News

Lavery is pleased to announce that Valérie Belle-Isle, a partner in the Administrative Law Group, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Salle Albert-Rousseau Corporation as well as of Théâtre Petit Champlain and Productions d'Albert. Salle Albert-Rousseau in Quebec City presents professional variety shows, comedy, song, theater and film conferences. The mission of Groupe Salle Albert-Rousseau (G.S.A.R) is to develop, promote and make accessible a diversified cultural and artistic offer that contributes to the well-being of communities and to the development of the Quebec City region.

Lavery is pleased to announce that Valérie Belle-Isle, Guillaume Laberge et Béatrice Ngatcha have been appointed partners of the firm.

Throughout 2018, Daniel Bouchard, a partner, along with Valérie Belle-Isle, Chloé Fauchon and Pier-Olivier Fradette, associates of the Public and Administrative Law group, will train members of the Corporation des officiers municipaux en bâtiment et en environnement du Québec (COMBEQ). The seminar is entitled “Milieux humides et hydriques et certificat d’autorisation : quel rôle pour les municipalités ?” and is intended primarily for environmental municipal officers, as well as other municipal workers. It deals with the practical impact of Bills 102 and 132 adopted in 2017 respecting the conservation of wetlands and bodies of water. The training will be offered to all municipalities in the province and will be delivered in 24 cities over the course of the year.

Valérie Belle-Isle and Pier-Olivier Fradette, lawyers of the Public and Administrative Law group, presented seminars during the Association des directeurs municipaux du Québec (ADMQ) annual convention, held June 14 – 16, 2017 at the Québec City Convention Centre. Me. Fradette spoke on June 15 about the work that a municipality could perform internally. The purpose of the seminar was to analyze the main construction laws and identify situations where a municipality could carry out the work using its own employees without having to hire professionals such as engineers, architects, electricians, plumbers, contractors with an RBQ permit or employees with a CCQ competency certificate. Both Me. Belle-Isle and Me. Fradette spoke during the second seminar, entitled Les zones grises des pouvoirs du conseil municipal (Grey areas in municipal council powers) presented on June 16, which identified situations where the municipal council has been granted broad powers under the Act and offered guidelines to general directors on assisting municipal councils in their decision-making. The three situations discussed were emergency work in the event of superior force, powers of the municipal council during the 30-day period preceding an election and requests to amend by-laws.

Valérie Belle-Isle, an associate of the Public and Administrative Law group, spoke at the Strategic Day on Administrative Law, held on April 26 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Montréal. Entitled Les 5 incontournables de la Cour suprême du Canada en droit administratif, Ms. Belle-Isle reviewed the top 5 administrative law decisions rendered last year by the Supreme Court, and highlighted the approaches adopted by the different Supreme Court judges with respect to the judicial review of decisions by administrative tribunals.

In the February 2017 issue of Quorum, published quarterly by the Fédération québécoise des municipalités,Valérie Belle-Isle, an associate with the Public and Administrative Law group, analyzes the evolution of a municipality’s obligation to maintain public roads. Click here to read the article on page 44.

On September 25, 2015, Mr. Daniel Bouchard, managing partner of Lavery’s Quebec City office, gave a conference entitled “Une équipe maire – DG : une formule gagnante dans l’administration d’une municipalité” (A Mayor and General Director team: a winning combination in municipal administration) at the Fédération québécoise des municipalités seminar. Ms. Valérie Belle-Isle and Ms. Chloé Fauchon, administrative law associates, presented the same conference in English. The conference discussed the respective roles of the mayor and director general. Daniel Bouchard Valérie Belle-Isle Chloé Fauchon

On April 30, 2015, Valérie Belle-Isle, Catherine Gendron, Karine Pelletier and Marie-Hélène Riverin participated in the event Foire des entrepreneurs, organized by the Chambre de commerce et de l’industrie de Québec (CCIQ). Over 130 exhibitors were present at this event, which gathered the expertise of organizations and professional firms under the same roof, offering specific services in business development, no matter the stage the businesses are in: start-up, growth or succession. Crash conferences unfolded throughout the day. Ms. Belle-Isle, Ms. Gendron, Ms. Pelletier and Ms. Riverin took part in them by presenting a conference entitled “Le jour où tout a déboulé” (The Day everything snowballed). Through a story line about the Sansoucie brothers, fictional characters, the four lawyers discussed the legal issues of their respective fields to make the public aware that prevention is better than cure. Numerous visitors of Lavery’s stand were thrilled by the special service proposal offered by these four professionals during the Foire des entrepreneurs ! Valérie Belle-Isle Catherine Gendron Karine Pelletier Marie-Hélène Riverin Karine Pelletier, Catherine Gendron, Marie-Hélène Riverin and Valérie Belle-Isle