Biography
Spotlight
Stuart Breen boasts a superb reputation for his vast experience in handling an array of complex corporate and commercial matters for high-profile mining clients.
- Who's Who Legal Mining 2017
Stuart is the head of the Corporate Finance and Securities Group at Lawson Lundell. For over twenty years, his practice has focused on corporate and commercial law, with an emphasis on corporate finance and securities and mergers and acquisitions.
Stuart acts for domestic and international companies in a wide variety of transactions including equity and debt financings, business combinations, acquisitions and stock exchange listings. He also regularly advises clients on corporate and securities regulatory compliance issues and corporate governance matters.
Stuart has extensive experience acting for clients involved in the mineral exploration, development and mining industry, including advising clients on and completing commercial transactions such as joint ventures, option/earn-ins, royalties, strategic investments, and asset acquisitions, in respect of projects in dozens of jurisdictions worldwide. He also regularly provides advice on the unique continuous disclosure requirements of companies in the mining industry.
Professional Activities
- Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Member
- Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia, Member
- Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada, Member
Community Activities
- Dunbar Little League, Coach and Tournament Team Coach
- Vancouver United Football Club, Coach
Recognitions & Rankings
Recognitions & Rankings
- Chambers Canada: Energy & Natural Resources: Mining - Nationwide (Band 5), 2024-2025
- Best Lawyers in Canada: Mergers & Acquisitions, Mining Law, and Securities Law, 2015-2025
- Thomson Reuters: Stand-Out Lawyer, 2023-2024
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory:
- Corporate Finance & Securities, and Mining Law (Leading Practitioner), 2025
- Mining Law (Leading Practitioner), 2023-2024
- Chambers Global: Mining - International & Cross-Border (Band 5), 2023-2025
- Who's Who Legal Canada:
- Mining (Global Guide), 2024
- Mining (Canada), 2023
- Acritas Stars: 2019-2021
- International Who’s Who of Mining Lawyers: World's Leading Mining Lawyers, 2014-2015
- Lexpert Guide to the Leading US/Canada Cross-Border Corporate Lawyers in Canada: Canada's Corporate Lawyers to Watch, 2013
- Lexpert Rising Star Award: Canada's Leading Lawyers Under 40, 2012
- Business in Vancouver: Leading Business Professionals Under 40, 2012
Experience
Experience
- Acting for Profire Energy, Inc. in connection with the tender offer by CECO Environmental Corp. to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Profire at a price per share of US$2.55 and plan of merger pursuant to which CECO acquired Profire in a transaction valued at approximately US$125 million.
- Acting for Elevation Gold Corp. in connection with its application to the Supreme Court of British Columbia for creditor protection under the provisions of the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act and the subsequent sale of its Moss Mine located in Arizona to an arm’s length purchaser, EG Acquisition LLC.
- Acting for a TSX-listed issuer in connection with a CAD$15 million bought-deal private placement of flow-through common shares.
- Acting for Aurion Resources Ltd. in connection with a CAD$8 million brokered private placement of common shares.
- Acting for B2Gold Corp. in connection with its A$3.6 million strategic investment in ASX-listed Matador Mining Ltd.
- Acting for B2Gold Corp. in connection with its acquisition of Oklo Resources Limited, an ASX-listed corporation and holder of the Dandoko Gold Project located in Mali, by way of a court-approved scheme of arrangement under Australian law. Under the scheme, B2Gold Corp. acquired 100% of the ordinary shares of Oklo in consideration for 0.0206 of a common share of B2Gold Corp. and A$0.0525 in cash for each Oklo share. On closing, B2Gold Corp. issued an aggregate of 10,742,814 B2Gold Corp. shares and paid aggregate cash consideration of approximately A$27.4 million to Oklo shareholders.
- Acting for B2Gold Corp. in connection with the sale of its Ondundu gold project located in Namibia to Osino Resources Corp for aggregate consideration of US$15.2 million payable in cash and shares of Osino.
- Acting for B2Gold Corp. in connection with the sale of its 81% interest in the Kiaka gold project located in Burkina Faso to West African Resources for closing consideration of US$22.5 million in cash, 22,190,508 shares of WAF, and a net smelter return royalty as well as an additional payment of US$45 million on the earlier of (i) commencement of construction at the Kiaka project, (ii) completion of a positive feasibility study at the Kiaka project, and (iii) October 25, 2022.
- Acting for B2Gold Corp. in connection with the sale of its Nicaraguan mining assets, including the producing El Limon and La Libertad gold mines, to Calibre Mining Corp. for aggregate consideration of US$100 million comprised of a combination of cash, common shares and a convertible debenture.
