Hellman & Friedman

Acting as Canadian counsel to Hellman & Friedman-backed AutoScout24, a European online automotive marketplace, in its acquisition of TRADER Corporation, a Canadian online marketplace also offering dealership and OEM software and lender services for the automotive sector, from Thoma Bravo.

The Blackstone Group

Acted for funds affiliated with Blackstone in its acquisition of Trystar, a premier provider of electrical equipment used for backup power solutions.

Russel Metals Inc.

Acted for Russel Metals Inc. in its C$225-million acquisition of seven service centers from Samuel, Son & Co., five of which are located in Western Canada and two in the United States.

Aecon Group Inc.

Acted for Aecon Group Inc. in the sale of its Aecon Transportation East roadbuilding, aggregates and materials business in Ontario to Green Infrastructure Partners Inc. for C$235 million in cash.

Shaw Communications Inc.

Acted for Shaw Communications Inc. in the acquisition by Rogers Communications Inc. of all of Shaw's issued and outstanding Class A and Class B shares in a transaction valued at approximately C$26 billion, including debt, representing a significant premium for Shaw's shareholders. This deal won M&A Deal of the Year at the 2024 Canadian Law Awards.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Acted for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. both in its acquisition of Cape D’Or Holdings Limited and Barrington Terminals Limited, which operate an independent convenience store and fuel network in Atlantic Canada under the Esso, Wilsons Gas Stops and Go! Store brands, and in connection with obtaining the Canadian Competition Bureau’s approval for the transaction. Also acted for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in the divestiture of 52 retail and fuel locations to Harnois Énergies.

Interfor Corporation

Acted for Interfor Corporation in its acquisition for over C$325-million of 100% of the equity interests of Kilmer Group-backed Chaleur Forest Products entities.

Interfor Corporation

Acted for Interfor Corporation in its $490-million acquisition of 100% of the equity interests of Kelso & Company-backed EACOM Timber Corporation.

Blackstone Tactical Opportunities

Acted as Canadian counsel to funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities in their acquisition (and related financing) of H.I.G. Capital-backed Sustana Group, a Wisconsin and Quebec-based manufacturer of premium, sustainable recycled fiber, paper, and packaging products.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Acted as Canadian competition counsel for Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a global biopharmaceutical company focused on rare disorders therapies, in its US$39-billion acquisition by AstraZeneca plc, a UK-based biopharmaceutical company focused on prescription medicines.

Russel Metals Inc.

Acted for Russel Metals Inc., one of the largest metals distribution companies in North America, in its joint venture with Marubeni-Itochu Tubulars America Inc. whereby each company combined their respective Canadian OCTG/line pipe business into a newly incorporated company, named TriMark Tubulars Ltd.

TRATON SE

Acted as Canadian competition counsel for TRATON SE, a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and a leading commercial vehicle manufacturer, in its US$3.7-billion acquisition of Navistar International Corporation, a leading commercial trucks, buses and engines manufacturer.

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Acted as Canadian competition counsel to Apollo Global Management, Inc. in its acquisition of a majority stake in ABC Technologies Holdings Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of custom, technical plastics to the North American light vehicle industry.

Tech Data Corporation and Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Acting as Canadian competition counsel to Tech Data Corporation and Apollo Global Management, Inc. in Tech Data's proposed $7.2-billion merger with SYNNEX Corporation to create the world's largest IT distributor.

S&P Global Inc.

Acted for S&P Global Inc. on Canadian regulatory matters in connection with its US$44-billion all-stock merger with IHS Markit.

FCF Co. Ltd.

Acted as Canadian counsel for FCF Co., Ltd. in its US$928-million acquisition of all the assets of Clover Leaf Foods and Bumble Bee Foods, North America's largest branded shelf-stable seafood companies, under a sale proceeding conducted under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act and the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Hostess Brands, Inc.

Acted as Canadian counsel to Hostess Brands Inc. in its $425-million acquisition of Voortman Cookies Limited from Swander Pace Capital.

HyLife Investments Ltd.

Acted as lead competition law counsel for HyLife Investments Ltd., coordinating global merger approvals in connection with its $498-million sale to CPF Canada Holdings Corp., a subsidiary of Charoen Pokphand Foods Pcl, Thailand's largest agriculture conglomerate.

