416.945.8015
Melodie is a brilliant lawyer specializing in leasing and commercial real estate. She represents commercial landlords and tenants in office, retail, industrial and mixed-used properties. She is passionate about advising landlords and tenants on complex leasing transactions and focuses on the legal and business concerns of her clients.
Melodie also advises international businesses who are looking to establish a presence in Canada. In both cross-border and domestic deals, she has a particular talent assisting retail tenants who are looking to implement an aggressive growth strategy.
Melodie is a frequent lecturer for professional and commercial organizations and conferences, including the Law Society of Ontario and the ICSC Canadian Law Conference. She offers key expertise that her clients, including large international retailers as well as major landlords and property managers, can rely on.
Expertise
Practices
Speaking Engagements
“Navigating the Hazardous of Waivers and Estoppels in Commercial Leasing”, presented at the LSO “The Six-Minute Real Estate Lawyer” program
November, 2023“Understanding the Big Picture”, presented at the OBA “Your First Commercial Leasing Transaction” program
November, 2022“The COVID Rent Debate: Lessons from Hudson’s Bay Company ULC v. Oxford Properties”, presented at the LSO “The Six-Minute Real Estate Lawyer” program
November, 2022“Fundamental Breach”, presented at the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Canadian Law Conference
September 2022“How to Approach Commercial Leases in the Post COVID Era”, presented at the OBA “Real Estate Spring Mix” program
June 2022“A Review of Liquidated Damages vs. Penalties (Health Quest v. Arizona Heat)”, presented at the LSO “The Six-Minute Commercial Leasing Lawyer” program
February, 2020“COVID-19 and Commercial Leasing…Now What?”, presented at the LSO “The Six-Minute Real Estate Lawyer” program
November, 2020“Pop-up and Temporary In-Line Leases”, presented at the Lexpert “Dealing with the Lease: Specialty Leases” program
November, 2017“When can a Landlord withhold consent?”, presented at the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Canadian Law Conference
April 2015 and April 2016“What Does Quiet Enjoyment Mean Anyways”, presented at the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Canadian Law Conference
February 2012 and February 2013News
Rankings & Recognitions
- Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada (2025) as a leading lawyer in the area of Commercial Leasing Law
- Recognized in the 2024 Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a Repeatedly Recommended Lawyer in the area of Property Leasing
- Georgetown Advanced Commercial Leasing Institute, 2018 Rising Star recipient
Community Involvement
- Chinese Gospel Church
Directorships & Affiliations
- Member, Planning Committee of the 2025 ICSC+Canadian Law Conference
- Canadian Bar Association
- Christian Legal Fellowship
- Law Society of Ontario
- International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
- Toronto CREW (Toronto Commercial Real Estate Women)
Education & Admissions
Insights (3 Posts)View More
The Competition Bureau Goes Property Hunting (in Search of Anticompetitive Leases)
Analyzing the Competition Bureau's preliminary guidelines describing its approach for challenging competitor "property controls" in commercial leases
Storm Clouds Looming: The Impact of Competition Act Changes on Leasing
The Affordable Housing and Groceries Act (Bill C-56) recently introduced changes to the Competition Act (Canada) which will govern all landlord and tenant leases and other agreements, not just those of grocery stores
Storm Clouds Looming: The Impact of Competition Act Changes on Leasing
Our upcoming seminar will help tenants and landlords prepare for anti-competitive agreement changes under the Competition Act, as summarized in this bulletin
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