Orestes Pasparakis is co-chairman of Norton Rose Fulbright's Canadian special situations team, which encompasses Canada’s leading shareholder activist practice, sophisticated securities disputes, and complex reorganization transactions. He focuses on high-stakes disputes that often proceed in "real time" or on an urgent basis. He is often retained to deal with critical corporate issues that have no apparent solution. His approach is practical and results-oriented. Many of his cases are international, involving cross-border issues. He has experience with complex commercial litigation, financial restructurings, insolvency proceedings, injunctions, and class actions. He is also one of Canada’s leading patent litigators, with a focus on patented medicines. He has appeared as lead counsel before the Supreme Court of Canada and courts at all levels in Ontario, BC, Alberta, Quebec, and New Brunswick and the federal courts, Competition Tribunal, and Tax Court of Canada, as well as numerous arbitral and other administrative tribunals. He has been recognized by major directories such as Chambers Canada, Chambers Global, IFLR1000, Guide to the World’s Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Lawyers, and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2016, as well as LMG Life Sciences Awards 2016.
On March 21, 2016, Suncor Energy Inc. (Suncor) completed its acquisition of Canadian Oil Sands Limited (COS). The transaction began as an unsolicited take-over bid made by Suncor on October 5, 2015, under which Suncor offered 0.25 of a Suncor share for each COS share, and was subsequently completed following the signing of a Support Agreement by Suncor and COS on January 17, 2016, pursuant to which Suncor agreed to increase its offer price to 0.28 of a Suncor share for each COS share, with the amended offer supported by the COS board of directors.
Nelson Education Ltd. (Nelson), Canada’s leading education publishing company, completed a sale of substantially all of its assets to 682534 N.B. Inc., now operating as Nelson Education Ltd., in exchange for the compromise and release of approximately US$270 million of first lien secured debt obligations.
On July 2, 2015, Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Wireless Inc., operating as “Mobilicity”, was acquired by an affiliate of Rogers Communications Inc. in a transaction valued at $465 million. Mobilicity, a Canadian wireless telecommunications carrier, commenced creditor protection proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act in September 2013. The transaction offered significant value to Mobilicity’s creditors and allowed Mobilicity to emerge from creditor protection as a going concern. The transaction ensures certainty of service for Mobilicity customers on the Rogers network and also results in Rogers gaining significant spectrum capacity in new markets which provides faster speeds and better quality for all Rogers customers. The transaction was subject to government and court approvals and was completed on July 2, 2015.
City Centre Terminal Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Porter Aviation Holdings Inc. (PAHI), completed the sale of substantially all of its assets, including the passenger terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (BBTCA), to Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners GP (Nieuport), a consortium of Canadian and international infrastructure equity investors.
