Roger Townshend, a founding partner of OKT, practices Aboriginal rights, Constitutional, human rights, and administrative law. He advises on and litigates land claims for First Nations. He has appeared in Court and advised on numerous cases relating to Aboriginal title and other Aboriginal rights and treaty rights, and duty to consult and accommodate cases. His court work has also included challenging the legality of municipal by-laws and of environmental assessment decisions, the constitutionality of the Ontario educational funding regime, and the legality of drug testing programs in the workplace.
Roger has appeared in the Courts of Appeal of Ontario and Newfoundland, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. He has provided commentary on a variety of proposed federal and provincial legislation on behalf of Aboriginal clients including commentary on Bill C-45, the new proposed Fisheries Act, and the Limitations Act of Ontario. Prior to his legal career, Roger worked in the area of land claims research and negotiations for eight years on behalf of Manitoba First Nations.
He has been active on the executives of the Aboriginal Law Section and the Administrative Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association (Ontario).
Roger was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in Canada 2009 and in The Best Lawyers in America 2008 (Copyright 2007 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.) in the field of Aboriginal Law. He is listed as “repeatedly recommended” by Lexpert Directory. Roger is a member of the Ontario bar.
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