79 Wellington St W, Suite 3000, Box 270, TD Ctr, Toronto, ON
Year called to bar: 1989 (ON)
John solves tax problems with his notably broad experience covering transactional work, planning and counsel roles, and tax controversy/transfer pricing for many of Canada’s largest businesses and financial institutions. Multinational and Canadian organizations in the private and public sectors have worked closely with John across a broad mix of tax matters, including tax structuring, international transactions, transfer pricing, tax controversy, corporate finance, derivatives, securitization and mergers and acquisitions. John has represented international and domestic businesses, banks, financial institutions, mutual funds and government agencies in a wide range of matters. From domestic and cross-border transactions, infrastructure, energy (including wind, solar and hydro) and public private partnerships, to financial products, lending and securitizations, income funds, managed assets and leasing, John’s multidimensional experience benefits clients across industries. John has also worked extensively in the areas of federal and provincial income tax, international tax, sales and use tax, goods and services tax and harmonized sales tax.
TransAlta Corporation, a TSX- and NYSE-listed Calgary-based power generator and electricity marketer, completed the first tranche of a $750-million strategic investment by an affiliate of Brookfield Renewable Partners
On May 31, 2018, an affiliate of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. (Fairfax) acquired all of the share capital and business of Toys “R” Us (Canada) Ltd. Toys “R” Us (Canada) Ltee (Toys Canada) for a purchase price of $300 million subject to certain working capital adjustments. The share transaction, which was completed in connection with Toys Canada’s emergence from restructuring proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the CCAA) and Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, has enabled Toys Canada to continue as a going concern without compromising creditor claims and preserved Toys Canada’s position as Canada’s leading toy and baby retailer.
In the culmination of a complex cross-border bankruptcy sales and auction process, on February 28, 2017, Performance Sports Group Ltd. (PSG) announced the completion of the sale of substantially all of its assets to an investor group led by Sagard Holdings Inc. (Sagard) and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Fairfax) for US$575 million, subject to certain adjustments, and the assumption of related operating liabilities.
On April 29, 2016, the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) sold the business operations and assets of Roynat Lease Finance, a lease financing business and a division of Roynat Inc., to Meridian Credit Union Limited (Meridian), Ontario’s largest credit union.
Spin Master Corp. (Spin Master), a leading global children’s entertainment company that creates, designs, manufactures and markets a diversified portfolio of innovative toys, games, products and entertainment properties, completed its initial public offering of subordinate voting shares at a price of $18.00 per share, for total aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $253 million.
On April 10, 2015, Cara Operations Ltd., Canada’s largest full service restaurant company, completed its $200 million initial public offering. Cara sold 8.7 million subordinate voting shares for $23 each and now trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CAO.
On January 6, 2009, Great Lakes Hydro Income Fund completed a public offering of 4,690,000 trust units of the fund at $16 per trust unit for gross proceeds of approximately $75 million on a bought deal basis.
