Government decision-makers often struggle with how to make decisions in the face of scientific uncertainty, especially in the context of environmental assessments of large-scale resource projects. Public expectations are high when the protection of the environment is in question, and the perception of risk is usually fuelled by prevailing social culture and other values, more than the objective science.1 The social acceptance of decisions will ultimately be based on how well government agencies reconcile the public perceptions of risk with the available science. Published in the 2014 Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada by Thomson Reuters Canada Limited.