Lexpert

Who gets to drive a restructuring? Until May 2026, the answer in Canada was almost always the debtor, occasionally a secured creditor, and very rarely other interested parties. The Alberta Court of Appeal’s decision in Angus A2A GP Inc. v. Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc. marked the first instance in which shareholders, took the lead in initiating the restructuring process.

The Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act has always been a flexible instrument. But the tools available under it have expanded considerably, and the economic conditions demanding those tools are more uncertain than they have been in a generation. The 2026 Lexpert Special Edition on Insolvency and Restructuring examines both the evolution of practice under the CCAA and the building pressure that tariffs and trade disruption are placing on Canadian companies.

Don Bjornson oversees 20 lawyers, a 77-person division, and the legal functions of a growing energy Crown corporation The in-house lawyer who reflexively says no is the wrong lawyer for the energy sector. "We look at ourselves as partners in the business as opposed to... the sales prevention team," says Don Bjornson, general counsel and corporate secretary at Manitoba Hydro.

The expansion will double LNG export capacity to 28 million tonnes annually By LNG Canada has reached a final investment decision on its $33-billion Phase 2 expansion in Kitimat, BC, clearing the way for what the federal government says will be the second-largest single private investment in Canadian history. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the decision, saying the expansion will make LNG Canada the world's second-largest facility of its kind.

Proposed national instrument would consolidate existing IT requirements By The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has published a proposed national instrument for comment that would establish a single framework for the information technology (IT) systems of market infrastructure entities.

New report finds growing equity awards and changes in GC executive and board representation By Median general counsel compensation among Equilar 500 companies reached $3.7 million in 2025, up 23.3 percent since 2021, according to BarkerGilmore's 2026 General Counsel Compensation Report. The report examines general counsel compensation disclosed in U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings by Equilar 500 companies over the past five fiscal years.

AI governance and law professor Gillian Hadfield joins new federal advisory body By Image: Gillian Hadfield Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched the Prime Minister’s National Council on Artificial Intelligence to provide independent, practical advice on Canada’s AI transformation and on implementing and evolving the federal government’s AI for All strategy.

Slate Grocery REIT has agreed to be taken private by a joint venture of Brixmor Property Group Inc. and affiliates of Everview Partners, L.P. in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately US$2.3 billion, ending a strategic review the Toronto-based trust launched in May. Under the arrangement agreement, the purchaser will acquire all of the issued and outstanding units of the REIT for US$13.00 per unit in cash.

BRC Group Holdings, Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sangoma Technologies Corporation, a Markham, Ontario-based business communications provider, in a transaction that values Sangoma at an enterprise value of approximately $289 million (US$204 million).

He has worked with global asset managers, institutional investors, and family offices DLA Piper has bolstered its private funds capabilities with the addition of new partner James O’Shea. O’Shea commences with the firm’s investment funds practice in Toronto. He brings experience with matters involving private fund formation, fund investments, fund structuring, and ongoing management throughout the fund lifecycle.