This section keeps you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming public appearances of Lavery professionals.
News
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Nicolas Gagnon chairs CBA-Quebec’s Jean Savard Conference: 2015 Annual Jurisprudence Review of Construction Law
On February 24, 2016, Mr. Nicolas Gagnon, a partner at Lavery specializing in construction and surety law, will chair a CBA-Quebec luncheon conference entitled “Jean Savard Conference: 2015 Annual Jurisprudence Review of Construction Law” (“Conférence Jean Savard : Revue de la jurisprudence 2015 en droit de la construction”) to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel. The conference will cover the current state of jurisprudence in construction law and 2015’s landmark decisions. The conference is sold out but for more information on this topic, please click here (French-only link).
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Pierre Marc Johnson talks about CETA at a Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Alumni Association event
On February 11, 2016 at Club Saint-James, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, a former Premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, was the guest speaker at a breakfast conference hosted by the Alumni Association of Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. One hundred and twenty-five of the Collège’s alumni and students were on hand to listen to Mr. Johnson’s talk, which was entitled “The ins and outs of the Canada-EU Agreement” (“Les tenants et aboutissants de l’Accord Canada-Union européenne”). After the conference, Me Johnson fielded questions from the audience during a question period. For more information about Brébeuf’s Alumni Association events, please click here.
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Pierre Denis and Benjamin David Gross will be panelists at the Canadian Institute’s inaugural conference on asset-based lending (ABL)
On February 24 and 25, 2016, at the Toronto Hilton Hotel, Pierre Denis and Benjamin David Gross, both of whom are partners and members of the firm’s financial services group, will be panelists at the Canadian Institute’s inaugural ABL conference. At 11 a.m. on February 24, Mr. Benjamin Gross will give a presentation entitled “Lending into Quebec: The Bridge Between Common and Civil Law”, while on February 25 at 9 a.m., Mr. Pierre Denis will participate as a panelist for a session entitled “Equipment Leasing as a Bank Alternative: Case Studies. The conference aims at presenting cutting-edge solutions to educating delegates about asset-based lending, thereby dispelling the stigma associated with ABL in Canada, a stigma that has given rise to the misconception that ABL is a “product of last resort” meant primarily for distressed businesses. For more information or to register, please click here.
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Lavery’s Quebec City office makes a donation to the Fondation du Cégep Garneau and partners with the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec
Lavery’s Quebec City office made a donation in the amount of $5,000 to the Fondation du Cégep Garneau in order to lend support to the École d’entrepreneuriat de Québec’s scholarship program and next generation entrepreneurs. A partnership with the École d’entrepreneuriat will allow three cohorts of entrepreneurs to benefit from a broad range of services, including those of Lavery’s Go inc. Program. Lavery’s Go inc. Program offers basic legal services for emerging young businesses, as well as guidance and support to young entrepreneurs.
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Pierre Marc Johnson on a CETA mission to Brussels and Luxembourg
From January 22 to 27, 2016, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, a former Premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, was on a mission with Mr. Jacques Daoust, then Minister of Economy, Innovation and Exports , and Ms. Christine St-Pierre, Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie, as part of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiation process. Mr. Johnson, Québec’s head CETA negotiator, met with the Luxembourg President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mars Di Bartolomeo and testified at the Meeting of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee. There are some qualms in the EU about the Investors-States dispute settlement system that could delay ratification of the Agreement. Me Johnson has stated that while Canada was keeping an open mind about the EU’s concerns regarding the arbitration system, the “agreement’s worst enemy was time.”
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Pierre Marc Johnson addresses Collège des médecins du Québec directors regarding the mutual recognition agreement (MRA)
On January 19, 2016, during the strategic planning retreat of Collège des médecins du Québec’s directors, Mr. Pierre Marc Johnson, a former Premier of Quebec and counsel at Lavery recognized for his expertise in international trade and cross-border partnerships, delivered an address in particular on the MRA regarding the professional qualifications of physicians, the migratory flow of health professionals, as well as negotiations pertaining to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
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Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur gave a conference on integrating status of women issues in large law firms
On January 27, 2016, Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur, a partner with expertise in the fields of labour and employment law, health law as well as occupational health and safety law, spoke at a lunch conference hosted by the Comité Femmes et Droit of the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Law entitled “Integrating status of women issues in big law firms” (“L’intégration des enjeux de la condition féminine dans le milieu des grands cabinets”). The conference was a great success with around 50 attendees.
