David practises in the area of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities law, with an emphasis on public company and large private company transactions, advice to boards and special committees and corporate governance.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Advising companies, boards of directors and special committees on mergers and acquisitions, including:
- Lead Counsel to The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company and its subsidiaries with respect to a significant number of acquisitions, including $875 million acquisition of Western Financial Group and Western Life Assurance Company
- Co-lead counsel to Manitoba Telecom Services for $3.9 billion sale to Bell Canada Inc.
- Lead Counsel to Canadian Wheat Board for $500 million Commercialization and sale of Canadian Wheat Board to Bunge Canada and SALIC Canada Limited
- Lead Counsel to Exchange Income Corporation with respect to numerous significant acquisitions, including Northern Mat & Bridge, Provincial Aerospace, BV Glazing Systems Ltd., Quest Window Systems Inc., CanLink Global Inc., Ben Machine Products Company Inc., CarteNav Solutions Inc., Carson Air Ltd., MacFab Manufacturing, Hansen Industries, Telcom Datvox, Ryko Telecommunications, L.V. Control Manufacturing Inc.
- Lead Counsel to Western Financial Group (Network) Inc. with respect to significant acquisitions including Huestis Insurance & Associates
- Lead Counsel to Wellington-Altus in connection with significant equity investments by The Cynosure Group and Jessiman Family Investments
- Lead Counsel to Superior Millwork Ltd. (Superior Cabinets) in its cross-border acquisition of substantially all of the assets of R.D. Henry & Company, LLC
- Lead Counsel to Wellington West Holdings for $333 million sale of Wellington West Holdings and its affiliates to National Bank Financial pursuant to a Plan of Arrangement
- Lead Counsel to Huntingdon Real Estate Investment Trust for its merger with IAT Air Cargo Facilities Income Fund ($400 million) pursuant to a Plan of Arrangement
- Lead Counsel to Altos Partners in its acquisition of JL Filtration
- Lead Counsel to G3 Canada Limited in its sale of a short-line railway
Corporate Finance/Securities
Lead counsel in excess of 500 Securities Offerings including initial Public Offerings, Private Placements, Bought Deals, Prospectus (long form, short form and shelf) offerings, TSX and TSX Venture Exchange Listings.
- Past Chair, MLT Aikins Executive Board
- Past Board Chair, Centreport Canada
- Chair, PC Fund Board (Manitoba)
- Director, Sio Silica Corporation
- Director, Salisbury House of Canada
- Director, Education Canada Group
- Director, Fort Garry Brewing Company Ltd.
- Member of Investment Committee, Westcap MBO Limited Partnership and Westcap MBO II Limited Partnership and Westcap MBO III Limited Partnership
- Past Board Chair, St. Paul’s High School
- Past Board Chair, Stuart Olson Inc.
Memberships
- The Law Society of Manitoba
- Manitoba Bar Association
- Canadian Bar Association
- Appointed King’s Counsel (Manitoba, 2019)
- Lawyer of the Year, Securities Law, Best Lawyers (Winnipeg, 2022)
- Recognized in Lexpert Special Edition on Agribusiness and Cannabis (2020)
- Recognized by Chambers Canada as a Leading Canadian lawyer in Corporate/Commercial law (since 2020)
- Recognized in Lexpert/ROB Special Edition, as one of Canada’s Leading Lawyers in Infrastructure (2019, 2020)
- One of Chambers Canada’s top lawyers in General Business Law (2018 & 2019)
- Recognized in Best Lawyers, Securities Law (since 2009), Mergers & Acquisitions Law (since 2021)
- A leading practitioner, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, M&A, Corporate Finance
- Selected by Lexpert Magazine as one of Canada’s “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” and as one of Canada’s “20 Corporate Lawyers to Watch”