Bennett Jones
Marie Buchinski is the head of the firm’s Utilities and Rates Practice Group, and a member of the firm’s Regulatory, Environmental and Indigenous Law Department and the firm's Energy & Oil and Gas Industry Team. Her practice focuses on advising clients on energy regulatory matters, including project development and associated approval requirements, tolls and tariffs, compliance and Indigenous matters.
Marie has more than 15 years of experience advising and providing strategic advice to clients on federal and provincial regulatory matters in respect of energy and utility developments and associated tolls and tariffs issues. She regularly appears before the Canada Energy Regulator (formerly the National Energy Board), Alberta Utilities Commission, and Alberta Energy Regulator (and its predecessor, the Energy Resources Conservation Board), and has also appeared before other regulatory tribunals including the Alberta Surface Rights Board and Occupational Health and Safety Tribunal Canada. She regularly advocates for clients before the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Federal Court of Canada on related appeal matters.
Marie has significant experience on regulatory and environmental matters in relation to energy developments. She has represented clients before regulatory tribunals on matters related to facilities approvals; rates, tolls and tariffs; jurisdictional issues; Indigenous rights; land acquisition; pipeline access; and energy imports and exports. Before the Alberta Utilities Commission, she regularly represents regulated entities on rates and tariff matters, and on matters related to facilities approvals and their interconnection to the Alberta Interconnected Electric System (AIES). Marie also has significant experience representing clients before the Commission on matters respecting the operation of the AIES, including the rules of the Alberta Electric System Operator related to transmission line losses, transmission constraints management, and the allocation of transmission capacity on the Alberta interties.
Marie has assisted in the preparation of numerous papers, publications and blogs relating to regulatory issues across Canada, most recently with respect to consultation requirements, the Federal Court's dismissal of challenges to the Approval of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, Canadian energy exports, and legislative developments related to Bill C-69 and the creation of the Canada Energy Regulator. She has also instructed at the University of Calgary on energy matters related to facilities approvals, tolls and tariffs, energy imports and exports, and environmental regulation.