Counsel
Didier Culat
Contact
Quebec
Complexe Jules-Dallaire, T12828 Laurier Blvd., 12th Floor
Quebec City, Quebec G1V 0B9
CANADA 418 266-4500 418 266-4515 info@bcf.ca
Montreal
25th Floor1100 René-Lévesque Blvd. West
Montreal, Quebec H3B 5C9
CANADA 514 397-8500 514 397-8515 info@bcf.ca
Profile
Didier Culat has acted in financings and commercial transactions with international or cross-border implications and in securities law. In that regard he has acted as corporate secretary and coordinating counsel for Canada and the United States to a manufacturer of motor coaches, counsel to an aeronautics manufacturer, Quebec relationship manager for an environmental management firm with operations in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec and coordinating counsel for a private equity firm in regards to their legal needs in Canada and the United States. He has particular experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings and securitized transactions.
Didier also frequently assists other Canadian and foreign law firms in their commercial or securities work in the Province of Quebec. He has also lectured and written for audiences in Canada, the United States and Europe about the opportunities under the free trade agreements with Canada and about doing business in Quebec.
Originally from Lyon, France, Didier lived in Vancouver for 22 years and then studied in New Brunswick prior to moving to Quebec City. In addition to a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of British Columbia, Didier has completed a law degree in common law at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton and a law degree in civil law at Université Laval in Quebec City. He has been a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers since 1988. He was a student-at-law in the legal department of the Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat and the Ministry of International Affairs (1990).
Expertise
Industries
Education
- Called to the Barreau du Québec (1993)
- LL.B. (Civil Law), Université Laval (1992)
- LL.B. (Common Law), University of New Brunswick (1991)
- F.I.C.B. (1988)
- B.A. (Political Science / International Relations), University of British Columbia (1987)
Publications
-
"Growing Canadian Business Abroad"
September 30, 2022, Best Lawyers
-
"Does Your Company Have Continuous Disclosure Obligations in the Securities Industry? You May Be Eligible for an Extension"
June 10, 2020, www.bcf.ca with the collaboration of Vincent Garibaldi
-
"50 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself Before Doing Business in Canada"
February 12, 2020, www.bcf.ca
-
"Importers Beware: Canada Border Services Agency Retroactive Trade Compliance Verifications"
October 30, 2019, www.bcf.ca
-
"Court Smooths Way for Canadian Exports to Europe"
June 6, 2019, www.bcf.ca
-
"CFIUS – Recent Additional Protectionist Measures making Investments in the United States more difficult"
September 14, 2018, www.bcf.ca
-
"Are Chinese Industrial Goods Competing Against Your Products in the United States?"
June 22, 2018, www.bcf.ca
-
"International Public Procurements: Interested?"
June 13, 2018, www.bcf.ca
-
"Aluminum and Steel: Impacts of Canada – US Commercial Relations"
June 4, 2018, www.bcf.ca
-
"The Challenges of Agri-Food Marketing Under CETA"
2018, www.bcf.ca
-
"Le marché canadien est maintenant plus ouvert que jamais: saurez-vous profiter de l’AECG?"
November 15, 2017, www.bcf.ca
-
"L’AECG et la Loi sur investissement Canada : ce qui a changé"
October 10 2017, www.bcf.ca with Richard Epstein and Adam Allouba
-
"L’AECG et les brevets pharmaceutiques : les certificats de protection supplémentaires désormais instaurés au Canada"
September 27, 2017, www.bcf.ca with Emma Saffman
-
"Mise en oeuvre provisoire de l’AECG aujourd’hui"
September 21, 2017, www.bcf.ca
-
"7 façons de profiter de l’ouverture du marché Européen"
September 5, 2017, www.bcf.ca
-
"L’AECG et les dispositifs médicaux; cinq aspects qu’il faut prendre le temps d’examiner très sérieusement"
August 30, 2017, www.bcf.ca with Tuba Yamac
-
"Avez-vous obtenu votre quota de fromages?"
August 18, 2017, www.bcf.ca
-
"Sind sie für Kanada bereit?"
May 2017, with Dr Anton M. Ostler
-
"Êtes-vous prêts pour l’AECG?"
April 2017, Action Canada France
-
"Êtes-vous prêts pour le Canada?"
March 2017, CAP’IDF
-
"Pourquoi le libre échange avec le Canada?"
January 2017, Action Canada France
-
"Êtes-vous prêts pour l’Europe?"
