Gerald (Gerry) Chipeur’s practice has for over 30 years focused primarily on public policy and the removal of administrative red tape. Private sector and public sector clients have relied on him to navigate the rules that regulate the way business and government achieve their objectives.
As a trial and appellate lawyer, Gerry has pleaded cases before administrative tribunals and every level of court in Canada, including 20 matters before the Supreme Court of Canada. The legal issues Gerry has dealt with are diverse and include: charities, the Constitution, defamation, education, elections, the environment, ethics, First Nations, governance, health, human rights, media, municipalities, natural resources, professional duties and responsibility, privacy, and public safety.
Gerry is a member of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and the International Commission of Jurists.
His scholarship includes over 100 legal articles on topics such as administrative law, charitable organizations, the Constitution, elections, education, the environment, ethics and government integrity, First Nations, governance, hospitals and healthcare, human rights, and public safety.
He serves on the board of directors of a number of charities with a focus on health and human services.
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Professional achievements & leadership
- LL.B. (1984) and LL.M. (1990), University of Alberta Law School
- Past Chair and Co-Chair for a number of Canadian Bar Association committees, including the national Constitutional and Human Rights Law Section and the Canada for Tomorrow Committee of the Alberta Branch of the Canadian Bar Association
- Member, Federal Judicial Advisory Committee for Alberta, 2006-2008
- Served as an adjunct professor at Canadian University College (now Burman University), 1993-1997
- Appointed Queen’s Counsel, 2006
- Awarded Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 for public service to Canada
- Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Litigation—Public Law, 2014-2018
Notable matters
Gerry has represented clients in cases addressing a wide range of public policy issues in Canada, including over 80 reported decisions in the following areas of the law:
- Agriculture Canada regulatory matters
- Charity regulations
- Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- Constitution of Canada
- Controverted Elections (federal, provincial and municipal)
- Corporate governance
- Defamation
- Education
- Election advertising and campaign finance laws
- Environmental review and assessment
- Euthanasia
- First Nations governance
- Health care regulatory bodies and professional ethics enforcement
- Hospitals and health care privileges
- Human rights and labour relations
- Insurance
- Media regulation
- Municipal bylaws and administrative decisions
- Provincial and federal jurisdictional disputes
- Public health
- Rail transportation
- Taxation
- The polygamy reference
- The regulation and funding of K-12 schools
- University licensing and regulation
Thought leadership
- Attended Supreme Court of Canada Symposium, October 25-26, 2017
- “Alberta Health and Alberta Doctors Partner to Improve Patient Care,” Miller Thomson Health Communique, 2016
- “Criminal Federal Jurisdiction Over Employee Relations: Expanding Application of The Canada Labour Code,” 2016
- “Check List for Legislators: Towards a Canadian Approach to End of Life Choice,” 2016
- “Constitutionality of the Extra-Provincial Application of Securities Law,” 2015
- “Physician-assisted Suicide: Drafting Memo for Parliament,” 2015
- “Reciprocal Enforcement of Judgments in Arizona and Alberta,” 2015
- “First Nations Remuneration Transparency,” Canadian Labour & Employment Law Blog, 2013
- “The Protection of Freedom of Expression is not Just the Responsibility of the Courts,” 2013
- “Polygamy: The Curious Case Of The Unrequited Reference,” 2013
- “Parliament acted legally when it passed Bill C-18,” 2012
Corporate directorships
- Member, Board of Directors, Calgary Homeless Foundation
- Member, Public Policy Committee, United Way of Calgary and Area
- Member, Board of Directors, SherwoodCare
- Member, Board of Directors, The Gimbel Eye Foundation
- Member, Board of Trustees, Canadian University College, 1985-2001
- Member, Board of Directors, Calgary Distress Centre, 2000-2001
- Member, Advisory Board, Canadian Journal of Clinical Medicine, 1997-2000
- Presiding Officer, Non-profit Private Colleges Foundation, 1996-1999
- Member of the National Council of the Canadian Bar Association, 1995-1998
- Member, Board of Directors, New Home Immigration Service, 1994-1995
- Advisory Member, Board of Directors of the Greater Edmonton Foundation, 1992-1994
Bar admissions & education
- Alberta Bar, 1985