Blair Rebane

Blair is passionate about providing solution-driven advice to help clients of both established companies and growth-stage enterprises achieve their business goals. A trusted advisor respected for his enthusiasm and responsiveness, Blair’s practice combines a deep expertise in business organization and expansion with skillful dispute resolution and mediation strategies.

As the National Leader of the Franchise and Distribution Group, Blair advises a wide variety of franchisors, master franchisees, distributors, and manufacturers across multiple industries. He regularly negotiates, prepares, and structures complex franchise and distribution arrangements such as master franchises, unit franchises, area development, dealerships, and distribution agreements. As both a solicitor and litigator of franchise issues, Blair counsels clients on enforcement and termination of all types of franchise and distribution agreements, including through litigation or arbitration.
In the franchise and distribution sector, Blair represents a number of Canada’s largest retail, food and beverage, hospitality, automotive, janitorial and home services companies, including:

• Prominent restaurant/quick-service/coffee chains and operators
• Well-known hotel chains and operators
• A number of the world’s most prominent automotive manufacturers as well as major vehicle repair and maintenance chains
• The world’s largest junk removal company
• Major national and international retailers of clothing, skin care products, hot tubs, barbeques, food smokers and a vast array of other products
• Prominent grocery chains, convenience stores as well as other food and liquor distributors
• National and international home improvement, construction, painting and cleaning franchisors
• Leading fitness, healthcare and education chains.

As litigation counsel, Blair has extensive experience in construction disputes, landlord/tenant issues, and creditor’s remedies. He advises contractors, developers, bonding companies, property managers, private lenders, service providers, and suppliers, providing effective, imaginative solutions to meet and exceed their business objectives.

Blair’s commercial disputes clients include a number of Canada’s largest construction companies, real estate investment and management firms, and various retail and service providers:

• Global providers of infrastructure and renewable energy projects
• Significant joint venture construction projects for some of Canada’s largest port, highway, pipeline and sewage projects
• Leading land and marine construction contractors and subcontractors
• Mechanical and manufacturing companies
• Multiple retail, residential, and hospitality real estate groups
• Several premiere commercial property management firms.

In addition to his practice, Blair teaches, publishes and presents extensively on franchise law, and frequently provides commentary for various media outlets and organizations such as The Globe & Mail, Construction Business (B.C. & Alberta’s construction magazine), and Business in Vancouver.

Blair has appeared before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Court of Appeal and Federal Court of Canada, and is consistently recognized as an industry leader in franchise law and commercial litigation. He was an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law for more than a decade.

Blair provides legal services through a Law Corporation.