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Martin Aquilina is a partner in Gowlings' Ottawa office, practising in the area of business law with a focus on corporate and securities matters. Recently back from studying in the Netherlands, Martin has completed a Masters in international and European law.
Martin has experience in financial services regulatory matters, private and public offerings of equity securities, private placements of debt instruments, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. He also assists companies protect their intellectual property.
After articling with a national firm in Montréal, Martin was in-house counsel for a multi-billion dollar financial services group. In that capacity, he acted as a key resource for the company’s financial consultants across the country, providing legal advice on a wide range of issues as well as reporting to the company’s vice-president of corporate affairs on compliance and regulatory matters. Following his call to the Ontario Bar, Martin joined a prominent Ottawa firm where he practised corporate, commercial and securities law for close to six years.
Martin has assisted companies obtain a listing on the TSX Venture Exchange under the capital pool company program. He is an expert on mortgage investment corporations and lead a mortgage investment corporation in its initial public offering, the first of its kind in Canada. Other accomplishments include the creation and licensing of a trust company, acting before the Ontario Securities Commission and the Autorité des marchés financiers du Québec to obtain discretionary orders and rulings, and the licensing of individuals and firms with securities and insurance regulators. He regularly acts in cross-border financings and acquisitions.
Martin is formally trained in both civil law and common law and is qualified to practice in the provinces of Ontario and Québec.
He has taught securities law for the Institute of Law Clerks of Ontario and otherwise publicly spoken on privacy matters and on a variety of securities and corporate law topics.
Martin is fluent in French, English and Italian and he is able to communicate in Spanish. He also has a working knowledge of German and Dutch. Martin has represented buyers and sellers of businesses in various sectors. In the financial services area, he has represented both domestic and foreign lenders. Martin's deal experience includes:
- Acting for International Datacasting Corporation (TSX: IDC) in an amalgamation with a private company.
- Representing AFL Capital Ventures Inc. (TSX-V: AFL.p) in its initial public offering and acquisition of Equity Transfer Services Inc.
- Representing Frontenac Mortgage Investment Corporation in its initial public offering and subsequent prospectus offerings of common shares.
- Acting for NPN Investment Group (TSX-V: NPN.p) in its initial public offering and in its acquisition of mineral rights in the Nunavut.
- Acting for the Government of Nunavut in the financing and acquisition of the Qikiqtani General Hospital.
- Assisting Ontario Centres of Excellence Inc. in the creation of the Investment Accelerator Fund, a $29 million pool of capital funded by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation to assist early-stage technology companies.
- Representing II-VI Incorporated in its public secondary offering of shares of 5N Plus Inc. (TSX: VNP).
- Acting for YOW Capital Corporation (TSX-V: YOW.P) in its initial and subsequent public offerings and its acquisition of mineral assets in Alaska.
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