Aaron Runge serves as managing partner of the firm. He joined the firm in 1994 as an articling student and became partner in 2001. Prior to his appointment as managing partner, Aaron’s practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, venture and private capital, corporate finance and securities law.
- Counsel to Greystone Capital Management Inc. and its shareholders in the company’s sale to the Toronto-Dominion Bank.
- Corporate and transaction counsel to specialty finance company Crown Capital Partners Inc. in connection with its long-term and special situations lending and investment platform, including advising on the structure, placement and administration of funds under its management, including Crown Capital Partner Funding, LP and Crown Power Fund LP.
- Corporate and transaction counsel to PFM Capital Inc. in connection with its private and venture capital investment activities by its over $728 million in funds under management.
- M&A Counsel to Rubicon and its shareholders on the merger with Amenity Holdings Inc.
- Acted as counsel to funds managed by PFM Capital Inc. in connection with the $1.1 billion take-over bid by Aurora Cannabis Inc. for Cannimed Therapeutics Inc.
- Acted as counsel to selling shareholders in connection with $135 million bought deal treasury and secondary offering of common shares by StorageVault Canada Inc.
- Counsel to investment fund in connection with $15 million funding of senior secured first liens notes, offered by western Canadian based company engaged in provision of services and logistical solutions to oil and natural gas industry.
- Counsel to purchaser in connection with $110 million, majority interest in significant Western Canadian ag products sales and distribution business.
- Counsel to significant western Canadian conglomerate in connection with $350 million private placement of senior unsecured bonds.
- Counsel to private equity fund in connection with U.S. $70 million sale of North American manufacturer and distributor or building materials.
- Counsel to Information Services Corporation on a privatization by way of secondary offering, realizing aggregate gross proceeds of nearly $169 million, with a focus on negotiation and implementation of a 20-year master services agreement proving for the operation by Information Services Corporation of all of the major Saskatchewan registries.
- Principal outside counsel to SaskPower on procurement and construction of its Boundary Dam Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration Project converting one of the power units into a long-term producer of 100 megawatts of clean base-load electricity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capturing one million tons of carbon dioxide each year for sale to third parties for use in enhanced oil recovery operations; including a role as principal outside counsel to SaskPower for the negotiation and implementation of a long-term offtake agreement providing for the sale by SaskPower of 100% of the CO2 generated from the Boundary Dam facility.
- Principal outside counsel to SaskPower on the negotiation and implementation of joint venture and contribution arrangements between SaskPower and Hitachi Ltd. relating to a carbon capture test facility (CCTF) at SaskPower’s Shand Power Station in southeastern Saskatchewan.
- Counsel to Federated Co-operatives Ltd. on a $138 million acquisition by plan of arrangement, including production facilities and infrastructure, of Triwest Exploration Inc., a Calgary-based oil company.
- Counsel to Saskferco Products LLC on $1.6B sale to Yara International ASA.
- Counsel to CUETS, CUCS and CUCA on the sale of its interests in UNPS to First Data (2008), and sale of credit card issuing business to MBNA (2007).
- Counsel to Meadow Lake Pulp Ltd. on its successful Companies’ Creditors Arrangements Act restructuring of over $800 million of debt and the eventual sale of the mill to one of the world’s largest pulp and paper producers.
- Counsel to various providers of venture and private capital for numerous financing transactions involving mezzanine debt, subordinated debt, near equity and equity instruments.
Aaron has a deep understanding of the firm’s culture, strategy and client focus. His legal experience and tenure with the firm, coupled with his collaborative decision-making approach and business acumen, positions him well to lead the firm into the next stage of growth.
Aaron has acted for buyers, sellers and target companies on several significant domestic and international M&A transactions. He has acted for providers of venture and private capital on transactions involving investees in Saskatchewan and abroad, and for several investors and investment funds on the design and implementation of innovative acquisition structures to allow foreign investors to participate in Saskatchewan farmland. He has worked with lenders and borrowers on numerous syndicated credit facilities on structured, leveraged and non-leveraged lease financing arrangements in Canada and the United States, and for senior Saskatchewan issuers placing private and public offerings of debt and equity securities in Canada and the United States.
- Director, Crown Capital Partners Inc. (CRWN.TO)
- Director (2014-present), Vice-Chair (2016-2018), Chair (2018-present), Hospitals of Regina Foundation
- Coach, Regina Bantam Eagles Football Club (2016 City Champions)
- Volunteer, Premier’s Golf Ball sales committee (2015-2016)
- Volunteer, MLA election funding cabinet (2016)
- Lawyer of the Year, Securities law, Best Lawyers in Canada (Regina, 2020, 2022, 2024)
- Recognized in Lexpert/ROB Special Edition, as one of Canada’s Leading Lawyers in Energy (since 2019)
- Recognized in Lexpert/ROB Special Edition, as one of Canada’s Leading Lawyers in Infrastructure (since 2019)
- Recognized by Chambers Canada as a Leading Canadian lawyer in Corporate/commercial law (since 2020)
- Lawyer of the Year, Mergers and acquisitions law, Best Lawyers in Canada (Regina, 2019)
- One of Chambers Canada’s top lawyers in General Business Law (2019)
- Named “Leader in Their Field,” General Business Law (Saskatchewan) by Chambers Canada (2016)
- Lexpert/ALM Zenith Award for Excellence in Mergers & Acquisitions Practice (2014)
- Only Saskatchewan lawyer listed on Canada’s Leading 500 Lawyers — Lexpert/American Lawyer Media (since 2011)
- Named a “Notable Practitioner” by Chambers and Partners (since 2014)
- Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada – Banking and finance law, corporate governance practice, corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law, securities law (since 2010)
- A leading practitioner, Corporate Mid-Market, M&A, Corporate Commercial, Corporate Finance, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (since 2008)
- Leis-Nods/Martindale-Hubbell — “BV Peer Review Rated”