Biography: Environment

Paul Granda is a partner in Gowlings' Montreal office and is the team leader of its environmental law group.

Paul has vast experience in numerous fields related to environmental law. Over the years, he has advised clients on environmental matters as they pertain to compliance with applicable laws and potential liabilities associated with present and historical land contamination, namely in petroleum and mining sectors. Paul has also advised on brownfield redevelopment and the review of environmental management systems, and has represented clients before administrative tribunals and courts of law. His practice in the field of environmental law has also involved working closely with clients and government authorities for the purpose of obtaining or transferring permits and approvals.

His client base includes companies in the real estate field and in the field of waste management, contaminated soils treatment and disposal, and dry material landfill disposal as well as companies in the petroleum, mining, chemical, forestry, manufacturing and other industrial sectors. He is also part of a major Canadian petroleum company's emergency response team. Paul regularly takes part in leading and coordinating environmental due diligences in commercial transactions, financings or compliance audits. He has written numerous environmental law articles and is regularly invited as a speaker at national and international conferences on a variety of environmental topics, including current trends in environmental laws and regulations, liability for contaminated sites, environmental compliance and closure obligations of mining activities, directors' and officers' liability, and waste and hazardous materials management.

Paul is a member of the editorial board of Environment Law published by Federated Press, and contributed to Canadian Environmental Law published by Butterworths and to The Canadian Brownfields Manual published by LexisNexis Butterworths.

He is a founding member and former director and secretary of the Environmental Auditing Association of Quebec (Association québécoise de vérification environnementale) and is secretary of Société de gestion des huiles usagées, the Quebec used oil recovery and reclamation association. Paul is a member of the Quebec non-profit organisation Les Ailes de l'Espérance/The Wings of Hope, whose mission is to finance, support and implement potable water projects in remote villages in Peru.

Paul has been listed as a leading lawyer in several legal industry publications, including The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, Who's Who Legal: Canada, Best Lawyers in Canada and Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory.

Paul is a member of the American Bar Association's business law section (environmental, energy and natural resources law committee), and the Canadian Bar Association's environmental law and natural resources and energy section.