Alex G. MacWilliam

Alex is Canada lead for the global Environment and Natural Resources group and the global Climate Change Strategies practice group.

He regularly advises Canadian and international clients on all legal issues relating to the environment. These include regulatory approvals, compliance, contaminated land, climate change, transportation of dangerous goods, dealing with regulatory agencies, responses to government policies and the development of internal environmental practices and systems. In 2015, Alex was appointed by the Government of Alberta to be the Chair of the Environmental Appeals Board.

Alex is widely regarded as one of the leading environmental law practitioners in Alberta.

He is recommended by Chambers Global as a leading lawyer in the area of Environmental Law, he is profiled in The Lexpert American Lawyer Media Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada, Who's Who Legal, and in Best Lawyers and is rated by Practical Law Company as a recommended Environmental Lawyer. He has appeared before the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board, Alberta Energy Regulator, Natural Resources Conservation Board, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Federal Court of Canada and all levels of Court in Alberta.

Alex advises clients in respect of all matters of an environmental nature, including the management and minimization of liability arising from environmental risks, compliance, environmental management systems and other risk management tools. When environmental incidents do occur, Alex is experienced in the legal aspects of emergency response and crisis management and has extensive experience in resolving disputes arising from such incidents through negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation. Alex is a trained mediator and has applied his experience to facilitate the resolution of many environmental disputes. He is a member of the Canadian Centre for Environmental Arbitration and Mediation.

Alex is frequently involved in major national and cross-border transactions in respect of the environmental due diligence arising in asset and share transactions, public offerings and financings. He works closely with the M&A, banking and securities lawyers at Dentons to ensure that any environmental issues are identified and properly assessed.