Kenneth E. Burns,

Clients view Kenneth as "well experienced, practical and readily available,"highlighting that "he is always timely in his response." He provides counsel to pension and benefit plan sponsors on a variety of matters, and his practice includes the merging of pension plans.

- Chambers Canada, 2021 Guide

Ken practices exclusively in the firm’s pensions and employee benefits law practice group. He advises pension and benefit plan sponsors on a range of legal and regulatory issues affecting their plans. He advises on pension plan governance and compliance monitoring projects, regulatory applications and the handling of pension disputes. He works with managers in the drafting and maintenance of pension documents, including plan texts, trust agreements, governance policies, investment policies, funding policies, plan assessments, as well as investment manager and other service provider contracts. Ken is frequently involved in assisting parties in mergers and acquisitions on the pension and benefits issues arising in the course of planning and executing their transactions.

• Canadian Bar Insurance Association (CBIA) & Lawyers Financial, Board of Directors (2024)
• Association of Canadian Pension Management, Vice-President, British Columbia Regional Council, Past Chair; Chair of the 2013 and 2019 National Conference and National Conference Planning Committee
• Canadian Bar Association, Pension and Benefits Section, Past National Executive Member (3 terms) and Past British Columbia Section Chair (3 terms)
• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Past Canadian Legal/Legislative and Public Sector Committee Member
• International Pension and Employee Benefits Lawyers’ Association, Program Chair of the 2014 Conference; Member of the 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2020 Conference Planning Committees
• Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute, Past British Columbia Council Member

• Chambers Canada: Pensions & Benefits - Nationwide (Band 2), 2024-2025
• Best Lawyers in Canada:
  • Lawyer of the Year - Employee Benefits Law (Vancouver), 2023, 2025
  • Employee Benefits Law, 2010-2025
• Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory: Pensions & Employee Benefits - Employer (Leading Practitioner), 2023-2024
• Who's Who Legal:
  • Labour, Employment & Benefits (Canada), 2023
  • Labour, Employment & Benefits (Global Guide), 2023
• Best Lawyers: Employee Benefits Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2014, 2017 and 2019
• Chambers Global: Pensions & Benefits (Canada), 2018
• Lexpert Guide to US/Canada Cross-Border Lawyers in Canada: Labour & Employment, 2018
• Premier Awards: NWT's Premier's Award for Collaboration, 2016
• Legal 500 Canada: Pensions
• Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: AV Peer Review rated

• Providing legal, legislative and governance advice to a public sector, multi-employer pension plan regarding plan expansion
• Assisting a provincial Crown corporation in the amendment of its management pension plan trust arrangements to permit the establishment of solvency reserve accounts and the related changes to its pension investment policies.
• Acting for a provincial group insurance trust regarding substantial investments as well as tax and structuring advice
• Acting for a public sector pension plan on a withdrawal liability matters
• Acting for the board of a public sector multi-employer pension plan in negotiations with government over changes to legislation governing the plan
• Acting for a mining company in the design and set up of new pension and benefit plans prior to the opening of operations in northern Canada
• Structuring and advising on a client company's pension committee, and providing professional oversight for several of the company's pension plans
• Setting up pension governance and legislative compliance monitoring systems for various clients
• Representing a multi-employer pension board in litigation to recover withdrawal liability obligations of a former participating employer
• Assisting a forest products company in negotiating the pension and benefits disclosure requirements in a complex lending agreement
• Negotiating pension and benefit terms in corporate mergers and acquisitions on behalf of numerous large and small clients
• Drafting submissions to pension regulators on behalf of numerous clients
• Advising on and setting up letters of credit to secure supplemental pension plans for various employers
• Setting up retirement compensation arrangements for employers in the forest, mining and retail industries
• Advising a US airline and a US mining company on ways to best mirror 401(k) plans for employees in Canada
• Drafting an opinion to a forestry company on best practices in winding down a pension plan
• Helping a Canadian multi-national company establish a savings plan for expatriate employees
• Drafting template custodial documents for a trust company
• Negotiating funding relief for a plan sponsor with the federal pension regulator
• Assisting an energy company in selecting and moving its pension fund to a new pension fund holder
• Assisting a consortium of pension funds on joint investments in private equity funds
• Drafting statements of investment policies and procedures for an insurance company's defined contribution plan
• Advising a US head office on the oversight of its Canadian subsidiary's pension obligations
• Drafting and amending pension trust agreements for various employers and multi-employer plan boards of trustees
• Advising a mining company on the implementation of phased retirement provisions in its pension plan