Partner
“She is totally dedicated, works hard and has great experience.”
Market Commentator – Chambers Global 2016
Anita provides creative solutions on all aspects of critical competition and foreign investment review matters. Clients rely on her business-friendly and thoughtful approach to their complex competition cases.
Widely recognized as a leading lawyer in competition law, Anita advises on a number of the most closely watched and leading competition cases in Canada, including those in the areas of mergers, abuse of dominance, misleading advertising and criminal price-fixing investigations.
With extensive expertise in multinational mergers, she has secured Competition Act and Investment Canada Act clearance for numerous high-profile transactions of Canadian and international businesses in various industries. She regularly assists clients with contested proceedings before the courts and the Competition Tribunal, as well as negotiated resolutions and consent agreements.
Anita has held leadership positions within the Canadian Bar Association and American Bar Association. She served as Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Competition Law Section from September 2017 to 2018 and is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Committee of the Antitrust Section of the ABA.
Partner
“She is totally dedicated, works hard and has great experience.”
Market Commentator – Chambers Global 2016
Anita provides creative solutions on all aspects of critical competition and foreign investment review matters. Clients rely on her business-friendly and thoughtful approach to their complex competition cases.
Widely recognized as a leading lawyer in competition law, Anita advises on a number of the most closely watched and leading competition cases in Canada, including those in the areas of mergers, abuse of dominance, misleading advertising and criminal price-fixing investigations.
With extensive expertise in multinational mergers, she has secured Competition Act and Investment Canada Act clearance for numerous high-profile transactions of Canadian and international businesses in various industries. She regularly assists clients with contested proceedings before the courts and the Competition Tribunal, as well as negotiated resolutions and consent agreements.
Anita has held leadership positions within the Canadian Bar Association and American Bar Association. She served as Chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s Competition Law Section from September 2017 to 2018 and is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions Committee of the Antitrust Section of the ABA.
The Blackstone Group Inc.
Acted for real estate funds managed by The Blackstone Group Inc. and their affiliates in Blackstone's $6.2-billion all-cash acquisition of Dream Global Real Estate Investment Trust and the separation of its external asset manager, Dream Asset Management.
Blackstone Property Partners
Acted for an affiliate of Blackstone Property Partners in its joint venture with Hudson Pacific Properties, Inc., to acquire the 1.45 million-square-foot Bentall Centre office and retail complex in Vancouver.
Enercare Inc.
Acted for Enercare Inc., one of North America's largest home and commercial services and energy solutions companies, in its $4.3-billion sale to Brookfield Infrastructure and its institutional partners by way of plan of arrangement.
Rogers Sugar Inc.
Acted for Rogers Sugar Inc. in connection with the acquisition of L.B. Maple Treat Corporation, one of the world's largest branded and private label maple syrup bottling and distribution companies, for $160.3 million.
DAK Americas LLC
Acted for DAK Americas LLC, a producer of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) resins, in connection with its acquisition of a controlling interest in Selenis Canada from IMG Group. Selenis Canada operates a PET plant in Montréal.
Stericyle Inc.
Acted as Canadian counsel for Stericycle, Inc. in its acquisition of Shred-it International, a global secure information destruction services provider, for US$2.3 billion in cash.
Bentall Kennedy (Canada) Limited Partner
Acted for the Bentall Kennedy Group, a premier real estate investment management firm operating in Canada and the United States, in its acquisition by Sun Life Financial Inc. for a purchase price of $560 million.
Amcor Limited
Acted for Amcor Limited in its acquisition of Alcan Packaging operations from Rio Tinto plc in 31 countries for approximately US$2 billion. The acquisition enhances Amcor's position as one of the world's leading packaging companies.
Mill Road Capital, L.P.
Acted for U.S.-based private equity firm Mill Road Capital, L.P. in its successful "white knight" bid for Cossette Inc. for approximately $134 million.
Canada Pipe Company Ltd.
Acted for Canada Pipe Company Ltd. before the Competition Tribunal, Federal Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada with respect to the only fully contested abuse of dominance case to be decided in Canada in more than 15 years. This matter was decided in favour of Canada Pipe following a lengthy trial in the Competition Tribunal and against Canada Pipe in the Federal Court of Appeal. The matter was eventually resolved through a negotiated Consent Agreement in December 2007.
Jan. 15, 2020 - The official Annual Report under the Investment Canada Act (ICA) for the fiscal year 2018-19 was released at the end of 2019. This document sets out various statistics and other noteworthy developments during that time frame (i.e., April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019) relating to the two...
