L'Arche Canada Submission on Consulting with Canadians on Accessibility Legislation
Professional Experience
I have been practicing in the areas of insolvency, restructuring and commercial litigation since my call to the bar in 1993, and have represented clients before all levels of the courts in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as in the Supreme Court of Canada. Throughout my career my practice has included a broad range of insolvency, restructuring, and commercial litigation matters, including representing and advising debtors, secured and unsecured creditors and other stakeholders in Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act proceedings, receiverships, and bankruptcies, as well as representing and advising court-appointed officers including monitors, receivers, and trustees in bankruptcy. I have also acted for parties in minority shareholder disputes, proxy contests, and general commercial litigation matters. My work / career history is as follows:
• After being admitted to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1993, I clerked with Mr. Justice Major of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1994, before being called to the Alberta Bar in 1995.
• From 1995 until March 2017, I was with Macleod Dixon LLP / Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
• March 2017 to the present I have been Partner, Insolvency and Restructuring, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Calgary, Alberta
L’Arche Experience
I served on the Board of L’Arche Calgary for 12 ½ years (from October 2004 to June 2017). During that time I served in various offices, including three years as Board President. During that time the L’Arche Calgary Board made the transition to a governance board, and implemented numerous Board governance policies. In addition to providing governance oversight as part of the usual Board practices, we went through a couple of changes in Community Leader/Executive Director and so we were involved in that process, as well as periodic mandate processes. In this capacity I also had regular and numerous interactions with the local community.
Following my stepping down from the L’Arche Calgary Board (necessitated by the implementation of term limits) I served on the Board of the L’Arche Canada Foundation from September 2017 until spring 2020 when the LCF Board was disbanded.
What I hope to Contribute to L’Arche
During the time I have been involved with L’Arche I have come to understand that the mission and vision of L’Arche is a prophetic message for the world. In addition to being engaged and thoughtful at the Board table so that I can meaningfully contribute to the discussion of matters before the Board, it would be my hope that I can assist in spreading the message of L’Arche to the broader Canadian society. Personal/Family Description
I was born June 1, 1963 (so I just turned 60, which is hard to comprehend). My wife and I have been married for 35 years. We have three children: (1) Stefan, who is 31, is working as a mechanical engineer in Ottawa, has been married for 7 years to Bonnie, and they had their first child (Coen) in October 2022, (2) Lucas, who is 25, living in Vancouver, and had formerly worked as a software engineer with Amazon, and (3) Katia, who is 23 and is at home with us, and is a visual artist. Stefan, Bonnie and Coen are in the process of moving from Ottawa (where they have been living for the past 5 years) to Calgary, as Stefan will be starting a Masters program in mechatronics at the U of C in September. Katia (who was born in Russia, was adopted by an American family out of a Russian orphanage, and was re-adopted by us in 2009 when she was 10 – long long story) has special needs as she has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, but she is a gifted (and award-winning) artist, and is a joy in our lives. Education and Law School
• LL.B. (with Great Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, 1992
• Hons. Cert. (with High Honours), University of Saskatchewan, 1987
• Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, 1985
I have been practicing in the areas of insolvency, restructuring and commercial litigation since my call to the bar in 1993, and have represented clients before all levels of the courts in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as in the Supreme Court of Canada. Throughout my career my practice has included a broad range of insolvency, restructuring, and commercial litigation matters, including representing and advising debtors, secured and unsecured creditors and other stakeholders in Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act proceedings, receiverships, and bankruptcies, as well as representing and advising court-appointed officers including monitors, receivers, and trustees in bankruptcy. I have also acted for parties in minority shareholder disputes, proxy contests, and general commercial litigation matters. My work / career history is as follows:
• After being admitted to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1993, I clerked with Mr. Justice Major of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1994, before being called to the Alberta Bar in 1995.
• From 1995 until March 2017, I was with Macleod Dixon LLP / Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP
• March 2017 to the present I have been Partner, Insolvency and Restructuring, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Calgary, Alberta
L’Arche Experience
I served on the Board of L’Arche Calgary for 12 ½ years (from October 2004 to June 2017). During that time I served in various offices, including three years as Board President. During that time the L’Arche Calgary Board made the transition to a governance board, and implemented numerous Board governance policies. In addition to providing governance oversight as part of the usual Board practices, we went through a couple of changes in Community Leader/Executive Director and so we were involved in that process, as well as periodic mandate processes. In this capacity I also had regular and numerous interactions with the local community.
Following my stepping down from the L’Arche Calgary Board (necessitated by the implementation of term limits) I served on the Board of the L’Arche Canada Foundation from September 2017 until spring 2020 when the LCF Board was disbanded.
What I hope to Contribute to L’Arche
During the time I have been involved with L’Arche I have come to understand that the mission and vision of L’Arche is a prophetic message for the world. In addition to being engaged and thoughtful at the Board table so that I can meaningfully contribute to the discussion of matters before the Board, it would be my hope that I can assist in spreading the message of L’Arche to the broader Canadian society. Personal/Family Description
I was born June 1, 1963 (so I just turned 60, which is hard to comprehend). My wife and I have been married for 35 years. We have three children: (1) Stefan, who is 31, is working as a mechanical engineer in Ottawa, has been married for 7 years to Bonnie, and they had their first child (Coen) in October 2022, (2) Lucas, who is 25, living in Vancouver, and had formerly worked as a software engineer with Amazon, and (3) Katia, who is 23 and is at home with us, and is a visual artist. Stefan, Bonnie and Coen are in the process of moving from Ottawa (where they have been living for the past 5 years) to Calgary, as Stefan will be starting a Masters program in mechatronics at the U of C in September. Katia (who was born in Russia, was adopted by an American family out of a Russian orphanage, and was re-adopted by us in 2009 when she was 10 – long long story) has special needs as she has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, but she is a gifted (and award-winning) artist, and is a joy in our lives. Education and Law School
• LL.B. (with Great Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, 1992
• Hons. Cert. (with High Honours), University of Saskatchewan, 1987
• Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction), University of Saskatchewan, 1985