Rachel Hutton

Rachel V. Hutton shines as a distinguished partner within Stikeman Elliott's Commercial Real Estate Group and plays a pivotal role in the Projects & Infrastructure Group. Her professional journey is marked by a broad engagement with real estate and capital projects, spanning from dispositions and acquisitions to the intricate processes of financing and development. Rachel's proficiency extends into the realms of joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate dealings, where she adeptly navigates through the complexities of permitting, approvals, and environmental risk management alongside fostering First Nations benefit agreements.

In her illustrious career, Rachel has provided her expertise to a diverse clientele, including municipalities, entities within the energy and resource sectors, pension funds, and developers. These collaborations have led to the successful execution of significant transactions involving industrial and commercial properties, as well as single and multi-asset entities, through both share and asset arrangements. Furthermore, her active participation in the spheres of real estate and project finance underscores her versatility, representing both lenders and borrowers with equal finesse.

Rachel's focus is deeply rooted in energy and various other capital ventures, where she supports developers and asset managers through every stage of project development. This includes land assembly, managing environmental risks, and navigating the legalities of permitting and environmental assessments. Her advisory role extends to crafting construction contracts, securing access agreements, and orchestrating project finance. Her expertise is notably recognized in British Columbia and Western Canada, where she has influenced the development of projects across the energy spectrum, including renewable ventures like run-of-river, wind, mining, and forestry projects. Rachel's approach is holistic, considering the impact on neighboring stakeholders, port lands, rail infrastructure, and local communities.

Her negotiation skills are particularly evident in her work with First Nations, where she has successfully brokered commercial, impact benefit, and benefit-sharing agreements, further showcasing her commitment to fostering meaningful partnerships in the context of capital projects.

Beyond her professional commitments, Rachel is an active participant in the legal community, holding memberships in the Law Society of British Columbia, the Urban Land Institute, and the Urban Development Institute. Her academic credentials are equally impressive, with a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University and an LL.B. from The University of British Columbia, culminating in her bar admission in British Columbia in 1995. Rachel's career is a testament to her deep commitment to the fields of real estate, municipal and land use, government relations, energy, projects and infrastructure, and banking and finance, marking her as a pivotal figure in her domains of expertise.