Mergers and Acquisitions 2026

Course Chair
Sven O. Milelli — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver

About the Course Chair
Sven is a partner in the Business Law Group of McCarthy Tétrault, and the former Regional Managing Partner for BC. He advises public and private corporations in a wide range of industries regarding mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, and corporate governance matters. Prior to joining McCarthy Tétrault, Sven was a senior associate with Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, a leading international law firm, in New York.

Sven is recognized by Chambers Canada in the area of corporate and commercial law and the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a guide to the leading law firms and practitioners in Canada, as a leading lawyer in the areas of corporate mid-market, private equity, corporate finance & securities, mergers & acquisitions and corporate commercial law. He is also recognized by The Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading lawyer in the area of mergers and acquisitions law.

Planning Committee
Christian P. Gauthier — Bennett Jones LLP, Vancouver/Toronto
Denise Nawata — Farris LLP, Vancouver
Bradley A. Newby — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Vancouver
Elaine Tham — General Counsel, The Jim Pattison Group, Vancouver
Samantha Thompson — PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance LLC, Vancouver

Faculty
Katy Allen — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Vancouver
Nicholas Bester, CPA, CA, CBV — Partner, Summit Capital Advisors, Vancouver
Sean K. Boyle — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
Jade Buchanan — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
James Byra — Managing Director of Finance and Investments, First Nations Finance Authority, Westbank
Will Campbell, CPA — Director, RBC Capital Markets, Vancouver
Jennifer Drake — Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Toronto
Pavan Jawanda — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Chief David Jimmie — Squiala First Nation, Chilliwack
Philippe Montillaud — Deloitte Canada, Vancouver
Samantha Stepney — Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Vancouver
Dominic Thérien — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Montreal
Teresa Tomchak — Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Vancouver
Adrienne Wong, CPA, CA — Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (Canada), Calgary

Click here for full faculty bios

• North American M&A update
  • key drivers
  • most active sectors 
  • trends
• North American mid-market M&A
  • deal activity and multiples
  • key drivers on activity and valuations
  • recent deal findings

• risk thresholds
  • fines/litigation
  • operational
• reps and warranties
  • cybersecurity incident, knowledge, materiality, and disclosure 
  • technology adequacy
  • artificial intelligence
• diligence
  • privacy due diligence
  • anti-spam and spam call risk
  • employee ownership of IP
• ethics: obligations when collecting, using, and disclosing personal information in transactions

• significant amendments to the Competition Act and the Investment Canada Act

• stress testing M&A agreements
• how are key M&A clauses interpreted in the litigation context
• what clauses are overlooked?
• recent M&A decisions

• review of exchangeable share structures
• key terms and recent market developments

• common accounting issues that give rise to post-closing working capital and earnout disputes, including timing of closing vs. financial reporting period ends, differing interpretations of accounting language and policies, and structuring complexities 
• a discussion around R&W insurance coverage, including the frequency with which claims are made, the key drivers of claims, examples of claim payments, and key policy provisions
• case studies from recent transactions to highlight how key negotiation points can materially impact the outcome of the post-closing dispute and claim resolution process

• impact of deal structure on the employment relationship
• due diligence essentials
• successor employer liability
• offers of employment and issues surrounding key employee retention
• terminations
• union and labour relations issues