• Rob Rakochey has resigned from his position as a partner with Calgary-based Field Law after sending an email that degraded women and mocked transgender people. Jeremiah Kowalchuk, Field Law’s managing partner, confirmed the lawyer’s resignation in a statement to CBC. Rakochey made the comments in a 2,000-word invitation to his annual golf tournament. CBC has published the email in tandem with a news story about his resignation. In wake of Rakochey’s actions and public complaints, the Alberta government revoked Rakochey’s March appointment as a King’s Counsel. (King’s Counsel designations recognize lawyers for their excellence in advocacy and contributions to the legal profession. The appointments are generally made in Commonwealth countries that adopt the British legal model. Prior to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the designation was called a Queen’s Counsel. The designation title changed after King Charles assumed the British throne in his mother’s place.) Rakochey has practised dispute resolution and risk mitigation since being admitted to the Alberta bar in 2000, according to a Lawyers.com biography. He has routinely advised developers, contractors, insurance companies, major financial institutions and captive lenders on a variety of issues, including construction matters and employment issues. “Our teams are working to ensure a smooth transition for our clients,” Kowalchuk wrote in his statement to CBC. He noted that Field Law did not sanction Rakochey’s event and had nothing to do with it. “The email was deeply disturbing, and its contents do not reflect the values and beliefs of our organization,” Kowalchuk wrote. “Field Law prides itself on being a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment for all.”

• Montreal’s forthcoming new Royalmount shopping centre will feature an art walk that showcases the works of local and international artists. The permanent display will include murals and sculptures. The 15 works will be stationed in various areas of Royalmount, effective on the shopping centre’s opening day in August. Additional pieces will be added on an ongoing basis. “We want to celebrate art, democratize it, and open it for everyone to discover,” said Andrew Lutfy, CEO of Carbonleo, which co-owns the shopping centre project, in a news release. Royalmount’s management collaborated on artistic venture with MASSIVart, a Montreal-based creative placemaking and public art consulting company. Royalmount’s first phase will comprise 824,000 square feet.

• Tony Anderson has joined MLT Aikens in the law firm’s Vancouver office. Anderson is a banking and commercial lending lawyer. He acts for lenders and borrowers on secured debt financings, construction lending, asset-based lending, lease financing, M&A financing, loan syndications and standard operating and term credit facilities. As part of his practice, he advises clients on all aspects of real estate transactions and activities, including: Leasing transactions on behalf of both landlords and tenants, acquisitions and divestitures of commercial real property and creating and implementing various real estate ownership structures. He joined MLT Aikens from Owen Bird in Vancouver, where he worked for five and a half years, after serving as an associate with law firms Lindsay Kenney, Affinity, and Davis LLP. Before launching his legal career in 2012, he held assistant account manager and data and procurement analyst positions in Calgary with GE Capital, Wynford Group and ConocoPhillips.

• Ashley Dundas has joined QuadReal Property Group as a leasing director in Calgary. She moved to QuadReal from Anthem Properties’ Calgary-based operation, where she served as a senior leasing manager. Over the past 16 years, she has also held leasing manager and associate positions, tied mostly to office assets, with Cushman & Wakefield, 20 VIC Management and Colliers.

• Hasiya Crown has joined McMillan law firm’s commercial real estate group in Calgary. Her practice focuses on all types of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, divestments, commercial leasing, financing, secured lending, and general commercial law. Prior to joining McMillan, she articled at Dentons. Crown was admitted to the bar as a lawyer in Alberta in September 2023 after graduating from the University of Calgary.

Get Ready for Canada Kick-off

Connect CRE will hold its inaugural Canada Kick-off Event in Toronto on June 11. This will be Connect’s first commercial real estate industry conference in Canada. Panelists will include Syl Apps, managing director and co-country head for Hines; Lindsay Brand, chief investment officer at Concert Properties; Mark Kenney, CEO of Canadian Apartment Properties REIT; and, Marie-France Benoit, Avison Young’s director of Canadian market intelligence. Come and gain insights from industry leaders on such matters as buyer sentiment amid a lower interest-rate environment, cross-border commercial real estate transaction trends, and investors’ outlook for 2024 and beyond. Register today.