This American Bar Association (ABA) conference – being held for the first time this year in Montréal – is an opportunity for construction industry participants to network and share practical advice with other consultants, owners and lawyers from all over the U.S.
Current exhibitors include FTI, Navigant, Arcadis, HKA, Deloitte, Exponent, and others.
The theme of the conference is that every successful construction project – whether in Canada or in the U.S. – begins with the selection of project participants who all share one common goal to construct a project on schedule, on budget and with minimal disputes.
The program will present the viewpoints of both in-house and outside counsel as well as consultants on a variety of cutting-edge topics including:
- Selecting the right delivery method for the project (which will include a discussion about IPD, being adopted by the CCDC in Canada);
- Negotiating contract clauses that lead to a successful project and avoid disputes;
- Hot topics and issues with financing the project;
- Innovative insurance products that are available to reduce and allocate risks;
- Strategies for addressing disputes proactively, before they mushroom into full blown litigation;
- The evolution of PPPs – what’s next; and
- A look at the Charbonneau Commission to discuss key ethical considerations and issues in the procurement and construction industry.
Richard Wong, Chair of Osler’s Construction and Infrastructure Practice group is co-chairing this conference, and will be joined by Marshall Rothstein, Etienne Massicotte, Sébastien Savage, Sandra Abitan, Yan Besner, Eric Levy, Mik Arendas, Caroline Stephens, Joel Heard, Elliot Smith, Roger Gillott, Melanie Gaston, and others from our Montréal office.
Among the Canadian speakers featured at this conference are:
- The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin P.C., Canada’s longest serving Chief Justice
- Former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Marshall Rothstein
- Chantal Sorel, Executive Vice-President Capital, SNC Lavalin, speaking about the New Champlain Bridge at one of the division lunches
- Shannon Onook, Senior Legal Counsel at TransCanada
- Professor Martine Valois from the University of Montreal and Olivier Kott from Norton Rose in Montreal who will be speaking about the Charbonneau Commission in the context of a session about Tackling Crime and Corruption in the Construction Industry
