Lexpert®Ranked Lawyers
20 | Pipelines v. Rail
Grant, QC, Bruce C.
Stewart McKelvey
(709) 570-8882
bgrant@
stewartmckelvey.com
Mr. Grant's corporate/
commercial practice
extends to energy and
natural resources,
fi nancial services,
M&A, project fi nance,
real estate and
construction law. His
clients include oil
refi neries, construction
and mining companies,
and lenders.
Gilmour, Bradley S.
Bennett Jones LLP
(403) 298-3382
gilmourb@
bennettjones.com
Mr. Gilmour's practice
focuses on energy,
environmental and
Aboriginal law. He has
signifi cant experience
with issues related to
energy and natural
resource projects
including oil sands,
pipelines, LNG, CCS,
coal, hydro, chemical
and renewable energy.
Gorman,
William (Bill)
Goodmans LLP
(416) 597-4118
wgorman@
goodmans.ca
Mr. Gorman's practice
focuses on domestic
and cross-border
corporate fi nance and
M&A. He represents a
number of public and
private companies,
private equity and
underwriters in
transactions involving
the energy sector.
Goldman, Paul L.
Goodmans LLP
(604) 608-4550
pgoldman@
goodmans.ca
Mr. Goldman's
national, cross-border
and international
transactional practice
focuses on corporate
fi nance/securities,
M&A, governance, and
mining and natural
resources law. His
clients include mining,
energy, manufacturing
and technology
companies.
Grant, Bradley B.
Stikeman Elliott LLP
(403) 266-9008
bgrant@stikeman.
com
Mr. Grant is the
Managing Partner of
the Calgary office,
practice focuses
on derivatives
and commercial
arrangements in the
petroleum and natural
gas and power sectors,
including mergers
and acquisitions,
joint ventures and
other commercial
arrangements.
Grant, QC, Robert G.
Stewart McKelvey
(902) 420-3328
rgrant@
stewartmckelvey.com
Mr. Grant's practice
focuses on commercial
litigation and
administrative law,
including project
approvals with a
special interest in
energy and regulated
industries, particularly
oil and gas. He served
as counsel on the
Sable and Deep
Panuke projects.
want it to go.'"
While Ottawa tightened some regulations around trans-
porting crude by rail following the deadly 2013 derailment
and explosion at Lac-Mégantic that le 47 people dead, its
oversight of crude being shipped by rail is nowhere near the
level proposed for pipelines.
Where pipeline companies face the prospect of an in-
creasing number of NEB inspections and safety audits,
railways transporting crude oil police safety themselves,
says Wayne Benedict of McGown Johnson Barristers &
Solicitors in Calgary.
Benedict spent a decade working as a locomotive engineer,
a trainman, conductor and locomotive operator before prac-
tising law. He has been in charge of marshaling cars — decid-
ing where in the confi gurations to put dangerous goods to
move them safely.
He says he is troubled by the increase in the amount of
crude moving across Canada by rail because he believes the
Railway Safety Act makes it fundamentally unsafe.
Amendments to the statute passed in the 1980s did away
with on-the-ground government inspectors, he says, permit-
ting railways to develop and police their own safety-manage-
ment systems.
" e regulator has stepped back and became more of an
auditor. ey'll ask things like: 'Have you developed your
safety-management system or not? Please make a check-
mark here.'
"I don't know how much they look behind the curtain to
see if what the railway has come up with is actually safe."
Benedict is not reassured by the new safety measures Ot-
tawa announced for railways around the same time it an-
nounced the new pipeline regulations.
Transport Canada ordered 5,000 aging DOT-111 cars,
prone to puncture in a derailment and taken out of use,
and said the remaining 65,000 must be retired or retrofi t-
"There probably wasn't much public reaction [to Ottawa's
new pipeline rules] because the pipes have always understood
their position, that they would have to clean up the mess."
– DOUGLAS CROWTHER, DENTONS CANADA LLP
PHOTOS:
SHUTTERSTOCK
