Our Restructuring & Insolvency Team reflects on the year, the industry trends and significant matters of 2022. The Team also looks forward as to what the next 12 months may have in store.
Since we last discussed the then-novel restructuring mechanism known as the reverse vesting order (RVO) in 2020, insolvency professionals have been seeking, and courts have been approving, this facilitative remedy with greater frequency.
Le 10 novembre 2022, la Cour suprême du Canada (CSC) a rendu sa décision très attendue dans l’affaire Peace River Hydro Partners c. Petrowest Corp. (affaire Petrowest).
When a borrowing company goes into administration, lenders will want to enforce their security immediately. However, administration risk delays lenders from enforcing their security during the moratorium period without leave from the court or consent from the administrator.
This article provides an insight into administration risk, explains ways to mitigate administration risk and how featherweight securities can be effectively used.
L’arbitrage est un mode consensuel de résolution des différends qui permet aux parties de personnaliser leur processus et même de choisir leur propre décideur. L’insolvabilité est le scénario diamétralement opposé, dans lequel les différends concernant le débiteur sont involontairement regroupés devant un seul tribunal d’insolvabilité.
Arbitration is a consensual method of dispute resolution in which the parties can customize their process and even select their own decision-maker. Insolvency is the diametrically opposite scenario, where disputes involving the debtor are involuntarily consolidated before a single insolvency court.
Introduction
On March 30, 2022, in the context of receivership proceedings of Balanced Energy Oilfield Services Inc., Balanced Energy Oilfield Services (USA) Inc. and Balanced Energy Holdings Inc. (collectively, the Debtors), the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (the Court) issued an order, among other things
Introduction
On March 30, 2022, in the context of receivership proceedings of Balanced Energy Oilfield Services Inc., Balanced Energy Oilfield Services (USA) Inc. and Balanced Energy Holdings Inc. (collectively, the Debtors), the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta (the Court) issued an order, among other things
Due to a number of factors, including the extent of available capital in the markets and the continued backstop provided by government programs designed to blunt the economic effects of the pandemic, 2021 was not the apocalypse many were predicting. Nevertheless, Canadian restructuring professionals and courts continued to confront and overcome issues in a number of important areas, including extraordinary first day relief, good faith and lack thereof, eligible financial contracts and liquidating Companies’ Creditors Arrangements Act (CCAA) proceedings.
The Court at first instance held that the Applicants failed to establish that the Company was insolvent. The key findings that informed the Associate Judge’s conclusions included the following:
- the funds that were available to the Company to pay its debts included funds in an offset account in the name of the director (and an account in the name of the director’s wife); and
- the Applicants’ claims were based on unreconciled accounts of the Company.
The Applicants were granted leave to appeal and appealed the decision of the Court a quo.