Posted by Woods LaFortune LLP on Jan 13, 2015

Michael Woods, Senior Partner at Woods, LaFortune LLP will be a panelist at the important and topical Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business’ (CCAB) Hot Topic Series: The Williams Case, on March 12 2015, in Vancouver at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel.  The panel will review this summer’s Supreme Court of Canada ruling on Aboriginal title, which encompassed over 1,700 square kilometers of land in British Columbia, and provided much needed guidance on how to determine Aboriginal title and on the applicability of provincial laws to those lands. The discussion will also touch on and carefully review the implications of this landmark case for First Nations communities in terms of future economic or resource development on Fist Nations land, as well as the implications for those who wish to do business on or invest in Aboriginal title lands.  Specifically, the panel will: Discuss the implications of Tsilhqot’in on Aboriginal-industry economic partnerships; Highlight promising approaches to building Aboriginal-industry economic partnerships within the current legal framework; and Discuss where to go from here and how to build stronger, more effective partnerships. The impressive panel coveted event includes, Robert McPhee (Managing Director of the Castlemain Group), Chuck Strahl (Director and Chairman of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy), Chief Roger William (Tsilhqot’in First Nation), Wayne Garnons-Williams (Senior Lawyer and Principal Director at Garwill Law Professional Corporation) and Michael Woods (Senior Partner at Woods, LaFortune LLP). In the context of this panel, Michael Woods and Wayne Garnons-Williams of Garwill Law Professional Corporation will address a number of international legal implications for future economic and resource development on First Nations lands.  For more details see:...

Posted by Woods LaFortune LLP on Dec 19, 2014

Gordon LaFortune, Managing Partner of Woods, LaFortune LLP, attended the Assembly of First Nations 2014 Winter Gala held at the Delta Hotel in Ottawa on December 18, 2014.  The Gala was held at the end of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN)’s Annual General Meeting and was used as an opportunity to welcome newly-elected National Chief, Perry Bellegarde. The event, an overall success, was very well attended by Members of the AFN community and its many supporters.   The photo above features Gordon LaFortune, Managing Partner of Woods, LaFortune LLP alongside JP Gladu, President of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business...

Posted by Woods LaFortune LLP on Dec 15, 2014

On December 10, 2014, the Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT)-Ottawa held its annual Holiday Business Panel event. The panel, which represented the legal, trade and business communities, answered a panoply of questions on the topic of what Canadian businesses can expect from the numerous free trade agreements recently concluded between Canada and other countries, and how the business community can benefit from these agreements. The panelists, Anne Finlayson (CEO & CFO for Standard Innovation Corporation), Johane Seguin (EDC Sector VP for the Extracting and Resources Group), and Wendy Wagner (partner at Gowlings) provided valuable input on the topic and covered everything from legal implications and the current state of the economy, to opportunities for growth in the market. Both a very successful and informative event for all who attended. For more information on OWIT-Ottawa visit –...