Lilly A. Wong Partner


Speaks:  English

Year of Call: 1990 - Ontario

Year of Call: 1981 - Alberta

Primary phone: +1 416-369-4630

Fax: +1 416-369-7250

Email: lilly.wong@gowlingwlg.com

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Primary office:  Toronto



Lilly A. Wong

Lilly Wong is a senior partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto office, practising in the financial services and insolvency and restructuring areas.

Lilly has been actively involved in all stages of debt financing, from negotiation and initial advance to formal and informal restructuring and finally work-out or realization. She has acted in connection with a wide range of domestic and North American cross border loans, including standby facilities, project and acquisition loans, structured financings, subordinated debt, asset-based loans and debtor-in-possession financing for both highly leveraged and investment grade borrowers.

Lilly has worked on numerous financings for a variety of businesses with operations in Canada and the United States, including infrastructure, power, co-generation, gaming, manufacturing, mining, health care, automotive and hospitality. She is ranked in the 2018 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory for banking and finance, as well as in Lexpert/ROB Special Edition on Infrastructure 2018 and Lexpert/ROB Leading Energy Lawyers 2018.

Prior to joining Gowling WLG, Lilly was a partner at a leading law firm in Alberta until late 1989 and continues to be qualified to practice law in the province of Alberta.

Career & Recognition

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Representative Work

  • Acted for a syndicate of lenders in connection with the $147 million financing of the acquisition of a health care group doing business across Canada.
  • Acted for borrowers in connection with numerous Infrastructure Ontario projects including the Sault Area Hospital, the Greater Toronto Area Youth Centre and Runnymede Healthcare Centre.
  • Acted for borrowers and lenders in connection with various renewable (wind/solar) energy projects including in connection with the acquisition and financing of Florida Power and Light's first wind farm in Canada.
  • Acted as counsel to bondholders in a $153 million secured bond private placement involving an income trust in the energy sector.
  • Acted as counsel to bondholders in a $100 million secured bond private placement involving a limited partnership in the power generation sector.
  • Acted for a syndicate of lenders lead by CIBC and BMO in connection with a $915 million syndicated bridge facility for the acquisition by Borealis Infrastructure Health of the MDS labs business and for a syndicate of lenders lead by DEPFA Bank plc in connection with the long term refinancing of such bridge facility.
  • Acted for New World Gaming Partners Ltd. (a company owned by Macquarie and Crown on a 50/50 basis) in connection with the financing of its takeover bid of Gateway Casino Income Fund, certain subsidiaries of Gateway Casinos Inc. and Star of Fortune Gaming (B.C.) Corp. (enterprise value of approximately $1.37 billion).
  • Acted for Deutsche Bank, Citibank, TD Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland, the lead underwriters and arrangers, in connection with the approximately $34 billion financing of Teachers' Private Capital, Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC and Providence Equity Partners, Inc. proposed purchase of BCE Inc.
  • Acted as special counsel to Ontario Municipal Economic Infrastructure Financing Authority in connection with its initial offering of more than $320 million of provincial tax exempt Ontario Opportunity Bonds.
  • Acted for a borrower in the forest products sector in connection with US$300 million Canadian and U.S. acquisition term credit facilities (by way of first and second lien term loans) and operating credit facilities.
  • Acted for a borrower in the retail sector in connection with a £750 million Canadian and U.K. acquisition bridge facility and the refinancing thereof in Canada and the U.K.
  • Acted as counsel to administrative agent and senior lenders in connection with syndicated term and operating facilities for Shoppers Drug Mart in the amount of C$850 million and US$486 million and in connection with subordinated notes in the amount of C$525 million and the subsequent U.S. and Canadian re-financings of such loans.
  • Acted as counsel to four schedule 1 lenders in bilateral acquisition facilities aggregating $150 million and in bilateral standby credit facilities aggregating $350 million for a forest products corporation.
  • Acted as counsel to bondholders in a $125 million private placement of secured bonds to a gaming and entertainment not for profit corporation.
  • Acted as counsel to lenders in connection with senior secured term and operating credit facilities in Canada and the U.S. aggregating approximately $125 million to an income trust in the chemicals production and distribution business.
  • Acted as counsel to a borrower in the healthcare industry in connection with the establishment of C$100 million of senor secured debt and approximately US$30 million of subordinated notes and warrants.
  • Acted as counsel to a syndicate of senior lenders in connection with operating and term credit facilities in the approximate amount of $500 million to a borrower in the healthcare industry.
  • Acted as counsel to syndicate of senior lenders in connection with operating and term credit facilities in the amount of C$105 million and US$121 million to a borrower in the automotive sector and in connection with subordinated notes in the amount of C$47 million.
  • Acted as counsel to syndicate of lenders providing acquisition line in the amount of $250 million to borrower in the real estate (shopping centre) development and management business.
  • Acted as counsel to syndicate of lenders providing acquisition loans in the aggregate amount of $315 million and $165 million to borrower in the real estate (shopping center) development and management business.
  • Acted as special counsel to syndicate of lenders in connection with the refinancing by way of distress preferred shares of their approximately $470 million debt owing against the Scotia Plaza.