Carla Potter* is a partner in the Banking & Specialty Finance Group at Cassels. Carla’s practice focuses on corporate financing and equipment finance matters, representing both lenders and borrowers involved in domestic and cross-border lending and leasing transactions and corporate reorganizations. Within her corporate finance practice, Carla regularly acts for borrowers and lenders in corporate and commercial lending, project finance, asset-based finance, convertible debt, syndicated lending and securitization transactions. She has a proven track record of working with resource companies on their project finance transactions, including project debt, subordinated debt, project finance equipment facilities and on specialty finance matters in connection with project finance transactions. Within Carla’s equipment finance practice, she regularly works with international and domestic commercial finance companies establishing lease and finance operations in Canada and with equipment finance companies on securitization transactions. Carla is recognized as a leader in her field by Chambers Canada (Banking & Finance), Best Lawyers in Canada (Equipment Finance, Banking & Finance Law), the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory (Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing, Mining), and IFLR1000 (Banking) and has been recognized as a leader in the field in Lexpert’s Special Edition on Energy and Mining. Carla has completed the the Osgoode Certificate in ESG, Climate Risk and The Law.
Carla’s experience includes acting for:
- Torex Gold Resources in connection with its $150 million sustainability linked loan agreement
- Sigma Lithium Corp. in connection with the US$100 million project financing in connection with the Grota do Cirilo Project in Brazil
- SilverCrest Metals Inc. in the completion of a US$120 million project finance facility for the Las Chispas Project in Mexico and the US$100 million debt refinancing package
- Victoria Gold Corp. in the completion of a US$505 million construction package for the Eagle Gold Project in the Yukon, Canada, including its project finance facility and equipment finance facility and in the completion of a US$200 million corporate debt facility
- Generation Mining in connection with the $240 million Precious Metals Purchase Agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals for the Marathon Paladium Project
- Artemis Gold Inc. in connection with the US$141 million silver stream agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals and $140 million Master Lease with Caterpillar Financial for the Blackwater Project in British Columbia
- Continental Gold Inc. in the completion of a US$250 million project finance facility and US$175 million finance package backed by Newmont and Triple Flag
- Atlantic Gold Corporation in its $115 million project finance facility and $20 million equipment finance facility and US$150 million revolving credit facility
- Royal Capital Management in respect of the US$50 million facility for McEwen Mining’s Gold Bar Mine
- Tahoe Resources Inc. in the completion of a US$150 million revolving credit facility
- TMAC Resources Inc. in the completion of a US$120 million senior secured term facility
- Pioneer Energy in its $377 million sale to Parkland Fuel Corporation
- Stonebriar Commercial Finance Canada in its securitizations of equipment finance contracts
- A US-based leasing company in its securitization of equipment finance contracts, including electronic chattel paper
Carla is a Chartered Professional Accountant and Chartered Accountant with experience working at national accounting firms in both an assurance and business advisory capacity and brings this experience to bear in her practice. She is also a prolific author and regularly speaks on various topics relating to equipment finance and corporate finance matters. Select publications include:
- Equipment Finance in Canada (co-author)
- Asset Based Lending in Canada: Canadian Primer on Asset Based Financing, Second Edition (co-author)
- Asset Based Lending, Lexis Nexis Commercial Law Module (co-author)
- Project Finance in Canada (contributor)
*Services provided through a Professional Corporation