The Blackstone Group Inc.

Acted for real estate funds managed by The Blackstone Group Inc. and their affiliates in Blackstone's $6.2-billion all-cash acquisition of Dream Global Real Estate Investment Trust and the separation of its external asset manager, Dream Asset Management.

Celgene Corporation

Acted for Celgene Corporation, an integrated global biopharmaceutical company, on competition matters related to its US$74-billion sale to Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

Ipsen S.A.

Acted for French biopharmaceutical company Ipsen in the acquisition of Québec-based Clementia Pharmaceuticals for a purchase price of US$25.00 per share in cash upfront, plus a contingent value right (CVR) of US$6.00 per share, for a total transaction value of up to US$1.31 billion.

Monsanto Company

Acted for Monsanto Company on competition and regulatory matters in its US$66-billion acquisition by Bayer AG.

Prysmian SpA

Acted for Prysmian SpA on competition and regulatory matters in its $1.5 billion acquisition of General Cable Corporation.

Major public multinational firm

Acted for a major public multinational firm in an internal investigation involving numerous jurisdictions, coordinating assessments of foreign jurisdictions and leniency applications to Canadian competition authorities.

Axium Infrastructure Inc.

Acted for Axium Infrastructure Inc. in its $540-million acquisition of TransCanada's Ontario solar portfolio, consisting of eight facilities totalling approximately 105 MW of installed capacity.

Sentry Investments

Acted for Sentry Investments in its $780-million acquisition by CI Financial Corp. in a transaction that combines two of Canada's largest independent active asset managers.

Whole Foods Market Inc.

Acted for Whole Foods Market Inc. on competition and regulatory matters in its $13.7-billion acquisition by Amazon.com Inc.

Rogers Sugar Inc.

Acted for Rogers Sugar Inc. in connection with the acquisition of L.B. Maple Treat Corporation, one of the world's largest branded and private label maple syrup bottling and distribution companies, for $160.3 million.

PSP Investments

Acted for PSP Investments in its strategic initiatives with Pattern Energy Group Inc., including (i) the acquisition of a 9.9% interest in Pattern Energy; (ii) the joint venture between PSP and Pattern Energy to co-invest in various renewable projects; (iii) the joint acquisition with Pattern Energy of a 51% and 49% interest, respectively, in the 179 MW Meikle wind project in British Columbia and the 143 MW Mont Sainte-Marguerite wind project in Québec; and (iv) the acquisition of 49% of the Class B interests held by Pattern in the Panhandle 2 wind project in Texas.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Acted for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. in connection with (1) its acquisition of, by way of merger, the Texas-based gas-and-convenience-store chain CST Brands, Inc., valued at approximately US$4.4 billion; and (2) Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.'s subsequent sale of a portion of CST Brands, Inc.'s Canadian assets to Parkland Fuel Corporation for approximately US$750 million, subject to adjustments.

Iron Mountain Incorporated

Acted for Iron Mountain Incorporated (IRM) in connection with the divestiture of certain records and information management assets in the United States and Canada to Arkive, Inc., a portfolio company of the U.S.-based private equity firm, Summit Park Partners. The U.S. Department of Justice and Canadian Competition Bureau required these assets to be divested following IRM's US$2-billion acquisition of Recall Holdings Ltd.

McKesson Corporation

Acted for McKesson Corporation, a leading international healthcare services and information technology company, in connection with its $3-billion acquisition of Rexall and Rexall Pharma Plus, which operate approximately 470 pharmacies in Canada, from Katz Group, one of Canada's largest privately owned enterprises.

Viking Air Limited

Acted for Viking Air Limited in connection with its acquisition of the worldwide amphibious aircraft (CL-415 waterbomber) program from Bombardier, including the Type Certificates (manufacturing rights) for all variants of the waterbomber aircraft, and the after-market product support business.

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Acted for Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry, in connection with its $1.68-billion acquisition of 279 Esso-branded fuel and convenience sites; 229 of these sites are located in Ontario and 50 are located in Québec. The acquisition also includes land banks and dealer-operated sites, as well as a long-term supply agreement with Imperial Oil.

Google Inc.

As counsel to Google Inc., achieved a successful outcome in connection with the Canadian Competition Bureau's extensive multi-year investigation into the company's search, search advertising and display advertising services in Canada.

