Daniel Hayhurst

Dan Hayhurst leads the pension practice across Canada for the firm and also contributes to the Tax Group. His role involves steering clients through the intricacies of pension-related legal and regulatory landscapes, focusing on achieving their business goals in an area known for its complexity and rapid evolution.

Dan's expertise spans governance, fiduciary duties, plan administration, investment strategies, and tax considerations, among other areas. He plays a crucial role in guiding clients through significant business transactions that impact pension plans, including mergers, acquisitions, and plan restructuring, while also offering counsel during regulatory audits or litigation.

Having a profound understanding of the Canadian pension sector, Dan has served a diverse clientele, including governmental bodies, private and public sector plan administrators, employers, and investment managers. His advice benefits both provincially and federally regulated pension plans within unionized and non-unionized settings, covering both individual and large-scale pension schemes.

Since joining Gowling WLG (and its predecessors) in 1989, Dan has been a pivotal figure in the firm. His expertise was further honed during a secondment to the legal services branch of the Pension Commission of Ontario (now part of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario) from 1992 to 1993, where he specialized in pension and tax laws and contributed to the drafting of regulations under the Pension Benefits Act of Ontario.

Dan's work has earned recognition in Chambers Canada and Best Lawyers in Canada for several consecutive years, reflecting his commitment to excellence in the field of pension law. His educational background includes a MA in Law from Cambridge University, an LLB from Dalhousie Law School, and a B.Comm. from Queen's University. Dan is actively involved in several professional associations related to pension management and tax law, sharing his knowledge and expertise with the broader legal and financial community.