Ron advises TSX-listed issuers, private companies, investment funds, and special committees on mergers & acquisitions, equity and debt financings, and complex commercial transactions. He brings an innovative, detail-driven approach to matters that don’t fit a template, regularly advising on cross-border deals with companies interlisted on senior U.S. exchanges. He combines deep transactional and capital markets expertise with the broad perspective of a general counsel, balancing legal rigour with practical execution. Before joining Farris in 2000, Ron was corporate finance counsel at the Vancouver Stock Exchange, where he advised staff and executives on securities law matters and assisted with Canada’s stock exchange realignment, which saw the Toronto Stock Exchange become the exclusive platform for senior equities, the Montreal Exchange the hub for derivatives trading, and the Vancouver and Alberta stock exchanges amalgamate to form what is now the TSX Venture Exchange. Ron is a past Chair of the Securities Law Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) and a former member of the Securities Law Advisory Committee (SLAC), which advises the British Columbia Securities Commission on securities law and policy matters.
NexGen Energy Ltd. completed a bought deal financing consisting of 33,400,000 common shares at a price of $4.50 per common share for gross proceeds of approximately $150 million
Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (“Tekmira”) completed a merger of equals with OnCore Biopharma, Inc. (“OnCore”) whereby OnCore merged with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tekmira. As a result of the merger, stockholders of OnCore hold approximately fifty per cent (50%) of the total number of outstanding shares of capital stock of Tekmira. The implied market value of the combined company, based on the closing price of Tekmira common shares on the NASDAQ Global Market on January 9, 2015, was approximately USD$750 million and at time of closing USD$964 million.
On August 15, 2003, QLT Inc., a global bio-pharmaceutical and photodynamic therapy company, completed the issuance of US$172.5 million aggregate principal amount of 3 per cent convertible senior notes due in 2023. The notes are convertible into QLT common shares under certain circumstances at an initial conversion price of approximately US$17.80 per share.
BC-based Hot House Growers Income Fund, a producer of greenhouse tomatoes and sweet bell peppers completed a $70.7 million initial public offering of trust units through a syndicate of underwriters co-led by TD Securities Inc. and RBC Dominion Securities Inc., and included National Bank Financial, HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc., Canaccord Capital Corp. and Raymond James Ltd.
