FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CCCL Fellows hold their 28th Annual Conference
Montreal, June 5th, 2025
The Canadian College of Construction Lawyers held its Twenty-Eighth Annual Conference from May 22 to 24, 2025. Under the theme of “The Energy Transition”, over one hundred Fellows gathered in person at the renowned and iconic Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC to hear colleagues, guest speakers, and panelists share their industry insights covering a wide range of topics and issues related to Construction Law and the Construction Industry.
The agenda kicked off on Thursday afternoon with a meeting of the CCCL Board of Governors followed by a cocktail reception and dinner at various local restaurants.
The next day’s Conference modules began with a presentation by guest speaker Andrew McHardy from KPMG who provided an overview of the Energy Transition and the opportunities for the Construction Industry.
A second Module moderated by Marina Pratchett (Vancouver) explored specific industries that are part of the clean energy economy. Fellows Rocco Sebastiano (Toronto), Claudia Déry (Montréal), Richard Wong (Toronto), Greg Moores (St. John’s) and Jeff Sharpe (Calgary) made up the panel.
The third module of the morning was moderated by John Murphy (Montréal) and compared public support and investment in the clean energy economy in the United States and Canada, addressing notably the funding challenges that exist in Canada. The perspectives were provided by a panel consisting of Honourary Fellow Doug Oles (Seattle), Clémentine Sallée (Montréal) and Jason Roth (Calgary).
The Fellows were then provided an informative presentation by guest speaker Chris Dinsdale, President and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority about the future of aviation in Canada, complemented with a Q & A session with program coordinator Phil Scheibel (Calgary). The College’s outgoing President Glenn Ackerley (Toronto) then shared his perspectives about the past year and new initiatives for the College in the future.
Day One continued with a panel presentation on Charter rights moderated by Fellow Doug Stollery (Edmonton). The panel featured guest speakers the Honourable Lynn Smith, O.C., K.C., and the Honourable Jon Sigurdson, K.C., and Fellow Brian Samuels (Vancouver).
The final presentation of the day was a panel providing a cross-country check-up on prompt payment and adjudication legislation, moderated by Brendan Bowles (Toronto), and made up of Fellows Duncan Glaholt (Toronto), Catriona Otto-Johnston (Calgary), Sharon Vogel (Toronto), Nicolas Gagnon (Montréal) and Jamie MacNeil (Dartmouth).
Day Two of the Conference began with the College’s Annual General Meeting. New appointments and designations made at the AGM included:
- Nicolas Gagnon– President
- Glenn Ackerley– Immediate Past President
- Matthew Hayes – Vice-President
- Sharon Vogel – Secretary
- Phillip Scheibel – Treasurer
- Andrea Lee – Program Co-ordinator
- Brendan Bowles – Governor
- Seema Lal – Governor
- Andrew Heal – Governor
- Patrice Morin – Governor
- Catriona Otto-Johnston – Governor
- Colin Piercey – Governor
Following the AGM, a session of seven Hot Topics in Construction Law, moderated by Andrea Lee (Toronto), was presented to conclude the substantive program:
- Use of AI in Law: Ethical and Regulatory Considerations, by Matt Hayes (Saint John)
- Use of AI in Construction Industry, by Stefan Gruszka (Calgary)
- Use of AI in Law in the United States, by Terrence Brookie, ACCL President
- Comparative Blame-worthiness, by Corbin Devlin (Edmonton)
- Quebec Perspectives on Apportioning Blame and Liability of Consultant, by Samuel Massicotte (Québec City)
- OHS Convictions in Canada: R. v King, by Andrew Wallace (Edmonton)
- Hyper-Escalation Claims, by Rachel Mockler (Vancouver).
The Conference ended with a gala dinner that featured:
- opening remarks by incoming President Nicolas Gagnon on the value and the relevance of the College, 28 years after its foundation;
- a presentation by keynote speaker, retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the Honourable Chris Hinkson, K.C. who captivated the audience with an engaging blend of legal storytelling and humor, sharing memorable quotes and courtroom anecdotes drawn from his extensive experiences with the judiciary, and
- the induction of twelve new Fellows from across Canada to the College by Immediate Past-President Glenn Ackerley, President Nicolas Gagnon, and Vice-President Matthew Hayes:
Morgan Burris, Dentons LLP, Vancouver
Aidan Cameron, McLean & Armstong LLP, West Vancouver
Laura Cundari, Blakes, Vancouver
Adnan Habib, Baker Newby LLP, Abbotsford
Ryan Krushelnitzky, Field Law, Edmonton
David Tupper, Blakes, Calgary
Ted Betts, Gowling WLG, Toronto
Joel Heard, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Toronto
Jennifer Roberts, Gibbs and Associates, Toronto
Maxime Cantin, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Québec City
Nathalie Mercier-Filteau, in-house WSP, Montréal
Mathieu Turcotte, DHC Avocats, Montréal
The 2025 Conference was steered by Program Coordinator Phil Scheibel (Calgary) and Assistant Program Coordinator Andrea Lee (Toronto), with the assistance of Chris Armstrong (Vancouver).
President Nicolas Gagnon is looking forward to leading the College to the 29th Annual Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Ottawa, Ontario in May of 2026.
The Canadian College of Construction Lawyers strives to facilitate and encourage the association of outstanding lawyers who are distinguished for their skill, experience and high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice or teaching of construction law, and who are dedicated to excellence in the specialized practice of construction law. For more information about the College and its Fellows, visit their website at www.cccl.org.
Nicolas Gagnon
President, CCCL