In May 2011, the Government of Québec unveiled its Plan Nord, a 25-year, $80 billion development project focused on Northern Québec. The Plan Nord affects 72% of the province’s territory and about 1.6% of its population.
The Plan Nord proposes to establish a new partnership between various Québec governmental and municipal bodies, the private sector and Aboriginal communities for the development of the mining, energy, forest and wildlife resource sectors, as well as the tourism and bio-food industries in Northern Québec.
The Plan Nord provides for a four-fold funding strategy where private sector partners will participate in the funding of infrastructure development. Government revenues resulting from economic development initiatives, along with direct and indirect tax spinoffs from public infrastructure projects will be reinvested in the Plan Nord. Investissement Québec, the investment arm of the Government of Québec, will take equity stakes in mining companies (and other businesses) as part of Plan Nord. Hydro-Québec will also contribute annually to development projects in the region.
Osler’s team has extensive experience advising clients with interests in the Québec mining, forestry and energy sectors on investments, divestitures, joint ventures, infrastructure projects, complex environmental, Aboriginal and regulatory matters, and general commercial and trade matters. We combine commercial, financial, energy and project experience with our intimate knowledge of local business and legal practices to help our clients stay at the forefront of the Plan Nord development.
Ask Osler’s Plan Nord Group about:
- Aboriginal consultation and negotiation of Aboriginal agreements
- Commercial arrangements including royalty, exploration and development, power purchase agreements and related off-take arrangements
- Construction and infrastructure matters
- Dispute resolution and litigation
- Employment and labour, and pensions and benefits issues
- Engineering, procurement and construction contracts, and equipment supply agreements
- Interconnection agreements
- Joint ventures and strategic alliances
- Mineral and surface rights
- Mining including commercial agreements, project finance and continuous disclosure (National Instrument 43-101)
- Project development and planning
- Public equity or debt securities offerings, private placements, strategic investments and other financing transactions
- Real Estate
- Regulatory approvals and environmental assessments
- Solicited and unsolicited M&A transactions
- Taxation issues and structuring
- Transportation and shipping commitments and contracts
With close to 70 lawyers based in Montréal, working with our Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa Vancouver and New York offices, we provide seamless service across North America.