Jessica E.M. Boily

Jessica Boily is an environmental lawyer in Gowling WLG's Toronto office. Her practice focuses on environmental litigation, drawing on her commercial litigation background to achieve successful and cost-effective outcomes. She uses her procedural expertise and technical knowledge to advocate for her clients.

Jessica understands that complex disputes require creative scientific and legal approaches. Her clients appreciate her practical advice when managing and resolving multi-party environmental disputes. When litigation is necessary, her clients know her courtroom and tribunal experience will help them achieve the outcome they want.

Jessica's litigation experience means she understands risk and can help clients manage it. She provides proactive advice to clients and helps engage with regulators on matters involving contaminated sites, director and officer liability, environmental approvals and permits, pest control products, chemical substances, export and import of environmentally regulated substances and products, waste, transportation of dangerous goods, reporting and emergency response.

Jessica's recent experience includes:

• Using her technical knowledge to succeed in the courtroom. Jessica assisted her client by successfully challenging the Crown's attempt to use the results of water testing in a recent prosecution.
• Taking on complex disputes. Jessica acted on Hamilton Beach Brands Canada, Inc. et al v Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, challenging an environmental clean-up order made by the Ministry of the Environment against her client.

Jessica has expertise in guiding clients in many industries (including the energy, chemical, pest control products, waste and resource recovery industries) through regulatory proceedings and prosecutions. She defends companies and individuals in federal, provincial and municipal enforcement matters, from assisting with inspections and investigations, including employee interviews and search warrants, to representing clients charged with environmental offences. She also acts for clients involved in environmental assessment and approval hearings.

Over the course of her career, she has assisted developers, property owners and tenants dealing with redevelopment and remediation of contaminated properties, including in disputes between neighbouring property owners, professional negligence actions, and appeals of environmental clean-up orders.

Jessica is proud to be a part of the Ontario Bar Association Environmental Law Section Executive and the Ontario Environmental Industry Association. She is the course co-ordinator for an environmental law class at Osgoode Hall Law School and enjoys teaching and mentoring young environmental lawyers.