Recent Developments in Canada: Will the Competition Bureau Intrude on Privacy?, co-author
Sept. 24, 2019 - Kluwer Competition Law Blog (Wolters Kluwer)
Read the article.
Sept. 19, 2019 - The Financial Post recently featured Anita Banicevic’s insights on the Competition Bureau’s call for complaints concerning anticompetitive conduct in the digital economy. In the article, Anita explains that the Bureau “is looking to collect information and understand facts to determine...
Sept. 11, 2019 - A recent article in Global Competition Review (available to subscribers) featured Mark Katz and Anita Banicevic’s reactions to the Competition Bureau’s call for businesses and consumers to report potentially anticompetitive conduct in the digital economy. Mark commented that there is “no...
Anita Banicevic Discusses Bureau’s Robust Enforcement Plan with National Magazine
Aug. 30, 2019 - National Magazine recently featured Anita Banicevic’s insights on the Competition Commissioner’s aggressive vision for Canada’s Competition Bureau. In the article, Anita remarks that one of her biggest takeaways from the Commissioner’s speech at the CBA Competition Law Spring Conference is...
What’s FaceApp and Facebook Got to Do with Competition Compliance in Canada?
Aug. 06, 2019 - While summer can sometimes be a quieter time for antitrust enforcement, the debate about the role of antitrust in the tech sector is hotter than ever with a number of significant developments over the past few weeks. Among these developments, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently...
Canada’s Competition Bureau Releases Draft Model Timing Agreement for Merger Efficiencies Claims
July 22, 2019 - Canada’s Competition Bureau has released a draft model timing agreement for mergers where the parties wish to raise efficiencies claims. For context, Canada’s efficiencies defence provides that no remedy may be imposed in respect of a merger that substantially lessens competition when the...
Canada’s New Competition Commissioner Announces Aggressive Enforcement Plans
June 17, 2019 - Last month, Canada’s newly appointed Commissioner of Competition, Matthew Boswell, promised to prioritize more aggressive competition law in Canada. In his first speech since he was appointed to the position for a five-year term, as well as in subsequent interviews and public pronouncements, the...
Anita Banicevic Speaks to the Financial Post About Competition Commissioner’s Focus on Enforcement
May 24, 2019 - In an article published this week in the Financial Post, Anita Banicevic shared her thoughts on the direction of Canada’s Competition Bureau under its new Commissioner, Matthew Boswell. “We’re already starting to see the Commissioner’s focus on active enforcement playing itself out, and what that...
George Addy and Anita Banicevic Speak to Law Times About Role of Competition Bureau
Mar. 01, 2019 - With the appointment of a new Commissioner of Competition expected in the first half of 2019, Davies lawyers George Addy and Anita Banicevic spoke to Law Times about the direction and priorities of Canada’s Competition Bureau. With respect to regulation of the digital economy, George is...
Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business—Competition/Antitrust
Chambers Canada: Canada’s Leading Lawyers for Business—Competition/Antitrust
GCR’s Women in Antitrust 2016
GCR 100 Canada: A Guide to the World’s Leading Competition Law and Economics Practices
Global Competition Review’s “40 Under 40” (2012)
The Legal 500 Canada—Competition and Antitrust (Leading Lawyer)
The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada—Advertising and Marketing Law; Competition Law
Lexpert Zenith Award—Celebrating Change Agents in Law (2019)
Report on Business/Lexpert Special Edition Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
Lexpert Guide to US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada—Regulatory
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory—Competition Law (Most Frequently Recommended); Advertising and Marketing Law
The Best Lawyers in Canada—Advertising and Marketing Law; Competition/Antitrust Law
Who’s Who Legal: Canada—Competition; Who’s Who Legal: Competition; Who’s Who Legal: Foreign Investment Review
Who’s Who Legal and Global Competition Review’s Who’s Who Legal: Competition – Future Leaders 2017
Expert Guides’ Women in Business Law; Expert Guides—Competition and Antitrust
Ontario, 2000
Queen’s University, LLB, 1998
Queen’s University, BA, 1995
American Bar Association
Canadian Bar Association
American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, 2017 Consumer Protection Conference, co-chair
American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, Compliance & Ethics Committee, former co-chair
American Bar Association, Section of Antitrust Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Committee, vice-chair
Canadian Bar Association, Competition Law Section Executive Committee, past chair
International Competition Network, non-governmental adviser
Anita has lectured on competition law at Queen’s University Faculty of Law.
