Canadian Lawyer

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 33 Fillmore Riley has a large small-business base, which includes many in farming and dairy production. Those cli- ents are experiencing a pronounced political uncertainty, making long-term planning impossible with NAFTA/USMCA negotiations and tariff wars, says Peters. "I'm not sure that it's unique to the agri- business. It's something that we are dealing with across the board with our small busi- ness space," says Peters. Peters, whose practice balances between firm administration management and his small business, commercial real estate and lending practice, says he's seen growth in IT, with a spate of public-private partnerships due to effective marketing of the region by Winnipeg. Historically, Fillmore Riley practised primarily in insurance defence, banking and finance. Now, its client base is largely family-owned businesses, some major international companies, financial institutions, insurance companies and public and profession- al regulatory bodies, says Peters, who has been with the firm since articling there in 1985. "It's been a growth from a small, specialized practice into a pretty much full-service regional firm," he says. Around eight years ago, high commodity prices buoyed Saskatchewan's economy. But as a barrel of oil lost two-thirds of its value, industry diversity was key to MLT Aikins LLP's ability to absorb that price volatility, says Wilson. While many of its clients are in oil, potash, uranium, hard rock and other commodities, the firm has large IP, technol- ogy, privacy and tax litigation practices and are "very strong" in the health sector, he says. "Rather than being dependent on certain sectors and certain practice areas, we have tried to be nimble enough over the years that we've developed other practice areas that continue to be strong, irrespective of some of these turns in the economy," he says. Wilson says the firm does not just stay diverse in the sectors its practice touches, it narrows its practice specialties and provides a variety of them. "The world is going in the way of specialties," he says. "We don't just have people who just litigate. They do estate litigation or they do class action litigation." The full-service firm also handles clients in transporta- tion, agribusiness, banking, insurance, real estate and infra- structure, and it has an Aboriginal law practice as well. While many lump the west together, Wilson says Manito- ba is "by far" the most diverse economy of the four western provinces, with a strong manufacturing sector and financial services sector, while being the transportation centre of the country. Known as the gateway to the west — like a Canadian Istanbul connecting Europe to the silk road — Winnipeg exploded upon completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. With a flood of immigrants drawn by high wheat prices and a seemingly boundless prairie, Winnipeg became the frontier capital and conduit to the western half of the country. "Nothing is recession proof, but I think the wide variety of strong features of [Manitoba's] economy probably is about as close as anything to that," Wilson says. "It's a good place to be. . . . It's a very stable market as well." "A lot of these areas are specialty areas that really transcend, generally, eco- nomic ups and downs," Wil- son says. Winnipeg's geographic isolation, connecting the Canadian Shield to the open plain, is what necessitated the development of a diversified econo- my, says Peters. "You don't see the peaks and valleys, you don't see the booms and busts," he says. "You know, when the world changed in 2008, it didn't change much around here. So, it is kind of a unique 'captive market.'" "Prairie people are prairie people. There's a certain intangible there, whether you're from Winnipeg or Swift Current or Medicine Hat. You're different, but you're the same." Don Wilson, MLT Aikins LLP mckercher.ca MCKERCHER LLP BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS SASKATOON (306) 653-2000 REGINA (306) 565-6500 OPPORTUNITY Some see unbroken earth as barren. Some see endless skies as boring. Some see a sunset as a reason to sleep. We see opportunity ... and have for over 90 years. With roots tracing back to 1926, we know Saskatchewan and the intricacies of thriving in the business and legal landscape of the prairies. ntitled-5 1 2018-10-25 6:01 PM

• Cover