Heather is a partner in the Securities Group at Cassels Brock in Toronto, focusing on corporate finance and securities regulatory compliance. She brings structured products to market and works with investment funds. She lists companies on the TSX and TSXV and assists public companies in complying with stock exchange and securities commission requirements. In addition to her law practice, Heather is the Co-Director and a Course Director for the Osgoode Hall LL.M program in securities law and also teaches in legal professional development programs. Her career has included a number of years working for the TSX. Heather was also a contributing author in the Carswell book "Corporation Finance for Canadian Executives". Heather has served on the board of a crown corporation and currently serves on the boards of several private corporations. She has a B.Comm. from the University of Saskatchewan and an LL.B. and LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. Heather was appointed by the Federal Minister of Finance to the Expert Panel on Securities Regulation tasked with providing advice on the best way forward to improve securities regulation in Canada. The Expert Panel tabled a report and a model federal securities act in January 2009, with recommendations the Canadian government is pursuing through the transition office it has established to create a Canadian Securities Regulator. She was also appointed to the Securities Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the Ontario Securities Commission on legislative and policy initiatives and capital markets trends.
Heather's recent experience includes acting as:
· Agent's counsel on a bank offering of common shares and warrants
· Private international issuer's counsel for plan of arrangement to ensure new SEC registration requirements would not apply
· Advisor in monetization by City of Toronto of interest in a utility
· Advisor on securities law elements in connection with the court-supervised sale of two of North America's largest automakers
· Acted for underwriters in a bank offering of preferred shares
· Issuer's counsel in acquisition of a Canadian public company by a U.S. company
· Agents' counsel for prospectus offerings of notes under a medium term note program, for renewals of the medium term note program and for prospectus offerings of capital trust securities
· Issuer's Canadian counsel for a US company listed on both NASDAQ and the TSX
· Capital pool company and resulting issuer counsel for a foreign company qualifying transaction and public financing
· Agents' counsel for a mining IPO
· Issuer's counsel for annual prospectus renewals for an investment fund and for initial public offering for another fund
· Issuer's counsel for rights offerings for a TSX-listed mining exploration company
· Agents' counsel and issuer's counsel for various private placements of common shares, warrants and convertible debentures
· Issuer's counsel for flow-through investment fund prospectus offerings
· Canadian counsel to US company selling off a substantial part of its business to a Canadian company
· Company counsel for a reorganization and financial asset acquisition
· Issuer's counsel for a substantial issuer bid for all outstanding publicly held shares
· Issuer's counsel for a listing migration from TSX-VE to TSX and for an initial public offering and TSX listing
· Issuers' principal securities counsel, working with corporate counsel in connection with various public company issues and securities law filings
· Advisor to international securities advisors in obtaining Ontario securities registration
· Agent's counsel on an agricultural investment company IPO
Achievements
· Ranked as a leading lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell
· Lexpert's Top 500 Lawyers in Canada (Corporate Mid-Market) (2005)
Associations
· Canadian Bar Association
· Ontario Bar Association
· Women in Capital Markets
· Ontario Securities Commission (Securities Advisory Committee Chair)
· Albany Club of Toronto (Board Member)
· Ontario Energy Association
Articles
Heather Zordel and Michael Brown Participate in Financier Worldwide Roundtable on International Financial Reporting Standards, 02/21/2012
Newsletters
Going Public in Canada, 12/12/2011
Financial Services Group e-LERT - Proposal for a New Framework for the Regulation of Securitized Products, 04/14/2011
Unconventional Wisdom and the Canadian Securities Market, 06/28/2010
Transactions
Cassels Brock Represents Front Street Capital as It Raises $74 Million from the Offering of Flow-Through Limited Partnership Units, 03/20/2012
Cassels Brock Client, Royal Gold, Inc., Completes Underwritten At-the-Market Public Offering for Gross Proceeds of US$268.4 Million, 01/17/2012
Cassels Brock Represents Front Street Capital as It Raises $30 Million from the Offering of Flow-Through Limited Partnership Units, 01/05/2012
Cassels Brock Acts For Front Street Capital As It Raises $24 Million From The Offering Of Flow-Through Limited Partnership Units, 09/28/2011
Cassels Brock Acts For The Underwriters In Pacific & Western Credit Corp.'s $16.8 Million Offering, 06/18/2011
Bennett Environmental Inc. Completes $25 Million Bought Deal Offering, 06/11/2010
City of Toronto Monetizes City Note and Completes Secondary Offering of Toronto Hydro Debentures, 04/12/2010
SonnenEnergy Closes $12 Million Public Offering, 11/28/2007
Publications and Resources
Heather Zordel and Michael Brown Participate in Financier Worldwide Roundtable on International Financial Reporting Standards
In The News
12/22/2011, Heather Zordel Discusses Supreme Court of Canada Unanimous Decision Against Federal Securities Regulator on SUN TV
12/22/2011, Heather Zordel Comments on National Regulator Setback for CBC News
08/03/2011, Heather Zordel Comments on Need for a National Securities Regulator in the National Post
07/06/2011, Heather Zordel Interviewed on BNN about OSC Commencing Emerging Market Issuers Regulation Review
02/10/2011, Heather Zordel Interviewed by CBC News About Proposed Merger Between TMX Group and LSE
12/22/2010, Heather Zordel Joins the OSC's Securities Advisory Committee
05/28/2010, Heather Zordel Comments on Proposal for National Securities Regulator
05/25/2010, Heather Zordel Advocates for Improved Securities Regulation in Canadian Business Magazine
Presentations
A Canadian Securities Regulator for the 21st Century: Supreme Court Reference Re: Canadian Securities Act
Arguments for a National Securities Regulator