Municipal

General

MLT represents, or has represented, a number of cities, towns and rural municipalities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Our experience covers the range of legal issues a municipality may expect to face on a daily basis including jurisdictional issues, labour and safety issues as well as longer term initiatives such as bylaw and policy development, and extraordinary circumstances like planning for and financing major construction projects or dealing with disputes arising from occurrences such as a contaminated water supply. We have extensive experience on governance issues facing governments and regulatory bodies including the Government of Saskatchewan; various Saskatchewan Crown Corporations, government agencies and health districts; and a number of First Nations and their associated legal entities.

Joanne Klauer has extensive experience acting as general corporate counsel to rural and urban municipalities. She provides advice on jurisdictional issues, drafting and reviewing bylaws, bylaw enforcement, judicial review applications, planning and development matters, annexations, inter-municipal disputes, and drafting various inter-municipal agreements.

Andrée Blais brings unique experience to the world of civic infrastructure projects, having been heavily involved as a staff lawyer with the Government of Alberta on major public-private partnership projects in the Edmonton area, including roadways and buildings.

Planning & Development

Our lawyers have experience in both the practical and legal aspects of land use, planning and development matters. We provide advice on development proposals, development permit applications, subdivision applications and land use planning in environmentally sensitive areas. We have been involved in the development and enforcement of land use bylaws and the development / redevelopment of resort and commercial properties.

Joanne Klauer regularly advises municipalities and Subdivision & Development Appeal Boards on matters including drafting and negotiating development agreements, and issues involving municipal development plans, inter-municipal development plans, area structure plans, area redevelopment plans, and land use bylaws. She has appeared before Subdivision & Development Appeal Boards and the Municipal Government Board on development and subdivision appeals, annexations, and inter-municipal disputes. She also acts as counsel to Subdivision & Development Appeal Boards, and represents boards and municipalities on leave to appeal applications and appeal hearings from board decisions at the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Neil Gower, Q.C. has been a member of Edmonton’s Capital Region Housing Corporation since 2006 and Doug Hodson, Q.C. a member of the Saskatoon and District Planning Commission since 2000.