Our Not-for-Profit Experience

The following is a short summary of some of our specific experience with not-for-profit and charitable organizations:

• We act as general legal counsel for a national public health association. In this capacity we advise the Executive and Board of Directors on various matters relating to its by-laws, governance, employment, and other general commercial matters that arise. We have worked with this association in relation to funding agreements involving national and international health programs.
• We were retained as legal counsel to oversee the establishment of a national medical regulation authority. We were responsible for the preparation and establishment of its governance, including letters patent and by-laws. We also assisted in the establishment of a unique medical identification number system for use within the Canadian Medical System, and we provide ongoing legal support in this matter. We continue to act as general counsel as required.
• We act as general legal counsel for a national pharmacy regulation authority. We provide ongoing legal advice in relation to matters of governance, by-laws, and overall executive issues.
• As corporate counsel for a national trucking alliance we worked with the Board of Directors, the Executive Committee and the Member Representatives in establishing a new constitution and governance structure. We were then tasked with assisting the Executive Committee in introducing and educating the Provincial Members and the Board of Directors with the new Articles and By-laws.
• As corporate counsel for a multi-employer pension plan, we represent the Pension Plan in relation to a partial windup process that gave rise to adversarial proceedings taking place both in the Superior Court of Ontario and the Financial Services Commission of Ontario.
• We act for a local child welfare society in relation to the acquisition of several land holdings; providing ongoing general counsel to the Executive Director and to its Board of Directors; providing general counsel and assistance as a consequence of several litigious matters in which the society was a named party; and providing ongoing advice in relation to contractual, commercial and human resource issues.
• We acted as counsel for the Government of Nunavut in relation to the establishment of Nunavut Power Corporation and the effecting of the needed transfer of the assets and liabilities of the former Northwest Territories Power Corporation in relation to those assets attributable to the operations physically contained in Nunavut. In addition we established several subsidiary operating companies and a holding company by which the Government of Nunavut would essentially control the production and transmission of electrical energy; the purchase and distribution of petroleum products; and the establishment of alternative energy applications throughout Nunavut.
• Immediately following the 9-11 disaster we were retained by an international fire fighters association to establish a charitable foundation to benefit fire fighters killed or seriously injured as a consequence of the 9-11 disaster. We worked on behalf of the association to establish the needed not-for-profit corporation and then worked to achieve charitable status. Because of the extraordinary situation and the extraordinary times we were able to realize charitable status within 14 days of the incorporation of the foundation.
• We acted for one of the founding members of the country's civil air navigation services provider to provide legal services in relation to the establishment of a non-share capital corporation under the Canada Corporations Act. In this capacity, we worked along with legal counsel for the other two principal Members in relation to the preparation of the requisite enabling articles and the negotiation and establishment of the requisite corporate governance.