Caroline Findlay
Caroline Findlay is a business and regulatory lawyer whose practice focuses on serving the natural resources sector. As a senior member of the Environmental Group in Vancouver, she also advises clients on a full range of environmental issues.
The Blakes Environmental Group in Vancouver has received the top ranking among environmental law groups in The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory. Blakes is the only firm to receive such a ranking 10 years in a row in Western Canada.
During her career, Caroline has also practised in Toronto and Washington (D.C.). While in Washington, she gained in-depth U.S. experience working with the environmental group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. Caroline joined Blakes in September 2000 after working for five years as in-house counsel with MacMillan Bloedel, then Weyerhaeuser. In this capacity, Caroline was involved in providing strategic and creative legal advice on a wide variety of business and legal issues.
Caroline has extensive commercial, environmental and aboriginal experience, combined with an in-depth knowledge of all laws, regulations and policies governing the energy, mining and forest industries. She provides advice on regulatory compliance and due diligence, including contaminated sites matters; forest practices and tenure rights; commercial contracts and disputes, including electricity purchase/supply agreements; climate change regulation; and business transactions, negotiations and structures related to First Nations relationships.
Caroline has a demonstrated track record of handling complex, sensitive issues with legal, business and political aspects in a multi-party environment, often involving conflicting priorities. She has advised on several innovative projects, including:
- Negotiating impact and benefits agreements, participation agreements and consultation protocols with First Nations across Canada for mining and energy projects
- Negotiated a novel agreement with the Province of British Columbia (BC Hydro and the BC Transmission Corporation) for the contribution of a private party to the completion of significant new electricity transmission infrastructure
- Advising on a variety of regulatory aspects around the construction of B.C.'s largest independent run-of-river hydroelectric facility
- Negotiating one of the first product stewardship programs in North America
- Drafting a new regulatory "results-based" approach to forestry planning and management for both private and Crown forest lands
In June 2009, Caroline was elected as a director of The Clean Energy Association of British Columbia.
From March 2002 to June 2005, Caroline served as a provincially appointed director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and she was the chair of the board's governance and human resources committee. This regional health authority serves over one million people and has responsibility for an annual budget of almost C$2-billion. From June 2002 to April 2004, she also served on the board of the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
Caroline is a frequent lecturer on energy, environmental and aboriginal issues.