A ‘strategic group regarding public utility regulation in BC’, Fasken’s close links with utilities such as FortisBC Energy pays dividends and it attracts a significant volume of regulatory work in British Columbia and beyond. The team additionally leverages the wider firm’s top-tier Indigenous law practice, as well as its corporate and environmental law offerings, to provide full-service support on oil and gas matters. Recommended names in Vancouver include energy and regulatory litigator Matthew Ghikas; overarching energy and climate group head Ron Ezekiel; and regulatory energy partner Christopher Bystrom. In Calgary, transactional energy practitioner Brendan Sawatsky is noted.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘I consider Fasken the most knowledgeable and strategic group regarding public utility regulation in BC. It demonstrates a high degree of collaboration and strikes a good balance between utilizing more junior lawyers when appropriate without creating unnecessary billing or at the detriment of quality advice.’
‘Matthew Ghikas is the most strategic regulatory lawyer that I have ever worked with. Having previously worked for the regulator, I can also say that he demonstrates exceptional skills in oral hearings that generally fosters trust and confidence both in the client (utility) and in the regulators.’
- ‘Christopher Bystrom is exceptional at strategic advice and can be very detail-oriented when needed. We rely on Christopher for legal support on a broad range of applications and he has always provided exceptional quality work and advice. He is also extremely collaborative and communicative.’
- ‘Niall Rand has been a supporting associate on our files for many years now, and he has demonstrated a strong level of strategic support. He collaborates well with our team members and is a trusted resource.’
‘Fasken provides expert, technical and business advice to our regulated and non-regulated operations.’
‘The team collaborates very well and shares information across partners and associates (which brings significant value to our organization in a cost-effective and efficient manner), rather than duplicating efforts or engaging multiple legal representatives in every initiative/project or discussion.’
‘Matthew Ghikas is our key account manager, supported by partners Christopher Bystrom and Tariq Ahmed, as well as associates Niall Rand and Courtney Gibbons. This team works extremely well together and divides the workload and tasks to give us the most value for the associated cost.’
‘Matthew Ghikas and team are very intelligent, strategic thinkers who consider our business in the context of what we aspire to accomplish, the regulatory framework we work under, the risks, how to mitigate the risks and provide us with the optimal advice in consideration of all these factors.’
Key clients
- FortisBC Energy
- NorthRiver Midstream (NorthRiver)
- Independent Energy Corp
- TC Energy, in respect of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project
Work highlights
- Represented NorthRiver Midstream in successfully defending an application for a new condensate and natural gas liquids pipeline system, which was litigated before the Canada Energy Regulator (CER).
- Advised FortisBC Energy on its application before the British Columbia Utilities Commission for approval of a Rate Framework from 2025 to 2027.
- Represented FortisBC Energy in its application to the British Columbia Utilities Commission for approval of a revised Renewable Gas Program.
Lawyers
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Ron Ezekiel, Brendan Sawatsky