Skip Navigation

About Brendan

Brendan's practice involves a wide range of corporate, commercial and securities work, including public and private debt and equity financings, initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and securities regulatory compliance. He has experience in many different types of corporate finance transactions, including offerings of common shares, preferred shares, income trust units, debt securities, convertible debentures and subscription receipts.

Brendan has acted as counsel to issuers and underwriters in significant transactions in the technology, telecommunications, mining, electrical power, steel, real estate and financial services sectors. In recent years, he has acted on many Canada/U.S. cross-border financings and other significant debt and equity financing transactions.

From 1999 to 2001, Brendan was corporate counsel for a publicly listed Canadian software firm.

Select Experience

Representative transactions include acting for:

Corporate Finance

  • CI Financial Corp. on the establishment and renewals of its C$1.5-billion base shelf prospectus and five public offerings of debentures aggregating C$1.625-billion and the establishment of its US$2-billion cross-border base shelf prospectus and three public offerings of notes aggregating over US$1.8-billion

  • Definity Financial Corporation on its C$1.6-billion initial public offering completed in connection with the demutualization of Economical Mutual Insurance Company

  • Rock Tech Lithium Inc. on its public offering of approximately C$40-million of units, each consisting of one common share and one-half common share purchase warrant, and its private placement of approximately US$41-million of units, each consisting of one common share and one common share purchase warrant

  • Intact Financial Corporation on its offerings of C$4.45-billion of subscription receipts and C$600-billion of medium term notes in connection with its C$12.3-billion acquisition, together with Tryg A/S, of RSA Insurance Group Plc

  • Intact Financial Corporation on its offering of C$300-million of limited recourse capital notes

  • Granite Real Estate Investment Trust and Granite REIT Holdings Limited Partnership on multiple public offerings of stapled units and senior unsecured debentures

  • The underwriters, led by RBC Capital Markets and Scotia Capital Inc., on the C$1.8-billion initial public offering of common shares of Hydro One Limited

  • Pattern Energy Group Inc. and a selling shareholder on the US$350-million initial public offering of Class A common shares of Pattern and seven follow-on offerings of Class A common shares, convertible notes and senior notes in the United States and Canada raising proceeds of over US$2.1-billion

  • TransCanada PipeLines Limited and TransCanada Trust on the US$750-million offering in the United States of hybrid notes by TransCanada Trust

  • The underwriters on the Canada/U.S. cross-border public offerings of US$130-million of convertible unsecured subordinated debentures and US$68.5-million of common shares by Atlantic Power Corporation

  • A syndicate of investment dealers in connection with shelf prospectuses for the offering of medium term notes by Hydro One Inc., and numerous issuances of notes

  • Bell Aliant Preferred Equity Inc. and its affiliates on three issues of cumulative five-year rate reset preferred shares raising gross proceeds of over C$600-million

Mergers and Acquisitions/Corporate Reorganization

  • Pattern Energy Group Inc. on its approximately US$6.1-billion all-cash acquisition by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

  • H&R Real Estate Investment Trust in connection with its October 2018 court-approved internal reorganization to unwind its "stapled unit" structure with H&R Finance Trust, and its 2021 reorganization to spin off Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust

  • Bell Aliant Inc. and Bell Aliant Preferred Equity Inc., and the special committee of the board of directors of each, on BCE Inc.'s C$4-billion privatization of Bell Aliant, and Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership on its C$2.3-billion exchange of medium term notes

  • Granite Real Estate Inc. and Granite Real Estate Investment Trust in connection with the conversion of Granite's corporate structure from a corporation to a stapled unit real estate investment trust structure

  • Bell Aliant Regional Communications Income Fund and its affiliates in connection with the conversion of the fund from an income trust to a corporation, Bell Aliant Inc.

  • CI Financial Income Fund on its conversion from an income trust to a corporation, CI Financial Corp.

  • DataMirror Corporation in connection with its acquisition by IBM Corporation by plan of arrangement

Corporate Advisory

  • Multiple Canadian bond issuers in connection with bondholder consent solicitation transactions

  • A significant Canadian equipment finance company in the establishment, acquisition and restructuring of securitized equipment lease and loan portfolios

  • Genworth MI Canada Inc. in connection with its "Dutch auction" substantial issuer bid to repurchase up to C$325-million of its common shares

  • Public company clients DataMirror Corporation and Envoy Communications Group Inc. in connection with substantial issuer bid transactions

Awards & Recognition

Brendan has been recognized in the following publications:

  • IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms 2023 (M&A)

  • IFLR1000: The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms 2021 (M&A)

  • The Legal 500 Canada 2017 (Capital Markets – Recommended)

  • Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2016 (Corporate Finance and Securities – Repeatedly Recommended)

Education

Admitted to the Ontario Bar – 1995
LLB (Gold Medallist), University of Ottawa – 1993
BA (Hon.), University of Western Ontario – 1990

More insights

Save Profile

Select sections to customize your PDF

Cancel