2025 Annual Conference | Environment and the Law: Protect or Develop—Is There a Choice?
OVERVIEW | GUEST SPEAKERS | REGISTRATION FEES | PARTNERS | CONTACT | TERMS & CONDITIONS
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You can’t be there?
Good news: the conference is also available online!
OVERVIEW
CIAJ’s Annual Conferences are an opportunity for professionals from diverse disciplines to come together for an enriching dialogue on issues facing the legal community and society at large. Conversations at these conferences stretch beyond legislation and jurisprudence, encouraging participants from the judiciary, legal community, universities, NGOs, and community organizations to fuel initiatives and advance the administration of justice in Canada and internationally.
In the face of environmental crises across the globe, our 2025 Annual Conference on the Environment and the Law will critically examine the complex intersection between environmental crises, economic growth, and fundamental human rights. Speakers will consider pressing issues—climate change, Indigenous peoples’ rights, economic development, and the protection of our ecosystem—and the legal implications when two or more of these interests clash.
CIAJ invites you to take part in this yearly multidisciplinary gathering. Our conferences unite minds from across the world to understand, debate, and act together. By participating, you will not only have the opportunity to broaden your perspective, but you will also contribute to shaping the legal discourse in Canada in pursuit of a more sustainable and equitable future for all.
Bilingual program with simultaneous interpretation.
CPD Hours:
Participation in this program is accredited in provinces where CLE requirements for lawyers are mandatory.
- Total: 13h45
For provinces where professional hours apply:
- Total: 11h45
- Professionalism (EDI): 2h
Compensation for judges:
Participation in this program is approved under Section 41 (1) of the Judges Act.
GUEST SPEAKER
Keynote Speaker
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The Honourable Leonard Marchand, Chief Justice of British Columbia The Honourable Leonard S. Marchand is the Chief Justice of British Columbia, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia, and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon. He was appointed Chief Justice on December 7, 2023. Chief Justice Marchand was appointed to the Provincial Court of British Columbia on September 5, 2013. As a Provincial Court judge, Chief Justice Marchand had the privilege of presiding in Cknucwentn Court in Kamloops, where, with input from Elders, healing plans are developed for Indigenous offenders. Chief Justice Marchand was appointed to the Supreme Court of British Columbia on National Indigenous People’s Day, June 21, 2017. He was appointed to the Courts of Appeal for British Columbia and of Yukon on March 24, 2021. Prior to becoming a judge, Chief Justice Marchand articled and practised at Fulton & Company LLP in Kamloops from 1994 to 2013. His practice focused on the liability of public authorities and he appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia and before many administrative tribunals. Chief Justice Marchand dedicated a substantial portion of his career as a lawyer to pursuing reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, including by advancing civil claims on behalf of residential school survivors. In 2005, he helped negotiate and was a signatory to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, which, at the time, was the largest class action settlement in Canadian history. He then served on the Oversight Committee for the Independent Assessment Process and the Selection Committee for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Chief Justice Marchand is Syilx and a member of the Okanagan Indian Band. He grew up in both Kamloops and Ottawa. After completing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1986, he worked in the oil industry for several years. He then attended law school at the University of Victoria, graduating in 1994. He was called to the British Columbia bar in 1995 and to the bars of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in 2006. © British Columbia Court of Appeal |
REGISTRATION FEES
Registration fees includes breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks on conference days.
| Participant type |
Early Bird* Until May 2, 2025 |
Regular* From May 3, 2025 |
| CIAJ Members | $995 | $1,095 |
| Non-Members | $1,195 | $1,395 |
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Academics |
$695 | $795 |
| Students | $95 | $95 |
| Fees for one day only (for all) | $595 | $595 |
*No tax is added to the registration fee.
OUR PARTNERS
We are proud of our valued partners who support our Conference. Their commitment and support are essential to the success of this event.
Financial Partner:
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Media Partners:
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Become a Partner of our Conference
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Make a difference in the Environment and the Law by becoming a CIAJ partner! Act now: support our conference tackling today’s critical environmental and legal challenges. By supporting this initiative, you’re investing in urgent, solutions-driven dialogue to shape a more sustainable future—for this generation and the next. Align your organization with a national gathering that brings together key voices to understand, debate, and act. |
CONTACT
For further information, please contact Lise Bujold, CIAJ’s Assistant Executive Director:
Tel.: 514-378-4765
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Payment in full of the registration fee is due before the Event. Should a registrant have an outstanding balance, a credit card will be requested at the Event before the beginning of the program.
- Inability to attend may result in a registration being transferred to a colleague of the same organization up to 7 days before the Event. The request must be made in writing.
- Cancellation incurs processing fees as follows: $100 for cancellations 30 days or more before the event and 50% of the registration fee for cancellations 7 days or more before the event. No refund will be extended for cancellations made less than 7 days before the event.