A business-minded debt finance lawyer, Kean provides efficient and practical advice to lenders and borrowers to achieve their legal goals.

Kean Silverthorn is an associate lawyer in the firm’s Financial Services Group in Vancouver. His practice is focused on a wide range of corporate lending transactions.

Kean has extensive experience representing and advising financial institutions, private lenders, and corporate clients in structuring and completing significant domestic and cross-border debt financing transactions (with a particular focus on infrastructure and project financings), whether secured or unsecured, senior or subordinate, bilateral, or syndicated. His industry knowledge includes infrastructure, energy, natural resources, real estate, technology, and diversified commercial industries.

Kean is a contributing author to the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia Mortgages Practice Manual, a leading mortgage practice text in British Columbia.

Kean’s recent notable transactions include:

Infrastructure and Project Finance:

Infrastructure:

• advising Vantage Airport Group Ltd.’s financing in connection with the development of the new international Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (US$4.2 billion) through its involvement in the JFK Millennium Partners consortium;
• advising the bondholders in connection with the Tłı̨chǫ All-Season Road Project;
• advising the lenders in connection with the financing provided for the construction and development of last-mile broadband network in the region of Huron Shore and Manitoulin Island, Ontario;
• advising the developers to finance the construction of thousands of fibre optic network connections to single-family and multi-unit properties across British Columbia and Alberta;
• advising a multi-commodity export terminal operator in connection with its $110M syndicated credit facility;

Wind:

• advising the sponsors in connection with the $250M project financing for the Higgins Mountain Wind Farm Project, one of the first projects in Canada to successfully gain access to the ITC bridge loan market;
• advising the sponsors in connection with its project financing restructuring in connection with the St. Lawrence Wind and Fermeuse Wind Projects;

Solar:

• advising the sponsors in connection with the project financing for the Chappice Lake Solar-Storage Project;
• advising the sponsors in connection with the project financing for the East Strathmore Solar Project;
• advising the sponsors in connection with its project financing restructuring in connection with the Brooks II and Innisfail Solar Projects;
• advising Scotia Capital Inc., as agent, of C$52M bonds issued by Skyline Clean Energy Limited Partnership to finance renewable and clean energy production with a focus on rooftop solar;

Hydro:

• advising Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. in connection with its $179.9M project financing of the Gilles-Lefrançois, Miller Creek and Rutherford Creek hydroelectric facilities;.
• advising Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. in connection with its $133.7M project financing of the Ashlu Creek hydro facility in British Columbia;
• advising the sponsors in connection with a bond financing and letter of credit facility for the Bremner Creek Hydroelectric Project;
• advising the lenders in connection with a financing for the Powell & Lois Lakes Hydroelectric Project;

Corporate Finance:

• advising an equipment distribution company in connection with its $755M first lien term loan and $150M ABL facility;
• advising Kodak in connection with its $275M term loan facility;
• advising the lender syndicate to an international aqua service vessel operator in connection with its senior facilities agreement;
• advising Alterra Power Corp. in connection with its non-revolving term credit facilities;
• advising a life sciences company in its senior credit facility;
• advising the lender syndicate for an ABL facility to a mortgage investment corporation;
• advising a district energy developer in connection with its syndicated facilities;
• advising a grain production company in connection with its syndicated term facility and its ABL facility;
• advising a meal preparation company in connection with its equipment and operating facilities;
• advising the lender syndicate for a senior facility to a utilities company;
• advising Interfor Corporation in connection with its credit facilities and senior secured notes;
• advising a private equity firm in connection with its capital call facility;

Acquisition Finance:

• advising Ares in connection with a senior secured credit facility to support Centerbridge Partners' acquisition of Precinmac;
• advising Petroglyph Development Group and Snuneymuxw First Nation on their acquisition financing loans provided from First Nations Finance Authority for the purchase of Elements Casino Victoria and Casino Nanaimo from Great Canadian Entertainment, and related working capital facilities from a Schedule I Bank;
• advising the lenders in connection with an acquisition loan for a hospital project; and
• advising the lender in connection with an acquisition facility for the private equity-sponsored purchase of a mechanical contracting firm specializing in plumbing and HVAC.

Kean was called to the British Columbia bar in 2019 and is a member of the Law Societies of British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. While in law school at the University of Victoria, Kean received numerous academic awards, served as editor-in-chief of the law journal, and acted as vice president of the Business Law Association. Kean also volunteered with Pro Bono Students Canada and was an academic peer tutor to fellow students. Prior to law school, Kean earned a BComm from the University of Victoria, completed the Canadian Securities Course, and gained significant experience in various industries.