Welcome and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:05)
Sven O. Milelli — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
SPACs: Driving M&A in 2021 (9:05 – 10:00)
- brief overview of Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations (SPACs) transactions
- key cross-border considerations
- recent developments
Gordon N. Cameron — Bennett Jones (US) LLP, New York
Christian P. Gauthier — Bennett Jones LLP, Vancouver
Zachary Judd — Latham & Watkins LLP, Chicago
BREAK (10:00 – 10:10)
Escrow, Earnout, and Holdback Trends in Private M&A (10:10 – 11:10)
- escrow
- earnouts
- holdbacks
J-P Bogden — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
Rianna Ritchie — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
BREAK (11:10 – 11:20)
Practice Update: Special Committees (11:20 – 12:20)
- impact following implementation of CSA Notice 61-302 and enhanced disclosure
- recent Canadian decisons—lessons learned from Catalyst Capital/iAnthus Capital
Sven O. Milelli — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Denise Nawata — Farris LLP, Vancouver
LUNCH BREAK (12:20 – 12:50)
Foreign Investment Review/Competition Law Update (12:50 – 1:50)
- overview of the application of the Competition Act and Investment Canada Act to M&A transactions
- strategic considerations for merger planning and risk assessments
- current trends in Canadian merger control reviews (e.g., efficiencies, non-notifiable mergers, international cooperation)
- developments in national security review of investments, including heightened scrutiny of SOEs and Canadian businesses in critical industries
Jason Gudofsky — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Toronto
Kate McNeece — McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Toronto
BREAK (1:50 – 2:00)
COVID and Busted Deal Litigation: Implications for M&A Practice (2:00 – 3:00)
- Canada's first busted deal decision—Fairstone Financial Holdings v. Duo Bank of Canada
- the Delaware Chancery Court's decisions in AB Stable VIII LLC v. Maps Hotels and Resorts One LLC et al. and Snow Phipps Group LLC v. KCAKE Acquisitions Inc.
- salvaging busted deals through re-negotiation
- drafting takeways for MAC clauses and ordinary course covenants
David Di Paolo — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Toronto
Fred R. Pletcher — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
BREAK (3:00 – 3:10)
Plans of Arrangement in the Insolvency Context (3:10 – 4:10)
- Calfrac Well Services—a case study in how plans of arrangement in the insolvency context are reshaping how plans can be used
Gordon R. Chambers — Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Vancouver
John T.C. Christian — Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Vancouver
Closing Remarks (4:10 – 4:15)
Sven O. Milelli — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver