Wesley R. Novotny

Wesley Novotny provides tax advice on a wide range of corporate and personal tax matters. He advises clients on domestic and cross-border corporate reorganizations and mergers and acquisitions. He has experience in providing legal opinions on questions of tax law and drafting tax disclosures for public documents. Wes also assists owner-operator businesses with corporate reorganizations and personal tax planning. He also provides advice on questions of farm taxation and reorganizations of farm businesses.

Wes also advises clients in disputes with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) at the audit and appeals stages as well as before the Tax Court of Canada. He also has experience assisting clients with voluntary disclosures and in dealing with CRA collections.

Wes is a Director of the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society and a member of the Canadian Tax Foundation. He has completed levels 1, 2 and 3 of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants In-Depth Tax Course and the Canadian Petroleum Tax Society course on Taxation of Oil and Gas Companies.

Wes clerked for Madame Justice Alice Desjardins and Mr. Justice Robert Décary of the Federal Court of Appeal from 2007 to 2008. Wes attended McGill University as a Loran Scholar. He continues to be involved with the Loran Scholars Foundation and has served as the Southern Alberta co-Administrator and Administrator for the Loran selection process since 2009.

Wes is a frequent speaker and writer on tax related matters and has presented papers at Canadian Tax Foundation and Canadian Petroleum Tax Society conferences and seminars.

Select Experience

• Crocodile Gold Corp. (TSX) in connection with its combination with Newmarket Gold Inc. (TSXV) pursuant to a court approved plan of arrangement for approximately $185 million. Read more
• Feedlot Health Management Services Ltd. in its successful appeal to the Tax Court of Canada in a case involving the interpretation of fundamental aspects of Canada's scientific research and experimental development taxation regime. Read more
• MEG Energy Corp. in connection with its completed initial public offering of its common shares on August 6, 2010.  A total of 20,000,000 shares were issued at $35.00 per share, for aggregated gross proceeds of $700,000,000.

Recent Publications

• Budget 2017: Changes to Canadian Exploration Expense and Flow-Through Shares
• The ‘Special Work Site' and ‘Remote Location' Exemptions
• Tax Effective Use by Canadian Online Retailers of Bermuda Operations for International Expansion

News & Speaking Engagements

• Canadian Tax Foundation Annual Conference (2016)
• Canadian Petroleum Tax Society September Luncheon
• Bennett Jones Names Eight New Partners