 Bennett Jones Education St. Patrick's College, Carleton University, BA University of Ottawa, LLB Oxford University (UK), MA Bar Admissions Ontario, 1981 Alberta, 1984 Overview Laurie Smith is the former Vice Chairman of Bennett Jones and founding head of the regulatory department. He is former counsel to the National Energy Board (NEB) and a former policy advisor to a Minister of the Government of Canada. Laurie is lead regulatory counsel to Alberta's largest gas distributor. He has appeared before NEB and Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) joint panels and provincial authorities in connection with numerous power, NGL gas storage, pipeline, offshore energy and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and utility rate proceedings. He has also appeared as counsel before the federal and provincial appeal courts and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has presented expert testimony in commercial and NAFTA arbitral proceedings; before the California Energy Commission; and appeared as a witness before the Canadian House of Commons and Senate. Laurie served as a director or trustee of a number of private and public companies and funds, was formerly a member of the Advisory Board to the Montreal Neurological Institute and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Royal Military College of Canada. Laurie was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2000. ,,Lawrence Smith [KC] is widely regarded as 'one of the finest utility experts in the country.',, Select Experience • Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., in connection with its C$1.19-billion acquisition of an indirect minority equity interest in the Labrador-Island Link from Emera Inc. • Appeal counsel to ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd., in the Supreme Court of Canada's 2006 landmark decision defending utility property rights against regulatory confiscation. ATCO Gas & Pipelines Ltd. v. Alberta (Energy & Utilities Board), 2006 SCC 4 • Appeal counsel to ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd., in its successful appeal from an Alberta Energy and Utilities Board
Order purporting to require it to hold the proceeds of sale of an
asset in a deferral account. The successful appeal confirms
that the Board has no jurisdiction over utility assets not required
to provide utility service and that the utility is entitled to the
sale proceeds without any conditions.
ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd. v. Alberta (Energy and Utilities
Board) 2009 ABCA 171 • Appeal counsel to ATCO Gas and Pipeline Ltd., in its successful
appeals of three related Board Decisions regarding the ability of
the regulator to assert jurisdiction over its Carbon gas storage
facilities and related production properties, which assets no
longer serve any purpose for utility service. The court ruled
that revenue generation is not a valid utility service. • ATCO Gas, in its $550-million sale of Viking assets to Burlington. • Bear Head LNG, in regulatory/environmental
approvals for construction of the plant. • Sable Offshore Energy Project, in the Joint
Environmental Review Panel hearings and regulatory approvals for the
development of an offshore gas project valued at $3 billion. • Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline Partnership, in $452-million and US$281-million bank financing and $260-million and US$240-million bond financing of the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline. • Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline, in appearing
before a Joint Environmental Review Panel for an international
pipeline to Boston and in respect of general regulatory matters and
in all subsequent facilities expansion and rate
related issues; acted on four subsequent expansion and major gas transmission lateral projects. • Duke Energy, in the partnership agreement,
operating agreements, transportation services agreements and EPC
contract, and the project financing (bond/bank) in relation to the
Canadian portion of the 1,059-km Maritimes & Northeast System. • Emera Brunswick Pipeline Company Ltd., as lead regulatory counsel for a $350-million gas transmission pipeline project connecting the Canaport LNG project to
domestic and export markets. |