79 Wellington St W, Suite 3000, Box 270, TD Ctr, Toronto, ON
Year called to bar: 2002 (ON)
Michael provides practical advice to clients on key environmental, Indigenous and strategic aspects of developing, permitting and constructing energy, infrastructure, mining and real estate projects. He guides clients in their negotiations with Indigenous peoples and regulatory agencies, especially to resolve impasses, to advance complex, multi-party negotiations and to develop strong, mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous peoples. He also provides counsel on consultation and accommodation obligations as well as the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples. Michael often crafts a practical, successful resolution to disputes whether acting as counsel, mediator or facilitator. His dispute resolution practice includes approval hearings, civil litigation (especially with respect to contamination), mediation, negotiation and regulatory prosecutions and other proceedings, including with respect to the Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, Pesticides Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, Fisheries Act and Nuclear Safety and Control Act.
On March 28, 2018, Platinum Equity Capital Partners IV (Platinum Equity) completed the acquisition of Husky Injection Molding Systems (Husky) from Berkshire Partners and OMERS Private Equity for $4.95 billion (US$3.85 billion). Based in Bolton, Ont., Husky is a global supplier of highly engineered injection molding equipment and services for the plastic injection molding equipment industry, and a leading provider of PET systems, hot runners, aftermarket tooling, medical molds and specialty closure molds.
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.
An affiliate of Mattamy Homes Ltd. acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of Monarch Corporation, the Canadian operations of US homebuilder Taylor Morrison Home Corporation, for CAD$335 million at closing, subject to customary post-closing adjustments. Immediately prior to the closing, approximately C$235 million of cash at Monarch was distributed to a subsidiary of TMHC for total proceeds of C$570 million from the share sale. The transaction closed following the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including clearance by the Canadian Competition Bureau.
Spear Street Capital LLC and its affiliates acquired the interests of BlackBerry Limited and its affiliates in the majority of BlackBerry’s real estate holdings in Canada located in Waterloo, Cambridge, Mississauga and Ottawa, Ontario, for approximately $305 million.