This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Corporate and business integrity: a conference organized by Lavery for Quebec’s business community
On May 5, Lavery’s Integrity group hosted a business breakfast on issues related to corporate and business integrity. Attendees learned about integrity-related issues to be prioritized, specific ways to identify the internal and external risks facing them, and proven ways to manage those risks. A portion of the discussion also dealt with actions to take in case of a police search and seizure operation and media crisis management. This conference was lead by Marie Cossette, Lavery’s partner heading the Corporate and business integrity group. The following partners were also invited to speak: André Vautour and André Laurin, business law, Raymond Doray, administrative law, Philippe Frère, administrative and regulatory law litigation, and Isabelle Briand, criminal and penal law.
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Lavery awards $5 000 scholarship to an ambitious young entrepreneur
On May 2, 2016, the Fondation du Cégep Garneau and the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec honoured fourteen young entrepreneurs during the first awards ceremony held at the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec. Lavery is proud to contribute to the success of budding entrepreneur Jean Desmarais and his plan to open a clinic offering neurofeedback therapy and complementary psychological services by granting him a $5 000 scholarship. Lawyers Karine Pelletier, Sylvain Pierrard and Sarah Leclerc were on hand to present the award to him. During the event, the new entrepreneurs discussed their projects and the invaluable training and support they received from the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec. The $5,000 scholarships were presented by established companies acting as sponsors to the young winners by offering them direct access to the business world through their position and network. The aspiring entrepreneurs in the school’s first two cohorts shared a total of $70 000 in scholarships awarded to encourage them to pursue their dreams.
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Pier-Olivier Fradette offers training sessions to the members of the Association des directeurs municipaux du Québec
Pier-Olivier Fradette, municipal affairs lawyer at Lavery, recently delivered two training sessions (in French) in Lac-Etchemin on behalf of the Association des directeurs municipaux du Québec (ADMQ). The first training session, titled “Volunteer groups operating under the umbrella of the municipality: what are the ground rules?,” dealt with the municipal by-laws and issues to consider before creating an organization along with the legal implications. The second training session, “The ABCs of ministerial authorizations and approval related to municipal finance,” explained the procedures related to the approval of borrowing by-laws, the authorization of credit commitments and the authorization of surety bonds. In the first training session, participants learned about the various municipal by-laws applicable to organizations depending on their legal status and the granting of financial support or assistance to those organizations. In the second training session, participants learned about best practices pertaining to borrowing, the various options for municipal taxation, and cases where it is not necessary to obtain ministerial approval or authorization to borrow. The two training sessions were offered to the CEOs of municipalities and will be presented again on November 22, 2016, in Trois-Rivières.
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Lavery is proud to support the next generation in Montreal’s Chinese business community
Lavery was a proud sponsor of the fifth edition of the scholarship presentation gala of the Jiu Ding Club, which took place on April 30, 2016. Montréal’s Jiu Ding (JD) Club is a non-profit organization founded by a group of entrepreneurs and professionals of Chinese origin living and working in Greater Montreal. During the ceremony, the JD Club presented scholarships to students in Quebec’s Chinese community as well as international students from Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong who study here and have distinguished themselves through their contributions to all sectors of Canadian society: social, professional, and political, etc. Guillaume Lavoie, partner at Lavery who counts many companies and entrepreneurs in Montreal’s Chinese business community among his clients, was there to represent the firm at the event.
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Lavery’s roundtable on entrepreneurship
On May 9, 2016, Lavery’s Quebec City office welcomed three speakers for a roundtable on entrepreneurship. Véronique Simard of Flirt store and Louis Tremblay of AddÉnergie discussed their entrepreneurial journey with young entrepreneurs from the region including students from l’École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec. Organized by Chloé Fauchon and Karine Pelletier, lawyers at Lavery, the conference followed by a networking cocktail was a great success. Karine Pelletier and Chloé Fauchon
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Sébastien Vézina represented Guy Boucher, the new Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators, in the negotiations with the Sens
Coach Guy Boucher called upon Sébastien Vézina, a Lavery partner, to represent him during the negotiation and conclusion of the agreement that lead to his nomination as Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators. Sébastien Vézina specialises in business law and he advises, among others, decision makers and executives in the sports industry on all questions pertaining to commercial and legal issues in their sphere of activities. Click here to watch the full press conference.
