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Elizabeth Mayer

Partner
About

Elizabeth Mayer is a member of the firm’s Projects, Energy and Infrastructure, Public Affairs, and Construction Groups. Elizabeth has particular experience in procurement matters, acting both on the public and private sector sides.

Elizabeth brings a depth of experience to PPP projects, having advised the Province of British Columbia on two of the earliest PPP projects in Canada.  Subsequently she has acted for bidders, contractors, lenders and public authorities on a wide range of projects, including advising the Province of British Columbia on the Abbotsford Law Courts Project, leading teams in closing the Surrey Pre Trial Centre and Billy Bishop Airport Pedestrian Tunnel projects and playing a significant role in closing the Champlain Bridge replacement project in Montreal. She understands the complexities of the PPP model and is therefore able to provide clear, commercial advice.

Elizabeth also continues to act in relation to many projects during construction and into operation.  This work has included dealing with contract changes, advising on subcontracting, dealing with delay claims and other contentious matters.

In addition to her experience at the firm, Elizabeth was the lead counsel acting for the Province of British Columbia on the Okanagan Lake Bridge and Phase 2 of the Kicking Horse Canyon projects. She advised the Province on all aspects of the projects, including procurement, negotiating the project agreements with the successful proponents and co-ordinating commercial and financial close.  She also acted for the Province in a number of other partnering arrangements, including the contracting out of the line painting services for BC highways.  While working for Government, she has gained experience in a range of public law matters, such as freedom of information, privacy and data protection and vires.

Elizabeth has considerable experience in tendering and other procurement matters, including advising both public and private sector clients on procurement strategy, drafting conditions of tender and requests for proposals, and the evaluation process.  She has also advised on procurement disputes.
Elizabeth is used to working as part of multi-disciplinary teams, providing both legal advice and a practical approach to meeting clients’ needs.

Bar admissionsBritish Columbia, 2003England & Wales, 1987

EXPERIENCE

  • Acted for the Province of British Columbia on the procurement of the Abbotsford Law Courts P3 project.
  • Acted for the Rideau Transit Group Partnership on the commercial and financial close to design, build, finance and maintain the $2.1 billion Confederation Line, the City of Ottawa's first light rail transit system. Continues to act for the project company in relation to the on-going aspects of this project.
  • Acted for EGRT Construction and two of its key subcontractors, SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc. and SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Western) Inc., on the financial close of the $889 million design, build, finance contract for the construction of the Evergreen Line Rapid Transit Project.
  • Acted for the successful proponent on the Champlain Bridge replacement project in Montreal, Quebec.  Continues to act for the project company in relation to the on-going aspects of this project.
  • Acting for the Toronto Transit Commission on its procurement (design-build) of a new bus storage, maintenance and refuelling facility.
  • Acted for The City of Calgary on the Stoney Transit Facility PPP Project, a new bus storage, maintenance and refuelling facility for approximately 400 city buses, up to RFP issuance.
  • Acted for the successful proponent on the Forensics Services and Coroner’s Complex PPP Project in Ontario
  • Acted for the successful proponent on the Surrey Pre-Trial Centre Project.
  • Acted for the successful proponent on the Billy Bishop Island Airport Pedestrian Tunnel.
  • Acted for lenders to the successful proponent on the North Commuter Parkway project in Saskatchewan.
  • In house counsel to the Province of British Columbia for the Okanagan Lake Bridge Project.
  • In house counsel to the Province of British Columbia for the Kicking Horse Canyon Project.
Languages
  • English
Education
  • Certificate of Conflict Resolution, Institute for Conflict Analysis and Management, British Columbia, 2002
  • LL.M, University of British Columbia, 1998
  • B.A. in Law (Honours), University of Oxford, 1985 (M.A., 1988)

Awards

  • Lawyer of the Year, Best Lawyers in Canada (Project Finance Law: Vancouver), 2023, 2025
  • Best Lawyers in Canada (Public Finance Law), 2014-2025; (Project Finance Law), 2016-2025
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Infrastructure Law: Project Finance), 2018-2023; (Infrastructure), 2024
  • Chambers Canada (Projects: PPP & Infrastructure), 2016-2025
  • Chambers Global (Projects: PPP & Infrastructure), 2013-2022, 2024
  • The Legal 500 Canada (Infrastructure and Projects), 2014-2019, 2021-2024, (Public Procurement), 2014-2022
  • Listed as Acritas Star™ Lawyer 2020

Publications

Co-author, "Conflicts of interest in infrastructure procurement," Financier Worldwide Magazine, April 2021

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