Nicolas Cayouette

Representative Work

Highlights of Nicolas’ experience in infrastructure projects include:

• Counsel to the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable du Québec and the legal affairs department of the Department of Justice (Québec) with respect to all aspects of the procurement of the replacement of Île-aux-Tourtes Bridge in Montréal and the deconstruction of the existing bridge. This project is valued at more than $1.95 billion and attained financial and commercial closure in Q2 2023 with Groupe Nouveau Pont Île-aux-Tourtes Inc. which is a consortium between Dragados Canada, Roxboro Excavation and Construction Demathieu & Bard.
• Counsel to the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable du Québec and the legal affairs department of the Department of Justice (Québec) with respect to all aspects of the procurement of the replacement of Île-d’Orléans Bridge near Québec City. This project is expected to attain commercial closure in Q1 2024.
• Counsel to Société québécoise des infrastructures and Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux on all legal aspects surrounding the public procurement of a greenfield new 404-bed hospital in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, a project valued at more than $1.7 billion and the first major hospital DBF procurement of a hospital in Québec over 10 years.
• Counsel to the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité Durable du Québec and the Société québécoise des infrastructures which reached commercial and financial close on the $1.142 billion Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine Tunnel and access roads major refurbishment project in Montréal with the Renouveau La Fontaine consortium, a 50-50 joint venture between France-based Vinci subsidiaries Eurovia and Dodin Campenon Bernard and Quebec-based Pomerleau Inc.
• Counsel to private waste disposal company regarding the modifications and construction to various sites namely for the sorting and treatment of waste, landfills and transit sites. This includes all steps of the procurement from the management of the call for tenders to the construction of the facilities.
• Counsel to a cement and concrete manufacturer regarding the modernisation of a major production facility located in Québec. This includes all steps of the procurement from the management of the call for tenders to the construction of this project.

Highlights of Nicolas’ experience in litigation matters include:

• He developed significant technical expertise on issues relating to mechanical engineering, namely pertaining to the design of structures, load calculations, finite element analysis and construction methods used in various types of structures and machines.
• He was directly involved in the public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure sector and he represented and advised important players during major projects such as the major rehabilitation of the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel and the completion of the A‑30 PPP in Québec.
• He has participated in many long-term arbitrations, including one conducted under the International Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Rules, where he acted for a wind turbine manufacturer.
• He has been repeatedly consulted and has acted for integrated management software companies, particularly in litigation regarding software implementations.
• He has acted for companies in the oil and chemical sectors in relation to a wide range of environmental issues pertaining to soil remediation and contamination.
• He has acted for many clients on matters pertaining to latent defects and construction defects and has also acted for insurance companies with regard to loss recovery.
• He has appeared before most courts dealing with civil matters as well as before specialized courts.
• He frequently acted for various professionals-namely engineers and consultants-with respect to civil liability claims brought by former clients or third parties. These matters include a wide scope of highly technical and complex issues ranging from structural failures to fires.
• He participated in several settlement conferences, mediation sessions, arbitration and negotiation sessions that led to the effective and lower-cost settling of technical and complex matters.