Douglas Shields

Partner
About

Doug Shields is a partner who practises in areas of mining, corporate finance and securities law, with an emphasis on equity and debt financings and mergers and acquisitions, both domestically and internationally.

Representative transactions include acting for senior lenders in connection with various project finance transactions such as the establishment and opening of mining projects and a variety of other natural resource projects in various parts of the world.

Doug advises clients on a broad range of corporate and commercial matters, including corporate finance, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, refinancings, security taking and corporate reorganizations.

He also acts for a variety of clients, advising them in respect of public offerings, bridge, mezzanine and subordinate debt financings, private placements and other securities regulatory compliance issues.

Doug has assisted mining companies in obtaining financing in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, and to prepare for initial public offerings.

Doug has acted extensively for lenders specializing in lending to public companies, primarily in the mining and industrial sectors.

A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Doug obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1988 from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1991 from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Bar admissionsBritish Columbia, 1992Ontario, 2020

EXPERIENCE

  • Acted for Accel-KKR and its portfolio company, Seequent Limited, in connection with the financing of Seequent’s acquisition of Geosoft, a Canadian-based software company.
  • Acted for Sprott Private Resource Lending in connection with a 5-year senior secured credit facility in the amount of USD $80 million to Québec Iron Ore Inc., a subsidiary of Champion Iron Limited, relating to the restart of the Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine in Québec.
  • Acted for Sprott Resource Lending Partnership in a non-revolving secured $140 million credit facility to Altius Minerals Corp. to fund its acquisition of coal and potash royalties from Prairie Mines & Royalty Ltd.
  • Acted for Sprott Private Resource Lending in connection with a 5-year senior secured project finance facility in the amount of USD $60 million to Emerald Resources NL, an Australian Stock Exchange listed issuer,relating to its Okvau gold mine project in Cambodia.
  • Represented Questfire Energy Corp. on its $94 million purchase of 5,600 boe/d of conventional Alberta producing assets from Advantage Oil & Gas Ltd. and related bank financing.
  • Acted for Southern Pacific Resources Corporation in the Cdn$89 million acquisition of all the securities of Senlac Oil Ltd. from a major oil and gas company.
  • Acted for Canacol Energy Ltd. on its $140 million acquisition of Shona Energy Company, Inc. by way of a statutory plan of arrangement.
  • Acted for Sprott Private Resource Lending in connection with a 5-year senior secured project finance facility in the amount of USD $225 million to Marathon Gold Corporation, a TSX listed issuer, relating to its Valentine Lake gold mine project in Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • Acted for Sprott Private Resource Lending in connection with a senior secured project finance facility in the amount of USD $80 million to Ascot Resources Ltd., a TSX listed issuer, relating to its Premier gold mine project in British Columbia.
  • Acted for Sprott Private Resource Lending in connection with a senior secured project finance facility in the amount of USD $110 million to Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation, an NYSE listed issuer, relating to its Hycroft gold and silver mine project in Nevada.
  • Acted for Sprott Private Resource Lending in connection with a senior secured project finance facility in the amount of USD $85 million to GeoPacific Resources Limited, an Australian Stock Exchange listed issuer, relating to its Woodlark gold mine project in Papua New Guinea.
Education
  • LL.B., Osgoode Hall, York University, 1991
  • B.B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1988

Awards

  • Best Lawyers Canada (Banking and Finance Law), 2025
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Mining), 2023
  • Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, Mining Special Edition, 2023

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