October 31, 2016, www.bcf.ca
-
"Les droits de mobilité des voyageurs d’affaires en vertu de l’AECG"
January 2016, Action Canada France with Julie Lessard
-
"Fièrement produit au Canada"
February 6, 2015, www.bcf.ca;
-
"Intéressés par les marchés publics internationaux"
January 19, 2015, www.bcf.ca
-
"Brevets pharmaceutiques, trois choses qui vont changer avec l’accord de libre-échange Canada-Union Européenne"
November 27, 2014, www.bcf.ca
-
"Rêvez-vous de commercialiser votre reblochon ou votre gorgonzola?"
October 24, 2014, www.bcf.ca
-
"Signature de l’accord de libre-échange Canada-Union Européenne"
October 1st 2014, www.bcf.ca
-
"Canada / EU FTA : Canada Today / USA Tomorrow"
September 29, 2014, Point de vue canadien
-
"Doing business in Quebec, 10 important things you should know"
2006, updated 2014
-
"Faire affaire au Québec, 10 choses importantes que vous devez savoir"
2007, updated 2014
-
"Como fazer negócios en Quebec, 10 choisas importantes que você deve saber"
2014, with Bruna Guedes
-
"Director’s liability" version française "Responsabilité des administrateurs"
2006, updated 2007 and 2010
-
"Official languages in Canada"
2005, Doing Business with Canada, Pennsylvania Bar Institute 2005-4117, p. Intro-11
-
"Conditional sales contracts in Quebec"
2005, Doing Business with Canada, Pennsylvania Bar Institute 2005-4117, p. Sales-45 with Audrey Mulholland
-
"Doing Business with Canada"
Pennsylvania Bar Institute 2005-4117, p. Sales-45, 2005
-
"The use of Offering Memorandum in Canada" (collaboration)
Canadian Securities Law News, no 124, 2004
-
"Qui financera une jeune entreprise ambitieuse et visionnaire ? Demandez à un avocat"
Le Bulletin du Cercle, vol. 1, no 3, 2000
-
"Coveting thy neighbours beer: Intergovernmental Agreements Dispute Settlement and Interprovincial Trade Barriers"
Les Cahiers de droit, vol. 33, no 2, 1992
Representative Work
- Counsel to Sunshine Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: “SBFM”), a pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of oncology and antiviral drugs, in its acquisition of Nora Pharma Inc., a Canadian pharmaceutical company offering generic and specialty drugs and one of North America’s fastest growing generic pharmaceutical companies;
- Counsel to Alliance Magnesium in the financing of $145M for the construction of its commercial demonstration plant for the production of 18,000 metric tons per year of magnesium from serpentine and secondary magnesium mine tailings from the metal processing industry;
- Lead counsel to TeraXion in its bank refinancing with CIBC as well as in a major corporate reorganization whereby BDC Capital became a minority shareholder;
- Counsel to Bombardier on the sale of their CRJ program to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries;
- Counsel to Bombardier in the sale of its business aircraft training program to CAE Inc;
- Counsel to the shareholders of Megalifter in the sale of all issued and outstanding share to Metal 7;
- Counsel to Bombardier in the sale of a manufacturing division to Lauak SARL;
- Counsel to DMD Digital Health Connections Group Inc. in its plan of arrangement under the CBCA in a management buy-out going private transaction and associated financing;
- As lead counsel, assisted a Virginia based recreational theme park operator conclude a cross border financing and acquisition of 5 theme parks in the province of Quebec;
- Lead counsel to EnerTech Capital, a Pennsylvania based clean tech venture capital fund, in a USD $24 M equity investment in Power Survey and Equipment in the context of its acquisition of California based Power Standards Lab;
- Counsel to TeraXion in the sale of its high-speed photonics components (HSPC) assets to Ciena Corporation for approximately USD $32 M (CAD $46.6 M);
- Co-counsel to Delma Resorts and Hostels LP in their qualifying transaction and listing of their shares on the CSE;
- Counsel to Debiopharm, a Swiss based pharmaceutical business, in it shareholder dealings with GenePOC;
- Counsel to the shareholdersof Trans-Sol Aviation Services in their sale of all their issued and outstanding shares to Avjet;
- Counsel to International Oil and Gas, an investment fund managed from London, England to a Canada/US stalking hose sale of Wellpoint Systems with a creditor bid under the bankruptcy and Insolvency Act before the courts in Alberta and under a chapter 15 before the US Bankruptcy Court in Delaware;
- Counsel to TeraXion Inc. in the financing and transactios related to its management buy out of its institutional shareholders;
- Counsel to Sigma Industries Inc. in the acquisition of strategic manufacturing equipement from China;
- Co-Counsel to Hortau Inc. in a Canada/US cross border equipment lease back financing;
- Counsel to the group acquiring the Concorde Hotel in Québec City;
- Counsel to Aztec Inc. in its Canada/US cross border REPO reorganisations;
- Co-Counsel to Produits Naturels Mondias inc. in their qualifying transaction and listing of their shares on the TSXV.
