Session Description

2026 ENERGY LAW FUNDAMENTALS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12


8:45 AM – 9:45 AM | Plenary Session
Alhambra Room 

Anatomy of an Oil & Gas Transaction

Presenters: Brittney Thompson & Stuart Money 

From confidentiality agreements and data room due diligence to contract negotiation, regulatory approvals, ROFRs and ultimately closing the deal, there are many components to an oil and gas transaction.
Stuart Money and Brittney LaBranche will provide an overview of the key steps, common issues and
frequently negotiated clauses that they encounter in their day-to-day corporate practices.


10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Concurrent Session
Alhambra Room 

Building New Energy Frontiers: Construction Law and Why It Matters

Presenters: Marissa Dimmell & Peter Vetsch 

Before a new facility or a core piece of infrastructure reaches commercial operation, it must be designed, procured, and built. Through the lens of a major industrial energy project, this session introduces energy lawyers to the key construction law concepts that drive project outcomes—from contract strategy and risk allocation to delays and cost overruns. Gain a practical understanding of how construction-stage decisions and strategy can affect project viability, profitability, and legal exposure throughout the life of an energy asset. Whether you advise developers, operators, lenders, investors, or regulators, this session will help you better understand the legal and commercial foundations upon which successful energy projects become a reality.


10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Concurrent Session
Oak Room 

Carbon Capture

Presenters: Byron Reynolds

TBD


11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | Plenary Session
Alhambra Room 

Lifecycle of an Oilfield

Presenters: Xiaodi Jin 

The lifecycle of an oilfield, or a high-level primer on the business side of oil and gas, for lawyers. All of the stuff I wish I knew as a junior lawyer.


12:30 PM – 1:45 PM  | Lunch & Plenary Session
Alhambra Room 

Midstream Basics

Presenters: Ashton Menuz & Erik Fleming

Join Ashton Menuz and Erik Fleming to discuss the ins and outs of the various midstream contracts governing the gathering, transportation and processing of hydrocarbon substances. This session will provide an overview of the basic structure of a midstream contract, as well as some of the unique features and key commercial concepts that practitioners may encounter when negotiating these types of agreements.


1:45 PM – 2:45 PM | Concurrent Session
Alhambra Room 

Overview of PPAs

Presenters: Kerri Howard & Kim Howard

Power purchase agreements (PPAs) have become the backbone of the renewable power generation industry, allowing a variety of entities including corporations, institutions and municipalities to achieve their renewable energy goals and see their projects through development, financing, construction and ultimately operation. In our ever-changing energy landscape, PPAs have been harder to secure and require detailed negotiation to address market, regulatory and commercial project risk.
Kim Howard and Kerri Howard will provide an overview of the basics of corporate PPAs, practical tips on how to structure a PPA and the common commercial terms included in them.


1:45 PM – 2:45 PM | Concurrent Session
Oak Room 

Recent Judicial Decisions

Presenters: Keely Cameron & Sarah Aaron

This presentation reviews the key Canadian judicial developments shaping energy transactions in 2025 and early 2026, a period marked by geopolitical instability, shifting trade relationships, climate-policy uncertainty, and heightened insolvency pressure in the energy sector. It focuses on how courts and regulators are reshaping transactional risk through decisions addressing insolvency-driven asset sales, environmental and abandonment liabilities, vesting orders, royalties, surface rights, mineral trespass damages, Crown conduct, Indigenous consultation, UNDRIP, Aboriginal title, and constitutional challenges to energy and environmental legislation.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13


9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Concurrent Session
Alhambra Room 

Fundamentals of Indigenous Rights, Partnerships and Projects  

Presenters: Diana Audino & Jeremy Barretto

This session provides an overview of the legal principles that govern the relationships between Indigenous peoples, governments, and industry in Canada. Topics will include Section 35 rights and the duty to consult and accommodate, Aboriginal title, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), agreements with Indigenous communities, and Indigenous equity participation in major projects.

Participants will gain a practical understanding of how Indigenous legal issues affect energy projects, as well as the day-to-day work of energy lawyers.


9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Concurrent Session
Oak Room 

Recent Regulatory and Legislative Developments of Interest to Energy Lawyers

Presenters: David Wood & Nick Ettinger 

This presentation provides a high-level overview of recent regulatory and legislative developments of interest to Canadian energy lawyers. It includes discussions of recent regulatory decisions, changes to regulatory and legislative regimes impacting energy law, and highlights several ongoing regulatory and legislative developments to watch in the coming year. Topics of note include developments in the oversight of administrative decision makers, including the constitutional right to judicial review, the role of tribunals before the courts, and government oversight and adjudicative independence of energy regulators. Sector-specific developments include induced seismicity and pipeline regulation in the upstream and midstream oil and gas sectors, self-supply of electricity, reclamation security for renewable power plants, and expanded oversight of renewable power projects. The presentation will also cover federal and provincial streamlining initiatives, including Alberta’s Bill 30: Expedited 120-Day Approvals Act and recent co-operation agreements on environmental and impact assessment.


10:15 AM – 11:30 AM | Plenary Session
Alhambra Room 

Due Diligence 101 – Performing Title Review

Presenters: Chelsea Daku & Megan Ollivier

The deal looks great on paper — until it doesn’t. Due diligence for energy sector transactions goes well beyond the standard corporate review. Asset condition, title defects, decommissioning obligations, evolving environmental regulations, and Indigenous consultation requirements can each fundamentally reshape the value of an investment — or kill a deal entirely. Drawing on real-world examples, we’ll walk through a practical due diligence framework for energy transactions and highlight the issues that too often catch buyers off guard.

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Return to the main CELF Energy Law Fundamentals Seminar page here.