Greg Peterson Partner Head, Calgary Corporate Finance, M&A and Private Equity Group


Speaks:  English

Year of Call: 1992 - Alberta


Primary office:  Calgary



Greg Peterson

Greg Peterson is a senior partner at Gowling WLG and head of the firm's Corporate Finance, M&A and Private Equity Group in the firm's Calgary office. He is also the national co-leader of the firm's Governance, Activism & Investigations Group.

Recognized as leader in his field by Chambers Canada and Legal 500, Greg focuses his practice on complex public and private corporate and commercial matters. Over the course of his 30-year career, he has helped clients navigate a range of high-stakes transactions - including mergers, acquisitions, dispositions and reorganizations, plans of arrangement, going private transactions, private placements, and asset and share purchase and sale agreements.

Greg also has significant executive experience in adjusting both private and public companies at all stages of their development, from initial public offerings to large corporate clients with multi-billion-dollar market capitalizations. He complements this experience with an extensive background in private equity transactions and public financings, including equity, debt and venture capital financings.

A former defensive back with the Calgary Stampeders, Greg approaches the legal obstacles his clients face with a keen sense of strategy, coordination and business fundamentals. His practice caters equally to Canadian companies and foreign companies doing business in Canada, which together represent a rich cross-section of global industry sectors - including energy, pharmaceutical, technology, cannabis, manufacturing, life sciences, biotech and sports law.

Greg has acted as a director and/or officer for many of his clients, providing advice on matters relating to corporate governance, stock exchange listings, regulatory compliance for multi-jurisdictional situations and conflict of interest situations. He has also acted as counsel to special committees of various boards of directors in situations such as corporate reorganizations, whether the transaction involved an amalgamation, plan of arrangement or take-over bid and conflict of interest situation.

Outside of his practice, Greg has served - and continues to serve - on many committees and advisory councils. He is especially active as a volunteer in charitable and minor sports organizations, acting as the president and director of many associations and non-profit groups. Harnessing his professional football background, Greg has also served as a colour commentator for Stampeders' games for more than two decades and regularly provides pregame and postgame analysis for radio broadcasts.

In November 2022, Greg was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of the time he spent playing CFL football and, more recently, giving back to the sport through his community involvement. In March 2023, he was also named Sportsperson of the Year by the Calgary Booster Club. This award recognizes an individual who has provided 25 or more years' service as a coach, volunteer or administrator to sports in their local community.

In 2023, Greg was appointed to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:

From 1996 to 1999, Greg was the University of Calgary, Faculty of Law course instructor for Corporate Finance & Securities Law. He is a frequent lecturer for the University of Calgary MBA program, the Canadian Bar Association and the Legal Education Society of Alberta.

Greg is the co-author of the securities book, Securities Regulation in Canada, published by Butterworths.

  • Author of the materials and presenter for the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Governance Workshop and the TSX Venture Exchange Rules and Tools Workshop.
  • Author of the publication, "Private Placement Financing," Legal Education Society of Alberta, April 2000 Meetings.
  • Author of the publication, "General Securities Law Issues for Practitioners," Canadian Bar Association 2000 Mid Winter Meeting.

Representative Work

Transactions that are representative of Greg's practice include:

  • Counsel to Capital Power Corporation in its $200 million offering of 4.50% Cumulative Rate Reset Preference Shares, Series 5
  • Counsel to Ice River Springs Water Co. Inc. in its acquisition of the water bottling assets, trademark and retail customers of Arrowhead Water Products Ltd. for aggregate consideration of approximately $1.6 million
  • Counsel to Manitok Energy Inc. in the negotiation of an arrangement with National Bank of Canada for a $70 million revolving operating demand loan and an acquisition and development demand loan of $20 million, for a total credit facility of $90 million [January 23, 2013]
  • Counsel to Capital Power Corporation in its $150 million offering of 4.60%Cumulative Rate Reset Preference Shares
  • Counsel to Foundation Group Capital Trust in a plan of arrangement with Corval Energy Ltd. in which Corval acquired the units of a wholly-owned subsidiary of Foundation for cash, debt and promissory notes totalling approximately $28.5 million
  • Counsel to Manitok Energy Inc. in its $83.4 million acquisition, with Petrus Resources Ltd., of oil and natural gas assets and counsel to Manitok Energy Inc. in several public offering of common shares and flow-through common shares, pursuant to a prospectus, for aggregate gross proceeds of various amounts from $20 million to $40 million.
  • Counsel to privately-held TENET Medical Engineering, Inc. of Calgary, Alberta in its acquisition by UK-based Smith & Nephew
  • Counsel to privately-held Skystone Energy Inc. in its acquisition of all the issued and outstanding shares of First Response Emergency Services Ltd.
  • Counsel to Crocotta Energy Inc. in connection with its acquisitions of Salvo Energy Corporation, Black Bore Resources Ltd., Diamond Tree Energy Ltd. and Eastshore Energy Ltd. and in connection with several financings, including $100-millionand public offering of common shares.
  • Counsel to Reece Energy Exploration Corp. in connection with its public listing, its business combinations with Long View Resources and with Penn West Energy Trust and with several financings, including $50-million and $25-million public offerings of common shares.
  • Counsel to Vault Energy Trust in connection with its business combination with Penn West Energy Trust and in connection with several financings, including a $50-million public offering of convertible debentures.
  • Counsel to Chamaelo Energy Inc. in connection with its conversion into Vault Energy Trust and the creation of Chamaelo Exploration Ltd. and in connection with several financings, including a $200-million public offering of common shares.
  • Counsel to Chariot Energy Inc. in connection with several financings including $50-million and $188,000,000 offering of common shares.
  • Counsel to the underwriters in connection with several financings, including $100-million and $46-million public offerings of common shares and a $220-million public offering of subscription receipts