Joanna Vince

Bio

Whatever strategy a case requires, Joanna Vince focuses on finding the right solutions for clients.

Her goal is to find the most practical and efficient path to a final solution. She has extensive knowledge of environmental law and places great importance on building solid relationships and connections with clients and key stakeholders.

As a Law Society of Ontario Certified Specialist in Environmental Law, Joanna draws on her strong science background as well as her technical and business knowledge to help solve problems. In her broad and diverse environmental law practice, Joanna handles a wide range of environmental issues involving transactions, civil claims, defence of prosecutions, order appeals, and compliance matters. She works with companies on internal due diligence programs and takes the time to understand their operations and obligations. In matters of contaminated land, Joanna provides advice about purchase, sale, remediation and development, and helps clients assess and manage civil and regulatory environmental liability risk. Joanna regularly provides environmental due diligence advice to clients selling or purchasing companies through asset or share transactions. She also helps clients with understanding and complying with the ‘E’ in ESG.

With a deep understanding of unique issues in Northern Canada, Joanna advises First Nations and Inuit communities, resource proponents, and environmental boards and tribunals about natural resource development, environmental impact reviews, wildlife management, legislative amendments and land claim implementation. She has appeared before several co-management boards, including the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Nunavut Impact Review Board and Nunavut Water Board.

Joanna helps clients obtain approvals for air, noise, waste, renewable energy and sewage and navigates regulatory processes with clients for a wide range of projects and operations. Joanna appears before the Ontario Land Tribunal to defend and appeal environmental approvals and permits.

Joanna handles environmental and energy litigation for both plaintiffs and defendants. She also defends individuals and companies against environmental regulatory prosecutions, under federal, provincial and municipal legislation, including the Fisheries Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Water Resources Act, and municipal bylaws.

Joanna has extensive experience managing negotiations with environmental regulators to avoid issuance of orders and prosecutions, and where issued to obtain terms that are more favourable to clients.

Joanna ensures she has an in-depth understanding of client needs, both in the present and for the future. She spends time with industry organizations and environmental and advocacy groups to stay up-to-date on industry issues.