Don Lidstone, K.C.

Don Lidstone K.C. is licenced in BC, Alberta, and Yukon. He practices generally in the area of local government law. His municipal law focus is in the areas of governance, finance and taxation, land use and development, environmental law, aboriginal law and bylaw/legislative drafting. Invited to speak regularly at conferences, symposia and universities, Don has chaired the Sustainable Region Initiative (Governance and Finance), Liquid Waste Expert Review Panel, Fire Services Review Panel, Whistler Waste Blue Ribbon Panel, and the Municipal Law Section of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association. He has published numerous papers and manuals and consulted on the development of the Community Charter and other municipal statutes in a number of provinces. Don was designated King’s Counsel in 2008.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• Canadian Bar Association
• Law Society of British Columbia
• Law Society of Alberta
• Yukon Law Society
• International Municipal Lawyers’ Association
• Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators
• Local Government Management Association of British Columbia
• Government Finance Officers Association
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities

APPOINTMENTS

• Capital Regional District, Expert Liquid Waste Panel, 2009 – 2010
• British Columbia Task Force on Community Opportunities, 2005 – 2007
• Chair, Sustainable Region Initiative (Governance and Finance), Greater Vancouver Regional District, December, 2002
• Faculty, Royal Roads University, Municipal Leadership Program, 2002
• Advisor to British Columbia Community Charter Council, 2001 – 2002
• Director, Smart Growth BC, 1999 – 2001
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities P3 Selection Committee, 1997
• Counsel, BC Airport Communities Common Front, 1996 – 1999
• Faculty, Banff School of Management, Local Government Leadership Program, 1995 – 2001
• Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conflict of Interest Committee, 1995
• Chair, Fire Services Expert Review Panel, 1994
• Chair, GVRD Sewage Treatment Expert Review Panel, 1992
• Founding Director, Sierra Legal Defence Fund/EcoJustice, 1990 – 1999
• Chair, Municipal Law Section, Canadian Bar Association, 1983 – 1984
• Province of British Columbia, Municipal Act Review Committee, 1981 – 83, Land Use Legislation Committee, 1983-85, and Regional District Review Committee, 1988 – 89

AWARDS

• Recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2013
• Local Government Management Association President’s Award, 2009
• King’s Counsel, 2008

EDUCATION

• LL.B. University of Manitoba Faculty of Law
• B.A. University of Winnipeg Faculty of Arts

