Jesse Fontaine

Associate

 fontainej@bennettjones.com
Education
University of Alberta, JD, 2021, with distinction
Bar Admissions
Alberta, 2022
Overview

Jesse Fontaine practices corporate and securities law with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, equity and debt financings and corporate restructuring. His experience includes advising:

  • buyers and sellers in connection with private M&A transactions, including extensive experience in private equity buyouts and structuring, along with more straightforward asset and share purchase transactions;
  • issuers on public and private offerings of equity and debt securities;
  • corporate clients with general corporate and securities law matters, including corporate governance, continuous disclosure and other regulatory compliance issues;
  • commercial parties on various partnership, joint venture and teaming agreements with Indigenous nations throughout Western Canada; and
  • various actors in the insolvency process, including through the execution of sales and solicitation processes and other special situations. 

While attending the University of Alberta, Jesse was awarded a Faculty of Law Major Entrance Award, the Dr. Alexander Smith, Q.C. Prize in the Subject of Contract and the Manning Family Award in Law. Jesse was a member of the University of Alberta's First Place Team at the 2020 Davies Corporate/Securities Law Moot Court Competition.

An active member of his legal and local community, Jesse volunteered with the River City Venture Legal Services Centre, assisting law students at the University of Alberta in providing free legal support to start-ups and entrepreneurs in the Edmonton area.

Jesse is located in our Toronto office, but has assisted clients based throughout Canada, in the United States and overseas.

Experience
•  Whitewater Management in its acquisition of Orion Water Solutions, a leading provider of sustainable water treatment and wastewater management solutions
•  The Vendor group on the sale of the shares of Pacific Northwest Moving (Yukon) Limited and it's subsidiaries to Mullen Group Ltd.
•  Champion Petfoods, maker of ORIJEN and ACANA, in its sale to an affiliate of Mars, Incorporated.
•  Hillcore Group in its acquisition of SITE Resource Group, a diverse service provider providing infrastructure, piling, foundation, environmental, and civil services in Western Canada and Puerto Rico.
•  Hillcore Group in its acquisition of White Water Management, a leading fluid management business in Western Canada, and the business of its subsidiary, Catalyst Production Systems.
•  Hillcore Management Corporation in closing the acquisition of Midlite Construction Ltd. and its subsidiary TND Rentals & Supplies Ltd. by way of Share Purchase.
•  CoolIT Systems Inc., a leading provider of scalable liquid cooling solutions, in its US$270 million acquisition by KKR.
•  Hillcore Group in its acquisition of Thompson Construction Group, a leading heavy civil contractor and construction company in Western Canada.
•  Maclab Communities Ltd. in their purchase of approximately 56 acres of land, buildings and associated real property rights in Edmonton, Alberta, constituting the Mill Woods Town Centre Mall.