WWW.LEXPERT.CA
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2017
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LEXPERT 5
Atcheson, Aaron E. Miller Thomson LLP
(519) 931-3526 aatcheson@millerthomson.com
Mr. Atcheson is co-lead of MT's Projects Group and chair of its National
Real Estate Group. He advises on energy, transportation, water/waste water
and other infrastructure projects for developers, EPCs and lenders, across
Canada, in the US and internationally, with respect to development,
permitting, construction and finance.
Armstrong, Robert L. Gowling WLG
(416) 862-3594 robert.armstrong@gowlingwlg.com
Mr. Armstrong is an advocate with significant experience as a trial and ap-
pellate lawyer and as a strategist and creative problem-solver in complex,
multi-party, multi-jurisdictional disputes. He has worked closely with Cana-
dian and international clients and counsel in respect of some of the largest
infrastructure disputes.
Anderson, Jean E. Goodmans LLP
(416) 597-4297 janderson@goodmans.ca
Ms. Anderson's practice includes financing and corporate transactions,
alternative finance and P3s. Her experience embraces project and structured
finance, domestic and cross-border financings, asset-based lending
and debt restructuring.
Anderson, Garth K. Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
(403) 260-9778 garth.anderson@blakes.com
Mr. Anderson's infrastructure practice encompasses all types of public and
private infrastructure, with an emphasis on P3 transactions in the transpor-
tation sector. He assists clients in structuring major design-build-finance-
operate projects, as well as on the real estate and construction aspects
of various energy-related infrastructure projects.
Allen, Michael S. Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP
(604) 661-9311 mallen@farris.com
In his 40 years of experience in project and corporate finance, Mr. Allen has
been continuously recognized by leading publications. In addition to the
infrastructure and public-private partnership sphere, Mr. Allen's practice has
included mining, energy, forestry and telecommunications, within Canada and
around the world. He is called to the Bar in British Columbia, Ontario, England
and Wales.
Ackerley, Glenn W. WeirFoulds LLP
(416) 947-5008 gackerley@weirfoulds.com
Mr. Ackerley advises owners, contractors and design professionals on
landmark capital and public infrastructure renewal projects. He counsels
his construction industry clients on contracts, procurement, risk avoidance,
claims handling and dispute resolution. Often performing the role of "project
lawyer," he provides ongoing practical advice from the start of a project
through to close-out.
LEXPERT-RANKED LAWYERS
Vancouver's downtown. Like the Expo Line, it's
a driverless SkyTrain funded entirely by govern-
ments and taxpayers.
But if Vancouver has become a leader in public-
transit Infrastructure in Canada in more recent
years, one of the reasons is necessity, plus "a cham-
pion going back to the early 2000s when our pre-
mier, Gordon Campbell, was actively invested in
making public Infrastructure successful using a P3
model," McKenzie says.
Governments have been very alive to the issue,
says Ross MacDonald, managing partner of Stike-
man Elliott LLP's Vancouver office. Yet even at
that, these kinds of projects can take a decade or
more to get from conception to operation.
"Public transit in Vancouver is a different head
space than it is for some other big cities," says Linda
Brown, co-head of the Infrastructure practice
group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP. Vancouver, she
explains, does not have a subway system to move
people around. e burgeoning population and
subsequent gridlock required for more public tran-
sit quickly. at led to the Canada Line, which
runs from Vancouver to Richmond and also con-
nects to the Vancouver airport, which was one of
the first public-private partnerships in Canada.
Constructed with SNC-Lavalin as the concession-
aire, it helped build Canada's reputation as a P3
expert and finally sell many Vancouverites on the
advantages of using public transit.
McKenzie — who takes the Canada Line to and
from work every day — says it is so successful that
entire communities are developing around its 16
stops. "e thing that's the most amazing if you
drive in Vancouver is, all the way along the Canada
Line corridor, there's been this massive develop-
ment going on around the stations," she says. "It's
taken what was light industrial or single-family
residential areas and is transforming a lot of it."
She points to Marine Drive, the last station be-
fore you get into Vancouver proper, as an example
of the impact these kinds of public transit projects
can have. "e whole time I was growing up — I'm
from Vancouver — a lot of this was low-rise, two-
storey dodgy old commercial buildings with a few
apartments on top." Now there are condos and
mixed-use towers, shopping centres, grocery stores,
cinemas, pharmacies and plenty of cranes indicat-
ing more is being built. "ere are also streetscapes
and some cool public art," she says. "It's really be-
come a neighbourhood. It's transformed that area
in just eight years. It really has."
One thing that makes the Canada Line dif-
ferent from its predecessors — and most other
light rail systems in Canada — is the innovation
in its construction, says Karen Martin, a part-
ner at Dentons Canada LLP. e line had many
challenges, not the least of which came from its
multiple owners including the federal govern-
