Course Chairs
Andrea C. Akelaitis — Letcher Akelaitis LLP, Vancouver
Gary Letcher — Letcher Akelaitis LLP, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs
Andrea Akelaitis provides advice and representation on contaminated sites and on a full range of environmental and regulatory matters. Ms. Akelaitis has acted as advisor and co-counsel on many of BC's contaminated sites matters including before the Environmental Appeal Board on behalf of the successful party in Seaspan ULC v. Director, Environmental Management Act and Domtar Inc. et al (May 9, 2013). Ms. Akelaitis works in air and odour management regulatory issues and in a range of issues related to recycling and waste management. She acted as co-counsel in the leading Canadian odour management decision West Coast Reduction Ltd. v. District Director of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (BC Environmental Appeal Board, March 8, 2010).
Ms. Akelaitis has appeared before all levels of BC's courts. Together with Mr. Letcher, she acted for the successful plaintiff in a leading case related to "economic force majeure" in the context of a contract for the supply of caustic soda (Domtar v. Univar, 2011 BCSC 1776). Ms. Akelaitis is recognized for environmental law in Best Lawyers in Canada 2017. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Contaminated Sites Approved Professional (CSAP) Society. She has authored and presented "Provincial Environmental Law, Regulations and Policy" and "Groundwater, Regulation and Quality Control". In March 2015, she delivered a paper on Expert Evidence at the National CBA Environmental Energy and Resources Summit on Environment in the Courtroom in Calgary. In September 2015, she was a keynote speaker at the International Odour Management Conference in Toronto.
Gary Letcher is a partner in Letcher Akelaitis LLP, a Vancouver based environmental law boutique firm. His practice encompasses a wide range of environmental law issues including contaminated sites, compliance, sustainability and corporate governance, air contaminant and odour management, recycling and waste management, and environmental assessment and permitting. Mr. Letcher has acted as advisor and counsel on a range of significant contaminated site matters and acted as lead counsel for a multi-national corporation in the resolution of the Britannia Mine contaminated site matter. He has extensive experience in acid mine drainage issues. Mr. Letcher acted as lead counsel for the successful party in the BC Court of Appeal Seabright v. Imperial Oil contaminated site matter.
Mr. Letcher has appeared before a range of administrative tribunals and acted as lead counsel for the successful party on a number of significant contaminated site matters before the BC Environmental Appeal Board including B.C. Rail Company v. Director of Waste Management and Nexen Inc.; Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. v. Director of Waste Management and B.C. Rail Company; and Seaspan ULC v. Director, Environmental Management Act and Domtar Inc. et al.
Mr. Letcher chaired the City of Vancouver Clouds of Change committee and is a founding roster member of the Canadian Centre for Environmental Arbitration and Mediation. He served as National Chair of the Administrative Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association and is a past adjunct professor at the UBC Faculty of Law where he taught Resources Use Decision-Making and Sustainability. Mr. Letcher was recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as Environmental Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver for 2012. He has been recognized for environmental law in the 2017 editions of The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, Best Lawyers in Canada, Lexpert, Chambers Global, The Legal 500 Canada and in Euromoney Expert Guides.
Faculty
Andrea C. Akelaitis — Letcher Akelaitis LLP, Vancouver
Daniel R. Bennett, QC — Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Vancouver
Paul Cassidy — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
R. Max D. Collett — Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Vancouver
Tony Crossman — Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver
Leonard J. Griffiths — Bennett Jones LLP, Toronto
Nicholas R. Hughes — McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Vancouver
Ron Kruhlak, QC — McLennan Ross LLP, Edmonton
Gary Letcher — Letcher Akelaitis LLP, Vancouver
Dr. James G. Malick — SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd., Vancouver
Guy Patrick — Patrick Consulting Inc., Ganges
Jean Piette — Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Quebec City
Sarah V. Powell — Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Toronto
Una Radoja — Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver
John Stefaniuk — Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP, Winnipeg
Course Materials Contributor
Adam Way — Harper Grey LLP, Vancouver
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