Bio
Julie Abouchar is a recognized expert in environmental, Aboriginal and energy and natural resources law. She also advocates before tribunals and is a trained mediator. Julie is called to the bar in Ontario, New Brunswick, Nunavut and Northwest Territories.
Rankings and Awards
- Certified Environmental Law Specialist, Law Society of Ontario, since 2005
- Certified Indigenous Legal Issues Specialist, Law Society of Ontario, since 2017
- Peer selected annually for The Best Lawyers in Canada©—Environmental Law, Aboriginal Law, and Energy Regulatory Law
- Rated “Repeatedly Recommended” in the Canadian Legal Lexpert directory for Environmental Law and Aboriginal Law
Environmental and Energy Law
Julie provides solutions to environmental law issues, from water protection, contaminated land and environmental assessment to environmental risk assessment, transactional due diligence and compliance. Julie also helps clients plan, structure and implement renewable energy and transmission projects and helps obtain environmental and renewable energy approvals.
Environmental and Energy Litigation
- Hearings
- Defence of prosecutions
- Appeals of regulatory orders
Julie appeals environmental orders and approvals issued by regulators to tribunals including the Environmental Review Tribunal. She appears before the Ontario Municipal Board on environmental matters and acts for both Intervenors and Proponents before the National Energy Board and Ontario Energy Board to ensure decisions reflect client interests and concerns. Julie also assists clients with environmental inspections and investigations and negotiates with regulators for clients being prosecuted for environmental non-compliance.
Aboriginal Law and Northern Practice
Julie has been negotiating and drafting resource agreements for industry and First Nations clients for 20 years, including impact benefit, participation and exploration agreements. She provides advice about Aboriginal consultation and facilitates dispute resolution in the mining, infrastructure and energy sectors.
Julie also advises First Nations and Inuit communities, proponents, northern environmental boards and tribunals about resource development in Canada’s north.
Clients
- Industrial companies
- Aboriginal communities and businesses
- Energy and renewable energy companies
- Mining & exploration companies
- Municipalities
- Conservation authorities
- Transit authorities
- Land developers and property owners
- Environmental boards and tribunals
- Inuit and Inuvialuit communities
- Northern resource, energy and infrastructure proponents
- Northern environmental boards and tribunals
Representative Work
Environmental
- Municipality Appeal of Official Plan Amendment—Special counsel to a municipality to defend an appeal an Official Plan amendment at the Ontario Municipal Board, resulting in a favourable decision about Aboriginal consultation activities for the Official Plan amendment and road development.
- Settlement for Municipality on Drinking Water Compliance—Represented a municipality about Ontario Safe Drinking Water Act compliance, resulting in a favourable settlement with the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, implementation of internal systems and due diligence for long-term compliance and improved relations with the Ministry.
- Settlement for Industrial Company Charged Under Sewer Use By-Law—Defended an industrial client charged with 60 counts under the City of Toronto Sewer Use by-law, resulting in a favourable settlement and implementation of changes to the wastewater system that brought our client into regulatory compliance.
- Application by Conservation Authority to Elevate Environmental Assessment—Assisted a conservation authority to apply successfully to elevate a class Environmental Assessment to an individual Environmental Assessment for a proposed road development.
- Corporate D&Os Ordered to Clean-Up Waste—Representing former directors and officers of a company ordered by an environmental regulator to clean-up waste stored at a property no longer owned by the company.
Energy
- Advocacy to Change Preferred Pipeline Route—Advocated for a group of developers before the Ontario Pipeline Coordination Committee, resulting in a change of preferred route that avoids impacts to our client, the environment, and adjacent land use.
- Aboriginal Participation in Hydroelectric Extension Project—Negotiated and drafted an Impact Benefit Agreement for a hydroelectric extension project, resulting in contracts for Aboriginal businesses, training and employment, and investment in First Nation communities.
- Aboriginal Partnership with Ontario Power Generation—Assisted a First Nation to develop an equity partnership between its wholly-owned energy development company and Ontario Power Generation for a 25 MW hydroelectric power project, bringing investment to the community, contract opportunities for Aboriginal businesses and training and employment for First Nations.
Aboriginal Law and Consultation
- Municipality Negotiations and Agreements with First Nation—On behalf of a municipality, conducted effective negotiation and drafted agreements with First Nations to enable the successful completion of an infrastructure project which crossed under a river and an area of high archaeological potential.
- First Nation IBA and Economic Development from Gold Mine Project—Helped a First Nation community reap significant benefits from a major gold mine in Ontario by negotiating, drafting and assisting with the implementation of an Impact Benefit Agreement with the proponent. Created corporate structures for joint ventures and limited partnerships, including a partnership to develop a transmission line to the mine site.
- Conservation Authority Aboriginal Consultation Training and Guidelines—Trained conservation authority staff on their complex legal and regulatory Aboriginal consultation environment and developed guidelines for Aboriginal engagement.