Maya Poliak

Maya is trusted by lenders, investors, and stakeholders to manage complex commercial litigation and restructuring matters with a combination of strong advocacy, commercial judgment, and a calm, practical approach. With a background in business, she brings a clear understanding of both legal risk and commercial realities, making her particularly effective in matters involving private lending, real estate development, and distressed businesses. Clients appreciate her strategic, value-based approach and her ability to move matters forward efficiently without unnecessary escalation.

She acts for debtors, creditors, lenders, court-appointed officers, purchasers, financiers, regulators, and other stakeholders in receiverships, enforcement proceedings, restructurings, and complex commercial disputes. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation and insolvency and restructuring, with particular experience in receiverships, securities enforcement, and reorganizations under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA), the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA), and the Personal Property Security Act (PPSA). Maya appears regularly before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, including in matters on the Commercial List, and has appeared as counsel at all levels of court in Ontario. Her work frequently involves complex, multi-party matters with shifting dynamics and significant commercial consequences.

Maya serves on the boards of the Turnaround Management Association and the Ontario Bar Association’s Insolvency Section and regularly speaks at continuing legal education programs for lawyers and restructuring professionals. Her recent presentations have covered topics including insolvency litigation off the Commercial List, receivership proceedings and new developments, real estate insolvencies, and insolvency case law updates, at programs hosted by the OBA Insolvency Section, the Distressed Real Estate Conference, the Advocates' Society, and the Insolvency Insider. She also serves as Co-Chair of the firm's student committee and is fluent in Russian.

• Called to the Bar in Ontario in 2007
• University of Ottawa, J.D. (2006)
• Schulich School of Business, York University, B.B.A., (Hons.)  (2001)

• Turnaround Management Association, Board of Directors
• TMA Network of Women (NOW), Co-Chair
• Ontario Bar Association’s Insolvency Chapter, Board of Directors
• International Women's Insolvency Restructuring Confederation, Board of Directors
• Ontario Bar Association, Member

Maya has broad experience in insolvency and restructuring matters, representing lenders, court officers, and regulatory bodies across a range of industries and proceedings.

• Representing lenders and court officers on a number of large-scale developer insolvencies, including:
  • acting for a secured lender in the receivership of Mapleview Developments Ltd. et al., and
  • acting for the court-appointed receiver in the receivership proceedings of King Square Ltd. et. al., La Pue International Ltd. and 98 James South (2022) Inc. et.;
• Representing Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”) and court officers in receivership proceedings commenced under the Securities Act, including the following receivership proceedings:
  • Paramount Equity Financial Corporation et. al.;
  • Money Gate Mortgage Investment Corporation et. al.; and
  • Traynor Ridge Capital Inc. et. al.;
• Representing lenders and court officers in receivership proceedings of transportation logistics companies, including representing the receiver in the following proceedings:
  • True North Freight Logistics Inc.; and
  • Roll X Carriers Inc.;
• Representing the OSC in proceedings under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act (“CCAA”) for the purpose of negotiating standard order language for dealing with exemptions from regulatory requirements in restructurings, including the following CCAA proceedings:
  • BZAM Ltd. et. al.;
  • Fire & Flower Holdings Corp. et. al.; and
  • Indiva Limited et. al.;
• Representing secured lenders and DIP Lenders in cannabis restructuring proceedings, including CCAA proceedings of:
  • Trees Corporation et. al.;
  • Safari Flower Company;
• Representing the proposal trustee in a restructuring of a private charter airline;
• Representing the debtor in the CCAA restructuring proceeding of a real estate developer;
• Representing the super-monitor in CCAA and Chapter 15 proceedings involving a large printer manufacturer, including contentious proceedings before the Commercial List and foreign courts; and
• Assisting the OSC in connection with the motion for leave to appeal and the appeal of Poonian v. British Columbia (Securities Commission) decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.