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Heather is a leading tax practitioner in Canada who has been repeatedly recognized by her peers as a top tax expert in Canada. With twenty years of experience, she brings her wide range of knowledge to solve complex problems for clients – whether they require tax planning and advisory work, or assistance in resolving disputes with the tax authorities.
Tax planning and advising experience:
Dispute resolution experience:
Heather has also presented at various conferences, panels, seminars, and other events, including:
Counsel for Maxim Power Corp. in respect to the sale of Summit Coal Inc. and Summit Coal Limited Partnership to Valory Resources Inc. for $14.2 million. Concurrent with the sale, Maxim and Summit entered into an agreement such that Maxim receives a 3% royalty on any raw coal produced from the coal lease currently owned by Summit, and Maxim through its subsidiary Milner Power Inc. entered into a ground lease, with a nominee of Valory for the construction and operation of a coal processing facility.
Counsel to Graham Group Ltd., a Calgary-based construction solutions company, in its acquisition of the Canadian assets and business of Rokstad Power (2018) Ltd. from its court-appointed receiver for CAD $20,000,000.00.
Counsel to Lucero Energy Corp. in the acquisition of Lucero by Vitesse Energy, Inc. pursuant to a plan of arrangement under the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) whereby each share of Lucero was exchanged for 0.01239 of a share of Vitesse common stock, representing a transaction value of US$222 million (C$315 million).
Counsel to Cardinal Energy in its offering of $45 million aggregate principal amount of 8.25% senior subordinated unsecured debentures with a syndicate of underwriters co-led by CIBC Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets and ATB Capital Markets, with CIBC Capital Markets and RBC Capital Markets acting as joint-bookrunners, and including BMO Capital Markets, Peters & Co. Limited, Canaccord Genuity Corp. and Raymond James Ltd.
Counsel to Cardinal Energy in its $60 million unit offering with a syndicate of underwriters led by CIBC Capital Markets and including ATB Securities Inc., RBC Capital Markets., BMO Capital Markets, Peters & Co. Limited, Canaccord Genuity Corp., iA Private Wealth Inc., Raymond James Ltd. and Haywood Securities Inc. Each unit was comprised of one 7.75% senior subordinated unsecured debenture and 65 common share purchase warrants.
Counsel to ARC Resources Ltd. in its $8.1 billion strategic Montney combination with Seven Generations Energy, resulting in ARC becoming Canada's largest condensate producer, third-largest natural gas producer and sixth-largest upstream energy company.
Appeared at Supreme Court of Canada in precedent-setting tax case, Deans Knight Income Corporation v. His Majesty the King. This high-profile dispute asked whether the general anti-avoidance rule in the Income Tax Act could apply to nullify a company's losses after it underwent a recapitalization and restart transaction. With a taxpayer win at the Tax Court of Canada, which was subsequently overturned by the Federal Court of Appeal, the taxpayer appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. The appeal was heard on November 2, 2022.
Counsel to the Graham Group of Companies in the acquisition of the North American assets of AECOM’s Energy Operations and Maintenance Division. The acquisition positions the Graham Group as the third largest construction company in Canada and Western Canada’s largest industrial services company.
Counsel to Greenfire Acquisition Corporation in its acquisition of all of the shares of Japan Canada Oil Sands Limited, which has a working interest in the Hangingstone facility in Alberta, for an undisclosed amount.
Counsel to WestBlock Capital Inc., a cryptocurrency mining company, in its acquisition by LUXXFOLIO Holdings Inc., a digital infrastructure provider based in Canada for an undisclosed sum.
Counsel to Whitecap Resources Inc. in its indirect acquisition of Kicking Horse Oil & Gas Ltd., a portfolio company of Quantum Energy Partners, for $300 million.
Counsel to Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust in a bought deal financing of 5,909,375 trust units for gross proceeds of $94,550,000.
Counsel to Peloton Computer Enterprises Ltd. in its acquisition of Cevian Technologies, a cloud-based software company.
Counsel to Whitecap Resources Inc. in its strategic business combination with TORC Oil & Gas Ltd. from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and others for approximately $560 million.
Canadian counsel to the Scoular Company, a large, privately-owned US agricultural commodities trading company, in the sale of its edible bean business, which included processing plants in St. Hilaire, Minnesota, U.S.; Plum Coulee and Morden, Manitoba; and receiving stations in Garske and Grafton, North Dakota, U.S., to Cooperative Elevator Co., for approximately US $25 million.
Counsel to Alaris Royalty Corp. on its $100,000,000 financing of 5.5% senior unsecured subordinated debentures.
Counsel to MEG, a Canadian oil sands producer, and its board of directors in response to the unsolicited tender offer by Husky Energy. Husky sought to acquire the entire share capital of MEG for approximately $6 billion.
Counsel to NuVista in the $625 million acquisition of the Cenovus Pipestone Partnership, which holds assets in the Pipestone area of Northwest Alberta.
