Nicolas Gagnon and André Vautour recognized by Lexpert for their expertise in the area of infrastructure

September 4, 2014

The September 2014 issue of the Globe and Mails’s Report on Business includes an insert entitled 2014 Lexpert/Report on Business Special Edition – Infrastructure in which Nicolas Gagnon and André Vautour, respectively Construction Law and Business Law partners at Lavery, are recognized as leading lawyers in Canada in the area of infrastructure law. This special edition recognizes lawyers who have contributed actively to the development and implementation of the P3 model which is currently used in 207 projects in Canada, whether operational, in procurement or under construction.

More precisely, this publication recognizes the scope of Mr. Gagnon’s Infrastructure Law practice, which embraces infrastructure and institutional projects, including P3s, and focuses on contracts, procurement, default remedy and litigation.

The publication also underlines the scope of Mr. Vautour’s corporate commercial practice which focuses on strategic alliances, joint ventures and investment funds. It is also noted that Mr. Vautour advises clients in the finance, railway, energy and computer sector.

To read this issue, please click here.

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Lavery advises the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau adjust Canadian Grand Prix (F1) dates

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La Presse’s Big Gamble Pays Off

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If La Presse hadn’t transformed itself, it wouldn’t have survived. We had no choice but to take the risk. Pierre-Elliott LevasseurPrésident, La Presse Six years later, the gamble has paid off handsomely. Since the launch of the philanthropic model, over 75,000 people have donated to La Presse. La Presse is the largest independent French-language media in North America, with over 500 employees, including 220 in the newsroom. Every month, La Presse reaches 4 million readers, or 60% of Quebec’s adult population. “The quality of the product remained at the heart of all our decisions: we never compromised on that,” says Pierre-Elliott. Human challenges Getting there wasn’t easy. “The expression we used in 2018 when Power Corporation was no longer our owner was ‘we’re leaving the nest.’ We had to find a solution together, because otherwise we’d have gone bankrupt together.” The culture of change that La Presse had developed in previous years as part of its digital transformation was the first step towards success. “It wasn’t our first transformation. But it certainly required a lot of communication to reassure people and convince them that we were heading in the right direction.” Its excellent relationship with the unions was another success factor. “The unions supported us and always acted with us.” In addition to a $50 million contribution to fund the transition, Power Corporation retained responsibility for past retirement plan obligations, which cushioned the risk and reassured employees. Legal challenges On top of the human challenges, there were legal obstacles. 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