Shane Freitag  

Shane Freitag is the National Leader of the Electricity Markets Group and a senior partner in the Toronto office. Shane's practice focuses on corporate, commercial and regulatory matters arising from the resource and infrastructure sectors including electricity, gas and water. He has acted as counsel for various renewable and non-renewable electricity projects, district energy projects and other infrastructure projects with a particular focus upon the underlying key project agreements and regulatory approvals. He has also acted for numerous clients with respect to the physical purchase and sale of natural gas and electricity, and financial products, hedges and swaps.

Prior to joining BLG, Shane was assistant general counsel and general counsel of large utilities in Ontario and Alberta, and was heavily involved in the restructuring of the electricity industry and utilities in those jurisdictions.

Shane has lived and practised law in Northern Canada with a focus upon resource law issues.

• Counsel to developers, hosts, lenders, purchasers and sellers in respect of numerous renewable and non-renewable generating projects in Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta.
• Counsel to the Ontario Power Authority in respect of Industrial Electricity Incentive Program, Energy From Waste and Hydroelectric Contract Initiative.
• Counsel to purchasers, sellers, buying groups and traders in respect of natural gas, electricity and emissions utilizing GasEDIs, NAESBs, ISDAs, EEIs and other standard Master Agreements.
• Counsel to utilities in respect of conservation and demand management agreements, suite metering agreements, connection agreements, and terms and conditions of service.
• Actively participated in the restructuring of the Ontario and Alberta electricity industries.
• Assisted in the reorganization of Ontario Hydro and the incorporation of Ontario Power Generation.
• Participated, assisted in and directed the transition of EPCOR from a City-owned department to a stand-alone major Alberta utility.
• Participated and assisted in the negotiation of the first Water/Electric Corporate utility in Canada.
• Participated in the development of the agreement to devolve responsibility for oil and gas resources from the Federal Government to the Government of the Northwest Territories (Northern Accord).
• Directed and participated in the purchase of the Northern Canada Power Commission from the Federal Government and the development of the Public Utilities Act and Northwest Territories Power Corporation Act.

• Quoted,"Lack of centralised EU regulation ‘major headache’ for frackers," International Bar Association, January 5, 2014.
• Author, “Municipalities to Step into Leading Role,” Energy Group Bulletin, June 2013.
• Author, “A New Path for Ontario’s Renewables,” Energy Group Bulletin, June 2013.
• Author, “Recent Electricity Developments in Saskatchewan – A Step Forward,” Energy Group Bulletin, June 2013.
• Author, “Canada’s New Anti-Spam Legislation and How it Will Affect Email Marketing Practices,” Energy Group Bulletin, April 2013.
• Author ,”A Fresh Start to Clean Energy? The OPA’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Procurement and Clean Energy Standard Offer Program (CESOP),” Energy Group Bulletin, January 2011.
• Author, “CESOP’s Fables: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait,” Energy Markets Group Bulletin, February 2011.
• Author, “Clean Energy Standard Offer Program (CESOP),” Energy Markets Group Bulletin, April 2011.

• Recognized in the 2019 and previous editions of Chambers Global — The World's Leading Lawyers for Business (Energy: Power - Transactional).
• Recognized in the 2020 edition (and since 2016) of Chambers Canada — Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business (Energy: Power - Transactional).
• Recognized in the 2019 edition (and since 2011) of The Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory (Energy – Electricity).
• Recognized in the 2019 edition of the Lexpert®/ROB Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Corporate Lawyers.
  
• Recognized as a leading energy lawyer in the 2019 edition (and since 2013) of the Lexpert®/Report on Business Special Edition on Energy.
  
• Recognized in the 2018 edition (and since 2015) of Who's Who Legal: Canada (Energy).
  
• Recognized as a leading lawyer in the 2019 edition (and since 2017) of the Lexpert®/Report on Business Special Edition on Infrastructure.
• Recognized as a 2019 Acritas Star (and since 2017).
• Selected by peers for inclusion in the 2020 edition (and since 2016) of The Best Lawyers in Canada (Energy Law).
• Recognized as a leading lawyer in the 2019 and previous editions of The Legal 500 Canada (Energy: Power).
• Recognized in the 2015 edition of Who's Who Legal: Canada (Capital Markets).