Jeremy D. Burke
-
Toronto
- Bio
- Awards & Recognition
- Professional Involvement
- Selected Speaking Engagements
- Selected Publications
- Insights
- Education
Jeremy has acted as a legal and strategic advisor to Canadian and international businesses and not-for-profits for nearly 20 years. His legal practice, board experience and business management roles prior to law have given him a strong appreciation for organizational dynamics and the pressures clients often face. Clients value Jeremy’s ability to distill complex circumstances, identify key considerations and craft solutions that strike a balance among transactional, commercial or regulatory realities, strategic considerations and risk tolerance.
Jeremy is Co‑Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Corporate/Commercial Group and its Charity and Not‑for‑Profit Law Group. He is also a member of the Transportation, Cannabis and Indigenous Practice Groups. His corporate/commercial practice focuses on private business and non‑profit mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, corporate structuring, governance, commercial agreements and ownership arrangements. Jeremy also provides regulatory advice to public and private companies in industries including transportation and logistics, cannabis, franchising and import/export.
In his charity and non‑profit practice, Jeremy brings the full depth of his commercial and governance expertise to mission‑driven organizations requiring sophisticated legal support. He regularly advises large operating charities and non‑profits on commercial arrangements, governance frameworks, regulatory compliance and risk management. His work includes assisting with charitable registrations and amendments, transactions between charities or non‑profits, preparing sector‑specific agreements and supporting the ongoing operational needs of complex organizations.
In his corporate/commercial and charity practices, Jeremy regularly advises Indigenous‑led or Indigenous nation-owned non-profits or businesses on transactions, corporate structuring and governance, commercial arrangements and regulatory matters. His work spans government, economic development and not‑for‑profit sectors.
Awards & Recognition
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada in the field of Corporate Law
- Recognized in Chambers Canada as an Up & Comer in Cannabis Law
- Recipient of the Lang Michener LLP Prize in Commercial Law, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2007
- Recipient of the Jack Friedman, Q.C. Book Prize in Commercial Real Estate, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2007
Professional Involvement
Community Involvement
- Urban Squash Toronto, Board of Directors (Chair of Governance Committee) (2022 to present)
- Jewish Family & Child Service of Greater Toronto, Resource Committee (2017 to 2021)
- Churches-on-the-Hill Food Bank, Corporate Secretary (2016 to 2020)
- The Leo Baeck Day School, Board of Directors (2013 to 2017)
Selected Speaking Engagements
Presenter at July 10, 2019, CIBC presentation, “Cross-Border and Other Issues in Canada’s Cannabis Sector.”
Presenter at June 11, 2019, RBC presentation, “Cross Border Issues, Lending and Insolvency in Canada’s Cannabis Sector.”
Presenter at April 18, 2019, webinar, "How to Thrive in the Canadian Cannabis Retail Market," hosted by Aird & Berlis LLP.
Speaker at the Ontario East Economic Development Disrupted 2.0 conference on March 1, 2019, on the topic of “Demystifying Cannabis for Municipalities.”
Presenter at October 24, 2018, webinar, "Opportunities in the Canadian Cannabis Market: Licensing, Leasing and Land Use," hosted by Aird & Berlis LLP.
Speaker at the Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario, 2011 Annual Conference, November 8, 2011, addressing legal issues relevant to Ontario’s hospital auxiliaries including the new Federal and Ontario not-for-profit legislation, special risks for unincorporated associations and director/officer liability.
Presenter at June 19, 2012, webinar presented by Ontario Association of Non-Profit Homes & Services for Seniors (Now AdvantAge Ontario) addressing not-for-profit corporate governance best practices.
Selected Publications
"AGCO Increases Rate of Cannabis Retail Store Authorizations," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, September 2, 2020.
"Province Restricts New Cannabis Retail Store Openings to Five Per Week," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, July 20, 2020.
"AGCO Updates and Ontario Government Emergency Order Permitting Pickup and Delivery of Recreational Cannabis by Licensed Retailers," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, April 9, 2020.
"Ontario Cannabis Lottery Disqualifications on the Rise," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, September 16, 2019.
"Ontario Government Cannabis Retail Licence Lottery, Part Deux," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, July 8, 2019.
"Health Canada Proposes New Regulatory Pathway for “Cannabis Health Products," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, July 5, 2019.
"Health Canada Seeks to Improve Cannabis Licensing Process Efficiency," Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, May 9, 2019.
“2019 Ontario Budget Hints at Continued Phased Approach for Cannabis Retail,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, April 23, 2019.
“Ontario Cannabis Retail: Just Painful,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, December 19, 2018.
“AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards Published,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, December 5, 2018.
“AGCO Application Considerations for Cannabis Retailers,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, November 29, 2018.
“Ontario’s Cannabis Regulations: Rushed to Release,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, November 16, 2018.
“Ontario Cannabis Retail Opportunities (and Limitations),” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, October 1, 2018.
“Cannabis Promotion: Seller Beware,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, September 5, 2018.
“Acquiring Cannabis Genetics Under the New Cannabis Regime,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, August 7, 2018.
“Cannabis Regulations Published – Licensing Basics,” Aird & Berlis LLP Cannabis Law Update, July 12, 2018.
“New Ontario Rule Permits Payments to Charity Directors,” Aird & Berlis LLP Charity & Not-for-Profit Law Bulletin, April 17, 2018.
"Ontario hopes to moderate charity rule requiring court order for director payments," The Lawyer's Daily, September 20, 2017.
"Ontario Proposes to Ease Rule Against Payments to Charity Directors," Aird & Berlis LLP Charity & Not-for-Profit Law Bulletin, August 2, 2017.
"The Tricky Question of Director Benefits," Imagine Canada, June 13, 2017.
“Governance and Member Rights Under New Not-For-Profit Legislation,” Association™ (the magazine of the Canadian Society of Association Executives), October/November 2011.
“Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 and the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act,” Aird & Berlis LLP Not-for-Profit Bulletin, October 14, 2011.
“Duties (Not) Owed to Borrowers,” National Banking Law Review, December 2007, Vol. 26, No. 6.
Insights
Education
- LLB, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2008
- Canadian Securities Course (Hons.), Canadian Securities Institute, 1999
- BA, Economics (with Distinction), Concordia University, 1999