Heenan Blaikie’s Transportation group is recognized for its expertise across all major modes of transportation in which national and international business clients, large and small, are involved:
- Road transportation (bus and truck)
- Rail transportation
- Air transportation
- Maritime transportation
Services Overview
We provide transportation advice in connection with:
- Environmental issues, including transportation of dangerous goods and hazardous waste, air pollution, oil spills, sustainable transportation initiatives
- Claims, arbitration and litigation – cargo, collision, casualty, personal injury, death, property, worker’s compensation, subrogation, environmental, conditions of carriage, contract and safety, and rail tariff disputes.
- Cross-border trade issues, including NAFTA, open sky arrangements, post 9-11 security initiatives, immigration, customs (imports and exports), transborder taxes, and competition issues
- Corporate and commercial law, including infrastructure and public-private partnerships, M&A transactions, project financing, public tenders and procurement, transportation insurance, drafting legislation, regulations and bylaws, government contracts
- Federal and provincial laws and regulations, including the Canada Transportation Act, the Railway Safety Act, the Aeronautics Act and the Canada Marine Act
- Federal and provincial regulatory matters, including entry controls, licensing and safety
- Representation before various administrative bodies such as the Commission des transports du Québec and the Ontario Highway Transport Board with regard to operating authority for the bus industry
- Interaction with various provincial departments or public corporations, such as the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, with regard to carrier safety performance and safety fitness certificates for truck and bus operators
- Appearances before the courts with regard to various infractions to laws and regulations applicable to the transportation industry
- Compliance with international conventions – including United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods, Convention on International Civil Aviation and International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
- Employment and labour relations matters
- Domestic and international taxes
- Drafting contracts, including contracts of carriage, rail service contracts, location of vehicles, truck transportation contracts, bills of lading, logistics contracts, employment contracts and equipment purchase, sale, financing and leasing – aircraft, rail and locomotive, trucks, buses and marine vessels
Heenan Blaikie lawyers have extensive trial experience. They regularly appear before administrative, judicial and quasi-judicial tribunals on transportation matters.
Organizational Involvement
A number of our lawyers are active in various transportation associations and organizations in Canada and worldwide, such as the following:
- Canadian Transport Lawyers Association
- Transportation Lawyers Association (United States)
- Canadian Maritime Law Association
- McGill University’s Institute of Air & Space Law