Counsel to NewAlta in the $1 billion merger with Tervita Corporation, a Canadian environmental solutions provider, in a stock swap transaction.
Counsel to Enerflex Ltd., through the U.S. entity Enerflex Energy Systems Inc., in its US$106 million acquisition of U.S. based contract compression business, Mesa Compression, LLC.
Counsel to Marathon Oil Corporation in the US$2.5 billion sale of Marathon Oil Canada Corporation to Canadian Natural Resources Limited and Shell Canada Energy.
Counsel to Spur Resources Ltd. in the $407.5 million acquisition by Tamarack Valley Energy Ltd.
Counsel to Tourmaline Oil Corp. in the $1.37 billion acquisition of strategic assets located in the Alberta Deep Basin and the north east British Columbia Gundy area from Shell Canada Energy.
Counsel to Inter Pipeline Ltd. in a $600 million public offering of 22,430,000 subscription receipts.
Counsel to Axia NetMedia Corporation in the $272 million acquisition by Partners Group in a going private transaction completed by plan of arrangement.
Counsel to Yoho Resources Inc. in the $30.5 million going private transaction led by One Stone Energy Partners LP.
Counsel to Whitecap Resources Inc. in the $595 million acquisition of premium oil assets in southwest Saskatchewan from Husky Energy Inc.
Counsel to PrairieSky Royalty Ltd. in $1.8 billion acquisition of royalty assets from Canadian Natural Resources Limited.
Counsel to Carmel Bay in the $200 million equity line of credit established from Quantum.
Counsel to Ag Growth International Inc. in the $221 million acquisition of the Westeel division of Vicwest Inc.
Counsel to Freehold Royalties Ltd.in its $373 million public offering of 20,700,000 common shares and the $33 million private placement of 1,833,334 common shares.
Counsel to Mullen Group Ltd. in the $172 million acquisition of Manitoba-based Gardewine Group.
Counsel to Progress Energy Canada Ltd. in the $1.5 billion acquisition of part of Talisman Energy Ltd.'s Montney acreage in northeast British Columbia.
Counsel to Baytex Energy Corp. in its $1.5 billion public offering of 38,433,000 subscription receipts.
Counsel to Progress Energy Resources Corp. in the $5.2 billion acquisition by PETRONAS, the Malaysian national oil company.
Counsel to Progress in the $1.1 billion sale of 50% working interest in Montney shale assets in Foothills of north eastern British Columbia to PETRONAS, the Malaysian national oil company, and the formation of an upstream joint venture to develop the gas assets as well as a downstream LNG Export Project Joint Venture pursuant to which they plan to build and operate a major LNG export facility.
Counsel to International Petroleum Corporation in the acquisition of oil and natural gas assets in Suffield and Alderson areas of southern Alberta from Cenovus Energy Inc. for proceeds of $512 million plus an additional deferred contingent amount of $36 million
Counsel to Deans Knight Income Corporation in a case that involves whether the deduction of tax attributes can be properly denied by the CRA on the basis of the general anti-avoidance rule in the Income Tax Act (Canada). (Deans Knight Income Corporation v. Her Majesty the Queen)
Counsel to Decisive Farming Corp in the acquisition by TELUS Agriculture Solutions Inc.
Counsel to HPC Energy Services Ltd. in a Plan of Arrangement whereby TriWest Capital Partners acquired a majority interest in HPC Energy Services Ltd. for an undisclosed amount.
Counsel to US Development Group LLC in its 50/50 joint venture with Gibson Energy to advance the financing, development and construction of a Diluent Recovery Unit in Hardisty, Alberta.
Advising a power development company on its due diligence and bid to acquire Regional Power Inc., a corporate group with 106 MW of hydroelectric assets in BC and Ontario from ManuLife Financial Corporation.
Advising a power development company on a limited partnership and contract for differences with a corporate investor that was interested in acquiring green power from an independent wind project as part of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
Named in Lexpert's Special Edition: Finance 2025
Named a Leading Practitioner in Lexpert's Leading 500 Cross-Border Lawyers: A Guide to Doing Business in Canada, Corporate Tax (2025)
Recognized in Best Lawyers Canada in Tax Law (2020-2025)
Named by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a leading lawyer in corporate tax (2018, 2020-2025)
Named in Lexpert's Special Edition on Canada's Leading Energy Lawyers (2020)
Recognized by the Legal 500 Canada as a recommended tax lawyer (2018-2019)
April 14, 2020
March 24, 2020
April 9, 2019
April 16, 2025
March 11, 2025
January 28, 2025
September 27, 2024
August 29, 2024
March 6, 2024
January 10, 2024
August 24, 2023
March 1, 2023
August 25, 2022
April 23, 2021
October 27, 2020
August 27, 2020
April 29, 2020
August 21, 2019
November 29, 2018