John A. Black is a Partner with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP based in Toronto and is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Investment Funds and Asset Management practice. He has more than two decades of business law experience with a practice focused on investment management and securities regulatory and compliance matters.
John has played a key role in many complex merger and acquisition transactions in the financial services industry. He is a trusted advisor to investment managers, pension funds and other institutional investors on strategic matters relating to ETFs, hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity funds and managed account arrangements.
John has acted on a significant number of ETF launches and has also advised a number of large Canadian government and corporate sponsored pension funds on their strategic investments in offshore hedge funds, private equity funds and managed account platforms. He has significant experience advising portfolio managers, dealers and fund managers on their compliance obligations under Canada’s registration rules, and provides tailored strategic advice to U.S. and global investment management firms with respect to their Canadian operations and business activities.
Areas of Expertise
Representative Work
- Counsel to Manulife Financial Corporation in its $4-billion acquisition of the Canadian-based operations of Standard Life plc. The deal combines Manulife, one of the largest insurance companies in the world, and Standard Life Canada, the country’s fifth-largest insurer
- BlackRock on its acquisition of Claymore
- BlackRock Asset Management Canada on launches of a variety of iShares exchange-traded funds
- Management shareholders in sale of Saxon Financial to IGM Financial
- Manulife on its acquisitions of Berkshire TWC and the AIC mutual fund business
- Pension funds and other institutional investors on investments in offshore hedge and private equity funds
- US asset management firms on Canadian domiciled fund launches
- Walton International Group on sale of Partners In Planning Financial Group to Investment Planning Counsel
- Pension funds and other institutional investors on investments in offshore hedge and private equity funds
- US asset management firms on Canadian domiciled fund launches
- Walton International Group on sale of Partners In Planning Financial Group to Investment Planning Counsel
Latest Insights
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Blog Apr 2, 2024
CIRO publishes proposals to level the advisor compensation playing field
Earlier this year, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization published a consultation paper outlining policy options that would help to level...
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Osler Update Jan 19, 2024
CSA publish proposed amendments to Canadian public crypto asset fund rules
On January 18, 2024, the Canadian Securities Administrators published proposed amendments affecting investment funds that seek to invest in crypto...
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Osler Update Mar 5, 2020
OSC proposes restrictions on use of DSC option in the sale of mutual funds
The Ontario Securities Commission has published for comment proposed Ontario Securities Commission Rule 81-502 Restrictions on the Use of the...
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Osler Update Nov 20, 2019
OSC issues anticipated Report on the Burden Reduction Task Force
The OSC issued its Report on the work of the Burden Reduction Task Force, in which it outlined the work undertaken by the OSC and the Task Force and...
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Awards and Recognition
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Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business: Recognized in Investment Funds (Band 1) and Investment Funds: Fund Formation
- [John is] “an excellent lawyer” who provides “”very thoughtful analysis and rigorous attention to detail.”
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The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Recognized in Investment Funds & Asset Management – Investment Funds
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Best Lawyers in Canada: Recognized in Securities Law
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Who’s Who Legal: Recognized in Private Funds – Formation (International); Private Funds (Canada)
Speaking and Writing
Speaking Engagements
- International Bar Association Annual Investment Funds Conference, May 8-10, 2016
- Investment Advice, Webinar – The Latest Trends in Canada and the US, December 1, 2015
- Canadian Securities Administrators Propose Amendments to Investment Fund Rules, July 20, 2010
Credentials
Education
- University of Western Ontario, LL.B.
- University of Western Ontario, B.A.
Languages
- English
Professional Affiliations
- Canadian Bar Association
- Law Society of Ontario
- Investment Funds Institute of Canada
- Portfolio Management Association of Canada
