What Real Estate Lawyers Need to Know About Environmental Liabilities; What’s Happening at Tarion

Charles (Chuck) Birchall, B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., LL.M., is a partner at Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP and certified as an Environmental Law Specialist by the Law Society of Ontario. Chuck practices in the firms Ottawa office. Chuck has 30 years’ experience devoted exclusively to environmental law with particular expertise in contaminated land/brownfields site remediation, environmental compliance and approvals as well as environmental assessment matters. Chuck advises clients across Canada, including environmental boards and tribunals in respecting environmental assessment issues raised by mining, oil and gas and energy and infrastructure projects. He also advises on Aboriginal law and consultation in the mining, infrastructure and energy sectors. Chuck has acted and continues to act for Joint Review Panels conducting environmental assessments of oil sands projects in northern Alberta. Chuck defends clients being investigated or prosecuted for breaches of environmental laws and orders. He negotiates with environmental regulators to minimize fines and prevent orders and prosecutions against clients. Chuck also assists clients in managing environmental risk by providing advice on due diligence and compliance measures. He has extensive experience in preparing submissions and appearing on behalf of clients before Parliamentary Committees in the House of Commons and the Senate on proposed environmental legislation. Chuck is peer selected annually for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada© for Environmental Law, and was named Best Lawyers 2013 “Lawyer of the Year” for Toronto Environmental Law. He is also named annually in both the International Who’s Who Legal: Canada for Environment and the International Who’s Who of Environmental Lawyers. Chuck is a frequent speaker at the Canadian Bar Association and other legal and industry conferences. He received his LL.B. from Queen’s University and his LL.M. in Common Law from the University of Ottawa. Chuck is called to the Bar in Ontario, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.