Edward (Ted) G. Betts Partner Head of Infrastructure and Construction Group


Speaks:  English, French

Year of Call: 1997 - Ontario

Primary phone: +1 416-369-7106

Fax: +1 416-862-7661

Email: ted.betts@gowlingwlg.com

Download vCard


Primary office:  Toronto




Edward (Ted) G. Betts

Ted Betts is a lawyer and partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto office. He practises corporate, construction and infrastructure law and is the Head of the firm's Infrastructure and Construction Group. A Certified Specialist in construction law, he has more than 20 years of experience in the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Ted acts on all aspects of tendering, negotiating and drafting of construction contracts, structuring, project management, financing and sales. He has developed specialized expertise in negotiating and drafting construction contracts on large-scale construction, P3/infrastructure and development projects. He works in all sectors that involve construction projects, including commercial construction, real estate development, infrastructure and civil works, power and energy (nuclear, hydro-electric and solar power generating stations), mining and transit/transportation. He has drafted and negotiated all types of contracts and project structures, including construction management, design-build, EPC/EPCM, and consulting agreements.

Ted regularly acts as quarterback on large-scale construction, infrastructure and development projects co-ordinating and supervising the timely and cost-effective delivery of project documents, regulatory and government approvals, tax structuring, OHS planning, insurance and risk advice and strategic advice from other legal specialists.

Ted is recognized as a leading construction, infrastructure and projects lawyer by ChambersLexpert and Legal 500 Canada and as a leading corporate lawyer in The Best Lawyers in Canada. He has also written papers and presented seminars on tendering and construction, shareholders agreements and general corporate law. Ted is the former Chair of the Construction and Infrastructure Law Section Executive of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA). He is also the former chair of the OBA's Construction Lien Act Reform Committee.

Ted has a great deal of experience on boards of directors, both for private and not-for-profit organizations. He currently sits on the board of The York School and is Chair of its Risk Management Committee. Ted is the former President and Chair of the Board of Directors of Family Service Toronto, one of the largest and oldest charitable organizations in Toronto. He also coaches community-level hockey. In 2013 to 2018, Ted was recognized by the province of Ontario for his volunteer services, receiving a Volunteer Service Award.

Career & Recognition

Filter timeline:

Memberships

  • Association for Corporate Growth
  • Canadian Bar Association, Business Law and Construction Law sections
  • Ontario Bar Association, Business Law and Construction Law sections
  • Ontario Sustainable Energy Association
  • Toronto Construction Association
  • Railway Association of Canada
On-demand webinar
23 June 2022 Construction Law Forum CLE/CPD:1.5 hours
aerial view of a construction site On-demand webinar
27 October 2021 Fall 2021 Construction Law Forum CLE/CPD:1 hour
  • Ted prepared materials for the presentation "Implications of the changes to the Construction Act," for the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies and the Consulting Engineers of Ontario, which took place in Etobicoke, ON, April 2, 2019.
  • Ted has written numerous papers and presented various seminars on acquisitions, construction and tendering, shareholders agreements, and general corporate law.
  • His article, "Here we go again? Senate introduces Bill S-224, the Canada Prompt Payment Act," was published in the Construction Law Letter, Vol. 32, No. 6, July/August 2016 (reproduced with permission of LexisNexis Canada Inc.).

Representative Work

Ted's recent representative matters include acting for:

Corporate Transactions

  • Wells Fargo in the acquisition of BNP Paribas's $13.4 billion energy finance business
  • Stuwalk Energy in the acquisition of the bulk fuel distribution business of Healy Enterprises
  • Helios Energy Inc. in the sale of a 20 MWac solar photovoltaic power plant in Ontario
  • ATB Finance in the acquisition of a MasterCard credit card portfolio from National Bank of Canada
  • Bank of America, as Canadian counsel, in the acquisition of the shares of Merrill Lynch
  • Citi Infrastructure Fund in its investment in YVR Airport Services (now Vantage)

Infrastructure, Energy and Construction Projects

  • A large real estate developer in the $800-million development and construction of a multi-tower complex in downtown Toronto with a total of two million square feet of new construction
  • Mortenson Canada in connection with the design, construction and development of Gosfield wind project, a 50.4 MW wind farm in Essex County, Ontario
  • Carillion in connection with the public-private design, build, finance and maintenance of three new mental-health and wellness facilities for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, including over 450,000 sq. ft. of new construction at its 27-acre redevelopment project
  • KGHM International mine and infrastructure operation agreement and lease with Xstrata Nickel