By: Allan Ingelson
This is the fifth national environmental law symposium funded by Environment Canada (now Environment & Climate Change Canada), organized by the Canadian Institute of Resources Law (CIRL) in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, and its partners. During the last four years, practitioners, judges, and academics from across Canada have attended either in person or online and have contributed questions and comments to the discussion of current important environmental law issues. Last year we had 299 registrants from across Canada and in the United States. This year one presenter (Jonathan Leo) will discuss the American experience with environmental inspections and enforcement actions. Registrants can obtain the symposium program and papers in both official languages. Symposium presentations will be in either French or English, depending on the speaker, and will address civil and/or common law perspectives. Attendees at previous symposiums have reported that the information that has been provided is both practical and useful. We encourage active audience participation in the panel discussions. Last year the symposium was held in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. This year the national symposium has been organized by CIRL, the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa, and the Ontario Bar Association.
Symposium Objectives
The free symposium will examine major issues that arise in the course of environmental inspections and enforcement actions, starting with the decision to prosecute and proceeding sequentially through key decision points, ending with available defences. The symposium will be conducted by some of the leading environmental law scholars and practitioners from across Canada, reflecting both civil law and common law perspectives. The papers to be presented and discussed will be posted on the CIRL website.
The key topics that will be considered include:
- Inspections and Compliance: Overview – Provincial, Federal and Academic Perspectives
- Initiating Actions: Private Practitioner’s and Regulator’s Perspectives
- Collecting Evidence: Legal Strategy, Associated Issues, and the Scientist’s Perspective
- Investigations: Corporate and Government Perspectives
- Recapitulation and Alternatives
- Lessons from the United States
- Special Problems: Contaminated Sites – An Overview of the Problem and a Case Study
Speakers
Janet Bobechko, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Toronto
Dan Bunner, Principal, Ramboll Environ Canada, Inc., Mississauga
Jack Coop, Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Toronto
Rosalind Cooper, Partner, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Toronto
Jennifer Fairfax, Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Toronto
James D. Flagal, Counsel, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Toronto
Jonathan Leo, Attorney, State Bar of California, U.S.A.
Dr. Elaine MacDonald, Senior Staff Scientist, Ecojustice, Toronto
Fred Maefs, Counsel, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Toronto
Heather McCready, Executive Director of Environmental Enforcement, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Gatineau
Paul McCulloch, Counsel, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, Toronto
Martin Olszynski, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Calgary
Katia Opalka, Adjunct Professor, McGill School of Environment, Montreal
For those interested in attending in person, the symposium this year will be held at the University of Ottawa, DMS Desmarais Room 12102, 55 Laurier.
Video Conferencing
You can participate in the symposium online via live webcast. The symposium format will allow for questions from both audiences. In both cases, registration is required. A password for the webcast will be forwarded to registrants allowing access to conference materials.
Papers and Other Materials
Registrants can download papers and other materials that will be available in both official languages.
Registration
There is no registration fee, but participants must register online. A password will be supplied to registrants in order to access materials and recordings. To register, please visit the EventBrite conference webpage.
Accreditation
The time spent attending this program may be applied towards the annual CPD requirement in all mandatory continuing professional development jurisdictions.
General Inquiries
Sue Parsons, Canadian Institute of Resources Law
E-mail: sparsons@ucalgary.ca
Phone: 403-220-3200
Website: http://www.cirl.ca/
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