WWW.LEXPERT.CA
|
2018
|
LEXPERT 35
Palm, W. Ian Gowling WLG
(416) 369-7332 ian.palm@gowlingwlg.com
Mr. Palm practises corporate finance, M&A and private equity law focused
on the energy, infrastructure and technology sectors. His domestic and
international public-and private-sector clients include pension funds, private
equity groups, issuers and underwriters. He has advised clients in a range
of corporate finance and M&A transactions, including private placements
and public offerings.
Palin, Joseph Dentons Canada LLP
(403) 268-7307 joe.palin@dentons.com
Mr. Palin's domestic and international financing practice includes experience
in the oil & gas, and pipeline and power project sectors. His clients include
lenders, syndicates and debtors. He also acts on restructuring transactions.
Osler, William S. Bennett Jones LLP
(403) 298-3426 oslerw@bennettjones.com
Mr. Osler's practice includes securities law and M&A, commercial transac-
tions and corporate governance, with a particular focus on the energy sector.
Has significant experience in IPOs and other public offerings for issuers and
underwriters, as well as Canadian and international take-over bids and plans
of arrangement, corporate reorganizations, divestitures, joint ventures
and partnerships.
Olynyk, John M. Lawson Lundell LLP
(403) 781-9472 jolynyk@lawsonlundell.com
Mr. Olynyk advises oil sands developers, renewable energy developers,
railways, mining and forestry companies, utilities and clients on environ-
mental and regulatory matters and on Indigenous law matters, including
consultations with Indigenous groups, negotiation of cooperation protocols
and impact benefit agreements, ESTMA reporting requirements and related
commercial and property tax matters.
Olley, Stuart M. Gowling WLG
(403) 298-1814 stuart.olley@gowlingwlg.com
Mr. Olley co-leads Gowling WLG's Natural Resources Group and heads Busi-
ness Law in Calgary. He holds a Master of Law Degree and Certificate in
Mining Law from Osgoode Hall Law School. He is experienced in international
financings and mergers including in Africa, Central and South America,
and Asia. He advises issuers and underwriters in upstream and midstream
oil & gas, mining and other sectors.
O'Leary, Dean A. Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP
(604) 661-9316 doleary@farris.com
Mr. O'Leary's practice focuses on commercial transactions in a variety of
industry sectors including energy and infrastructure. His experience includes
reorganizations, acquisitions and divestitures, power supply arrangements,
power project financing and development and power project-related commer-
cial and real estate matters, including expropriations.
LEXPERT-RANKED LAWYERS
it would adopt a carbon-pricing approach,
although it was unclear whether its plan to
repurpose gas tax revenues would satisfy the
federal requirements. Prince Edward Island
announced its plan last May (but did not indi-
cate which method it would choose) and New-
foundland and Labrador has indicated it will
announce its programs some time in 2018.
As for Nunavut, the Yukon and the North-
west Territories (the latter says its emissions
will likely grow faster than anywhere else in
Canada), they all agreed to work with the fed-
eral government to establish carbon-pricing
mechanisms to meet the requirements of the
framework.
Interestingly, some companies are not waiting
for their lawyers to help them navigate the myr-
iad rules, permutations and regulations as they
get sorted out. In fact, says Lee-Andersen, many
have already imposed their own internal carbon
pricing, some as far back as the turn of the cen-
tury. "Shell started using an internal carbon price
in the early 2000s," she says, adding that Suncor
and Cenovus have also done the same.
e Center for Climate and Energy Solu-
tions, in a September 2017 publication entitled
"Companies set their own price on carbon,"
reported that, "More than 1,200 companies
worldwide are either pursuing internal carbon
pricing or preparing to do so soon, up 23%
from 2015."
Although there is no question that some poli-
ticians, like Ford, and industry leaders oppose
any form of carbon pricing as being a costly and
crippling tax — the Calgary Herald said in De-
cember 2017 that the price tag for large industrial
emitters would "be a total of $1.2 billion a year by
2020" — many accept that it is not only an in-
evitable component of doing business in Canada
but the right thing to do.
"Industries that are most effected by climate
change policy are by and large a sophisticated
group and are aware that climate change is an
issue that is not going away," says McInerney.
"What they want is rational, fair, predictable
policy and legislation that accounts for the chal-
lenges they face and, above all, does not render
them uncompetitive."
While the federal government continues to
grapple with herding the cats, it's hard to believe
that some form of a national plan will not, ulti-
mately, be arrived at. At any time, elections and
overall politics in Canada and the US could play
a role that might upset the carbon-pricing apple-
cart, as happened in Ontario. But regardless of
who comes to power, it's unlikely they'll be able
to completely derail the initiative. "Dealing with
carbon is the new reality," Kro says. "It just can't
be scrapped."
