This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin comments on a Quebec Superior Court ruling granting $8 million in damages to a minor hockey player injured during a game
Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, a lawyer in the firm’s Litigation group who primarily practices in insurance law, comments on a Quebec Superior Court decision that awarded $8 million to a minor hockey player left paralyzed by a hit from behind in “Hockey injury award sends sombre message,” an article published in the February 26, 2016 edition of Lawyers Weekly. Me Lacoste-Jobin mentions in this article that although the impact of such a ruling remains to be determined, the courts will certainly keep a close eye on theefforts put forth by sports organizations to improve safety in their sport.
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The Société du Plan Nord and two members of the Réseau Capital Baie-James announced an important investment in Innord to develop an innovative new rare earth elements separation process
The Société du Plan Nord, and two members of the Réseau Capital Baie-James, who are la Société de Développement de la Baie-James (SDBJ) and l’Administration régionale Baie-James (ARBJ), announced on March 3, 2016, an $500,000 investment in Innord Inc., a subsidiary of GéoMégA Resources inc. Sébastien Vézina, Guillaume Synnott and Éric Gélinas, three lawyers in the firm’s Business law group acted as legal counsel for the involved parties. The investment will be used to develop an innovative new process that will significantly improve the environmental performance of rare earth elements separation. Read the Société du Plan Nord press release here. Sébastien Vézina Guillaume Synnott Éric Gélinas
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Étienne Brassard and Guillaume Synnott offer a series of training sessions for HEC Montréal’s Rémi Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track
On March 3, Étienne Brassard and Guillaume Synnott, members of Lavery’s GO Inc. Program and business law group, will give the first of three training sessions on legal issues faced by startups to members of the third cohort of HEC Montréal’s Rémi-Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track. Lavery is proud to partner with the Rémi-Marcoux Entrepreneurial Track, a pre-accelerator program training and developing Quebec’s future entrepreneurs.
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Luc Thibaudeau interviewed in Lawyers Weekly regarding the Quebec Court of Appeal ruling regarding the Mazda Canada Inc. class action suit
Luc Thibaudeau, a partner at Lavery who specializes in consumer law and represents a wide range of clients including corporations, financial institutions, retail chains and stakeholders in the entertainment industry, is quoted several times in Luis Millan’s article “Mazda ruling viewed as consumer win” published in the February 26, 2016, edition of Lawyers Weekly. In the article, the decision is “hailed as a victory for consumers” that “bucks the nationwide growing trend against economic loss based tort claims,” and summarizes Mr. Thibaudeau’s opinion as follows: “But the ruling does have a silver lining for manufacturers” since “[it] underscores the importance for manufacturers to act as soon as they discover their products have a latent defect […] By refusing to award punitive damages against Mazda, the appeal court recognized that the carmaker made an effort to remedy the situation when it launched its service campaign.” To read the full article, please click here.
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Lavery partners with the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal
On April 6, 2016, Lavery will give culture a helping hand and partner with the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal for its 2016 fundraising event,Sacrée Landowska. Marie Cossette, Ad. E., a partner who heads Lavery’s Business Integrity group as well as the Quebec City office’s Administrative Law group will be the honorary chair for the event, which will take place at the Théâtre rouge du Conservatoire. For more information or to reserve tickets, please click here.
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Lavery at the Pentathlon des neiges Corporate Challenge
On February 20, five lawyers from Lavery’s Quebec City office participated in the Pentathlon des neiges Corporate Challenge on Quebec City’s Plains of Abraham. Profits from the event will go to the “À l’école, moi j’bouge” project, which enables youngsters from low-income families to participate in after-school activities. Bernard Roy began the event on bike, followed by Chloé Fauchon on foot, Anthonie Vézina-Crawford on cross-country skis, François Bélanger on skates, and Sylvain Pierrard on snowshoes. Despite the rain, our athletes turned in a star performance! Bernard Roy, Chloé Fauchon, Anthonie Vézina-Crawford, François Bélanger and Sylvain Pierrard
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Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Daniel Bouchard instructors at the 89th session of the Cours de perfectionnement du notariat
From April 21 to 23, 2016, the 89th session of the Cours de perfectionnement du notariat will take place at the Quebec City Convention Center. On the morning of April 21, Daniel Bouchard, a partner and Managing Partner of the firm’s Quebec City office that specializes in the fields of municipal, environmental and administrative law and has developed special expertise in the areas of land use planning and development, agricultural zoning, environment, municipal liability, municipal management and ethics in public administration, will present a session entitled “Act Respecting the Preservation of Agricultural Land and Agricultural Activities: the minimum every notary should know” (“La Loi sur la protection du territoire et des activités agricoles : ce que tout notaire devrait minimalement savoir”). For his part, on April 23, Jean-Philippe Turgeon, a partner and the leader of the firm’s Franchising and Distribution group whose practice focuses on franchise law, distribution of goods and services, as well as bankruptcy and insolvency, will lead a workshop entitled “The 10 most important contractual provisions to consider before concluding a franchising contract” (“Les 10 plus importantes dispositions contractuelles à considérer avant de conclure un contrat de franchise”). For more information or to register, please click here.