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

• Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute Local Government 2016, and presentation: Green Development, April 29, 2016.
• The Building Act. Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia Risk Management Conference, April 11, 2016.
• Bylaw Drafting, North Central Local Government Management Association, Prince George, BC, April 5, 2016.
• Chair, Local Governments and First Nations, Affinity Institute, October 3, 2014.
• Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute Local Government 2016, May 9, 2014.
• Major Project Impact Compensation, North Central Local Government Association, Fort St. John, May 8, 2014.
• Contractual Indemnities and Insurance, Municipal Insurance Association of British Columbia Risk Management Conference, April 25, 2014.
• Legal Update, Local Government Management Association CAO Forum, February 21, 2014.
• Government of the Future, Young Officials Conference, Lantzville, January 19, 2014.
• Municipal Revenue: Partnerships and New Resources, Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, November 20, 2013.
• Grants in Aid and Loans, Local Government Management Association Clerks and Corporate Officers Forum, October 2013.
• Municipal Revenue: Partnerships and New Resources, Federation of Canadian Municipalities 2013 Annual Convention.
• Paying for our Cities, Metro Vancouver Sustainability Community Breakfast, April 11, 2013.
• Conflict of Interest, Pacific Business & Law Institute Local Government 2013, May 30, 2013.
• Delivering Services for a Prosperous Region, Metro Vancouver Regional Finance Symposium, November 28, 2012.
• The Local Government Officer: Protecting your Job and Reputation, North Central Local Government Management Association, March 13, 2013.
• Bylaw Drafting, Local Government Management Association of British Columbia, November 16, 2012.
• The Local Government Officer: Protecting your Job and Reputation, Thompson Okanagan Local Government Management Association, September 13, 2012.
• The Local Government Role in Green Developments, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, February 2, 2012.
• Public Hearing, Local Government Leadership Academy Local Government Law for Newly Elected Officials, January 13, 2012.
• Conflict of Interest, Local Government Leadership Academy Local Government Law for Newly Elected Officials, January 13, 2012.
• Local Government Law Conference, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, May 3, 2010 and May 5-6, 2011
• Municipal Tools. Canadian Brownfields Conference, Vancouver, BC. October 25, 2009
• Local Government Law Conference, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 30, 2009
• Brownfields Program, Lecturer, University of British Columbia, 2009
• Local Government & Climate Change – Current Law and Urgent Action Conference, Chair, University of British Columbia, March 6, 2008
• “Recent British Columbia Legislation: The Community Charter”, UBC Law Review, Volume 40, Number 1, May, 2007
• First Nations Relations, presented to the Resort Collaborative Conference, Whistler, British Columbia, May 25, 2007
• Local Government Law Conference, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, May 3, 2007
• Sustainable Development – Local Government Powers, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, 2006 Annual
• Conference, Sustainable Development and the Law – People – Environment – Culture, Vancouver, British Columbia, October 11, 2006
• Municipal Law Update, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, April 27, 2006
• Community Charter One Year Out, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Richmond, British Columbia, March 10, 2005
• International Trade Agreements and Local Government: A Guide for Canadian Municipalities. Co-author. Published by Federation of Canadian Municipalities, March 3, 2005
• Model City Charter. Published by Federation of Canadian Municipalities, March 3, 2005
• Toward a Toronto Charter, Toronto Charter Symposium, Toronto, Ontario, November 10, 2004
• An Introduction to BC Local Government Law: Basic Principles, with Reece Harding, Local Government Management Association, Municipal Administrators Training Institute, Victoria, British Columbia, August 19, 2004
• Regulation of Grow Operations and Methamphetamine Labs, Lower Mainland Municipal Association, Whistler, May 14, 2004
• Assessment of the Provincial and Territorial Municipal Acts. Published by Federation of Canadian Municipalities, June 7, 2004, and presented to FCM Annual Meeting in Edmonton, Alberta, May 29, 2004)
• Working with the Charter, Local Government Managers’ Association of British Columbia, Lower Mainland Chapter, Burnaby, British Columbia, April 16, 2004
• “Municipal Regulation of Pesticides”, International Lawyer Magazine, co-author with Lora Freeman and Alyssa Bradley, April/May 2004
• Water Conference, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, March 11, 2004
• Fire Conference, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, March 10, 2004
• Comparison of Canada’s Municipal Acts, International Municipal Lawyers Association Annual Meeting, October 14, 2003, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Ethics in Government, Local Government Management Association, Penticton, British Columbia, June 18, 2003
• Impacts of International Trade Agreements on Municipalities, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Annual Meeting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, May 21, 2003
• Community Charter Conference, Chair, Pacific Business & Law Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, May 7 and 8, 2003
• Grading the Municipal Acts, Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors, Regina, Saskatchewan, March 7, 2003
• Public Private Partnerships, CAO Forum, Chilliwack, British Columbia, February 20, 2003
• World Trade Agreements: Implications for Local Government, Conference on Unity, Sovereignty and Prosperity, Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, November 30, 2002
• Decentralization of Powers, Annual Meeting of Expropriation Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, October 25, 2002
• Comparison of New and Proposed Municipal Legislation, Big Cities Mayors’ Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, October 4, 2002
• Proposed Community Charter, Annual Meetings of Municipal Finance Authority, Government Finance Officers Association and
• Local Government Management Association of British Columbia, March 26, April 26 and June 6, 2002
• Municipal Powers: Plenary Provincial Powers and Harmonization of Laws, Conference on Sustainable Communities, Ottawa, Ontario, February 8, 2002
• Municipal Questions Respecting Trade Agreements, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, November 5, 2001
• Municipal Government Comes of Age, National Symposium: Communities in an Urban Century, Toronto, Ontario, October 20, 2001
• Federal, Provincial and Municipal Orders of Government, Institute of Public Administration of Canada, Toronto, Ontario, October 18, 2001
• Impacts of International Trade Agreements, Union of British Columbia Municipalities, Annual Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, September 27, 2001
• British Columbia: A Community of Communities, Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, September 25, 2001
• Smart Growth Legal Tools: Creating More Livable Communities, Local Government Management Association of British Columbia, Whistler, British Columbia, May 31, 2001
• A Comparison of New and Proposed Municipal Acts of the Provinces: Revenues, Financial Powers and Resources, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Annual Meeting, Banff, British Columbia, May 25, 2001
• The Future of Local Government Management, Local Government Management Association of British Columbia, Annual Conference, Prince George, British Columbia, May 28, 2000
• Conflict of Interest and Campaign Contributions, North Central Municipal Association 44th Annual Convention, April 30, 1999
• Barriers to Funding Energy Efficient Retrofits for Municipal Buildings and Enacting Model Energy Codes, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, April 1, 1999
• Public Private Partnerships, Lower Mainland Municipal Association, Richmond, British Columbia, February 17, 1999
• Bill 31 – Preamble and Public Private Partnerships, Bill 31 Seminar for Lower Mainland Municipalities, October 7, 1998
• A Comparison of New and Proposed Municipal Acts of the Provinces, 1998 and 1999, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Annual Conference, June 8, 1998
• New Local Government Legislation for British Columbia, Municipal Officers’ Association of British Columbia, March 1998
• Preface/Preamble/Principles/Purpose for a New Municipal Act, Symposium on New Local Government Legislation, Union of British Columbia Municipalities, February 1998
• Role of the Municipal Governance Institute in the Renewal of Municipal Legislation, Municipal Officers’ Association, Chapter 290, Newsletter, November 1997
• Local and Regional Approaches to Growth, Municipal Governance Institute Symposium, Vancouver, British Columbia, September 26, 1997
• The Future of Self Government , Municipal Governance Institute Symposium, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 20, 1997
• Recent Developments in Land Use Law, Planning Institute of British Columbia, May 14, 1997
• The Provincial-Municipal Relationship: Models for the Future, Association of Kootenay Boundary Municipalities, April 1997
• Public Hearings , Districts of North and Central Saanich and Town of Sidney, March 14, 1997
• The Future Structure of Service Delivery , Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, January 27, 1997
• Negotiating and Drafting Public-Private Partnership Agreements, Canadian Institute, Toronto, Ontario, November 26, 1996
• The Future of Municipal Government, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Toronto, Ontario, November 22, 1996
• Sustainability of Human Settlements, Keynote Address, University of Victoria Faculty of Law Conference “Bringing Habitat II Home”, Victoria, British Columbia, October 27, 1996
• Environmental Liability of Local Governments , International Municipal Lawyers Association, Little Rock, Arkansas, October 7, 1996