Google Inc.

Acting as Canadian counsel to Google Inc. on competition and other regulatory matters.

Exor S.p.A

Acted as Canadian counsel to Exor S.p.A on competition and regulatory matters in connection with Exor's $6.9-billion acquisition of all the outstanding common shares of PartnerRe Ltd.

Bentall Kennedy (Canada) Limited Partner

Acted for the Bentall Kennedy Group, a premier real estate investment management firm operating in Canada and the United States, in its acquisition by Sun Life Financial Inc. for a purchase price of $560 million.

H.J. Heinz Company

Acted for H.J. Heinz Company with respect to Canadian regulatory matters in connection with its acquisition of Kraft Foods Group, Inc., to create one of the world's largest food and beverage companies with combined sales of approximately US$28 billion.

Kingspan Insulated Panels Ltd.

Acted for Kingspan Insulated Panels Ltd. with respect to competition and regulatory matters in connection with its $376-million acquisition of Vicwest Inc.

Spear Street Capital, LLC

Acted for Spear Street Capital, LLC in connection with its $305-million purchase of the majority of BlackBerry Limited's real estate holdings in Canada, including its global headquarters in Waterloo, Ontario. BlackBerry sold more than 3 million square feet of space as well as vacant lands, and leased back a portion of the space.

Manulife Financial Corporation and Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada

Acted for The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation of a 25-MW ground-mount solar project located near Fort Frances, Ontario. The project sponsor is a joint venture between the Rainy River First Nations and certain institutional and other investors. The project had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program, which included an aboriginal price adder as a result of the participation by the Rainy River First Nations.

BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and CIBC World Markets Inc.

Acted for a syndicate of underwriters led by BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. and CIBC World Markets Inc. in connection with the $69.1-million bought deal public offering of trust units of Milestone Apartments Real Estate Investment Trust.

Deutsche Bank AG

Acted for Deutsche Bank AG in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation of two SunEdison sponsored 10 MW ground-mount solar projects known as "Lindsay" and "Solar Spirit", each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Mizuho Bank, Ltd.

Acted for Mizuho Bank, Ltd. in connection with the establishment of credit facilities to finance the construction and long-term operation by SunE Westbrook LP and Oro-Medonte Solar Farm Inc. of two 10-MW ground-mount solar projects, each of which had been awarded a 20-year power purchase contract under Ontario's Feed-in Tariff Program.

Panelist, Canadian Bar Association’s Competition Law Fall Conference, “Hot Topics in Criminal Law – Canada and Abroad”; Ottawa, ON

Sept. 26, 2024

Panelist, South Asian Bar Association of North America, 2024 SABA North America Annual Conference “Canada & the US – Facilitating Partnership & Cross-Border Investment”; Toronto, ON

July 12, 2024

Panelist, The American Bar Association, 2024 Antitrust Spring Meeting, “The Price Is Right (Or Is It?)”; Washington, DC

Apr. 10, 2024

Panelist, Digital Governance Council, Digital Governance Council Executive Forum, “Unlocking data: Expectations of Canadians”; Toronto

Jan. 25, 2024

Doing Business in Canada 2023, contributor

Nov. 14, 2023 - Davies’ Doing Business in Canada guide provides executives, in-house counsel and foreign investors with an overview of the legal framework governing Canadian business operations and outlines key considerations for investing and conducting business in Canada…

Moderator, The Canadian Bar Association, The CBA Competition Law and Foreign Investment Review Section’s Criminal Matters Committee, “CBA Criminal Matters Committee Roundtable”; Webinar

June 23, 2023

Employers Beware: Amendments to the Canadian Competition Act’s Criminal Conspiracy Provisions Take Effect

June 22, 2023 - Amendments to the Canadian Competition Act (Act), taking effect on June 23, 2023, will make it a criminal offence for unaffiliated employers to agree, conspire or arrange to “fix, maintain, decrease or control salaries, wages or terms and conditions of employment” (wage-fixing agreements);...

Presenter, Law Society of Ontario, White Collar Crime Update for Litigators, “Primer on Anti-Corruption Laws: What You Need to Know”; Toronto, ON

May 09, 2023

Alysha Manji-Knight on Regulating Dark Patterns in Advertising

Apr. 24, 2023 - In a recent letter to Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Canada’s Privacy Commissioner requested that his office and the Competition Bureau be permitted to collaborate on investigations, inquiries and other formal compliance matters, while proposing legislation that further...

