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.
Select Experience
- Appeal counsel to ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd., in connection with 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 connection with
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 connection with 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.
Recent Publications
Blog Posts
Recent Recognitions
-
2017, Chambers Canada
Ranked Band 1, Energy: Oil & Gas (Regulatory)
-
2017, The Legal 500 Canada
Recognized as a leading energy (oil and gas) lawyer in Canada
-
2017, Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada
Recognized as a leading energy (oil and gas) lawyer
News & Speaking Engagements
