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Catherine Guertin

Partner

Montréal
CGuertin@blg.com
514.954.3179

Expertise

Catherine Guertin has in-depth expertise in commercial leasing for all types of properties, including:

  • industrial buildings
  • office buildings
  • retail buildings
  • mixed-use building

Catherine also focuses her practice on acquisitions and dispositions of property and on development projects. In recent years, she has been actively involved in the seniors housing sector.

Her practice is particularly focused on the following areas:

  • commercial leases
  • sale-leaseback transactions
  • acquisitions and dispositions
  • agreements creating rights of superficies
  • emphyteusis agreements
  • servitudes
  • title searches and correction of title defects
  • mining law
  • telecommunications law

Catherine is the director of the BLG Reads to Kids program for the Montréal office. She is also a member of the Regional Monitoring and Admissions Advisory Committee.

Experience

  • Represented Triple M Metal in its joint venture with ArcelorMittal Long Products Canada to create Integrated Metal Recycling Inc.
  • Acted for K+S Aktiengesellschaft in the sale of its Canadian salt business, including Windsor Salt, to Stone Canyon Industries Holdings LLC and affiliates.
  • Represented Richmond Mines Inc. in the sale of the Beaufor Mine, the Camflo Mill and the Wasamac development located in Quebec to Monarques Gold Corp.
  • Represented Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited in connection with its public offering of common shares for a total consideration of US $250 millions.
  • Represented Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited in connection with the increase of its credit facility from US $150 millions to US$300 millions.
  • Represented Sitec Quartz Inc. in connection to the sale of its mining rights located in the Municipality of Lac-Pikauba, in the Charlevoix Regional County Municipality and in the City of La Malbaie.
  • Preparation of an opinion of title of all mining rights held by Maple Gold Mines in connection with a private financing.
  • Acts as lead counsel in the rehabilitation and sale of approximately 1,500,000 square feet of industrial land for residential development in a prime area in the suburbs of Montréal
  • Acted as lead counsel in the sale of land for mixed development consisting of residential condominium units, residential rental units and commercial spaces totalling approximately 340,000 square feet
  • Acted as lead counsel for an international information technology and artificial intelligence company in the negotiation of a lease of more than 30,000 square feet of office space
  • Acted as lead counsel in the negotiation of a lease for approximately 50,000 square feet of space for a museum located in downtown Montréal
  • Acted as lead counsel in the acquisition of several retirement homes
  • Acted as lead counsel in the development of BCE Inc.'s new headquarters in Montréal totalling approximately 800,000 square feet
  • Represents Bell Canada, Bell Mobility, Bell Media and Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions Canada in the management of Bell Canada's real estate portfolio
  • Acts for several large shopping centre owners in the preparation and negotiation of their leases in Québec
  • Participated in various acquisitions and dispositions of commercial properties worth, in some cases, more than 135 million dollars
  • Participated in the acquisition of a real estate portfolio composed of shopping centres and strip malls, for a consideration exceeding 70 million dollars
  • Assisted Northern Property REIT in its creation of a $3 billion national multi-family REIT through the acquisition of True North Apartment REIT and a $535 million multi-family portfolio managed by Starlight Investments Ltd.
  • Participated in the sale of seven Canadian hotels, including the Fairmont Le Château Montebello and the Fairmont Kenauk
  • Lead lawyer of the team that participated in the transfer of over 300 properties and of all leases when Bell Nordiq Group Inc. privatized the Bell Nordiq Income Fund
  • Coordinated and prepared all the documents required for the transfer of more than 250 other properties when Bell Nordiq Income Fund completed the initial offering of its units in April 2002, the first of its kind in the telecommunications sector
  • Participated in mining law transactions involving considerations of between 15.2 million dollars and 250 million dollars

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

  • Member, CREW Network (Commercial Real Estate Women)
  • Member, Canadian Bar Association
  • Member, BOMA Québec
  • Member, Institut de développement urbain du Québec
  • Member, International Council of Shopping Centres

Community Involvement

  • Director, BLG's Reads to Kids Program (Montréal)

Awards & Recognitions

  • Recognized in the 2025 edition (and since 2020) of Best Lawyers in Canada® (Real Estate Law)
  • Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2015) of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Property Leasing)
  • Recognized in the 2015-2016, 2022 and 2023 editions of the Lexpert®/Special Edition — Global Mining.
  • Recognized in the 2013 edition of the Lexpert® Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada (Corporate Lawyer to Watch).
  • 2012 finalist for inclusion on the list of “Leading Lawyers under 40 – Rising Stars,” Lexpert®

Bar Admission & Education

  • Québec, 1997
  • LLB, Université de Sherbrooke, 1996