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Louis-Martin Dubé speaker at a CBA-Quebec conference on recent jurisprudence in real estate and leasing law
On February 17, 2016, Louis-Martin Dubé, a partner at Lavery with more than twenty-five years' experience in real estate law who advises and represents property owners, institutions, developers, pension funds, asset managers, lenders, and tenants in a wide range of real estate transactions, including acquisitions, development projects, financing, and leasing, gave a sold-out CBA-Quebec luncheon conference entitled “Real estate law year in review (2015)” (“La revue annuelle de jurisprudence en droit immobilier (2015)”) at the Intercontinental Hotel. For more information, please click here.
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Lavery represents Sodémex Développement s.e.c. in the acquisition of a 15% interest in a mining royalties portfolio held by Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd.
On February 17, 2016, Sodémex Développement s.e.c. entered into an agreement with the mining company Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd. (“Osisko”) to acquire a 15% interest in a portfolio of mining royalties including rights on Richmont Mines Inc.’s producing Island Gold Mine, Niogold Mining Corporation’s Marban and Noraltic sites and the Integra Gold Inc.’s Lamaque project. The value of the portfolio acquired by Osisko from Teck Resources Limited was more than $20 million. Sodémex Développement s.e.c. was represented by a Lavery team composed of Sébastien Vézina, Tereza Kristic, Louis-Martin Dubé, Nicole Messier, Carole Gélinas and John McFarlane Sodémex Développement s.e.c. is an investment fund whose only shareholder is the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and whose mandate is to invest in companies in the natural resources sector that are in the development stage.
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Pierre Marc Johnson to speak as a witness before the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee
Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, head CETA negotiator for Quebec, former premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, will be a witness, as an individual, within the scope of the Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee’s general study of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements and their prospects for Canada. His presentation will be held on February 18, 2016 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Room 160-S, Centre Block, of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa. To tune in to the webcast, please click here.
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Jean-Philippe Turgeon and Stéphanie Destrempes will speak at the Franchise Expo event in Quebec City
On February 27, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. at the Centre des congrès de Québec, Jean-Philippe Turgeon, a partner and the leader of the firm’s Franchising and Distribution Group, will present a seminar entitled “Create your own franchise system” during the Franchise Expo event that is set to take place February 27-28. Mr. Turgeon will discuss several issues, such as what business concepts can be franchised, the viable operational systems to choose when aiming for sustainable and profitable development of a franchise network, and the best practices to get the most out of the franchise business model and increase the value of your franchise system. For more information or to register for Mr. Turgeon’s seminar, please click here. For her part, Stéphanie Destrempes, a lawyer and also a member of the firm’s Franchising and distribution group will give a conference entitled « Becoming a franchiser » (“Devenir franchisé”) on February 28, 2016 during the show. For more information about the Franchise Expo, please click here.
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Eugene Czolij to receive Honorary Doctorate from Lviv Polytechnic National University
Lavery is proud to announce that Eugene Czolij, a partner at the firm, will shortly receive an honorary doctorate from Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine for his outstanding work as Ukrainian World Congress President. This title has been conferred on him to highlight his commitment and determination in promoting Ukraine’s interests and its Euro-integration. Eugene Czolij is a senior litigator whose legal practice includes corporate and commercial litigation, as well as insolvency and restructuring law. In these fields of expertise, his peers have recognized him in the publication Best Lawyers in Canada. “We closely follow the extra-professional achievements of our members and are exceedingly proud to highlight their commitments and accomplishments. Throughout his career, Mr. Czolij has set himself apart by his passionate and determined mindset, which has benefitted not only his legal clients but also his fellow Ukrainians living in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world. The great honour Lviv Polytechnic National University will confer on him is a recognition of his unstinting commitment to the Ukrainian World Congress, an honour for which Lavery congratulates him heartily,” says Don McCarty, Lavery’s Managing Partner. The Ukrainian World Congress is the international coordinating body for Ukrainian communities in the diaspora representing the interests of over 20 million Ukrainians. The Ukrainian World Congress has member organizations in 34 countries and ties with Ukrainians in 15 additional countries. Founded in 1967, the Ukrainian World Congress was recognized in 2003 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council as a non-governmental organization with special consultative status. For more information, please visit http://www.lp.edu.ua/en/node/9264.