Julia Elizabeth Schatz

Julia Schatz has broad experience in a wide variety of commercial litigation and arbitration matters, including litigation related to the agribusiness sector, environmental disputes, contractual interpretations, pesticide data compensation negotiations and arbitrations and real estate disputes. She has appeared before all levels of court and various administrative tribunals, as well as in arbitration proceedings.

Julia also has a robust regulatory practice in which she advises on a broad range of product regulation matters, including in the agribusiness and food industries and in respect of product liability more generally. Her advice covers issues relating to the registration, recall, licencing and compliance requirements in the federal Safe Food for Canadians Act , the Pest Control Products Act and the regulations under each. In addition, she provides product regulatory and due diligence support to her corporate colleagues on commercial transactions, including in the food, agribusiness, pet food and consumer product spheres.

Julia has particular expertise in environmental litigation. She has acted as lead counsel on behalf of owners, previous owners, neighbours and environmental consultants in contract, nuisance, trespass, strict liability, s. 99 EPA and negligence claims related to contaminated sites. She has assisted clients in responding to claims related to PFAS contamination, including in respect of fire-fighting foams.

Julia has specific expertise in pesticide registration and regulation, having advised pesticide manufacturers and distributors about the federal and provincial legislation and regulations governing the registration and sale of pesticide products in Canada. These mandates have included interacting with Health Canada’s Pesticides Regulatory Directorate (PRD) and assisting clients in understanding and addressing compliance matters, licencing and permit obligations and data compensation issues. Julia has also helped draft data compensation, supply, distribution, settlement, formulating, repackaging and other agreements for clients, and has assisted with final offer arbitrations on behalf of companies under the Protection of Proprietary Interests in Pesticide Data (PPIP) regime. She regularly assists pesticide manufacturers in respect of stakeholder consultations with the PRD.