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Lavery, proud partner of the OSEntreprendre Challenge for a prosperous and innovative Québec
The OSEntreprendre Challenge, known until very recently as the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest, comprises three levels: local, regional and provincial. As a partner of the event, Lavery was at the regional gala of the National Capital, which took place at the Complexe Capitale Hélicoptère in Québec City on May 4, 2016. As a partner of the challenge, Lavery is happy to provide an hour's worth of legal advice to the 10 winners of the Business Creation division. Along its lawyers Sarah Leclerc and Karine Pelletier who attended the event as part of the partnership, Lavery would like to congratulate all winners for their entrepreneurial success! OSEntreprendre gives the 2 000 new entrepreneurs who take part in the Challenge each year an opportunity to improve the visibility of their project, win prizes, broaden their network and express themselves! Among the winners of the Business Creation division supporting the new bold and determined entrepreneurs, the company Cradle Games who participated in Lavery GO inc. Program for young entrepreneurs, has won a second regional prize. The company Cradle Games
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NioGold Mining acquired by Oban Mining
Oban Mining Corporation, a mining company based in Ontario, has acquired all of the common shares of its Quebec counterpart, NioGold Mining Corp. This transaction was completed by way of an arrangement plan under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). A Lavery team composed of Isabelle Richard, Josianne Beaudry, and René Branchaud prepared and reviewed the documents related to this transaction, including the arrangement agreement and the information circular for NioGold’s shareholders’ meeting.
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Mont Sutton ski resort acquired by the Ryan group
Ski Sutton Inc. has been acquired by a group of private investors composed of managers of the ski resort. The transaction was carried out by way of an arrangement and was concluded for $7.5 million in March 2016. The Lavery team, composed of Isabelle Richard, Mylène Vallières, Josianne Beaudry, Luc Borduas, Jean-Yves Simard, and René Branchaud represented Ski Sutton Inc.’s controlling shareholders in the sale of the shares and its privatization. It also prepared the documents for this transaction, including the arrangement agreement and the information circular for the shareholders’ meeting, and obtained the court’s approval to proceed with the transaction.
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Société de développement de la Baie-James (SDBJ), Administration régionale Baie-James (ARBJ) and partners invest in BlackRock Metals Inc. to carry out a feasibility study for an open-pit mine
The Société de développement de la Baie-James (SDBJ), the Administration régionale Baie-James (ARBJ), the Cree Nation Government, and the Capital Mines Hydrocarbures fund, managed by Ressources Québec Inc., have invested more than $8 M in BlackRock Metals Inc. to finance a feasibility study for the development of an open-pit iron and titanium mine in the James Bay Territory. In this financing, René Branchaud and Guillaume Synnott, members of Lavery’s Business law group, acted as counsel for SDBJ and ARBJ.
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Spectra Premium Industries: Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Fondaction CSN, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ acquire $45 million interest in its share capital
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), Fondaction CSN, and Fonds de solidarité FTQ acquired interest in the share capital of Spectra Premium, a North American leader in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of automotive components for the aftermarket. This transaction will enable Spectra Premium not only to maintain ownership of the company in Quebec by reorganizing its share ownership but also to continue its expansion in North America and in global markets. The Caisse invested $28.3 million, while Fondaction CSN invested $15 million. The Fonds de solidarité FTQ, main shareholder of Spectra Premium, injected an additional $2 million into the company. A Lavery team represented Spectra Premium in this transaction. The group was lead by Luc Pariseau and included Richard Burgos, Raphaël Bacal (commercial law), and Jean-Philippe Latreille (taxation).
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Appointment of Martin Tétreault, a partner at Lavery, as Court of Québec judge
Lavery is proud to announce the appointment of Martin Tétreault to the Court of Québec, effective April 13, 2016. Mr. Tétreault will preside at the Civil Division and Youth Division in Granby. With a bachelor of laws, a master’s in health law from Université de Sherbrooke, and a post-graduate certificate in law (D.E.A.) from Université de Montpellier, Mr. Tétreault was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1991 and practised law at various private firms before being hired by Lavery in 2014. During his career, Mr. Tétreault has advised and represented a wide range of clients, practising in areas such as construction, civil liability, insurance, and the pharmaceutical industry. An author and a lecturer, he also taught pharmaceutical and construction law at Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke while contributing to professional training and development at the firm. This appointment is in line with a long tradition at Lavery, which has seen many of its partners appointed to the bench.