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Pier-Olivier Fradette signs an article in the January edition of BâtiVert magazine
Pier-Olivier Fradette, a lawyer whose practice focuses on municipal law, land use planning, and municipal contract management, has published an article in the January 2016 quarterly issue of BâtiVert, a magazine that covers recent jurisprudence, distributed by the Corporation des officiers municipaux en bâtiment et environnement du Québec (COMBEQ). The article entitled “The protection of municipal executive again put to the test… and again confirmed” (“La protection des cadres des municipalités testée de nouveau… et confirmée de nouveau”) analyses the decisions of the Commission des relations de travail (first instance) and the Superior Court (judicial review) in Jean-François Fournier v. Municipalité de Lac-des-Plages. Mr. Fradette explains the heavy burden a municipality carries when attempting to terminate an executive and that such a thing cannot be done without sound and meritorious reason even if a notice of termination clause was included and accepted in a work contract. The full article will be soon available on the COMBEQ website (French only)
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The JCCM congratulates Élodie Brunet on her volunteer work
Recently, the Jeune Chambre de Commerce de Montréal (JCCM) highlighted the volunteer efforts of Élodie Brunet, a lawyer who practices in Lavery’s Labour and Employment law group, for her volunteer work with the Comité du Réseau des jeunes administrateurs. The JCCM praised Ms. Brunet for her interest in the Réseau des jeunes administrateurs program, her availability, enthusiasm, as well as her initiative and willingness to get involved. For more information about the JCCM, please click here.
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Lavery represents the Conférence des juges de paix magistrats du Québec before the Supreme Court of Canada
On January 18, 2016, Mr. Raymond Doray, Ad.E., and Mr. Loïc Berdnikoff, both of whom are partners in the firm’s Administrative Law group, represented the Conférence des juges de paix magistrats du Québec and its members before the Supreme Court of Canada to obtain a declaration of unconstitutionality regarding various provisions of the Act to Amend the Courts of Justice Act and Other Legislative Provisions as regards the Status of Justices of the Peace which allowed the government, notably, to unilaterally determine the treatment and work conditions of the justices of the peace, without having recourse to a remuneration commission. According to the Conférence, the provisions in question, in that they apply to judges, violate the guarantees of judicial independence provided in the preamble of the Constitutional Act of 1867and under section 11d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court reserved its decision. To read a summary of the case, please click here.
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Application for authorization to submit a class action against the Commission de la construction du Québec represented by Lavery rejected
On January 7, 2016, the Superior Court of Quebec refused to grant an authorization to submit a class action on behalf of the linemen having worked for a federal undertaking and who, since the establishment of the Commission de la construction du Québec ("CCQ"), paid different assessments and contributions under the Act Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry, CQLR c. R-20. The representative of the proposed group requested, amongst other conclusions, the reimbursement of the assessments deducted by the CCQ. In Caron c. Fraternité provinciale des ouvriers en électricité-section locale 1676, 2016 QCCS 25, justice Chantal Lamarche, j.s.c. found that the conditions for the exercise of a class action were not met. More specifically, she rejected the application for authorisation because of the complexity of the evidence which would have to be administered to determine if the employers of the members of the proposed group were under federal or provincial jurisdiction and because the refund of the assessments raised issues that were not common to all members of the group. Lavery has successfully represented the CCQ against who the application for authorization to submit a class action was specifically directed. The team was composed of Mr. Raymond Doray, Ad.E. and Mr. Bernard Larocque assisted by Mr. Guillaume Laberge. Raymond Doray Bernard Larocque Guillaume Laberge
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Lavery in Lexpert Top 10 business cases of 2015
In its January 2016 edition, Lexpert magazine ranks the Canada (Attorney General) v. Federation of Law Societies of Canada case second in its list of the Top 10 business cases of 2015. Lavery wishes to extend its heartiest congratulations to Mr. Raymond Doray, Ad.E., and Mr. Loïc Berdnikoff, both of whom are partners in the firm’s Administrative Law group, who argued the case of behalf of the interveners the Barreau du Québec and the Chambre des notaires du Québec. Mr. Guillaume Laberge assisted them in their preparation. In its ruling, the country’s highest court concluded that certain sections of the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and of its regulation violate sections 7 and 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and cannot be saved by section 1. Raymond Doray Loïc Berdnikoff Guillaume Laberge