A combination of excellent transactional expertise and deep industry knowledge of Canada’s energy sector make John a highly sought after advisor, dealmaker, and capital raiser.

John E. Piasta is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Business Law and Energy groups based in Calgary. As a skilled and well-known practitioner in the capital markets and M&A spaces, John excels at helping clients access capital, close their biggest deals, and navigate corporate and securities regulations with ease. An energy sector veteran, he helps Canada’s biggest sector players raise billions in public and private placements and is guiding them to success during the energy transition.

John works with business leaders and decision makers to effectively and efficiently complete public and private M&A and capital markets transactions, including in cross-border financings and corporate governance. He advises issuers and investment dealers on financial services, regulatory compliance, and public and private debt and equity offerings. He also helps clients with their corporate matters, acquisitions and dispositions, corporate and securities compliance, and governance and security-holder matters.

Recent Transactions

John’s representative work includes:

• Gibson Energy Inc. in its $403-million bought deal offering of subscription receipts.
• Gibson Energy Inc., as Canadian counsel, in its US$1.1-billion acquisition of South Texas Gateway Terminal LLC.
• SECURE Energy Services Inc., in its $140-million private placement of senior unsecured notes due 2026.
• Keyera Corp. in its $230-million bought deal equity offering.
• Cenovus Energy Inc., in the $227.5-million bought deal secondary offering of common shares of Headwater Exploration Inc.
• Gibson Energy Inc. in the renewal of its $3-billion short form base shelf prospectus.
• The syndicate of underwriters, led by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC in the US$1.15-billion Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.'s (APUC) underwritten marketed public offering of Equity Units.
• SECURE Energy Services Inc., in its $200-million private placement of senior unsecured notes due 2026.
• A syndicate of agents co-led by CIBC World Markets Inc., in Algonquin Power Co.'s (a subsidiary in the Liberty Renewable Energy Group of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. (TSX: AQN)) sale of $400-million 2.85% senior unsecured debentures with a maturity date of July 15, 2031 (the "Liberty Power Debentures") pursuant to a private placement in Canada. The Liberty Power Debentures were offered at a price of C$999.92 per C$1,000 principal amount.
• SECURE Energy Services Inc., in its $2-billion acquisition of Tervita Corporation.
• Cenovus Energy Inc., in its $23.6-billion acquisition of Husky Energy Inc.
• Parkland Corporation, in its $400-million private placement of senior unsecured notes due 2028.

As an active member of his community, John helps local organizations in their charitable work as a leader and advisor. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre and has previously served as Chair of the Advisory Committee of “I Can for Kids”, an organization which supports food-insecure families in Canada, a member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary French and International School Society, as Alberta Co-Chair of the Shevchenko Foundation, as an editor of the Alberta Law Review, and as executive director and member of the Board of Directors of Student Legal Services of Edmonton.

John obtained his law degree and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta. He was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 2001.