Erik Axell

This endorsement concerns an unopposed motion by Yellow Corporation, as Foreign Representative, seeking recognition and enforcement in Canada of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court order approving the termination of certain Canadian real property leases (the "Reimer Leases") as part of cross-border insolvency proceedings under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act.

The court finds the negotiated lease termination agreement to be fair and reasonable, maximizes value for the debtors, and grants the requested relief, including recognition of the U.S. order and authorization for related asset transfers.

The decision grants an initial order under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) to Joriki Topco Inc. and Joriki Inc., converting their ongoing NOI proceeding under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act to a CCAA proceeding.

The court approves the appointment of Alvarez & Marsal as Monitor, a stay of proceedings, a key employee retention plan, DIP financing, and various charges over the applicants’ assets.

The order is supported by the secured lenders and the proposed monitor, and is unopposed.

The court finds the statutory and case law requirements for CCAA relief are met, including the need for continued restructuring efforts and the appropriateness of the proposed charges and stay extension.

In the context of CCAA proceedings, the applicants sought a Funding Order to compel Securitization Parties and other secured lenders to fund a $40 million wind-down of the remaining entities.

The court dismissed the motion for the Funding Order, finding that section 11.01(b) of the CCAA expressly prohibits orders requiring the further advance of money or credit.

Consequently, the court also declined to approve a Key Employee Retention Plan, as it was dependent on the unavailable funding.

The court did, however, grant a temporary sealing order for the KERP details and extended the stay of proceedings to November 29, 2024.

The applicants, Xplore Inc. and a wholly-owned subsidiary, sought a final order approving a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).

The arrangement aimed to implement a comprehensive recapitalization transaction to significantly deleverage the company's secured debt and secure new financing.

A key component of the plan was a reverse vesting order (RVO) to separate uneconomic satellite business obligations from the ongoing operations.

The court found that the arrangement met all statutory requirements, was proposed in good faith, and was fair and reasonable to all stakeholders, including the initially opposing satellite providers who reached a commercial resolution.

The court also confirmed its jurisdiction under s. 192(4) of the CBCA to grant an RVO and approved the inclusion of third-party releases.

This endorsement addresses motions related to a proposed recapitalization transaction of Xplore Inc. and 16029167 Canada Inc. via a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA).

The applicants sought an Interim Order to facilitate a vote on the arrangement, while certain satellite providers (unsecured creditors) brought 'comeback motions' objecting to the preliminary interim order's stay of remedies and the proposed treatment of their contracts, including non-payment of full contractual rates and the use of a reverse vesting order.

The court granted the Interim Order, finding that the applicants met the statutory requirements and acted in good faith, and that the fairness of the arrangement, including the novel reverse vesting order, warranted a full fairness hearing.

The court upheld the stay, finding the non-disclosure by applicants not material and that the court has broad discretion to impose terms on critical suppliers, drawing analogies to CCAA provisions.

The satellite providers' requests for full contractual payments and security were denied, and their motion to lift the stay for a bankruptcy application was adjourned.

In a CCAA proceeding, the Applicants sought three orders: approval of a factoring portfolio purchase agreement, approval for distribution of proceeds from a property sale, and permission for a creditor to sell certain vehicles.

The court approved the distribution of Chehalis property proceeds to Roynat.

For the Regions vehicles, the court granted the order allowing Regions to take possession, setting a 30-day retrieval period and approving storage costs of $35/day.

The motion for approval of the JD Factors Purchase Agreement was adjourned to a later date, as Mitsubishi HC Capital Canada Inc. objected, claiming ownership of the receivables and requiring more time to prepare its position.

Yellow Corporation, as Foreign Representative for its affiliates (including Canadian Debtors), brought a motion for recognition and enforcement of a U.S. Bankruptcy Court order (the "Lienholder Rolling Stock Settlement Order").

This U.S. order approved settlement agreements with possessory lienholders regarding rolling stock assets, which resulted in a waiver or reduction of claims against the Debtors' estates in exchange for surrendering title of the assets.

The motion was unopposed and supported by the Information Officer.

The court granted the recognition order, finding it fair, reasonable, and appropriate, and beneficial to the Debtors and stakeholders, consistent with principles of comity and cooperation in cross-border insolvency.

The applicants, Xplore Inc. and 16029167 Canada Inc., sought a preliminary interim order under s. 192(4) of the CBCA to facilitate a comprehensive recapitalization transaction.

The applicants requested a stay of proceedings to prevent unsecured creditors, particularly satellite providers, from taking unilateral actions that could disrupt services to rural customers while definitive agreements were finalized.

The court granted the preliminary interim order, finding that the proposed transaction constituted an arrangement, the solvency requirement was met, and the stay was necessary to provide stability during negotiations.

The Québec Plaintiff, Jean-François Bourassa, brought a motion seeking a CCAA Representation Order to represent Canadian Personal Injury Claimants in foreign recognition proceedings and related Chapter 11 proceedings, including the appointment of specific counsel and an order for their fees to be borne by the Canadian Debtors.

The motion was opposed by the Canadian Debtors and other stakeholders.

The court dismissed the motion, finding that the interests of the Canadian Personal Injury Claimants were already adequately represented by the Official Committee of Opioid Claimants (OCC) in the U.S. Chapter 11 cases, which had been recognized as the foreign main proceeding in Canada.

The court emphasized the principle of cooperation with the foreign court and noted the Québec Plaintiff's lack of timely objection to previous orders in both the U.S. and Canadian proceedings.

Paladin Labs Inc., as foreign representative for itself and Paladin Labs Canadian Holding Inc. (the Canadian Debtors), brought a motion under section 46 of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) for recognition and enforcement of two orders granted by the United States Bankruptcy Court in their Chapter 11 cases: a Bidding Procedures Order and a Bar Date Order.

The motion was unopposed.

The court granted the motion, finding that recognition was consistent with principles of comity and Canadian public policy, and would enable the Canadian Debtors to proceed with the sale process to maximize asset value and ascertain claims.

The Foreign Representative brought a motion under section 49 of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act for an order recognizing and enforcing several additional orders entered by the United States Bankruptcy Court in Chapter 11 proceedings.

The Information Officer supported the motion, noting the integrated nature of the operations and the equal treatment of Canadian and US stakeholders.

The court granted the motion, finding that recognition was appropriate to preserve the value of the Canadian debtors, enable continued operations, and ensure judicial comity.

The applicant, acting as the Foreign Representative in Chapter 11 proceedings, brought a motion under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act to recognize and enforce Second Day Orders entered by the United States Bankruptcy Court.

The court granted the motion, finding that recognition was appropriate to preserve the value of the Canadian debtors, enable continued operations, and ensure judicial cooperation and comity.