SEBASTIAN ENNIS
Associate Lawyer
EXPERTISE
Sebastian is nationally recognized as an “associate to watch” for environmental law matters in Chambers. He regularly advises clients on a variety of environmental issues, including environmental compliance and enforcement, regulatory approvals and amendments, local government regulation of environmental matters, and contaminated sites. In his litigation practice, he represents clients in many areas of environmental law, including contaminated sites, appeals and judicial reviews of regulatory decisions, and administrative penalty opportunities to be heard. Sebastian also provides advice to industry and Indigenous clients regarding Indigenous rights in the environmental and natural resource context, including consultation requirements.
Sebastian is the Chair of the CBABC Environmental Law Section.
Prior to joining Iris Legal, he worked at leading boutique litigation firms in Vancouver in the areas of public law, constitutional law, Indigenous law, civil litigation, and criminal defence. He also clerked at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.
Sebastian’s past volunteer work includes serving as a board member of an international human rights non-profit, a researcher for the UN Human Rights Committee, and a founding member of the CBABC’s Indigenous Justice Advocacy Committee.
He is a member of the Law Society of BC and the Law Society of Yukon.
SELECT CASES
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Counsel in various contaminated sites litigation, representing industry, First Nation, and individual clients.
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Counsel to various industry clients facing administrative penalties under the Environmental Management Act and Forest and Range Practices Act.
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Part of a national and international legal defence team for Ms. Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Huawei, regarding the United States of America’s request for her extradition.
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Assisted in the representation of 15 Canadian youth challenging the federal government’s response to the climate crisis in La Rose v. Her Majesty the Queen.
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Lead counsel for the BC Civil Liberties Association in a successful motion for special costs related to public interest litigation challenging the constitutionality of national security legislation in BCCLA v. Canada (Attorney General), 2021 FC 766.
EDUCATION
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University of British Columbia, JD, 2017
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University of King’s College, BA Hons, 2013
MORE ABOUT SEBASTIAN
When not working on legal files, you’ll find Sebastian playing the guitar, bass, or more recently, the mandolin. He also has a passion for food and loves exploring new recipes and local farmers’ markets.