Donya Vahidi*

Donya Vahidi is a corporate M&A lawyer and shareholder with a practice concentrated on Indigenous equity ownership and major energy and infrastructure transactions. She is recognized for her leadership in structuring complex acquisition and partnership arrangements involving Indigenous communities and industry across Canada. Donya has acted on several precedent-setting Indigenous equity transactions, including transactions involving the largest-ever loan guarantee  ($250M) issued by Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation, and the first-ever Federal loan guarantee ($400M) issued by Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation.

Donya also serves as the Alberta lead for Boughton Law’s Indigenous Practice Group, where she plays a central role in advising Indigenous clients on corporate structuring, economic development strategies, and governance matters. Her deep understanding of corporate commercial law and Indigenous legal frameworks positions her uniquely to support partnerships between Indigenous communities and industry.

Donya has been recognized by her peers and included in Best Lawyers in Canada since 2024 for her expertise in Corporate Law.

Representative Transactions

• Represented the partnership of 38 First Nations, Stonlasec8 Indigenous Alliance Limited Partnership, in their $736M acquisition of 12.5% equity in Enbridge’s Westcoast natural gas pipeline system (which is the 2,900 km pipeline system from Fort Nelson, B.C., to the Canada-U.S. border).  This transaction included the first-ever Federal Loan Guarantee by the Government of Canada’s new Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program ($400M loan guarantee).
• Jointly represented 23 Alberta-based indigenous communities in their acquisition, for $1.1 billion, of an 11.57% equity interest in seven Enbridge-operated pipelines in the Athabasca region. This acquisition is the single largest indigenous energy transaction in North America. The pipeline assets are underpinned by long-term contracts and highly-predictable cash flows. The financing was completed with non-recourse debt and included a loan guarantee of $250 million from the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation. Athabasca Indigenous Investments Limited Partnership (Aii) is the special purpose partnership which, through a subsidiary, holds the 11.57% equity interest in the seven pipelines. The indigenous communities with partnership equity are eight First Nations of Treaty 6, five First Nations of Treaty 8, four Métis Settlements, three Métis Nations and three Métis Locals of the Métis Nation of Alberta Association.
• Jointly represented 5 Alberta-based Indigenous Communities, through a newly formed partnership called Northern Lakeland Indigenous Alliance, in their acquisition of a 43% interest in the Access NGL Pipeline System, operated by Wolf Midstream Canada LP (Wolf Midstream). The pipeline system connects Wolf Midstream’s newly constructed, owned and operated NGL recovery facility near Mariana Lake to its NGL separation facility in Sturgeon County. The financing was completed with non-recourse debt and included a loan guarantee of $103 million from the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation.
• Jointly represented eight First Nations and Métis communities in their acquisition and financing of 15% equity in the Northern Courier Pipeline Limited Partnership (which is a pipeline asset with a value of approximately $1.3 billion). This acquisition was unprecedented because of the number of participating Indigenous communities and was completed with non-recourse debt financing from ATB Financial and a loan guarantee of up to $40 million from the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation.
• Represented Fort McKay First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation in their $503 million acquisition from Suncor Energy of a 49% interest in the East Tank Farm development (a bitumen and diluent storage, blending and cooling facility located 30 km north of Fort McMurray, Alberta) and with the associated $545 million financing by way of 4.136% senior secured notes rated Baa1 by Moody’s and BBB (high) by DBRS. At closing, the transaction represented the largest-ever business investment by a First Nation entity in Canada.

Speaking Engagements and Leadership Initiatives

• Institutional Connect West Forum – Energy Transition & Engaging Indigenous Communities (panelist) (2023)
• Canadian Energy Law Foundation – Spotlight on Indigenous Equity Partnerships (speaker) (2023)
• Dress for Success Vancouver – Co Chair, Event Committee (2021)
• Dress for Success Vancouver – Recurring guest speaker (2019-2021)
• Young Women in Business – Recurring guest speaker (2019-2021)
• “Business and Commercial Law – Information for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners”, Dress for Success Vancouver, September (2018)
• “Intellectual Property and Brand Strategy”, Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law, March (2018)
• “Corporate Law – The Purchase and Sale of a Business”; Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law, February (2017)
• “Corporate Law and Intellectual Property Protection”; Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law, November (2016)
• “Legal Basics for Tech Startups”; Protohack Vancouver, August (2016)

Professional Activities

• Member, Canadian Bar Association, Business Law, Banking and Intellectual Property subsections
• Member, Vancouver Bar Association