Chris Bennett is Chair of the National Banking and Financial Services practice group at Osler. He also leads the firm’s Project Finance team in Toronto.
Chris’ practice focuses on financial services with an emphasis on public-private partnerships, project finance, infrastructure and structured finance. Chris has extensive experience acting for domestic and international lenders, developers, equity sponsors and other participants in connection with complex P3 and infrastructure transactions and project financings across Canada. He has led major transactions in a variety of industry sectors and asset classes, including social infrastructure, transportation, electricity and renewable energy. Chris has closed more than 50 P3 projects over his career, and his experience includes a number of innovative, first-of-type public private partnerships, including the first major healthcare P3 transaction in Canada to reach financial close, the first Canadian domestic monoline wrapped bank financing and the first combined bank-bond transportation project. He has represented all major categories of project finance lenders in the Canadian market, including domestic and foreign banks, private placement investors and bond underwriters. Chris is the only Canadian lawyer to be named as “Star Individual” for Project: PPP and Infrastructure by Chambers Canada.
Chris has spoken and written extensively on matters relating to project finance and public-private partnerships. Chris has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law since 2007 where he teaches on the law and policy of public private partnerships and risk transference between the public and private sectors.