06 Mar ELC Staff Counsel Kyra Leuschen: Lifelong love of the outdoors
ELC Staff Counsel Kyra Leuschen: Lifelong love of the outdoors
Kyra Leuschen recently joined the Environmental Law Centre as staff counsel, and we want to introduce you to her and the work she is undertaking.
Kyra Leuschen holds a B.A. with Honours from the University of Guelph and a J.D. from the University of Ottawa. She was previously admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 2009 and practiced civil litigation in Toronto for six years. Her practice consisted mainly of insurance coverage and defence with an emphasis on personal injury, product liability, and sexual abuse claims. In late 2015, Kyra relocated to Edmonton and was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta. She joined the Environmental Law Centre (ELC) as Staff Counsel in 2017.
Kyra was born and raised in Northern Ontario. She grew up with easy access to the outdoors and plenty of opportunity to hike, camp, canoe and swim. This early exposure helped to inspire a lifelong love and respect for the great outdoors. Still, it was not until she moved out West and had the opportunity to reinvent her career that she decided to pursue environmental law. She hopes that her work with ELC will encourage the adoption of legal environmental protections that help safeguard our planet for future generations.
Currently, she is working on ELC’s upcoming Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Guide. The aim of this project is to, among other things, promote resilience to climate change in Alberta through the law. Since starting with ELC, Kyra has most enjoyed participating in consultations with the Alberta government on various policies and/or pieces of legislation. It is exciting to have the opportunity to bend the ear of decision-makers, even for a moment, and she is often inspired by the work of the other ENGO’s.
Kyra resides in Edmonton with her husband and their daughter. She is currently trying to figure out how to (legally) build a wood-burning sauna in her backyard.
ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTRE:
The Environmental Law Centre (ELC) has been seeking strong and effective environmental laws since it was founded in 1982. The ELC is dedicated to providing credible, comprehensive and objective legal information regarding natural resources, energy and environmental law, policy and regulation in Alberta. The ELC’s mission is to educate and champion for strong laws and rights so all Albertans can enjoy clean water, clean air and a healthy environment. Our vision is a society where laws secure an environment that sustains current and future generations.
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Posted at 02:50h, 10 MarchPremier John Horgan referred his bitumen restriction proposal to the courts, and his counterpart in Alberta, Rachel Notley, lifted the wine blockade. And yet, just as the trade kerfuffle seemed settled, the budget tabled by Canada’s westernmost province threatened to do collateral damage as a proposed speculation tax on housing aimed at bringing the real estate market to heel threatened Albertans in a most sensitive spot: their vacation homes. Even if the measure had nothing deliberate to do with Alberta, it was a sure sign that no one was singing “Alberta on my mind” when drafting the policy.