Canada: Environment
Canada’s rigorous environmental regulations have placed a high premium on the advice rendered by leading lawyers in this discipline, and the sophistication of the national environmental bar is attested to by the 58 practitioners we recognise in this chapter – making it one of the largest in the current edition.
Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP is the best represented firm in this section, with six lawyers from three offices ranking highly. Paul Granda leads the environmental team of the firm’s Montreal office and is an “authority” on compliance and contamination liability, with a particular focus on the natural resources sector, and has represented clients before administrative tribunals and the courts. Toronto’s David Estrin has more than 30 years of experience advising government bodies, corporations and financial institutions in environmental matters as well as a “distinguished” record before the federal and provincial courts. Mark Madras heads the Toronto office’s real estate, environment and urban planning department and counsels clients in a wide range of matters, encompassing climate law, substance regulation, contamination and waste management, and peers place him “in the first rank” of lawyers nationwide. National environmental law practice leader Harry Dahme’s “extensive” and “highly respected” expertise extends to waste management, policy advice, energy infrastructure and advocacy. Completing the Toronto listings is the “very bright” Jennifer Danahy, who focuses on the environmental aspects of corporate transactions, while in Vancouver Alan Blair is noted for his “stand-out” work in litigation and regulatory matters, with a particular emphasis on health and safety law.
The “excellent” Paul Wilson leads the national energy and environmental group out of the Vancouver office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP and focuses on project negotiation, environmental assessment and permitting approvals, land use and environmental liability. Montreal’s Pierre Meunier founded the Quebec arm of the energy and environmental practice and has a “great reputation” in public health issues, the redevelopment of contaminated land, climate change matters and obtaining environmental approvals. Dividing his time between the Montreal and Toronto offices, Charles Kazaz is praised for his permitting and compliance work, while in the latter city, Rosalind Cooper is renowned for her regulatory expertise and her work defending clients against environmental liability charges.
Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP also fields four representatives here. Vancouver’s Paul Cassidy’s practice encompasses a broad range of contentious and non-contentious environment work, and he is considered “world class” in issues pertaining to conventional and clean energy as well as mining and forestry. In Toronto, Robert Fishlock defends clients against air and water pollution charges, government orders for environmental damages and contaminated land claims as well as providing “outstanding” advice on permitting and safety assessment. At the same office, Jonathan Kahn offers “first class” regulatory advice to clients in a range of sectors including energy, resource planning and transportation. Calgary’s Dufferin Harper completes the firm’s strong showing, earning recognition for his commercial litigation and regulatory work with a particular focus on brownfield redevelopment.
Bennett Jones LLP‘s Leonard Griffiths is a “leading name” in climate change law, as well as “go-to guy” for corporate and commercial transactions and litigation and he counts Shell Canada Products among his recent clients. Joining him in the firm’s Toronto office, Gray Taylor co-heads the climate change and emissions trading practice and is a specialist in emission reduction permit agreements while Calgary’s Bradley Gilmour emerges as a “top tier name” in clean energy, regulatory and aboriginal law.
McLennan Ross LLP places three lawyers in this chapter. Gavin Fitch is based in Calgary and applies his “brilliant” environmental and regulatory law expertise to assisting clients in the oil and gas industry. Head of the energy, environment and regulatory group Ronald Kruhlak and construction chair Corbin Devlin are both based in the firm’s Edmonton office and both are recognised for their “very strong” dispute resolution abilities.
The “outstanding” Larry Cobb’s practice focuses on the environment aspects of corporate and commercial transactions such as financings, divestitures and acquisitions, as well as liability avoidance and he is one of three lawyers listed at Stikeman Elliott LLP. Joining Cobb in Toronto is James Harbell, whose real estate, energy and infrastructure development expertise are highly rated. In Montreal, Jean Carrier practices natural resources, energy and environmental law as part of the firm’s corporate group, and he has acted as counsel to the Quebec Ministry of Environment in regulation and policy matters.
Three lawyers feature from “first rate” environmental boutique Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP in Toronto. Senior partner John Willms is an internationally recognised specialist in planning and municipal law, as well as a “well known and respected” name in drafting new environmental legislation and administrative structures. Donna Shier is one of Canada’s leading contaminated land lawyers with “exceptional” expertise in environmental due diligence, compliance and liability protection. Completing the firm’s listings, Marc McAree comes highly recommended for his abilities in environmental litigation and ADR proceedings.
Environmental impact assessment and class action expert Sarah Powell is one of two lawyers to earn recognition from Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and counts Pattern Energy Group, Hydro-Québec and Bank of Montreal among her clients. Alexandria Pike advises clients on environmental issues arising from corporate transactions in various sectors, including real estate, manufacturing and natural resources.