Canadian Lawyer and Epiq, Canadian Occupational Safety, “Competition Law & Regulatory Scrutiny in the ‘New Normal’: How to navigate a complex, changed landscape”; Webinar

Mar. 12, 2023 - Watch the webinar.

Canadian Bar Association, “A Primer on the Amendments to Canada's Abuse of Dominance Provisions”; Webcast

Dec. 02, 2022

The Digital Markets and Competition Enforcement Guide, Canada chapter, co-author

Nov. 25, 2022 - Global Competition Review, Second Edition (Law Business Research)
Download the article. (PDF attached)

Round One: Canada Takes a Big Swing At Its Competition Act, with More to Come

Oct. 28, 2022 - In this article originally published in the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Magazine Online, Alysha Manji-Knight and Joshua Hollenberg outline significant recent amendments to Canada’s Competition Act, including expanded abuse of dominance provisions, a new private right of...

Moderator, Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Fall Conference, “Women in Competition Law Lunch”; Oct. 20 & 21

Oct. 21, 2022

Chair and moderator, American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, “Fundamentals – Consumer Protection”; Washington, DC

Apr. 06, 2022

The Digital Markets and Competition Enforcement Guide, Canada chapter, co-author

Dec. 07, 2021 - Global Competition Review, First Edition (Law Business Research)
Download the article.

Canadian Competition Bureau’s Updated Competitor Collaboration Guidelines: Practical Tips for Businesses

May 11, 2021 - More than a decade after the Canadian Competition Bureau released its 2009 Competitor Collaboration Guidelines (CCGs), which described its general approach to assessing collaborations between competitors under the Competition Act (Act), the Bureau has released updated guidelines...

Antitrust Implications for Acquisitions in Canada in the Wake of COVID-19 and Beyond, co-author

Mar. 23, 2021 - American Bar Association

Session chair and moderator, American Bar Association, 69th Antitrust Law Spring Meeting, “Fundamentals – Consumer Protection”; Webcast

Mar. 23, 2021

Osgoode Hall Law School, Osgoode Women’s Network and Osgoode Business Law Society, “Women in Business Law Panel”; Webcast

Feb. 24, 2021

Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section, “Defanging the FAANGs – Why the Focus on Big Tech?”; Webcast

Jan. 29, 2021

Where Things Stand: Update on the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020

Dec. 22, 2020 - In our November 20 privacy update, we flagged key elements of Bill C-11, the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020, a bill that was introduced on November 17, 2020 by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains. Bill C-11 had one day of debate on second reading, on...

New Privacy Law for Canada: Government Tables the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020

Nov. 20, 2020 - With dramatic growth in the global data economy, and increased reliance on online activity as a result of the global pandemic, protection of privacy and personal information has never been as relevant as it is now. Like many other jurisdictions, Canada has recognized the need for a significant...

Litigating in the Post-Godfrey World: What You Need to Know About the New Ground Rules for Competition Class Actions in Canada, co-author

Feb. 18, 2020 - The Antitrust Source (American Bar Association)

Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section, Young Lawyers Committee, “What’s So Interesting About Minority Interests?”

Nov. 20, 2019

Ontario Court of Appeal Upholds Application of Regulated Conduct Defence to Dismiss Class Action Alleging Conspiracy in Beer Industry, co-author

June 30, 2019 - Competition Policy International
Read the article.

American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, Consumer Protection Committee, “How Much Is It? Global Enforcement of “DRIP” Pricing”

May 09, 2019

Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section, Legislation and Policy Committee, “Make Your Pitch for Competition Policy Reform – The Legislation and Policy Committee Roundtable”; Toronto, ON

Apr. 30, 2019

American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, Consumer Protection Committee, “Consumer Protection Monthly Update”

Apr. 16, 2019

Osgoode JD/Schulich MBA, “Women in Business & Law Panel”; Toronto, ON

Mar. 14, 2019

Queen’s University Faculty of Law, Advanced Corporate Law, “Competition Act and Investment Canada Act Considerations in M&A Deal”; Kingston, ON

Mar. 11, 2019

Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section, International Committee and Young Lawyers Committee, “A Young Lawyer’s Role in Multijurisdictional Matters”; Toronto, ON

Feb. 27, 2019

Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section, International Committee and Young Lawyers Committee, “How a Domestic or International Secondment Can Change Your Career”; Toronto, ON

Apr. 26, 2018

American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, Consumer Protection Committee, “Why Consumer Protection? A Panel on Private Practice Consumer Protection Careers”

Feb. 08, 2018

Canada’s Competition Bureau Releases Draft Fintech Report: What’s Next?

