in relation to all aspects of the refurbishment of a 2,000 MW nuclear generating station in Ontario
Darlington Nuclear Generating Station – Advising the owner in relation to all aspects of the on-going C$12.8-billion mid-life refurbishment of a 3,512 MW nuclear generating station in Ontario
Niagara Hydrogen Center – advising the owner on the development and operation of a large-scale hydrogen production facility in Ontario
Higgins Mountain & Wedgeport Wind Farms – Advising the owner with respect to turbine supply and O&M for two wind farms in Nova Scotia
Ellershouse Wind Farm – Advising the owner on the development and operation of a Nova Scotia wind farm, including with respect to turbine supply, EPC and O&M
Jenner, Hays, Suffield, Yellow Lake, Burdett & Wheatcrest Solar Farms – Advising the owner on the development and operation of six Alberta solar farms, including with respect to equipment supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Conrad, Brooks, & Vauxhall Solar Farms – Advising the owner on the development and operation of four Alberta solar farms, including with respect to equipment supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Jenner 1, Jenner 2, Jenner 3, Stirling, Wheatland & Paintearth Wind Farms – Advising the owner on the development and operation of six Alberta wind farms, including with respect to turbine supply, substation EPC, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Buffalo Atlee 1, Buffalo Atlee 2, Buffalo Atlee3, Buffalo Atlee 4 & Wild Rose 2 Wind Farms – Advising the owner on the development and operation of five Alberta wind farms, including with respect to turbine supply, substation EPC, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Bull Creek & Hand Hills Wind Farm – Advising the owner on the development and operation of two Alberta wind farm, including with respect to turbine supply, substation EPC, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Butter Solar Farms – Advising the owner on the development and operation of 10 Wisconsin solar farms, including with respect to equipment supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M
LittleCreek, SparkleLight, GoodLight, LunarLight, Solar Spirit & Loyalist Solar Farms – Advising the owner on the development and operation of 6 Ontario solar farms, including with respect to equipment supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M
Culliton Creek, Tyson Creek & Narrows Inlet Hydro Facilities – Advising the owner on the development and operation of 3 run-of-river hydro facilities, including with respect to turbine supply, balance of plant EPC and O&M

Infrastructure

Recent representative transactions include advising procuring authorities, proponents and/or successful bidders on:

Canada Infrastructure Bank Building Retrofits Initiative (BRI) – an energy-as-a-service provider delivering turnkey solution for building owners to develop and implement decarbonization projects achieving financial close on a C$100-million investment toward decarbonizing buildings across the country
West Runway Rehabilitation Project – a progressive design-build project for the rehabilitation of the west runway at the Calgary International Airport in Alberta
Ontario Line – Rolling Stock Systems, Operations and Maintenance Project – a project to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Ontario Line – Rolling Stock Systems, Operations and Maintenance Project in Toronto, Ontario
South Niagara Hospital Project – a proponent for a project to design, build, finance and maintain the South Niagara Hospital Project in Niagara Falls, Ontario
Thunder Bay Correctional Complex – a project to design, build, finance and maintain the Thunder Bay Correctional Complex in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre Project in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Highway 104 Sutherlands River to Antigonish Twinning Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain a four-lane divided highway corridor near Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality Organics Management Facility Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain the Halifax Regional Municipality Organics Management Facility Project in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halton Region Consolidated Courthouse Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain a new courthouse in Oakville, Ontario
Macdonald Block Reconstruction Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain the Macdonald Block Complex, which is a complex of four towers in Toronto, Ontario
Grand Falls and Gander Long Term Care Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain two facilities that will each provide 60 long-term care beds, one in Gander and one in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador
Hurontario LRT Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain a new light rail transit system in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Modernization – projects to modernize the Niagara, Central, West GTA, GTA and North Gaming Bundles
Trillium Line Extension Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain an extension to the City of Ottawa's existing light rail transit system
Confederation Line Extension Project – a project to design, build and finance an extension to the City of Ottawa’s existing light rail transit system
Insolvent restructuring and divestiture of Carillion Canada’s P3 project portfolios. Carillion Canada was the Canadian subsidiary of Carillion plc and one of Canada’s largest integrated construction and facilities management enterprises
Gordie Howe International Bridge – a project to design, build, finance and maintain a new publicly-owned international bridge crossing between Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan
Finch West LRT Project – a project to design, build, finance and maintain a new light rail transit line in Toronto, Ontario

Awards & Recognition

Mark is recognized for his expertise in infrastructure and projects in the following publications:

Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business (2025: Energy & Natural Resources: Power (Transactional); 2020–2025: Projects: PPP & Infrastructure)
The Best Lawyers in Canada (2024–2025: Construction Law; 2020–2025: Project Finance Law; 2022: Energy Law)
The Legal 500 Canada (2016, 2018–2019, 2021–2025: Infrastructure Projects; 2023, 2025: Energy & Natural Resources: Power; 2017–2019: Public Procurement; 2018: Energy: Power)
Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyers – Independently Rated Lawyers – 2020–2024 (As nominated by senior in-house counsel)
Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business – 2021–2024 (Projects: PPP and Infrastructure – Canada)
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory – 2019–2020, 2022–2024 (Repeatedly Recommended – Infrastructure Law)
Lexpert Special Edition: Energy and Mining 2024
Lexpert Special Edition: Infrastructure 2024
Who's Who Legal: Energy 2024 (Energy – Renewables)
Who's Who Legal: Global 2023 (Energy – Renewables)
IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms – 2022–2023 (Project Development)