- Advising B2Gold Corp. in the filing of a short form base shelf prospectus with the securities commissions in each of the provinces of Canada and a corresponding shelf registration statement on Form F-10 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S./Canada Multijurisdictional Disclosure System.
- Advising B2Gold Corp. in connection with an at the market offering in Canada and the United States having an aggregate gross offering price of up to US$100,000,000.
- Advising B2Gold Corp. in connection with its exploration, development and mining projects in Mali, Namibia, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Burkina Faso and Colombia.
- Advising B2Gold Corp. in connection with the development and construction of its Fekola mine in Mali.
- Advising B2Gold Corp. in connection with its joint venture agreement with AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. for the Gramalote project in Colombia.
- Advising Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. in connection with the option of its Skinner and Golden Sidewalk properties to Prosper Gold Corp.
- Advising OnCore BioPharma on Canadian matters in its announced merger with Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. Under the announced terms of the merger, valued at $US 750 million, OnCore will merge with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tekmira and will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tekmira. Upon completion, OnCore shareholders will hold approximately 50% of the total number of outstanding shares of Tekmira on a fully-diluted, as converted basis.
- Advising Catalyst Paper Corporation in its acquisition of the Biron paper mill located in Wisconsin and the Rumford pulp and paper mill located in Maine, USA from NewPage Corporation, NewPage Wisconsin System Inc., and Rumford Paper Company for a purchase price of US$74 million together with the associated acquisition financing and related increase in Catalyst’s ABL Credit Facility from CDN$175 million to CDN$225 million and US$25million (principal amount) offering of PIK Toggle Senior Secured Notes .
- Advising Aura Minerals Inc. in obtaining a US$15.5 million gold loan from Auramet International LLC, a subsidiary of Auramet Trading LLC.
- Acting for the special committee of Dunav Resources Ltd. in connection with its merger with Avala Resources Ltd. The merger was completed by way of a plan of arrangement under the British Columbia Business Corporations Act.
- British Columbia counsel for a biopharmaceutical company in connection with its proposed merger with a Canadian-based biotechnical company in a deal valued at US$850 million.
- Advising Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. in the sale of its Newman-Madsen property to Laurentian Goldfields Ltd. for 6.5 million shares in Laurentian.
- Advising Profire Energy, Inc. in acquiring the assets of VIM Injection Management, Inc.
- Advising Aura Minerals Inc. in obtaining a US$22.5 million gold loan from Auramet International LLC, a subsidiary of Auramet Trading LLC, the proceeds of which were used to settle outstanding debt obligations.
- British Columbia counsel for a clean energy company in its US$240 million sale to a consortium of investors.
News & Publications
News & Publications
- 42 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Ranked Across 27 Practice Areas in 2025 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, March 11, 2025
- 48 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 16 Practice Areas in Chambers Canada 2025, Chambers Canada, September 26, 2024
- 83 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognised Across 35 Practice Areas in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2025, Best Lawyers in Canada, August 29, 2024
- 46 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Ranked Across 26 Practice Areas in 2024 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, March 5, 2024
- Thomson Reuters Recognises 10 Lawson Lundell Professionals as 'Stand-out Lawyers', Thomson Reuters, February 26, 2024
- Who’s Who Legal Canada 2023 Recognises 17 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Across Multiple Practice Areas, Who's Who Legal, December 21, 2023
- 43 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 16 Practice Areas in Chambers Canada 2024, Chambers Canada, September 27, 2023
- 75 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognised Across 34 Practice Areas in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2024, Best Lawyers in Canada, August 24, 2023
- 41 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Ranked Across 24 Practice Areas in 2023 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, March 1, 2023
- Who’s Who Legal Canada 2022 Recognises 15 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Across Multiple Practice Areas, Who's Who Legal, December 1, 2022
- 43 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 17 Practice Areas in Chambers Canada 2023, Chambers Canada, September 29, 2022
- 70 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 37 Practice Areas in the Best Lawyers in Canada 2023 , Best Lawyers in Canada, August 25, 2022
- 40 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Ranked Across 25 Practice Areas in 2022 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, February 25, 2022
