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 and pet food 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 Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) 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 PMRA.
In addition, she has experience advising clients on the registration and licence/permit requirements for food and animal feed with respect to all points along the food supply chain, along with compliance obligations under the Health of Animals Act and under the Safe Food for Canadians Act.
Julia’s real estate-related litigation expertise extends to advising and litigating disputes regarding the escheat of forfeited property to the federal or provincial Crown, contaminated property claims, easements, restrictive covenants, cautions and certificates of pending litigation, ground rent arbitrations, Partition Act applications, land transfer tax objections and appeals and issues arising in relation to agreements of purchase and sale. In addition, she has assisted both landlords and tenants in leasing disputes.
Julia is a member of the Advocates' Society, the American Bar Association and Women in Agribusiness (WIA). She currently holds a position on the board of the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA), being the first Canadian to do so. Julia is also a member of Toronto CREW (Canadian Real Estate Women) where she has led its Scholarship and Professional Development Committees. She was a long-standing executive member of the Ontario Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section. Julia frequently speaks at professional conferences on a variety of topics, including environmental litigation and enforcement, the intersection of PFAS and food packaging, the regulation of pesticides in Canada and other agribusiness-related topics.