Donald G. Bird

Senior Counsel

Location: Vancouver
Email: DBird@blg.com
Phone: 604.640.4175

Expertise

Adeleine Estrada

Practice Assistant

Location: Vancouver
Email: AEstrada@blg.com
Phone: 604.687.5744 x53031

Don has acted for lenders and borrowers in commercial and corporate loans for more than 30 years, with an emphasis on secured transactions to both public and private borrowers.

He has extensive experience in syndicated and cross-border lending.

Don's practice also includes regulatory advice to financial institutions and structured finance transactions, as well as general corporate commercial transactions.

Within BLG, Don is the former National Leader of the Banking and Financial Services Group (2015-2020) and the former Regional Managing Partner of the Vancouver office (2011-2015). He also served as a regional group leader of the Financial Services Group and regional leader of our Business Department, which includes the Financial Services Group

Donald provides legal services through a Law Corporation.

Experience

PayBright Inc., one of Canada’s leading buy-now-pay-later providers, in connection with its $340 million acquisition by Affirm, Inc., a leading U.S.-based “buy now, pay later” platform.
Acting for BMO as the agent for a syndicate of secured lenders in the Journey Energy debt restructuring.
The Government of Canada in its $4.5 billion acquisition of the Trans Mountain and Puget Sound Pipelines, and related terminals, including pipeline construction financing.
Finning International Inc. in their $1.3 Billion global credit facility with a syndicate of international banks.
A syndicate of international lenders in their financing in excess of $500 million for port terminal facilities and their expansion in British Columbia.
A group of international investors in their financing in excess of $500 million for the acquisition of a group of casinos in British Columbia.
Lehman Brothers in British Columbia in the $1.936 billion syndicated financing of the purchase of Intrawest by Fortress Investment Group, LLC.
A syndicate of Canadian and US lenders in a $450 million loan to a greenhouse company operating in both countries.
TD Securities in a $700 million syndicated credit facility to Norske Skog Canada Limited to acquire Pacifica Papers in a transaction valued at approximately $1 billion.
Taiga Building Products Ltd. in their $200 million cross-border syndicated asset-backed revolving credit facility with GE Canada Finance and General Electric Capital Corporation.
Tolko Industries Ltd. in its syndicated credit facilities to finance the acquisition of Riverside Forest Products Ltd. at a purchase price of approximately $377 million.
Sun Gro Horticulture Income Fund in obtaining a cross-border $85 million senior security credit facility with the Bank of Montreal.
Pope & Talbot Ltd. in refinancing a US$250 million term facility and a US$75 million operating facility.
ID Biomedical Corporation in financing a US$100 million loan facility provided by Shire BioChem Inc.
HSBC Bank Canada in the issuance of $200 million of mortgage-backed securities.

Beyond Our Walls

Professional Involvement

Member, Solicitors’ Legal Opinions Committee of British Columbia (since 2015)
Member, Canadian Bar Association
Past executive member, Banking Law Subsection of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association

Community Involvement

Former member of the Board of Governors (since 2011), Business Council of British Columbia
Former Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia

Awards & Recognitions

Recognized in the 2025 (and since 2006) edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Banking and Finance Law)
Recognized in the 2025 (and since 2020) edition of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Banking & Financial Institutions,) and in the 2021 to 2024 editions (Asset Equipment Finance/Leasing and Corporate Commercial Law).
Recognized in the 2024 edition (and since 2023) of Lexpert Special Edition: Finance and M&A
Recognized in the 2023 (and since 2020) edition of Lexpert Special Edition: Energy
Recognized in the 2023 edition of Who's Who Legal: Canada (Banking).
Recognized in the 2022 (and previous editions) of IFLR1000 – The Guide to the World's Leading Financial Law Firms (Banking)
Recognized in the 2020 edition of Lexpert®/ROB Special Edition on Canada’s Leading Infrastructure Lawyers.
Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2020 edition (and since 2006) of The Best Lawyers in Canada® (Banking & Finance)
Fellow (since 2013) and Regent (2016-2020), American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers

Bar Admission & Education

British Columbia, 1988

LLB, University of Toronto, 1987
B.Comm. (Hons.), University of British Columbia, 1984

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