Conferences
-
October 15, 2019
“Are you ready for Canada?”, Munich, Arnecke Sibeth
-
October 3, 2019
"Êtes-vous prêt pour l'Europe?", Lévis, Vallée de la Plasturgie
-
June 17, 2019
"Êtes-vous prêt pour l'Europe?", CDPQ, Montréal
-
June 12, 2019
"Creating confidence in the capital markets and financial services with industry regulators", PCMA, Toronto
-
November 21, 2018
"Tips and Traps – OM Exemption, Marketing Materials, Subscription Agreements and Distributions Outside Jurisdiction", PCMA, Calgary (Canada)
-
October 18, 2018
"Êtes-vous prêt pour exporter vos produits et services?", PWC, Quebec (Canada)
-
October 3, 2018
“Cross Border M&A: Heads up on CFIUS”, HEC, Montreal (Canada)
-
May 3, 2018
“NAFTA: The State of Play”, Moderator of a panel discussion with his Excellency Rufus Yerxa, His Excellency Marc-André Blanchard and Hugo Cuesta, Meritas Annual Meeting, Miami (USA)
-
April 8, 2018
“Are you ready for Europe?”, Global Affairs, Toronto (Canada)
-
March 21, 2018
"CETA Panel Discussion", Think Canada, Toronto (Canada)
-
February 13 and 14, 2018
"Êtes-vous prêt pour l'Europe?", Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, Sept îles et Baie Comeau (Canada)
-
February 8, 2018
"Le déclin des exportations françaises au Canada et les opportunités grâce au CETA", FarMet Importers, Vancouver (Canada)
-
December 11, 2017
“Are you ready for Canada?”, Global Affairs, Canadian Embassy, Stockholm (Sweden)
-
December 13, 2017
“Are you ready for Canada?”, Global Affairs, Canada House, London (UK)
-
November 9, 2017
"Are you ready for Canada?", Frankfort, Meritas
-
October 31, 2017
"Êtes-vous prêt pour l’Europe?", Quebec, Montreal, Fondaction
-
October 30, 2017
"Êtes-vous prêt pour l’Europe?", Quebec, Quebec, CDPQ
-
September 21, 2017
"Êtes-vous prêt pour l’Europe?", Quebec, Montreal, BDC
-
September 2017
"Are you ready for Europe?", Vancouver and Toronto, Global Affairs Canada
-
May 2017
"Sind sie für Kanada bereit?", Frankfort, Berlin and Munich, Arnecke Sibeth
-
November 25, 2016
"Pourquoi le libre échange avec le Canada?", Rentrée du Barreau de Paris, Paris, France
-
November 22, 2016
"Les opportunités d’affaires de l’Accord de Libre-Échange Canada-Europe", Entretien Jacques-Cartier, Lyon, France
-
October 28, 2016 – March 17, 2017
"Être prêt pour l’Europe", Innovative Manufacturing Tour of Investissement Québec
-
July 20, 2016
"L’AECG", Online course accredited by the Quebec Bar
-
May 1st, 2014
"Canada / EU FTA: Canada today / USA tomorrow", Boston, with Dr. Dipl. Kaufm. Anton Ostler (Sibeth) and Mr. Emanuel Du Douët (Bignon Lebray)
-
February 15 and May 8, 2012
"La vente d’entreprise et d’actifs au Canada au moyen du stalking horse bid", Montréal
-
Novembre 2nd, 2011
"La vente d’entreprise et d’actifs au Canada au moyen du stalking horse bid", Québec City
-
March 17 and June 16, 2011
"Loi sur les sociétés par actions (Québec)", Québec and Montreal
-
June 2007 and September 2004
"Faire affaires au Québec" at Cap Canada 2004 and Cap Canada 2007
-
November 3, 2005
"Canada judicial system primer", Pennsylvania Bar Institute
Professional Affiliation(s)
- Member of the French Chamber of Commerce in Canada since 1999
- Member of the Executive Committee and Council Member of the Canadian Bar Association – Quebec Chapter (1996 to 2001)
- Member of the delegation of Canadian law experts for the World Bank in Washington DC for Team Canada (1998)
Involvement
- President of the Review Committee, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux (CIUSSS), Quebec City, (2016-2019);
- Independent board member, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux (CIUSSS), Quebec City, (2015-2019);
- Chair of the Board of Directors of Jeffery Hale-St-Brigid’s Hospital (2007-2015);
- Member of the Board of Directors, the administrative committee and the audit committee of Jeffery Hale Hospital (2000-2015);
- Chair of the Organizing Committee of the Canadian Bar Association's 2001 Mid-Winter Meeting at Mt. Ste-Anne (2001);
- Lecturer at the École du Barreau regarding international arbitration.