Dec. 07, 2017 - In May 2016, Canada’s Competition Bureau announced that it was launching a market study into technology-led innovation in the Canadian financial services sector, also known as “fintech. ” Eighteen months later, in November 2017, the Bureau released a detailed draft report for comment. Below we...

Canadian Competition Bureau Releases Revised Immunity Program for Consultation

Nov. 07, 2017 - The Competition Bureau released a revised version of its Immunity Program (Revised Immunity Program) for public consultation on October 26, 2017. The Immunity Program is intended to provide incentives to businesses and individuals to report conduct that constitutes an offence under the...

Government of Canada Consults on Tools to Address Corporate Wrongdoing

Sept. 28, 2017 - Many jurisdictions around the world have implemented frameworks to deter and address the consequences of criminal and quasi-criminal business practices by corporations. In an effort to ensure that Canada has the right tools to address corporate crimes, on September 25, 2017, the Canadian...

Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section, Young Lawyers Annual Half-Day Symposium, “From the Office to the Stand: Practice Points on Expert Witnesses in Competition Matters”; Ottawa, ON

Apr. 28, 2017

The Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, “Navigating Canadian Competition and Foreign Investment Law”; Toronto, ON

Mar. 02, 2017

Most Favored Nation Clauses: A Review of Enforcement Activity

Jan. 20, 2017 - Most favored nation (MFN) clauses in vertical agreements are essentially arrangements between buyers and sellers, pursuant to which one party guarantees that the other will receive the best price or terms for a product or service. MFNs are ubiquitous and have become increasingly popular in a...

Canada’s Integrity Regime

July 05, 2016 - The integrity regime (then known as the integrity framework) was first adopted in November 2012, in response to the July 2012 conviction of a supplier of real estate advisory services for bid-rigging on a federal government contract. The regime has gone through several iterations since then with...

Canadian Integrity Regime Amendments: Serious Implications for Certification and Reporting Obligations for Federal Government Contracts

May 13, 2016 - On April 4, 2016, the Canadian federal government amended its Integrity Regime, which governs the qualification of suppliers to enter into contracts with Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and a number of other federal departments and agencies. The amendments are intended to...

Getting Over Uber in Canada

May 05, 2016 - Since its arrival in Canada in 2012, Uber has generated heated discussion among affected interests, notably the established taxi industry, regulatory bodies overseeing the industry, and municipal and provincial governments responsible for putting the existing regulatory frameworks into place. In...

Mediation in Canadian Competition Tribunal Proceeding Leads to Settlement in Merger Challenge

Apr. 04, 2016 - On March 29, 2016, the Canadian Commissioner of Competition and Parkland Fuel Corp. entered into a consent agreement to resolve the Commissioner’s challenge to Parkland’s acquisition of Pioneer Energy. This marks the first time in a Canadian Competition Tribunal proceeding that a consent...

Foreign Investors Cannot Use Statutory Privilege to Avoid Disclosure of Investment Canada Act Undertakings

Feb. 11, 2016 - On January 26, 2016, the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruled that confidential written undertakings given by a foreign investor to the government of Canada to settle enforcement action under the Investment Canada Act (ICA) were not barred by the ICA from disclosure in unrelated legal...

Top Competition and Foreign Investment Review Trends and Issues for 2016

Jan. 18, 2016 - In our annual forecast of the year ahead for Canadian competition and foreign investment review law, we evaluate how developments in 2015 will influence these areas of the law in 2016. Our top issues and trends to watch for this year include the following: The impact of the new federal...

First Penalty Issued Under Canada’s New Anti-Spam Law

Mar. 11, 2015 - On March 5, 2015, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) issued its first Notice of Violation under Canada’s anti-spam legislation (known as CASL), which came into force on July 1, 2014. Despite its name, CASL is not limited to what one might normally consider spam...