Fielding one of the largest construction groups in the country, Gowling WLG’s generous national platform ensures that it can draw on sector specialists from across its seven Canadian offices. The practice is well weighted between front-end and back-end work, where it acts for an impressive roster of leading domestic and multinational construction companies, governmental authorities and private-sector owners, among other clients. Toronto-based Ted Betts spearheads the department and specializes in non-contentious construction, with an emphasis on the infrastructure and energy spheres; he is representing McMaster Innovation Park on the development of a C$1bn research facility. Names to note on the contentious side include Brian Kapusianyk (Calgary), next-generation partner Sahil Shoor (Kitchener) and associate Tristan Neill (Kitchener).
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Profile
Position
Partner
Head of Infrastructure and Construction Group
Career
Ted Betts is a lawyer and partner in Gowling WLG's Toronto office. He practises corporate, construction and infrastructure law with more than 25 years of experience in the construction and infrastructure sectors. Ted is the Head of the firm's Infrastructure and Construction Sector Group and Co-Head of the firm's Transportation and Mobility Sector Group, and he is certified by the Law Society of Ontario as a Specialist in Construction Law.
Ted acts on all aspects of tendering, negotiating and drafting of construction contracts, structuring, project management, financing and commercial contracting. His practice focuses on large-scale construction, infrastructure and development projects, particularly power generation, transportation, urban development, city-building projects and public-private partnerships (PPP).
Ted 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. Ted regularly acts for provincial procurement agencies and ministries, as well as large and small municipalities and other broader public sector organizations on construction matters. He has drafted and negotiated all types of contracts and project structures, including construction management, design-build, EPC/EPCM, consulting agreements, and more recently progressive design-build and integrated project delivery projects.
Ted is recognized as a leading construction, infrastructure and projects lawyer by Chambers, Canadian Legal Lexpert and Legal 500 Canada, The Best Lawyers in Canada and Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer. He has also written papers and presented seminars on tendering and construction 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 Premises Chair, and is the former 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.
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Key clients
- Acciona
- AECOM
- Aoyuan International
- Cana Energy
- Chandos Construction
- Dalmen Products and DPRO
- Government of Alberta, Ministry of Infrastructure
- First Capital Realty
- IAMGOLD Corporation
- Keolis
- Ledcor Group
- McMaster University/McMaster Innovation Park
- RATP Dév., a subsidiary of the Société nationale des Chemins de fer de France
- RioCan Real Estate Management
- Siemens Canada
- Stantec
- Toronto Community Housing Corporation
- Victor Insurance
- Worley Cord
- AtkinsRéalis
Work highlights
Advised IAMGOLD on various matters concerning the development of its Côté Gold Project in Northeastern Ontario, including project design, construction and dispute resolution.
Acted for RioCan Real Estate Management on multiple mixed-use development projects in Toronto, including The Well project.
Represented Stantec Consulting and Stantec Architecture and QBE in litigation concerning the design and construction of the C$860m East Rail Maintenance Facility in Whitby, Ontario.