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP benefits from the inclusion of commercial and energy transactions expert Deborah Overholt and environmental litigation specialist William McNaughton, both of whom were described as “reliably excellent” by respondents to our survey.
Charles Birchall of Fogler Rubinoff LLP is a “thought leader” in policy and assessment, compliance and corporate and commercial negotiations with particular focus on mining and energy infrastructure. Joining him, Rodney Northey is noted for his environmental advocacy before the Ontario and federal courts as well as numerous environmental tribunals.
Lavery de Billy LLP fields two “extraordinary” litigators in this chapter. Yvan Biron is “extremely well versed” in environmental investigations relating to protection, resource development and land use, as well as forestry and water law. Michel Yergeau regularly acts in civil criminal and administrative disputes as well as advising clients in complex planning and consultation issues.
Elizabeth DeMarco is one of two lawyers that rank highly at Macleod Dixon LLP, where she specialises in emissions trading and the Kyoto Protocol as well as environmental finance and acts as head of the Toronto energy practice. Alan Harvie chairs the firm’s environmental practice group out of the Calgary office and has extensive experience in environmental and regulatory issues, with a particular focus on upstream oil and gas.
MacPherson Leslie & Tyerman LLP’s Leonard Andrychuk QC has acted in such matters as Horner v Saskatchewan and Chapman v Canada in recent years and combines his “superb” environmental expertise with a strong focus on construction and first nations law. Larry LeBlanc QC specialises in heavy manufacturing and natural resources law and also enjoys a “great” reputation in labour matters.
Douglas Hamilton heads the national environmental group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP and is a “top notch” litigator in environmental and health and safety cases on behalf of major public and private clients. Joining him in the Toronto office, Douglas Thomson also earns praise for his disputes practice as well as his work in environmental approvals and complex transactions.
Miller Thomson LLP’s national environmental law group chair Tony Crossman is nominated by peers for his advisory work to clients in transactions, encompassing environmental compliance, due diligence and regulatory matters. Waste management, contaminated property, governmental and regulatory compliance “expert” John Tidball also features prominently.
John Stefaniuk comes highly recommended for his work in contaminated sites, mining, wind power and natural resource development, and he is one of two lawyers to rank highly from the Winnipeg office of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP. Also listed is the “very noteworthy” Sheryl Rosenberg, who focuses her practice on environmental licensing, compliance and litigation.
Montreal-based Jean Piette chairs the environmental team at Norton Rose OR LLP and enjoys a “stellar” reputation for his expertise in climate change, energy, natural resources and mining matters. Murray Rankin QC is “very well respected” as an expert in environmental and aboriginal law litigation and ADR matters and he represents Heenan Blaikie LLP in this section. Edwards Kenny & Bray LLP’s Gary Letcher is an “excellent” litigator, particularly in contaminated site and sustainability matters, and heads the firm’s environmental team. Odette Nadon heads the environmental team at BCF LLP and is known for her work devising environmental risk management strategies for clients, alongside advising on compliance and assisting in complex litigation. Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP’s environment chair Alex MacWilliam is an expert in advising clients on regulatory compliance and the development of internal environmental policies and practices, and he counts Petro-Canada, Hunting PLC and Pogo Producing among his recent clients.
At Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Daniel Kirby is well known for his climate change, emissions trading, regulatory and aboriginal law and litigation work, and has acted on behalf of such clients as Imperial Oil, Pristine Power and Atomic Energy Canada in recent matters. Lawson Lundell LLP’s Brad Armstrong is a “top” environmental litigator with extensive knowledge of land use, project development, aboriginal and natural resources law. In McInnes Cooper’s St John’s office, James Thistle QC brings “exceptional” energy and public law knowledge to the table in his resource development and environmental litigation work. Garrod Pickfield LLP name partner Stephen Garrod is known for his “great” work in environmental, municipal and planning law. At his own eponymous environmental boutique in Montreal, Robert Daigneault is noted as a “leading” authority on climate change, contamination, conservation and energy related matters.
Dennis Mahoney is the head of the environmental and health and safety practice at Torys LLP as well as acting as co-chair of the firm’s climate change and emissions trading group, and sources hail him as a “superb” practitioner. Anne-Marie Sheehan is the senior partner of Quebec environmental boutique Sheahan and Partners and provides “exceptional” counselling and regulatory advice to clients. Dianne Saxe at her own firm in Toronto is hailed as a “high quality” litigator and “industry expert” by peers. Halifax-based Wickwire Holm fields the “very distinguished” environmental and energy disputes expert Sean Foreman in this section.