Partner

Valérie Belle-Isle is a partner in the Administrative Law group.

Her practice revolves around environmental law and land use planning and development, and she represents both public and private clients as an advisor and expert on issues relating to these areas of practice.

Education

• LL.B. (International profile), Université Laval, 2004

Significant Accomplishments

Ms. Belle-Isle advises the businesses she represents on their environmental obligations in launching new operations, developing existing ones or carrying out transactions, and she acts on their behalf before administrative tribunals and the ordinary courts of law. Her experience includes handling cases involving, in particular, land contamination, work carried out in wetlands and bodies of water, and work carried out without the required environmental authorizations. In addition to her experience in environmental law, she also has extensive knowledge of issues relating to land use planning and development, as well as the protection of agricultural land.

Thanks to her expertise in land use planning and development, she is able to advise the firm’s clients on issues that go beyond those strictly related to environmental protection. She also advises public bodies and private companies on land use planning, particularly as regards the application of regulations and the issuance of permits and certificates. In addition, she acts before the courts in cases that involve applying and challenging the validity of planning by-laws before the Superior Court.

Ms. Belle-Isle regularly represents public bodies and businesses in expropriation matters. Her role consists in providing advice on the applicable process and the determination of the expropriation indemnity with the help of assessors. She is called on to act both in the early stages of projects and in disputes involving the right to proceed with expropriation or the amount of the expropriation indemnity.

She is also mandated by municipalities to act as an advisor to support the Director General and the planning department in ensuring that decisions made and actions taken on a daily basis are legally compliant. In addition, she provides the necessary support for short- and long-term project planning, helping municipalities to avoid the legal obstacles that may arise in the course of such projects.

Ms. Belle-Isle represents public bodies and businesses in matters relating to the application of taxation regulations, and in disputes challenging the legality of such regulations. She also acts in cases that involve contesting entries on the property assessment roll.

Publications

Ms. Belle-Isle regularly contributes to publications in her areas of interest. She also acts as a speaker and instructor for municipal organizations. Here is a sample of the publications and lectures she has been involved with:

• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Le régime d’autorisation environnementale et ses impacts pour les minières”, Colloque sur la fiscalité minière de l’association de planification fiscale et financière, May 1, 2024.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Environmental obligations: Directors and officers, you may have more responsibilities than you think”, Lavery Bulletin, April 2, 2024.
• Daniel Bouchard, Valérie Belle-Isle and Chantal Tremblay, “Le registre des terrains contaminés tenu par une municipalité : la mécanique mise en place en 2002 a-t-elle bien vieilli?”, Développements récents en droit de l’environnement, 2023, lecture given on December 8, 2023.
• Robert Daigneault, Thibaud Daoust, Daniel Bouchard, Valérie Belle-Isle and Chloé Fauchon, “Le nouveau Règlement sur l’encadrement d’activités en fonction de leur impact sur l’environnement : proposition de lecture”, Développements récents en droit de l’environnement, 2020, Vol. 487, Éditions Yvon Blais, December 2020.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “La lutte au cannabis pourrait-elle coûter cher aux municipalités?”, Quorum, December 2018.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Témoins experts en droit administratif : présenter une expertise devant un expert”, presented on April 10, 2018, at the Open Forum Ouvert on administrative law, Hyatt Regency, Montréal.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “New environmental authorization scheme: how does this affect mining companies?”, Lavery Bulletin, August 15, 2018.
• Valérie Belle-Isle and Charlotte Fortin, “Principaux impacts des nouvelles mesures de protection de l’environnement dans le domaine municipal”, Développements récents en droit municipal, 2018, Vol. 442, Éditions Yvon Blais, April 2018.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Dunsmuir 10 ans plus tard”, presented on April 18, 2018, at the Open Forum Ouvert on administrative law, Hyatt Regency, Montréal.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Le top 5 des décisions de la Cour suprême du Canada au cours de la dernière année”, presented on April 17, 2017, at the Open Forum Ouvert on administrative law, Hyatt Regency, Montréal.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Recours au Tribunal Administratif du Québec relatif à une inscription au rôle” in Droit municipal : Recours et modes de règlement des différends, chapter 7, LegisPratique, LexisNexis, 2016, pp.119–148.
• Daniel Bouchard and Valérie Belle-Isle, “Conseil municipal” in JuriClasseur Québec – Collection droit public – Droit municipal, Fascicle 6, LexisNexis, 2016, p. 6/1 to 6/47.
• Valérie Belle-Isle, “Fonction publique” in JuriClasseur Québec – Collection droit public – Droit municipal, Fascicle 7, LexisNexis, 2016, p. 7/1 to 7/36.
• Daniel Bouchard, Katia Opalka, Valérie Belle-Isle and Chloé Fauchon, “L’adaptation aux changements climatiques, une préoccupation plus qu’environnementale”, Développements récents en droit de l’environnement (2014), Service de la formation continue du Barreau du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 385, Cowansville, 2014, pp. 105–173.
• Daniel Bouchard and Valérie Belle-Isle, “Effets et ramifications de la Loi sur le patrimoine culturel”, Cours de perfectionnement du notariat, Chambre des notaires du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, 2013, pp. 97–142.
• Daniel Bouchard and Valérie Belle-Isle, “Les autorisations visant les milieux humides : la dissolution du droit”, Développements récents en droit de l’environnement (2012), Service de la formation continue du Barreau du Québec, Éditions Yvon Blais, Vol. 352, Cowansville, 2012, pp. 273–323.

Professional Associations
Canadian Bar Association
Jeune Barreau de Québec
Secretary of the board of directors of La Maison Jaune Art Centre