- Who’s Who Legal: Mining Recognises Four Lawson Lundell Lawyers for 2022, Who's Who Legal, January 5, 2022
- Who’s Who Legal Canada 2021 Recognises 13 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Across Multiple Practice Areas, Who's Who Legal, December 6, 2021
- 36 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 15 Practice Areas in Chambers Canada 2022, Chambers Canada, September 9, 2021
- 66 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 36 Practice Areas in the Best Lawyers in Canada® 2022 , Best Lawyers in Canada, August 26, 2021
- Who’s Who Legal Recognises Five Lawson Lundell Lawyers for their Banking & Mining Expertise, Who's Who Legal, March 16, 2021
- Matters to Consider for the 2021 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, February 9, 2021
- 58 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 34 Practice Areas in the Best Lawyers in Canada® 2021 , Best Lawyers in Canada® 2021 Edition, August 27, 2020
- Matters to Consider for the 2020 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, January 27, 2020
- Who’s Who Legal Releases its Mining and Banking Rankings for 2020, Who's Who Legal, January 24, 2020
- 34 Lawson Lundell Lawyers recognized across 17 practice areas in Chambers Canada 2020, Chambers Canada, 2020 Edition, September 19, 2019
- 53 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 32 Practice Areas in The Best Lawyers in Canada® 2020, The Best Lawyers in Canada® 2020 Edition, August 21, 2019
- 29 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Ranked Across 19 Practice Areas in 2019 Canadian Legal Lexpert® Directory, © Thomson Reuters Canada Limited, Lexpert Directory 2019, April 18, 2019
- 50 Lawson Lundell Lawyers Recognized Across 33 Practice Areas in The Best Lawyers in Canada® 2019, The Best Lawyers in Canada® , 13th Edition, August 21, 2018
- Stuart Breen, Chat Ortved and Michael Li featured in The Northern Miner , The Northern Miner, MARCH 5-18, 2018 / VOL. 104 ISSUE 5, March 6, 2018, Co-Author
- Matters to Consider for the 2018 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, January 30, 2018
- Stuart Breen quoted in the National Post article, "Stock prices fuel Canadian acquisitions", National Post, September 29, 2016, Interview
- The importance of tying executive compensation to performance, The Northern Miner, March 23, 2015, Co-Author
- The pros and cons of private equity investment, The Northern Miner, March 2, 2015, Co-author
- Streaming transactions are filling the financing gap and raising confidence in rough mining sector, Lexpert, November 2014, Interview
- Mining report: Mining companies need to do a better job of preparing for AGMs, Business in Vancouver, March 17, 2014, Co-author
Blog Posts
- Matters to Consider for the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, Business Law Blog, February 20, 2025
- Matters to Consider for the 2024 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, Business Law Blog, April 15, 2024
- Ontario Court of Appeal Clarifies the Framework for Determining Material Changes, Business Law Blog, June 27, 2023
- Matters to Consider for the 2023 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, Business Law Blog, February 13, 2023
- Matters to Consider for the 2022 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, Business Law Blog, February 24, 2022
- The Canadian Securities Administrators Proposes Mandatory Climate-Related Disclosure for Reporting Issuers, Business Law Blog, November 25, 2021
- Amendments to the Business Corporations Act Permit Virtual Meetings in British Columbia, Business Law Blog, June 1, 2021
- Matters to Consider for the 2021 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, Business Law Blog, February 9, 2021
- CSA Provides Blanket Relief for Market Participants Due to COVID-19, Business Law Blog, March 24, 2020
- CSA to Provide Blanket Relief for Market Participants Due to COVID-19, Business Law Blog, March 19, 2020
- CSA Releases a Revised Proposed National Instrument Governing Disclosure of Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures, Business Law Blog, February 27, 2020
- Matters to Consider for the 2020 Annual General Meeting and Proxy Season, Business Law Blog, January 28, 2020
- CBCA Amendments in the 2019 Federal Budget - A Continued Focus on Governance, Business Law Blog, April 15, 2019
- CSA Announces Proposed National Instrument Governing Disclosure of Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures , Business Law Blog, September 10, 2018
- Gender Diversity and Overboarding Dominate ISS’s 2018 Proxy Guideline Updates, Business Law Blog, November 21, 2017
Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
- “The Role of Junior Mining in Today’s Market and Challenges Ahead”, Special Institute on International Mining and Oil & Gas Law, Development and Investment, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation/ International Bar Association, Cartagena de Indias, Col, April 21, 2015, Speaker

Assistant Contact
- Christina Bartos
- Legal Assistant
- T: 604.408.5323
- cbartos@lawsonlundell.com
Bar Admissions
- British Columbia (2001)
Education
University of British Columbia, B.A. (1995)
University of British Columbia, LL.B. (2000)