Liane Langstaff
Liane Langstaff is an associate lawyer in Gowling WLG's Toronto office, practising in the areas of environmental law, land use planning law and Indigenous law.
Liane has a diverse practice, serving municipalities as well as businesses in the energy, natural resources, manufacturing, consumer goods and clean tech sectors. As an Environmental Sciences (Hons. B.Sc.), Law and MBA graduate, Liane uses her technical expertise, legal skills and business acumen to meet her clients' needs. As a result of her former role as a law clerk to Justices Weiler, Juriansz, Simmons and Brown of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, she leverages an intimate knowledge of the courts to represent her clients in complex litigation proceedings before courts and tribunals.
Liane represents clients and provides comprehensive legal advice on a range of environmental matters, including:
- Guiding domestic and international businesses on how to comply with regulations concerning climate change, chemicals, waste management, and product stewardship;
- Drafting agreements to protect clients from environmental liabilities;
- Navigating federal and provincial environmental assessments;
- Representing clients in contaminated lands litigation, regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings; and
- Advising clients on land-use planning, zoning and cultural heritage conservation matters.
Liane frequently acts on cutting-edge environmental issues. For example, she represented the Canadian Public Health Association in its intervention in the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act constitutional cases before the Courts of Appeal of Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Liane has previously worked as a sustainability consultant to the food and beverage industry. She has held various positions in government, with a focus on municipal planning, and has conducted extensive research, working with Aboriginal communities in Northern Canada.
Liane is committed to giving back to her community through environmental education. As part of the Board of EcoSpark, she endeavours to connect youth and their communities to their natural environment through citizen science. She is also active in training the next generation of lawyers, having delivered guest lectures and facilitated aboriginal law negotiation simulations for students at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University and the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law, Lakehead University.
As part of the Climate Change Lawyers Network, Liane has brought together lawyers and other professionals to better understand current developments in climate change law and policy. She writes extensively in the areas of environmental law and climate change law.