Biography: Environment

Harry Dahme is a partner at Gowlings' Toronto office and leader of the environmental law national practice group. He has practised exclusively in the area of environmental law since 1984 and has a solid reputation as one of the foremost environmental lawyers in Canada.

Harry has been involved in all aspects of environmental law. He regularly advises on environmental risks in corporate transactions and advises corporations and boards of directors on the development and maintenance of corporate environmental due-diligence programmes. He provides ongoing regulatory advice to businesses in a wide variety of sectors and has an active advocacy practice which includes defence to prosecutions, appeals to various tribunals including the Environmental Review Tribunal, and civil litigation with respect to environmental claims.

Harry also has specialised expertise in a variety of areas. He has represented provincial agencies, municipalities, proponents and opponents with respect to waste management-related matters since 1984. In addition to his general expertise relating to water and wastewater, he is an acknowledged expert on outsourcing and private sector operation of water and wastewater facilities. Harry's expertise relating to chemical substances includes representing importers, manufacturers and suppliers with respect to registration and licensing of chemical substances, and responding to proposed regulatory control or elimination from use of chemical substances. His experience with contaminated sites and brownfield redevelopment has been widely recognised, and he regularly advises on environmental aspects of property transactions, and remediation and redevelopment of brownfields.

Harry is certified by the Law Society as a specialist in environmental law and has been listed as a leading lawyer in several legal industry publications, including The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Chambers Global, Who's Who Legal: Canada, PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook, Best Lawyers in Canada, Guide to the World's Leading Environmental Lawyers and the Environment Handbook.