Steve J. Tenai

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Chambers Canada, Dispute Resolution: Class Action (Defence) – Nationwide
• The Best Lawyers in Canada, Director & Officer Liability Practice, Class Action Litigation, Corporate & Commercial Litigation and Securities Law
• The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Class Actions, Litigation – Corporate Commercial, Litigation – Directors’ & Officers’ Liability and Litigation – Securities
• Lexpert Special Edition – Canada’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
• Lexpert Special Edition: Mining
• Benchmark Canada, Litigation Star in Government and Regulatory, Class Action and Commercial Law
• Martindale-Hubbell, Distinguished Peer Review Rating for High Professional Achievement and High Ethical Standard

Memberships

• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
• Canadian Bar Association
• Class Action Bench Bar Committee (Former Member)
• Ontario Bar Association, Class Actions Section (Former Executive Committee Member 2018-2021) and Privacy and Access to Information Law Section (Former Executive Committee Member 2018-2019)
• The Advocates’ Society (Former Member, Board of Directors)

• Represented Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation in a valuation proceeding to value the shares held by shareholders who dissented from a post-takeover plan of arrangement.
• Represented a minority shareholder in enforcing rights to director nominees pursuant to a subscription agreement.
• Represented a bidder seeking exemptive relief before the Ontario Securities Commission to the majority voting requirement for takeover bids.
• Representing a discount brokerage in multijurisdictional class proceedings over trailing commission fees.
• Representing a pharmaceutical company in the Federal Court of Canada in a class action alleging industry wide breaches of the Competition Act.
• Represented a cannabis company in an Alberta class proceeding alleging mislabelling of the THC content of products by various cannabis producers.
• Representing a foreign state in opposing the registration of a multi-million dollar judgment in Ontario, including before the Supreme Court of Canada.
• Represented a condominium developer in successfully dismissing a $40 million class action for a cancelled development.
• Represented a former director of a major retailer in CCAA proceedings in responding to claims against directors by creditors.
• Represented a global manufacturer and a Canadian mining company in a $1 billion shareholder class action suit arising from the takeover of a mining company, and in an OSC s. 127 hearing concerning a shareholders’ rights plan.
• Represented a global professional services and project management company in defending multiple shareholder class actions. One of the class actions raised allegations of breaches of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act and sought damages of $1 billion.
• Represented a Canadian telecommunications company in successfully defeating a consumer class action relating to prepaid mobile phone service.
• Represented a global pharmaceutical company in having a proposed consumer class action dismissed on appeal raising claims of interference with economic relations and unjust enrichment following a declaration of invalidity of the company’s patent for one of its most prescribed drugs.
• Represented a senior officer of a global technology company in civil and regulatory proceedings concerning stock option grants.
• A member of the appeal team representing BCE Inc. and Bell Canada before the Supreme Court of Canada relating to the $51.7 billion privatization of BCE, and in the subsequent break-fee litigation.
• Advised various clients in the context of cyber and other data breaches.

Steve has spoken at a number of conferences on such topics as shareholder rights plans, coordinating defences and investigations in cross-border securities litigation, trends in class action litigation, the oppression remedy, derivative actions, civil litigation practice and cyber security.

Co-Author, "Key Takeaways From 2022 Appellate Decisions," Aird & Berlis LLP, March 9, 2023.

Co-Author, "Class Actions: Key Developments in 2022," Aird & Berlis LLP, February 8, 2023.

Co-Author, "Quebec Court Dismisses Proposed Class Action Against Cannabis Company," Aird & Berlis LLP, February 1, 2023. 

"The End of Waiver of Tort," Aird & Berlis Litigation Bulletin, July 29, 2020.

“Three Legislative Changes Impacting Class Actions,” Aird & Berlis Litigation Bulletin, July 17, 2020.

 “Uber v. Heller: Supreme Court Throws Out Dutch Arbitration Clause As Unconscionable,” Aird & Berlis Litigation Bulletin, July 09, 2020.

“Court Enforces Exculpatory Clause Dismissing Condominium Class Action,” Aird & Berlis Litigation Bulletin, July 3, 2020.

“Smart Cities: An Opportunity for Engagement on Big Data Governance,” The Spotlight, June 20, 2019.

“Phishing Risk Deemed Sufficient in Alberta to Trigger “Real Risk Of Significant Harm” Threshold,” The Spotlight, March 13, 2018.

“Cybersecurity Disclosure Guidance for Public Companies,” The Spotlight, March 1, 2018.

• LLM, University of Michigan, 2000
• LLB, University of Toronto, 1990
• BA, University of Toronto, 1987