Our Team

Lexpert's Rising Stars: Leading Lawyers Under 40—One of Canada's leading lawyers under 40

Chambers & Partners’ Chambers Global: World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Client’s Guide 2008—Leading practitioner in employment, labour and pensions: pensions and benefits

In pension, benefits and employment matters, Mitch has recently represented

• Manulife Financial in its execution of a C$3 billion credit agreement
• CIBC World Markets in Extendicare REIT's 2008 C$34.58 million offering of units and C$92 million bought deal public offering of debentures
• Novacap II in its US$30 million leveraged buyout of Gibraltar Packaging Group
• AmeriCast Technologies in its US$24 million acquisition of A.G. Anderson
• Hydro Ottawa in its C$63 million sale of Telecom Ottawa to Atria Networks
• Husky Injection Molding Systems in its C$960 million sale to Onex
• The Carlyle Group in its US$1.475 billion acquisition of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s Engineered Products Division
• Thomson Corporation in its US$7.75 billion sale of the Thomson Learning higher education assets
• Sherritt International in its C$1.6 billion acquisition of Dynatec
• Alinda Capital Partners in its C$1.74 billion acquisition of UE Waterheater Income Fund
• ONCAP in its C$392 million sale of CMC Electronics to Esterline Technologies
• The Rank Group in its US$965 million sale of Hard Rock to Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment
• Hindalco Industries in its US$6 billion acquisition of Novelis
• Carter Holt Harvey in its US$500 million acquisition of International Paper’s beverage packaging business
• Colgate-Palmolive in its US$126 million asset sale to The Clorox Company
• Royal Utilities Income Fund in its C$172.5 million initial public offering
• Davis + Henderson in its C$212.5 million acquisition of Filogix and C$116 million offering of subscription receipts
• Clover Leaf Seafoods and Bumble Bee Foods in Canada in their US$275 million syndicated credit facility
• Resolve Business Outsourcing Income Fund in its C$225 million initial public offering, and related acquisition and financing
• Canada Cartage Diversified Income Fund in its C$118 million initial public offering
• Cameco
  • in its C$108 million acquisition of Zircatec Precision Industries
  • in its C$253.2 million initial public and secondary offering of Centerra Gold
• Sears Canada in its C$2.3 billion sale of credit and financial services operations to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
• Leitch Technology in Harris Corporation’s C$570 million acquisition of Leitch Technology
• O&Y REIT in Brookfield consortium’s C$2 billion acquisition of O&Y Properties and O&Y REIT
• the underwriting syndicate in Morneau Sobeco Income Fund’s C$200 million initial public offering
• New Flyer Industries in its C$200 million initial public offering of income deposit securities
• Norcast Income Fund in its C$77 million initial public offering of units
• the underwriting syndicate in Lakeport Brewing Income Fund’s C$54.5 million initial public offering
• the underwriting syndicate in Cargojet Income Fund’s C$59.5 million initial public offering
• Magna International in the C$1.2 billion privatization of its public automotive subsidiaries
• BFI Canada Income Fund
  • in its C$1.1 billion acquisition of IESI
  • in its C$110 million acquisition of Ridge Landfill from Waste Management of Canada
• ING Canada in its C$1.04 billion initial public offering
• Data Group Income Fund in its C$148 million initial public offering
• the underwriting syndicate in Arriscraft International Income Fund’s C$70 million initial public offering
• Brascan Bridge Lending Fund in providing a C$250 million credit facility for Atlas Cold Storage
• Connors Bros. Income Fund in its US$385 million cross-border acquisition of Bumble Bee Seafoods
• Richards Packaging Income Fund in its C$85.7 million initial public offering and related bank financing
• Algoma Steel in its C$85 million offering of common shares

"Negotiating the Agreement - Part I: Representation," Canadian Bar Association: Pension and Employee Benefits in Mergers and Acquisitions Conference, Toronto, November 21, 2008.

"Climbing the Rocky Road" (conference chair), Association of Canadian Pension Management's 2008 National Conference, Alberta, September 16-19, 2008.

"Concepts and Practices of Canadian Benefits for Canadian and U.S. Corporations," speaker, International of Employee Benefit Plans Foundation Conference, Toronto, July 14-16, 2008.

"Is Notice Enough? Changing a Fundamental Term of Employment in Ontario" co-author, Torys' Pension and Employment Bulletin, Toronto, June 13, 2008.

"Federal Government Was Free to Withdraw Surplus from Public Service, Military and RCMP Pension Accounts, Judge Rules" co-author, Lancaster's Pension & Benefit Law E-Bulletin, issue 69, May 15, 2008.

"Managing Pension Risks in Corporate Transactions: Practical Guidelines for Mergers and Acquisitions," 9th Annual Forum on Pension Law, Litigation and Governance, The Canadian Institute, Toronto, January 31, 2008.

“Funding Obligations,” 3rd Annual The Essential Course in Pensions, Osgoode’s Professional Development CLE Program, Toronto, October 22–23, 2007.

“Pension Law Primer,” Pensions and Investments Fundamentals 2007–2008, Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, Toronto, October 18, 2007.

“Charting the Future” (conference chair), Association of Canadian Pension Management, 2007 National Conference, Charlottetown, September 10-12, 2007.

“An Evening With the Attorney General” (chair), Pension and Benefits, Ontario Bar Association, Toronto, June 5, 2007.

“Tensions Sizzle When Pensions Fizzle” (co-chair), Pension and Benefits, Ontario Bar Association Institute 2007, Toronto, February 5, 2007.

“Pension Law Primer,” Pensions and Investments Fundamentals 2006–2007, Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, Toronto, January 25, 2007.

“Funding Obligations,” 2nd Annual The Essential Course in Pensions, Osgoode’s Professional Development CLE Program, Toronto, October 23–24, 2006.

“Newest Target of Shareholders: Executive Pensions,” Executive Compensation: Getting It Right, Lexpert Events, Toronto, October 16–17, 2006.

"Open Forum" (moderator), Association of Canadian Pension Management, 2006 National Conference, Winnipeg, September 19–22, 2006.

“Pension Rights and Pension Wrongs” (co-chair), Pension and Benefits, Ontario Bar Association Institute 2006, Toronto, January 24, 2006.

“Defined Benefit Pension Plans Endangered Unless Changes Are Made, Industry Report Says,” co-author, Lancaster’s Pension and Benefit Law E-Bulletin, issue 25, October 3, 2005.

“Getting Results: How to Get Government Focused on Your Agenda” (moderator), Association of Canadian Pension Management, 2005 National Conference, La Malbaie, Quebec, September 20–23, 2005.

“Measures of DC Plan Success,” Pension and Investment Fundamentals for DC Plans, Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, Toronto, April 14, 2005.

"Pension Plan Expenses: Implications of the Kerry FST Decision on Your Expense Practices,” Ontario Bar Association, Toronto, April 13, 2005.

“Who is Next? Duties of Pension Plan Administrators and Their Potential Liabilities,” Pension Plan Management, Insight, Toronto, April 11, 2005.

“Monsanto: Where Do We Go From Here?” (moderator), Pension and Benefits, Ontario Bar Association, Toronto, February 15, 2005.

“Hembruff v. OMERS, Pension Plan Board Breaches Fiduciary Duty,” co-author, Lancaster’s Pension and Benefit Law E-Bulletin, issue 7, December 1, 2004.