John Willms is the senior partner of Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP and an Environmental Law Specialist, Certified by the Law Society of Upper Canada. He has practised environmental law, land use planning law and municipal law since his call in 1974. John has also done extensive institutional strengthening work in developing nations, drafting new environmental, resource and planning legislation and helping to develop appropriate administrative structures.
As environmental counsel to multi-facility industrial clients, John gives advice and negotiates with regulators on a wide range of approval, compliance and due diligence matters. He is an expert in legal aspects of Brownfields development and contaminated sites, industrial processes, chemicals storage and handling, waste management and air emissions. He is especially skilled at reviewing technical reports and in working with working with the consultants who write them.
John is an experienced counsel before environmental tribunals. He has acted on environmental assessment matters for a range of proponents and intervenors. John also has extensive institutional strengthening experience helping to develop environmental and natural resource law and administrative frameworks in a number of developing countries.
John has also been counsel on several judicial review applications challenging government decisions. His practice involves frequent opinion-writing for both public and private-sector clients. Much of his work involves advising or challenging government officials on administrative decisions, whether regarding approvals or orders.
John has lectured at universities, and was a part-time faculty member of the University of Guelph for more than ten years. He speaks regularly at professional conferences.
Credentials
Rated as “Distinguished” by Martindale-Hubbell
Peer selected for inclusion in the 2009 and 2010 editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada
Rated “Repeatedly Recommended” in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory
Called to the Bar of Ontario, 1974
LL.B., Osgoode Hall Law School, 1972
B.Sc., (Physics and Chemistry), University of Waterloo, 1967
Selected seminars and workshops on
wastewater treatment
risk assessment
storm water management
aspects of groundwater and contaminant hydrogeology
contaminated sites
remediation and landfill design
Books, Services & Reports
Canadian Environmental Compliance Manual, Toronto: CCH, 1996 (service)
Report, Institutional Strengthening for Coastal Conservation, prepared for Government of Barbados, 1992
Environmental Issues for Municipal Management. CERCN Special Report Series, 1991
Toxic Real Estate Manual. Toronto: Corpus Information Services, 1988
The Pollution Index, A Guide to Statutory and Regulatory Provisions. Petroleum Association for the Conservation of the Environment, 1987
The Legal and Administrative Basis of Land Use and Environmental Decision-Making North of Latitude 50?. Royal Commission on the Northern Environment, 1980
Articles
Canadian Environmental Regulation and Compliance News
Environment on Trial II
Municipal World
Toronto: CELRF, 1978
University of Toronto Law Journal
Organizations
Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Environment Committee
Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA), Board of Directors, Air and Brownfields Committees
National Brownfield Association, Co-Chair, Policy and Technical Committees
Environmental Affairs Committee of the Ontario Waste Management Association (OWMA)
Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA)
Water Environment Association of Ontario
Canadian Energy From Waste Coalition
Canadian Bar Association, National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Section (NEERLS)
Ontario Bar Association, Environmental Law Section (ELS)
Conservation Council of Ontario, Individual Member
Recycling Council of Ontario, Individual Member
Canadian Environmental Law Association, Board of Directors, 1975-86; Chairman of the Legal Advisory Committee, 1983-86; President, 1978-83
Lecturing and Speaking
Canadian Bar Association
Canadian Environmental Law Research Foundation
Canadian Institute of Planners
Dalhousie, Queen's, Toronto and Waterloo Universities
Environment Canada
Institute for International Research
Institute for Risk Research
Law Society of Upper Canada
Ontario Ministry of the Environment
Ontario Society for Environmental Management
Recycling Council of Ontario
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute
University of Guelph, Adjunct Professor at the School of Rural Planning and Development
York University, Adjunct Professor in the Master's degree programme in Environmental Studies
