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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2011
HALIFAX – The authors of The Conduct of Public Inquiries: Law, Policy and Practice and The Law of Climate Change in Canada are the joint winners of the 2011 Walter Owen Book Prize in recognition of outstanding new contributions to Canadian legal literature.
The Conduct of Public Inquiries: Law, Policy and Practice was written by Ed Ratushny, Q.C., Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of Ottawa.
“Prof. Ratushny provides intriguing legal, social and political commentary on the context and functioning of many federal and provincial public inquiries. His book is the product of prodigious research, insightful analysis, and superlative persuasive writing,” says Chair of the Foundation for Legal Research, Mr. Justice John Jennings of Toronto.
Prof. Ratushny has written extensively in the field of public law. He served as senior counsel to the Lamer Commission of Inquiry into miscarriages of justice involving three murder cases in Newfoundland (2003-2005). He has acted for over 20 years as counsel to the Canadian Judicial Council in a variety of inquiries into the conduct of superior court judges.
The 2011 Walter Owen Prize was also awarded to the authors of The Law of Climate Change in Canada. Covering domestic and international laws and initiatives addressing climate change in Canada, the book was co-authored by a group of 28 leading lawyers and academics. It was conceived and developed by Dennis Mahony of Torys LLP, who is also the book's editor and lead author.
Mr. Mahony is one of Canada's most highly regarded environmental lawyers. He heads Torys' Environmental, Health and Safety Group, and co-chairs its Climate Change and Emissions Trading Practice. He is a former editor-in-chief of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review and an adjunct professor at the Law School. He is also a past Chair of the Canadian Bar Association's National Environment, Energy and Resources Law section.
“Our jury found the book to be uniformly well-written and informative as it deals with new areas of the law,” says Mr. Justice Jennings. “The book sets out the relevant legal framework for consideration and recommends how the huge gaps that exist can be filled.”
The Walter Owen Book Prize, awarded by the Foundation for Legal Research, is designed to recognize excellent legal writing and to reward outstanding new contributions to Canadian legal literature that enhance the quality of legal research in this country. The award takes the form of a $10,000 cash prize funded by the Foundation for Legal Research.
The group of authors behind The Law of Climate Change in Canada have generously agreed to donate their share of the prize ($5,000) to the National Environmental Energy and Resources Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association to fund an annual prize for the best law student written article or paper of publishable quality on a climate change topic.
The award will be presented at the Council Awards Luncheon on Saturday, August 13th at 12:30 p.m. in the Halifax ABC Room of the Marriott Halifax Harbourfront. The luncheon is held in conjunction with the CBA 2011 Canadian Legal Conference and Expo in Halifax from August 14-16. The event is open to accredited media. Please contact Hannah Bernstein for accreditation.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to support for the rule of law, and improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 37,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Hannah Bernstein
The Canadian Bar Association
Aug 12-16: 902-492-7889
E-mail: hannahb@cba.org
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