Kevin Ackhurst
Partner
Kevin Ackhurst advises Canadian and international clients on all aspects of Canada’s competition and foreign investment laws. His practice involves analyzing the competitive implications of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, providing advice in respect of civil and criminal competition law matters, developing competition law compliance programs, and advising on the review of foreign investments under the net benefit and national security provisions of the Investment Canada Act.
Mr. Ackhurst has advised clients in a wide range of industries, including the automotive, aerospace, consumer products, film, video, publishing and recorded music, financial services, mining, oil and gas, specialty chemicals and telecommunications sectors.
In 2002-2003, Mr. Ackhurst was seconded to the International Affairs Division of the Canadian Competition Bureau. One of his primary responsibilities was to provide support to the chair of the steering group of the International Competition Network (ICN). His other responsibilities included preparing ministerial briefing notes, undertaking international benchmarking studies, and participating in interdepartmental meetings on the interplay between trade and competition law.
Year of call
Ontario 1999
Law school
LL.M., University of Toronto, 1997
LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School, 1996
Education
B.A., Western University, 1993
Selected client work
Mr. Ackhurst has recently acted for the following clients:
- Genstar Capital, LLC, a US-based private equity firm, in connection with its acquisition of Granite Global Solutions, a leading Canadian provider of risk mitigation services to insurance and corporate clients
- McKesson Canada in the acquisition of Patient Direct Group and Specialized Health Care Corporation, an Oakville, Ontario-based specialty and biological drug distribution, patient support and direct-to-patient drug dispensing business
- Nortel Networks Limited in the sale of its CDMA Business and LTE Access Assets to Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, its Enterprise Solutions Unit to Avaya Inc., its Optical Networking and Carrier Ethernet business to Ciena Corporation, its global Carrier VoIP and Application Solutions (CVAS) business to GENBAND, and the proposed sale of its intellectual property portfolio
- Warner Chilcott plc in its acquisition of the global pharmaceuticals business of The Procter & Gamble Company
- Non-Canadian-controlled media companies in acquisitions of Canadian-owned periodicals
- Porter Airlines in successfully resisting Air Canada’s application for judicial review of the method of allocating take-off and landing slots at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
- Nexen Inc. in its sale of certain heavy oil assets to Northern Blizzard Resources Inc.
- Ravenwood Energy Corp. in its acquisition of certain oil and gas assets in central Alberta
- Tecumseh Products in class actions related to alleged price fixing of hermetically sealed compressors (British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec actions) and lawn mowers and lawn mower engines (Ontario and Quebec actions)
Speaking engagements
- “Foreign Investment Review in Canada: The Uncertain Road” (moderator), Canadian Bar Association National Competition Law Section 2010 Annual Fall Conference, Gatineau, Quebec, September 2010.
- “Merger Notification and Procedures Working Group” (moderator), International Competition Network Annual Conference, Italy, September 2002 and Mexico, June 2003.
Media highlights
- “Details Fuzzy on Investment Canada Act Amendments,” Law Times, September 28, 2009.
Memberships and activities
- Canadian Bar Association National Competition Law Section
- Vice-Chair, Mergers Committee
- Foreign Investment Review Committee
- American Bar Association
- Adjunct Professor, Competition Law, University of Western Ontario Law School (2010 session)
- Canadian correspondent, Competition Newsletter, International Law Office