Partner
After having led the Private Finance team for several years, Dominique Bélisle now serves as Co-Group Leader of the Business Law Group at Lavery. Her practice is mainly focused in the fields of business financing and real estate law.

She is involved in business financing transactions made by way of traditional debt or subordinated debt and regularly represents lenders, syndicates of lenders, and corporate borrowers. She acts regularly in the drafting and negotiation of syndicated credit agreements, intercreditor agreements, subordination agreements, and security documents on all types of immovable and movable assets and their registration in the relevant jurisdictions.

She also works in real estate transactions, such as purchase and sale of real estate assets and commercial leases, and is often involved in the implementation of complex ownership structures of immovable rights and related consortium and partnership agreements.

Combining her knowledge of financing and real estate, she has developed over the years a keen interest in complex transactions requiring specific expertise in areas such as project financing, interim construction financing as well as transactions involving the natural resources industry (particularly mining and forestry), hydro-electric power plants, sandpits, open-pit mines, cement plants, real estate investment trusts (REITs), retirement residences, securitized mortgage loans (CMBS), commercial condominiums, rights of superficies (surface rights), emphyteutic rights, and projects held through public-private partnerships (PPP's).

Her negotiation skills and sense of leadership have led her to negotiate large-scale transactions and to manage working teams efficiently. She was notably involved in the following transactions:

• She represented Hydro-Quebec TransÉnergie (HQTE) in the acquisition by HQTE of six power transmission lines from Corporation Abitibi-Consolidated of Canada ("CACC"), which transaction occurred in connection with ACCC’s plan of arrangement with its creditors and as a result of the acquisition by Hydro-Quebec Production of the participation of CACC in the McCormick Power Plant.
• She represented a Canadian financial institution in the financing of up to $40 million of the vehicle fleet of a major car and truck rental company and served in the negotiation of the intercreditor agreements with the other creditors.
• She acted as legal counsel to The Toronto-Dominion Bank, as agent and lead arranger, in the $20 million financing granted to 20-20 Technologies Inc. to finance acquisitions in the United Kingdom and abroad.
• She represented a major accounting firm in the implementation and increase in the operating credit facilities granted by means of a club deal by seven financial institutions, in the granting of the related security documentation and in the drafting of the related intercreditor agreement.
• She represented a Canadian financial institution with respect to the project financing granted to a promoter in the amount of $36,3 million for the construction of a 12-story building of luxurious condominium units located on Sherbrooke Street West in Montreal.
• She acted as legal counsel to a multinational company, as borrower, in its C$125,000,000 syndicated financing led by National Bank Financial Inc., as agent and lead arranger and in its US$52,000,000 syndicated financing underwritten by the National Bank of Canada granted to refinance a private placement. She also represented this client with respect to the private placement of notes in the US market.
• She represented a Canadian financial institution in the financing up to $76 million for the construction of a two-tower building located downtown Montreal and in the related negotiation with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to authorize the conversion of one of the two towers into a property held through divided co-ownership.
• She acted as legal counsel to National Bank Financial Inc., as agent and lead arranger, in the $200 million financing granted to Cominar Real Estate Investment Trust to acquire commercial real estate buildings from Alexis Nihon Real Estate Investment Trust.
• She represented a private owner in its $18 million refinancing of its three hydroelectric power plants and in the granting of security on the assets of the company.